Session 35, 21 February 2016

Second anniversary of playing!

After the battle with the purple worm, the Heroes head back up the beach toward Sandpoint. Near the town the breeze brings the sound of battle. The Heroes rush into town to find the Hellknights armed and prowling the streets, keeping the people inside and telling the guards to bring light – lots of light.

Lord Tevan strides up to them and demands answers. Maralictor Solangus quickly explains there is a shadow demon prowling the streets – bright light will slow it. That is what has brought them to Sandpoint – but he adds that it is likely not alone.

The demon appears and after a brief battle the Heroes dispatch it back to wherever it came.

Sheriff Hemlock arrives. “What now?” This night has turned bad – he had already heard a report that the old scholar Quink is missing, and several of the convicts were found dead within the temple – stabbed to death with a dagger. He also tells the Heroes that Quink is just the latest one missing – earlier in the week several Halfling sailors vanished, followed by two children. The Heroes question him about Lucilla, and find out she is staying with Titus Scarnetti.

Scarnetti first claims Lucilla, who he called Darma, is his niece from Magnimar. Since this was the same story Quink told the Heroes they cut through the BS quickly, and Scarnetti wisely takes them to Lucilla.

The lamia is lounging in the library, reading a book. She greets the Heroes as a long lost friend would. Wary, the Heroes talk to her, only to find out she is fleeing Karzoug after her failure in Turtleback Bay and is now working to thwart him. She claims the Heroes need her, as she is the only one who knows what is going on – to an extent. She says something has awoken in Sandpoint, perhaps what Mokmurian was looking for. But she says Karzoug would want this for two reasons: either because it can help him, or kill him. Either way, the Heroes should find out what it is.

Not trusting Lucilla but not certain they have a choice, the Heroes investigate the town and discover the recent earthquake had opened a sinkhole – which damaged the prison and allowed the convicts to escape – with a small crack leading into the catacombs beneath Sandpoint. There, they find a set of stairs which were previously blocked have been cleared. The descend into the Cathedral of Lamashtu.

The walls of the Cathedral are covered in Thassilonian writing. They soon work out some of the words are verses belonging to a poem, part of which Lucilla found scribbled in a book the convicts in the temple were holding (she killed them).

After another battle with a large demon and some demonic hounds, the Heroes find the Scribbler, who is the reborn traitor, Xaliasa, Mokmurian had mentioned. He had been dead for 10,000 years, but had recently awoken – why, neither him or the Heroes knew.

After questioning the Heroes and hinting that he knew where a powerful artefact which could kill Karzoug was located, he attacked the Heroes.

Collecting the lines to the poem from the walls, the Heroes consider returning to Lucilla… for they had found the dead body of Quink, the only other one who could translate Thassilonian.