Spoiler: This series of posts covers actual game play of the War of the Burning Sky campaign arc from EN Publishing.

The previous episode is here.

The heroes awoke early on the morning of the second day of the year to a moderate snowfall. The weather blanketed the city of Gate Pass with peace as it prevented the Ragesians from continuing their aerial assault on the city. While preparing for their confrontation with the eladrin mage Shealis, the party overheard conversations from the refugees indicating the Ragesians have given the city an ultimatum: let the Inquisitors into the city by nightfall or the army would attack in force the following day. The party quickly came to the conclusion they need to secure the case and get out of the city today.

The group headed west to the next district where Gabal’s School of War was located. Omicron knew its confines well having been a student there. He lead them to the main gates where a crowd had gathered clamoring for entrance. The heroes inquired about what was happening. When someone said the crowd was trying to get into the school to hand over the mages to the inquisitors the heroes quickly departed fearing the mob would identify Omicron or Athos. Omicron informed the group there was a back entrance. A hidden tunnel in a nearby stable. The heroes agreed that would be the best way to get into the school to find Shealis.

Upon arriving at the stables, the group found a scruffy man pitching hay into the stalls. He glanced over the heroes and said, “Ah Omicron. Long time no see. What brings you here this morning?” The group moved towards the man, who identified himself as Rufus, knowing that he was between them and the tunnel entrance at the rear of the stables. After a brief conversation where the party finally demanded entrance to the tunnel Rufus said, ” I can’t do that. Get ‘em boys!” His form shifted and morphed into the body of a very large rat with bony protrusions from his spine. Several other such rats emerged from hiding places in the hay and rafters above along with two large groups of dozens of smaller rats. Aukan and Vandalis quickly engaged Rufus and another large rat nearby. Athos, Thaikou and Omicron were swarmed by the remaining foes from the other side after moving in behind the warriors. The heroes did not have too much difficulty in slaying the myriad of rodents, especially after Omicron used his new found beastbane amulet to create some of the material beasts find so foul. He dropped it at the feet of Vandalin next to him causing several rats to scurry away from them and attack Athos near the stable door. He had flown over to the entrance to get away from the rats. Unfortunately that was their only escape route from the beastbane. But the heores proved to be too much for the rats and overcame them without difficulty. They found 10gp and a potion of healing hidden in the hay.

The tunnel was a hundred yards long and led to a small gardener’s shack on the grounds of the school. The door opened away from the school’s tower with a large expanse of open courtyard, now covered in snow, between it and the wall. Omicron knew the apartments where Shealis lived were to the south so the group headed in that direction. Athos attempted to sneak by low crawling through the snow (since there was no cover to be found), but his efforts were quickly neutralized by the twin goliath’s lumbering steps.

The apartments were numbered one through six with no names on their doors. Two of them (numbers three and five) had lights on inside. The heroes decided to try number three and listened at the door. Thaikou and Athos heard the sound of someone inside but could not see through the curtains. The front door was locked, which Omicron easily picked, but the heroes were wary of rushing into the home of a powerful mage uninvited. They noticed that the light coming from the window tot he right of the door was unnaturally bright. Omicron went to the window and used his arcane powers to push the curtain aside slightly so he could see inside. A familiar small floating sun was in the small room. The very same one they met the previous morning at the depository. After trying to converse with the solon through the window, he opened it, which was surprisingly unlocked, and asked the wisp if Shealis was home. It answered yes, said to come on in, and disappeared in a burst of flame. The door click and opened slightly.

The party entered Shealis’ home to find her arranged her belongings and packing. Her familiar, the wisp solon, was hovering nearby.

“Hello Omicron. Gabal will not be happy to see you. I take it you and your friends are here for the case. It is property of Shahalesti now. You will not convine me to turn it over to you,” she said.

Omicron and the group feebly (they’re not much of a talking bunch) attempted to change her mind, but Shealis was adamant about keeping the case for herself. Omicron even tried invoking some infernal powers to aid his efforts, but to no avail. Vandalin spoke to the solon, “pay it no mind, but we are going to have a little tussle with your boss here.”

To which Shealis replied, “Very well then.” most of the group was still near the front door when they saw her split into four and throw a small fireball in their direction. The Suicide Squad broke into action with Aukan and Vandalin charging the mage. They hacked at one of the quartet only to find it was not the real Shealis. Each swing destroyed one of the images and she was soon back to her solo self. The solon blasted a searing bright light at Athos dazing him. The woman disappeared and reappeared several feet away in bursts of flame. Aukan again engaged the mage and summoned all of his divine strength to impart a heavy blow with his maul to the eladrin. She was hit very hard, but barely stumbled from the blow. Thaikou and Vandalin also moved to engage, but the wizard put both hads up and used magical force to push all of them back. Vandalin had managed to knick the shifty mage once with his greataxe and Omicron shot her with an unerring magic missile, but the group was finding that her quickness and arcane power prevented most of their attacks from connecting. Uncharacteristically for the protective and loyal Vandalin, he left his new friends and ran out the door. Athos soon followed through the open window leaving only Aukan, Omicron, and Thaikou to face the mage.

Thaikou had been pushed by the wizard to the corner of the room near the mage’s desk at one point in the fight. He noticed a small map on the desk and grabbed it thinking it might be important. Nobody, including Shealis, seem to notice his filching the parchment.  Thaikou told the woman their fight was not with her and that they should leave, but Aukan, nearly unconscious from the mage’s attacks but full of Kord’s fury, tried to attack the her again. Before he coudl do so, his brother moved to his side and drew his throwing hammer swiping at him futilely in an effort to knock him unconscious. His backswing connected though and Aukan slumped to the floor. Shealis demanded that they depart her quarters to which Omicron immediaely complied. Thairkou hefted his brother’s large form and carried him outside. The heroes rendezvoused at the gardener’s shack where Thaikou revealed the map.

The map led the group to a walled house in the eladrin quarter of the next district to the west. The wall was about eight feet tall and covered with vines at the top. When Aukan grabbed the top of the wall to peer over, the vine began to move over his hands. He quickly let go. A single gate led into the property. On it was a bas relief carving of an eladrin hero fighting a demonic citadel with a leonal and solon assisting him. Omicron recognized this as depicting and old eladrin legend. He also saw that the pieces moved and after a misstep in moving the solon first, he realized they must be moved in a particular order to unlock the gate. Inside, they found the courtyard covered in trellises and vines. A narrow path led to the front door of the house.

On their way down the path, Aukan noticed something moving int he vines. It spoke to them in eleven, “You should not be here. Go now.”

Vandalin, the only party member who spoke elven, told the group what it said and replied, “We have been invited by Shealis.” The figured did not reply, but moved away from view towards the back of the house.

The front door was locked, but again another lock proved to not be beyond the efforts of Omicron and his handy picks. The heroes went inside to find four eladrin sitting around the room and jumping to attention when they entered. The group began to explain they were sent by Shealis to recover the case when Aukan, scorched, tried, and bruised from the fight with the mage, grew weary of talk and charged one of the eladrin. A fight ensued that did not last long. Two more eladrin joined the group from upstairs. One dressed in leather and wielding a glowing longsword and another carrying a longbow. The swordsman began dancing among the heroes slashing at them with his blade, but his armor and agility did little to protect him from the mighty blows of the Suicide Squad. The archer fared better unleashing flaming arrows and a forceful blast knocking several of the heroes down at one point. His fate was sealed when Omicron unleashed a flaming sphere next to the archer, but not before two flaming arrows felled Aukan.

Thaikou quickly revived his brother once the fight was over. Athos went upstairs while the rest of the heroes searched the bodies downstairs. When they went upstairs Athos was gone, but they found some boots of spider climbing, an amulet of protection, 290gp, and the case. They found it at last!

Now if only they can get out of Gate Pass before the Inquisitors get in.

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We took a week off due to one of the players having to work Friday night and I think that affected my abilities a bit. I was not as prepared and wasn’t on my “A” game this sessions so it wasn’t quite as good as I hoped. The confrontation with Shealis was kind of lame. I hate skill challenges and tried to go free form, but the players did not provide any enticing arguments and for the most part refused to try any skill checks to change her mind. Once the fight went a few rounds, math and metagaming led to a decision that I thought was way out of character for Vandalin. Erik confirmed that Shealis was at least 10th level because she had used Mirror Image and Ryan realized they would have a hard time hitting her and bolted without waiting or aiding his friends. I may have misunderstood Vandalin’s background, but I thought this was completely out of character for him and was disappointed. Tom (Aukan) on the other hand played his character very well, falling to the bloodlust of battle in his efforts to follow Kord, regardless of the outcome. If it wasn’t for Thaikou knocking him out and carrying him from the house, Aukan probably would have died there to save the rest of the group. I also forgot about an effect that should have taken place after the first encounter, but I should be able to throw that in after their next short rest. We have two weeks until our next session. Hopefully I will be more prepared and things go a little better.

Until next time…