Session 17 – Gnome Mercy

Campaign II, session 17. Previous: Session 16. Next: Session 18.

• Fight with the spectral hunter/hounds

  • Most of the party can’t hurt it

  • Vierath takes an icy dog chomp he can feel in his soul (enervated, max HP reduced!)

  • Vezhka’s magic hammer is able to wound the beasts. She takes out the two hounds, but takes an arrow to the shoulder (and is also enervated)

  • While they’re fighting, Zydell forces open the door with a bull on it, revealing a cavern of stalactites that reach almost to the floor. Several of the party hide within while Vezhka finishes off the hunter

• Cresilde is able to identify their wounds as enervation. They will need to make a save vs Death each day after resting or continue to lose 1 hp. The condition lasts until they succeed at three consecutive saves! Nasty stuff. Probably the healer back in town has something that will help stop end the effect, but normal magic is not capable of restoring the lost HP.

• The party immediately wants to retreat back to town for recovery, but are still lost thanks to the teleportation trap. ‘Rath convinces the party to head back the direction the huntsman came from, under the assumption that this was most likely to be towards the exit.

• They spot a side tunnel with a door at the end. Listening at it, they hear some whispers and rustling. Zydell forces it open, and the party spots a pair of small figures ready for combat. Vezhka acts quickly, smashing both of them with her hammer – after which the party realized they’re gnomes, possibly the exiled heretics they’ve heard rumors about. Each had a small bit of coin and something special under their hat – one, a cinnamon bun (now smashed to pieces), the other a pet mouse (now smeared across their ruined face).

• The room appears to be something of a foyer, with many colorful coats hanging on the walls. A set of playing cards is now scattered across the floor, as if the pair had been playing before hearing the party approach.

• After checking the room, they notice the smell of warm bread coming from a side room. The party forces open that door as well. When she sees three more gnomes in a kitchen area, she feels bad about killing the others. “Zydell killed your friends!” She blurts out.

• Mireya and Zydell each try to explain that “She’s just joking, of course we wouldn’t do that…” but to no avail, the baker gnomes start screaming at the party to “Get out of our kitchen! Intruders! Ahhh!”

• The party tries valiantly to subdue them without lethal force, but the gnomes put up such a fierce resistance that eventually the PCs fall back on deadly force. Fortunately, one of the gnomes, by the name of Dreblem, survives, and with some forceful persuasion is able to show the party the fastest way out…

• … Back through rooty, viney mass that stole Fenmyra’s torch earlier! The party uses vitriolic infusion to melt the roots with acid, but their attacks also cause the tunnel to tremble. The shaking seems to draw some unwanted attention!

• A booming voice from behind shouts out about how much it wants to eat the little ones! A mutated ogre charges forward and takes a few mighty swings at Cresilde. Fortunately, the group is able to make a hasty escape; Vierath drops a flask of burning oil behind him as they do and the creature bemoans his lost meal.

• They make their way back to town with no further encounters. Garalen, the local healer, is able to help Vierath and Vezkha with a salving rest spell. The party agrees to take another few weeks of downtime while they recover, and while Arven the Amazing finishes identifying the sword.

• Sword of Beguiling! It has the power to charm people.