Journal of Rollo Lavius 2

Entry #267 - Battle of Zombie Zapping Canyon

(G267 11/03/2016 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, Mira, Guru)

DAY 246 (12 Uktar)(November) cont ...

Down at the bottom of the Rift was just a mess of undead. In the area of light there were already plenty of zombies, undead ogres, wyverns and other things we couldn't identify.

Out beyond the range of the light we could see even more things lurking about, things that looked even more dreadful that the things we were already fighting. Twisted and tentacled things.

From the shadows a large skeleton type thing emerged, with a body held in its rib cage. At the time we were not sure what it was, but later Basil identified it as a Devourer, a hideous undead thing that took mortals up into its middle and sucked the souls from them and consumed them.

The soul's life was used as a source for its magic and Basil cried in despair when he saw that the body inside the devourer was Sybil.

I turned into an owl and flew over the top if it to get a better look. I saw that it also had a wide maw of sharp teeth, grey skin and oozing sores. There were other nasty things around it as well, tentacled humanoids that looked like Bone Drinkers. This was all getting a bit much.

As I swooped about in the gloom, I got a good view of my comrades on the cliff side as they tore into the undead. The warriors were at the base of the steps, chopping heads and limbs off while the casters shot into the mass from above. Sylvia killed a wyvern with a single Searing Light spell that lit up the area for a few seconds and Basil attacked with Lightning Bolts again and again.

Irritator added in his Magic Missiles until the whole area was like an inverse fire works display with constant zaps and thumps as spells landed below.

The Devourer tried to cast a spell on me, I'm not sure what it was, but my will was strong enough to avoid it. I swooped back towards the others and saw Irritator finish off an ogre with a barrage of Magic Missiles.

I landed on the cliff steps and without fully thinking the thing through summoned a Phantom Stag.

I had meant it to be there to cover our retreat, but the poor thing arrived in mid air, not where I had wanted it at all and it plunged into the undead below. It seemed only a little hurt though and was soon tossing zombies about with its massive antlers. At this time as well, Sylvia had got down the steps far enough to start using her Turn Undead abilities but it was very clear to everyone this was a fight we couldn't win.

'Retreat!' came the cry from more than one throat and everyone rushed back up the steps. I used my last Stone Shape to prevent any counter attack and the fighting effectively ended at that point. We'd hit them hard, but it was all rather futile, they were not the real enemy and we had not even recovered Sybil's remains.

We went back to the 'Fortress' , healed our wounds, sharpened our notched weapons and repaired our armour.

Myself, Basil and Sylvia sat down to come up with some kind of plan. In the end we decided that an aerial attack of Baleful Polymorph spells was worth a go. I had a suspicion that the spells wouldn't work on undead creatures but Basil assured me it would.

The rest of the day was spent with camp fire tales told in hushed whispers. I updated my journal and notes made on the behaviour of monsters down in the Rift.

When it was time for sleep Lavinia snuggled up to me in our magic bedrolls. Not much chance of any romance at the moment though.

DAY 247 (13 Uktar)(November)

In the morning, after we had breakfasted on food summoned by Sylvia I scryed the dragon again and found he was doing his usual activity of fiddling about with the weave. It reminded me of an old man rubbing his hands in glee as he watched young maidens bathing.

Without further ado, myself and Basil prepared our spells. I cast lots of resistance magic on myself, Camouflage and Barksin, before finally turning into an owl. With Sylvia on my back I flew off, following Basil who had already turned into a Dire Bat.

With out combined bird and bat senses it didn't take long to find the devourer again and I descended low enough for Sylvia to Turn it, which she did, making it take off into the darkness.

For the record they run like pregnant women.

We had draw the attention of four undead wyverns though, which took off and flew after us.

In a swooping, ducking, high speed aerial chase we battled the wyverns through the Rift.

Basil managed to Earth Bind one of them and I got the next as it clawed at my feathers.

The two wyverns spiraled down to the floor of the canyon, flapping ineffectively as they landed in heaps behind us.

The other two clawed and snapped at us and I fended one off as Sylvia managed to Turn it. I cast Hypothermia at the last one and Basil tried another Earth Bind which it resisted.

Sylvia finally caught it with a Turn attempt as it swooped up past Basil and it fled into the darkness.

The wyverns dealt with, we flew down towards the floor of the Rift and found the devourer as it headed back towards the platform where Sybil had been killed. I tried a Baleful Polymorph spell which it resisted. Basil tried one and incredibly the devourer turned into a turtle that he then snatched up in his claws as he swooped past.

We headed for home and arrived without incident, landed and turned back into our human forms.

Basil held the turtle close to his chest, he seemed to be somewhat happier, but I wondered what he was going to do with the thing? It looked undead, but at least her soul had not been destroyed. With the right kind of magic it should be recoverable I suppose.

Still, Sybil's soul was now inside a devourer which was inside a turtle! It reminded me of those little set of nested dolls that you can buy back at Waterdeep, each doll inside the other like layers of an onion.