Session VIII, Part III

Nausicaä manages to talk Ranme down by reminding him that the PCs helped out his lizard folk friends in the Borderlands and by telling the semi-mad magician that he's Winning.  Consequently, he releases Lorenzo from the magic net and the latter promptly wakes up.  The Half-Insane Wizard glares at the thief suspiciously for a while but then his attention wanders back to a massive and imposing contraption of glass, metal, tubing and other intricate components in the center of the room.

The above image is, of course, from the classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill.  While justifiably not as well received as its predecessor, I think that I10 is nevertheless underrated, a new and innovative direction to take a linked D&D module and possessing the same wonderfully creepy atmosphere and an excellent mystery to investigate.  Strahd is still a badass and there's some great advice to DMs about how to tie I6 and I10 together as an ongoing (and challenging!) campaign, where the PCs aren't sure whether Barovia or Mordentshire (or either) are real.


Explaining their situation, the PCs ask Ranme for help with the revenant.  After a moment, he agrees if, in exchange, they will provide a test subject for his experiment, pointing rather too enthusiastically to the apparatus that he is building.  Nausicaä asks about the purpose of the device and Ranme replies that he doesn't know, the design came to him in a dream.

The PCs agree to the somewhat unsound mage's terms but are purposefully vague as to when they will actually provide a test subject.  Ranme doesn't seem to notice and gives them with a wand with one charge that will banish the revenant upon a successful touch, either of the spirit form or as a possessed human.


Next, the party rides out to the spot of Baroness Trần's abduction and meet up with the patrol that is investigating.  The legionnaires say that someone damaged the magic wards from within the camp, allowing the revenant inside.  Lorenzo asks who was traveling with Lieutenant Trần's sister and the patrol replies that the Baroness was accompanied by her bodyguards and her hand servant, a 9 year-old Cham girl from the Borderlands.

[OOC] S says, "Oh no, I know who this is!"

The patrol says that it looks like the revenant possessed the magic-user who killed the other bodyguards, then rode north with the servant and the baroness.  Due to high levels of undead, the legionnaires don't know exactly what's in the vicinity but they've heard rumors that a Cham nationalist, armed with a powerful magic artifact, dressed in a cape and cowl and known only as the Caped Crusader might be in the area.


While heading north in pursuit of the kidnappers, the party has a random encounter during the night.  On watch is Lorenzo, who makes his Spot Check and wakes up Brock Samson just as an unhappy Asian black bear appears!

The Suione Murder Machine yawns, beheads the bear and goes back to sleep, as the terrified thief watches from a safe distance.

The Asian black bear is slain!


Collecting his wits, Lorenzo tells the rest of the party to smoke the bear carcass during their watches and the party continues north carrying hundreds of kilos of bear meat.


Continuing to follow the tracks, as the PCs get closer to the ruins of Hatha, they can tell that they are being observed but are unable to learn more after Lorenzo fails his Hide in Shadows roll!  The party finishes climbing up the plateau and is surprised to see the site re-occupied and being rebuilt.

Lorenzo scouts ahead and, from a safe distance, he can tell that the reconstruction efforts are focused on restoring Hatha's defenses and he sees dozens of scruffy but armed guards atop the walls, intently keeping watch.

[As DM] I say, "Since the Caped Crusader may be around, you might want to leave Lieutenant Trần outside Hatha, as he's a tempting target."

[OOC] D says, "Good point.  Should we leave Brock Samson with the Lieutenant?"

[OOC] S replies, "Are you kidding??  *WE* need Brock Samson in case things go bad in the city!"