| Game Master: System: Date: | Ken Dungeons & Dragons 5e Homebrew Campaign 8th June 2023 |
| Characters: | Fayd – Half Orc Barbarian (Deceased) Gunnar Orcsson – Half Orc Barbarian Jaraziah Grimm – Human Cleric (On Hiatus) Iivan – Drow Rogue/Fighter Balasar Aurumingis – Dragonborn Sorcerer (On Hiatus) Luther Merton – Half Elf Bard Navarro Trovatero de Vimaa – Half Elf Paladin Hamlet Wolffort- Half Elf Warlock Dorian Hammerbeard – Dwarven Cleric Sylas (nee “Tourist”/”Nick”) – Human Fighter Gregg the Guide – Human Druid Tad Hemlock – Halfling Bard (Retired) Tianzi – Half Elf Sorlock (Retired) Yorhorn – Half Elf Paladin (Retired) |
With Gregg down Navarro ignored the hulking mutant attacking him, putting his trust in Helm and his armour to protect him he rushed the human figure who’d been trying to escape and grappled him, dragging the man away from the flickering barrier blocking entry to the castle itself and back towards his allies and the massive demon they were battling. That fight wasn’t going well for the Renegades, with the Demon shrugging off the combined attacks with little impact, Dorian was at least able to save Gregg from the Demon’s assault with his healing magic. In turn the Demon teleported itself away from Gregg to attack Gunnar and Navarro, the latter wounded badly but gritted out a blood chilling curse and shoved his captive toward Gunnar
“Gunnar – deal with this one for me while I slay this beast” he bellowed, but before he could launch his attack the Demon summoned magical fire that errupted around Luther, Dorian and Gregg
Responding to Navarro’s order Gunnar grabbed the wounded man and hauled him back towards the comparative shelter of the hospital doorway, Luther dashed past him – ignoring the magical fire still burning him and unleashed a cacophonous blast against the Demon
“Navarro! Kill it now!” he called out to his companion, his words strengthening the Paladin’s already grim determination to finish the battle. Dorian also fought on through the pain of the flames enveloping them and cast a spell of protection on Navarro, grimacing as they fought to maintain concentration on the magical barrier. The Demon roared with frustration as it’s mighty blows failed to penetrate Navarro’s augmented defences, turning it’s attention to Luther it landed a crushing blow on the burning bard but the young half elf shrugged the attack aside
“That’s the way Squire!” called out Navarro, clearly impressed with his squire’s new found interest in melee combat
Badly wounded, Gregg managed to douse the Demon’s magical fire but was too injured to do anything more to aid his companions, inspired by his squire’s bravery Navarro uttered a Vilmean curse and began hacking at his Demonic foe with a renewed frenzy, his strikes fuelled by his own magical energy and the power of Helm channeled through his holy blade. Tearing gaping wounds in the Demon’s body that shook the beast to it’s core, in an act of vengence the great beast tried to grab the Paladin and tried to hurl him off the precipitous ledge, but Helm’s champion was able to slip free of the Demon’s grasping talons at the last moment. Gunnar slashed his blade at the Demon, opening new wounds on the beleagured beast.
Luther ignored the flames wreathing him and charged the giant demon, drawing his needle like rapier and with Navarro looking on with awe the young bard almost causally slid the steel between the beast’s ribs to puncture it’s foul heart. A bestial roar ripped through the air, shaking the heavy stones of the platform they stood on, the demons turned it’s head to focus on the tiny figure of the bard
“I’ll see you soon” it growled at him, unphased, Luther winked and blew it a kiss “Looking forward to it” and watched as it was banished from the mortal world and returned to whatever hellish realm that had spawned it.
The Renegades were locked in a frozen tableu, the final mutant forgotten as they stared at Luther – the moment was only broken when Navarro’s thunderous applause woke the others from their reverie.
“Excellent work Squire! Great form, I see you’ve been studying, was that thrust a Capo Ferro?” he called out with a knowing grin, referencing the famed Vilmean sword master Ridolfo Capo Ferro who had mastered a linear form of fencing known for it’s aggressive lunging attacks.
Luther looked at the man in obvious confusion, before slumping to the ground from the effects of the flames that still burned across his body.
With the demon banished and the final beast dispatched the Renegades turned their attention to the man still struggling to free himself from Gunnar’s vice like grip. Navarro strode towards the pair
“Who are you?” he snapped
“Fuck off!” sneered the man, his struggles ceasing for a moment
Without a moment’s hesitation the noble knight slapped the man a ringing blow across the face with his mailed gauntlet, knocking his teeth loose and sending him reeling into unconsiousness. Still glaring Navarro reached out and sent a pulse of healing magic into the man to rouse him from his stupour. The ragged haired wretch spat a gobbet of blood and tissue at Luther and tried to focus on the figures swimming in his vision.
“You’d better answer him” whispered Gunnar in his hear “or I’ll go pay a visit to your boy Rupert” his grip tightening around the man’s throat
“Rupert? Who the fuck is Rupert – your boyfriend is it?” leered the man, surprising Gunnar who was sure Dr Kleinberg wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of trying to save his son in such monstrous ways only to abandon him so lightly. Puzzling over this Gunnar allowed Sylas to take the prisoner, tie a rope around his foot and walk him towards the precipitous ledge, before he could get there though the man managed to struggle free of Sylas’ grip and threw himself towards the edge with a mad grin on his face. Diving for the trailing rope Gunnar and Sylas just managed to grab the tether and prevent the man from killing hiself and escaping justice.
“Just kill me or let me go you pussies” taunted the man from the floor, Gunnar hauled him to his knees and forced him to stillness as Luther walked over, the whiff of smoke and burnt flesh still clinging to him. The young elf met the mans eyes and drew on his power, the moment stretched in silence as the air between them seemed to crackle, before the man spat and cackled at Luther. Before the young bard could react Navarro pushed him aside
“Show some respect to my Squire scum” the knight thundered
“Scum? I’m a Doctor – I’m saving people, unlike you sick bastards” the man answered belligerently
“Saving them? We’ve SEEN your patients downstairs you monster” cut in Dorian, being held back by Gregg
“A Doctor like you probably doesn’t need two hands I wager” stated Navarro flatly, before grabbing the man’s arm and chopping down once to severed his hand in a spray of blood. The man, weakened as he was began to slip away but Navarro reached out and once again used his magic to close the man’s wound
“No easy escape for you” he muttered turning his back
They waited for their captive to come back to his senses, but the man was as combative as before despite his brutal treatment. Gunnar grew tired of his ranting and with the memories of the room he’d seen below he pulled his old sack cloth pants from his pack and began to waterboard the man but while it clearly shook the so called Doctor badly it didn’t make him any less recalcitrant about sharing the information the party wanted. Frustrated, Navarro removed the man’s other hand – healing him to prevent his death once again before Dorian decided that they were at risk of crossing the line from avenging his victims to be guilty of the kind of trangressions he himself had committed and smashed the man’s skull with his mace. Hamlet quietly used his power to quietly clean the mace head of the man’s remains, earning a quite nod of gratitude from the stoic Dwarf.
Having avenged the victims they’d encountered in the hospital the Renegades gathered and healed themselves as best they could before entering the castle itself. Moving carefully through the stone corridors they eventually emerged in the main courtyard. Before them rose the walls of the central keep, but it was in ruins – the grounds crawling with mutated townsfolk along with many more powerful forms. But drawing their attention was a gigantic shambling beast that seemed to be kin to the monster they’d battled in the sewers, on seeing Hamlet this beast roared and barrelled towards them, crashing through the walls and crushing several of the other mutants as it charged the Renegades. Some of the armoured mutants seemed to be herding the mutated townsfolk towards the monster, seeking to feed it’s power.
Seeing the massive best launch it’s acidic spew Gunnar threw himself forward and slammed the door, but his grin of satisfaction evaporated as the caustic slime began melting through the walls of their shelter…a sizzling noise drew his attention to the door he was pressed against and he stepped back hurridly as the slime dissolved the last of the stout wooden beams, leaving him holding a smouldering handle in his hand as he peered through the lingering smoke at the advancing creature.
Hamlet launched powerful blasts of energy into the fray and Gregg called down a powerful beam of moonlight on two of the armoured mutants, Dorian and Luther exchanged confused looks as they tried to work out how the druid was able to summon the moon’s power when it was no longer present in the skies above them. Gunnar and Sylas both charged these two aberrations but the lingering smoke or the lingering acidic fumes seemed to slow them and render their attacks useless. Seeing the danger of allowing the huge monster to continue to feed on the lesser mutants Hamlet launched a fireball at the closest group, immolating them in a flaming inferno and wounding their erstwhile handler. The huge beast retaliated, lashing out with a tentacle to grasp Hamlet and bringing him close enough to devour whole. Navarro charged forward and used his magical blade to slash a jagged rent in the wall of corrupted flesh before him, before helping to drag a stunned Hamlet from it’s belly. The remaining armoured mutants tried to drive more of the infected toward the monster before launching attacks on the remaining Renegades. Seeing his companion’s in dire straights Dorian rushed forwards, casting a spell to aid Navarro before channelling Helm’s power to heal both himself and the dazed Hamlet. Gregg shifted the focus of his powerful moonbeam to hurt the gigantic creature and attempted to use it to prevent any more of the infected being able to reach it and be absorbed into it’s writing mass. Luther added his own magical attacks to the onslaught while Gunnar and Sylas continued to battle the two armoured mutants they faced.