Fifty-Fourth Session - The Horror in the Vault

Session resumes with Ishaq receiving a Sending from Roe immediately after the letter’s arrival, very brusque, arranging an urgent meeting at a tea and hookah shop at the top of the city. Markoris investigates and finds the shop is small, well-known, and is on top of Azkaresh’s wall, overlooking the desert. The party scouts before entering the shop to satisfy Max’s fears of ambush or surveillance, and everything looks safe.

The tea house is empty except for the proprietor and Lord Roe. Celia insights that Roe is *exceptionally* furious even by his standards. Roe immediately wants to know about The Child, and in response to Ishaq’s Persuasion states that as far as Roe knew, there are no Draconic bloodlines in the region. Ishaq reveals that there is at least one: Hepatian has golden scales.

Roe begins to lose composure, declaring Hepatian an abomination and describing how he wants to turn Rashid inside out. He also says this changes things, and dismisses the proprietor from the scene so he can share more information with the party.

Lord Roe describes how his wife has been trapped in the Heart of Azkaresh for centuries, and their egg has been held hostage to keep Roe from acting. But the news of Hepatian and what it implies means that Roe must end the situation with all necessary force.

Ishaq persuades Roe to respect the popular will and the death toll of a frontal assault, which would devastate the Palace and central Azkaresh before excavating the Vault. He reinforces the idea of a peaceful coup and stresses that the truth lies in the Vault. The party can enter the Vault with Roe’s help suborning the Governor.

The Persuasion check by Ishaq calms Roe (a 35 rolled at advantage for its sound appeal) but Roe still promises to raze the Palace to the ground if anything happens to his wife or the egg. Ishaq asks for more information about the location to better prepare the team, and Roe says that the Vault/Heart used to be a secret lair for the dragons who protected Azkaresh. Raith attacked while Roe was away, seized the Heart, and secured it with blood-magic bound to their installed Governor. The only way to get in without Rashid’s cooperation is to devastate most of the city.

Ishaq describes the personal, political and financial leverage they have to force Rashid to resign, gathered by him and Max from the bank. Roe says that they have a better chance with him backing their ultimatum, but nevertheless requests seeing the documents from the Treasury, which exposes that Rashid hasn’t been visiting the Vault anymore.

Max raises the fate of the ‘abomination’ Hepatian. Roe tells him that if they retrieve his egg, he will spare the boy’s life as a boon. With a plan and agreement made, the gang hangs around for special tea, which results in Ishaq, Markoris, and Max all being Blessed for the next six hours.

Max asks Roe if the Lair is still defended by, uh, lair defenses. Roe doesn’t know, it depends on the health of his mate. Ishaq talks to Roe about the Host Radiant and rolls 25 on Persuasion. There is a final planning to hammer out details, including the sequence of threats and revelations to wear down Rashid’s resistance. The party also picks up high-class wine to help spike the Governor with Max’s Truth Serum if Celia’s Zone of Truth doesn’t compel him to be honest.

Then it’s back to the Palace. Celus escorts the Keepers to the Throne Room, where Ishaq convinces Rashid to grant them a private audience in the War Room without the Palace Guards present.

Ishaq, through various intimidation and persuasion tactics, start dropping bombs. First he reveals that they know about Hepatian’s ancestry and lack of arcane training and the danger that carries, then he demands access to the Vault with a high Intimidation check, backed up by Lord Roe. Rashid starts stammering, and Ishaq  presses on by pulling out the financial documents stolen from the bank that show how badly he’s been running the city - mentioning how badly Raith would respond if they knew.

Rashid insists what’s in the Vault is beyond the party’s power, and says it was all a mistake. Max offers Truth Serum wine to ‘calm  his nerves’, but he and Markoris perceive that Rashid fears poison. Ishaq offers to drink with him and makes a CON save, Rashid accepts but it can’t be seen whether he’s affected.

Rashid admits Hepatia’s nominal mom is not his mom, his mom is a dragon who protected Azkaresh for hundreds of years. She was very ill, and Hepatian’s birth was too much for her and she died… and then Rashid tried to have her resurrected. He also says there’s no egg.

Max (and Markoris?) Insight checks him and realizes he’s lying and panicking, signals this to Roe and the other party members. Celia casts Zone of Truth, Rashid makes his save, Max fails it.

Ishaq starts threatening Rashid, but Roe decides to do his own thing and hauls Rashid off his feet, convincing Rashid to admit there is an egg down there and agrees to take us there. The party leaves the War Room with their new hostage and descends toward the Vault.

Rashid sticks himself with a blade concealed in his amulet, holds his bloodied hand against the wall, and speaks an incantation. The hidden entrance opens, revealing the vault, a hoard of wealth, and draconic bones. Lord Roe immediately checks out at the sight of his mate’s demise, starts moving forward, and triggers an encounter.

Side note: We have now achieved Dungeons and Dragons

ROLL INITIATIVE
 * 1) Markoris
 * 2) Ishaq
 * 3) Roe
 * 4) Raul
 * 5) Max
 * 6) Celia
 * 7) Alana
 * 8) Rashid
 * 1) Alana
 * 2) Rashid
 * 1) Rashid
 * 1) Rashid
 * 1) Rashid

ROUND ONE
 * 1) Markoris - activates Boots of Speed, moves up - an undead creature arises
 * 2) Undead 1 - closes with Markoris, attacks, misses
 * 3) Ishaq - casts Synaptic Burst on the lair - 16 damage for Undead that make save, 33 for targets that do not - dragon-undead is Baned for next six rounds - Quickened Spell to Firebolt Undead 1 for 15 damage
 * 4) Roe - moves forward, shrugs off AOO from Undead
 * 5) Undead 2 - casts Hunger of Hadar on everyone - everyone inside is blinded and in difficult terrain - take damage at start of turn inside sphere and end of turn
 * 6) Raul - takes 5 cold damage, dashes out of Hunger, attacks caster, misses
 * 7) Max - takes 5 damage, ditches Rashid and Dashes out of Hunger, attacks Markoris’ enemy
 * 8) Celia - tries to save the Governor, neither of them escape the Hunger
 * 9) Undead 3 - Eldritch Blasts Roe, misses
 * 10) Alana - takes 9 damage, 6 temp HP left, turns into Giant Eagle to escape Hunger
 * 11) Undead 4 - Eldritch Blasts Roe, misses
 * 12) Undead Dragon - arises and uses Frightful Presence, Max and Markoris are Frightened, then Wing attack against Roe,
 * 13) Rashid  - flees the Hunger, bursts into tears, keeps fleeing

ROUND TWO
 * 1) Markoris - disengages, perches on statue, deals six damage to Undead 1, Undead 1 is destroyed
 * 2) Ishaq - takes 10 cold damage, dashes out of Hunger, Metamagics at Undead 2 - 24 points of fire damage, Undead 2 is destroyed, Hunger disappears
 * 3) Roe - speaks Draconic to his reanimated mate (ReaniMate?)
 * 4) Raul - falls back and hides, then attacks green undead - 22 damage - green is destroyed
 * 5) Max - goes Berserk due to his CURSED MAGIC AXE and turns on Celia for 19 damage
 * 6) Celia - Stoneshapes Max into the floor up to his neck
 * 7) Alana - casts Elemental Bane to make the Undead Dragon vulnerable to fire damage - fails
 * 8) Remaining Undead - casts Invisibility on self
 * 9) Undead dragon - steps forward, steps on Roe - Roe takes minor damage - uses Undying Stench and Frightful Presence - Max and Markoris are now Stunned as well as Frightened - Rashid is now Frightened as well after Frightful Presence - Dragon mauls Max and Ishaq, in which Ishaq successfully dodges and Shields himself
 * 10) Rashid - runs around screaming

ROUND THREE END OF SESSION
 * 1) Markoris - Stunned, succeeds on saving throw against being Frightened
 * 2) Ishaq - lvl 5 Fireball - immunity to Fire damage? - uses Quickened spell to perform shocking grasp on dragon - 13 damage, moves, takes AOO
 * 3) Roe - turns into dragon form, attacks Invisible Undead that turned invisible, destroying it
 * 4) Raul - hides, then attacks the dragon, 24 damage halved
 * 5) Max- stunned
 * 6) Celia - uses Turn Undead to force the Undead Dragon to flee
 * 7) Alana - summons an Allosaurus and commands it to defend them
 * 8) Undead dragon - flees, 1/10 turned rounds