The party was fairly surprised and stunned at the appearance of the Flying Polyp. Agna had already made it back to the doors into the tower and was ready to shut them at a moments notice. Ciprian and Ursina were invisible somewhere on the battlefield. Armania was prone and near the doors to the tower while Gavril lay close to the well after firing an arrow at the monster.
Erevel had headed toward the doors signalling here intention to get the hell out of Dodge, at least for now. The situation looked bleak to the party as the huge aberration was surrounded by winds.
A whirlwind began over Gavril and the invisible Urisna, its winds were cyclonic in strength as in tapered from a ten foot width to thirty feet wide and the top of it's thirty foot height.
Gavril was buffeted by the winds as the moved toward Erevel. When it got the Erevel she not only was buffeted by the winds but was actually picked up into the cyclonic center swirling around the storm. As it continued to move toward Armania, Erevel was carried along aloft in the winds.
Armania Dimension stepped into the tower and fired her second lightning bolt at the Polyp. Erevel was stuck in the whirlwind and was buffeted for more damage as she spun around in and out of view, twenty feet or so off the ground. The whirlwind moved toward Gavril but this time he escaped any damage and was not lifted into the storm. But the Polyp attacked with its tentacles and grabbed him, constricting for even more damage.
Ursina sat in the back of the vine room and applied healing to herself ignoring the calls of her fellow adventurers. Agna once again fired arrows although she could see the damage reduced. Gavril, grappled stabbed away at the monster but again the damage was not full. Ciprian cast still singing against the Polyp, cast Deafening Song Bolt and three bolts of arcane sonic energy shrieked across the camp to the Polyp, who took no damage from the bolts. Ciprian hung his head in sorrow looking for some non sonic type spell.
Armania picked herself up off the floor and began casting Summon Monster while Erevel was ejected from the whirlwind after being carried across the camp. The Flying Polyp dropped Gavril and flew off toward the doors leading into the tower. A River of Wind blew in a straight line through the door directly at Armania who managed to keep her focus on the Summon Spell as she took damage. Ursina was whimpering in the back of the cavern as Gavril took out his bow and aimed a the beast. His spacial perception was off a little from the strange cityscape but some arrows still hit with added electrical damage. Ciprian then cast a spell to allow improved chances to cast spells against the Polyp.
Armania fought against the river of wind and succeeded in gating in three Bralani Azata who fired lightning bolts at the creature but one spell fizzled as it left the fingertips. Armania then cast an Electrical Dragon's Breath at the Polyp and moved out of the wind. Erevel stood slowly and limped toward the group dragging her left leg along. The Polyp moved forward and grappled all three Bralani, constricting them in the tentacles. Ursina was still too unexcited about approaching the battle sitting passively in the cavern. Agna continued firing arrows and Ciprian cast a tiny hut around most of the combatants in the room.
The Bralani, constricted as they were, each began another Lightning Bolt, two of them failed to ignite but the third struck true and the Polyp fell to the ground.
The party then all assembled in the vine cavern with Erevel limping in, with her left arm stiff against her body.
"Are you injured," Ciprian inquired of Erevel.
Erevel didn't respond, in fact she did not even look at Ciprian as he was talking.
"I can't hear anything," Erevel announced a little louder than normal.
"Who are all of you people?" Gavril then piped in. "I fact do you know who I am?"
"Oh my!!" Ciprian exclaimed. "We have some serious issues here."
Ursina finally joined the group and attempted to see if there was anything wrong with Erevel. She did not note any injury, poison, or other reason for the condition.
"I can't feel my leg or arm," Erevel again stated loudly.
Ursina poked at Erevel's leg with her dagger. The tip drew blood but Erevel didn't feel a thing.
"Where are we and what was that creature?" Gavril interjected. "Are we the good guys?"
"What do you remember?" Armania asked.
"I remember the battle after that creature was flying in the air," Gavril responded.
"And yes we are the good guys," Ciprian reminded all of them.
By this time Kaklatath had returned to the group. She began expressing great alarm and urgency of the group intervening, as she punctuated her statements by pointing at the dead polyp.
"If one polyp is free, others are sure to follow in time. The polyps will wage war on the entire planet. The seals must have been weakened or destroyed, we must refurbish them as soon as possible."
"We almost died from one polyp. Do you have any idea how many there are?" Ciprian asked.
"There were several hundred polyps when we sealed them away. Maybe there are fewer now."
"Do you have any idea of help we might get?"
"Certainly finding Upianshe's sword would help and perhaps my fellow Yithians may be able to help us."
"Am I a good guy?" Gavril asked still searching for answers. "Am I an archer?"
"No we have an archer, you are one of the front line fighters," Agna said smugly.
"How can we recover from all this damage?" Agna inquired.
"We probably should go see Mother Grim Moon again but first I can start a recovery spell," Ciprian offered.
After the healing was completed the group headed down the tower and off to the edge of the city. Mother Grim Moon was surprised to see them back so soon but after she heard and saw the damage she was again glad to help.
While various restorations and limited wish spells were performed Ciprian sat down to study the journals and information gathered from the camp site. He also finally let the rest of the party in on several items regarding Lowl's writings that he had been keeping to himself for fear of awakening more evil. At this point it seemed prudent to let as many people in on the information. He didn't exactly say that the tome was the Necromonicon but its appearance was clear to all.
"I don't want the Archons to necessarily come after us yet. We may need some information in this awful book." he said trying to convince himself.
The count’s journal entries after departing Thrushmoor grow increasingly frenetic, and his handwriting more exaggerated. He records with excitement his acquisition of the Necronomicon, abandonment of Miacknian Mun, using Biting Lash to finance his journey to the Parchlands and initial discoveries while setting forth for the Parchlands. Each morning, he records his dreams, expressing waning interest in scholarly discoveries and greater obsession with a being called Xhamen-Dor. According to Lowls, the eldritch terror known as Xhamen-Dor dwells within an accursed city in the Parchlands, where it gathers the strength and converts it needs to awaken and consume the world. Rather than express dismay, the count conveys his fanatic delight, writing of his desire to call to the black star and “make our two worlds one under the Yellow Sign.”
By reviewing Lowls’s notes both in his journal and on pieces of paper he slipped between pages of the
Necronomicon, the group learned the following facts about the count.
• Lowls is obsessed with one or more eldritch masters, whom he seeks to serve by completing a number of occult rituals. He has planned to take Xhamen-Dor into his body and journey to Carcosa to offer himself to Hastur so that the King in Yellow can gain enough power to become an Outer God.
• Much like Thrushmoor, the accursed city of Neruzavin holds three Star Stelae that the count awakened in order to perform a ritual he learned from the Necronomicon: the path to the black star occult ritual.
• Upon completing the ritual, Lowls planned to travel to the unholy domain of the King in Yellow, where he hoped to attune its Star Stelae and offer Golarion to his new master.
Kaklatath expressed great dismay and corroborated everything the party learned. She explained, the King in Yellow is an immensely powerful demigod served by aberrant beasts of all kinds, and Xhamen-Dor was his most powerful weapon: a foul fungus entity that consumed entire worlds and siphoned their essence to grow the Unspeakable One’s realm. The yithians have fought the Yellow King’s servants throughout time and space since time immemorial, and believed Xhamen-Dor destroyed and its remains obliterated. If the name Xhamen-Dor is known on Golarion, Kaklatath believes it likely that the Great Old One may lie here dormant, yet still dangerous—perhaps in this very city!
She continued to explain that the Great Race of Yith won a victory on Golarion eons ago, when snakes strode on legs and humanity was young. They destroyed most of the King in Yellow’s servants and sealed others deep beneath the earth. A few of the Great Race remained behind as guardians—among them Kaklatath—slumbering in wait should Golarion come under attack once more. That Kaklatath is unable to return to its natural body suggests something has destroyed the slumbering yithians. That leaves the party few allies in pursuing Lowls, whose scheme could corrupt this world.
DM's Notes: The party earned 19,200 XP for the nights work.
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