Well the party numbers were down a little this week. The paladin was off praying and the mage was off seeing to his books and cauldrons of grease. However, the bard was back in the group this week a tad bit rusty, but still available to help.
It has been a year since the events of the Stonekeep Harvest Festival and the night of terror that surrounded it. For all the celebrating it was also a time of reflection of the events of the previous year.
This time of year also drives up the occurrences of the dark arts in the region, being the autumnal equinox and all that. This year is no different. It seems the residents of Old Towne (the lower class and more slummy part of Stonekeep) are being troubled with some grisly murders. The Watch Captain and some guards approach the party to ask for assistance. The reputation for getting jobs done is what these guys are known for. It seems a possible cult has set up shop in Old Towne and the guards are looking for help discovering the location. They are very undermanned right now due to heighten security for the festival activities. You know people are all afraid of what happened last year and all that.
After a short information dump, the party sets off to Old Towne to investigate the sites of three ritualistic murders. The only problem is that they could really use a holy many or someone trained in some arcane knowledge to help decipher clues. After some investigation, interviews and blind luck, the party discovers that these murders are part of a cult ritual that must involve some demon type stuff. They back track where the cultists are entering town and set an ambush.
That evening the party waylays a half dozen gentlemen that are thankfully cult members and not travelling salesmen. They are able to get some information through some barbarian fueled advanced interrogation techniques. It seems they guys worship some elder worm god. There is also a fourth ritual occurring this night and they know the location as well as the location of an abandoned farm where the cult has setup shop.
The party heads back into Old Towne to await the ritual. They see seven people enter an abandoned building. They wait a few minutes and then attack! Sure it wasn’t a well times or planned attack, but attack they do! The bard, monk and barbarian head through the front door. The thief is on top of the roof sneaking about.
As the door is thrown open the party sees a circle of robed figures surrounding a strange glowing portal on the floor. Something is trying to make its way into the material plane! Of course the intrusion of the party ruins the cult plans and alters what dimension is being opened. Even they have no idea what may be coming out of the portal now!
Battle begins! Cultist and adventures lay into each other. Bodies fall into the portal and a distant screeching is heard. The thief on the roof tries to break through and into the room, but only really manages to drop a few boards into the open portal.
Somewhere a winged demon prince wonders why planks of wood are raining down into his dimension…….
As the cultist numbers being to dwindle three creatures that are best described as gaping fanged mouths with feet rush from the open portal. They begin to attack anyone they can. They assault with a hunger that cannot be described. Their giant fanged maws snap shut trying to take as much flesh as possible with eat bite.
Atop the roof the thief is about to drop into the room when he is suddenly attacked. A warrior decked out in monk-like clothing of black and purple assaults him with a flurry of kicks and punches.
As the cultists numbers dwindle, the portal begins to close. All attention is then throw onto the fanged demons to kill them. The thief is able to defend himself and dispatch the guy kicking and punching him so much. Within a few minutes, the battle is over. The demons begin to dissolve . The portal is shut. Old Towne and Stonekeep are safe from demonic intrusion this night.
The a quick once over and the party still has no idea what god-like entity this ritual was for. They do know that it involves worms and gross stuff. The dead karate dude also raises more questions. He was wearing a symbol of that depicted both the goddess Shar and the Order of the Dark Moon. Cultists for some wormy god and evil monks? What was this all about? The party decides to sleep on all of this.
Next day and off they ride to the farm they were told about.
Said farm consists of unkempt farmland, a decrepit house and a small barn. They investigate the barn by throwing open the doors. A sound tactic!
Within are seven cultist that are stirring, turning and tending to small pools of worms and maggots. They also notice that across the room, chained to the wall, there is what looks to be a zombie, or a very very sick dude. They leap into battle and begin to thin the cultist herd. Once all the cult members are put down. They examine the standing corpse and notice it looks like a zombie. A zombie with worms burrowing in out of it. The thief approaches and a few worms launch toward him. He sidesteps and the fall to the ground, wiggle about and then die.
Well off to the house. The house that has a strange undulating green light emanating from within. Using their sound tactics of throwing open doors they discover another ritual in the works.
Here a priest ( due to fancier robes a mask and small hat ) and his minions are doing something nefarious. Around the room are the corpses of six bloated orcs, along with a few altars, candles, buckets of worms and chalices of maggots. As they enter the priest calls for their heads and battle is joined. Well not before the orc bodies are animated and begin to move about.
Blades cross. Spells fly. Dead bodies shamble about. A vorpal blade removes multiple heads ( I think three guys including the priest lost heads). Inspirational music is played. Bloated corpses explode spreading gore, maggots and poison. You know the typical stuff that occurs during combat. Within minutes the fight is over and the party stands victorious, some badly wounded, but victorious!
They police up the area and then put oil and flame to the house and barn.
The cult has been stopped, but now there are other questions to answer. What is the Order of the Dark Moon doing? Why are followers of Shar involved? Was this all of the cult or just a small cell? What deity’s bidding was the cult doing? Is all this tied together? Why does stuff always happen at the time of the Harvest Festival?
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