Episode 08: Servants of the Vampire Lords

General Summary

The Returners defeat the bulette and lick their wounds. They scout out the Ixalan death cultist and her vampire mistress. While the sun is up, they come up with a plan to confront the vampire and the death cultist. But love blooms unexpectedly and there are many brushes with death and undeath.

The First Death of Gundar Starveil

The Returners strategically pulled back from the bulette, peppering it with ranged attacks and spreading out to make sure that it couldn't smash more than one of them with its leaping attack. Gundar took a potion from Taela, regained his breath, and immediately ran and jumped directly onto the bulette.

His furious attack did some damage and the land shark paid back his bravado with a bite that should have snapped the dwarf monk's head off of his shoulders. Luckily, the nimble former ZAP deflected most of the bite. Instead he lay on the ground, bleeding out, and close to death.

Fortunately for Gunday, he had done enough damage for Taela and Salamin to finish off the bulette while Laszlo and Veoric slew the lieuteant with barbs both magical and verbal. Veoric restored the dwarf with some healing magic and they prepared for their final assault.

Nadja the Death Cultist

While the rest of the party took a short break, Taela used the trees and underbrush to hide as she scouted to the south. She found a group of guards, a lookout, and an Ixalan death cultist. She overheard the cultist, a woman named Nadja, remarking that she would be made a vampire that night by the "Little Master." She just neeeded a suitable sacrifice and she was hoping that the adventurers coming down the hill would fit the bill.

With that information, Taela did some further scouting and determined which of the row houses the vampire was resting in.

She went back to the party and they determined to force the vampire out into the sunlight and defeat the last group of Ixalans.

A Patron's Simple Request, The Second Death of Gundar Starveil, and a Warlock's Fate

Like a well-oiled machine, the party took out the first Ixalan lookout and group of guards quickly and silently. They covered the roof of the vampire's building in oil and planted a barrel of explosive Red Claw on top of it. They ignited it with some fire bolts and a flaming arrow, blowing the roof off of the building and exposing the vampire to sunlight.

Then the complications began.

Gyrosphinx pronounced Veoric's patrons' next request in an unfamiliar male voice: "Try n seduce sed vampire with your lustrous ways and share blood with them to in turn, turn yourself into a vampire."

As Veoric and the party took in that information, Nadja the death cultist ordered her followers to attack. The enraged vampire came screaming out of the fiery wreckage. Every minute in the sun blistered its skin, but it seemed determined to wreak as much havoc as it was taking.

Nadja appeared to be immediately smitten by her choice of short, fat, ugly, hairy men. "A fat hairy bard and a thicc dwarven monk! Ai papi, I'm spoilt for choice!"

In the ensuing fight, Gundar grappled the vampire in an attempt to keep it in the sunlight. He was downed by the vampire's claws. It's fangs were distracted by the warlock Veoric who had jumped on it to exchange bites and bodily fluids.

Veoric went down as well as Taela looked on with shock. Laszlo was distracted by the lovely Nadja, but forced himself to rejoin the fight. Using some careless whispers and some soulful bagpiping, Laszlo managed to convince Nadja to stay out of the fight. An errant shot from Taela took Gundar down.

They managed to keep the vampire out in the sun long enough for it to die. Laszlo and Nadja double teamed Gundar with healing magic, bringing the dwarf back to life with their magical ministrations.

Veoric succumbed to his wounds, but gasped back to life in the waning sunlight with vampire's blood in his gullet. He was no longer a tiefling, but not a full vampire either. His new unlife as a dhampir had begun.

The male voice came from Gyrosphinx again, "Well done my good and faithful servant!"

A chime sounded and his chest opened up. It contained a "Robe of Scintillating Colors" as a gift for the warlock. Veoric was now a sparkly vampire.

Records of Prince Duri Ironspike

Official Minutes Part 8 of ...

Date: Prime (Ixalian) | Day of War

DI (Prince Duri Ironspike): There was a request for support from the Roost for Mud Gate 7. I authorized an Iron Squad to support. Report.

AA (Grag Amberys Axegrinder): Siderite 6 was sent, my lord. They were disappointed to report there was nothing at the gate to fight but fires. They blasted a perimeter and put up a berm as there had been reported hostilities. They did engage a small squad of Ixalians, but broke fast. Squad captain concluded it was an Ixalian scouting squad, and the suckers had no idea what was happening at the gate either.

DI: What did happen at the gate?

AA: Ixallian assault just before dusk by human troops. Seems like a hostage raid, maybe two dozen men and a bulette warbeast. Roost scout alerted the gate and the Roost which is how you got your request. The Ixalians engaged with the Canton Levees which resulted in the fire, most of the Ixalians dead and a few hostages captured.

DI: We should prepare the ceremony of loss for the courage shown. Did the Siderite not recover the hostages?

AA: I may have misspoke. The levees captured Ixallian hostages and returned them to the gate along with the bulette hide and some... fowl, it seems.

See Concordant Defender Profiles:

• Cpl. Taela Wrenleaf - Elf ranger "on loan" to the Triple B Guild from the Armada
• Officer Gundar Starveil - Former Zone Authority Police officer and three-time Iron Foot Circle Dance chamption.
• Laszlo Cravensworth (Jackie Daytona) - Human bagpipe performer and known troublemaker.
• Veoric sun Rozzo - Tiefling witch. It's papers are in order.

DI: Who are these levees?

AA: A team of hunters from the Triple B Guild. Call themselves Gundar and the Returners, I believe.

DI: A gleeman's name. Gundar?

AA: Clan Starveil, your Grace.

DI: ZAP's Gundar Starveil? He hasn't died yet?

AA: Not for lack of trying... or so the Roost reports indicate, and Laszlo Cravensworth is their gleeman.

DI: And casualties?

AA: One or none. The warlock needed to be assisted back to the gate, and there were many irregularities in the records. However, they battled with a local vampire master and the tiefling may have become afflicted. It would account for some of these... discrepancies.

DI: How did the vampire engage before sundown?

AA: It didn't. The Returners set fire to his lair to draw him out. That began the blaze encountered by the Iron Squad.

DI: Bold and stupid. However, even a prince can't argue with these results. What of the hostages and remains?

AA: Taela, their Entulesse huntress claimed the bulette hide. As for the hostages, well, two of them appear to have joined the Returners? Their processing is incomplete, but sponsorship is being confirmed.

DI: The rest?

AA: Pit Meat.

DI: Good. Make records for these Returners. A prince always has need of victors.