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mp080802

Page history last edited by Nick 15 years, 5 months ago

Last updated October 30th, 2008.

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Game Summary

Previously...

mp080726

Previously, on Mediterranean Plotluck...

Overview

Episode 17: Have Yourself a Jolly Little Telepath...

Date: August 9th, 2008

Ackrak and Ghamor explore a ways into Itrix's mansion. In the central courtyard, they are shocked to find their ally, Occela, bound with rope and suspended from a tree. As they approach to get a better look, Ghamor is bombarded by telepathic messages ... asking him questions and disrupting his concentration. Across the courtyard from them, they spot a small group of bluish goblins approaching, who seem intent to meet them in the courtyard.

After fighting off the messages for several moments, Ghamor feels his defenses slipping, and a key piece of information is ferreted out of his mind. He suddenly feels fear for the safety of Xiao Nan, who is back in the city awaiting his return. Ghamor wastes no time in freeing their companion from the tree, and the blue goblins seem keenly interested in both Ackrak and Ghamor. Ghamor fries the lot of them without a second thought, using a single fireball spell.

An invasive voice speaks directly into the minds of Ackrak and Ghamor, telling them to leave. Naturally, they refuse to acknowledge this new challenger as a threat, and call him out into the open. The challenger accepts, and the Ghamor look-alike, Rhamog, steps into the courtyard. He immediately attacks that party with an ability that makes drawing breath extremely difficult, only Ghamor is unaffected. Ghamor attempts to dispel Rhamog's defensive spells, but Rhamog counters it with his own dispel magic, and the effects cancel each other out.

Ackrak then follows up with his own dispel magic, which catches Rhamog by surprise, and he manages to break or suppress several of the look-alike's powers. Meanwhile, Aleska tends to Occela wounds. Rhamog curses Ackrak, and afflicts him with a psychic death impulse, causing Ackrak to momentarily lose control and attack himself in an effort to carry out the psychic curse. Ghamor draws out the malign scythe and charges Rhamog, while Aleska hits the look-alike with a flame strike spell.

Ackrak closes to melee range, but Rhamog sends Ackrak a second psychic curse, forcing Ackrak to relive the agony of all of his most recent injuries. Ackrak, now ailing from his multiple psychic injuries, retreats to the far end of the battlefield under cover of invisibility to heal his wounds. Ghamor entreats the scythe to grant him power, and offers his blood and life force in exchange.

The consciousness of the scythe stirs ... and grants Ghamor's request, half-killing him in the process. Tiny veins appear on the outside of the scythe and become engorged with blood. Ghamor is wracked with the pain as the scythe exacts its payment. Aleska uses flame strike again, but it's become apparent that Rhamog has wards in place to diminish fire attacks. The element of the divine in the flame strike still harms him, however.

While Ghamor is still reeling from the scythe's feeding, Rhamog blasts him with a destructive psychic attack. His life nearly spent, Ghamor launches an attack against Rhamog, but by now Rhamog has refreshed his defensive wards and easily blocks the assault, despite the scythe's enhanced power. Ackrak, meanwhile, consumes healing draught after healing draught, trying to heal himself enough to rejoin the fight. Aleska throws another flame strike Rhamog's way, this time managing to bypass many of his defenses, effectively gaining his attention.

Occela writhes in pain, and Rhamog cackles and reveals that he has linked his life force with Occela's, and that all the injuries he suffers are shared with her. He then goes on the offensive against Aleska, battering her mind with a multitude of psychic attacks. Ghamor resorts to using magic missiles to attack Rhamog, and Aleska comes up with a desperate plan; she stabs Occela in order to strike directly at Rhamog. The tactic succeeds in harming Rhamog, but also draws his anger, and he launches another massive psychic assault against Aleska, crushing her waking mind and causing her to fall unconscious. Aleska goes limp, and falls across Occela's already-unconscious form. Now only Ackrak and Ghamor remain to oppose Rhamog.

Ghamor pelts Rhamog with more magic missiles, and Ackrak hastes both himself and Ghamor and rejoins the fight. Rhamog steps forward and informs Ghamor that he is forming a life-link with the unconscious Aleska, though the knowledge does nothing to slow the party's attacks. Ghamor lands a successful attack with the scythe, and feels the scythe drawing from his own life as he wields it against Rhamog. Ackrak swings the massive improvised weapon at Rhamog, but each attack fails, one after another, and Rhamog is unharmed.

Growing more desperate, Rhamog forces a life-link with Ghamor. Ghamor then targets Rhamog with another dispel magic, only to have it countered again by Rhamog. Ackrak, however, strikes immediately with his own dispel magic attack, and Rhamog curses in frustration. In retaliation, Rhamog sends a psychic hex in Ackrak's direction, crushing his self-confidence and quashing his spellcasting potential. Ackrak is now forced to rely on physical strength alone. Ghamor, taking advantage of the situation, attempts a hold person spell to immobilize Rhamog, and Rhamog is forced to make a desperate move -- he channels some of his life force to supplement his willpower against the spell.

Ackrak remains in a daze after Rhamog's ego-crushing attack, and Rhamog begins to rebuild his magical defenses. Ghamor attacks with more magic missiles, continuing to slowly wear Rhamog down. Coming to his senses, Ackrak unleashes a furious barrage of attacks, but fails to land even one hit on the look-alike. Rhamog continues to rebuild his magical defenses. Ghamor resorts to trying different tactics, and manages to stun Rhamog with a color spray spell. Ackrak manages to land an attack on the stunned doppleganger, and Ghamor picks up the rod dropped by Rhamog, and attempts another hold person spell.

Ackrak tries once again, unsuccessfully, to batter Rhamog with attacks, but the look-alike has regained his senses and the moment of vulnerability has passed. Rhamog scoops up the gem that he dropped, and Ghamor tries to color spray him once again. With all of the various magical barriers in the way, Ackrak seems unable to land another blow on Rhamog. Rhamog affects Ghamor with an aversion to the rod he picked up, causing the rod to appear as a snake to Ghamor, and bite him. Ghamor moves back and conjures a stinking cloud on top of Rhamog. Ackrak is forced to withdraw from the stinking cloud, and both Ackrak and Ghamor lose sight of Rhamog.

Ghamor throws the "snake" on the ground, and uses the snake to cleave it in two, forming two different snakes. Ghamor complains to the scythe that it was supposed to be capable of destroying artifacts, to which the scythe replies in an annoyed tone, "it did." Ghamor, expecting an attack from Rhamog, moves up to Occela's body, but succumbs to his own stinking cloud. He waits for the spell (and the nausea) to subside, and realizes that Rhamog has fled.

When the smoke finally clears, both Aleska and Occela are dead, one of the artifacts from the hoard they found on the Isle of Shifting Stones lay, shattered, and the doppleganger was nowhere to be seen.