Honorbound: Episode 15

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==Recap==
The party continues to explore the Black Fortress. Bowen and Therin continue exploring while Martur continues his Animate Dead spell. Bowen and Therin continue to the left, finding a long empty hallway lined with doors. Bowen opens a door and finds a prison, with two humans and a duergar sitting in cells. Therin tells them the party will come back for them later. The party finds several locked or barred doors. Bowen keeps exploring, opening a door to find a slaughterhouse of rotting corpses. He finds a second portion of the prison, with a human and two twin children in cells. As Bowen moves into the next room, he opens a door and finds two Wights. One hits Bowen and drains some of his life. He loses concentration on his Spirit Guardians. Bowen smashes one with his flail and casts Healing Word on himself. Therin steps behind Bowen and fires several arrows, landing two hits. Bowen casts Shield of Faith on himself and taunts the creatures. Martur's spell finishes, and two Zombies rise from the floor and follow him down the hallway. Therin lands three shots, damaging one Wight and bringing the other down. The remaining Wight hits Bowen and drains more of his life, until Therin brings him down. Bowen finds a key around the neck of a dead Wight, and frees all the prisoners. Several of the humans won't wake up. A human woman who looks to only have been imprisoned a short while warns the party that those humans were injected with a strange liquid, and have been in that state for a few hours. Martur goes to one of the barred doors, and breaks it open. He finds surgical equipment. He sends his zombie to open the next door, and finds a surgery room with a rotting corpse. Therin opens several other doors in the hallway, finding caved in rooms. He walks to the end of the hallway, which winds around to the left. Therin finds another double door, but can't open it. Bowen instructs the prisoners to flee back to the front of the castle. Bowen observes the two unconscious humans, determines they are infected with something, and locks them back in their cells. He joins the rest of the party just as Martur kicks open the double doors.
Inside the room, the party sees a green scaled creature that looks like a bull and has green fumes coming out of its nose. Martur immediately shuts the door, backs away, and orders his zombies to guard the door. Therin casts Spike Growth on the area around the door. The Gorgon breaks through the door and fails to knock over the zombies. I takes a large amount of damage from the spikes in the area. Martur orders his zombies to stop the Gorgon from moving, while Bowen casts Crusader's Mantle on the party and activates the charge on his flail. Therin casts Hunter's Mark and fires on the Gorgon, landing two hits. The Gorgon moves to face Bowen and the zombies, breathing it's noxious breath. Bowen and the zombies shake off the effect. Bowen advances and smashes the creature, expending the charge on his flail to do a large amount of damage. Therin attempts to back away from the Gorgon, but the creature stabs him with his horns and knocks him unconscious. Bowen casts Healing Word and brings Therin back up, while smashing the Gorgon with his flail. Therin attempts to back away, but the Gorgon gores him again, and he goes unconscious once more. Bowen casts Healing Word again and brings him back up. The Gorgon breathes the noxious fumes on Therin, and he starts turning to stone. The Gorgon gores one of the zombies that moves away from it and kills it. Martur casts Cloud of Daggers on top of the Gorgon and moves away. Therin casts Hunter's Mark on the Gorgon and shoots it, landing a perfect blow and killing it. Therin then turns to stone.
The party looks into the room, and sees an assortment of potions, scrolls, and a staff. Martur directs the zombie to bring Therin's stone statue into the room and begins to ritually cast Leomund's Tiny Hut. Bowen ritually casts Detect Magic and observes the room. He finds two vials of green liquid, 4 Alchemist's Fire, 2 potions, 2 oil flasks, and a staff that all radiate magic. There are also 3 scrolls. Martur checks the scrolls, and can only read one of them, which is a scroll of Fly. Martur casts Identify, and finds that the staff is a Staff of Fire. It has 10 charges; you can cast Burning Hands (1 charge), Fireball (3 charges), and Wall of Fire (4 charges). The staff recovers 1d6 + 4 charges per day. Martur casts numerous more Identify spells on the scrolls and potions, finding the following: a scroll of Enlarge/Reduce, a scroll of Polymorph, two potions of Greater Healing, two oils of Etherealness, and finds that the two green vials are poison. Martur fashions a bandoleer out of rope and gives one the healing potions and two Alchemist's Fire to his zombie. The party takes a long rest and moves out, finding a staircase leading up into a tower. They see a statue of a warrior, with a spiral staircase in the middle of the room, and 3 coffins arranged along the walls. Bowen ritually casts Detect Magic, and the statue glows with light, radiating Necromatic magic. Martur attempts to cast Identify and touches the statue. The statue responds "Who dares to enter The Tower of Azargaroth?". Martur hits the statue with the Hammer, and shatters it to pieces. He then hears "You have freed me!!". A Wraith arises in place of the statue, and the sarcophagi pop open with Wights crawling out of them. Bowen hears a sound behind him, and suddenly a female Halfling with curly red hair pops around the corner and shoots Martur's zombie, killing it. The Wraith tries to touch Martur, but he casts Shield and blocks it. The Wights close in and attack Bowen and Martur, but only land one blow on the wizard. Bowen channels Turn Undead, and one of the Wights flees in terror. He then casts Shield of Faith. Martur uses the Staff of Fire to create a Wall of Fire, burning all of the undead. The Halfling fires a shot at one of the Wights, landing a sneaky blow. The Wraith reaches out and touches Martur, sucking at his life, and then moves behind him. One of Wights attempt to escape the fire, and burns to a crisp. The other two Wights attack the party, with one draining life from Martur. Bowen smashes the Wraith and casts Healing Word on Martur. The Halfling runs behind the Wraith and stabs it in the back. Martur uses his Blood Power to give himself 20 temporary hit points. The Wraith starts laughing, and the walls start shaking and crumbling in the hallway. The Wights attack Martur, but he casts Shield and both of them miss. The Wights burn to ashes in the Wall of Fire. Martur casts Magic Missile and pummels the Wraith, while the Halfling stabs it. The Wraith screams out that they will all be buried in this tower, and dies. Martur grabs his zombie's bandoleer and the entire party rushes up the stairs as the tower stops to crumble.
The party reaches the top of the stairs and sees a mountain sized pair of double doors. There are three runes on the door and piles of gold and gems in front of the door. There is an invisible wall of force that sits in front of the door. Therin and Martur speak to the Halfling, finding her name to be Thimble Gracegrove. Thimble immediately goes to get the gold, and the rest of the party watch carefully. As Thimble grabs the largest emerald from the pile, a large Black Dragon comes out of the treasure pile. 
Thimble darts under the Black Dragon, hides in the treasure, and then strikes out and hits the Dragon from behind. The Dragon yells out "Who dares enter Azargaroth's Lair!!!", moves forward, and breathes acid on Bowen and Martur, bringing Bowen down. Martur feeds a Greater Healing potion to Bowen to bring him back up. Bowen casts Spirit Guardians and moves up to the Dragon, while Thimble stabs from behind and finds a weak point, doing massive damage. The Dragon bites Thimble and then smashes her with his claw. Martur uses the Staff of Fire to cast Fireball, slamming it into the Dragon. Bowen smashes the Dragon with his flail, expelling a charge against it. Thimble moves underneath the Dragon and stabs it in the stomach. The Dragon bites and claws at Thimble, knocking him unconscious. Martur casts Cloud of Daggers on the Dragon as Bowen casts Healing Word, bringing Thimble back up. Thimble stabs the Dragon again, and it slumps to the ground. Thimble stands on the Dragon and claims victory. The party searches around the pile of gold, finding 2000 gold pieces and an odd looking bag. Bowen casts Detect Magic, and finds that it is just a bag. There are also many gems in the pile. Thimble tells the party that she spotted them with her spyglass as they were burying bodies. She spotted the Dragon, and ran into castle to go kill it. Martur goes to examine the door, and feels his blood start to boil. He comes to the determination that the Moonstone must be behind the door.
==Experience==
The party gains 3600 XP.
Category:Honorbound Episodes