Honorbound: Episode 18

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==Recap==
Intro to the episode by Layla and Chris Ellis
=== Valis ===
The party is standing in the square after vanquishing the Yuan-Ti. Martur tells the party that he needs to take care of something and leaves (absent player). Bowen examines the creatures, finding them to be abominations. Thimble and Thimblina discuss the creatures, and Thimble finds a crumbling hole where they can stash the body. They return to their inn room and rest, and then attempt to stop the execution the next morning. The party sees around 70 people in the square to witness the hanging. The party sees a red haired man carrying a sword that has a symbol of a dead snake on it, who winks at them. Looking around, they see several other figures hiding in the shadows. After a short while, the party sees two guards with long cloaks and a priest with a snake symbol around his neck dragging a man through the streets. There is a second beaten man walking with them. Bowen recognizes the man being dragged as a priest of Astair that he had met before. They get onto a platform, and the snake priest starts speaking to the crowd. Before he can finish, Bowen rushes onto the platform and casts Spirit Guardians, causing a group of spirit valkyries to start moving around him. Thimble shoots one of the guards and then climbs up on top of a house. The snake priest casts Hold Person on Bowen, but it fails to take hold. The snake priest tries to move away, but Bowen smacks him with his flail while Thimble shoots him. The guards shed their cloaks, revealing snakelike bodies with human torsos, and bite Bowen. One of them wraps their body around Bowen, grappling him and breaking his concentration. Bowen attempts to break free, but fails. The snake priests casts Spiritual Weapon, and a glowing schmitar slashes Bowen, dealing a large amount of damage. Thimble shoots the snake priest and brings him down. The glowing schmitar disappears as Thimble races to remove the nooses from the prisoners. The snake guard continue their attack, with Thimble taking a hit as a guard grapples and constricts her. Thimble stabs the snake constricting her. One of the prisoners tries to help Bowen break out of the grapple. The snake guards land several blows as Martur appears (player returns) at the edge of the battle. Bowen breaks out of the grapple and casts Healing Word on himself. Thimble stabs the snake as Martur casts Magic Missile at the snake by Bowen. Several blows land on the snake constricting Thimble and bring it down. Thimble dances behind the last snake, jumps on his tail, and runs him through. A member of the Bonjoati yells out to the crowd, but Bowen casts Thaumaturgy and yells even louder to embolden the people to overthrow their oppressors. The party grabs the prisoners and heads to the Bonjoati hideout. 
The party notices a few people following them. Bowen yells at the guards who are hindering them; the guard tells him they are keeping potential spies away. The party argues with a Bonjoati member as to the origin and home of the Yuan-Ti. The party prepares to next tackle the cathedral, using a few stolen holy symbols and cloaks. The party learns that the High Priest of the snake cult resides there. The Bonjoati member shows them that there are several flasks of a alchemist's fire, which can be used to blow up the cathedral from the sewer. The Bonjoati member tells them that there is a secret passage from the cathedral to the castle, located under the altar. The party is given potions of Greater Healing, and decide to sneak into the cathedral, taking the alchemist's fire with them to destroy the cathedral.   
=== Cathedral ===
Martur casts Alter Self to make himself look like a Yuan-Ti, and the party walks right through the front door. The temple is desecrated with unholy idols. The party hears chanting from a Yuan-Ti priestess, seeing her standing before an altar with a sleeping human woman on top of it. Bowen casts Tongues, and finds that the language is Abyssal, and that they are about to sacrifice someone at an altar. Thimble sneaks around some pews in the cathedral that hold four cultists, looking to set up for an ambush. Bowen charges the priestess at the altar while Thimble fires a shot. Their blows land and break the priestess' concentration. Martur casts Scorching Ray at the priestess, burning her to ashes. Martur opens the trap door as Thimble shoots the guard. The guard uses it's tail to restrain Bowen as the cultists charge Bowen, landing two blows. Bowen charges his flail and smashes the Yuan-Ti guard, while Martur burns him with Scorching Ray. Thimble shoots the guard and drops him, and then intimidates the cultists. Martur drops one of them as they run away. Bowen grabs the human woman and the party rushes down the secret passage into the sewers. Bowen and Thimble start moving west towards the castle. Martur sets the alchemists fire by pillars under the cathedral, and throws the last one to set a chain reaction. The pillars catch fire as one collapses, and the cathedral crashes down into the sewers. The party continues forth through the passage.
=== Valis Castle ===
The party finds an opening, and are met by an awful stench. Thimble climbs up and finds a dozen corpses in varying states of decay. He sets a rope, and the party moves up to join him. They see the pile of bodies start moving, and an Otyugh starts moving out. Thimble shoots it and Bowen smacks it with his flail. The creature advances, grabs Thimble and smashes him into a wall, and then fails to bite Martur. Bowen and Martur bash the creature while Thimble lies stunned. The creature bites Martur and infects him with a disease. Thimble and Bowen continue to hit the creature, and it begins to look bloody. The Otyugh grapples Martur as well as it bites Bowen, infecting him with a disease. Martur and Thimble hit it one more time, and it dies. Martur casts Animate Dead, and creates two zombies. 
Bowen drinks a potion of Greater Healing. Martur uses his Blood Power and gives Bowen 30 temporary hit points. He pushes on the side a wall in the room, and it slides open. They find a kitchen with several doors leading out. There is a table with a human head that has an apple in it. Bowen heals Thimble, who listens at a door and feels cold air coming through. Thimble flips over the table and wedges against that door to block it. The rest of the party moves the table and opens the door to find prison pens with humans inside. Bowen casts Thaumaturgy, informs them all that they have been drafted into the armies of Astair, and to get cutlery from the kitchen to arm themselves as they will be taking the castle by force. Bowen finds the keys and lets them out, and the prisoners follow his instructions. Bowen gives the sturdiest one his old flail. One of the prisoners informs Bowen that things have gone crazy since Lord Francesco and his consort arrived. They say that the consort, whose name is Lady Amelia, deals in blood magic. The prisoners say that she spends most of her time in the tower. The whole party, zombies and prisoners included, move through a trap door to the next floor of the castle. 
The party moves towards the tower, hoping to catch the consort unawares. The party moves up the stairs of the tower, and finds an extravagantly beautiful woman being fed grapes by servants. The servants have small blood vials around their neck, and the woman has a large blood vial around hers. There is also two humanoid creatures with pointy features and golden eyes. Bowen tells the servants to leave before it gets ugly, but they move in front of the woman to protect her. Thimble steps in front of the party, tells Lady Amelia that she has brought her some prisoners, and give her a dagger with a skull on it, asking her to slay the first one with it. She turns back to the party and winks. Lady Amelia takes the dagger, and tells Thimble she is cute. Bowen once again asks the servants to leave, and they pull out daggers. The zombies attack the servants, killing one. Thimble goes to stab Lady Amelia, feels a stab of pain in his mind, but still lands the attack. Martur casts Scorching Ray and targets Amelia's vial, missing horribly. The zombies engage and hit the golden eye humanoids, while Bowen casts Spare the Dying on the downed servant. Lady Amelia loses her beautiful visage, and turns into a hideous shadowy Hag. She slashes at Bowen and deals considerable damage. The servant stabs at Thimble, and the golden eyes cast Poison Spray at Thimble, but nothing hits. Thimble sneaks beside the hideous creature and stabs her, then hides under the bed. Martur attacks the vial on her neck and smashes it to pieces, breaking the charm on the servant. Bowen comforts the servant as he smacks the Hag with his flail. The Hag places her hands together and turns invisible. The party hears the door open behind them as the golden eyed humanoids surrender. Thimble gets out the door and charges down the stairs with his rapier in front of him, runs into something, and climbs on it. Martur casts See Invisibility and moves to the top of the stairs, seeing the Hag underneath Thimble. Bowen rushes out the door and swings at the Hag, missing. As he rushes out, he orders the prisoners to arrest the golden eye humanoids, which are revealed to be Yuan-Ti. The Hag claws at Thimble, dealing damage and becoming visible. Thimble stabs the Hag, bringing her down. The party hears noises from other parts of the castle as they take a rest on the stairs.
Category:Honorbound Episodes