Session 03 "The Manticore and The Sewer King”

'*Session 3 recap*: “The Manticore
and The Sewer King”

On the precipice of the
shallow falls in the sewer, after just chasing off some unseen creature with
large tentacles, the five who had originally entered the sewers: Dorn, Muffy,
Rhys, Tanak, and “Bucket Girl” were unsure of what to do next. Tanak wanted to
finish the creature off, Dorn suggested doubling back and following the path
that you had not yet tried, and by way of vote it was decided that this would
be your course of action.

Walking back down through the
sewer canal, you readied yourself for a fight when you heard voices and saw a
lumbering unseen shadowy form, but it turned out to be those you knew, all be
it for less than 24 hrs. It was Kohlam the half-orc with Rensig the gnome
riding his back like yoda on the back of Luke Skywalker who had come to find
you having found no trace of the children above.

Together you ventured on,
eventually finding your first dry landing since entering the sewers, and it was
on this landing, this dock, that you encountered an old, and rather bizarre,
associate of Dorn’s: The Sewer King. He explained that Dorn had specifically
been the target of the robbery, that it was a plan to get him down here, for
the Sewer King needed help with a major problem he was having in the form of a
large and powerful predator known as a Manticore. He also happened to mention
that he had originally planned to try to trick you into helping him but decided
the straightforward approach more fitting. Kohlam readily agreed to help, once
he learned that the Manticore threatened the lives of the children in The Sewer
King’s network. Dorn said he’d help if he could get his money back, and the
rest of you, in particular Tanek and Muffy, laid down terms including
requesting he provide any information he had on the missing nobles. After
failing to get anything out of him until you went in and dealt with the
monstrosity that was terrorizing him and his people, you moved forward with a
plan. Dorn and Rhys would go in the chamber where the Manticore had taken up
residence and lure it out while the rest of you would then jump it with the
element of surprise. However the plan fell apart when Benny, the big and
bandaged half-ogre and his seeming partner in crime, Pasha, the talking giant
centipede with the beautiful necklace, started shoving you forwards. As many of
you rebuffed the shoving, the large stone door into what the Sewer King had
called his “Organ Chamber” began to close. The rest of you ran in to your new
friend’s aid, along with Mugbug, the goblin who worked with the Sewer King and
seemed to have a very good relationship with Dorn.

As soon as the doors had fully
closed, you heard a voice taunting you in the shadows, inhuman and dark. With
blinding speed it flew out on giant leathery, dragon like wings, with the body
of a lion except much larger, and the face of a man, except with a mouth that
was too large and filled with rows and rows of sharp teeth that glistened in
the fire light of Dorn’s torch. It immediately attacked shooting spikes out at
the three most directly in the line of fire, Rhys, Dorn, and Kohlam. Rhsy and
Dorn managed to avoid the assault, but Kohlam was not so lucky. An enormous
spike pierced through his throat, and the half-orc fell to the ground gurgling,
just to suddenly sit back up, seemingly refusing to go down without a fight.

Then you all went on the
attack, in particular Tanek severely injured it with a crossbow bolt, as
Muffy’s chill touch, Bucket Girl’s arrow, and Rensig’s hurtful words did
further damage, but the Manticore even after all of that seemed only angered by
your assaults and retailed piercing through Tanek’s hat and clavical with a
huge spike.

As Rhys was seeing to Kohlam’s
injuries (who was also seeing to his own injuries), Dorn ran up and jumped off
of Rhys’s back, somehow incredibly inspired by the odd little gnome Rensig who
only referred to him as Dorick, and managed to whip around the manticore
finding purchase and then hanging from the flying terror like a (Sean pls give
me an analogy). Kohlam tried to aid Dorn by jumping up to help weigh the beast
down but only managed to rip Dorn’s boot off, however the beast then flew to
the ground to attack Dorn directly clawing across his face. It was at this
moment that the group again rallied, some showing abilities never before seen
including Muffy letting loose with a bolt of electricity that rocketed through
the beast’s body and Rhys slicing through the creature with his sword, this
time not in flames, but radiating with a divine energy—most of this however,
was unseen by Dorn or Rhys apart from the flashes of lighting and radiant
energy, as Dorn had dropped the torch he was holding when he went to whip the
beast.

Finally you did all manage to
put the Manticore down, Tanek taking out one eye with a crosswbow bolt which
set Rhys up to strike the finishing blow however Rhys, completely in the dark,
swung towards the sound of Dorn’s voice, and instead of hitting the large
target of the Manticore as he expected instead cut directly into the whip
master’s side, taking the record from Bucket Girl as to who in the party has
hurt Dorn the worst. Dorn in a fit of searing pain and agony awkwardly swung
his short sword wildly in the dark, however he did find his target, by sheer
luck driving his blade through the Manticore’s other eye and into it’s brain,
killing the hulking terror.

The Sewer King was over joyed
at your success and in somewhat disbelief. He returned Dorn’s gold pouch
(however Dorn roll a perception check… if he rolls higher than a 5 he notices 7
gold are missing), and then…did not really give you much else. In terms of
information he said the Black Horse was a good place to go if one wanted information
on shadowy happenings, but beyond that he really hadn’t heard anything of
missing nobles. When Tanek intimidated him into giving the group some other
form of compensation, the Sewer King played a beautiful melody on his organ in
his newly reclaimed organ chamber, much to Kohlam’s joy and Tanek’s chagrin.

On the way out, you again saw
the kids that had stolen Dorn’s coin purse. At that moment Dorn grabbed the
little boy, and threw him against the wall. It was then that the little girl
displayed an aspect you had only before seen in Muffy St. Claire, as her hair
begin to fly back is if in a strong wind. She reached out towards Dorn and a
thunderous boom emanated from her, striking Dorn seemingly dead. As he lay
dying on the ground, Kohlam cast sanctuary on the girl, and told her to get the
boy out of there, and that no harm would come to them. Told her if they ever
needed help, they could find him. Rensig also stopped the girl and gave her a
flute. Overwhelmed by emotions she was appreciative, but seemingly unsure as to
what had just happened.

Finally, Rhys came to Dorn’s
aid, laying his divine and (as you all saw as he removed his gauntlet) charred
hand upon Dorn’s brow and brought the man back to life. Having had about enough
of the sewers you returned to the surface. After a lunch where everyone gave
you a wide birth, and a general experience in the city where everyone seemed
truly disgusted by the seven of you, you realized you all stunk and so went to,
and eventually found a bathhouse, Haylee’s. Kohlam gave the human woman
attending to you 10 gold, over twice the amount she had requested for the six
of you that had entered to bathe, and so she was happy to also have your
belongings cleaned while you waited and even threw in two little soaps and a
bucket for Bucket Girl. Meanwhile Dorn had gone to run some errands. So we have
Rensig and Kohlam in a room, and they are bathing in two tubs side by side. The
same is happening in another room with Rhys and Tanek and in another room with
Muffy and Bucket Girl. Before we get to anything else, let’s pick up there…