AW014

## AW014 - The Gang Wants Loot And Will Not Be Denied

### High Hall Catacombs - Night

As the gang regards the necromancer and Ploddy collects the *Dagger of Venom* from the flagstones, Reya runs up and begs breathlessly for help with the other group's trial. Franklin and Kalo form turtle power and run off into the glass elevator.

Figuring that the demons spilling through a portal are the more immediate problem, the gang joins in the fight while (probably sensibly) staying in the main room close to the necromancer. Traxigor is doing work with his lightning bolts and manages to close the portal.

The mostly-enthralled undead centaur and lord lurch into the room, urging the gang to honor their commitment and take out the necromancer before he turns the undead against them. This causes quite a bit of confusion indeed.

Puffin tries diplomacy and begs the necromancer to honour the commitment made by the gang, but he is less than impressed (read: laughed in Puffin's face and said "yer all gonna die" when Puffin whiffed a nat 1). The mummies turn on the gang as Pewter, less trusting than the others, immediately one-inch-punches the necromancer in the shins.

The zombie centaur resists enthrallment and joins in the dogpile on the necromancer, but his colleague capitulates and stabs Ploddy comprehensively. The barluga finishes pounding down the wall and it's a 3-way fracas. Puffin manages to avoid a mummy's swing and gets off a *Hypnotic Pattern*, which enthrals the barluga and the necromancer long enough for the skellington lord to resist enthralment and for his horde to burst in and turn the tide (lucky, as he was about to finish Ploddy off for good).

While Ploddy searches the necromancer and every nook and cranny of the crypt, bleeding over everything but finding a *Warhammer of Light* and some health potions, Puffin predator-handshakes the centaur zombie and accepts their offer of escort. The guardian informs the gang that their trial is complete and awards them a magical long rest before they head up the staircase to the High Hall Cathedral.

### High Hall - Night

In the high hall basement, the gang encounter a group of about a hundred frightened civvies being comforted by Pherria Jinks, a priestess. Barely resisting the urge to pickpocket the lot of them, Ploddy and Puffin wander around looking for ~~shinies~~ useful items for the good of the unit. Ploddy nat 20s his first ever lockpick and finds *Bracers of Defense* and a glowing yellow gem which appears as if it might summon something when shattered on the ground.

Traxigor identifies Puffin's magic bagpipes as *Pipes of the Sewers*, with which Puffin is well pleased. Not satisfied though, he and Ploddy intimidate a tiefling into selling them health potions well below cost (i.e. free). Her resentful attempt to make them feel guilty for basically robbing her, having recently watched her whole family being unalived by devils, was written off as exaggerated merchant bartering talk (despite almost certainly being horrifically true).

Making their way into the High Hall proper, Puffin finds an injured druid, Seltern. Teambuilding ensues. Ploddy, not reading the room, enthusiastically shouts "HI" which alerts every demon on whatever plane of existence the gang are currently on, most of which start marching on the High Hall. Bravely leaving their undead friends to guard the approaches, Puffin and Ploddy leap on top of the giant Fist of Torm centrepiece to provide leadership and morale from maximum range.

### Meta

This may or may not be Franklin's last session for a while due to David's RL. Come back soon David!