2017-06-13

We are in Freeport drinking at the Belching Beaver

Freeport is under martial law
- Previous leader of town fell ill
The Red Claw have the same information as us and are likely heading to Luketown as well
- We don't know if they are going after Lillian
- Terry remembered some information the Dragon gave us
The group does some shopping in Freeport before heading out
We made it out of Freeport with out randomly murdering anyone and headed for Freeport
Uneventful first night on the road
During our travels we reminisce about Pope (who died) and Retards fire cock, FiZi drinks one of his fine wines
The weather takes a turn and we make camp
- During first watch Terry thinks he hears something but nothing comes of it
- Second watch is uneventful, weather stays shitty
Terry sends out Peck to do some scouting
- We find out we're nearing out destination and things seem deserted but it could just be the shitty weather
Terry and Retard show off their shit to each other while FiZi heads off to do something useful and scout the town solo
- Terry sends Peck with FiZi so recon information can be relayed nearly real time (TACTICS)
- FiZi finds people leaving their homes and notices some strange behavior and dress for the local villagers
  - FiZi can't tell what's going on
  - Terry can't either
  - FiZi tries to interact with one of the villagers who is walking backwards
    - There is a wedding going on in Lukestown
    - Marcus is getting married (again) according to the villager
    - Villager recommends leaving town, says the weddings are more like wakes than weddings
    - Anytime Marcus gets married the bride dies on the alter
    - Turns out the villagers are all acting strange out of superstition
    - FiZi asks about a Lillian, villager unable to help
- We get back together and head over to the wedding
At the wedding
- Marcus is yelling at someone named Felderman swearing things will be different this time
- Felderman is trying to talk Marcus out of it
- Retard tries to convince the group to stop the wedding
- Terry tries to convince Retard else wise by lying to him about having a gig at the wedding and needing to get paid
  - It doesn't seem to work
- Marcus and Felderman start getting louder and louder
- "and then suddenly........ and then suddenly...... Ghouls (6) emerge from the ground" (literally)
  - Terry formulates a plan to try and convince the bride to marry him
    - Retard sets him straight by reminding him about his IRL life choices
  - We destroy the first Ghoul with out breaking a sweat
  - The Ghouls go after the crowd but suck hard
  - We wreak the second Ghoul
  - A Ghoul takes out a woman from the crowed
    - Terry calls dibs on the gown from the dead woman
  - A Ghoul lands a hit on Snowrunner, he shrugs it off like a man
    - Retard crits the next nearest Ghoul and sends it right back to the containment unit
  - Terry crit fails trying to cast a spell on a Ghoul near him
  - Snowrunner kills the Ghoul he's engaged with
  - FiZi hits the nearest Ghoul and lightly annoys him with an arrow hit
  - Ghoul misses Snowrunner
  - Ghoul misses FiZi
  - Terry crit fails again trying to cast a spell on a Ghoul near FiZi and Retard
  - Snowrunner gives his Ghoul a hard whack and it keeps coming (we think this is the leader Ghoul)
    - Snowrunner is immune to Ghoul aids
  - FiZi deftly moves away from the Ghoul next to him and puts an arrow into him
  - Ghoul swings at Retard and hits
    - Retard avoids getting Ghoul aids
  - Boss Ghoul swings at Snowrunner and misses
  - Ghoul moves away from Snowrunner and dodges the AOO
  - Retard crushes the Ghoul next to him
  - Terry crit fails AGAIN trying to cast a spell
  - Snowrunner swings at Boss Ghoul and connects
  - FiZi fires and lands a solid hit on Boss Ghoul
  - Boss Ghoul heads back for Snowrunner and connects
    - Snowrunner avoids Ghoul aids but takes some damage
  - Retard charges Boss Ghoul and hits for like max damage and wipes out Boss Ghoul
- Felderman starts giving Marcus shit for the ONE person who died
- Felderman thanks us for saving everyone
- Terry starts questioning Felderman
  - What's up with the weddings, how many times?
    - This was wedding #6
  - How often does this happen?
    - Every so often, maybe I'll tell you the story over a pint after they clean up
  - Where is the tavern
  - Do you know a Lillian
    - He knows her and says she has much to do with this story
- We head over to the Inn, get some drinks and food
  - Felderman, who turns out to be the mayor, joins us
  - We start talking about how we heard about Lillian, Felderman is surprise someone from Freeport knows her
  - Lillian hasn't been around for 30-40 years
  - Lillian was a Witch who studied all the bad stuff
  - Lillian's fiance was/is Marcus
  - We find out Marcus is like 80
  - Retard figures out the curse all on his own (we think he read Jack's Wiki)
    - It turns out Lillian cursed Marcus to never be able to wed. She wished for love eternal and crafted magical rings to seal the deal. She ended up dying in her experiments.
    - Marcus fell in love with Alice while Lillian was working and Lillian cursed/killed them
    - Retard says some sexist stuff about Marcus at this point
    - Turns out women just fall in love with Marcus and cannot be convinced otherwise
    - This has been going on for years
    - The Ghouls were new. Never happened before. Just for us apparently.
    - Felderman thinks NOW is the time that something be done about this curse. QUEST TIME!!
    - Terry finds out where Lillian lived and worked
      - Up on the hill north of town, villagers stay away from it
    - Retard asks where Marcus is
      - The cages near the town hall
    - Terry asks if they've ever tried to lockup Marcus before
      - This is the first time
      - We might have a ticking clock
    - FiZi says something snarky to Felderman that is ultimately pointless to the story
    - We offer to help the town with their problem but we want access to Marcus and Lillian's house... and a reward
      - Felderman is non-committal about the reward but wants the help
    - Terry asks for more details on Lillian's research
      - He doesn't know more than what he told us about the rings
    - Terry smells philosophers stones and wants to investigate
    - Retard asks where the bride is
      - She'll be kept safe at the town hall
  - We head over to the town hall to question Marcus
    - We ask him about Lillian
      - He tells us she is dead (duh) and provides no more useful information
    - Terry tries to prod more out of Marcus by describing what her research was about and asks if Marcus knew anything about it
      - He knows nothing
    - Retard asks in the most polite way possible of Marcus had been unfaithful to Lillian
      - He either lied or didn't cheat on Lillian
      - He references an accident in the lab causing them to no longer be together
      - Says he came home one day and found her dead, shriveled and blackened in the lab
        
        No burn marks
        
        He says her spirit lingered and he visited her for a time
        
        He visited her spirit in the mausoleum where she was buried
        
        Snowrunner has a theory that if we get rid of Lillian Marcus will die as well
        
        Marcus can't remember the last time he saw Lillian
        
        Marcus only ever saw her at the mausoleum and she was always there waiting for her
    - Terry wants to talk to the bride (Keylie)
    - - Terry goes and tells Felderman we need Keylie and Marcus separated to stop them getting married while we're away trying to fix everything
- We head over to Lillian's house
  - We cautiously explore the house wary of traps
  - The place seems "frat party wrecked"
  - Terry starts digging for books/notes
    - Terry finds a small painting of Marcus and we assume Lillian
  - Down into the basement we go
    - The stairs collapse on us because we're so fat and stupidly went down the stairs at the same time
    - Terry avoids getting hurt, Snowrunner falls and hurts himself
      - Snowrunners heart containers start to chirp
    - FiZi tries to push Retard and fails
  - We find a strange statue in the basement
    - Terry tells us not to touch it
    - Terry recognizes it as Golem (construct, clay)
    - Terry detects magic and finds the Golem and the east wall are glowing
  - FiZi wastes two healing spells on Snowrunner cause he sucks at rolling
  - Retard sets up an escape from the room using the magic rope in case attacking the Golem goes south
  - We look really hard for a riddle cause no one wants to fight the Golem
    - We find a riddle "I can be stolen or given away and you will live, yet you cannot live without me"
    - First guess: Breath, not right but Terry makes the Golem blush
    - Second guess: Heart, ding ding ding
  - The wall disappears and we enter the lab behind it
    - Terry searches and finds some books, scrolls and a set of rings meant for a bride and groom
      - Rings are next to book open to a page with a flower that has black and white pedals
      - We find a note that says:
        "Doolb fo a nerw, evmon fo a gerptnan restnep, htob epslat fo a luosmoolb wolfre… I nacton mees ot worg eht luosmoolb. Lliw a busitsetut useciff? I tsum evah eht gnir aeryd rof Ramsuc eberof eht dewgnid eceromyn ebsnig. Rofvere ym evol..."
        
        Blood of a wren, venom of pregnant serpent, both petals of a soulbloom flower... I cannot seem to grow the soulbloom. Will a substitute suffice? I mush have the ring ready for Marcus before the wedding ceremony begins. Forever my love...
      - We find this diagram:
        
        We **think** this might mean Lillian is trying to take over the body of brides and that's causing them to die
      - Looks like Lillian tried to sub out the Soulbloom Flower and shouldn't have
      - Terry digs around and finds the venom and blood in a vial
      - Terry grabs the vials of venom, blood and the notes
      - FiZi grabs the rings and then bolts out of the lab after everyone else has gotten to safety first
    - On our way out of the lab two town folks bump into us at the front door
      - One of the towns folk throws something at us and combat begins
        
        Turns out they are Hobgoblins
        
        FiZi takes a few hits and almost goes down
        
        Retard swings and misses
        
        Retard action surges and hits
        
        The Hobgoblin Retard hits screams and two more appear at the door
        
        The two new Hob's charge Retard, one swings and misses the other hits
        
        Snowrunner moves up and swings at the Hobgoblin that hit FiZi and punches it's shit in, literally, and it dies
        
        FiZi quaffs a Healing Potion
        
        Terry re-positions to the clam of safety
        
        The remaining original Hobgoblin comes at FiZi and downs him
        
        Retard takes a swing and misses (FiZi did the roll for him because Retard was shitting.... literally)
        
        FiZi makes his death saving throw (1)
        
        Terry casts hold person on the deadly Hobgoblin but she saves
        
        Hobgoblin throws a few daggers at Retard, some connect
        
        Retard attacks the Hob's in front of him and misses, second winds and hits
        
        Hob's swing at Retard and miss
        
        Snowrunner attacks the closest Hob and crit fails
        
        Snowrunner drops his weapon
        
        Snowrunner picks up his weapon and does unarmed strikes missing the Hob
        
        FiZi fails his death saving throw (1)
        
        Terry administers a Healing Potion anally to FiZi
        
        FiZi's up and hard
        
        Hobgoblin attacks Terry and hits one of Terry's duplicates
        
        Hobgoblin attacks Terry and hits one of Terry's duplicates
        
        Hobgoblin attacks Terry and misses
        
        She melds back into the shadows afterwards
        
        Retard rolls a crit and just straight murders a Hob
        
        Snowrunner attacks the remaining Hob and misses
        
        Swings again and hits breaking the skin of the Hob but knocks him down
        
        FiZi fires at the Hobgoblin and it does a pathetic amount of damage
        
        Terry casts chromatic orb at the Hobgoblin and misses, not a crit fail this time, so an improvement
        
        Hobgoblin throws three darts at Terry
        
        First misses
        
        Second hits the last mirror image
        
        Third hits and draws some blood from Terry
        
        Retard swings and misses the Hob on the ground
        
        Hob swings at Snowrunner and downs him
        
        Snowrunner makes his death saving throw (1)
        
        FiZi fires at the Hob in front of Retard and misses
        
        Terry magic missiles the Hob in front of Retard and hits him and then finds a nice place to hide halfway down a hole
        
        Hobgoblin comes at FiZi, miss and two hits and downs FiZi
        
        Retard attacks the Hob in front of him and misses
        
        Hob swings at Retard and misses, tries to run
        
        Retard swings at the AOO and knocks out the Hob trying to flee
        
        Snowrunner makes his death saving throw (2)
        
        FiZi makes his death saving throw (1)
        
        Terry pokes his head up, fires a magic missile and hits the dirt again
        
        Hobgoblin casts a spell, (haste?), and runs away
        
        She says "The Red Claw will be your doom as she runs away"
        
        FiZi and Snowrunner swig some Healing Potions
      - We'll interrogate the captive next session