Part 25: Nightmares and Candlescapes

Update 4: Nightmares and Candlescapes



Picking up our adventure again, we've finally reached Vingaard Keep. Our characters might have gotten a bit banged up on the way over there. Stupid skeletal knights...



"I'm not sure if a sign showing a twisting road across from a twisting road is simply redundant or if it passes into cleverness."

"I'm a bit more concerned about finding an inn so we can rest and get these two back on their feet."



"…not again. …Yes?"



"Thank you, that was unexpectedly helpful. I was expecting another 'welcome to our city' shakedown."

"Knights won't even go down the street? We'll see about that…"

"That can wait, though, as I see an inn just down the road."



"No problem. Now what was all that about?"



"We're really making a bad showing here."

"Don't worry. I'm sure that just by going about our business we'll kick enough low-life ass to clean up the streets a bit."

A few hours and two steps out of the inn later...



"Reap more death knights into Lord Soth's service!"

"Oh, come on!"

"I'd say that a wolf's got to eat… but I don't. I just enjoy it. Anyway, have fun with my minions!"



For added variety, this encounter includes hell hounds. They're utterly trivial since they have a lousy armor class and no resistances, but they spice things up again. For extra annoyance they can breath fire… although none of these survived.



"After that zombie bar and gnome booze, don't mind if I do."

Going to the pub is likely to result in a brawl against a variety of human mages, fighters, and rogues. As they have Bracers and are worth several thousand XP, this is not a losing proposition.



"So much for avoiding shakedowns. No."

"I don't think this qualifies as a shakedown since they're just walking away."

"Hmm. Technically that would make them beggars, then."



"You could say that, yes. What is this all about?"

"Old Thom! His dreams are ever so amazing. I can show you his vision."

"Sleep and you will have Thom's dream. When you awake I will tell you of it. I have beds conveniently right here."

"There's no way this can end with us chained up in a basement somewhere…"





"I'm amazed Old Thom didn't spend more of his time locked in a room screaming..."



"About that dream…"

"Ahh yes, let's see now…"





"You couldn't have just told us that? We're adventurers. We're used to getting seemingly random and crazy advice and working with it.



"Nope, heard of him though. Supposed to be a nasty customer so best of luck with that."



"Get out of here!"

"No, YOU get outta here!"



I don't know why some gangs will just walk off if you tell them no, but sometimes you end up with this kind of small conflict. They're even bunched together a good distance from your group for added convenience.

Some time later...



"This must be the candle.. well, shouldn't be that hard."



"'s starting to get kinda creepy…"

"They're getting louder."

"Did anyone else hear a voice saying 'Death Ahead!'?"

"Hmm. I heard "Stop." just now…"




"Formidable defenses… hello there, sir."



"You will get only a corpse!"

"Please, calm down. No need to be hasty and do anything to yourself."

"What Gods do you worship?"

"Mishakal and a bunch of the other good ones."

"Do you oppose Lord Soth?"

"We haven't been doing anything else for the last few weeks."



"Why is everyone looking at me all of a sudden?"

"Remember that tomb last year?"

"Oh? Oh, yeah! Umm.. sure, I would."





"If Soth is to be stopped, you must act now."

"So, about that magical item you found…"



"Halt it, and you will be worthy of my great secret. Go now, or evil will find me."

"I think it's a bit late for that, but perhaps it will pass you by for a second visit."



"Some things never change… and you know, I'm okay with that."

"Speaking of which, is anybody else still having nightmares?"

"You too? That little weasel…"



"Realize that you are only free to do this because we are good people. If we were not, we would simply beat you and take the elixir."

"Dogs disturb my dreams."




"And you think that we're going to do better?"

"You've certainly handled the city thugs well enough, based on what I have heard."

"Fine, bring on the dogs."



To clear this, we need to complete three fights. The first is against a wizard and about a dozen or so hell hounds, which tend to panic and run. I had about five tripping over each other to get away. The next two are against small groups of humans.



You have a choice to wake between each fight… but if you do you have to go back to the beginning. There's also no resting, since you have nightmares every time you sleep.



"We've really got to do something about that dog."



"And you deserve something, but we won't go into that now."

Character Update





Levels are starting to pile on, and we're getting some interesting abilities that I'll have to go into soon. In the meantime, we have two questions:

Should we do side quests before or after the High Clerists Tower

and

For those side quests should we go check out a couple more villages or see what has been going on in Throtl in the year since we cleared the place out?