Savage Tide Session 45

The vampires behind the wall of force retreated, calling out about the party's powers and resources and alerting their allies to Mendel's blessed weapons. A deep resonant voice called out "Introduce them to the Eviscerator Scarabs!".

Two giant beetles came down either side of the entrance hall, their black carapace glistening with a sickly green ooze that seeped out from every joint. Their legs were attached to cords of twine that linked them to a web of broken glass and bone that hang form the ceiling.As they waddled forward, their mandibles clacked together with a deep echoing hollow thud, that reverberated around the party's skulls. Felix managed to counteract the effect with his bardsong to allow the others to fight off one beetle whilst the other was trapped behind the wall of force, being mauled by two of Zhedd's summoned crocodiles. Gerald prepared to face what was behind the double doors, and as he saw them start to open, summoned a blade barrier in their place. Unfortunately he was so focussed on the spell, he didn't have time to rest to the fact the doors were being flung off their hinges into the room, and caught a flying lump of oak to the side of the head.
The wall had barely come into existence before a portion of it vanished, and a group of the shabbily-dressed vampires emerged, led by another, agile one in Thothian dress. "Give us the promised one!" they cried, as they crowded in on Dacien. Dacien's disintegrate spell made short work of the head vampire, but the others tried to grapple him away. Zhedd swept down on Banshee to pull him away from the mass of flailing arms just in time.

Another voice echoed in the party's heads - this time telepathically; a thin whispering paranoid voice like dry papyrus. "Who are you? You're here for me? You know my name, don't you!" it fretted. The party ignored this interruption and pressed their advantage in the battle, only to spot a pale evil-looking beholder lurking in the remains of a small ball room, floating above a pit thick with purple, throbbing webbing. Various party members succumbed to it's charm rays but avoided the other effects, as it came into the room. Zhedd caught it within a cloud of solid fog, which when uncovered revealed no sign of the beholder.

The party then prepared to take out the remaining eviscerator scarab behind the wall of force, with Dacien clearing the obstructing solid fog with an anti-magic field. As the wall dropped, the party let loose their attacks, but Dacien was caught out by the on-rushing beetle, and sliced in two by its wickedly sharp mandibles. The party found time to bring Dacien back, noting that they were low on components for further raise dead spells, and Gerald began the casting to remove the charm effects from the party. his casting was interrupted by the antimagic ray of the beholder, re-materialising the other side of the blade barrier. After fighting to another stand-off, the party decided to regroup in daylight in the palace grounds.

Quite crowd of locals had gathers to view the commotion - and Zhedd had spotted two harpies that had flown over to investigate, then abruptly disappeared. The locals quizzed the party on who they were working for and what they were doing, surprised to see someone brave and return from the palace. A quintet of cowled monks, the skinless lower halves of their faces glistening sickly in the sun, watched the party and followed them over the palace wall. They demanded a tax for trespassing from the party, which was paid, but didn't stop the party proceeding, instead going ahead of them into the palace. The party stormed this again, to face the beholder and the monks, who were quickly dispatched. The beholder tried to fend off the party's frontal assault, only to be caught out by Antony leading Dacien over the roof and in through the ceiling. Gerald caught the beholder in a flame strike which was also powerful enough to burn off the strange purple webbing. A second one destroyed the beholder, sending its gaseous form down through the tunnel to the area below.

Trying to press their advantage, the party hurried after, but without preparation blundered into a trap that set off an unholy keening wail. Felix, Antony, Lenny and Faldak fell prey to the scream and their bodies, stiffened as they died of fright, fell into the pit. Dacien telekinesed them back out, as a female creature, her lower half that of a spider, emerged muttered "I think you best leave". The paranoid voice was heard again, and when Mendel asked who it was, it answered in a trembling voice "yes, you would want to know." They asked about Dacien being the 'Promised One', and the spider-lady replied "Not for what he is now, but for what he will become. It is his destiny."

The party fled to the surrounding wilderness to recover and raise their friends, hiding in a secure shelter as they plotted their return to Scuttlecove.