Castle Xyntillan Campaign

[Starmenter]

October 10, Part I: The Baths

The Crew
Schmidt - Acolyte 5
Aloysius - Acolyte 5
Éclair - Elf 3
Chardonnay - Non-combatant
Marcel - Fighter 4
Hans - Light Foot
Giuseppe - Fighter 3

After a two week hiatus, we returned to the haunted halls of Castle Xyntillan. The players decided to return to the Grand Bath, a place they had discovered previously but did not enter for fear of the glowing green serpents hovering above. This time Marcel took off his boots and stepped into the warm pool. He felt refreshed and gained a one-week immunity to poison. Schmidt kicked off his boots and followed Marcel into the bath. I rolled a 1-in-6 and Schmidt failed his save, calcifying into a pillar of pillar of greenish salt! Éclair waded into the bath to help Marcel remove their companion, but did not remove her muddy boots and was attacked by the hovering serpentine shapes. Fortunately most of the strikes were dissipated by her plate mail, with only a few causing minor injury.

The party retreated back to Tours-En-Savoy in a hurry with their salted companion in the back of a horse cart. A consultation with Ben Mordechai revealed that Schmidt’s condition was likely permanent, for the only sorcerer powerful enough to reverse it was none other than Aristide Malévol, the Lich of Xyntillan! Schmidt’s salty new form has been placed in the underground chapel below The Church of St. Boniface until further notice.

This was a tough blow for the party. Schmidt was our group’s longest running and highest-level character. He started in our previous campaign as Schmitty, a joke character with below-average stats who was not expected to survive long. Nevertheless, through a combination of luck and skillful play, he survived, transcended his humble origins to become the leader of the party and a serious character. After being ported over to our Castle Xyntillan campaign, he continued to lead and act as the Lawful moral compass of the party, especially after Paladin Leon perished in battle against a killer creeping vine. We will see if his companions are able to find a way un-salt him.

The Score
Salt statue of Schmidt

The Cost
Monsignor Herr Schmidt - Acolyte 5

 

[Starmenter]

October 10, Part II: The Chapel On the Lake

The Crew
Schmidt - Acolyte 5
Aloysius - Acolyte 5
Éclair - Elf 3
Chardonnay - Non-combatant
Marcel - Fighter 4
Hans - Light Foot
Giuseppe - Fighter 3
Maledoigt - Thief 1

Aloysius, Éclair, Marcel, and Giuseppe were reflecting on the loss of their boon companion Schmidt when they met a fellow named Maledoigt, who introduced himself as a burglar come to pillage Xyntillan. Thinking this slippery fellow's skills might be useful, they joined up with him for another expedition. This time they moved north past the bath and into a wide hallway with a groove running through the middle. Suspecting trickery, Éclair dashed forward through the double doors across the hallway and dodged an enormous boulder that rolled down the hall. After it passed, the rest of the party followed her into a rank and overgrown outdoor garden by the lake with a picturesque chapel in the middle of it.

As the adventurers fanned out, a trio of horrible goatrices surged out of the bushes. The ugly little chimeras were dispatched, but not after one of them dropped Marcel’s henchman Hans with a fatal headbutt. They then attempted to enter the little chapel, but only Brother Aloysius and the cool-headed Éclair were able to step foot within that holy place. Inside, the two explorers found a small font fed by a copper lamb’s head with jeweled eyes. Continuing upstairs they discovered an attic study with an ominous black tome which Éclair slapped shut and thrust into her bag for Ben Mordechai to inspect. They also found a stack of papers on the desk which Éclair took as well. Returning downstairs, they debated prying the eyes out of the copper lamb and against his better judgment, Aloysius decided to go for it. But as he placed the gems into his bag, both thieves were thrust out of the chapel as if by some great force and an unholy mark of Cain appeared on both their foreheads! Not good for an ostensible man of the cloth such as Aloysius.

While Aloysius and Éclair looted the chapel, the remaining party members rooted around the bushes. Marcel discovered a blackened patch near where the goatrices had appeared and began to dig. He soon uncovered a black two-handed sword in remarkable condition, and seized it for himself. Almost immediately he heard a low, coarse voice say that he wielded Darkslayer, a blade of great power. And he began to feel a subtle dark influence come over him…

Feeling flush after finding a magic sword and two big gemstones, the party returned to Tours-En-Savoy to celebrate. There Giuseppe invested most of his money with a shady merchant’s scheme and a drunk Aloysius loudly insulted Father Brenard. When Aloysius attempted to enter the Church of St. Boniface and apologize, he found to his great horror that could not enter that sacred place. Meanwhile, Éclair cut herself some bangs to obscure the evil mark upon her head.

The Lawful cleric dies and things immediately go to hell. Maledoigt is a Chaotic thief, the already Chaotic Marcel is under the control of an even more Chaotic sword, and Aloysius and Éclair are unable to enter holy places.

The Score
Two gemstones - (300 gp)

The Cost
Hans - Light Foot

 

[Johann]

This was a tough blow for the party. Schmidt was our group’s longest running and highest-level character. He started in our previous campaign as Schmitty, a joke character with below-average stats who was not expected to survive long. Nevertheless, through a combination of luck and skillful play, he survived, transcended his humble origins to become the leader of the party and a serious character.

That's rough. And an integral part of the game. Kudos to all of you for keeping it real & playing for meaningful stakes -- this sounds like an awesome game! Grieve and remember, then pick yourselves up (which you already have). Godspeed!

 

[Starmenter]

That's rough. And an integral part of the game. Kudos to all of you for keeping it real & playing for meaningful stakes -- this sounds like an awesome game! Grieve and remember, then pick yourselves up (which you already have). Godspeed!

Thank you for the kind words. Last session was also Éclair's last, as her player has to drop out due to outside circumstances. She'll be back from time to time, but between her and Schmidt the party's taken a big hit and will have to play much more carefully. We'll see what happens!

 

[rredmond]

It's funny that Schmidt was the name of my 1HTK cleric in an OD&D game I played in many moons ago. He was the longest living character, made it to level 2 and that precious spell, before a wandering monster ended it for him. Sigh. Good campaign write ups, thanks for sharing!

 

[Starmenter]

It's funny that Schmidt was the name of my 1HTK cleric in an OD&D game I played in many moons ago. He was the longest living character, made it to level 2 and that precious spell, before a wandering monster ended it for him. Sigh. Good campaign write ups, thanks for sharing!

What a coincidence! Monsignor Schmidt started as a cleric with subpar stats named "Schmitty" in our previous campaign. He was but a joke character played by a cynical player who expected him to die in a few sessions, but he battled his way to mid levels, outlived many a PC, and got ported over to Xyntillan with a slight name change as befitting his status as a serious character. I hope our campaign's Schmidt will return against great odds, as he is a PC dear to my heart.

And session reports will return soon, we had a long break due to scheduling difficulties, but the gang is getting back together soon. Watch this space!