FLAIL: The Curse of the Dreadmarsh Witch Pt 3

Last session, the Dreadmarsh Explorers found themselves mid-battle against two giant crocodiles, their plan to trade a rotten shark for the kidnapped Chieftain Reed having gone sour. With the aid of a newly arrived gnome inventor, Coggrim, the party engaged the reptilian tyrants. Vendetta unleashed her undead minions while Del transformed into a massive lizard, turning a pit of baby crocodiles into a chaotic, swarming distraction. After a grueling fight, one crocodile was slain by Vendetta’s flail, and the other fled in terror.

With Chieftain Reed freed and sent back to the Bog Village, the party looted the crocodiles’ open-air temple before following him. The journey, however, proved perilous as the witch’s curse continued to plague them, inflicting bizarre and debilitating conditions like tentacle limbs and debilitating leech hearts. Upon arriving at the village, they collected another ingredient for the cure, a Blood Pedal, and pooled their coins to purchase a donkey.

Now needing Wraith Dust and a Fang Bone, the party took a direct approach, destroying one of Vendetta’s own wraiths to harvest the needed dust. Their quest then led them through haunted tombs, where a ghostly specter offered them magical scrolls in exchange for warm memories or a game of chance. Fortified by this brief respite from their curses, they reached the colossal carcass of a primeval beast. Their attempt to retrieve the Fang Bone from its jaw triggered a trap, and a massive skull crashed down, knocking Del and Coggrim unconscious.

What followed was a disastrous series of healing attempts by Tiki, whose prayers were met with divine disapproval, resulting in falling branches and further injury. After recovering, the adventurers raided a nearby shipwreck for the final piece of the puzzle: the cure’s formula. Their search was interrupted by a flock of harpies, who were swiftly dispatched through a combination of wraith attacks and sheer incompetence. With all ingredients and the recipe in hand, the party confronted the witch Merelda at her hut. When diplomacy failed, Vendetta forced the door, and the enraged witch attacked, leaving the party on the brink of their final battle.

OUTLINE:

Battle at the Crocodile Temple

• The party, joined by the gnome inventor Coggrim, fought two giant crocodiles.
• Del shapeshifted into a lizard and commanded baby crocodiles to swarm the area, creating a distraction.
• Vendetta’s minions (Muddy Boy, wraith) attacked the crocodiles.
• Vendetta killed one crocodile with her flail; the other fled the battle.
• The party rescued Chieftain Reed and found a Telepathic Eye in the temple ruins.

A Cursed Journey for Ingredients

• Traveling to the Bog Village, several party members failed curse saves and gained new conditions like Tentacle Arm and Leech Heart.
• They received the Blood Pedal ingredient from Chieftain Reed and bought a donkey.
• The party decided to kill one of Vendetta’s summoned wraiths to harvest Wraith Dust.
• Del transformed to kill the wraith but suffered a permanent intelligence loss from magical feedback.

The Primeval Carcass and the Healing Fiasco

• The party located a giant skeleton to find the final ingredient, the Fang Bone.
• Del and Coggrim triggered a trap, and the massive skull fell on them, knocking them unconscious.
• Tiki the Cleric attempted to heal them but fumbled his rolls repeatedly, causing him to take damage, get a persistent injury, and lose charisma.
• Coggrim used his own healing injector to revive himself.

A Ghostly Bargain and a Shipwreck Raid

• In an area of tombs, the party encountered a ghostly figure.
• They traded memories or won bets to receive Scrolls of Kazmora, which they used to remove their worst curses.
• They traveled to a shipwreck to find the cure’s formula.
• They found the recipe and a legendary weapon, The Piercer, but attracted a flock of harpies.
• The harpies were quickly dispatched after one was killed by a wraith and two others crashed into each other.

Confrontation at the Witch’s Hut

• With all ingredients and the formula collected, the party returned to Merelda the witch’s hut.
• Del attempted to negotiate for use of the hut to perform the ritual but was rebuffed.
• Vendetta grew impatient, opened the door, and walked in.
• The enraged witch immediately attacked, initiating combat as the session concluded.

NPCs:

• Chieftain Reed: The leader of the Bog Village and a mentor figure to Tiki. He was kidnapped by crocodiles but was rescued by the party, only to become afflicted by the witch’s curse himself.
• Donkey: A donkey purchased by the party in the Bog Village to serve as a pack animal. Affectionately named ‘Donkey’.
• Ghostly Figure: A tall, spindly, translucent spirit encountered in the antique tombs. It traded magical scrolls for positive memories or a victory in a game of chance.
• Kevin: Coggrim’s mechanical construct companion, which resembles a Dwarven spider from Skyrim.
• Kirsten: The witch’s cat, stolen by Vendetta and turned into her vampire familiar. The catalyst for the entire curse.
• Merelda the Witch: A powerful witch living in the swamp. She cursed the party after Vendetta stole her cat, Kirsten. The party needs to use her hut to brew the cure.
• Muddy Boy: Vendetta’s large, powerful earth elemental companion.
• Petey: Del’s small, sentient, and loyal carnivorous plant companion that fights alongside him.

ITEMS:

• Blood Pedal: A key ingredient for the anti-curse potion, given to the party by Chieftain Reed in the Bog Village.
• Cure Formula: A crumpled piece of paper containing the instructions for how to brew the potion to cure the witch’s curse, found on the shipwreck.
• Fang Bone: The final ingredient for the cure, a large fang pried from the jaw of the primeval beast’s skeleton.
• Scroll of Kazmora: A magical scroll obtained from the ghostly figure. It can instantly dispel one curse or condition affecting the user.
• Telepathic Eye: A magical, disembodied eye found at the crocodile temple. It can be placed somewhere and viewed through remotely for a short time.
• The Piercer: A legendary missile weapon discovered in the hold of the shipwreck.
• Wraith Dust: An ingredient for the cure, which the party obtained by destroying one of Vendetta’s summoned wraiths.

LOCATIONS:

• Antique Tombs: A haunted, eerie section of the swamp filled with ancient tombs, where the party met the Ghostly Figure.
• Bog Village: A settlement built on stilts within the swamp. It is home to Tiki, Chieftain Reed, and various other ‘misfits’.
• Crocodile Temple: An open-air, crocodile-shaped ruin that served as the lair for the crocodiles who kidnapped Chieftain Reed.
• Merelda’s Hut: The witch’s home, a precarious structure made of driftwood and bone that smells of boiled cabbage and wet fur. It is the required location for brewing the cure.
• Primeval Carcass: The location of the colossal skeleton of an ancient, unknown beast. Its ribs arch like cathedral pillars.
• Shipwreck: A dilapidated ship run aground in the swamp, which held the formula for the witch’s curse and was guarded by harpies.

QUESTS:

• Cure the Witch’s Curse: After Vendetta stole her cat, the witch Merelda cursed the party. They must gather five ingredients (mushroom slab, spider eye, blood pedal, wraith dust, fang bone) and find a formula to brew a cure at the witch’s hut.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Coggrim Gimbalstrap: A gnome inventor who fled his home after a project went horribly wrong. He is a tinkerer who is constantly working on his construct companion, a mechanical spider named Kevin. He joined the party mid-battle and provides technological solutions, such as a healing injector, to the group’s problems.
• Del: A druid who was temporarily separated from the party and thought he’d been abandoned. He is accompanied by a small carnivorous plant named Petey and has the powerful ability to shapeshift into a large lizard, which he uses to great effect in combat. His connection to nature allows him to command wild animals.
• Tiki: A cleric from the Bog Village who was being mentored by Chieftain Reed. Tiki initiated the quest to save the chieftain from the crocodiles. His attempts at divine magic, particularly healing, have been spectacularly unsuccessful, suggesting a strained relationship with his deity.
• Vendetta: A human vampire and ‘Bone Whisperer’ who was entombed alive during an event called the Great Purge and now seeks revenge. She commands a host of minions, including an earth elemental named Muddy Boy, spectral wraiths, and a carrion swarm. She also stole the witch’s cat, Kirsten, which started the party’s current cursed predicament.