FLAIL: The Curse of the Dreadmarsh Witch Pt 4

The Dreadmarsh Explorers arrived at the swamp hut of the witch Merelda. After Del was turned away, he kicked in the door, only to find the two-story hut abandoned, its interior a chaotic jumble of alchemical supplies. While Cogrim attempted a stealthy ascent to the second floor, his construct Kevin fell and was destroyed, injuring Cogrim in the process. Inside, Del and Tiki were ambushed by crossbows mounted on the walls, triggering a chaotic battle.

Vendetta transformed into a massive anaconda, unleashing her army of minions—Muddy Boy, Petey the carnivorous plant, and a growing swarm of wraiths—upon the hut’s defenses. The party fought through waves of undead skull spiders, carnivorous rugs, and small cloth minions spawned from the rugs’ destruction. After clearing the ground floor, Del approached the cauldron to begin the ritual for their cure, but it revealed itself as a mimic and attacked.

The party rallied to destroy the monstrous cauldron. Afterward, they ascended a slick, spiral staircase, which promptly collapsed into a ramp. Cogrim reached the top first and was met by another crossbow ambush. He unleashed a powerful repulsor blast, destroying one crossbow but inadvertently blasting Tiki back down the stairs. The remaining crossbows were revealed to be illusions as Merelda herself appeared.

The witch unleashed a devastating Skull Blast spell, which downed Tiki and severely wounded the rest of the party and their minions. In his anaconda form, Del managed to constrict Merelda, crushing her belt of skulls and preventing another such attack. Merelda retaliated with a Life Drain spell, defeating Del and forcing him back to his human form. As the battle raged, Merelda cast a charm spell, turning Tiki and Cogrim to her side. With her new allies in tow, the witch fled, leaving a battered Vendetta and an unconscious Del behind. The two survivors then used the real cauldron to successfully brew the potion to cure their curse, just as their friends were taken captive.

OUTLINE:

Breaching the Witch’s Hut

• The party arrived at Merelda’s hut; Del kicked in the door after being turned away.
• The interior was a cluttered, two-story alchemist’s lab, with Merelda nowhere in sight.
• Cogrim attempted to climb the exterior with his construct Kevin, but they fell, destroying Kevin and injuring Cogrim.
• Crossbows mounted on the walls ambushed the party members who entered the hut.

The Ground Floor Melee

• Vendetta transformed into a giant anaconda and unleashed her army of minions.
• The party fought undead skull spiders and carnivorous rugs that animated from the floor.
• Vendetta’s Carrion Swarm continually summoned new wraiths, turning the tide of the battle.
• The party successfully defeated all enemies on the ground floor.

The Cauldron Mimic

• Del approached the cauldron to begin the ritual for the cure.
• The cauldron revealed itself to be a mimic and attacked Del.
• The party, including Vendetta’s minions and Cogrim’s grapple trap, focused their attacks on the mimic.
• They successfully destroyed the mimic, clearing the way to the second floor.

Ascent and Ambush

• Del used earth magic to clean the slick stairs, but they collapsed into a ramp as the party ascended.
• Cogrim reached the top of the ramp and was ambushed by more crossbows.
• Cogrim used a repulsor blast, destroying one crossbow but knocking Tiki back down the ramp.
• The remaining crossbows were revealed as illusions just as Merelda appeared.

Confrontation with Merelda

• Merelda cast a powerful ‘Skull Blast’, dealing 17 damage to the party and downing Tiki.
• Del, in anaconda form, constricted Merelda and destroyed her belt of skulls.
• Merelda retaliated with ‘Life Drain’, defeating Del and reverting him to his human form.
• Merelda cast ‘Charm’, successfully turning Tiki and Cogrim into her allies.
• The witch fled the hut, taking her two new charmed captives with her.

A Bitter Victory

• Vendetta and a recovered Del were left alone in the hut.
• They found the real cauldron and used the collected ingredients to perform the ritual.
• They successfully brewed the cure for their curse, along with several other random potions.
• The session ended with the curse cured, but with half the party captured.

NPCs:

• Butterscotch: The party’s pack donkey, which waited patiently outside the hut during the entire ordeal.
• Kevin: Cogrim’s construct companion. It was destroyed when it fell while attempting to climb the outside of Merelda’s hut.
• Merelda: A powerful and cruel witch living in a swamp hut. She uses trickery, traps, and devastating spells like Skull Blast and Life Drain to defend her home. She fled after charming and capturing Tiki and Cogrim.
• Merelda’s Salamander: A small, aggressive pet that fought alongside Merelda. It was crushed to death by Del in his anaconda form.
• Muddy Boy: Vendetta’s loyal earth and rock elemental minion. It is incredibly tough and serves as the frontline tank for her summoned forces.
• Petey: Vendetta’s carnivorous plant minion. It was left outside to guard the donkey for the latter half of the session.

ITEMS:

• Belt of Skulls: A belt worn by Merelda that held the skulls she used as components for her powerful Skull Blast spell. It was destroyed by Del.
• Cauldron Mimic: A monstrous creature disguised as the cauldron on the ground floor. It attacked the party when they approached it.
• Grapple Trap: A device created by Cogrim from a rope and a bear trap, used to attack and ensnare enemies from a distance.
• Repulsor Blast: A gadget used by Cogrim that emits a powerful shockwave, capable of destroying objects and pushing creatures back.
• The Cure: The potion the party successfully created to cure their curse. It was brewed in Merelda’s cauldron using ingredients found in her pantry.

LOCATIONS:

• Merelda’s Hut: A magical two-story hut on stilts in a swamp, bigger on the inside than the outside. It is filled with alchemical supplies, traps, illusions, and monsters.

QUESTS:

• Cure the Curse: Find the witch Merelda and use her cauldron and ingredients to brew a potion that will lift the party’s curse.
• Rescue Tiki and Cogrim: Find Merelda and rescue the party members who were charmed and captured by her.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Cogrim: A tinkerer who relies on gadgets and his construct companion, Kevin. He prefers a tactical approach, attempting to scale the hut and using devices like grapple traps and a repulsor blast. His loyalty is unfortunately susceptible to magical influence.
• Del: A resourceful party member who can transform into animal forms, preferring a giant anaconda in battle. He is capable of some elemental magic, such as manipulating earth to make treacherous terrain safe. He acts decisively, kicking in the witch’s door when diplomacy failed.
• Tiki: A pugnacious individual who claims to be a cleric but whose attempts at healing have been spectacularly unsuccessful, seemingly angering his god. Despite his lack of divine favor, he is resilient, having survived being shot, trampled, magically blasted, and even death itself during the session. His will was ultimately broken by Merelda’s charm.
• Vendetta: A powerful summoner known as a Bone Whisperer. She commands a formidable and ever-growing army of minions, including a rock monster (Muddy Boy), a carnivorous plant (Petey), a Carrion Swarm, and numerous wraiths. She prefers to command her forces from a safe distance, acting as the party’s primary source of sustained damage.