Swyvers: The Coil, Ep 5

The Down n’ Outers took five days of downtime to recover and pursue personal projects. While Rags rested from his plague and prison sentence, acquiring a chicken he ironically named Falcon, others were more productive. Navi, Suki, and Vincent successfully learned to read, a skill that would soon prove vital. The party also dealt with the lingering threat of the lich Barthales by dismembering his corpse and scattering the pieces around St. Evanage Cathedral, hoping to impede his regeneration. Their attention then turned to his phylactery.

Following a supposed vision from Maisie Faye’s ghosts, the group attempted to destroy the phylactery by freezing it and smashing it with a hammer. The attempt failed spectacularly, damaging their tools but leaving the artifact unscathed. Seeking a new path, they met with Detective Silence Finch, trading evidence from a past job to clear an old warrant. However, Finch presented them with a new one for unregistered sorcery, offering to clear it only if they infiltrated the Invisible Spire and eliminated its leadership.

Using a secret fire escape revealed by Rags, the party ascended the tower, returning to the now-quiet alchemy floor. Their search of a previously locked storeroom was interrupted by the arrival of four undead soldiers. Suki, grabbing potions from the room, ran directly into them, triggering a chaotic battle. Navi and Suki braced for the charge with their halberds, while Vincent donned an alchemist’s robe to confuse the enemy. Krusty the dog proved to be a ferocious combatant, tearing into the undead, while Falcon the chicken comically attacked Krusty instead.

After a tough fight that saw Navi briefly fall, the party emerged victorious. They looted the soldiers’ armor and continued upwards. They found the snake pit floor abandoned, save for five large snake eggs which they collected. In the library on the floor above, their new literacy paid off. Rags found a book of necromantic rituals detailing the proper way to destroy a phylactery, a process that required a special altar. As they prepared to seek out the tower’s leaders, a sudden cough from a nearby room alerted them that they were no longer alone.

OUTLINE:

Downtime and Failed Experiments

The party took five days of downtime; Rags recovered from the plague, Vincent robbed graves, and Navi, Suki, and Vincent learned to read.
They dismembered Barthales’s corpse and scattered the parts around the church graveyard to watch for regeneration.
Following a vision from Maisie Faye, they attempted to destroy Barthales’s phylactery by freezing and smashing it.
The attempt failed, with both a hammer and a large rock being damaged while the phylactery remained unharmed.

A Deal with the Detective

The party met with Detective Silence Finch to turn in evidence from a previous case.
Finch destroyed their old warrant but immediately revealed a new one for unregistered sorcery.
He offered to burn the new warrant if the party returned to the Invisible Spire and killed the syndicate leadership.

Infiltrating the Tower

Rags revealed a secret back entrance to the tower via a partially invisible fire escape.
The party climbed the treacherous ladder, with Navi slipping and taking a small amount of damage.
They gained entry to the third-floor alchemy lab and began to explore a previously inaccessible storeroom.

Ambush of the Undead

The party heard marching footsteps and scattered; Suki grabbed potions and ran, Vincent disguised himself, and others hid.
Suki ran into four undead soldiers, initiating combat.
Navi and Suki set their halberds, dealing heavy damage to the charging soldiers.
Krusty the dog proved to be a key fighter, taking down two undead guards on his own.
Navi was knocked unconscious but was revived mid-battle by Vincent.
The party eventually defeated all four undead soldiers.

Discoveries and a Cliffhanger

The party looted the Brigandine armor from the fallen soldiers.
They ascended to the next floor, collecting five large snake eggs from the now-empty snake pit.
In a library, Rags found a necromancy book that described the correct ritual to destroy a phylactery, requiring an altar.
As they explored a hallway leading from the library, they heard someone cough from behind a door, ending the session.

NPCs:

Barthales: A lich whose physical body was defeated by the party in a previous session. His phylactery remains a threat, and the party dismembered his corpse to try and prevent his return.
Detective Silence Finch: A corrupt and cynical city detective. He cuts deals with the party, using warrants as leverage to get them to handle the city’s dirtier problems, such as assassinating the leadership of a criminal syndicate.
Falcon: Rags’s newly acquired, untrained pet chicken. Rags has high hopes for Falcon, but in his first battle, he mistakenly attacked the party’s dog, Krusty.
Krusty: Maisie Faye’s surprisingly ferocious dog. Despite his size, he is a deadly combatant, known for biting ankles with lethal force. He proved to be the Most Valuable Player during the fight with the undead.
Titch: A young child who accompanies Suki. He doesn’t actively participate in combat but is always present, often being kept safe by the party during dangerous encounters.

ITEMS:

Barthales’s Phylactery: The source of the lich Barthales’s immortality. It is a small, incredibly durable object that resisted attempts to be physically destroyed.
Brigandine Armor: A type of medium armor looted from the four undead soldiers. It provides a solid D6 soak and is quite valuable.
Encyclopedia of Rituals: A book of necromancy found in the tower’s library. It contains the correct ritual for destroying a phylactery, which involves a special altar and a funny dance.
Lingua-Paul Elixirs: Four elixirs looted by Suki from the alchemy storeroom during the fight. Two are concentrated and two are diluted.
Snake Eggs: Five large eggs recovered from the abandoned snake pit in the tower. Their purpose and potential contents are unknown. Each egg is large enough to take up two inventory slots.

LOCATIONS:

St. Evanage Cathedral: A church that the party has been using as a temporary base of operations. The grounds now hold the scattered body parts of the lich Barthales.
The Invisible Spire: A mysterious, partially invisible tower that serves as the headquarters for a powerful criminal syndicate. It is a strange blend of a carnival ride, an alchemical laboratory, and a corporate office building.
The Midden: A subterranean area beneath the city, connected to the graveyard. It contains a sacred altar that the party now knows they need to destroy the phylactery.

FACTIONS:

The Syndicate: A mysterious and powerful criminal organization that runs the Invisible Spire. Their leadership consists of Master Eldren, Lady Sable, and Brother Blue. Detective Finch wants them eliminated.

QUESTS:

Destroy Barthales’s Phylactery: The party must find a way to destroy the lich’s phylactery to prevent him from ever returning. They have now discovered the ritual but must find the required altar.
Eliminate the Syndicate Leadership: A task given by Detective Finch in exchange for clearing the party’s names. They must ascend the Invisible Spire and kill Master Eldren, Lady Sable, and Brother Blue.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

Clementine: A character who stays back at the church with Vincent, helping to keep watch and perform renovations. They possess Barthales’s powerful claws. (Note: Mentioned briefly, appears to be a PC but had limited action this session).
Maisie Faye: A mystic who communes with ghosts, though the party suspects her visions are unreliable hallucinations. She attempted to learn to read but her low intelligence proved a significant barrier. In the tower, she uses her wits and supports the party from the back lines, often keeping her dog Krusty safe in her backpack.
Navi: A boastful adventurer who, after a few days of rest, can be found in bars wildly exaggerating his exploits. Despite his tall tales, he is a capable warrior, willing to stand on the front lines with his halberd. He recently learned to read, expanding his potential capabilities.
Rags: A thief who has been following the party for some time, only recently joining them officially. His introduction to the group was a trial by fire, involving a light scratch in combat, a party, and two days in prison with the plague. He has since recovered and acquired a pet chicken named Falcon, which he hopes to train.
Suki: An intelligent rat-man necromancer who is deeply concerned for the welfare of his ‘rat babies’. He is observant and cautious, but also a formidable presence in combat alongside Navi. Having just learned to read, he is now able to delve into the magical scrolls the party has acquired.
Vincent: The party’s gravedigger, who spends his downtime practicing his trade and looting trinkets from the recently deceased. He is pragmatic and quick-thinking, using a disguise to confuse enemies and his medical knowledge to revive a fallen Navi. He has also recently become literate.