Tales of the Demon Lord 2 - Electric Bugaloo: Level 0, Session 1

The village of Starfall, situated just north of the Mist Wood and the Haunted Forest, is an out-of-the-way place for those seeking to escape the troubles of the broader world. 

 

The Victims of the Demon Lord (heretofore called "Victims") of this tale are as follows:

 

·       Me7a: A clockwork who has fled the tyranny of clockwork slavery in the city of Lij and traveled with a caravan to Starfall.

·       Einar: A dwarf smith who believes his destiny is to create a weapon that will save the world.

·       Ripples in the Pond: An elf whose shame of his past has driven him to find the good in all people of the world.

·       Chikatinga: A man seeking adventure and enlightenment.

·       Tordar: A dwarf who accompanied Einar out of Caecras and seeks his place in the world.

 

6 months or so ago, a caravan came to Starfall, led by a man of science called Dr Vordair from the city of Lij, who wished to study the strange celestial phenomenon that the area was known to have.  The caravan was welcomed by Elder Kemp and his two advisors, Red Fedder and Kobas Wollerdek and the scientists were granted leave to set up camps in the ruins near the village.

 

One morning, Advisor Wollerdek and his servant called for a town gathering in the square.  He announced that Elder Kemp had become severely ill.  He stated that Advisor Fedder was dispatched to bring a healer to town, but  and, given the Elder's advanced age, he was likely to pass soon.  Wollerdek announced that he would be assuming the role of the town Elder upon Kemp's passing.  This came as a shock and surprise for many of tose gathered, as Fedder was the one Kemp was grooming for his replacement.  Some of the locals, such as Helga, the kindly halfling cook and care giver, was clearly not pleased with this announcement.  Aris the dwarf Smith seemed unsurprised and disinterested by this announcement, though clearly saddened by the news of the Elder's prognosis.

 

As the townfolk discussed these announcements, the Victims decided to go check on the Elder, but found that Wollerdek placed the town guardian, Guntar the Jotun, on guard at the Elder's home with orders not to allow anyone inside.  Chikatinga goes to the jotun and begins to perform a ritual of healing around the Elder's home and the Jotun follows him around the house to ensure he did not try to enter, and the two were followed by Me7a, who questioned the jotun as they circled the house.  Seeing that the sentry had left the door, Einar decided to go check on the Elder himself and snuck in through an open window.  Inside, he finds Kemp violently ill in his bed with a servant in another room cleaning soiled bed pans.  Einar tries searching the room for anything suspicious, but then Kemp comes out of his delirium and tells the dwarf to help Fedder find Glinda the Hag (not really a hag).

 

Einar leaves the house just as Chikatinga, Me7a and Guntar come back around.  Just as they begin to head back into the village square, a sudden shower of rocks rain down from the morning sky, peppering the area with glowing green crystals.  One such crystal created an impact crater near the center of the village, killing two of the locals and damaging Helga's home.  Guntar and the Victims rush to the scene and inspect the crystal, which gives off a sickly green glow and intense heat.  Guntar places a fence up around the crater to keep the townfolk away, but Einar notices that the crystal cools quickly, but continues to glow.  Chikatinga had heard about such skystones, called "voidstones" and heard they were dangerous to be near. 

 

Despite the freak meteor storm, the Victims decide to go seek out Red Fedder and Glinda, as Kemp had instructed Einar to do.  Chikatinga had visited the blind, legless woman many times for her knowledge of herbs, medicines and other natural healing practices.  She called herself a hag because she was a hermit and wished to be left alone.  They traveled on foot to the woods where she resided and along the way they found another impact crater, but the object that caused it was not inside.  They reached Glinda's hut and found her within.  After informing her of the Elder's condition, they inquired on the whereabouts of Fedder, but Glinda had not seen him in weeks.  The group helped Glinda prepare for the journey back to the village, when a disturbing roar was heard from just beyond her hut.  She said that a bear had been wandering the area lately, but it didn't sound like that.  The group emerged from the hut to find a large and horribly mutated bear entering the clearing and upon seeing the Victims, it attacked!

 

The Victims fight the bear, who continued to mutate as it was wounded, but they managed to kill it, whereupon it melted into a pile of green glowing goo. 

 

After the disturbing fight, they get Glinda and head back towards town, but on the way back they find the body of Advisor Fedder hidden in the brush, his throat cut.  Suspecting Advisor Wollerdek of being behind this murder, they head back to the village with the body to confront him.  However, upon reaching Starfall, they find that it is in chaos as townfolk run through town screaming as the voidstone mutates them into hideous creatures!  Then the Victims see Guntar, or rather the thing that Guntar had mutated into, moving towards them, growling through his mutated mouth…

 

To be continued.