Episode 81

This is Episode 81 of Dice, Camera, Action.

The Party
(Rachel Seeley) Miranda- Elf Druid

(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander

(Holly) Strix - Tiefling Sorcerer

(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue

(Nathan) Paultin - Human Bard

The group is now level 10.
 * Diath: Took a feat. He won't reveal which one. His Wisdom is now a 15.
 * Evelyn: Aura of courage: Allies within 10 feet of her can not be frightened.
 * Paultin: Got some new spells. His bardic inspiration is bumped up to a d10.

Paultin Returns
The group is in the lost city of Omu. They just deactivated an egg bomb, stopping it from exploding and possibly killing everyone. Paultin stormed off and took Simon with him.

It's night. Strix flies up above the city and looks for him. No sign of Paultin. It will be very hard to find him at night.

Miranda blames the ring of winter. She says that her people (the elves) made it. It houses an evil entity.

Evelyn performs a eulogy for Typho and keeps asking for details because she didn't know Typho at all. The group is depressed and tired. They decide to sleep.

Miranda summons a protective zone that makes it hard for enemies to find them.

The next morning, Paultin returns. Strix is the only one awake. He ignores her.

Paultin approaches the sleeping heroes. Paultin stares at Diath. The group rolls initiative. Evelyn refuses to get involved.

Paultin draws the sunsword. He runs up to Diath, is about to swing, but then he disappears. He's invisible. He becomes visible a moment later. The sword is at Diath's back.

Paultin starts laughing. He says he was joking. The group is not sure what to make of this.

Diath tells him not to do that again. Paultin asks what the deal is with Shemeshka.

The Key
Diath hands a key over to Strix and tells her that no matter what, she needs to hold on to this key. He gives her a pep talk and tells her she's powerful. He forces the key into her hand.

When he hands the key to Strix, a pulse of energy ripples out from it. The group assumes the worst, but there is no immediate effect.

Parsnip the vegepygmy arrives, as does Green Bean. Miranda is overjoyed.

Paultin approaches Evelyn. He puts his hands on her shoulders and tells her that everything is fine and he's right where he needs to be.

Evelyn is shocked. By the time she is able to bring herself to react, the moment has passed.

A vegepygmy gives a flower to Paultin.

Evelyn takes the flower, flies and spins in the air. She summons her horse, Mourning Glory.

It has been a long time. Mourning Glory is no longer an undead monstrosity. His mane and tail are golden. The horse does not have wings, but does have a wing pattern emblazoned on her shoulders.

Evelyn quietly apologizes to the horse.

Strix is chewing on the key. She smashes it on the ground.

Fate of the Vegepygmies
The heroes head out into the city of Omu. There's shrines out there to be explored. They come upon an icy clearing. A frozen gardenlittered with the corpses of vegepygmies.

Parsnip points back at Paultin, blaming him for what happened. Evelyn wonders aloud if maybe there's some other handsome bard out there in Omu that may have done this.

Miranda has had enough. She wants Paultin to take the ring off. Paultin refuses. Strix tries to cast hold person on Paultin. Paultin shuts it down with counterspell.

Something is coming through the trees. It's Waffles!

The group asks Simon if Paultin killed the vegepygmies. Simon shakes his head no.

Diath talks about the strange vision he had of Paultin with glowing blue eyes.

Paultin takes off the ring of winter. He puts it in his pocket.

Diath remembers trying to take the ring off of Paultin, and Paultin's reaction was much different. Diath becomes suspicious of Paultin.

The group asks where Handrew is. Paultin says that the hand got lost in the cold. "I don't know where he went", says Paultin.

Paultin's Secret
Miranda casts detect magic. She sees that this is not Paultin, but rather some sort of illusion. The ring's not there, either. Paultin draws the sunsword. He stabs himself and melts. He's a simulacrum.

Diath tackles Simon, trying to get him away from Paultin. The only thing that's real is the sunsword.

Evelyn realizes that when Paultin touched her shoulders, that wasn't real.

Miranda tries to cheer Evelyn up by making her a Lathander bouquet.

Diath asks Simon where the real Paultin is. Simon points to an area deeper in the city of Omu. The group decides to go find the real Paultin and deal with this ring of winter problem.

Suddenly, Diath feels a stabbing icy pain in his brain. He takes 25 points of psychic damage. Blood pours out of his nose and eyes. The geas spell has kicked in. End of session.