Rise of the Runelords Recap # 41 [RPG]

[6 Kuthona 4707 continued]

The Dark Lady of Wartle demands payment.

In a small dingy tavern in the riverside hamlet of Wartle, three members of the adventuring party that set out from Magnimar suddenly face a nightmare come true.  A spectral apparition in the form of a solemn woman wearing a water-drenched gown appears, and holds out her palm as if expecting payment.  Goragar and Kang realize that the “Dark Lady” is a bodiless incarnation of dark spiritual energy known as a spectre, the remnant of a murdered or evil creature bound to the material plane out of hatred of those that remain. Goragar enchants a coin with magical light and drops it on the ground so that, even with the lanterns snuffed, everyone can see the creature.  Kang puts a coin on the table and crouches down, but Artemis bolts out of the tavern and starts applying a rare alchemical blanch to his arrows.  The Dark Lady nods to everyone in the tavern who has paid her obeisance by leaving a coin, and then glides after Artemis.  He fires a modified arrow that tears away part of the Dark Lady’s spectral form, causing her to shriek in anguish.  Artemis runs to the far side of the tavern, but the spectre follows by passing straight through walls!  Her soul-draining touch ages the Magnimarian years in mere instants.

Goragar runs out after the two, draws his blade from an enchanted scabbard, and shouts for Artemis to bring it back in his direction.  Kang begins preparing a blanch similar to Artemis’ for his crossbow bolts and whispers to Goragar that perhaps they can talk to the Dark Lady and discover a way to cure her state of spiritual limbo.  “We’ll cure it by killing it!” growls the half-orc, ready for battle.  Meanwhile, at the water’s edge aboard the Pinkeye’s Comeuppance, Briza and Kozen hear the sounds of a disturbance coming from the center of Wartle.  They advance cautiously and see Artemis menaced by the ghostlike figure of the Dark Lady.  Briza runs to stand next to Goragar as Artemis leads it back in their direction.  The Dark Lady stops before Briza, holds out her hand, and moans the words “all must pay.”  Briza nervously takes out a coin and drops it through the spectre’s intangible hand, and it nods at her.  But Goragar has determined that the Dark Lady must be destroyed and he launches an attack on the creature, trusting that his greatsword can vanquish her.  Although he too is aged some years by the spectre’s touch, his magic-infused blade tears through the Dark Lady again and again until, with the coming of a strong wind, she vanishes with a long, low moan of agony.

Artemis has picked up enough knowledge of spell lore during his time on the streets of Magnimar to know that a powerful spell of restoration will be needed to heal him and Goragar of the effects of the spectre’s touch if the premature aging doesn’t wear off by itself.  He tells the others that the town of Ilsurian, further downriver, contains a priestess of Erastil who may be able to help.  The residents of Wartle slowly emerge from hiding and return to their previous activities, mostly pretending that nothing has happened.  When questioned, the bartender of the Lean-To grudgingly reveals that the Dark Lady was a beggar whom tavern patrons mocked with hurled copper coins.  Kang suspects there’s more to the story, but decides not to press the matter since the Dark Lady has been destroyed forever.  Later that night, back at the ship, Tillia is aghast at word of the spectre’s attack.  Captain Othlo passes word to Kang that his would-be assassin Skivolo has been told to leave his crew and never return.

Giant black widow spiders can deliver a powerful toxin through their fangs.

[7 Kuthona 4707]

Dawn arrives and preparations are made for departure.  Briza has excellent luck fishing, Goragar is the victim of a veritable snipe hunt when he asks a local if a magical scroll of restoration is available, and Kozen uses a handy transmutation spell to clean the rust off a back-up sword purchased by his friend Briza.  The sudden appearance of a black widow spider the size of a horse skittering out of the swamp startles the crew and passengers of the vessel, but Artemis sinks an arrow into it, Kozen magically manipulates the spider’s own shadow to fix it in place, and Kang’s hurled bomb reduces it to a smoking husk.  The ship soon leaves Wartle behind and the day’s journey upriver is unremarkable.

[8 Kuthona 4707]

The first day of Winter Week, a time for feasting and exchanging gifts with friends and families, is punctuated by the appearance of nearly a dozen stirges dive-bombing the boat.  One of the oxen, Tillia, Kozen, and her dog Taz are victims of the mosquito-like creatures’ blood-draining bites before the attackers are dispatched.  Fortunately, no one is seriously hurt.

[9 Kuthona 4707]

Another clear, cold morning greets the adventurers.

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Director's Commentary

This will be a terrible Director's Commentary because I can't remember where the inspiration for the Dark Lady came from--I don't know if I adopted it from a Pathfinder product or just made it up.  I think the motivation behind it was to add a little something of substance to the night's stay in Wartle and something more deadly than the random encounters that the PCs had been tromping over.  Anyway, it was interesting to see their varied reactions to it and I thought the encounter was successfully creepy.

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