Session 6: Ripnugget’s Fall and Ancient Lore
With Lord Longfingers upholding his side of their grim bargain, the heroes continued their cautious exploration of the web-strewn nest within the Pit’s first level. Variel’s keen eyes detected a faint shimmer to the north, leading him to a cleverly hidden door. Beyond lay a small, forgotten chamber dominated by a magical pool. Braving its depths, Variel retrieved an ancient, glowing starknife – a potent weapon identified as the Monarch.
Armed with this new relic, the party returned to the surviving Whistlefang goblins they had captured. The terrified goblins, already shaken by the adventurers’ appearance and mistakenly believing them to be allies of the dreaded Ripnugget, readily confessed. Under duress, they revealed a secret passage leading to an ancient library where the undead goblin chieftain had taken refuge.
Attempting a stealthy approach, the party’s plan was foiled as Sothar, clad in his gleaming armor, was spotted by the Sinspawns now under Ripnugget’s thrall. Recognizing the adventurers as heroes, the bitter memory of his defeat seventeen years prior ignited Ripnugget’s fury, and he launched an immediate, vicious attack. The ensuing battle was fierce, but Sothar’s masterful spearwork and Ner’s magically guided flying hammer proved too much for the graveknight and his minions.
With the library secured, the party dedicated a full day to investigating its trove of ancient Thassilonian texts. Their research uncovered further secrets about the Hellstorm Focus they had previously discovered, and hinted at the existence of defunct teleportation circles within the library itself. However, their studies were interrupted by a perilous discovery: while examining Ripnugget’s discarded armor, Sothar impulsively tried it on, only to be overwhelmed by a chilling sense of doom as the accursed plate melded to him, refusing to be removed.
Rushing back to Sandpoint for aid, Variel’s knowledge confirmed Ripnugget’s nature as a Graveknight, whose armor would either regenerate its master or consume a new wearer within days. Father Abstalar and Y then toiled for several arduous days and nights, their combined holy efforts finally breaking the armor’s insidious curse and freeing Sothar from its grasp. Lacking the powerful magic to destroy the graveknight armor outright, Ner devised an ingenious solution: immersing it in a specially prepared tank of holy water. The party watched as Ripnugget began to rejuvenate within his armor, only to be painfully and definitively burned away by the consecrated bath.
News of Ripnugget’s true demise – and the thwarting of the First Doom of Sandpoint – spread quickly through the town, bolstering the heroes’ reputation. Putting their newfound knowledge to good use, Variel negotiated with the local Thassilonian expert, Brodert Quink. The party agreed to donate their extensive collection of ancient texts to the Runewatchers in exchange for their goodwill and assistance with further research. With this scholarly alliance forged, Y and Variel successfully completed their study of the Hellstorm Focus, identifying how to realign its energies to activate its latent teleportation capabilities.
During this time in Sandpoint, Sothar sought to earn some coin by joining the local militia, approaching Sheriff Belor Hemlock. However, the Sheriff was less than impressed, assigning Sothar menial cleaning duties for meager pay. Ner, also looking for productive work, was directed by Jargie Quinn of The Hagfish to the Valdemar Fish Market. There, her surprisingly adept fishmongering skills greatly impressed Turch Sterglus, significantly improving the party’s standing with the Sandpoint Mercantile League, who now regard them as “liked.”
Eager to fully chart the Pit’s first level, the party returned to the final barricaded door in the goblin lair’s southeast. While Sothar’s brute force failed to breach the sturdy barricade, Variel’s magic burned it away. Following the sloping passage downwards, the party descended towards the next level of the Pit, only to be ambushed by four menacing, spider-like Giant Longlegs. A difficult and desperate fight ensued, from which the party only narrowly escaped without suffering critical losses.
The heroes now stand at the precipice of the Pit’s second level, battered but victorious over Ripnugget, armed with ancient knowledge, and facing the unknown dangers hinted at by the spared mimic and the treacherous descent they just survived.
Mechanical things
- Earn income and other downtime activities - Persistent damage