Session 70 - The Vampire and the Coffin Shard
Beyond the opulent door, a glassy pool ringed by demon idols holds a half-sunk coffin — and a vampire in a fine suit who offers potions for Jaruul’s body. The battle that follows cracks the coffin open, and inside it another shard of the Wand of Orcus leaps to its bearer.
The Inner Chamber
- Beyond the opulent door, the party entered a big chamber containing a glassy pool, ringed by statues of a forgotten idol or gods — resembling generic demons.
- Ink flew over the water, revealing sparks above the surface and a dark, solid stone around the half-sunk coffin at the centre.
- While searching, the party found platinum and spotted a bat.
- Kailas briefly dipped Jaruul into the water to check for hidden effects — nothing happened.
A Deal with a Vampire
- Dristuul attempted to communicate with the bat. Instead of a normal beast, a pale man with red eyes in a suit emerged from it, greeting the group with an eerie charm.
- He offered three greater potions of healing in exchange for Jaruul’s body.
- The party recognized him as a vampire. He pushed the trade repeatedly, warning he would simply take Jaruul if refused.
- As sunlight broke into the chamber, a fight erupted. A couple of gnolls joined the brawl.
- Jaruul was healed and left on the ground as the battle began.
The Coffin Opens
- During the chaos, Jaruul felt pulled toward the coffin. He jumped into the water and tried to force it open.
- The vampire moved in, helping him pry the lid loose. Inside, a strange darkness absorbed all nearby light.
- Jaruul found another shard of the Wand of Orcus, which jumped toward him and merged with his previous one.
- A voice echoed inside his mind, claiming it was “just along for the ride.” Jaruul asked the entity for power — the voice agreed, though not for the present moment.
- With the shard claimed, the void inside the coffin vanished — though everyone noticed Jaruul taking something from it.
- Dristuul jumped into the water and used darkleap to pull Jaruul back out to safety.
Aftermath
- As the battle wound down, the vampire attempted to flee but Korin held him in place.
- Sneid Arkmos knocked Jaruul down — but he stood right back up without any healing. He stretched and asked:
“Who do we gotta kill?”