¶ Session 030 - 🤜 Hell Yeah, Brother
¶ 👀 An Unlikely Encounter in the Precipice Quarter
On a mission to find a portal to Ustalav, the Soots — Clutch, Otto, and Nitro—found themselves navigating the ominous Precipice Quarter, heading toward a dilapidated landmark known as the Drownyard. As they followed the road, Clutch's keen eyes spotted a man furtively peeking at them from behind a low stone wall at the end of an alley.
Clutch offered a friendly wave, and the man cautiously engaged them, warning them to leave the area. He introduced himself as Putin on the Ritz and explained he was on a scouting mission for an organization called Vigil's Hope. His goal was to locate the phylactery of a lich he believed was hidden somewhere in the quarter, though he admitted he was only scouting and would flee at the first sign of real danger. He advised the party against seeking portals in the Drownyard, suggesting the collapsed towers in the area were a more likely location.
¶ 💀 Ambush of the Boneyard
The conversation was cut short as the very ground began to tremble. Bony hands erupted from the earth, followed by armed skeletons emerging from the soil. True to his word, Putin immediately turned tail and fled down the alley, shouting, "Oh, motherfucker, I fucking new it!". Left to face the undead menace, the party prepared for battle.
The fight began with an arcane blast of electricity from one of the skeletons, striking Otto. Otto retaliated, moving in and landing two strikes with his sword, the second being a powerful "strategic strike" where he identified a weak point in the skeleton's bones. Nitro moved into position and hurled a large piece of rubble, but it sailed wide, crumbling against a nearby mausoleum. The other skeletons advanced, one landing a glancing blow on Clutch while another critically failed its attack on Otto, striking and damaging its own armor in the process.
Clutch took a flying leap from the walkway above, landing a crossbody splash that toppled over the main skeleton. When the creature tried to stand, Clutch landed a solid punch, catching it by surprise. The skeleton managed to get up and landed a vicious critical blow on Clutch before failing to grapple him. When it tried to stand up a second time after being tripped again, Clutch struck it down for good with a deadly blow, finishing it with a sweeping elbow drop that shattered its skull.
Meanwhile, Nitro showcased her impressive wrestling skills. She leaped onto another skeleton's shoulders, successfully blinding it with her hands. From this position, she executed a powerful suplex, slamming the undead creature into the ground. Otto, inspired by the takedowns, moved to flank the last skeleton and dispatched it with a nerdily awkward, but effective, elbow drop of his own. The final skeleton was then surrounded. Nitro unleashed all of her Fury on it, pouring the last of her rage into a massive punch. To finish the fight, Clutch grappled the weakened foe and, with a cry of "give him the old clothesline," whipped the skeleton directly at Nitro. Nitro stuck out her arm, and the skeleton exploded into shards of bone upon impact.
¶ 🛡️ Sanctuary and Supplies at Vigil's Hope
After the battle, the Soots rested and healed their wounds. Deciding to seek better equipment, they made their way to Vigil's Hope. At the gate, they were met by a guard named Uther. After a tense introduction where Nitro claimed they killed a lich, Otto smoothed things over, clarifying they fought multiple undead and needed new weapons. They were granted entry after a quick quarantine check. Inside the fortified manor, Uther provided Nitro with two spiked chains free of charge, happy to equip anyone fighting the undead plaguing the quarter.
¶ 👊 A Parting Shot for Putin
That evening, as the party rested, Putin on the Ritz finally returned to the outpost. A tense, passive-aggressive conversation ensued, with Clutch and Nitro chiding him for his cowardice. As the party prepared to leave the next morning, Clutch "accidentally" shoulder-checked Putin with enough force to knock him unconscious. As the man lay on the ground, Nitro cheekily slapped a bumper sticker on his back. Seeing that no guards had witnessed the altercation, the trio made a hasty exit.
¶ 🚪 Breaching the Drownyard
They returned to their original destination: the Drownyard. The building was a former schoolhouse for wealthy children, now sunken into the earth so that its upper floor was level with the ground, a casualty of the earthquake that had ruined the district. Recalling Putin's words about collapsed towers, they noted the structure's own ruined tower. Without hesitation, Nitro unleashed a mighty charge, shouting
"Hell yeah, brother"
and smashed through the heavy oak doors. The party stepped through the breach, entering the dark, silent atrium of the Drownyard to continue their search.