Session #00: The Wizard’s Tower
Welcome to the inaugural Nasty Boyz post!
We’re actually several sessions deep into our main campaign “Into the Undergrowth”; however, a little prep will be necessary before fully kicking things off~ For now, enjoy Session #00: The Wizard’s Tower!
Maaike and Nick had to sit out this session, leaving Jeff, Falisha, Katie H & Stu to fill in.
--
Rumors in a small village told of an enigmatic tower that stood in the nearby forest. Great riches lay within. Strangely, however, this tower was said to vanish & reappear without warning...
Our heroes Obsidian, Rhoa, Gaelynn & Elder Lee set out for the tower, arriving at the clearing it was said to appear. The Nasty Boyz excitedly discussed the treasure to pass the time, some down on their luck, some spurred by the chase for the next bounty.
Suddenly, the tower instantly appeared before them, perfectly still as if they hadn’t noticed it before! Enormously tall & foreboding, they entered through the tower’s front doors.
Inside an expansive corridor stood two enormous statues guarding the stairs leading up. Hanging on an adjacent wall was a landscape. At its center stood a lone, eerie figure staring outward.
Obsidian took a step toward the statues, both stirring to life with a stern warning. Gaelynn’s curiosity proved too great, however, as she hurled a stone in response (sent flying on a strangely slow and gliding trajectory) striking one of the statues. They stepped from their platforms and attacked!
To the Nasty Boyz’ surprise, the statues moved in slow-motion, recoiling macabrely to the strikes of the party’s weapons.
Elder Lee saw an opening, climbing on in an attempt to distract one, giving his friends an advantage.
Rhoa, in a barbaric rage, chopped violently at a statue with her great axe. Then Obsidian (to his smug delight) cleanly-halved the same statue with his.
Facing the other statue, Obsidian hurled his axe clumsily to the ground. Failing as well to deadlift the same statue, he collapsed (much to Rhoa’s delight).
Tension building, Gaelynn let loose in a flurry of blows. In a cloud of dust & stone, she fell the second statue ... directly on top of Obsidian.
In the aftermath, The Nasty Boyz reexamined the painting seeing now that the figure was alive! The group, sadly, couldn’t hear his frantic pleas from within. They took the painting with them, careful not to touch the portal on the paint’s surface and risk meeting the man’s same fate.
On the second floor, the party found a morbid scene: several skeletons crowded around a table eating. Laid upon the table was gold & treasure mingling with a rotten feast. The skeletons turned towards the party, frantically & rapidly shouting through bites of the fetid food.
The skeletons appeared to be moving strangely fast - the opposite of the statues below. A fight broke out as they began hurling fruit at our heroes.
Thinking quickly, the party steered the creatures into the painting-portal, trapping them inside one-by-one.
Rhoa, with her brute strength, had her own methods.
Elder Lee took a cue from Obsidian (now adorned by a golden crown from the lead sksleton) with a snappy comeback.
The skeletons vanquished, our party filled their pockets with treasure & continued upward, their curiosity inflamed. There they found the strangest room of all.
Inside was a laboratory, filled with countless beakers, equipment and chemicals. Suddenly, a flash blinded the party. Next an elaborate chain of events was heard followed by a huge explosion, vaporizing The Nasty Boyz! Then, in a blink, they re-entered the room just as they had a few moments before.
At first puzzled, the party tried (& died) again and again to unlock the time-puzzle before them. They covered their eyes from the flash, prevented explosive chemicals from spilling and finally unlocked the gate on the other side. At last successful, they climbed to the tower’s rooftop.
Night had fallen. Before them stood the wild-eyed chronomancer Mag! She was casting a spell growing greater & greater in intensity.
Just as she noticed The Nasty Boyz, a portal ripped open and through it stepped Maggie, Mag’s future self. She declared, wand-in-hand, that she arrived from a dark future ravaged by the time-wreaking magic cast by Mag.
A bizarre duel unfoled, both pleading for our heroes’ help. Finally, The Nasty Boyz cast their bid for Maggie from the future! In retaliation, Mag cast Feeble Mind, a powerful spell, on Obsidian.
His mind violently ravaged, he fell to his knees.
Maggie put a violent end to Mag, accomplishing her mission.
The Nasty Boyz pleaded desperately for Maggie’s help to restore Obsidian with her magic.
With a glance and a word (unheard by our heroes), she snapped her fingers, fading into the void.
Suddenly, POP! Back our heroes were in the same clearing where they started. Their pockets were full of treasure, but the tower was nowhere to be seen.
Rhoa, Lee & Gaelynn clamored to Obsidian, hopeful that he was back to normal too...
...Without a word Obsidian dumped his pockets and walked away.
The Nasty Boyz breathed a sigh of quiet relief. Their friend, clearly scarred, was back! Onward they would continue to their next adventure...