Recap #22 - Koptila's Secret

• Having just defeated the ogres and orcs that suddenly appeared the group took a short rest and then made their way to the door on the West side of the room. In the distance they could hear the guttural sound of chanting.
• Ethan carefully opened the doors and crept down the hall. Not far along he came to a brightly lit room. From his vantage he could see 3 ogres with bowed heads surrounding a rune on the floor. They seemed to be either completing a ritual or praying. The rune was the same sun symbol they found on the door leading here.
• Though the room was brightly lit the group decided to move as quickly and quietly as possible in an attempt to take the ogres by surprise. With a little teamwork they were able to gain the entry to the room without raising an alarm.
• Once noticed, the PCs waded into battle. The nearest ogre - a warhulk - used its heavy flail to great effect on Braddoc and Ethan. Meanwhile Delian, Sterling, and Nenia tried to take out the Ogre Skirmishers who were lobbing javelins from the far wall. Splitting the party (again) managed to spread the damage around. However this was not the main problem they now faced. Every few seconds (end of the round) one of the PCs gained a curse upon themselves that slowed them and caused a penalty to their Fortitude and Will defences.
• As the fight dragged on, Delian noticed that whenever someone was cursed the braziers on the far side of the room flared a little. Deducing that the fires were somehow connected, the PCs set to work upon them as well as the ogre foes. Delian also deduced that the writing on the wall mentioned an ancient god of some sort that was now angered by the presence of the party. Perhaps that was who the ogres were praying to.
• Nenia was able to use her Thunderwave to knock over a brazier (on a crit!). There was no noticeable effect on the curse. However when Delian took a few seconds ot bow his head in prayer and apologize for this intrusion he knew he was on to something. He indicated for the others to do the same. They failed miserably and the curse persisted.
• Meanwhile weapons were swinging as the ogres and the PCs attempted to hack each other to death. Braddoc in particular was having a lot of difficulty wounding the warhulk. Sterling took a huge brunt of the damage trying to fend off the skirmishers. After a number of rounds the PCs finally earned the upper hand.
• After the battle the party was able to disable the second brazier and end the curse upon them all. Some treasure was found on the ogres and under one of the braziers.
• Proceeding down a short flight of stairs the group followed a short hall to the West. As they walked the passageway they heard what sounded like a hum or crackling sound. The farther they went the louder it got until they reached a set of double doors where the sound was near deafening.
• Expecting the worst the group burst open the door and rushed into the room. It seemed to be some sort of burial chamber. They were met by two zombie hulks who seemed to be guarding the source of the sound - a large energy field cracking with necrotic energy filled the centre of the room. They were also able to see through the field to a small room on the far side where yet another sun symbol hung on the wall in the form of a large metal icon.
• Nenia's Arcane check on the field failed to reveal anything of its nature or how to deactivate it.
• The PCs turned their attention to the zombies who quickly smashed Braddoc and Delian onto their backs and blocked further progress. Unable to gain flanking positions, the heroes attempted to push, pull, or slide the ogres in some manner.
• A few seconds into the battle a large undead ogre ran in from the back room and blasted the party with necrotic energy and slowed them. It was a beast known as Koptila. It then attempted its Death's Beckoning on Delian to no avail.
• Figuring they could quickly kill the zombies, the party left Koptila alone. The PCs expected from experience that the hulks would raise themselves once when they were "slain". However there was something they didn't realize, whenever a zombie was killed it disappeared only to return at the end of its next turn within the necrotic energy field! Several times they dropped a zombie only to have it return and set upon them again. Meanwhile Koptila was wreaking havoc upon the party although Delian managed time and again to avoid Koptila's summoning power.
• During the scrum Braddoc stepped into the field. Aside from taking damage the party was surprised to see energy leave the dwarf and move into Koptila. Somehow the field had drained a healing surge from Braddoc and boosted Koptila in some manner.
• Things were looking pretty grim for the party at this point. Resources were being used up and the creatures were still coming. Finally Nenia determined that the Sun Icon on the far wall was the key to the necrotic field.
• After conveying the information to the party Nenia used her Thunderwave power to make access way to the sun icon. Ethan took the opportunity to move in and attempt to disable the device. He quickly realized that the only way to doing so was to simply rip it off the wall.
• His first attempt failed and a zombie proceeded to try and smash his brains in. Koptila then used his Death's Beckoning power to teleport Ethan away from the icon. With the doorway blocked by a zombie no one was able to gain access to the icon again!
• Then it happened.... TEAMWORK! (hehe... j/k) Braddoc put himself in the way of an opportunity attack from the blocking zombie in order to assist Ethan with jumped clear over the 10 foot zombie! It was a difficult task but it worked!
• Once on the other side, Ethan was able to rip the icon of the wall. It turned the tide of the battle. Not only did the energy field disappear, it revealed a large hole in the floor.
• In addition to rendering the zombie regeneration inert, Koptila seemed to actually take damage each round. He pulled all the stops attempting to slay the party and return the sun icon to its place but soon he fell to the floor never to rise again.
• With every resource exhausted the PCs fell to the floor for a quick rest. A look down the hole in the centre of the room revealed a 20 foot drop into what looked like a natural tunnel. On its floor rested a ladder and some rope.
• A few moments later Alara entered the room with her skeletal servant in tow. She said she had learned something new and asked for a report.
• Delian complied with the request and Ethan pointed to the sun icon that rested against a wall. After a few moments consideration she addressed the party.
• Her researched led her to believe that the ogres had been tricked hundreds of years earlier. Their leader Koptila had sacrificed his life in the deal and the ogres had been "saved" from their enemy by being transported through time. Their sudden materializing was the effect of their being sent from that moment in time to this one. She surmised that it seemed almost instant to the ogres. However she also believed from her readings that the ogres were being used as a decoy for some other more nefarious purpose. She wanted the PCs to proceed immediately into the hole in the floor. She felt it was no coincedence that it was there.
• Realizing the group was in no shape for further encounters she asked them to drag Koptila's corpse from the room. She had to reactivate the energy field and didn't want Koptila to gain some advantage from it.
• When the room was clear she placed the icon back on the wall. Immediately the energy field sprang back to life. Amid the din of crackling Alara began to perform a ritual. After about 10 minutes she put both hands into the field. Energy bolts flew in every direction and enveloped the party. A few seconds later Alara pulled her hands back.
• Alara looked very drained but the party had been fully regenerated. It was as if they had taken a night's rest within a few seconds!
• Alara asked them to remove the sun icon and give it to her servant. She then pointed to the hole in the floor and indicated for the group to proceed. The entire region's lives may be at stake.