The Cursed: Goddess of Snakes

[Part of the Cursed story line]

The team soon discover that the lizardmen are just minions to something deeper in the caves, and after fighting through legions of skeletons and their necromancer whom Olchyr wins a magic duel against, the team finds an out of place, friendly temple.

Naryu's snooping quickly reveals them to be Yuan-ti's though, and while Olchyr is killed in the mayhem, the team free another adventuring group comprised of Marchon, Iholikan Quinval, Reise Coppersky and Cristiana Knight who help them clear what turns out to be a large base of the snakemen - including their marilith "goddess" who hacks up Nessa in the final confrontation before being put down.

All the red areas are traps!

They find the scrying orb Arundel sent them to retrieve on the marilith, who is also not the "cold evil" given her entire mandate was to melt the ice for her followers. Upon returning to Kuldahar they find it under attack by Neo-Orogs (orogs taking performance enhancing drugs?) who are easily slain.

Unfortunately they got to Arundel who with his dying breath, instructs the team to take the orb to tower of the Severed Hand - and to the last person nearby who can use it. Iholikan and Marchon stay behind to guard the town while the remainder head back out to the mountains.

Insight: Blast skeletons are skeletons with IEDs strapped on. They explode upon death, so kill em from a far!

The Cursed: Imprisoned One

[Part of the Cursed story line]

As the lone survivor, Catharina descends into the final cage of the Watchers Keep where the disembodied voice of the invisible Imprisoned One warns her that the Knights of the Vigil are just trying to trap her too. She uses the seal repair scroll anyway and finds it was telling the truth.

Fortunately the Imprisoned One has enough power to open a small tear, just for her. In exchange, it wants vengeance and she readily agrees. Outside, she lies to the knights that she killed the Imprisoned One and they all go to look. Upon their departure, the Helmite ghost reappears and gives her a new scroll of sealing. This one to doubly secure the entire keep and lock the treacherous knights within.

The "oh shit" moment is awesome!

Feeling slightly guilty, she goes to check on them and finds they have all been slain by the Imprisoned One: Demogorgon! Since he's a Marilith summoner she high tails it out of there and uses the ghosts scroll - locking down the Watchers Keep once more and truly damning Valygar, Raven and Neera to enternal imprisonment.

Insight: Clearly the Watchers Keep is the Durlag's Tower of this game.

The Cursed: Deadly Marilith

[Part of the Cursed story line]

A Helmite ghost tells the party that only by passing a series of tests can they earn the keys to the vault. These test are mostly combat related, requiring to slay a dragon or survive waves of orcs but are quite easy to pass.

Much harder are the foes summoned when each key is turned. The first one brings an Aurumach that destroys Edwina in a magic duel. The second is the easiest, a lich with flaming skulls, only because the party has fought these before. The last is a powerful monstrous team of six including a beholder and a marilith!

So many swords, so many resistances!

Even with planar and summon support, the team is hard pressed and suffer casualties, with each member taking out one of the opposing team until only Catharina is left to face a drow huntress and the wounded Marilith. It takes a bit of luck and a lot of running but she is victorious. Alas, the rest of her team: Nalia, Lu Lingqi, Keldorn and Aerie all lie dead around the seal.

Insight: Flaming skulls explode in a fireball when killed, so be sure to have enough health before killing one.