Session 43: Two Rumps and a Water Elemental

The party fights a water elemental that they had previously ran from, meets and fights Raucous Rump and battles a headless vampire.

This write up is based on our Sunday, July 9, 2024 session and was written by our scribe Carl with a few additions from myself. Thanks to our mapper Jimmy for the screen shots.  Since we are scattered around the country, we use Discord for voice communications and the Roll20 online tabletop to connect with each other.

Continued from: Tunnels Under the Graveyard and then Back to the Manor

Location: Inside Tegel Manor

8:10 AM
We were wandering about a bit, trying to pick a door to check out. Together... we don't need no stinking together.

We passed a familiar hall and had fond memories of being chased by a medusa. Well done Paraselene.

Steadfast found yet another way to explore. He touched a painting that we had previously ignored,(Rembard the Rake) and disappeared. We discussed, briefly, following him. Holding hands to make sure we came out at the same destination. Most of us anyway, Arkhelm stayed behind.

We arrived in a smallish bedroom that was familiar. We left the room to get back together with Arkhelm.

The pit trap that we put a board across previously posed no difficulties for us. Having already been in these corridors a few times, we made our way back.

As we covered ground again, Reebo was still diligent to check for traps and secrets.  Eventually we came to a door that we had not previously entered.

We could hear a mumbling from the other side of the door, so we gathered ourselves before opening and entering.

This was one of the toughest doors in the place, taking Reebo three tries to get it unlocked.

The room contained a tall, clearly female human statue, minus her head. Bubbling water towards the west. No immediate threat. Pool of water was the bubbling, and Steadfast drank some, feeling refreshed afterwards.

Natalie took a couple cups of the water, for later diagnosis if needed.

Further on we found a statue of an executioner. As Aefir approached, it attacked him with it's axe.  Monumentally good swing, old chap.

One swing and it went back into position, probably a trap. Aefir and Reebo tried to figure it out, and located a switch just outside of its reach. Reebo flipped it. A little bit of experimentation showed that the switch was an on/off for the trap (we think).

A couple more doors led to small rooms with nothing interesting.

We finally found a monster in the form of a green slime, and we were glad to meet it... sort of.  Soon enough there was one fewer green slimes in the manor.

A thorough search of the slimy room and its neighbor led to... NO loot.

We went down a hallway to where we remember previously finding a water elemental, hoping we can handle it better this time.

We went back to the room with several closets of moldy clothing. This was a familiar, even the mushrooms growing out of the soaking wet carpet. Ankle deep water in places made us more carefully step than our usual bulling on through.

The next room was a bath area, most likely. Thick algae in places. 

Yep, the water elemental surged up right in front of us.

After we put down the elemental (it engulfed Aefir briefly) most were checking out the room it came from and Reebo was restringing his bow when Raucous Rump came in from the hallway and asked what the #))@&_ was going on. Aefir could sense that he was evil.

Shadow tried to talk nicely to him, but Raucous said that the guy who hired us was not even a Rump, and insulted us all. His loss.

Meanwhile, Steadfast was checking out more of the room, and found something different about one of the benches - it was a little thicker than the others.

Despite his best efforts, Shadow was not able to calm this asshole down. Reebo had finished restringing his bow just as the the discussion went south.

Aefir recognized Raucous from wanted posters, he being fourth in line for the manor. He is a bad person.  But...he had GREAT armor. We were smelling a gear upgrade here. In spite of his armor and body odor, down he went. In spite of super armor, a thief's arrow and a mage's spells put him on the floor.

As many of us were examining Raucous and taking his armor and cutting off his head, Steadfast continued his trend of pushing on alone and opened up the different bench.  Not a huge surprise that suddenly we were in combat again... at least Steadfast was. At least one of us considered closing the door and letting him figure out the relative wisdom of opening new stuff while most people were busy...

What he had discovered in the hollow bench was Rapid Rithiena Rump, a headless vampire.

She was wearing dirty, moldy clothes and had the reek a cheep perfume about her. She sat up when Steadfast disturbed her by opening the lid on the bench.

To EVERYONE's surprise, Steadfast slammed the bench lid down on her. He sat on the bench to keep it shut. She turned to mist and started seeping out through the cracks between bench seat and bench body.

Natalie, unconvinced that Steadfast actually found anything, kept checking out the armor and gear that Raucous was wearing.... any upgrade is a good thing

In the next room, the mist condensed and Rithiena was there in the unlife/undeath flesh.

Shadow and Aefir attacked. Rithiena attacked back. Battle ensued. She went to mist after a while, and Steadfast started throwing the dirt from her bench spot into the pool. Rithiena moved away... really really fast.  Likely haven't seen the last of her, but headless she has (NOT) seen the last of us... R R R

Natalie and Shadow went back to pillaging Raucous, as did Reebo. Steadfast eventually got all the dirt into the water. Hopefully that will keep her from regenerating at some point.

The Raucous gear was plate, shield and sword. Looked good. 6 gold pieces. Probably his main loot was someplace else.  The vampire had no loot in her bench.



Continued in Session 44: Rosienna Rump, Ghouls and Elves