5e WNW: A Charming Web of Lies

5e WNW - Session 20 of the weird new world campaign was played on Friday 7/31

The party consisted of the following:
Nessendra, Wood Elf Cleric 5 (Erindale)
Kethra, Human Fighter 5 (Nikki)
Bach, Dragonborn Warlock 5 (Erik)
Riia, Human Ranger 5 (Hanna)
Guy Noir, ½ Elf Rogue 5 (Nadia - Absent, kindly played by Julia)
Anya Bowen, Tiefling Ranger 5 (Allison)

After a peaceful night's rest, and for Bach the first one without nightmares in as long as he can remember, the party continues their exploration of the citadel. They find a spiral staircase that climbs up one of the citadel's towers, and head up, Bach at the lead with Guy not to far behind. Nessendra and Riia lugging Zugun's coffin at the rear. Bach passes a chamber, but doesn't even pause to look in, wanting to see the top of the tower. Taking the stairs two at a time, he quickly makes it there, and discovers something that delights him. Not the view, but a large bell, the walkway circling around it. He decides to ring it. Putting his back to the wall, he charges and leaps onto the bell. It hasn't been rung in years, but it swings and tolls once, startling everyone still on the stairs, and causing a ringing that may never quite go away.

Realizing that the room with the pull rope was the one he'd passed earlier, he charges down the stairs with glee. Guy, thinking that ringing the bell looked like fun, tries the same stunt that Back just pulled.Unfortunately his much smaller frame, and a bit of bad timing almost sends him out through one of the tower's windows! Bach passes the rest of the party before turning into the rope room. They're just beginning to remove their hands from their ears, when they collectively decide to head back down to what seemed like the top level of the citadel's central keep. Meanwhile Bach quickly glances around the dusty and cobweb filled chamber, and grabs the rope. Guy, following down the stairs watches the rest of the party continue back down, and decides to hang out with Bach instead, poking through the dusty corners hoping to find something interesting.

As the rest of the party reorganizes itself a huge spider appears a bit down the corridor. "Why do you come into my home, breaking things, killing my minions?"

Riia clears her throat, happy to not have to (immediately) fight the giant spider. She explains that they're looking for an item to help a friend. "Ah, you seek the Arat Stone..." the spider smiles.

The party collectively shudders at the sight of a giant spider smiling.

"Perhaps we can discuss this further someplace a little more pleasing. Follow this hallway until you come to a set of stairs. Take the stairs up to my basilica." At that, the spider disappeared, and Bach and Guy come strolling down the stairs. They tell the guys what happened, Bach nods, and charges toward the trap.

Bach quickly arrives at the bottom of the stairs, and looks up. Three large archways open up to a massive room beyond. Standing guard are a pair of amphibious looking humanoids with spears, wholly unconcerned at the appearance of a large dragon-man. Nodding once to himself, Bach takes the stairs, and walks right in through the central arch. Guy, who'd followed Bach most of the way, keeps looking back and forth between the arches and the rest of the party still trying to decide what to do.

"You come alone" the robed figure at the far end of the Basilica "That's very brave of you. Perhaps you'd like to make a will save?"

Predictably, Bach fails, and suddenly this robed dude doesn't seem so bad. Really, he's pretty cool.

Guy gets frustrated at the rest of the party's deliberations, and heads up the stairs and sees Bach chatting with the robed man. "Well hello. I didn't see you before either. I'd have remembered someone so well dressed." Guy is a little shocked at the friendliness of the man. "Would you care to make a will save for me?" He smiles, and sharp fangs peek out from behind blood red lips. Unsurprisingly, Guy also falls for the man's charms.

The rest of the party decides to head up the stairs after Guy and Bach, only to find everyone chatting amicably. Hoping this was a good sign, they try to begin negotiating for the stone. The robed man turned his gaze on Nessendra, and she laughed at him. He then turns to Riia, who it turns out thinks he's SO NICE! Kethra has had it, and moves to attack.

Robed vampire evil priest summons a pair of demonfire worm things and calls all his BFFs to his side. Bach is confused and doesn't understand why everyone is fighting, but is pretty sure the hellfire worms are bad news.

Battle is joined. The guards attempt to take out Kethra and Bach, fail miserably, and die quickly. The fire breathing hellworms last slightly longer, long enough for the robed guy to call to Anya "Don't you think this is all quite distasteful, us all fighting this way. It would be great if you could make a will save, and maybe come stop your lady mercenary friend from cutting me open?"  Anya agrees that this is probably a good idea, since friends shouldn't fight, and leaps onto Kethra's back, pinning her arms... briefly.

Silence is dropped over the robed man right after that by an exasperated Nessendra. Zugun asks "What's going on?"

Anya is flung off by Kethra, and continues to attack the robed dude. Guy thinks Anya was on the right track, and tries and fails 3 times to pin Kethra. It isn't all bad for Guy, as it's the most physical contact he's gotten with her. Riia tries and also fails.

By this point, with his hellworms dead, and having suffered some serious damage, he reaches out and grabs hold of Riia draining her life force, but snapping her out of the charm. He then turns into a giant spider and tries to web everyone. This is semi-successful, and gives him the opportunity to drain Kethra before the burning hellworm bodies set fire to the webs, causing a little fire damage all around.

At this, the giant spider collapses into a huge swarm of tiny spiders that all scuttle towards the walls and pillars climbing up and over the railing of the upper balcony and out of sight.