Deadly Demilich

Session 29 September 2024

Jaf’ar starts investigating the massive statue, while Farryn is still in the other room. He touches the statue—and suddenly, he vanishes. “Holy smokes!” I exclaim. A pentagram appears on the floor. Where did he go?

We see Jaf’ar’s manifest mind, Manny, floating up and down. Should we touch the statue too? We ask Manny, and his movements seem to say yes. I touch it, but I don’t feel like I’m moving anywhere. It’s just dark, and suddenly I realize—I can turn invisible at will. I decide to have a little fun. Sneaking behind Malik, I give him a playful tick on the back before laughing and becoming visible again.

I ask Manny where Jaf’ar is, and Manny tells us he’s in a different space. Meanwhile, Malik walks to a door and opens it. What we see inside makes my blood run cold—a demilich. Crap.

The room holds a pit of fire, with a cauldron hanging above it, bubbling with orange smoke. Malik, ever bold, walks right in, doing cartwheels and kicking his ball of magic towards the demilich. He even starts dancing closer to it, but then strange light-green tentacles reach out, aiming to drain my power—but they latch onto Malik instead.

I try to help, but my first shot hits the cauldron, and my next attack just barely hits the demilich. My third shot misses again and—damn it—I hit the cauldron a second time. Orange liquid spills from it, and toxic fumes fill the room. I hear the demilich howl as Malik bolts out of the room, clearly hurt.

I ready my bow and use swift quiver, managing to hit three out of four shots. Jaf’ar, through Manny, casts chain lightning, but the demilich dodges the blast effortlessly.

Suddenly, the tentacles grab me, and I feel my life force being drained—permanently. My health drops, and I feel weakened.

Meanwhile, Malik is moving at an incredible speed in the other room, seemingly untouched by the fumes. He’s doing something fast, almost frantically. I try again, shooting four times—three hit, thanks to Malik’s bardic inspiration. The last shot feels stronger as Malik cheers me on. But it’s not enough—the demilich drains me again, and I can feel my energy healing him. Damn.

Then, I see Malik conjuring something—a rainbow of light. He points at his head and focuses on the demilich. But it doesn’t even flinch. In response, the demilich blinds me with a gust of sand.

I try to shoot, but I miss. Then I hear Malik squeal—crap, I accidentally hit him. My last arrow pings off Manny. I try to escape, feeling my way along the wall, but then I hear that terrible screech again. My vision blurs, and I collapse. 

But somehow, I’m revived. I’m hanging in the air, suspended, and I can see Malik lying on the ground below me. On the other side of me—the demilich. I desperately try to shoot him, firing two arrows at once. But I miss. Crap. He drains my life again, and once more, I’m gone. I’m unconscious.

When I wake again, Malik is trying to spill the contents of the cauldron onto the floor. He disappears, leaving behind a mess of orange fumes spreading through the room.

I push through the pain and manage to heal myself. I cast hunter’s mark and attack twice. But it’s futile—the demilich drains us again, returning to full health. Fuck.

Suddenly, Jaf’ar appears! And—he transforms into a giant ape! In his new form, he grabs the demilich and drags it across the room, away from us.

I use the opportunity to shoot again, healing myself and reinforcing my hunter’s mark. Farryn steps up, throwing his dwarven thrower with deadly accuracy. I keep firing, shot after shot.

After what feels like an eternity, Farryn finally delivers the finishing blow. The demilich is defeated.

Farryn, however, immediately asks, “Where’s Malik?” I try to sense him, feeling for a heartbeat. It’s faint, but I know he’s there. I call Farryn over.

Farryn checks Malik, and then he looks at me. “Do we want him back?” he asks.

“Yes!” I say without hesitation.

Farryn casts revivify, and I feel Malik stir beneath my hands. He’s alive, though I can’t hear him yet. But he’s back.

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