Session 18: The Burning Arm of Vallaki
General Summary
The Bait and the Burn
The trap was set. Beneath the pale light of Lake Zarovich, the party waited in hiding—tucked beneath a beached boat along the shoreline—as Charity approached Izek Strazni alone. Suspicious of the wine, Izek insisted on sharing it. Charity, forced to drink from the same bottle to maintain the ruse, did so with forced ease. It worked. Izek raised the bottle in a crude toast… and drank deeply. Moments later, as the poison took hold, so did chaos. Charity doubled over in violent retching, unable to raise a hand in defense as the toxic concoction wreaked havoc on his stomach. Beneath the boat, Raya's celestial wings burst forth—unexpected and untimely. She was pinned beneath the hull, wings twisted and flailing, trapped as the fight began.The Devil’s Arm Unleashed The party emerged to strike—but even poisoned, Izek was a monster. His blows were clumsy but brutally strong, and the party quickly realized that even at half-strength, the Captain of the Guard was no ordinary man. Midway through the clash, Izek roared, his fiendish arm igniting in crimson flame, barbs twisting outward like thorns. His axe caught fire, his skin blackened and smoked, and his eyes burned with infernal hate. His transformation complete, Izek entered his second form, fighting like a creature possessed. Several blows nearly ended the party—flesh was burned, blades shattered, and resolve was tested. But then—
Victory, Hard-Won
Through sheer grit, tenacity, and no small amount of desperation, the party turned the tide. At last, with a crackle of fire and the smell of scorched earth, it was Shaggildorph who delivered the killing blow—his weapon burying itself deep into Izek’s chest. The flames died. The red haze faded. Izek Strazni fell. Spoils of the Kill From his ruined form, the party recovered: A silvered battleaxe, once his signature weapon. A pouch containing 35 gold pieces. An ominous, faintly warm amber shard—a fragment of Seriach, the Hell Hound Whisperer. What secrets it holds… remain to be seen.The Aftermath
The severed head of Izek was delivered to Lady Fiona Wachter, who accepted it with chilling calm. With a measured smile, she assured the party that the transition of power would now begin. “Baron Vallakovich will understand the meaning of this message,” she said, voice like velvet and steel. “And he will step aside—peacefully.” She invited the party to return to Wachterhaus the following evening to receive their promised compensation, and extended a formal invitation to attend a public ceremony in the town square the next morning.Missions/Quests Completed
The Lady Watchers Wish
Character(s) interacted with
Izek Strazani
