Players investigate Nina Glibglamer’s apartments in the city of Bresk.
The environment is otherworldly and surreal, described as a haunted, nightmarish, multi-dimensional space:
Cracked walls, ghostly hands, eyeballs in walls, floating orbs, and a giant dismembered hand protruding from the wall.
Nina Glibglamer reveals her true form: a mass of faces with red eyes and tongues.
Combat ensues with:
A large insectoid centipede creature attacking Vondram.
Players use various spells and attacks including Bless, Magic Missile, Fireball, Web, and physical attacks.
Nina uses illusions and displacement to evade damage.
Arendar becomes engulfed and grappled by Nina but lands a critical hit, separating her into two parts.
Nina ultimately dissolves and disappears, signifying her defeat.
The centipede is killed by Po.
Aftermath reveals three emaciated dwarves in various states of mental and physical distress, rescued from Nina’s captivity.
Aftermath in Glibglamer’s Apartment
Players find five dwarven bodies in decomposed states, none showing signs of violent death, implying starvation or neglect.
Items recovered include:
Masterwork chainmail and scale mail armor.
Small amounts of gold and silver coins (188 gold, 110 silver total).
Two magical potions: Purify Food and Drink and Electrical Resistance.
Scrolls: Summon Monster I and Identify.
Players discuss the nature of Nina’s power, her feeding on madness and chaos, and the implications of her alliance with the Sargavans.
Political Developments in Bandu Hills
King Steppengard abdicates due to mental and political incapacitation caused by Nina’s influence.
Succession offers:
First to Lord Iz, who declines to become king, choosing instead to become Field Marshal (supreme military commander).
Then to Duke Dashgoban, who also refuses and calls for Steppengard’s arrest and trial for treason.
Lady Timor is passed over due to being human, not dwarf.
Finally, Duke Gallo accepts kingship, becoming King Gallo of the Bandu Hills.
The council prepares for war against Sargava, due to Sargavan involvement in the poisoning and political destabilization. Plans include:
Coordinating military forces from multiple domains.
Attempting to block the Sargavan V Corps army at the Alydi Pass within two weeks.
Using guerilla tactics from local groups like the Osibu Mwangi.
Discussions reveal:
The Book of Eight Lands, a magical tome protecting the king and recording royal lineage, is missing.
Protects the king from mind-affecting magic.
Automatically records royal successions.
Historically used to prevent magical control over rulers.
Nina Glibglamer likely stole the book to weaken the king’s magical defenses.
A search effort turns up the book in Glibglamer’s apartment, which does not resemble the apartment in which the party fought her, and does not look used despite Glibglamer being Chamberlain for the better part of a year.
Aftermath
The party is offered land grants and farmsteads by Lady Timor as a reward for their service.
Players receive updates on:
Lady Dene, gravely injured but expected to recover.
Party members share concerns about the political future and ongoing war.
Plans to return to the city of Seaquen to assist allies and gather information.
Key Insights and Conclusions
Nina Glibglamer was a powerful, otherworldly antagonist whose defeat ended a major threat but left political and magical consequences.
The mysterious haunted apartment was a pocket dimension, disappearing upon Glibglamer’s death, hiding crucial items like the Book of Eight Lands.
The political landscape of the Bandu Hills is unstable but transitioning, with Duke Gallo now king and Lord Iz as military commander.
The missing Book of Eight Lands is critical to the king’s protection and political legitimacy, and its theft likely enabled Nina’s influence.
A war with Sargava is imminent, with limited time to prepare and multiple forces converging to stop the Sargavan V Core army.
The party’s efforts are recognized with land grants, but they face ongoing challenges including rescuing refugees and investigating further threats in Seaquen.
