Milo Almost Died Last Night – TableTopGuild.com

The D&D group got together last night for what might be the penultimate session before taking on Strahd, our vampire nemesis. In search of one of the Emeralds stolen from the Wizards of Wines, we ended up in mortal combat with Acererak the Lich…and I, at least, got pretty fucked up. Technically, I died twice, and almost met my end with a third death via Disintegration, which would have been rather final. I took some pictures of our fight, which made use of gorgeous terrain at Casa del Reese.

The setting: As we crest Yesterhill, we arrive just in time to see Faust’s previous demonic Patron being summoned by a pact with the grand necromancer Acererak. Faust’s “betrayal” of the pact (that the former didn’t even want) set the mood as an army of demons and undead set upon us.

Acererak and Asmodeous’s Avatar in the temple with their army of undead and demons at ready.

Our friendly House-Dragon takes flight as we prepare for the incoming army of undead. I cast Holy Aura on the group to protect us from the incoming evil as Faust turns into a Golden Dragon with True Polymorph to join his subordinate copper dragon in the skies.

The undead army continues to shuffle forward as the epic bridge battle continues.

I confront the demon at the bridge, hoping to hold on long enough for my allies to kill the incoming army.

The undead get close enough to the holy battle at the foot of the bridge for me to Turn them.

Faust, in his badass Golden Dragon form (the blue dragon model), eventually grabs the Pit Lord off the bridge for an aerial grappling battle in which he ultimately prevails. Dragon Faust then proceeds to land behind me as I desperately attempt to heal myself. Acererak, who is now flying in an Anti-Magic field, continues to throw high level Fireballs at us, only stopped by Alethra’s continued Counterspells. Meanwhile, Drip’s fire elemental starts single-handedly wiping out the army of undead and fiends, who are now Turned at the far end of the battlefield.

We eventually take to the skies via a bizarre Druid spell by Prince Drip. He somehow creates a stone bridge in the sky to somehow both restrain Acererak and allow us passage into melee range. Eventually it required Divine Intervention from Cyrroollallee to banish Acererak from this plane of existence.

Matt really likes to smoke. (Just kidding, it’s terrain)

Overall, it was an intense battle that could have gone either way. At the end of the day, Acererak was vanquished along with Faust’s old Patron (for now!). Next up: the Windmill of Corpses and the last Emerald of Power before taking on the big bad Strahd himself.