A Tale of Two Chellasters

Second Ptolus Campaign Journal, #50

Session XCV -- the 9th of Birth

Diethan goes out to search for the location of the two Chellasters while we get to work on the house. He learns that the homeless Chellaster always wears black-and-tan armor and a helm. No one knows his face. However, after a day or so of Diethan's asking around, this Chellaster finds our friend and approaches him in a seedy area of the Guildsman District. Chellaster tells Diethan that the wealthy Chellaster is an imposter -- he is, in fact, Chellaster, bane of vampires. Diethan thinks the rogue in the Nobles' Quarter has taken this fellow's identity.

We think we can find our vampire wards in the Noble Quarter Chellaster's house but, to be sure, Calista uses divination magic. Our answer: "That which you seek is possessed by the head, not the heart." Hmmm... that implies that Chellaster has been split in two: heart and head.

We also divvy up magic items today from our pile of loot, which includes a magical "Book of the Ironborn." This tome offers instructions for constructing a metal man who is both clockwork and magically alive all at the same time. How exciting! What better culmination of a machine crafter's skills than creating an intelligent creature and seeing him assume his own path!

We send a good share of this treasure with Sir Feruch over to the Keepers of the Veil. He has already warned them about a likely all-out assault from the Balacazars on the Siege Tower. I hope they take it seriously...

Session XCVI -- the 10th of Birth

Feruch returns to report that a vampire hunter named Chellaster Marcan was active some years ago but there's no knowledge of his activities now. He was never affiliated with the Keepers of the Veil but was a maverick who used dark arts as often as other means to slay his quarry. Then he returns to the Siege Tower again to help with preparations there.

I decide to make the move to Pythoness House, so I clean out my apartment in Midtown and give notice to the landlord. I also let my dad know what's been going on -- but I don't tell him everything. He's not as young as he used to be, after all. He might not be able to handle the shock of our vampire-hunting adventures!

While it's still the middle of day, we head over to the Nobles' Quarter to Chellaster's house, seeking vampires and wards against them. We approach the place and a Shuully-looking fellow comes to the door with a dragon rifle in hand. He appears to have a strange, discolored lump on one side of his head. This odd guy tells us Chellaster is not receiving guests now. He seems quite hostile, but before we can have any further discussion on the matter, Diethan lays into the Shuul man -- his favored enemy -- with Falstef's mace. It flares, declaring our foe as evil. The fellow falls over backward, his dragon rifle clattering to the ground. The bulge on the side of his head begins to grow, blowing up like a pus-filled bubble until it pops. In the wake of the burst, standing before us is a horrible-looking creature all covered with spines and barbs and greenish flesh and a barbed tail. It hisses at us angrily. "I was using that!" it cries, glancing down at the body.

This demon seems impervious to my attacks, but Diethan's holy mace does its job quite well, making the creature squeal. Calista casts a spell on my sword that allows it to hit the creature, and Barbatos moves in with magical bolts of force, protected from harm as he does so by the Cobbledman. This demon manages to grapple Diethan, but my enchanted sword takes him out just as another Shuul approaches from a front room.

The newcomer drops his rifle and shoots at me again with a dragon pistol, to no avail. Calista takes him down with a silent sound spell. Another demon rises from the tumorous lump on his head, but this one looks like a vaguely humanoid pile of pus. A revived Diethan takes it down with one blow of the holy mace.

Calista detects vampires upstairs. We race up to be confronted by a clockwork panther. What an exquisite specimen -- oh, but then it attacks Diethan! I manage to curb my fascination and pound on it. So do Diethan and the Cobbledman (Barbatos' new cohort's pretty strong!), and Calista casts another sonic spell on it. Meanwhile, another head-bulging Shuul agent rounds the corner, along with a human man in black and brown armor: Chellaster!

"You have invaded my home, and now you will pay!" cries Chellaster. He is covered by magical symbols and turns himself into green flame as he launches himself at me with his wicked scythe. My own return strike slices open his belly to reveal a mass of mechanisms -- he's a clockwork man too! Aha, now we see: This Chellaster has his original head but a mechanical body, while the one Diethan spoke with in the street had everything but the head (obscured by the everpresent helm)!

A few more good blows and Chellaster collapses to the floor. His head falls away from his body. It sprouts tiny mechanical legs and tries to flee, but the Cobbledman pounds it to a pulp.

Just then, a figure wearing brown and black plate armor comes up behind us and cries, "Get out of my house!" He attacks Barbatos. How many of this guy are there? I get in a hit, and Calista springs forward for an attack from within spell. That undoes him. This one appears to have a fleshy body; its head whirs mechanically until Diethan crumples it with his mace. Diethan identifies this Chellaster as the one from the street. Too bad about that.

Calista is still sensing vampires, however, and they're closer than ever....

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