Session Overview#
The party continues their infiltration of the vampire convent, completing their mission to retrieve the priest’s stole while discovering the horrific truth behind the sanctuary’s corruption. What begins as a straightforward combat encounter evolves into a rescue mission for a tortured celestial being.
Entering the Convent Interior#
The Hallway System#
After defeating the vampire nuns and weeping angels in the courtyard, the party uses the silver heart-shaped key to enter the convent proper. They find themselves in a T-intersection hallway lined with individual nun cells, each containing evidence of the building’s former holy purpose now corrupted by vampire occupation.
Investigation Results: Olivia ’s detective work reveals that this was once a legitimate religious community dedicated to Sylvanus, a forest god. However, the religious items, prayer books, and imagery have all been systematically defiled and vandalized with profane symbols, indicating a deliberate corruption rather than simple abandonment.
First Floor Combat#
The party encounters three more vampire nuns attempting to ambush them from the ceiling. Bru ’s exceptional perception (rolling 18) allows him to detect their movement, leading to a tactical encounter:
Opening Moves:
- Bru uses Pyrotechnics to blind two of the three vampires with fireworks from the ceiling torches
- Helisanna uses Command to force one vampire to “drop” from the ceiling, causing fall damage
Combat Highlights:
- Olivia demonstrates her effectiveness against undead with radiant damage from Sacred Weapon and Divine Smite
- Jasper enters rage and delivers devastating greatsword attacks, including a critical hit that bisects a vampire
- Elspeth provides consistent damage with her magical gun while coordinating with BoxBox
- Silas uses stealth and precision to eliminate targets with psychic daggers
A massive vampire nun bursts through doors at the end of the hallway, described as weighing “like a thousand pounds” and resembling “the mom from Slither.” Her belching attack forces constitution saves and deals significant damage to the front-line fighters.
The Mother Superior Encounter#
Ascending to the Upper Floor#
The party climbs to the second floor, discovering a layout similar to the first but with more ornate chambers. They find the Mother Superior’s quarters - a luxurious room with curtains, furniture, and a small shrine, along with the decomposing body of the vampire nun they had sent earlier to retrieve the stole.
The Slenderman Nun#
The Mother Superior reveals herself as a grotesquely transformed creature:
- Unnaturally elongated arms and legs stretched at the joints
- Matted, disheveled hair hanging from her habit
- A veil covering the upper half of her face
- Long, pointed fangs visible below the veil
- A gold heart-shaped key hanging around her neck
- Movement described as unnatural and marionette-like
Combat Tactics#
Opening Round:
- Olivia uses Channel Divinity for Sacred Weapon, providing bright light in a 20-foot radius
- Her attacks knock the Mother Superior prone with the Topple weapon mastery
- Helisanna provides Bardic Inspiration while attacking with Eldritch Blast
Mid-Combat Developments:
- The Mother Superior uses a fear-inducing gaze that frightens Olivia , imposing disadvantage on attacks
- Jasper takes significant damage from necrotic claw attacks and grappling attempts
- Bru positions his Eldritch Cannon on Olivia ’s shoulder for tactical advantage
Decisive Moments:
- Elspeth uses the Force Ballista to push and damage the creature
- Bru delivers the killing blow with a Firebolt enhanced by his Arcane Firearm
- The Mother Superior’s habit and curtains catch fire as she crumbles to dust
The Vampire Ambush#
The Door Defense#
As the party defeats the Mother Superior, three more vampire nuns emerge from cells in the hallway behind them. Elspeth and Silas quickly move to hold the door shut, leading to a desperate holding action.
The Coordinated Assault#
The party develops an elaborate plan for dealing with the vampires:
The Plan:
- Bru provides Elspeth with dynamite from his seemingly endless supply
- Elspeth will blast the door with Eldritch Blast
- Bru primes the door to explode using his criminal experience
- Red prepares Spirit Guardians for area control
- Jasper positions for a dramatic aerial attack
- Bru coordinates his Flaminator cannon to fire through the explosion
Execution: Bru ’s intelligence check (rolling 22) allows him to perfectly time the explosive setup. When the vampires charge the door, it explodes in a spectacular display of dynamite, eldritch energy, and flame, dealing 42 damage to all three creatures.
Follow-up Attacks: With the vampires stunned and damaged, the party coordinates finishing moves:
- Olivia bisects one vampire with her battle axe
- Jasper performs a “Drax the Destroyer” style charge through the explosion debris
- Silas eliminates the final vampire with dual psychic daggers to the eyes
The Chapel of Horrors#
The Final Ascent#
Using both heart-shaped keys (gold and silver), the party unlocks the ornate doors leading to the convent’s chapel. The circular room contains:
- Quarter-circle pews arranged around half the chamber
- An altar on the far side
- Stained glass windows
- A horrifying sight above the altar
The Tortured Angel#
Hanging above the altar is a deva (lower-tier angel) in a state of extreme mutilation:
- Bronze skin covered in cuts and wounds
- Magnificent wings now tattered
- Blood dripping from wounds into tubes leading to the Mother Superior’s room
- A black stole wrapped around its torso
- Eyes that should shine like the sun but glow blood-red with malice
Red ’s religion check (natural 20, total 26) identifies this as a corrupted celestial being, tortured and driven to madness but not inherently evil.
Zero Gravity Combat#
As the party enters, supernatural forces activate:
- The room begins shaking
- Blood-red moonlight pours through stained glass
- Gravity ceases to function, causing everyone to float
- The deva’s eyes open and it manifests a mace
- Combat begins in three-dimensional space
Talking Down the Angel#
Rather than simply fighting, several party members attempt diplomacy:
Elspeth ’s Initiative: Despite taking 28 radiant damage from the deva’s mace, Elspeth shouts “We’re trying to help you, please!” Her persuasion roll of 23 opens telepathic contact, revealing the creature’s anguish: “They took everything. Everything! Make it stop. Make it stop.”
Healing Gesture: Red chooses to cast Healing Word on the tortured angel, restoring it to full health and demonstrating the party’s benevolent intentions.
Continued Diplomacy: Elspeth continues talking to the angel, explaining they want to help and heal it. Her persuasion roll of 22 further calms the creature.
Olivia ’s Truth: Olivia casts Zone of Truth and speaks honestly about their intentions to help, clear out the vampires, and remove the black stole. Her persuasion roll of 19 with advantage nearly completes the pacification.
Silas Closes the Deal: Silas delivers a masterful speech acknowledging the angel’s justified anger while explaining that the wrongs have already been righted. His persuasion roll of 21 (enhanced with psychic dice) fully calms the celestial being.
Liberation and Red emption#
The Surgical Removal#
With the angel pacified, the party carefully removes the cursed stole:
- Elspeth warns the angel that the removal will hurt but promises immediate healing
- Silas provides a clean, sharp knife for the procedure
- Bru supplies fire to sterilize the blade
- The stole is revealed to be literally stitched into the angel’s skin
The Angel’s Departure#
Once freed, the angel undergoes a transformation:
- Its corrupted appearance begins to return to celestial beauty
- It speaks telepathically to thank the party
- It crosses its arms in a “Wakanda forever” gesture
- It floats upward and explodes the entire roof of the convent with divine light
- Dawn breaks over the eastern horizon as the angel ascends
- Light returns to the accursed place for the first time in ages
Mission Accomplished#
The party successfully retrieves the priest’s stole, completing the second of three challenges needed to help Toonlock against Crowley’s assault on his realm.
Character Development and Themes#
Moral Complexity#
This session showcases the party’s growing sophistication in handling morally complex situations. Rather than simply fighting the tortured angel, they recognized it as a victim and chose compassion over combat.
Team Coordination#
The explosive assault on the vampire ambush demonstrates excellent tactical planning and creative problem-solving, with each party member contributing their unique abilities to a coordinated strategy.
Religious Implications#
Red ’s choice to heal the tortured angel, despite his complicated relationship with divine beings, shows character growth and commitment to helping the innocent regardless of his personal struggles.
Redemption and Restoration#
The session’s climax emphasizes themes of redemption, with the party not only completing their mission but also restoring a corrupted holy site and freeing a tortured celestial being.
Notable Combat Mechanics#
Zero Gravity Fighting#
The three-dimensional combat in the chapel required creative positioning and movement, with players adapting to unusual environmental conditions.
Coordinated Area Attacks#
The explosive assault demonstrated how multiple different damage types and effects could be combined for devastating area-of-effect attacks.
Social Encounter Resolution#
The angel encounter showed how combat could be resolved through roleplay and persuasion rather than violence, rewarding creative thinking and empathy.
Session Conclusion#
With the second trial completed, the party has proven their ability to handle both direct combat and complex moral situations. The destruction of the vampire convent and liberation of the tortured angel provide both mechanical success (acquiring the stole) and narrative satisfaction (righting ancient wrongs).
The session ends with the party having completed two of three challenges needed to help Toonlock, setting up the final trial while demonstrating their growing capabilities as both warriors and heroes capable of showing mercy to the innocent while eliminating true evil.
Ongoing Plot Threads#
- The Third Trial: One final challenge remains to complete their assistance to Toonlock
- Crowley’s Schemes: The fae entity’s assault on Toonlock’s realm continues
- Angel Ally: The freed deva may return as an ally in future adventures
- Divine Corruption: The systematic torture of celestial beings suggests broader supernatural threats
This interlude successfully balanced horror elements with heroic redemption, showcasing both the party’s combat effectiveness and their moral development as they choose compassion over expedience when facing a tortured innocent.