Session 53

I’m finding it hard to find the time to right these up in a more narrative fashion, but I think the bullet points get it across.

• The Odd Three get a long rest.
• The next day they return to the Akhi Temple to interrogate the doppelganger prisoner using Debi’s Detect Thoughts spell. They are met by Abott Lightman, who takes them down to the prisoner.
• They find the creatures in its cell, still in the form of Lightman.
• To prepare for the interrogation Simons casts 3 spells on the prisoner. First he casts Bane. The prisoner saves. Then he cast Calm emotions. The prisoner also saves. Finally he cast suggestions, telling the prisoner to cooperate with Debi and tell her the truth. He fails the save.
• Since Debi’s plan is to ask the creature questions and Deep Probe using Detect thoughts, essentially sucking the relevant information from his brain, the DM sets for the following decree. If he fails his save, Debi will be able to ask 6 questions and grab 6 detailed thoughts or memories during the one minute spell duration. If he makes his save, she will only be able to get 3 questions in and detect the creature’s surface thoughts.
• The prisoner fails its saving throw. Debit questions it on various topics, learning how many doppelgangers are left (4), that the High Priest of the Rat Temple has been replaced by one of them. And various other questions. They learn that the doppelgangers have been spying on them to collect the various evil magic artifacts they have found.
• The creature, compelled to be truthful, answers the questions and is actually proud and boastful of how clever he and his fellow doppelgangers have been.
• They ask how the creatures knew about the cursed black diamond in the vault of the temple. The creatures boast about how, as the bumbling Brother Bryce, he was able to ask them about their adventures and treasure and read their surface thoughts even as they thought they were concealing information. 
• They finish the questioning. The Abbot says he will have to pray and confer with Akhi about what to do with the vile creature.
• They return to Mortimer and plan. He agrees to help them liberate the Rat Temple. He is angry that these creatures have drugged his fellow priests and who knows what they’ve done with the High Priest. He is tired of living in hiding. He tells them the layout of the temple. They agree that Debit will cast Invisibility on the super-stealthy Mick, who will  enter the temple, locate the High Priest doppelganger, and then come get them. They will then enter and attack.
• Mick does just that. The priest on the first floor all look drugged. He finds the High Priest and 2 others in the lowest level, the normally ascetic High Priest’s quarters converted to a pleasure den. He returns to the group.
• They enter the temple, Mick still invisible.The descend and find the same scene. Mick immediately becomes visible as he casts Magic Missile at the High Priest. A battle happens. An enraged Mortimer cast Guiding Bolt at 3rd level, hitting the high priest. The creature, surprisingly, responds with a similar but dark version of the spell, hitting Mortimer. Debi casts Shatter on one of them, while Simon and Mick team up on another.
• The High Priest attempts to cast Banish on Mortimer, who saves. Debi fights one of them with a sword. All the PCs take damage. More spells are cast. Finally, the powerful High Priest is almost down. Mick uses a double dagger attack and finishes him off. Debi casts Witch Bolt, blowing up one of the others heads. Simon finishes the other off with simultaneous strikes from his Thunder Mace and previously cast Spiritual Weapon, pulping its cranium.
• The doppelgangers all drop, reverting to their true form.

Note: As usual, I put a non-standard monster in this game. The doppelganger leader was 1)tougher than a normal one, and 2)a evil cleric with access to spells up to 3rd level.

End of Session