In the palace, 🐰Faefina, 🧌Gronk, and Valthor find themselves behind the last door - the king must be inside it.
Gronk uses his spell casting to open the door (by kicking it). In a gold plated room, sits the king, an aged figure in a golden throne. "I am Donald Julius Caesar Drompf, I will make Lenthor great again!"
Faefina jumps on to his lap - he pales, and the smell of his stomach fills the room. Valthor covers his nose.
"We're here to rescue you your highness!" Gronk declares!
While the party determines bow to get the king out of there, two maids arrive to give him his daily bath. The two maids ask if the party are taking the king away, and offer to clean him first, as no one must know about his incontinence. Faefina insists that they clean the king immediately.
One of the maids procures a wheelchair, while Gronk examines the room, finding 116 platinum, 29 platinum each. They also find 171P in letters of rites. The maids cover the king with a sheet, and Valthor realises that it's strange that none of the king's (adult) children are present. Clearly, the king is no longer the centre of power.
The maids bustle the king down the corridors and out the palace - no one seems to notice or care, and one of the guards even waves back to Gronk when he waves goodbye. Valthor flicks one of the guards a gold coin on the way out, to at least try and pretend a facade of bribery. Another guard throws some carrot cake to Faefina.
Back at the church, the arch priestess asks if that is the king, and letters of rites. She points out how best to process the letters at the bank to avoid discovery. Gronk, nodding wisely, puts his letters into his bag of dirty clothes.
Marjorie, the princess's lady in waiting, asks for the party to escort her back to her kingdom. Deciding to ignore her for now, the party retires to sneak off to a tavern. Unfortunately, they are not subtle, and are spotted by the undead guards. Inside the Thirsty Goat, Gronk orders ale, Faefina has beer with carrots, and Valthor orders top shelf wine. The sight of a platinum coin produces speedy service.
In the silence, Gronk raises his glass and makes a toast - "To us killing that man Faefina didn't like, and us rescuing the king from the palace!"
Gronk sees the orc woman across the bar, wearing a toga and waving at him. Gronk waves back, and she asks him if they'd saved the king - Gronk confirms this. She invites Gronk to her room upstairs, to show him a painting.
...
The following morning, Gronk wakes up in his own room, with no memory of the previous night.
The three of them, nursing hangovers,convene for breakfast. A crier walks through the street, proclaiming that the king is dead, and the 🎖Genial General is controlling the city while the king's children are in Albany.
Stepping outside the inn, the three see a skeleton in a black robe and bedecked in gold jewels, sitting on a horse and trailed by some fearful soldiers. Pointing at them, the skeleton announces 'Arrest them!'
Faefina rabbit hops away. The skeleton teleports in front of her: 'You will either be destroyed or arrested'.
The skeleton reaches his hand out to her, tapping her three times and dealing 45cold damage and paralysing her.
Gronk casts Polymorph on the skeleton, but it is deflected.
Valthor shoots twice at the skeleton, but misses twice.
The skeleton points at Gronk and Valthor, Gronk feels himself hit with 41 force dmg, and Valthor for 45.
Gronk casts Wall of Fire in a circle around the skeleton,burning him for 26dmg. The horse starts neighing, and Faefina realises that that is not a horse - close perhaps, but not a horse.
Valthor fires off two more shots, missing again.
Faefina uses her crossbow and fires off a seeking bolt, dealing 15dmg. Looking back at her, the skeleton says 'Oh you still move little one. Oh well'
Reaching down, he doesn't quite land a spell on her, but fires a shot at Valtghor, dealing 31dmg. Walking through the wall of fire, he takes 29dmg, and he places his hand on Gronk, dealing 31 force dmg.
Faefina and Valthor realise that the horse is definitely not a horse, but it is retaining it's shape by removing the tack.
Gronk, heeding Faefina's call, takes the tackle off the horse.
Feeling a surge of wild magic rushing through him, he feels himself under the protection of a Reincarnate spell for the next minute.
Valthor manages to remove the tackle form the horse, transforming it into a Ki-Rin.
Turning to Valthor, it casts Heal Wounds on him healing him for 9HP. It moves towards the Lich, ready to trample it.
Faefina casts Channel Divinity to heal everyone for 21HP.
The skeleton, shocked to see the Ki-Rin, declares thqat his master will be unpleased. He lifts his finger, mutters something under his breath, and the Ki-Rin whinnies as it takes 28dmg.
Gronk tries Polymorph again, and it is once again rebuffed. 'You need to be put in your place child' the skeleton says, and Gronk hears the infernal word for death, and collapses to the ground. Reincarnate brings him back to life but in a new body, as a halfling.
The Lich recoils in horror.
Valthor hits the Lich with his fire arrow, dealing 12dmg.
The Ki-Rin gores the Lich, hitting with his hooves and horn, dealing 10force and 12radiant dmg.
Faefina casts Sacred Flame on the Lich, but the Lich deflects it, Faefina sits down and cries.
The Lich looks at Gronk, and lifts it's hand, crackling with lighting. Gronk dives out the way, taking just 15dmg.
Gronk says he has his own lightning, and casts Synaptic Static on the Lich, dealing 34dmg and muddying his thoughts for a minute.
Valthor fires twice at the Lich, hitting both times and dealing 28dmg.
The Ki-Rin hits the Lich with it's horn, goring it into the Lich and almost killing it.
The Lich casts Fear on everyone, affecting Gronk and Valthor.
Faefina fires a seeking bolt at the Lich, hitting it for 12dmg.
Staggering, the Lich pulls out a tuning fork and hits it - the last thing the party hears before he disappears is 'Ms Rand will not be happy'.
The Ki-Rin neighs, and in celestial says that he will see them again soon, but it must check on it's lair. It gallops into the air and is gone. Valthor realises that this Lich was not the same as the one they had fought before, but may have been an apprentice of that Lich. He tells the party that they may need to check on the Princess.
The cowering guards declare that they were afraid of the Lich, and are deserting. They say that the Genial General is in charge, with another creepy man.
Kineeta, arriving on scene, sees Gronk's body and starts to wail before Gronk introduces himself in his new halfling form. She says that the General is about to make a big announcement following the death of the king, and Gronk announces that the king was fine when they left him at the church. Kineeta says that she has sent word to two allies - Eluthradel of the Tritons, and Maui of the Gobsnob tribe. In two days, a magical gate will open, and the city of Lenthor can be freed.
Until then, the announcement should be seen.
In a crowd of guards, both living and undead, the General appears on stage, throwing flowers and gifts. He is followed by the king in apparently good health. 'Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated', he says. Looking at the scene, the party sees a goblin and a floating brain. The king announces a new Lenthorian empire, to make Lenthor great again. Valthor, watching the gnome and brain, sees the gnome's disgust at this speech. The gnome lifts his hand, and the king is consumed in a column of flame.
The king burns to death in front of the astonished crowd.
Party gains 125 000 XP, taking everyone to level 17.