Gargoyle battle

Tomb of Annihilation Session 31 – Gargoyle battle

After Beldrak gets possessed by the spirit of Unkh, the group decides to take a long rest in the fairly protected area of his tomb.  While searching the last remaining room in Unkh's tomb, they hear a rhythmic ticking coming from a strange device in the room.  Upon examining the device, Helm gets aged by 10 years.

The party decides to tackle the bodaks first and head towards the Maze of Death.  While buffing and preparing to open the door, they realize that Azoth is not with them.  Helm quickly rushes off to retrieve him.  Azoth, being possessed by I'jin the almiraj, has wandered into the grand staircase and is examining the gargoyles closely.  Helm convinces him to leave before he gets killed.  As Azoth heads towards the stairs, the gargoyles animate and an intense battle begins.

The party puts up a good fight.  However, after several rounds of combat they realize that they cannot currently win this battle.  They decide to retreat since they gargoyles cannot follow them down the narrow passage ways.  Beldrak's early encounter with the gargoyles showed them that they will reset themselves on the pedestal if there are no targets to attack.

While retreating, they tie a chain to Azoth and anchor him to Helm.  This arrangement leads to a unique fighting style against the Bodaks.