Session 18 September 25, 2016

Session 18 September 25, 2016

Alfbrande’s suite after midnight.

Batukan and Otiben decide to explore the unknown caves along the south wall of the canyon while Urhman and Zho Ni are resting to recover their magic. Their first discovery is a large circular cave closest to Alfbrande’s abode. There is a roughly circular pool of foul stagnate water about knee high deep in the cave. Practically in the pool’s center is a stone sarcophagus. Before they can investigate further, Otiben is overcome with an uncomfortable feeling prompting him to beg the two leave the place.

They move further east along the southern wall and take a swim in the lake to explore another cave. The cave is a mostly north-south tunnel that appears hewn not natural. It ends transversed by a metal grate that is littered with debris and moss. Beyond the grate can be heard thunderous rushing water. His courage returned, Otiben swims down the tunnel to the grate to inspect what lies beyond. Batukan secures him via a life line from the cave mouth. Beyond the grate is a whirl pool draining the water away. Wanting a possible future escape route, Otiben attempts to bend the bars of the grate but fails. The two slink back to Alfbrande’s to share their findings. When we are all ready, the party returns to the Sarcophagus cave with Otiben watching from without. Lifting the lid we find inside a very old Orc corpse with a shield, mace, dagger, copper war god holy symbol and a death shroud. The corpse grabs Zho ni’s hand as he lifts the dagger then drops back in a final rest.

During the night, Alfbrande tells of his party’s caper. Over a century ago, they entered the crypt and explored down to the first level. They discovered a throne room where they were attacked by spirits. Loosing this fight, Alfbrande was the only survivor with his wife and their companions all reanimated undead. Whereas his cooperation was coerced by the promise of his wife’s heart, the other adventurers were cursed to guard within Vorigan’s crypt ever since.

Feeling little can be gained by anything else, we decide to assault Vorigan’s crypt at dawn. After dodging the patrolling giant skeleton golems, we face the elite skeleton guards posted at the crypt entrance. The fight goes mostly well but takes too long. As a giant golem nears, we rush through the crypt doors and slam it shut to avoid an unnecessary altercation.

The darkness holds many secrets. The first of note was a towering grotesque statue of some nether creature whose visage misses an eye. Bryn clambers up the statue to poor holy water in the missing orbit only to have his sight removed in his same eye. After caring to the poor lad, the statue is defiled further by adorning it with Eostaria’s blessed springs. Next we are beset by a horde of shadows in a throne room. All but two flee from Zho ni’s rebuke and are quickly felled. Feeling bold, Otiben sits upon the central throne which promptly summons an undead servant willing to do as Otiben bids. It is tasked to find items of value in the crypt. As it lumbers off, we decide to press further south…