Session 9

## The Dangers of Learning

Head back to the Hummingblades Nest from the old inn

With guild registration over, the city is quiet, the hustle and bustle keeps to itself.

As we enter the Birdhouse which is sparsely populated. Patience, and Moss are at the bar. One of the band members breaks and comes over to speak with us. His name is Lincoln Mahome and hes from Lumberlight. He keeps looking at Layla Arabella who is also in the band tuning a cello. They are the Sparrows and they play at the guild hall. Usually bards are enchanters and supportive but at the battle fo the bands, they pick a crew to help them fight while they support with music, healing word, bardic inspiration, some divination. Bands and bards who do well can become better and eventually learn to open operas. Lincoln Mahomes says he loves us because we are part of the Hummingblade family. there is this list or item in Arcadia called the "Playbill" that will tell you what opera powers are before they are opened

Klepto is making bread, and apparently stole a necromantic tomb from Cyrillia and sold it to buy more flower. Apparently there is a graveyard that has had sightings of skeletons and undead. We are tasked by Patience to investigate and find the book. Has an enchanted seal on it which means a knowledgable mage. She's going to pay us 200 gold. She gives us 2 healing potions, 4 torches, some scrolls, holy water. We go to the temple of the Empress on our way to the graveyard. We hear some skeleton bone sounds on the ridge above us as we're leaving lumberlight. We are surprised and a rain of arrows are shot at us by the skeletons.

Honey heart and poe take damage. Poe retaliates with a chromatic orb, startling himself and vaporizing one of the undead and knocking it into the river below. Tarlok takes off towards the bridge to get cover. He cast firebolt but misses spectacularly, the skeleton floating down the river catches Tarlok's leg forcing Tarlok to miss and hit the bridge catching it on fire. Honey Heart swings into the Shadow that appeared behind us but doesn't do much damage, almost swinging through the shadow itself. Bellamy Douses his dagger in holy water and destroys the shaddow. Fletcher sends an arrow towards one of the skeletons destroying it. Poe cowers in suprise but miracuoulsy sends another flaming object towards a skeleton incinerating it. One skeleton escapes and leaves before we can destroy it. WE escape across the burning bridge before it collapses. It is concerning that the skeletons are this far out from the Graveyard.

We make it to the church of the Empress. It isn't huge and is pretty modest and made of wood. There are 4-6 skeletons in the church with some abominations that is feeding off of the flesh of fallen people in the church. There is clear signs of a struggle with the father dead and being devoured by the flesh monster. Bellamy makes out that there is writing carved on the wall that is oozing blood into a basin of holy water. Shuupo interprets the writing as "IGNIS" the devil/fiend of the second layer of hell where his home is the "Crucible"

The flesh abomination creature notices us and begins to meander towards us at the front of the church. It crashes agianst the windows and Tarlok uses his shield to block its path. Bellamy and Honey Heart run up to help him. Shuupo readies a spell and shoots greace into the church while Poe shoots fire to ignite it. The creature is lit aflame but continues to drag itself towards us. When it exits the temple after crashing through the glass window. It is met by us with a flurry of arrows, blades, and fireballs. The creature spits blood at us and blinds some of the group but Poe lights it on fire one last time and destroys the creature. the church is clearly defiled by some fiendish We rest briefly and continue our journey towards the graveyard.

We make it to the graveyard and attack the zombies with a sneak attack. Fletcher fires holy water arrows at the shadows we see and Bellamy and Tarlok run in to engage the zombies in close quarter combat. Poe attacks with a fire bolts. Honey heart charges in and destroys one with a single blow with his axe. Shuupo misses with his nunchucks but engages the enemy in combat. The close quarter team destroys the zombies easily while Fletcher with his eagle eye destroys the remaining shadows that have been appearing from the mausoleum. Honey Heart bust through the door of the Mausoleum and discovers his younger brother Jarlid, a bug bear, bound in rope, being forced to read from the necromancer tomb. He appears to have a crown on his head. A two headed dog was summoned the moment he walked in. He is not doing this of his own volition and appears to be in distress. Honey heart notes that the language he is using is not words he is taught in bugbear community. Honey heart, Faced down by the two headed undead dog, covers the necromancy book his brother is being forced to read, Jarlid continues to cry and profusely thanks Honey Heart. The two headed dog is ripped in half by Honey Heart for the killing blow. Shuupo pulls the crown off of his brother's head using mage hand with some resistant.

End session.

Quote: "It was a pull door"

"It was a kid skeleton"

"Ughh, ooogh, uhhhh"

Strange stuff happening at the church. Something Hellish came to the church first, likely destroyed everything and then the necromancer came to the church to reanimate some things and also

Graveyard of the Empress is lawful good. Will have a small temple