Session 15 - March 2, 2020

After a long rest, The Liberators, accompanied by Feryn and Mulward, awaken in the first room of the Vampire Crypt. Jehnor’s watchdog barks at an unseen intruder. Two oozes surface from the oiled shafts in the chamber.  A brief scuffle ensues and the oozes are easily dispatched. The party advances to the next room to find a large brazier at the far end. They defeat an additional ooze that surfaces from under it. After putting small amounts of the slain ooze in the grooves on the floor, Stitch manages to push the brazier out of the way to reveal descending stairs. Below is a room with doors on the left and right walls. Shep assumes his spider form and heads under the right door. He eventually discovers a large room with a strange chanting, hooded figure, prostrate before a diabolical, candlelit altar. In an attempt to reveal the figure’s face, Shep makes his way above the altar, on which a slain humanoid is lain. The figure notices the spider. His eyes roll back in his head as he looks up to face Shep. “Go get your friends.”

Shep returns to the room at the bottom of the stairs where the rest of the party is waiting for him. He tells them not to go to the right, and proceeds to investigate the room on the left. As soon as he passes under the door, he sustains damage and returns to his Firbolg form. The party opens the door to find him suspended mysteriously in mid-air. They discover that he is suspended within a Gelatinous Cube and dispatch the creature. Shep relays what was found in the far right room and they head toward the altar.

Upon entering the room, the hooded figure turns to reveal the visage of Dagolar, who the party had recently slain. The party begins to attack. Nazeem enters the room and upon noticing the slain vampire on the altar, he turns to the hooded figure in disgust and exclaims “You said you would rid me of them, but I didn’t think it would be like THIS!”. He then joins the party in attacking the figure. After it is defeated, the visage of Dagolar fades to reveal a humanoid vampire that seems to have been possessed.

Shep immediately questions Nazeem about his earlier statement. He seems to squirm at the line of questioning, Shep responds by moving his moonbeam onto Nazeem causing him to hiss and recoil in pain. The party detains and questions Nazeem in response. He reveals that he doesn’t know how or why, but he has somehow become a half-vampire. He admits to striking a deal with the vampires to deliver the city to them, all the while feeding curfew breaking citizens to them in a secret chamber under the city fountain. Terugrier, the Lich had appeared to him and made a deal to dispatch the vampires in exchange for delivering The Liberators. Begging for his life, he reveals that after giving in at first, his conscience eventually got the better of him. Jehnor confiscates his spell book and they take Nazeem into custody. Stitch searches his pockets and finds a citrine roughly the size of the Eye of Kiltzi. He stores it in his magical lockbox alongside The Eye.

The party delivers Nazeem to Sultan Izdahir and forces him to reveal everything. The Sultan is grateful and orders Nazeem to be taken away, much to the distress of his daughter, Princess Iara. The next morning Nazeem is hanged for his crimes in the town square. After making arrangements for The Salvation to remain docked at Ska-Kaerii, the party sets out toward the Gilstern Mountains.