Nephrus In Charge

Continued from Underground Once Again

##### Day Nineteen - Autumn Year 720 - Southern lands

Valrith poured a healing potion over the horizontal golem, it did nothing. When asked how it could be helped, it told the group to find the energy from the forge. Valrith asked if it will cause the group harm, if they did not mean to harm the forge it would not hurt them.

Valrith moved forward and attempted to speak with the pale creatures, they did not speak common or infernal. Nephrus spoke to them in Deepspeech, they understood and communicated with the Tiefling, they were performing the 'Reconstitution'. Nephrus explained that he had come with new orders from the “Great Master” They had been instructed to repair the golem. The creatures were friendly for the time being.

The party ventured further, they found a room of peasants and people chained to walls. Nephrus and Kargrimm made a mental note that there were locals to free, they would make too much noise if they freed them. Instead Valrith convinced Erevan to unlock all of the prisoners at once, including one very dehydrated Dwarf. He had multiple fang marks on his neck, they were brought here by the pale creatures. “Sodding Vampires” he said.

The Dwarf was from Stonegate. He would reward the party well if they got him out. Before helping, first Nephrus must make the vampires leave. A creature appeared in front of Kargrimm suddenly, he was startled and swung his axe, missing once, but hitting the second time. Valrith dripped flames from her teeth, intimidating the vampire. Footsteps were heard, vampires approached.

> *“Master, why are you moving the meat?”*
>
>

Nephrus intimidated him with fire and then led the first group of prisoners to the surface, they asked his name, and he told them his name is Underhill. They were most thankful. As the old Dwarf was led to the surface in the fading evening sunlight , he burst into flames, slightly burning Erevan and Kargrimm who had helped him up the stairs.

They decided to take a rest in the lovely library on the surface to get through the night, Nephrus was watching, he heard a knock at the door.

*“Sorry to disturb you master.”*

The golem was fixed but needed arcane activation.

During the night there were scuttling noises but no disturbances.

##### Day Twenty - Autumn Year 720

The group woke and decided to venture down the hole to find the forge. There appeared to be a vast feast prepared for us. The vampires had taken initiative to provide the party with sustenance. Nephrus ate the meat. It was delicious. The delicious crab was sourced from the village.

The thrall showed the way to the forge. Kargrimm kept hearing a ghostly noise. It appeared that there were more spirits here, the ghosts were used in the forge. The forge seemed to be an elemental of flames, he was hammering in a grand room. Many bodies of skeletons littered the floor and ghosts flew above.

Nephrus again tried to lie to the fire elemental, he claimed to be Relakor, the new lieutenant of this area. It worked. The Worlock asked the Soulsmith to fix the golem, the forge complied, however it needed souls as fuel.

> *“The great Lich unearthed my forge, he broke my guardians and chained me to this place, now I serve him obediently” “chains of will and magic” “My loyalty is ever given”*
>
>

Kargrimm pointed his special mirror at the forge. Flashes of visions in the mirror, ancient nobles around the forge, spectres or souls dragged into it, freshly built constructs imbued from the great anvil, the golem in a struggle with an unknown enemy, skeletons before the forge, souls dragged into the bodies.

The Soulsmith told Valrith that The Quartermaster Thermisdon was near, the group must find him, hunt him, bring his body to the soulsmith and he shall do the rest. The Quartermaster was to be found more north of here at a place known as The great graveyard.

After travelling roughly 3 hours north the woods cleared to reveal large open country of rolling hills, small and large mausoleums dot the hilltops. The group saw a glowing light in front of them.

Ahead of the heroes, past the gate of the graveyard was one of the automata that they had met before in the upper floors of the East Pentar Company Headquarters in Stonegate.