Session Seven

***The door leading onwards is locked. Merletta had found the key, seconds before she died, but you do not know where she found it, only that she had flown up the stairs that you had come down seconds before, and that malevolent beings made of shifting shadows had followed her path back to you. It was these same shadows that brought down Kalil before they could be defeated. The chanting coming from down below is so loud here, louder than it has any right to be, almost completely drowning out the grunts and growls from the ghoul in the pit. What are you going to do?***

## The Party

* Alyssandra, the Human Paladin/Warlock.
* Dakria, the Dragonborn Bard.
* Kalil, the Half-Elf Sea Sorcerer.
* Mirarook, the Half-Orc Monk.
* Tansy, the Tiefling Light Cleric.

## Seeking

As Mirarook and Dakira examined the metal door blocking their way, Tansy continued to check on Kalil, finding that he was as alright as he could be but would need a lot of rest to regain his strength, and she stepped aside so Dakira and Alyssandra could use their magic to heal his more immediate injuries. As Kalil returned to consciousness, heaving up salt water as he did,  Mirarook suggested that they could perhaps pick the lock, though the idea was dropped as it turned out none of them had the tools or knowledge of how to pick a lock.

### The Shrine

Alyssandra left the group, climbing the stairs to try to find any clues towards where Merletta had gone. Noticing that she was wandering away, Dakira, Mirarook, and Tansy dropped the discussion they were having about trying to use the crowbar on the door to go after her, not wanting her to go off on her own, as the risk was too great. Kalil followed after them. Alyssandra ignored them.

Finding faint traces of residue left by the shadows, Alyssandra followed the trail down the southern hallway to a large room with skeletons hanging from the walls by shackles, a statue of a man and a wolf, and another corridor to the west that lead out of the room. At the foot of the statue was a key, and a small number of tattered raven feathers. Alyssandra picked up one of the feathers, studying it for a moment before she and Mirarook went to examine the skeletons, leaving Kalil and Dakira to examine the statue. Unable to tell who the man was, Dakira shrugged and bent to take the key before walking away. Kalil, meanwhile, was focused on the strange orb in one of the statue's hands, and ended up taking it with him.

Tansy, standing away from the others, said a few prayers for the remains. Alarmed by the returning sensation, she went to Alyssandra, as another holy person, to ask for help. She and Alyssandra spoke as Alyssandra inspected the strange patch on the wall which revealed a door that had been concealed under a layer of grime and which, recalling what she had seen from the dollhouse in the children's room, led up to the den via a ladder.

### Mimicry

As they all finished their exploration of the room, Tansy decided to see where the western corridor led to. She found a hallway with a wooden door at the end, and went to open the door. Her hand stuck to the knob as the door transformed, growing many eyes and many teeth. Her shriek of alarm drew the attention of the others, but the hall was too narrow for everyone to fit or maneuver inside, leaving Tansy at the end while Alyssandra and Dakira swapped positions to each be able to attack the mimic.

After a drawn-out fight against the creature, the party defeated it and the mimic's form collapsed, revealing the room beyond.

### Cult Leader's Quarters

The first room they found was a sitting area, with a small table and chairs beneath a chandelier, all covered in a thick layer of cobwebs, and two other exits from this room, one to the north and one to the east. Searching the table, Dakira found an old, fragile envelope and a letter inside of it. The letter was addressed to "Great Lady of Highest Honor," and begged forgiveness for being unable to attend an upcoming cult ritual, but hoped that "those who have wronged you suffer at your hands."

Tansy moved to the northern entryway, and discovered what was obviously a bedroom, with a large bed, a tall wardrobe beside the bed, a footlocker at the foot of the bed, and a wooden crate shoved into one corner. On the walls were two portraits, though while the one hanging from the eastern wall - reading "Elisabeth Durst" - was merely faded and covered in dust, the second one against the northern wall had been defaced. Tansy searched the wardrobe, finding nothing but a few tattered black robes hanging inside, while Alyssandra checked the crate, where she found a large number of moldy torches and a rotten leather bag that had split open and spilled candles across the bottom of the crate.

   Before they left, they remembered to check the footlocker, and found many useful objects, such as a spellbook and healing potions. Upon removing the items, however, they began to hear a scratching sound, followed by a tearing sound, and when the looked they found that a monstrous figure was clawing itself out from behind the intact painting behind them, the thing's stench filling the room. Dakira, Tansy, and Alyssandra defeated the ghast, though not before it brought down Dakira.

Following the battle, the party took a much needed rest as Mirarook kept watch, during which they passed around two of the potions to those who needed them, and Alyssandra and Kalil dealt with their newfound magic items. Once they were all ready, they agreed that it was time to see to the door, now that they had the key, and find out once and for all what the source of the chanting was.

## Things Gained

* A few scraggly raven feathers.
* One tarnished silver key.
* One ***+1 Orb of the War Mage***. Inside this Orb, mist spins and shifts lazily inside. However, when it is used as a spell focus, the mists shift and reform into the faces of those that have been slain using the Orb, their expressions contorted in agony, before the mist settles once again.
	+ The Orb has not yet been Attuned to, leaving the effects unavailable for now.
* One ***Cloak of Protection***. The hooded cloak is made of black leather with black fur trim, with a gold chain and clasp. While wearing this cloak, the wearer is occasionally struck by the desire to eat raw meat.
* One chainmail shirt.
* One spellbook containing the following spells:
	+ 1st level: ***disguise self***, ***identify***, ***mage armor***, ***magic missile***, ***protection from evil and good***.
	+ 2nd level: ***darkvision***, ***hold person***, ***invisibility***, ***magic weapon***.
* One small box containing four ***Potions of Healing***. They have used two, leaving them with two potions.
* One set of ***Thieves' Tools***.
* One flask of ***Alchemist's Fire***.

## Developments

The majority of the party has now been downed at one point or another.

The party has obtained many more items, and new magic items.

The party has found the key to the door deeper down into the basement.

The party has cleared out the entire upper basement level.

The party found a ladder leading up to the Den on the first floor.

The party have all been granted a point of Inspiration.