Session Five

***The main feature of this room is the plain wooden table, flanked on either side by long benches. The ground is littered with moldy bones, some appearing disconcertingly humanoid, all appearing to have been gnawed upon. The scent of decay hangs in the air around the opening of the western hallway. In the middle of the south wall is a darkened alcove, a ragged and faded curtain hanging from an iron rod halfway up the wall stops you from being able to see what might be beyond it.***

## 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.

## The Dining Hall

Moving on from the crypts of the children and their mothers, the party went west, following the cramped hallway to a much larger room than any they had found since entering the basement. There they found dust and bones, a long wooden table, and a curtain concealing a darkened alcove. While the rest of the party expressed disgust over the state of the room, Dakira moved to the curtain and pulled it aside.

   This action disturbed the grick that had been lurking on the ceiling above the alcove, which dropped down behind Dakira and began to attack. In the ensuing battle, Tansy was downed by the creature, and Alyssandra was heavily injured as well. Between this and the fact that Mirarook was still recovering from her encounter with the bugs, the party decided it would be wise to take time to catch their breath.

The discussion of finding defensible locations was put on hold when Dakira went back to the alcove to see what was behind the curtain. She found many wooden shelves built into the alcove, the wood rotten and one shelf collapsed onto the one below it. On the shelves she found many, many teeth of varying sizes, more bones, and a single book. On the floor below the shelves were many other teeth and bones, and an old, decayed wicker basket.

After inspecting the basket for signs of danger, Dakira lifted the lid of the basket to find two humanoid skulls within, one much larger than the other, and beneath the skulls was a pile of bones. She attempted to examine the smaller skull, even trying to see if any of the teeth would fit into the mouth, but came up with nothing, putting the tiny skull on one of the shelves.

As she was doing this, Kalil took one of the teeth, as well as the old book. He discovered that it was called "Van Richten's Guide to Fiends," and pocketed the book after a brief examination.

### A Rest

Finishing with the alcove, the party returned to the topic of finding somewhere relatively safe to rest for a while. They eventually decided to return to the crypts, using the stone slabs to seal themselves inside, though the crypts were small and as they had chosen the crypts of Rose and Thorn they were sharing the space with more than just each other. With two to each crypt, and Kalil left outside to keep watch, the party settled in and attempted to settle themselves.

Inside the crypts, they tended to their injuries and found themselves with a moment's respite. In Rose's crypt, Tansy prayed to Lathander while Alyssandra took the time to resummon Merletta, while in Thorn's crypt Mirarook ended up dozing on Dakira's shoulder while Dakira played a quiet song. Between the music and the stone muffling the sounds outside the crypts, the ominous chanting was almost inaudible to those inside.

## Things Gained

* Van Richten's Guide to Fiends
* A human tooth
* Merletta

## Developments

The party ventured further into the basement.

Alyssandra got the fourth killing blow of the game.

Kalil found and kept a book.

The party took their first short rest.

Merletta was summoned again.

Tansy prayed a lot.