Session 23 - The Deepest Rooms

Deep in the darkness of the corrupted Necropolis, the companions rested and planned their next move after wading through a horde of undead.

Half-air spirit Aubrey set to work on the large stone door in the inner sanctum of the Necropolis. After working through three of the five locks he broke his lockpick set. Half-elf bard Haeven sidled over and slipped him a fresh set, and he eventually worked the five ancient, solid locks on the humungous stone doors open. The group looked within and found an empty chamber with an enormous staircase leading upwards. They resolved to return after exploring the depths of the level they were on.

Half-elf druid Percival led the group to begin exploring the two rooms through the wide open doors at the north end of the sanctum chamber. In one corner of the first room they found a humungous spore cloud, and in the second they found little more than sarcophagi and burial indentations. They returned to the first room, where Percival tossed a small magical flame into the spore cloud, which increased in size. They debated how to approach it, as Haeven noticed something glimmering in the darkness at the far end of the room. Aubrey, who could hold his breath indefinitely with his elemental powers, proceeded alone, first slamming into a sarcophagus where he gasped a breath of pain, breathing in some of the spores.

He proceeded deeper where he found a chest, and standing beside it was a small, seemingly sentient fungal being, its eyes on him as he came closer. Aubrey tried to speak with it, alerting half-orc fighter Phryne who heard him, and he responded that there was some sort of living fungus. When he reached for the treasure chest the fungus reached a hand out and gently prodded and caressed Aubrey's hand as he picked the lock on a chest, where he found some jewelry within. He resolved to bring the fungal creature back to his companions. Phryne was seemingly charmed by it, Percival horrified, the other bemused. Phryne insisted on carrying the creature further into the Necropolis on her back.

They pushed on, through the third room into another where they were set on by a large, disfigured ghast woman and four ghoul children. Haeven tossed off a web spell, entangling some of the ghouls while half-elf paladin Arindrake set a hunter's mark on the largest one, shooting at it with his bow and arrows. As soon as the attack began the fungal creature exploded with spores, and Phryne, Haeven, Percival and Aubrey found themselves immediately connected telepathically, Aubrey having breathed in spores previously while Arindrake stood outside of the radius. Along with Percival's druidic magic and Aubrey's monkly speed and dexterity they began to pick off the monstrous undead one by one. As Phryne charged into battle, the fungal creature under her arm, she was attacked by a ghoul who clawed at the fungal creature's head. The fungal creature let out a piercing screech that reverberated throughout the Necropolis' halls, and seemed to be answered by somewhere behind them. As Arindrake and Percival cast down the last ghoul, Haeven and Aubrey, telepathically connected, dashed for the same treasure in a sarcophagus, although Aubrey was blind in the dark and the half-elf managed to take the treasure from within.

Percival next turned his attention to the fungal creature, which Phryne could not calm. He cast a small flame spell on it, scorching the fungal skin of the thing, which fell limp in her arms, although the screeching still came from behind them. Phryne attempted to bandage the fungal creature's wounds quickly before being convinced to leave it in the room behind them for its fellow fungal creatures that were clearly coming after it. Just as the fungal creatures entered the room she slammed the huge stone doors closed with Percival's help, and they barred the door behind them.

They continued through to the final room before coming to a locked door. The Necropolis had been increasingly pulsing with tealstone energy, which was only growing the deeper they got. Behind the barred doors, Phryne could hear disturbing noises, a sobbing, desperate chanting and strange gulping gasping breaths. Aubrey set to unlocking the door, but bad luck found him breaking Haeven's lockpicking set, to the bard's severe disapproval. It also alerted the teenage wizard Olli within, who demanded to know who was there, told them to leave him alone and told the companions they could do nothing to help. Percival, Arindrake and Phryne worked to coax and threaten the young wizard to let them in, which he did reluctantly, having them promise him they wouldn't hurt Zachar.

The room was like the others, a series of stone structures for sarcophagi built into the walls, although this one was inhabited. A young half-elf teenager was crouched over a book. He was scraggly, gaunt and unwashed, frizzy, matted hair, and tears stream down through the dirt on his face. Behind him was a sarcophagus, partially opened. At the far end of the room was a crack in the collapsed section of the Necropolis, leading eastward.

Several undead creatures stood around the room quietly, twitching slightly and gasping but making no moves to attack. The room positively hummed with the dark energy that could be felt throughout the Necropolis, and glowed with the light of the tealstone that seemed to crystallize many of the compartments for bodies, most of which were empty.

Percival demanded to know what happened, and Olli clutched the book to his chest, sobbing desperately.

“Zachar and I found this book in the catacombs beneath our school,” Olli explained. “He always loved the stories about the Necromancer Lord and he thought the Masters were stupid for forbidding it… we brought the book down here to try out some spells, but it backfired and killed him… but then he got up again… I’ve been trying to find a spell to bring him back to life… actual life… there has to be one in here… but so far its only created waves of undead.

“I’ve always been better at the forbidden arts than Zachar… I think that’s why he wanted to be friends… but I never would have agreed to use this book if I knew it would do this to him…”

Percival demanded the book, and Arindrake held out his hand, explaining that the book needed to be protected. Sobbing, Olli handed it to Arindrake, who tucked the Old Common *Eldritch Discourse* away for later study. The group demanded to know where Zachar was, and Olli led them over to the sarcophagus in the middle of the room, opening it slightly. A clawed, deformed hand shot out, clawing at Olli, who wrestled it back in, crying pitifully about the fate of his friend.

The group decided the best course of action would be to get Olli to command the unholy, undead creatures into a pile and burn them. Arindrake was especially adamant about destroying such abominations. When Olli turned and commanded the undead in broken Old Common, the ghasts turned on the adventurers. Arindrake spoke a blessing on his compatriots to aid them in the battle, while Percival transformed into a bear and crashed into battle alongside Aubrey, who began using his martial prowess to destroy the undead creatures with the speed of a tornado. Phryne locked into combat with a ghast while Percival found himself surrounded, but easily beat the creatures down with Aubrey beside him. Haeven lobbed off a bolt at one of the ghasts, which then charged Arindrake and clawed at the half-elf, paralyzing him completely. Haeven and Phryne managed to down the offending ghast, the half-elf sticking his rapier through the eye of the ghast, while Percival and Aubrey finished off the others.

ACTIVE QUESTS

-Decide what to do with Zachar and Olli

-Phryne is allowed to request a boon from the worshippers of Excelsion

-Haeven has informally promised to help Master Gazek reach Elysium, offered his half-elf network, been offered employment with the Combine

-Gain an audience with the Elven Senate of Elysium to present what they know of the goblin activity (perhaps using Lady Aevara of Victor's amulet)

-Investigate the encroaching dark forces from the East for the forest spirit (party thinks that the magical and destructive properties of tealstone, these goblin factories and Ghazek from Gobelton have something to do with it)

-Escort Edlee to Elysium