Session Nine - Into the Crypts

The team awakens, and in their morning meet. Virgil explains to them, they have been hired by their fey contact, Savvo to find an Ice Sword, in an abandoned Mathai fortress, it should be either within or near a crypt. They gather supplies and make arrangements to travel with the Japeth Knights, as they have patrols going out daily to ensure the forest is safe. Their primary rule, this is the fey forest, so while the magical buggers may be annoying they are the rulers of the forest.

The forest is quite deep, and the patrols stick to the well-traveled roads. On the first day they encounter a hunting trio of ogres that the Paladins easily handle. On the second the team meets a group of dwarven traders, with many small, specialized kegs of alcohol; their comrade believes these dwarves have invisible protectors, which is why they are very carefree in this fey-filled forest. On the last day of their travel, the Knights run into a group of other-worldly creatures, red-scaly-skinned humanoid hunters with sharp black claws and horns called schir demons. This battle lasts far longer, and while the knights do emerge victorious, they took substantial losses. The cleric steps up to heal the injured knights, who is given 90 silver as tribute. It isn't long on their fourth day of travel that they encounter the fortress, that looks quite like a small church; Allfray tells the Knights their mission is inside, the Soldiers of Japeth retort that their teams pass by here every 2 or 3 days, they will make sure that others groups check on them.

The group scans the large two story building, it has two completed towers, and a third either incomplete or half destroyed. Virgil is determined to climb up the half finished tower. Before he gets to the top, realizes there are a few windows near the half-way mark and tries to go inside the nearest one to him. As he tries to open the window, Allfray and Bahlgrimm the Dwarf warrior spot a green skinned winged humanoid crawling towards him. The cleric responds with a thrown hammer at the creature - but misses. The rogue realizes something is wrong when he is cut by a claw, as he sees two more of these green skinned creatures crawling towards him, He immediately starts drops down, trying to get away from these goyle like beasts. The cleric casts spiritual weapon, hammering one of the creatures as the rogue dodges any other attacks. While difficult to spot, the group sees at least half a dozen of these creatures crawling over the roof. These are a gargoyle cross-breed, but more than this the group is unaware.

They decide to change their tactics, and approach the front doorway. The gates have long since been ripped away and they see patches of blue and green grass, on the far left an excellently maintained well, and on the other side, to Allfray's dismay, a destroyed obelisk. As the cleric approaches the stone monument, he notices that none of the debris is around, everything broken off is gone. As he steps closer to the betrayed he starts to feel his divine magic empty from him, his own symbol of light drain of energy. Shaken, he stays more than twenty feet away, far enough for the magic to slowly refill him; he is torn, he wants to know what happened to the obelisk, but is afraid of going too near again. What happened to the obelisk guardian - the angelic figure that protects the holy site? The well, unlike everything else here is full, and in good condition. The large wooden front doors are in terrible condition, and they can easily make their way through.

Going into the large open room, it has huge pillars on the sides, a large rectangular pool filled with abysmally dirty water and half-decayed corpses, and six cages, one filled with Carcass Undead and three with skeletal ones. The upper ceiling has beautiful art, but now much it is in very poor condition, some of it still stands out, showing the beauty of the forest and the many creatures within it. Allfray states that this was a place of worship, but probably not a temple.

Allfray the cleric bashes one of the undead in a cage, and after a moment it slowly regrows. This is what the cleric was afraid of, the undead would regenerate...they could release them from the cages, but it was better for now to keep them inside. Virgil knows the stories of pools often being the primary receptacle of offerings, where coins and gems often dropped in, payment to the spirits. He throws small marbles into the pool, as they land in the water, a large grey coloured tentacle breaks the surface, and sway along the top. The size of the tentacle betrays the pool size, it looks too large to be here, Virgil steps back.

Towards the back of the room, a large ripped curtain still barely holds up, with two doors near the back corners. They take one of the doors, which has a small hallway heading towards half a dozen, tiny private rooms, similar to the priestly rooms Allfray lived in at his complex. All of them were stripped of anything personal, but everything was carefully removed, remarkably clean. It strikes the team, that the entire area is very clean, no dust, no debris a very sterile environment. Some of the other items found was a set of stairs heading down, another set heading up along with a Knight-like statue holding a purple sword and shield (purple is associated with Casna, god of Order.)

They eventually find a fresco, a carpet painting, with a background of an obelisk with many wonderous creatures on it, behind it is a blue metal door, but no apparent key-hole or other opening latch. Virgil tries to open it, but as he does a vaguely humanoid face appears within it, asking him what he wants. No answer he gives placates the door guardian but it is more receptive to Allfray the cleric's request to open. The door opens and the group sees a small room with a two foot tall obelisk, a small pool and a hooded humanoid - who grabs a weapon at their sudden appearance.

The two sides speak, tersely at first, as the lone figure is unsure of them. After a moment he removes the hood to show her jackal headed face, she is a Jackalla, a figure renown for keeping ritualistic burials in the city within the mortuaries known as the Towers of Silence. In wilder areas they are respected for their undead hunts, for destroying the vile beasts. She explains that she like others of her kin are waiting for the presence of the Aspect of Unliving, to destroy. Others of her kin are nearby, and will help. When asked what they are doing in the Burial Crypts, Virgil tells her they are seeking a Sword of Ice. The Jackalla explains they are far from the first group to seek it, but they like the others will probably fail, as it is hidden within the crypts, but even her kin are unable to find it. When asked what will happen, she explains that this is the warning that many of her kin believe will release the Aspect into this world, and when that happens, she will take it down.

The cleric vows that they won't provide the Ice Sword to Savvo their patron, but they still want to find the item. When asked if the has any proof that could implicate Savvo, with the Japethian Knights, she doubts it, as she doesn't have enough proof for a legal court but the Anubian Knights generally don't bother with courts, as they simply find and execute their quarry. But if they could get him arrested, her kin would be very happy as they have long suspected him of dark dealings. So too the Casnian Knights of Order, but they are strict disciples of law, great allies of both the Quannian and Anubian Knights. When asked why the fey would work with such a figure, the undead hunter laughs, the fickle fey care little about honour or law, while not evil, they are chaotic and self-centered, useful allies but only for a task or two, they have their own intentions.

Allfray asks if she can go with them, to find the Ice Sword. She agrees, introducing herself as Voshimma, Guardian of the Zare.  Since nighttime is approaching, she recommends them staying in her room, as the more powerful spirits are active at night, but the physical ones are roaming all day long.  She leads them to the set of stairs which goes down into a series of crypts and mass burials. Periodically she explains some will have undead emerge, while her people are unsure of which, some of the crypts have tunnels that lead out of the building. 

They first make a circle around the lower area, Voshimma explains that this was originally a crypt for animals, but it was eventually changed to a humanoid burial due to ongoing battles. None of the crypts are permanent, as the bodies as per custom are laid to rest for twenty-five to fifty years, then sealed within a longer internment spot. Her people didn't begin the process, but are maintaining it, as custom is so important. Virgil mentions about the subtle temperature changes, which Voshimma is unsure about, he takes the team back to the stairs heading down, poking around, finding a false panel...opening up into a small, tight passageway. (after I had prepped the dungeon maps, grrr.)

Opening the area up, they go through, the Jackalla is quite surprised, all of the secret areas should have been sealed. In a few moments they find a ladder tree, and make their way down. Even before getting down, they see the movement of soldiers, four skeletal figures heading towards them. The cleric shows their holy symbol calling upon his faith to return the undead to eternal sleep, as the bright light emerges, two of the skeletons are held at bay. Voshimma runs forward, their black scimitar already out, smashing the two other undead abominations, this was her people's calling, this was what they lived for, this was what she had trained for and there were no one better at this task than her kin. Once there are no other active undead mobile, the cleric relaxes, and concentrates, and takes back the turning energy, regaining the used turning. At the same time, the rest of the party demolishes the two previously turned undead.

The tunnels are rough, and cut out of the natural stone, very unlike the crypt they came from. The passageway heads in both directions, they choose to go east and head towards a curve in the passage. As the rogue and jackalla head thru, they must immediately dodge as sharp, rock-like beings are dropping down, trying to pin them. They get through, and see the upper corner is filled with these rock beasts. Though injured, they can smash the piercer rocks to ensure safe passageway. They go around and see what is on the other side of the corridor, except they pay more attention to the sides, and walk slowly, carefully along the walls to not disturb the natural rock beasts that are again at the top of the roof. As they move past they see the passageway loops around, and on the other side, a large red pool, both the rogue and Jackalla realize this is a pool of blood, thirty feet across, about ten feet wide.