Alair - Holy Wars |
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12. Hougaard searched the undead abbot's robes, and thoughtfully weighed his holy symbol in his hand. It wasn't nearly as nice as the one they'd found in the jakes, but he reckoned it was at least 700gp worth. As he tucked it away, Egia systematically desecrated the shrine, battering away all the emblems of Immshin and overturning the altar. As she finished, Ghlaads came down the corridor, the abbot's Hold Person having worn off, kicking his crumbling skull as she came past.
 DM Note: Derek arrived just in time to take over Ghlaads as she recovered from the Hold Person. |
Following their pattern of exploration, the party headed off down the passage to 14 but were unable to open the door, despite there being a keyhole in the black iron doors. Aggravated, they retraced their steps and tried the next corridor. These doors, too, were locked, but were made of wood, partially sealed with something dry and fibrous. After checking this substance and finding it inert and flammable, Hougaard raised his sandalled foot and delivered a mighty kick to the door, sending it tumbling into the room in fragments. Glancing inside, the explorers immediately recognized the keep's library.
| DM Note: The diary of the unknown monk. 46/1631- I am beginning to worry about the prince; he is acting strangely. I am starting to think that this might not be the best place to secrete one such as he - despite decrees to the contrary. It is not much, but occasionally I'll see him gazing at one of the keepers with - well, I cannot describe it but it is frightful. And he has been very quiet of late. Brooding.
I am sure I am merely imagining the worst. After all, he is on the cusp of manhood and being locked away with the likes of us probably does not appeal to his youthful sensibilities! Though one would imagine he would be used to it by now.
50/1631 - I think something is troubling the mind of our revered priest Septimus. He has closed himself within his chambers and has not ventured forth, even for meals, for two days now. The serving-boy who last saw him said that the priest was hurrying down the hall with such a look as to make a man blanch. And I now recall that shortly before, I saw him remove something from the hidden alcove by the cistern. What he is doing in his rooms I do not know but I dare not disturb him for fear of ruining some holy ritual.
55/1631 - I learned some interesting things about Severi von Dorenn today, after speaking with Gridla the serving-maid. I knew Severi was a powerful wizard, but I never before realized how powerful. It turns out that he was once the royal court wizard of the King himself! I knew he was a member of the noble and powerful House von Dorenn and related by blood to the King, but I didn't know he was actually the King's Mage! I asked Gridla how such a one came to be here, hiding in obscurity, watching over this moody prince we're sheltering, instead of at court where he belongs. Did he somehow fail the King? 'No', Gridla told me, 'it's just the opposite. When the prince was born, with his .... obvious problems ... and the King decided he had to be hidden away, Severi volunteered for the job! It makes me proud to serve such a man.'
61/1631 - Oh, tragedy, tragedy! I had never thought that such a thing could occur in our quiet sanctuary. Sweet Septimus has been murdered! A servant discovered the fact when he went in to clean the cleric's chamber and found his rent and bloody corpse on the bed. Horrible, horrible. I have never before heard such a clamour! The servants were in an ungodly state of confusion, milling about like ants, and the girl who found him was positively hysterical. Even we keepers were badly shaken. Through it all, only the prince managed to remain calm; perhaps there is hope for him yet.
Well, guards on all entrances are doubled, and extra torches ordered in the hallways. I pray the intruder be swiftly found!
63/1631 - We received a message from Baron Bediss von Dorenn, Severi's brother. As head of the House he is the one unltimately responsible for the prince, and he is sending an extra troop of soldiers to help root out whatever fiend slew poor Septimus. The company will include the famous warrior Tremones the Pure who wields the famed sword Sunrazor! Whoever killed Septimus is just a man, and not likely to need such might to defeat, but the presence of such a knight will undoubtedly raise spirits around here. A senior priest of Pelor will come with them to administer the last rites to Septimus as is fitting.
65/1631 - Tremones and his men arrived today, and they scoured every crevice and alcove in the keep for the murderer. As we had already done this several times over it was no surprise to me that they found nothing. The priest laid what was left of dear Septimus to rest with due ceremony, but he also spoke out in fear, that whoever did this gruesome deed would inevitably return to desecrate the honoured dead. Personally, I would think that the killer would rather want to desecrate the honoured living, but that's priests for you. No, I shouldn't be sacreligious, we are all in such a state right now.
The priest laid many more magical wardings on the entryway to the crypts, which we can bypass by uttering certain holy phrases. I'll record them here so I do not forget.
68/1631 - Well, things have quietend down a bit. There have been no more incidents of any kind. The Priest has returned to wherever he came from, as have most of the extra men sent by the Baron; though the knight Tremones stays on. We can only assume that who or whatever the murderer is, we have scared him away. Even so, I cannot shake a feeling of dread gnawing my guts.
70/1631 - Strange. Everything appears normal, but I have been on edge for several days and cannot sleep properly. Perhaps I should make use of a sleeping-draught.
71/1631 - Oh horror! The worst eventuality imaginable! The prince is the murderer, the prince! Not only is he guilty of Septimus' bloody end, but now he is the slayer of them all! Blood runs down the halls. I can still hear the screams! What shall I do? I saw the prince laughing, baleful red light streaming from his eyes and mouth as he brutally clove through innocent men and women! How they shrieked! For a sword, he wielded naught but unholy darkness!
How they screamed...
And he laughing all the while. Weapons were useless; blades could not pierce his skin and magic might as well have been water for all the good it did.
Catastrophe.
I awoke to terrifying screams in the night and emerged to find the keep in a horrifying state of madness. The prince stalked the halls, slaying whomever he came across. He must not have seen me - thanks the Gods! - but he murdered any who tried to flee. Finally all the servants and keepers rallied around Tremones in the storage room. I saw it all from the hallway; saw the prince go in, saw the trembling men and women gather themselves aroun the knight ... but when the prince went in, darkness went with him and all was as on a moonless night. As Tremones approached the prince, Sunrazor blazing, hope sprang in my heart, but the knight was cut down with one strike and died with a dolorous cry. The remaining servants huddled, clutching whatever weapons they had found, but the prince advanced uncaring, leading to the slaugher two new creatures. From the shadows where they lurked, they fell on their helpless victims - monstrosities - something out of a twisted nightmare! One was tall, and skeletal, gaunt, with the tail of a scorpion; the other like to a man but draped in clattering, bladed metal chains. The massacre began.
I could do nothing. I rushed the doors and slammed them, and locked them for all the good that will do, then fled to the library and locked myself in. I fear that he will find me, even here, that prince - he should have been slain after he was born, after they saw the horns, and the eyes
those eyes
is that a sound? Outside the door?
oh gods preserve me
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13. This room was better preserved than the others they'd seen so far. The floor was only lightly covered by dust and there was even some furniture still standing, slightly rotted. Bookcases spread with crumbled paper betrayed the room's purpose. One table had a slim book open and intact next to a large, dust-covered flask. Seated next to the book was a skeleton, mouth gaping, staring straight at them with sightless sockets. The skull - and the chair behind it - had been sheared off just above the eye sockets!
Exploring - with a cautious eye on the skeleton in case it should take an interest in things! - they discovered two small keys under the chair, where they would be expected to lie after dropping from the rotted robes of the seated corpse, the unfortunate's cranium in a corner 20' from his chair, a flask with what looked like some kind of magical oil on the desk, and the well-preserved book, which turned out to be the diary of the unknown monk, terminating in a dreadful way. The three gathered around as Ghlaads turned the pages.
The skeleton evidently having no further comment to make, Ghlaads pouched the oil and keys, and they moved on.
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3. Returning to the room of the Tandalin sigil, they took the final of the three passages, following the track of the fled Ghasts turned by Egia. This took them to a long room lined with crumbling tables, evidently the monks' refectory. Huddled in the far corner were the two ghasts, still desperately trying to get as far from Egia as possible.
6. Hougaard executed his trademark spring attack, but the different height of the dwarf-ghast threw him off and he missed his strike as he dodged past it. As he came to a halt, pretty much back where he'd started from, Ghlaads reached out and cast a Mage Armour on him. Egia, meanwhile, had simply charged, sword in hand, and was exchanging blows with the monk-ghast.
Newly fortified against attack, Hougaard bounded past the dwarf-ghast, cracking it a good one from behind as he danced away. As soon as he was clear, Ghlaads brought up her crossbow and sent a bolt thumping into the same monster. It had charged after Hougaard after his last manouvre, only to be passed by him as he attacked again; rather than turn around, it had continued its' charge to Ghlaads and lashed out at her with its' grey claws. The talons ripped into her groin, narrowly missing her femoral artery. She staggered backwards.
Egia plunged Farrell's Sword into the body of the larger ghast and ripped upwards, tearing its' undead flesh apart and freeing the monk's tortured spirit. At the same time, Hougaard bounced back across the refectory and knocked the dwarf-ghast's head clean off with a forearm smash.
Panting, Ghlaads grimaced. She could already feel the effects of the ghasts' supernatural disease spreading through her body. Her repertoire of prepared spells was dwindling, and both she and Egia were wounded, and so her suggestion to return to camp and sleep met with general approval. A few minutes later, they emerged from the cellars onto the top of the crag in time to see the sun setting beyond the forest.
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Much to Houghard's surprise, young Lortes was not only still alive, but pleased to see them and ready to dish up some tasty stew he'd made from the deer Hougaard had caught. "Success?" he asked brightly. "No, not yet," said Egia, dumping her pack next to the fire. Ghlaads was already seated, her face grey, Clauch the weasel curled up in her lap.
Once they'd eaten, watches were set and they settled down to sleep.
The next morning, Ghlaads was more ill, coughing and shaky. Egia shook her head sadly; her power of healing disease was limited and she was helpless. Ghlaads glanced at Houghaard. "Can't you do anything?" she asked plaintively. Hougaard grinned in a most unholy way. "I could rub it better," he suggested slyly. Ghlaads turned her shoulder to him as she continued to pack her equipment.
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Back into the cellars beneath the keep, they followed the passage past the room where the last two ghasts had died. Turning a corner, they found another corridor, but this one had an unnaturally dark section in the middle, through which the light of Hougaard's lantern could not penetrate.
A sense of danger fell on all three as they looked at this. Ghlaads called on the heritage of her celestial mother and worked a Light spell, targeting it on the centre of the darkened area. The magic counteracted the enchanted Darkness, returning the corridor to the normal dimness thrown by Hougaard's lantern. Distantly, a frustrated snarling and growling could be heard, as if of a beast balked of its' prey. Walking cautiously forward, the monk pointed to a print in some dust which had sifted down from the ceiling.
It was the print of an enormous hound.
9. Moving swiftly past, they rounded the far corner and reached the keep's water cistern. This was lined with the same flagstones as the rest of the keep. Whatever mechanism or channel had fed water to it was now defunct, and the forty-foot depth gaped empty, bounded by a narrow walkway. The words of the diary came back to them; "And I now recall that shortly before, I saw him remove something from the hidden alcove by the cistern."
| DM Note: No word of a lie, these three potions are what was in the original adventure as written. The playtesters must have had similar trouble with the ghasts... |
Hougaard carefully stepped onto the walkway and began to edge around, searching for the alcove that was mentioned. After a few minutes, there was a click and a small panel slid open. Three tiny potion bottles lay inside, their faded labels describing their contents; Lesser Restoration, Remove Disease and Cure Moderate Wounds. Hougaard stared at them. Just what our spellbrewer needs, he thought to himself, pocketed them, and worked his way back.
As they walked back through the now illuminated corridor outside the cistern, the Unfettered showed Ghlaads the potions. Grateful, the wizard deferred using the Remove Disease for the moment, in case she should become infected yet again, as it seemed a frequent occurrence.
7. Turning down the final unexplored corridor, they found it plain except for the 10' long, 10' wide pit in the floor about 30' ahead of them. It filled the hall and appeared to have been purposely crafted, though not concealed in any way. As they approached it, they could see that the floor of the pit, twenty feet below, looked to be the same flagstone as the rest of the keep, but painted in fading reds, oranges and yellows - suggesting a huge fire awaiting one foolish enough to fall in.
Egia rolled a copper coin towards it and it dropped in with a normal-sounding tinkle. She threw another across to land at the far side, where again it fell and lay still. Encouraged, the three approached the pit and prodded around it until they were sure it was safe, then leaped it one by one and moved onwards.
Beyond the pit were a set of magnificent double doors, crafted of the finest rosewood decorated with golden shapes, in perfect condition and freshly-polished. They had no knobs, rings, handles, keyholes or hinges, though. Suspicious, Egia looked keenly at them, matching her mind to the unlikelihood of the doors, and gradually the image of wooden doors became misty and indistinct and the real doors could be seen through them - heavy iron ones, rusted in accordance with their age, but still bereft of any mechanism to open them.
Not really expecting any success, Hougaard braced himself and levelled a stout blow at the doors with his quarterstaff. The results startled everyone.
To Ghlaads and Egia's eyes, the Unfettered simply disappeared.
Hougaard found himself, without perceptible transition, in mid-air directly above the pit in the corridor behind his comrades. As he dropped, he released his staff and reached out to touch the wall as it flowed past him, concentrating to adjust his body's balance. When his friends reached the pit and looked worriedly down, he was standing easily at the bottom, unharmed by the fall and preparing to climb out again.
14. Resolving to try this one later, they returned to the doors with the keyhole and discovered that the larger of the diarist monk's two keys fitted the lock. The doors ground open, and a strange, unnatural darkness spilled from the room beyond. A sense of dread grasped the three minds in a cold, mailed fist.
The walls around the edges were cloaked in shadow, but a faint and somehow more wholesome glimmer in the centre of the room illuminated tortured, twisted, jagged shapes rising from the dust like wrecked ships revealed by the retreating tide - bones.
Egia could sense strong evil located in the shadows to the left and right of the room, and just before Ghlaads slammed the door shut again, she thought she saw that the glimmer in the centre was - perhaps - sword-shaped. Tremones' sword? Was this Sunrazor?
"I rushed the doors and slammed them, and locked them for all the good that will do, then fled to the library and locked myself in."
"From the shadows where they lurked, they fell on their helpless victims - monstrosities - something out of a twisted nightmare! One was tall, and skeletal, gaunt, with the tail of a scorpion; the other like to a man but draped in clattering, bladed metal chains"
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Ghlaads cast a Daylight spell on the blade of her dagger - so it could be hidden in a flash by simply scabbarding it. Then she cast Magic Circle against Evil to ward all three of them, and finally Mage Armour on herself. Then she hauled the door open again and Hougaard and Egia advanced into the room, Hougaard taking the dagger from her. In its' radiance, all the room became plain, except the sides where the shadows stubbornly clung. The pathetic wreckage on the floor became clearly visible.
Scattered around the room were ten or twelve human skeletons obviously those of people who died violently - skulls smashed, ribs caved, bones broken, dismembered. In the centre of the room was the corpse of the knight Tremones the Pure, still clad in rent mail, and with the hand-and-a-half sword Sunrazor lying just beside his hand.
Egia and Hougaard moved towards it, but as they did so, two bulges formed in the shadows on the side walls, expanding out to take form as two hideous humanoid monstrosities. Hougaard made a grab at Sunrazor and the two backed hastily back to within 10' of the doorway, back into the radius of the Magic Circle. The fiendish forms advanced - very quickly - but stopped at the edge of the spell.
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"Why are you attacking us?" asked Hougaard ingeniously, trying the common tounge. The larger of the two, the ten-foot Bone Devil, rolled its' skeletal head. "We want your souls!" it grated back in the same language. "Why don't you just go home?" The two huge devils hesitated and shuffled slightly, almost like schoolboys caught out. "We cannot," said the Chain Devil finally. Egia frowned. "Shouldn't you have escaped when your summoner died?" she said, "it was the Prince, wasn't it?" They nodded glumly.
"We'll look out for him for you," said Ghlaads cheekily, and slammed the door in their enraged faces.
All three braced themselves for an assault, but there was only a faint clinking of chains from beyond the door as the two devils settled back to waiting. Evidently they'd spoken the truth; they could not escape. Egia glanced at the others. "They'll have to go," she said, not to their surprise. "But if we deal with the Prince they may be released anyway." Ghlaads frowned. "He can't be still alive, surely? If he was human." she said. Hougaard chuckled. "... that prince - he should have been slain after he was born, after they saw the horns, and the eyes" he quoted.
Ghlaads gulped down the Remove Disease and Lesser Restoration potions, and Egia took Sunrazor and hefted it appreciatively.
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Session Date: 3rd January 2013 |
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