Session 7- In The Sanctum of the Dead
Day 27, 1pm The party surveys the hilltop ruin, revealing no creatures and two ruined structures, one a small 3 side structure, and one a large structure, all rubble save three intact corners. A stone well is also spotted. The structures reveal nothing, but the well seems dry and emits an old smoky smell. Belgium elects to be lowered down the well and see what his infravision will reveal. He ends up in a round, water free natural cavern with one narrow passage leading into darkness, the burning smell persists. The party gathers in the cavern and proceeds to a larger cavern where they encounter five zombies that have recently been set on fire. They spend some time investigating and mapping the twisting natural passages, which eventually break through the wall of a masoned dungeon corridor. Could this be some kind of basement structure accompanying the above ruins? Perhaps. The first room the party explores is a large one. In the room is the scene of a large combat. Several dead cultists in black robes lie strewn about the room, and the floor is littered with spent torches, makeshift clubs, staves, a few spears, even a shovel or two. The bodies show signs that they were burned and beaten perhaps by a mob. Other items in the room have been clearly burned, reduced to several piles of ash. This area is likely at least one source of the burning smell. Several rooms lead off this large room. One appears to have served as a food storage, with remnants of flour, grains, and rice leading out of the room, and one split open bag of beans left on the floor. A cursory search of the room from Draden netted him a small pouch of arcane spell reagents hidden amongst the spilled beans, something to investigate further in better light. The next room seemed to be undisturbed by fire or combat, it was an old cell room, with chains and manacles bolted to the walls, and two iron bar cages set into the stonework. From the darkness two ghoulish creatures burst from the open door of the cage, but the party remained steadfast, unsurprised by their attempt. At first it seemed they would be easily dispatched, but when a third ghoul burst in the room at the rear of the party, the ghouls got the better of the party and Mandigor and Gunter both fell victim to ghoul paralysis. Understrength, the party struggled to finish off the two wounded ghouls, but barely succeeded. After a lengthy (on and a half hours) wait, the fighter and the dog recovered. Then the party encountered a locked door successfully opened by Thantas, and it revealed what was likely the cult leader's chambers and a secret library, perhaps one even unknown to him! The leaders' belongings netted some cult items, and two scrolls- Silence 15’ and Ray of Enfeeblement. The library revealed itself to be a trove of excellent information on a vast array of topics. In addition to containing some gems and jewelry Draden was able to research in the library for an hour or so and locate a book for almost each member of the party that will assist them in their respective areas of knowledge and training. Exploring a different corridor revealed a large room, perhaps the main room of the dungeon complex, certainly the room of most importance to our heroes. Here again was a chaotic scene, torches and flasks of flaming oil had been hurled about the room. The large vaulted chamber’s high ceiling was supported by a structure of thick wooden beams. The room's stone floor was separated in the middle by a wide pit filled with disgusting, viscous, liquid of unimaginable biological origin, putrid smelling. On the side of the room opposite the party, they spied another black robed person, dead on the floor burned unrecognizable, pointing to a burned book on the floor next to him and clutching something at his ashen breast. Curious, Thantas the thief negotiated himself across the wooden buttresses using a rope and grapple and the rest of the party holding on as an anchor. Making it across he carefully examined what was in the hand of the dead cultist, revealing a very fine gold hilted and handled dagger with a shiny steel blade. However upon disturbing the corpse, the hand touching the book and the book itself disintegrate into ash, and the bloody, viscous, rank ichor in the pool began to roil, and the hands and heads of many types of undead creatures began to emerge from the disgusting pool, advancing on the party. Thantas quickly made it back, and the party exited the room and spiked the door. Hoping the door spike holds, they quickly head back to the library and loot a few armloads of books, along with some arms and armor from the cultists supplies. They rush all that back to the well and climb back up with it to the surface, narrowly escaping the undead ritual they had somehow finished. Thinking they may have a minute to rest and collect themselves after reaching the surface, the party is thrust immediately into a new snafu. Several of their horses are atop the hill milling about unattended, what is amiss? A few seconds later, Lance, the teamster, comes running up the hill nursing a huge knot on the side of his head. “Mondius, Manuel, they’ve been kidnapped! They stole some horses as well! The kidnappers, this just happened, wait, look yonder, there they go!” The party spies in the light of dusk, three horses, their horses, riding two riders each across the plains towards the Javan River. Manuel, Mondius, and the four kidnappers gallop away as the party quickly decides what to do next… end session Day 27 5pm dusk.
Session 8- Hell To Pay Day 27 5pm dusk
Day 27 Dusk- Acting quickly, the party assesses how many horses they have left and sets out to chase down the kidnappers and rescue their heirelings. Knowing the cart could not keep up on the chase, and the fact that a camp had been made and equipment would be left behind otherwise, the party elects to have Lance, the cart driver, take down the campsite and pack the wagon. They hoped to quickly chase down the kidnappers but it would not be easy, it could take a while. They made a contingency plan for Lance to wait a night and a day for their return, and then to hide the cart and return north to Cedar Crossing and reunite with LaSalle at the inn there. They then thought better of that plan and decided that Gregory the Squire would also remain with Lance, his armor and weapons would be a better deterrent from further banditry or other ill will, and they would together drive the cart back after waiting instead. The party takes off on four riding horses with Draden and Thantas riding double. They chased the kidnappers all night, pacing their horses for a long, overland chase. One time in the night before dawn, the light of the bandit party stopped, and the heroes thought they might sneak ahead the half mile or so and get the drop on them, only to find the bandits quickly move on after only a short rest. The party had to run back to their horses and catch up. Slowly they got to within a quarter mile of the bandits right at dawn after a full 8 hour chase. In the dawn light, the party spies a fifth bandit emerging from a concealed nook with two canoes and a third largerm outrigger canoe already prepped in the water. He drags the two canoes into a defensive position at the river bank just as the party gets into spell range. Manuel and Mondius, the hirelings, are loaded into the outrigger with one bandit who begins rowing upriver. The other four bandits get cover behind the canoes and prepare to pepper the party with arrows. Unfortunately for them, the far range of Draden’s Sleep spell puts them all away even the one who appears to be the leader. Malden, Paladin of the justice of Heironeous to the delight of Mandigor and Thantas, elects to deal out swift justice on the kidnappers and they are quickly slayed.
Day 28 Dawn- The party immediately hops into the two canoes to give chase, only to see the bandit fish around in the water and find a rope floating down the river, grabbing it led north up river, and he begins pulling himself upriver against the current. Also the rope itself seems to begin being pulled upriver also, increasing the speed of the boat. The party gives chase upriver as best they can. They later catch up close enough to the bandits to see that a second bandit has joined the boat aiding in the chase. Five miles of chasing up the Javan River, an attempted ambush by a Lizardman Shaman and his soldiers is quickly dispatched by a critical shot from Thantas’ bow along with several other well placed bow shots. The Shaman’s spell disrupted and badly wounded, they retreat into the swamp. Exhausted but having nowhere to sleep, the party pushes on, making a little progress in the night and taking many hours to rest at the river bank.
Day 29- No other option, the party continues rowing upriver. They row all day, praying for a location to find some dry land and get some rest. Seeing a bend at the river up ahead and hoping for a reprieve, the party instead sees two things- first a huge insect nest built up in the roots and mud and the riverbank bend, and second, the kidnappers, posted up across the river and aiming arrows right at the nest. They fire and one hits, the party responds with a couple of long range shots at the bandits, winging one. But unfortunately, as the bandits take off, a huge cloud of 20 Killer Wasps emerge angrily from the nest and swarm over the surface of the western side of the river. Deciding avoidance the best tactic, the party gets some wet torches to alight smokily and try to use smoke to avoid the wasps and give them as wide a berth as possible. Thankfully just a short bit up the river the bandits exit the boat dragging the hirelings into the swamp. The party follows suit and finds a trail hastily blazed through the swamp. It leads to a long boardwalk structure built into the swamp, creating a secret trail through the most impassable parts of the swamp. Thantas and Mandigor reason that this could be a secret ranger/woodsman trail in the Rushmoors similar to secret forest paths of the elves and rangers of the Dyr Wood. A great way to traffic kidnapees if you were to know of this secret. Exhausted, the party was forced to sleep a full eight hours.
Day 30 Late Morning- Refreshed by a full rest, the party heads off northeast, the only direction this swamp boardwalk runs. They locate a lean to filled with potable water and some rations that the kidnappers likely just rested in, and press on. They are surprised by some crocodiles hidden away at the boardwalk edge, Malden is bitten quite badly, but the party dispatches them and Belgium heals the paladin. Another day of walking and hoping the kidnappers are just ahead out of view, but not totally sure.
Day 31- Resting and walking on the boardwalk all day, the party comes across a span of boardwalk filled with noxious liquid and swamp gas, a putrid part of the swamp. The boardwalk goes right over it however, with nothing more than a sturdy handrail attached over the span. The party tests the gas and realizes it is mostly an eye irritant and they try to cross the span using just the handrail and keeping their eyes shut. Malden, in checking the way ahead and behind for an ambush, opens his eyes and is poisoned and blinded by the noxious gas. Later on as the gas starts to dissipate, Mandigor opens his eyes and is lightly damaged also. A ways after this, the party encounters another lean to stocked with water and rations.
Day 32- The party rests and walks one more day and at the end comes upon a ruined moathouse at the edge of the swamp, perhaps this was once a way station on this side of the Rushmoors for travelers going over the boardwalk. Bolstered by their chase, several members level. They consider giving the Magic User time to memorize a new spell, but time of the essence, and they elect to quickly surveil the moathouse and devise a plan to assault it in the hopes that their comrades are inside.
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