Summary
Finding their way into an old noble’s tomb, a wizard is possessed by the spirit of an ancient squire and joins forces with their liege wraith. The party’s courageous self-proclaimed knight is cursed with ghostly undeath by the lord’s blade, and the oddly-friendly skeleton swears fealty to him as he fades from the mortal realm. A thief is found wandering the tomb, having fallen into a portal trap elsewhere, and the party enters into combat with the approaching death cultists and their zombie horde.
Player characters
- Lathan Lancehand the Half-Elf, played by Ragnar
- Prim the Elf, played by CowardlyB
- Sena Sunhell the Ranger, played by Malley
- “Sir” Beuregard the Fighter (deceased), played by Zack Wolf
- Uriel the Ranger, played by Dante
- Vargo the Thief, played by Zack Wolf
- Ylesquias Danner the Magic-User, played by Alex J
Hirelings
- Aloyisius, the Jewel-thief Skeleton
- Irya, Fighter
- Manks, Cleric of Hathor
Details
At town our regulars catch up with two new arrivals to Helix, “Sir” Beuregard, a fighter who was “knighted” in a dream, and Ylesquias the magic-user seeking out riches and adventure.
The party makes off for the tombs, deciding to return through the usual entrance. From the stairs descending into the mound the hear Aloyisius complaining out amiss the unsettling sound of something wet being torn.
Approaching their old partner, they see the skeleton is complaining to a zombified dwarf who is standing over the partially-consumed corpse of a halfling. Aloyisius is berating the zombie, saying that he didn’t need to kill the small fellow and that he had just startled him.
The group was quick to pepper the zombie with arrows, decimating him immediately. Aloyisius was bothered, but Beuregard consoled him pointing out that his former companion had in fact murdered someone.
Climbing their usual rope into the stone abyss the party decides to return along the route to the wall they dismantled a day earlier, unlocking the single unexplored room out of the three hidden tombs. As they traverse southwards they find another halfling corpse in addition to smears of blood on the floor, heading south – indicating something heavy and bleeding was dragged.
Circling south, then west, and finally north through the breached wall the group set upon the locked door of their goal. Crashing it open they find a lavish tomb, stonework of the floor, walls, and roof covered entirely in some black script. A black coffin against the west wall underneath a tall portrait of a stern looking mustached lord in archaic but regal clothing.
Ylesquias sensing opportunity to show off his knowledge of sorcerery steps into the tomb. Immediately as his foot touches the floor the portentous writing slides across their surfaces reaching the contact point of his foot and seemingly disappearing into him.
Ylesquias has visions of being a squire to a cruel and malicious baron. They execute the common folk in terror, and lead a war against the armies of law. He recognizes his name as Yandzeh, and witnesses his own death at lance-point to a Paladin of St. Ygg.
A cloud of chalky smoke rolled out of the tomb, and a wraith loomed ominously over the room, commanding Ylesquias to aid in slaying the interlopers. The magic-user spoke the incantation of sleep, but as they did Prim countered with a sleep of their own, and the two casters fell under each other’s enchantments.
The party wars with the wraith, Bearegard is struck by the specter’s smoking sword and feels the will to live begin to leave him. With a coordinated effort and a large deal of magic they finally slay the creature, and find Ylesquias embarrassed to have fallen asleep.
Plundering the coffin, the party makes out with a golden armband, a jeweled headpiece, the ominous black blade, a fine magical rope of climbing, a hungry bag of devouring, and a runic tablet.
While counting their loot, the group hears footsteps approaching from the south. They open a door and see many of the beastfolk huddled around a map. Trying to communicate, the figures make confusing gestures, and the party decides to continue looking towards the approaching footfalls coming from the south.
They find Vargo the thief. Telling them a tale of falling into a portal trap in the east portion of the tomb, Vargo was teleported into a massive ritual room. There several cultists were awakening the sleeping dead, and he quickly dashed away.
The group readies for combat as the cultists and their swarm of undead pursue. Manks calls upon Hathor, turning many of the dead, and the group make way dispatching the cultists. Deciding to not linger once the three necromatic leaders are slain, they make back to the entrance hoping the undead do not return to pursue.
As they make their plan to return to the town of Helix, Sir Bearegard continues to dissipate, and Prim points out that at sundown he will likely become a spirit himself. The skeleton he has been very pleasant to says that he will stay with the knight through the process.