The secret door opens into a narrow hallway continues for a dozen or so paces before it reaches a set of spiral stairs. What little light filters from Khundren's tomb reveals that the stairs spiral downward and out of sight.
With the secret now revealed Innis sighs with mock disappointment "Alas no tongue required today Merry."
Then adds to the old dwarf "I must say it's hard being everyone's muse, you're welcome by the way Kirzon."
"Underground again. Of course." Lililinda sighs as she looks down the dark hallway. "Why can't evil cults hide out in sunny outdoor ares? A forest clearing is plenty secluded, yet has fresh air available, and you can see what you're doing."
Innis peers down the passage "Just another poor choice for lives that are about to be tragically cut short." Innis takes the first steps down into the unknown.
Merleda loads her single poisoned bolt into her Hand Crossbow, transfers it to her left hand, and draws her elegant rapier out with her right hand.
"Heh. Rats get eaten in the sunny out-of-doors. That's why they hide underground and only come out at night."
PART 1
It began two nights ago when the majority of the current party was attacked by a group of cultists and group of humanoids (derros and mites) unexpectedly.
The result saw the party contract a disease known as the Reaping Sickness. Their lives quickly deteriorating away they found a map on one of the cultists and quickly headed off in hopes of finding a cure.
The map took them below the city into a region of the city known as Cassomir's Locker. Stumbling through the sewers they emerged to from below to find a skeleton mage awaiting the return of the cultist raiders in the basement of an abandoned house. Destroying this mage they then found another map which would lead them to a mortuary where the group anticipated this to be the cult's base of operations.
Things turned for the worse here after destroying the mage. When they made it to the main floor of this building the party found a group of children who were imploring the group for their assistance. A friend of their's had journeyed to the top floor of the house only to not come back and it was worrying the children. Against the wishes of some in the group they investigated only to find a very powerful spirit guarding the top floor. The battle with the spirit ended up with one of the original members being severely hurt and the party fleeing with no sight of the child.
Having little ability to heal and them still afflicted with this disease they decided to head to Castle Grayguard where they figured they could find assistance for their injured member. They soon discovered that other locations in the city had been attacked by more cultists causing the city to close it harbour and gates from allowing anyone to leave or enter.
At Castle Grayguard they were approached by a warrior of the deity Shelyn who had been told of their coming by one of her priests. They had little time discuss matters because soon a group of Cassomir constables were making way for them – no doubt due to the fact that others in the crowd had seen the party showing the signs of the disease and were now considered a danger to the city. The party leaving their fallen member with the Shelynites took off back into the city now with the maiden warrior before they could be captured.
PART 2
The map discovered on the skeletal mage took the group to funeral house in the Threegates section of town. The party was greeted by a halfling by the name of Haddy who told them he was an assistant for the owner of the funeral home. The ruse did not last long as Cinder was able to warn the group of an incoming ambush. Haddy was captured an interrogated. The information the gathered was the funeral house was a front operated by a man named Mr. Dreen. Haddy's knowledge of the cult seemed minimal at best.
Even upon meeting Mr. Dreen the older man was clearly not the leader of this operation especially finding him locked in a room opened only by a set of keys that they found on Haddy. Mr. Dreen did mention concern about his absent daughter, Ferista, especially with Haddy around. He did mention about a basement below where they stored the body. The group clearly seeing that Haddy was a pathological liar headed back to the room they had left him only to find he had escaped out one of the windows.
Left with only one place to investigate they headed downstairs. Their exploration was met with an unending amount of zombies risen from the reaping sickness. After removing this threat they came upon a woman named Elleste who fell under the charm of Lililinda. The group learned from her that she was the apprentice of Ferista. Once again when asked about their involvement with the cult she told the party that her mistress was connected with them. Also in her conversation with one of the cult's priest she knew they sought to infect the city.
Just before the confrontation with Ferista they are joined by another infected warrior, Amigail, who is a survivor of one of the attacks that happened two nights and is also looking for a cure.
Moving on the group finally confronts Ferista who they take down with relative ease. Here they learn that Ferista is the half-sister of the leader of the cult, Azrenar. She explains the reasoning for her brother's actions (see Ferista's Confession under Campaign Info) and provides the party with the secret entrance to the cult headquarters, a name to be spoken upon entering reliquary and the instructions to open the door.
Following Ferista's defeat the party opts to rest and gather more supplies. After Innis and Merelda return they find old man Dreen dead with a note from Haddy. In the note Haddy indicates that he has captured one of their members – who it turns out to be Nicias – and will be paying the others a visit very soon. Ferista and Elleste are take to the constables with evidence showing their involvement.
PART 3
Entering the reliquary Merelda remembers the name of the guardian, Chevreshnekar, and calls it out stopping whatever would have happened from happening.
Beyond the entrance they find the statue of Admiral Naratha (also known as Saint Naratha) where following the instructions Amigail and Kirzon are able to unlock the meaning by kneeling at the statue revealing a rune and then following seeing the same rune appear on the sarcophagus of Admiral Naratha's first mate, a dwarf by the name of Khundren. Tracing the outline of the rune with a piece of silver a secret door opens revealing a dark passage.
Our story continues...
Aided with her dark sight Innis takes the lead into the narrow passage followed by Amigail, Cassandra, Merelda, Lililinda, Boros and Kirzon.
The passage continues for a dozen or so paces before it reaches a set of spiral stairs. In the passage just after you pass the secret door you notice a stone lever set in the north wall. Moving into the room you see a set of stairs that spiral downward and out of sight.
You have not even been in the the room for more than a short moment when Innis jerks back suddenly as she catches movement racing up the stairs. In the shadowy confines of the room you watch as a rotting human wearing half-plate armor rushes Innis from the stairs. What little light filters from Khundren's tomb reveals it's blackened eye sockets and long, filthy nails. The stench of death clings to the air.
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Innis calls upon her domain of trickery using a false image to protect herself while the rest of the team regains their footing.
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Innis quickly creates a mirror image of herself as the undead creature moves forward and attacks Amigail ( ). It is fortunate for Innis but not good for Amigail as the creature's claw tears past her lowered buckler.
With something she is finally suited for to do Cassandra moved just into range of the creature that attacked Amigail and lashed out with her glaive at the armored thing. Unfortunately a sudden weakness in her from the disease she was fighting caused her blow to be poorly aimed as she missed terribly.
Innis raises her magical guard anticipating the next attack
Seeing the tight confines of the stair blocked by her friends and...something...bad attacking them, Merelda sheaths her rapier (move action) and casts a Disrupt Undead cantrip at it, knowing it can't really harm her friends...yet.
"OH LOOK OUT!" Lililinda spots the dead thing immediately, and reacts almost instinctively, flinging out a spell.
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Lililinda's spell slickens the floor underneath the undead creature immediately making fall to the ground.
With the creature prone Cassandra stabs at it with her glaive but the weapon hits the creature's breastplate protecting it from any injury.
Merelda does her best to fire her ray from behind but the ray hit nowhere close to its mark.
Innis continues to watch ready to defend her allies with her blessing
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The creature attempts to rise back to its feet but weighed down by it's armour it falls down again, but not before Cassandra's glaive rips past its armour.
Lililinda takes a step back to stay out of everyone's way, then reaches out to daze the dead thing. Based on recent experience, it wouldn't work, but it never hurts to try.
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Amigail falters a bit as she she struggles to swing with falcata. The blade dents the undead creature's armour but does no damage to it.
Kirzon imparts some of the Great Tree's blessing upon Cassandra.
Innis maintains her defensive watch.
Aggravated at the difficulty in harming the undead thing and decided to take another swipe at it. Her glaive lashed out with a vicious swipe at the armored skeleton and she prayed to Shelyn that it would hit this time.
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Cassandra slashes the back of the undead creature finding a weak point in the old armour. Merelda fires another ray of positive energy through the crowd is able to glance it off of the creature's shoulder.
The creature rises finally able to stand on its feet. As it does so Cassandra attacks it again but the creature's armour turns back the glaive again. With a look of malevolence squarely set on Amigail it attacks her again. The claw is once again able to rip past the buckler defense.
Amigail hacks once at the flailing creature, steels herself, then hacks again.
for
for
Lililinda steps aside to stay out of the way, deciding to save her powers for a more susceptible target. She turns to watch the group's rear, alert for anything sneaking up from the way they came.
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Wearied from her wounds Amigail strikes back but the creature is quick enough to barely dodge the heavy slash.
Kirzon once again imparts some of the Great Tree's blessings on Cassandra and encourages her on.
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Cassandra felt the blessing from Kirzon affect her once more and took her chance to attack. Her weapon lashed out to strike the armor fiercely and she stepped back so that if it wanted to strike her she would have a chance to strike it one last time before it could close.
Cassandra glaive pierces right through the creature's chestplate instantly dropping it.
Amigail puts her hand on her wound and winces in pain as she tries to steady herself clearly affected by the claw of the now destroyed undead creature.
Merelda immediately pushes forward to identify the creature.
Innis frowns down at the creature "Quite the warm welcome."
Lililinda peeks around the corner. "Is it dead? Well, dead again I mean. Properly dead."
Merelda looks over the creature only able to confirm that it is in fact properly dead this time.
Innis look down the spiral stairs and notices that it goes down well beyond what her dark vision provides.
Taking a glance at Amigail you do notice that she is not looking well at all. A closer glance you see she is sweating and paler than before.
Seeing Amigail's pain, Merelda will take a closer look.
Removing Amigail's chest armour even causes her pain. You take her back to the previous room where there is more room and light to work with. You have her sit down while Cassandra and Kirzon keep watch on both the room's exit with special interest on the secret door leading to the stairs.
You can smell the wound as you undo the clasps of the armour. It is clearly poisoned. Quickly you reach into your backpack and remove a package containing some herbs. Making quick poultice you apply it over the wound and tell Amigail to rest up a little bit.
Over the course of half an hour Amigail's fever drops and you see her stretch her arm indicating that the poison has been drawn out. She gives you a smile and nods her head indicating that she is ready to go.
"That was...most unpleasant," Amigail says with an element of understatement. As she replaces her armor, she adds, "My thanks," to Merelda.
"So shall we try this again?" Innis gestures towards the secret passage.
No light pierces the descent down the stairs you will need some sort of light for those that cannot see into this inky gloom.
From the looks of it the stairs will only allow a single file.
After Merelda is done cleaning the wound Innis will summon the dark powers of the infernal healing wand to repair the damage that the undead creature inflicted on the young warrior's body. She then strategically places herself behind Merelda as she encourages the group onward.
With Amigail in the lead and Merelda's ioun torch to lead the way you begin your journey deep below Cassomir. The stairs are crafted of stone and look to be split with cracks and chips in various spots. Each step glistens with a dull sheen from the relative moist and musty air that you breath in during your descent.
Even at a steady pace it seems to take an eternity before the spiral staircase finally ends and exits into the middle of a vast, high ceilinged burial vault. In the dim light you can see open burial niches lining all four walls from floor to ceiling. Eight large stone sarcophagi— four to the north and four to the south— complete the chamber’s furnishings.
Amigail stands her ground at the bottom of the stairs, looking for any indication of which passageway the cultists use or any lingering creatures or guardians.
Rapier in her right hand and handcrossbow in her left, Merelda slowly turns to scan for any enemies or traps.
Kirzon the steps are adequately constructed by dwarven standards and you think they cannot be any older than a century. The dampness of this region likely has more to do with the cracks you see in the stone. You can also tell that by the time you reach the bottom you are about 500 feet under the city.
Merelda you see no traps or enemies as your elven eyes scan the area.
Merelda will cautiously move to look down one of the tunnels and get a closer look at one of the sarcophagi.