Players: Tre/Tienarth, Henry/Ferris, Nick/Azrak, Jeff/Ghevont, Oliver/Glubo, Audrey/Nebula
Picking up at the exact moment of the previous session, the party investigated the various laboratories. One lab had three jars of colored liquid: red, light brown, and bright green. The party left those alone. Another lab had a desk with a book on it and a caldron of tar. Again, the party wisely let it be. Tienarth grabbed the book but later handed it over to Ghevont for study.
A third lab contained a crystal statue of a boar that suddenly animated when they touched it. They smashed it to bits.
Turning north, the party found a control room with four levers. One lowered a light into an adjacent arena. The other three raised bars blocking entrances into the area. They were interrupted by the the wight they’d left chained to the wall in the last session. It touch Ghevont, applying a negative level. Glubo pulled Morto Im Morto from Azrak’s belt and struck the wight down in one blow. It was still injured by being splashed with holy water. The sword gave Glubo a warm feeling of contentment at destroying the wight. Henceforth, the sword was Glubo’s to keep.
Moving on, the party fought zombies eating rotting meat and then a skeleton butcher in a kitchen. They found a room filled with bats that they simply avoided. They fought more zombies playing cards, then a skeleton resting in a bed who lept up to knock Glubo out cold. Finally, they found the bedroom of the necromancer. Inside a chest was his spellbook, a great delight for Tienarth.
Back at the fort, the party pooled their money to identify the magic items taken from the necromancer: ring of protection +1, staff of striking with 16 charges, and a rope of climbing. They used the 100gp they found and then Ghevont compelled Azrak to throw in 100gp by offering 100gp of his own.
After consulting with the church, Ghevont learned he must find a very high level cleric to restore his negative level at a cost of 720gp. One such priest is known to live 3 days north in a larger town.
The party had casually walked back into the fort and claimed little treasure, but word got out about the three magic items. These were appraised at 2,000 gp for the ring, 16,500gp for the staff and 3,000gp for the rope. This created a debt of 2,150gp that the party had to pay but did not have. Regard in the fort for Tienarth’s Raiders was still mixed. The fort dwellers certainly appreciated the destruction of the necromancer, proved by the presentation of his head to General Rathwynn, but the failure to save the maiden drove her father to maddened sorrow. Rathwynn, his patience nearly expired, warned the party that they must present the 2,150gp when they next return to the fort. Until they pay off this debt, no extraordinary services, such as training, will be rendered.
Meanwhile, the party needs funds to restore Ghevont and then they need to find the high level cleric. Of course, any of the magic items could be sold or traded to pay the debt. Or perhaps they can find a well-paying job in the fort or up at Slateholm.
The Altar of Darkness requires some study. Perhaps the journals of the necromancer will be of aid. Ghevont rightly recognized that the altar must be destroyed. The exact procedure is not yet known. Until it is destroyed, there’s some chance some other evildoer will come by to become its master.