The moment the last ghoul dropped to the ground, they heard a loud glop and where Azrak stood was now Longstream, ankle deep in black goo. The magic of Tosasth once again rearranged reality.
Looking in Buildings
Looking around, they wonder where next ought they explore. A fine sign hung before a tavern, displaying the figure of a boy and the title: The Rainy Prince. Inside they found two lethargic zombies, quickly destroyed and only one intact cask. Uncorked, it revealed a fine whiskey of which Longstream and Aderian indulged with several toasts. Ferris offered two empty flasks that Longstream carefully filled with the golden intoxicant.
Next, they entered an illuminarium still stocked with candles of many sizes. As before, two zombies were cut to bits. A paltry sum of copper piece were left untouched. A feeling of frustration crept over the moods.
Outside and down the street, they spied a tenement, partially collapsed. Inside a stairway lead up to hallways of many doors. Despite some talk of carefully going door to door, Ghevont beat his mace against his shield to call forth monsters. Out came a crowd of zombies who swarmed Ghevont. They piled on top of him, knocking him down and savagely biting.
The rest beat on the zombies and Ghevont struggled to stand only to be knocked down again. Eventually only one zombie remained standing. Ghevont produced his holy symbol. The zombie paid no heed, for the favor of the anointed one left Ghevont for his hubris. Aderian stabbed the zombie mercilessly and fell into several twitching pieces.
Exploring the City
The hint of frustration boiled over in Ghevont’s demeanor. He sat in the street and refused to move on. Tienarth and Aderian argued for a house by house search, a plan Ghevont declared pointless and likely doomed never to end. Lah ordered the party to clear the town, declared Tienarth. Alternatively, the considered whether merely closing the portal was enough for Lah.
Still, Ghevont refused to start a fruitless campaign of five against a city of undead. A new plan emerged: an invisible Ferris could scout for the mansions they knew contains rich treasure. Tienarth cast his spell and Ferris went off alone.
He carefully avoided packs of zombies and ghouls, sometimes ducking into narrow alleys. Before long he came to a large square dominated by tower. He left it alone and moved west.
Before long, the buildings appeared of finer quality. On the edge of town, he saw a walled mansion near long-dried farm fields. Noting as a building of interest, the moved on and found other such buildings before circling back to the tavern.
Before arriving, the found a most terrible sight, a mass of zombie limbs tangled into a sphere perhaps 30 feet across. It slowly lurched down the road, threatening to engulf him. Fortunately the slow pace allowed for a circuitous route and the avoidance of trouble.
Together againt, they all rested in the tavern, allowing Ghevont to recover from his ordeal and intended a raid on the mansion the next day.
Raiding the Mansion
Heading due west, they exited the city to come face to face with solitary spectre. It approached and spoke, offering a deal: allow the consumption of one delicious soul and the rest could go free. Tienarth angled to aim a lightning bolt while Aderian fast-talked the undead horror. It revealed that that Tosasth was divided up and ruled over by several gangs lead by vampires. Surely this spectre’s boss would like to feast on all their souls, a rarity in a city of undead.
Suddenly Tienarth, a hundred feet distant now, began chanting. The spectre leaned forward as a lightning bolt ripped across the open space and into the translucent body. It faded somewhat in the light of the overcast sky. Recognizing a losing battle, it soared straight up and away from further attacks.
As they made their way to the mansion near the fields, they took care to stay well away from the city proper. Before long they were at the locked front door which Ferris found impossible to unlock. Around the back, another locked door resisted his skills, but a blunt strike easily conquers a glass window. Soon they were inside among sheet-covered furniture.
Consulting one of the books and identifying a distinctive wooden figure of a dog, they recognized this place as Lord Galmire’s Estate. A thorough search of the house turned up an array of treasure carefully laid out on a dining table. Small chests of silver, electrum and gold accompanied several small boxes of loose gems and jewelry, 50 pieces in all.
Confronting the Black Rider
Not long after counting the treasure and completing an inspection of many rooms, including a library, they noticed lights approaching. A skeletal figure rode a skeletal horse. On either side were ghouls holding torches. Staying a few yards from the house, the rider instructed a ghoul to knock on the door. It called out for the party to parley.
Filled with disdain for his sworn enemies, the undead, Ghevont made to mock them. He interrupted the lordly figure astride the horse. But eventually some information passed between them. This figure was Elmyra, a lady with some followers and a plan to unite all the undead into an army. Her plan included marching towards St. Orlan.
With no agreement offered her, she promised to return at the next midnight to talk again. The party treated her offer as likely false and definitely evil. Could the use one undead gang against the others and hope to finish them off last? It seemed intolerably risky.
What had Lah intended? Wasn’t closing the portal enough? They wondered if a larger force might now visit Tosasth and purge the evil there. The finally reached consensus to find their way back to Lah and seek guidance.
Endnotes
- Treasure:
- 2,100 sp
- 1,800 ep
- 4,600 gp
- Gems & jewelry, 50 pieces worth 22,775 gp
- Kills – 1,585 XP
- 13 Zombies 975 XP
- Spectre 610 XP
- Characters
- Tienarth/Tre – avoided combat – 320 XP
- Ferris/Henry – sneaked around – 352 XP
- Ghevont/Jeff – 349 XP
- Aderian/Jason – used violence – 352 XP
- Longstream/Bob – sought comfort in whiskey – 320 XP
- Virtues: none
- Vices: none