Ghevont and Jerker found the hidden door that led to Dimfaldir, and then they marched on to Kegh Buldohr where they found Dayhve the Fishmonger, uncle of Raffi and Riffle. Riffle happened to be present with Longstream to hear the sad news of Raffi’s death. After delivering the body and their condolences, the cleric and fighter retreated to The Rusty Axe to contemplate next steps over mugs of dwarven ale. Having learned much over the past few weeks, they decided to remain for a week to rest.
Resting in Kegh Buldohr
Ghevont spent his time in training, but not in prayer. He spent it getting drunk at the inn, lavishly buying rounds for the dwarves there. He started fights nearly every night, beaten unconscious each time. Jerker spent much of his time alone with his new sword, in deep thought hours a day between training. Eating alone in his room, he ventured out only to look for Ghevont, always failing to find him. He practiced a new fighting style focused the sword sword in an alley behind the inn. Eventually, he found Raffi’s family and paid his condolences.
They told of how Ghevont had delivered a sack of gold to them and then wandered into the dark caverns. Jerker had little trouble finding the big cleric by the moans and wails that echoed through the halls. He found him in a dark corner, talking to the Anointed One. At first, Jerker just listened.
“You’re a terrible piece of work,” cried Ghevont. Jerker looked around, struck by the matter-of-fact way Ghevont was talking.
“You cruel, manipulative bastard!” Ghevont continued. “Was this all part of your blessed plan? We keep saying you’ve a plan, but nobody ever said it was a good plan. It wasn’t for Raffi! So what is it? Is it just a game to you, who lives, who dies. Was it punishment? I’ve handed out enough, I get it, but he didn’t deserve that.” He pauses for a bit, not speaking, then continued. “I’ve followed your rules. I’ve seen your power. I’ve used it, that very day!” He strained to speak the last part louder, harder. Then under his voice he almost whispered, “Where were you?”
He looked up into cold darkness of the cavern ceiling. Jerker looked up too, seeing nothing.
“What does it take to please you?” pleaded Ghevont. “We break your rules, and we fall. Follow them and we still lose?” Nearly shouting, “Does any of it bloody matter?” burst out. “Sin and you pay; serve and you pay. Sinner? Saint? Nobody can win your wretched game! In the end, we all lose, so what’s the point?” He put his head down. Jerker barely heard him whisper again. “What’s the bloody point?”
Jerker quietly approached Ghevont, standing behind him. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on his shoulder to console him. Checking again, he saw no other soul to witness Ghevont’s torment. Whispering to himself, he said “We should go Ghevont. The Anointed One doesn’t seem to be finished with you yet.”
And after that time, they headed back to the surface by way of the door. Midway across the valley, they met two hill giants on the road, each carrying wolf carcasses slug over burly shoulders. From about 100 yards away, one of them bellowed, “Stand aside punies! Our bellies are full and we do not wish to murder you today.” This offer seemed reasonable to the two adventures, and they gave the giants wide berth, watching them head up in the nearby hills.
Presently, they found themselves at the river camp, where the ashed in the ring were cold and the horses were gone.
Looting Celaena’s House
Watching Ghevont and Jerker head out of the city with Raffi’s body, Tienarth asked Aderian and Ferris where to start with the looting. They first searched a toilet where Aderian took up a discarded greatsword. Tienarth grabbed a wand from a table. Stepping into an adjoining bedroom, Aderian was surprised to face Ophin, the miserable spectre Ghevont had driven off earlier. Screaming with thirst, the spectre grabbed ahold of the former pirate, whithering him. Tienarth hurled flasks of holy water and Ferris struck mightily with his sword. The spectre dissipated into vapor.
As they returned to the main hallway, they found Celaena revived. At the sight, Ferris gulped an invisibility potion. Aderian braced himself as Tienarth produced his holy symbol. As the bestial vampire charged forward, savage flames curled around her. She halted and collapsed once more. “Didn’t someone stake her heart?” Aderian asked. No one had.
Not wanting a repeat performance, they dragged her charred corpse out into the back courtyard where it sizzled under the strengthening sun. They also removed her head, but before long there was other but ash.
Among the other rooms of the house they found four scrolls and other valuables which were sold off days later. Tienarth took up a fine explorer’s outfit from the bedroom of Ophin. The spied zombie cows in a stable which they left alone, just as they left two skeletal horses. They made their way south, out of the city and back to the river camp. After a night of rest, they rode back home and then on to Lah’s Retreat where Aderian paid for the restoration of his soul. The following day, they visited Benabil in Slateholm where they sold various loot.
Upon returning home once again, Ferris and Aderian began a week of contemplation about new skills.
Reunion at the Jonamor Estate
On the road up to the camp at the ruined tower, Ghevont and Jerker met two werewolves. They bounded down the incline, transforming from wolves into beastly humanoid shape. A rain of blows cut down the first monster. The second dashed off, but not before suffering a few blows himself. The dead werewolf twisted back into fully human shape. Ghevont burned the body.
At the ruined tower, a giant spider jumped down to face them, but two quick blows smashed it before it could do any harm. Over the campfire that night, Jerker confessed a secret about his new sword: it spoke to him without words. It urged him to plunge the blade into Raffi as he lay dying. The sword told him its power can suspend the life a foe in this way. Had Ghevont ever heard of a magical device that spoke, Jerker wondered.
Ghevont acknowledge he had and detached his magical pouch from his belt. As he attempted to hand the bag to Jerker, the mouth spoke, “No, Ghevont, do not give me away!” The two humans were surprised. “It never did that before,” remarked Ghevont.
The bag explained it never had any reason to do so before, since it could communicate telepathically with its owner. Ghevont asked about other powers it had beyond the power to see in darkness, which he’d discovered. The bag reiterated its name was Irenduel, formerly a elven wizard transformed into a bag by a demon. According to his nature, he craved holding coins and could locate object for his owner. Long ago, he dwelled in Tosasth and experimented with demonology. Unable to control a summoned horror, he was cursed by transformation. At the moment, the considered Ghevont a better host, and argued strongly not to be given up. Ghevont kept the bag, but he had other plans.
The next day, they descended from the mountains to return to the estate. Upon meeting Bottoms, Ghevont struck him and castigated him for sending the wrong dwarf the week before. It was the kind of violent outburst they had come to expect from the surly cleric. His next actions were unusual. He first offered the bag to Aderian, explaining “a gold-greedy pirate matches well with a gold-greedy bag. It talks. Take it.” The bag offered no resistance this time.
Other of his items, Ghevont handed over, included the bones of St. Jaludi and a few protective scrolls. He told them to return the bones to Lah when they no longer needed them. Asked for an explanation, he said he was done with Tosasth. His figure sagged with a palpable depression. The next day, he began walking east, towards Lah’s Retreat with little ceremony of farewell.
How could Tienarth’s Raider complete their mission of liberating the ancient city from the undead without the particular skills of a holy man? They hoped the healing potions created by Ferris and the bones could substitute. Perhaps they could hire a cleric. Looking for another steady fighter, and still not finding Azrak, they asked Urgesh, the hideous half-monster brute, to join them. He readily agreed. Aderian offered his newly-acquired greatsword which the simpleton traded payment of seven pieces of silver.
One thing they were sure of: they would return to Tosasth once again. They would destroy the last evil, undead-creating machine. And they would free the ancient city of its curse.
End Notes
- Treasure
- Various gems and other valuables, including ivory dice, all sold and split between Aderian, Ferris and Tienarth
- Explorer’s Outfit
- +1 Greatsword
- Wand of Light (11 charges)
- Brooch of Shielding (absorbs 101 points of damage from magic missiles)
- Arcane Scroll (Unseen Servant, Cure Moderate Wounds)
- Arcane Scroll (Burning Hands, Silent Image, Owl’s Wisdom)
- Divine Scroll (Jump, Remove Paralysis)
- Divine Scroll (Fire Trap)
- Kills – 4370 xp
- Ophin the Spectre – 610 xp
- Calaena the Bestial Vampire – 3100 xp
- 2 Werewolves – 560 xp
- Crab Spider – 100 xp
- Characters
- Aderian (Fight, Lead, In Front) – 1235 xp
- Ferris – 1202 xp
- Ghevont
- Jerker (Fight) – 1213 xp
- Tienarth (Collect Magic Item, Acquire Magic) – 1115 xp
- Urgesh