Session 6: The Garden Of Stones

General Summary

Summary: The party must solve a puzzle to unlock the secrets of the ledger before they can confront the enemy at The Garden Of Stones   In the chaos of battle, it seems as though Manzana had suddenly disappeared without a trace.
  In her absence, the party pours over Siegurt's Ledger as well as the strange amulet and a handful of inert crystals.
  Enrique posits that the ledger is written in some sort of cryptographic code, and gets to work alongside Keerla Roween. In the meantime, Lilith and Ian examine the amulet and stones.
  Each stone has 3 small indents, which perfectly match the 3 claw-like prongs on the bottom of the dagger.
  Pressing the spent stone into the prong setting allows it to click into place, releasing a short-lived burst of energy, much like plugging in a light to a dead battery.
  Lilith suggests placing the Bristlebeard crystal inside the amulet to see what happens, to Ian’s horror. The group decides against it.
  Shifting focus back to the ledger, the party makes the connection between the first names and the Heroes of Old, as well as their associated homelands.
  The party comes to the conclusion that the last names are most likely anagrams, and manage to determine that Glynd Gutsier the Lesser is Siegurt, and Roland Angelon the Greater is most likely the Scaled Necromancer.
  One of the party members makes a connection between Hobbin Ashtana the Greater and Natasha of Szavonnia, the newly elected Censor of The Republic of Szavonnia.
  The party concludes that Natasha is providing members of the cult with financial backing for their operations, while the Scaled Necromancer is destabilizing the local region.
  Assuming that there is no way to solve the anagrams without additional information, the party makes preparations to confront the Necromancer at the The Garden Of Stones.
  Upon arrival, the party stumbles upon a ritual in progress, and engages in cloak-and-dagger tactics to pick off guards on the perimeter of the circle.
  Initially successful, they are eventually discovered and the Garden descends into chaos.
  The center of the circle flashes and arcs with arcane energy as the Necromancer and his acolyte chant in ancient tongues.
  Upon gaining the upper hand in the battle, the party’s actions begin to slow, as their bodies grind to a halt.
  Smiling, the Necromancer stops chanting and perches atop the center stone, addressing the party…