Session 25: Within the Misty Borders

Our initial survey of the lands beyond the mists revealed a farm and windmill on separate paths to the village. Past the village, we could barely see a fortress in the distance, and separate from that, the castle. The overcast and misty conditions never seemed to abate throughout the day, the light constantly filtered down, even at midday.
 
We thought it best to try to acquire more information before heading directly into more potential conflict, so we made our way to a nearby farmstead, hoping to find people, and, more importantly, information.
 
The farmstead ended up being more of a winery, with a central build which appeared deserted. Investigating within, we found no people. In the upstairs offices, we found some ledgers with records from about 50 years ago, but other signs seemed to indicate that the winery had been used within the last five to ten years, with some possible more recent activity.
 
With nothing else to find within, we decided to stay the night in one of the upstairs bedroom, setting watch, and hoping for a restful night.
 
I was shaken awake by Reaper, immediately hearing yells from the first floor, Commander Scar urging us to wake to arms. Stopping at the top of the stairs, I could hear more sounds of fighting, and prepared to join in, as two ghostly figures crossed my sight at the bottom of the stairs. Soon, the battle was joined, as hordes of different types of undead poured into the building, through the walls and doors, two larger skeletal beasts breaking in as well.
 
As we cut down the undead creatures, two or three at a time, we felled the larger skeletal owlbear and minotaur, only to see Commander engaging with a deathly armored foe outside the building. Commander ignited a fireball on top of himself to clear a huge number of undead seeking to overwhelm him. A mighty blow almost dropped the commander, as Bait came forth to take those wounds onto himself. I raced outside, throwing daggers to clear more of our foes. The knight burst forth with a blast of magical energy, knocking me down and damaging many of the others. The knight attempted to follow up on me, speaking in some dark tongue and gesturing to me. I slashed out with daggers again, striking true. As my final blow hit home, the deathly knight and his belongings burned away into the night air, and I could swear I felt a warmth from the Rod of von Glauer at my side.
 
We were able to settle in and complete our night’s rest without further incident. The next morning, we decided to move on to the village, again looking for more information as to the happenings of this strange land.
 
Our approach to the village found us skirting the edge of a graveyard, when I sensed something from within. Suddenly, the ground burst forth, or rather raised up. Dirt and roots and various tomb markers all in motion to attack us. As we sprung into action our strange opponent flung dirt about, blinding many of us. It trapped some of our weapons as they struck its dirt and stone body. As I moved about, I noted that the creature seemed to have taken a particular focus on me, striking with a rapid succession of blows that I was fortunate enough to deflect with a magical shield. As it loomed over mre, poised to strike again, I took a chance, switching to the Rod of von Glauer, and commanding the animated graveyard to yield. As I did so, we watched in amazement as the creature sunk back into the cemetery ground, leaving us be.