Necromites of Myrkul. Bane's Altar.
23 Eleint, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Dungeon of the Dead Three, Baldur's Gate, the Sword Coast
The adventurers delve deeper into the Dungeon of the Dead Three to put a stop to the murderous rampage of the Dead Three's cultists.
After defacing Bhaal's altar, the group pressed on deeper into the dungeon. They reached a dry empty chamber bereft of decor. Three slightly warped doors led to the north, east, and south. Carved into each of the three doors was a full-figure depiction of one of the Dead Three gods. Some in the group recalled who the carved images depicted. The east door had a face bearing a carving of Bane, the lawful evil god of tyranny, who was depicted as a tall, armored man wearing a bucket helm. His right gauntlet was painted black and clutched a set of shackles. The north door bore a carving of Bhaal, the chaotic evil god of murder. He was depicted as a powerfully built, skull-headed man with long, curved blades where his hands should have been. The south door bore a carving of Myrkul, the neutral evil Lord of Bones. He was portrayed as a cloaked figure whose face was hidden under a cowl. In his skeletal hands, he clutched a screaming human skull. After checking the door for traps and found none, Glindo pressed his ear to the south door. Seconds later, he quietly stepped back and whispered to the others, "I heard someone coughing," he said. "Whoever it is tried to cough quietly." "We can assume then, that whoever is behind those doors knows we are here." Aelond the cleric looked to the door and whispered to his fellow adventurers. Everyone agreed with him. Plans were made on how to enter the room behind the south door. Glindo would open the door but Saer Justinian would enter the room first. The others would follow behind. As the door was pushed open as quietly as possible, the paladin made his way into the room. There he found lying face-up on the floor of the otherwise empty room were the pale bodies of three humans in filthy black robes, arranged in a triangular formation. A lit torch lay between them. A rough-hewn staircase to the left led down to another torchlit chamber. The paladin stopped and moved to examine the nearest body. The body looked like that of a human man but it was hard to tell with any certainty. The body was emaciated, filthy, and reeked of sewage. Long disheveled hair completely covered the man's face. Saer Justinian noticed that the man's right arm was tucked under his body. He glanced at the other two bodies laying nearby. One arm was tucked under their bodies as well. Now, why would anyone tuck one arm under their dead bodies? Saer Justinian wondered. Unless... The realization hit him like a bolt of lighting. Suddenly, the man's arm snapped out from under his back. In his hand, he held a length of chain the end of which was connected to an iron skull. Before the man could use the skull-head flail, Saer Justinian brought his sword down, severing the man's arm at the elbow. The man screamed! But his scream lasted for just another breath longer as Glindo quickly stepped into the room and stabbed the man in the groin. The man briefly twitched in agony and died. One of the men managed to stand up. With a yell of "For Myrkul!", the man moved to attack Aeolond who had just stepped into the room.
He swung the skull flail in a wide arc that threatened to take the cleric's head off. Aeolond ducked as the flail struck the wall.
From the chamber outside the room, Laythin saw an opportunity to take a shot.
He knocked an arrow and focused his sights on the man attacking Aeolond. There was barely space enough for an arrow to pass between Aeolond and the doorframe. But it was enough.
The man from Shaar pulled back with his two fingers, held his breath, and let go of the bowstring.
The deadly missile flew off the fighter's bow with deadly accuracy.
To Laythin, it seemed as time slowed down.
He saw the arrow fly. It brushed past a lock of Aeolond's hair and continued on its deadly flight. It missed striking the stone doorframe by an inch.
The man with the skull flail suddenly grabbed his throat as the arrow pierced it. Blood gurgled out of his mouth as he stumbled back and fell down the rough-hewn staircase to lie dead in chamber below.
The remaining man also stood up. He brought his skull-flail down on Saer Justinian. The skull flail glanced off the paladin's armor.
Saer Justinian lunged at the man with his sword, stabbing him through the stomach. He let his momentum carry him and the man against the nearby wall. The man coughed up blood. His eyes rolled back as he slumped dead, still impaled by the paladin's blade.
Saer Justinian drew his blade back. The man slowly slid down leaving a thick trail of blood on the wall.
The group searched the bodies but found nothing of value. They weren't even wearing loincloths under their filthy torn robes! The only thing they had on them were the skull flails.
They also searched the smaller chamber below. It had partially collapsed around a stone sarcophagus that was opened. Beneath the dust and several humanoid bones, they found three books. Each was the size of a spellbook.
Nicaster examined the books. One was bound in a thin red leather which the wizard thought might be human skin dyed in blood. The second book had a personal rune burned onto its umber cover. Nicaster did not recognize the personal rune. The third book was bound in scaly black reptile hide. The scales were far too small to be that a black dragon, however.
Finding nothing else in the two rooms, the group moved on.
Beyond the door with a carving of Bane, the group heard voices and the screams of a person being tortured.
They quickly moved down the corridor only to find themselves in another large flooded room.
The eastern part of the room was unlit, flooded, and braced with floor-to-ceiling wooden beams. Rough-hewn steps rose out of the murky water to the western portion of the room, which was dry and lit by two torches in sconces that flanked a stone altar.
Shackled to the wall behind the altar was a sickly looking man in a loincloth with a burlap sack over his head. An alcove in the north wall contained a freestanding suit of plate armor with its helm missing.
Standing before the altar were two grim figures: a powerfully built human woman clutched a longbow, and an even bigger human man wore a bucket helm. The helmed man was jabbing the prisoner with a spear, causing him to twitch. While the woman shot the man in the leg with an arrow.
Both figures were clad in chain mail, and the woman carried a wooden shield on her back. A leering skull was painted on it. A large mace hung from her belt.
"Yignath!" the woman yelled after seeing the adventurers enter the room. "We have unwelcomed company."
As the adventurers made their way into the flooded room, the woman shot at Saer Justinian who pushed his way through the thigh-high murky water to stand behind one of the wooden beams holding up the ceiling.
The arrow buried itself in the wooden beam.
The man with the spear pointed at Saer Justinian. "Shoot him again, Kazzira! We shall offer these blasphemers' blood to Bane as tribute!"
The woman inhaled deeply and took another shot. The arrow struck the paladin's shield and shattered to pieces.
The man armed with the spear waded into the water to face Saer Justinian and the others.
The battle raged on as both sides unleashed spells and fought with one another with ferocity. When it was over, Yignath and Kazzira lay dead. Some in the party were injured but were quickly healed by Aeolond's spells.
They freed the tortured man and offered him Yignath’s tabard to wear. On the wall where he was hung against were the words "Submit your servant to the Lord of Darkness."
The human man who nearly passed out after being rescued said his name was Klim Jhasso. Aeolond healed him. After thanking Aeolond, the man said he was a noble who was captured in the Lower City two days ago after his bodyguard was slain. He claimed not to know anything about the dungeon and guaranteed the group that his family would pay a generous reward for his safe return to their estate in the Upper City.
Saer Justinian made it clear to the nobleman that he wasn't going anywhere soon. The paladin told him he could stay with them as they continued through the dungeon. He said they would keep him alive long enough to return safely home to his family if he remained quiet.
Klim Jhasso nodded in agreement seeing as he had no other choice but to comply with the adventurers' demands.
He offered a silent prayer to Waukeen, begging to survive long enough to return to the streets above.
After defacing Bhaal's altar, the group pressed on deeper into the dungeon. They reached a dry empty chamber bereft of decor. Three slightly warped doors led to the north, east, and south. Carved into each of the three doors was a full-figure depiction of one of the Dead Three gods. Some in the group recalled who the carved images depicted. The east door had a face bearing a carving of Bane, the lawful evil god of tyranny, who was depicted as a tall, armored man wearing a bucket helm. His right gauntlet was painted black and clutched a set of shackles. The north door bore a carving of Bhaal, the chaotic evil god of murder. He was depicted as a powerfully built, skull-headed man with long, curved blades where his hands should have been. The south door bore a carving of Myrkul, the neutral evil Lord of Bones. He was portrayed as a cloaked figure whose face was hidden under a cowl. In his skeletal hands, he clutched a screaming human skull. After checking the door for traps and found none, Glindo pressed his ear to the south door. Seconds later, he quietly stepped back and whispered to the others, "I heard someone coughing," he said. "Whoever it is tried to cough quietly." "We can assume then, that whoever is behind those doors knows we are here." Aelond the cleric looked to the door and whispered to his fellow adventurers. Everyone agreed with him. Plans were made on how to enter the room behind the south door. Glindo would open the door but Saer Justinian would enter the room first. The others would follow behind. As the door was pushed open as quietly as possible, the paladin made his way into the room. There he found lying face-up on the floor of the otherwise empty room were the pale bodies of three humans in filthy black robes, arranged in a triangular formation. A lit torch lay between them. A rough-hewn staircase to the left led down to another torchlit chamber. The paladin stopped and moved to examine the nearest body. The body looked like that of a human man but it was hard to tell with any certainty. The body was emaciated, filthy, and reeked of sewage. Long disheveled hair completely covered the man's face. Saer Justinian noticed that the man's right arm was tucked under his body. He glanced at the other two bodies laying nearby. One arm was tucked under their bodies as well. Now, why would anyone tuck one arm under their dead bodies? Saer Justinian wondered. Unless... The realization hit him like a bolt of lighting. Suddenly, the man's arm snapped out from under his back. In his hand, he held a length of chain the end of which was connected to an iron skull. Before the man could use the skull-head flail, Saer Justinian brought his sword down, severing the man's arm at the elbow. The man screamed! But his scream lasted for just another breath longer as Glindo quickly stepped into the room and stabbed the man in the groin. The man briefly twitched in agony and died. One of the men managed to stand up. With a yell of "For Myrkul!", the man moved to attack Aeolond who had just stepped into the room.
Necromite of Myrkul
Session played on February 27, 2021
Yignath
Kazzira
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