The Dungeon of Graves: Session 2
General Summary
The Rolling Hills of Judgement
As the party of adventurers triaged their various states of health after the devastating battle with the Vine and Twig Blights, they started a small discussion of how and where they would bury their fallen companion. Sir Conneghal had died in battle moments ago. The group weighed their options of bringing back the Knight to the Prime Thrall, burning the body with Firebolts or finding a nice spot to bury him. Lothar, one of the clerics, was the most thoughtful. He stated “What is dead is dead, but we should honor him.” This helped sway the group into finding a nice spot between the mass grave, hidden under the patch of thorns, and the “Landing,” where Inako and the Shrike’s minions of undead were building a tent town.
The tired, troubled group crested the hill behind them. They ran into another “recruit” of the Shrike of Czira. Sinestra Talenborn had been watching, silently judging the group of “reinforcements” the Shrike had promised her. Finding them wanting, she used this opportunity to address her concerns. “How good can you all be if a couple of plants can get you?” It was obvious that the group had only been working together for a few days but the newcomer was insistent in her judgement. After some discussion, the group started to turn once again to where they had started their day.
Leaning against a tree was a stout dwarf in leather armor and bright red hair. Beatrice, had been...patiently judging-waiting for the group to notice her. She had arrived moments ago, directed by Inako, and seemed to be enjoying the banter between Sinestra and the party. Fox Tail, being rather fed up with how the day had turned stated, “Hey, do you want to stab us, it’s been a long day.” After more banter between both newcomers and the group they finally make their way off the hill that overlooked the valley in which they had lost one of their own. About halfway back to the “Landing” they found a decent hill that looked out over the water without being in sight of the necromancer. Kaertas had remembered that Sir Conneghal had been from a coastal town and thought that this spot would be perfect. After very few words they laid the Knight to rest. Fox Tail wishing him well on the other side and Lothar plainly stating “You did your family proud...Once you were nothing. Now you are nothing again.”
Finishing their travel back over the remaining hills, as their armor and belongings become ever soggier with the heavy moisture hanging in the air, the group could see the undead unpacking crates off the Falcon’s Fury. The crew was rather resourceful, using the crates that carried the tent material to form structures and furniture. Inako inquired where the talkative Knight was and they had informed her that he had fallen in battle. The party learned that once the Shrike has you in debt to them they do not care if you fall in battle, your debt must be paid. Many of the party did not want to share the knowledge of where they had buried the Knight. Once again the newly formed group were judging each other. Namul was fully against sharing the location but Kaertas passed his map to Inako that revealed the marked grave. Four Wights rush up and through the party, the smell of old dried blood as they pass, heading up and over the hills.
Inako offers the party credit or gold for the “new recruits” they brought back from the battle as well as the location of the mass grave. To each of those who wanted credit, Inako offered 100gp and those who wanted the coin, just 50 gp. As the party dispersed, she reminds Kaertas and the others to never divulge your information without payment. That evening the group rested in the makeshift tent town with the knowledge that none of them would be able to leave without paying their debt first.
As the third of Zhira started as wet and soggy as the previous days, the group readied themselves to retrace their tracks from yesterday's journey. Kaetras had asked to question one of the corpses they had brought back from the mass grave and before they set off for the day his request was fulfilled. They learned that the individual was a minion of the Master and that they had been sent out into the wilderness for the glory of the Master. To gather and add to the Master’s grand stores. The dead, when offered the map, pointed to where the Master’s great treasure was located. They were able to suss out a more exact location for their destination. As the corpse slowly starts to decompose after the spell, the group is unsettled. “All glory to the Master, all life for the Master. All life for the Master, undeath for the living…” was the last thing the dead spoke. Although the mission is unchanged, the Shrike’s suspicion of possible survivors of Tsar had been confirmed.
They followed the exact path they had carved the previous day, this time without the Knight and with two new companions. When they crested the snow capped hill overlooking the water, they noticed that Sir Conneghal had been removed from his grave. This caused some outrage and some infighting ignited. “That was messed up, we can’t count on each other in battle and now not out of battle!” “Sounds like you all need to learn how strength is created, the pack is strong” “Sacrificing the weak for the strong is not right” They angerierly continued their trek through the rolling hills.
Approaching the valley in which the disastrous salad slayed Sir Conneghal, the party could see what they assumed the Wights caused. The valley was now filled with a 100ft wide ring of dirt that was now a massive hole 10 ft deep. Without much thought, they continue their way. As they near the final location of their days travel they find that the grass under their feet had been trampled almost resembling a suggestion of a road. The path ran north to south to where it could connect to the bridge that would bring them over the Droellog river. The group decides to find shelter for the night and head north. As they look to the west the Forest of Hope is all they can see as it climbs to the slopes of the Rachis mountains. The driving rain covers any sound that Droellog’s rapids would create as they pull off the path to find a secluded spot in the forest.
They find a promising location at the base of a fallen tree. The tree had fallen many years ago as apparent by the moss and old growth that was thriving on the trunk. Lothar was able to hear some faint laughter from the path near the middle of the tree. Someone clad in a deep red and faded black jester costume sat giggling to themselves. The goblin introduced themselves as Grindeth, Crow of the Gallows. After a rather disturbing bit of chat about cannibalism, Grindeth finds that they need to “incentivise” them into eating them. A battle commences as the giggling goblin’s reinforcements materialize out of their foxholes in the fallen tree.
The battle is long. Anytime someone attacked the jester they had to fight off falling to the ground in a fit of laughter. Lothar is isolated from the others and falls first, Terrance the flying snake friend of Kaertas takes a epic backhand, while the newly acquired rogue falls quickly after. Namul saves Lothar who then helps Beatrice. This nice bit of teamwork was quickly overshadowed by the group's heated discussion of trying to save the goblin society that these few came from or continuing their original mission and head to the Dungeon of Graves. Kaertas had realized that the attire that Grindeth sported seemed like they were the society’s nilbog. However, Grindeth wasn’t acting in a way that would suggest they were performing this sacred task of questioning society and making mirth. They were more of a perverted, fiend version of the goblin nilbog. “We can’t afford distractions even if we want to help this group of goblins.” With the group seeming on a brink of more infighting they find rest at the base of the fallen tree, taking shelter under the roots.
Report Date
18 Oct 2020
Primary Location
