The Mouth of Doom: Session 14
General Summary
The Avengers
Report Date
16 Jan 2021
On the second story of Castle Calaelen a battle between two forces commenced. The Master’s shambling, decaying zombies shuffled out of the chapel, once dedicated to Toloumbe, now desecrated. The party was spread out with most of them off to the right side near the bedroom chamber. Jarvis was across the hall near the chapel’s door. Laughter filled the floor as the adventures made their first round of attacks. The wizard empowered her flying snake with some Dragon Breath while she scurried off to a safer spot. Lucius grew rather large while Sibrwd fired two potent radiant damage spells at the zombies. The only surviving member of the first group of adventures, Ansible fires and joins Sibrwd and Te’Leyuura in the side chamber. A new round of manic laughter erupts from apparently nowhere and everywhere all at once.
Although the zombies had once been Wrenjers, adventurers, and the like they did not fight with the tenacity or skill they had when they were living. Jarvis was surrounded but managed to push some of them away with a Thunderwave. From the south, skeletons poured out advancing to the adventures. Artem joins the others in the bedroom chamber but not before laying down some grease for Te’Leyuura to ignite later. The barbarian had been holding their ground in the middle of the hallway dealing radiant damage around her. Artem can hear some spells being cast out of sight and a prayer in Abyssal, as someone was offering themselves to the Master.
As the necromancer finally joined the fight, the aura of darkness radiated out from them, the same evil aura that had killed the previous adventurers. Artem had been holding the entrance of the bedroom; however, they are peppered with arrows and hits from the skeletons but the rogue manages to escape, just barely. They all seem to work well together, each downing zombies and skeletons. Ansible finished off the necromancer who had been waiting patiently for someone to come into arms length for a surprise attack.
After the death of their master, the undead continued their onslaught but without the compulsion just fervor and blood lust. However, the heroes worked efficiently and it wasn’t long until Lucius finished off the last skeleton. As the dust settled and with the undead lying at their feet, they started to investigate the bodies. Being ever careful, they loot what they can. On the goblin necromancer, they find a key around their neck. With the wizard’s Detect Magic active they were able to easily find the magical items the zombies had on them.
In the bedroom chamber, where many of the squishier folk had been taking refuge during the fight, they find an iron chest at the foot of the bed. The key matches the lock and after determining that there weren't any traps, they find a variety of items including a journal in Elven. Skimming the book, they find that it was from the former occupant, the last of the Calaelen line, Maybeth and it documents their explorations of the area. Although the journal was about events that had taken place many years before, they do find some useful and interesting facts about the area. One of the entries contained a detailed instruction on how to get the Mouth of Doom from the castle. It seemed that either the author or people they knew had delved into the dungeon and recorded their findings, a cavern so large that it had its own ecosystem with creatures who had adapted to the size of the cavern. Even though they tried to figure out one of the entries, Artem and Te’Leyuura were unable to connect the author’s description of the paladin Bannor and their holy sword, Gurthdurial, being lost in the Hall of the Cyclops King.
The journal further described interactions with a group of green robed individuals who were rather quiet but smelled awful. They approached in the late evening and arrived from the east smelling like bog water. The castle’s defenders pushed them off but overall Maybell did not connect this group with the Master. At the bottom of the iron chest, they noticed the false bottom in which two rather large gold bars were hidden each with the seal of Tsar pressed into them. They continued the search of the second story, entering the chapel. The desecration of Toloumbe’s chapel was horrific and all encompassing. The statue had been turned into a demon wielding the wicked mace of the Master and upon the altar, they found the necromancer’s book. Artem worried that the book could be trouble not in a physical way but more of what it contained and how it could corrupt people who read it.
In the southern room, they found the rowboat attached to the ceiling with rope and a spider corpse. The necromancer must have been trying to raise the creature but had been unable to accomplish their goal. Overall, the castle looked to be in decent condition, just needing some fixing here and there. Sibrwd agrees that the castle shouldn’t be left out of control or other troubling creatures or entities might take it over. They decide that the best room for a rest would be the southern room. The bodies of the zombies and the head of the necromancer were secured away for their return to Zelkor’s Ferry. As they rested, they heard the loud cawing of the corvid announcing the bird’s return to the southern tower. After their brief rest, they continue their search of the castle, unlocking and stowing the chain from the tower below the rowboat and continuing down to the unscouted basement.
The basement doubled back on itself and ended in a door (about 20 feet down). Artem finds a guard room, cleared and emptied just a few trails of blood. In the dungeon they find remnants of two creatures living amongst the eight cells. Someone had been killed here “recently,” violently stabbed and dragged through the area. Not much sign of who they were here...under a loose stone they see a holy symbol of a broken arrow (Mihere--the bounty and harvest god). From their investigation, there were two gnolls positioned down here and from the spraying of blood and stuff , the victim must have been held down and stabbed lying on their back.
Back out into the courtyard, they toss an illuminated sling bullet to the wizard so she could see as night had fallen. Making sure to move silently, well the best they could, the rogue moves down to the other doors in the courtyard. They hear sounds of a smithy with someone hard at work and at the southwestern tower they find it barely standing but unoccupied. They quickly move to the stable where they thought zombie horses might be residing but they find three very emaciated but alive ponies. They investigate the bathouse where a natural spring from the cliff flowed through and down into a clogged grate. The pond outside was the result of this clog but is clearly diseased.
Moving back to the smithy, they decide to approach diplomatically with Ansible leading the charge. They are successful in their endeavor as Gorbaz from Hangerfeydd opens the door for the group. Gorbaz had blocked the door with an anvil who, as they entered, just casually picked up the piece as it was nothing. They learn that the necromancer’s name had been Jedrah and that he had been hired to fix up the castle but things turned rather quickly and had locked himself in, away from the corvid and the evil Jedrah was praising. The smithy had been hired only three months ago but it had felt to them more like a year and much like the ponies, they were starving. As the adventurers handed over their rations to their new companion, they closed the doors and started to rest feeling rather more confident in their skills.
