Session 17: The Most Dangerous Game

Having found Kerani, the party now has a way out of this cursed land. But Iskandar isn't responding to the amulet, and a strange hooded creature seems bent on overwhelming the party with seemingly limitless undead minions, forcing them to flee.

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Out of the Frying Pan

The party, having successfully ambushed Kerani's pursuers, pick through the bodies, while introducing themselves to the elf. Fork found mostly mundane objects on the bodies, the one common object of note being a symbol, similar to a horseshoe, with swords driven through it, that most of them carried.   While Kerani peppered the party with curious questions (Tilly responding with her own when given the chance), Vita healed up the hummingbird, and Fork passed the famished elf some of the jerky he had found on the bodies.   Once introductions were complete, and the more basic questions answered, Kerani explained that she was an orphan that Iskandar had taken under his wing; a father figure of sorts, although she warned the party not to refer to him as such; preferring the moniker mentor or teacher. She expressed that she had lost the object she normally could use to summon Iskandar to her, and the party hurriedly produced their own. However, pointing the amulet to the sky and calling his name seemed ineffective. They surmised that they had to be above ground in order for the object to work, and began exploring the far side of the chamber that they had been short resting in.  

And into the Fire

  The secondary path out of the chamber seemed covered in a large root system that ran along the south and east walls; Tilly opted for fire as the means of clearing them quickly, before the rest of the party could offer their two cents. Fork, annoyed that the rest of the party seemed content to let it burn willy-nilly, filling the chamber with smoke, demonstrated an aptitude for magic that he'd not shown before; using a spell to try to curtail and contain the flames to the doorway. Bulgey and Tilly assisted similarly after seeing Fork's actions, realizing that they could act similarly.
However, before the fire was allowed to fully burn away the blockage, Vita and Kerani caught their attention. They could hear footsteps and sounds of fighting from behind them. Unable to quickly douse the fire, the party took cover behind pillars and rubble, as another one of the bandits entered the room in a panic, taking an ice spear through the chest and collapsing dead.   A hooded figure, with a strange cloak and tentacled appendages stepped inside, addressing the party directly, the space behind him filled in with shambling undead bandits. After the figure addressed the hidden party, Bulgey stepped out to demand what it wanted with them. It explained that it was here for Kerani, and to kill them. As the party drew their weapons in preparation, Brian asked it for a reason why. "Because my lord says so," was the only clarification they received before combat began.   A few rounds into combat, and the party was looking pretty good; Tilly, Bulgey, Brian, and Kerani were effective at wiping out the undead and whittling down the more ominous necromancer, while Fork held a front line to keep the zombies from getting to the others. Vita was working on their escape route. Things became ominous however, when the necromancer used his abilities to bring the recently dead, and killed undead, back to their feet.   Worried that the tides may be turning against them, the party flees out the newly cleared tunnel; catching a glimpse of a new foe joining the necromancer, a monstrous reptillian creature.