Nomen Infernale XXXIV: O Death, Where Is Your Sting?
General Summary
As La Compagnia head toward a door marking the last unexplored area in this part of the catacombs, Kegho notices the stirrings of unnatural magics. Several party members are startled to see the first trogolodytes they had killed move shambolically to their feet, bloated and covered in maggots. Riven notes with dispassion that even in the warm humid space, the level of decomposition would not make sense. She further muses that the bodies getting up and moving around is fairly unnatural, but is cut off from this train of thought by Asbjørn slicing at trogbie with his scimitar. Revulsion and anger washes over Asbjørn as the ambulatory corpse's wound begins spilling maggots on the floor, spilling also from its slack mouth.
The largest of the trogzombies lashes out at Kegho but misses him. He throws his torch into the middle of the room and brings Skullcleaver down with both hands on the foul abomination. Though the thing was nearly split in twain it continued shambling after him, its gaping wounds alive with the larval activity.
Theo holds aloft the lantern of Edius and begs the gods to use him as a conduit to drive back the foul undead. All but the largest of the zombies are filled with dread and begin to flee. Elissa and Teleptyon strike at the Kegho-mangled creature, but fail to destroy it. Teleptyon also attempts to cut one of the fleeing zombies as it passes by, but misses. Asbjørn swings at the trog-zombie in a rage, but misses, striking a pillar of bone and blunting his scimitar. The largest zombie strikes at Kegho but misses. Theo tries again to turn the largest zombie, but it is undeterred by the invocation. Kegho decapitates it. After brief discussion, La Compagnia decides it is best to dispatch the fleeing abominations rather than to let them potentially wander into the town above the sewers. Elissa runs after the nearest one and with a ululation cleanly removes its head. Alex looses a bullet into the back of the next one's head, exploding its face. Asbjørn races after the last zombie and dispatches it. The party politely distracts themselves as they hear him howling and crushing each maggot under the heel of his boot. He returns exhausted, but as calm and composed as they have ever seen him.
Alex is concerned that more of the previously dispatched enemies may rise as undead and suggests they burn the bodies. Kegho, now wary of Alex's penchant for burning things--especially Kegho--suggests they decapitate anything they had killed during their time in the cataombs. Elissa, Riven, Alex and Kegho quickly accomplish this grisly work.
They return to the double doors leading deeper into the catacombs and Alex checks it for traps, but finds that the door has been recently opened and then relocked. Riven estimates the blood is less than a week old, which only serves to stoke Theo's fervor to save ther children. Alex breaks his pick while attempting to open the door and shuffles away cursing under his breath. Riven tries and succeeds at unlocking it. Kegho charges through, face uncovered, hoping that if they run into a necromancer he or she will be impressed by the touch of Reshpu still marring his visage.
The room is empty but for a ghostly face repeating the same phrase in front of a ruined stairwell. Teleptyon approaches and tells them it is a spell designed to speak words when someone approaches. He notes an archaic form of Eknon and when he moves closer to it, it begins to yell loudly "Intruders stay away or the Koliposidon family will curse you!" As that path is collapsed they leave the face to continue warning intruders for the rest of time. Kegho opens a door to the south of the room and finds an ambush of trogolodytes waiting for him. Riven sprints over and slams the door shut. She and Kegho hold it against the pushing of the trogolodytes until Teleptyon can seal it with magic. They hear what sounds like the trogolodytes running away from the door and shouting. Theo suggests they set a trap for when enemies surely burst through the other door nearby and Kegho pours oil on the floor. The party takes position to rain projectiles and blows on anything that may come through it.
They are horrified to see a spectral figure pass through the door. Asbjørn pulls out Lullaby and feels it warm in his hand, guiding him for a strike against the incorporeal being, which screams in agony as the dagger tears through it like cobwebs, the substance of the wraith parting with the sound of distant screams. The barbarian gets the distinct impression that the object is experiencing the utilitarian joy of having served its precise purpose. Theo attempts to banish it with the light of Edius, but the taint of Nexra pushes against him and he feels a chill wind; his lantern briefly flickers before flaring brightly again. The wraith, incensed by the wound it received from Asbjørn, passes its hand through Theo. The cleric feel his vitality drawn away from him and he stumbles back. Horrified, Kegho slashes with Skullcleaver. The threads of the wraith's presence, tattered by Lullaby, are turned to dust as Skullcleaver passes through them. Kegho grins and declares that Skullcleaver has earned the additional title Wraithcleaver.
Teleptyon seals this door as well with magic, but the door bursts open, Teleptyon's magic defeated. From the hallway the party hears, "Your tricks pale in comparison to the power granted by the Magna Larva." Trogolodytes pour through the now open doorway, their stench sickening many. One grabs at Asbjørn but even in his weakened state he is able to fend it off. Kegho sets the oil on the floor aflame and the trogolodyte burns.
