Keep on the Shadowfells – Session 9

Chamber of Statues

As the hobgoblin warcaster drowns in his own blood, the Heroes of Winterhaven clean their blades and steel their nerves for the fight ahead. The corridor ahead of them opens into a large empty room. Double doors lead off to the west and the south. “OK, elf,” growls Korbein. “Which way to the evil?”

The concensus is southward, and so our party proceeds. Beyond the doors is a broad, open chamber that appears to be some sort of memorial to a long forgotten battle. A titanic statue dominates the center of the room, depicting an armor-clad warrior. It faces off against two draconian statues crouching in the eastern corners. Opposite our heroes in the exit, doubledoors set into an antechamber and guarded by four cherubim bearing vases on their marble heads.

Cirlandir heads toward the nearest dragon, but his approach is rebuffed as a blast of energy forces him back. Tallow, meanwhile, strides forward to inspect the statue. A faintly audible click sounds from beneath it, and the halfling manages to duck beheath the arc of the titan’s sword as it swoops overhead. Korbein,  pulls his dimunitive comrade to safety, and recommends they proceed along the western wall.

Ganak and Tallow lead the way toward the cherubim. Peering into the empty urns, our heroes proceed toward the exit. As they pass between the first two statues, a glimmer of arcane power flickers behind them. Trapped! Moreover the cherubim have each tipped their urns, and water has begun to fill the antechamber. This is bad news indeed for our diminutive rogue.

Tightning his grip on his warhammer, Korbein takes his usual, direct approach to problem solving and smashes the nearest statue. Bits of stone fly through the air. The dwarf is nearly sent flying, too, as a blast of energy crashes into his back from the nearest dragon statue. Tallow searches for an access panel to try and disable the pump mechanism, working feverishly as though his life depended upon it. He finds success at one statues, and wades to the next.

As the water rises above the halflings ears, things slook dire indeed. Suddenly, the flow of water ceases, and a series of large fan begun to churn the water, turning the antechamber into a giant whirlpool. Ganak, who had been trying to open the southern door, is caught off gaurd and thrown from one statue to the next. Tallow, reacts more quickly, grabbing onto a cherub as the half-drowned dragonborn floats past.

Lorik redoubles his efforts to unwork the magic trapping his allies. With a flicker and a crackle the arcane barrier breaks apart, and water rushes into the room, sweeping our heroes from their feet and into the titan’s path. In the briefest moment of silence, Cirlandir hears the faint grind of a subterranean spring coiling. “Run!” he shouts, and everyone scrambles to their feet and dives toward the wall. Lorik, unfortunately, reacts a moment too slowly, and is caught by the end of the giant’s blade.

Soggy, but undaunted, our heroes press on.

The Stench of Flesh

Opening the now unlocked door, our adventurer’s are nearly overwhelmed by the stench of rotting flesh. Stepping through the portal, the source is quickly discovered, as a dozen zombies shamble forward, gobbets dangling from their chins in homage to their ghoulish mentor.

Quickly our heroes press forward, determined not to be trapped in a corner. Korbein and Lorik hold the flank, while Cirlandir, Ganak and Tallow press into the room. A cloud of lightning issues forth from the dragonborn’s mouth sending several of the creatures back to their uneasy rest, but still they press forward. Nearly surrounded, Cirlandir calls upon the Platinum Dragon. With a brilliant light the elf’s patron fells the remaining zombies.

Taking stock of the now transformed situation, the cleric and paladin turn around in time to see an animated clay statue run past them toward the exit. Not ready to let additional denizens know of their presence, Cirlandir and Ganak cut off his exit, allowing Tallow to circle behind and slay the construct. The ghoul, now alone and outnumbered hisses in defiance before falling beneath our heroes’ assault.

Sacrifice in the Cathedral of Shadow

The ghoul’s curse fades to silence just as another sound creeps in from the next chamber, a low rhythmic chant pierced by the screams of a woman. “To arms!” cries Cirlandir. “To arms!” Charging through the door, our heroes arrive in time to see a priest’s wicked blade plunge downward and silence the scream. From the altar two rivers of blood flow outward, trailing across the floor and terminating at a grate surrounding a hole in the middle of the room.

The priest looks up, his face overlain with a tattoo or a ram. “Kill them,” he orders, and two men stride forward to meet our adventurers in battle. The berserkers, frothing with prayer’s of devotion to Orcus, unleash their mighty battle axes, hacking to and fro. Ganak and Korbein once again form the frontline and bear the brunt of their furious attacks.

Suddenly a number of vampire spawn aided by a dark creeper burst through a side door, flanking our heroes and dividing their line. Cirlandir, draws two of the undead close with a measured retreat, and then dashes around around them to reform the rearguard with Lorik and Tallow. Back to back our heroes fight, slowly and inexorably laying their foes to rest.

Our exhausted heroes turn their eyes upon the altar and the body of the women they were too late to save. Rising up from the hole, riding on waves of evil, comes yet more chanting. “The ritual is nearly complete,” says Cirlandir. “Come, my friends. We must steel our nerves one more time before we rest.”

Post-Session

XP: 531/PC

Treasure: 176 gp; bag of holding