On the 12th Day of the 1st Month after the Autumn Equinox

On the 12th day of the 1st month after the autumn equinox (pt 3):

Trying to ignore the malodorous odor coming from Enoch, the adventurers prepared to continue down the dark corridor. Before they could do so, however, they were hailed by familiar voices from whence they had come, and soon Eris, Cyrienne, Gabriel, and Kieri stepped into the light. Bored with hanging around the monastery and rebuilding parts of Saharelgard, they sought out the party in search of a little excitement. Kieri and Beorn had other business to attend to, so they stayed behind while the others continued onward.

The dark corridor spanned 600 feet or more but finally ended in a large room. The northern and southern walls of the room were covered with burial niches. A wide canal filled with dark, fetid water ran from the north wall to the south wall. An arched, iron bridge spanned the canal. Two doors were set in each of the west and east walls. The doors were made of metal bars with spikes on the inside. The ceiling was covered in strands of mold.

The party cautiously entered the room. Zibreski inspected the remains within the niches. He identified the tattered clothing as from Low Netheril and determined that the room was an ancient burial chamber for the servant caste.

As the party explored the room, they were suddenly attacked as an animated skeleton crawled forth from one of the niches in the north-east corner of the room! As they turned to focus on the skeleton, the party was also attacked by a group of 5 bat-like creatures!

The adventurers surrounded the skeleton and hammered it with powerful blows. The bats swooped in, attacking several characters. The bats were elusive, attacking and then flying away near the ceiling. As a defensive measure, Zibreski cast Phantom Chasm around the party. When the bats next flew into the area, they were knocked prone. Having dispatched the skeleton, the other adventurers were able to engage the bats in melee. Zibreski immobilized the bats with another spell, preventing their escape, and the others dispatched the bats in short order.

The party searched the room. Arymere inspected the door to the west, and inadvertently set off a trap. As he fiddled with the door, it suddenly sprang open, pinning him against the wall. Enoch and Cyrienne responded quickly, but were unable to free the warlock from the trap. Unable to wriggle free, Arymere remained pinned until Eris managed to pull the door just enough for him to escape.

After a short rest, the party continued searching the room. Determined to find something of value, Gabriel summoned a floating disk and, atop it, searched all the niches in the room, floor to ceiling. As the search was under way, the party was suddenly attacked by a group of 6 wererats!

Zibreski was nearest to the creatures, but luckily acted first. Casting 2 spells in quick succession, he immobilized half of the wererats and set up a zone of concealment before teleporting to safety. The other adventurers charged the lycanthropes. After an intense, bloody battle, the wererats were defeated. Searching the bodies, Enoch found a +2 Blood Maul Mace.

The adventurers took a short rest, catching their breath after the fierce assault, and planning their next move.

Rewards: 300 XP each, Blood Maul Mace + 2