~ SESSION 16 > SESSION 17 – (BRIEF RECAP) ~
Welcome back my friends!
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We picked up with the last session, just as the party ended their short rest after their goat demon encounter – Which saw them all fighting on two fronts.
Whilst the others prepared, Levi took off instantly, eager to scout ahead to find anything of value, and to get a good idea of the area the party were about to explore.
He didn’t go too far, and related any findings he could to the party, whilst keeping a low profile to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.
The party discussed their options and picked a southern path from their location.
Again, Levi took the lead and scouted ahead… The path turned sharply to the north, some ways ahead of him, and as Levi ventured around it, he was detected by a large group of blackened bone skeletons, wearing scraps of what seemed to be torn rags, and wielding small electrified bladed weapons.
As soon as they saw Levi enter their space, they attacked him without any hessitation.
This battle was another new experience for the party, as they set their focus onto what assailed them.
At one stage of the battle, there was a lot of panic induced by these monsters, as they began to thin out the parties numbers, one by one.
Two of them were taking down, first Levi was severely hurt, and found he had to drop back, well a way from combat, whilst Ebrin and Lyra took too many heavy blows, and both went down.
However, with a moment of sheer genius, Fulgrim willingly gave in to the magical powers he held within him, and let them run wild and free instead, Somehow in doing so, he managed to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Fulgrim then became invisible, and was able to aid those in need of healing, using a well placed Spectral Mage’s Hand.
However, much to his delight, this DID spook the rest of the party out as they had no idea what was going on… as one by one they came too, feeling a cold and empty glass vial next to their head, and a hovering mage hand close by them.
After the battle had concluded, and the party were healed, they searched the room the skeletons were in, and the general area around where they fought in the cave passages.
Their search revealed a partially hidden chest, off to one side of the room, surrounded by walls, and high rock formations.
Levi checked the chest, only to find a strange blue glowing piece of rock, which had silver veins of metal running through it… It was concealed by someone, but very poorly with just a piece of silken cloth over the top of it.
Using his own mage hand servant, Levi cautiousy stepped a good distance away from the chest, and got his spectral hand to grab hold of both the cloth and the stone, and commanded that it bring them both to him.
He claimed the rock and cloth, feeling that it was definitely valuable.
Could this be the Sky-Rock that Griswold was searching for, when he mentioned this to the party last they met?
Whilst Levi was doing this, Ebrin noticed that there was a stair case off to one side of the room, but this didn’t look the same as the ones the party had been travelling up and down during their time in the crypts… No, this staircase had been carved into the wall itself, and became almost tunnel like from the start – as it headed UP.
Ebrin suggested that the tunnel may go to the surface, but he had no way of proving his theory, and so the party finshed up whatever they were doing and bravely took the stairs upward, as they continued to climb, they all wondered where they would be taken to should they keep following these stairs.
The party continued to ascend the stairs, and made a few turns along the way, one of which revealed a shining light at the top of the stone steps.
The journey to the top seemed to take a decent while, but nowhere near as long as it did travelling through each level of the crypts above.
When they fully got to the top, they were met by a closed iron gate, which had odd symbols and images weaved out of metal strips.
Pushing the gate, it opened, as the rusty hinges creaked with the pressure now placed on the gate.
The party stepped through and into a well lit Mausoleum area, and on the opposite side of that, was another solid iron gate, which was already partially open.
As the party approached this second gate, which design was much plainer than the last one they opened, they saw that the other side of it was a dirt path, which had green grass on both sides of it.
Pushing the next gate open, and stepping through, it was clear to see the party had emerged in the cattle fields north of the town.
Adria’s hut could be seen off to the east, to the west was the Cathedral bathed in it’s eerie red light, surrounded by the silent graveyard, and to the south was the path which carried on to the town centre, where all the residents of Tristram were.
The party in their weakened state, hurried from the Mausoleum, through the cattle field, and towards the town centre, where they promptly all headed to the Tavern for some VERY stiff drinks.
They had not struggled with an enemy they found down there in the gloomy cathedral, since they took on the Skeleton King, and they would need to rethink strategies, and take a while to recover properly.
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The Present Scene:
The final day of rest is over, and the night draws in.
The party get set to spend their final night at the tavern, for now at least… and so settle down for their last night of relaxation.
During their most recent time spent in town, they have all opted to work on improving their capabilities, and some of the party have developed new skills.
The town was able to receive a good amount of trade recently too, and the stores were re-stocked, with Griswold, Pepin, and Adria able to offer even better wares than previously… Things seemed better in Tristram altogether.
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The final night comes around fast, and the morning light breaks even sooner than they had hoped, the party were tired still, but today was to be their next step of their journey, in the catacombs below the town.
As the party all come down from their rooms, they sit and begin eating their morning meal at their usual corner table, and Levi, Fulgrim, along with Lyra, all wonder where Ebrin was, and why he was taking so long to come downstairs.
Little do they know, Ebrin had left in the under cover of darkness, to whatever fate may have in store for him – fearing for his life with the most recent of events that had unfolded.
So join me friends, as we find out what unfolds, in this session of…. Adventure in Sanctuary!
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