Session Seventy-Eight (Graveyard of Empires Summary)

Session 78 – October 14, 2015

After dispatching the plant-infested undead from the previous session and a short rest. Our heroes magically explore the ruins above for unusual activity.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary, Edan (silently and nearly invisibly) headed out to ensure no other undead were around and explore the area just beyond the recreation room from which the plant-infested undead came from.

The area, divided into two tiled areas equipped with water spouts, was obviously some kind of bath-house. Both areas were covered with a thick layer of moss and fungus while the locker lining one wall were completely free of such vegetation.

Upon closer inspection, Edan noticed movement among the vegetation. Specifically from cocoons along the walls of the first and second areas – the longer he lingered the more agitated they seemed. Edan quickly headed back to the others who were already on their way to join him, clearly not worried about any remaining undead – and dashing Edan’s hope to gather some choice objects from the gaming table.

After Edan explained what he found, the party quickly devised a plan to cover the vegetation with oil and light it on fire. Using a spear onto which they lashed oil flasks – they covered as much as the vegetation and cocoons with oil as possible.

During that time Edan rummaged and searched through the metal lockers – finding some valuable clothes, cards and a silver armband that he found intriguing. Chuq locked a door to another room – just in case.

Once the oil was spread and Edan had completed his search of the lockers, Chuq lit the oil on fire and retreated back into the recreational room. The fire spread quickly consuming the vegetation and filling the upper half of the room with smoke. As soon as the fire reached the cocoons they burned away revealing the skeletons of dwarves long dead and forcing plodding fungal creatures to begin to move towards the party.

With bow, fire and sword – the tenacious plodding creatures were dispatched. Their lack of speed their obvious downfall.

While the team waited for the room to slowly clear of smoke, the party collected the platinum coins, gold amulet and various other knickknacks strewn over the floor and tables of the room. Meanwhile – the dwarves busied themselves testing the information cubes which turned out to contain various entertaining games.

It was getting very late and the party decided to return to the dormitory area in order to sleep and recuperate for a while. After setting a guard – many retired to sleep.

The party’s rest was interrupted early in the morning – around 6am – by a thunderous sound followed by a message in both ancient dwarf and the common tongue demanding our surrender to a “Dark King.”

Edan, knowing full well that he couldn’t be easily heard or seen, quickly moved into the octagonal room to look towards the entry area of the complex. There he saw row upon row of motionless warriors being tended to by other normal looking people.

Upon that discovery Chuq quickly devised a plan to lock access to the complex beyond the octagonal room using his shadow walk ability. However, the sounds of the closing and locking doors alerted the “army” and had them rush into the octagonal room – but the task was done, the doors were locked and the “army” knew the party had done it.

Then, all at once, the “army” then began to destroy the walls separating them from the party – as if commanded by an unseen force.

Soon, an imposing female warrior asked us again to surrender. After convincing the leader to stop the destruction of the walls, Chuq and Belroar soon deduced that her silver circlet was controlling the “army” and a plan was hatched to use Chuq’s shadow step ability to attempt to steal the circlet from her head while she was distracted by Belroar’s rambling discussion and Edan’s arrows.

The plan worked (with help from some divine intervention) and Thorfus placed the circlet onto his head and gained control of the “army” while Edan’s arrows felled a spell caster. Upon returning to the hallway, Thorfus promptly ordered to destroy the non-zombies.

The ensuing battle nearly killed Belroar as the now furious leader stabbed at him through an arrow slit, but the tables turned quickly when Thorfus and his probability sword killed the leader and crushed the moral of the remaining foes.

It wasn’t long before the party defeated the remaining foes dead, or drove them down into the elevator shaft where the undead await. One almost fled – but Chuq managed to get to him and kill him.

The party, now with an army of mind-controlled zombie warriors, must decide their next steps.