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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 9674111" data-attributes="member: 16069">Not KotSSession #008b: Bring on the Necrotic Zombies. (Enc#12)The Inspectors.Chromium Malifax aka C-Fax (Rob), Male Silver Dragonborn (Noble) Paladin of Bahamut Level 2Mavis Golightly aka Mave (Sandy), Female Half-Elf (Acolyte) Cleric of Chauntea Level 2Arbuthnot McGow aka McGow (Al), Male Mountain Dwarf (Soldier) Fighter Level 2Snakebite (Kenji), Female Half-Orc (Outlander) Monk Level 2Travis Pickle (Yui), Male Lightfoot Halfling (Criminal) Rogue Level 2Dead PCsThe Inspector aka Spek (Kenji), Male Rock Gnome (Charlatan) Sorcerer Level 1- Killed in Session #2 by Eggnog the Kobold Dragon Priest.To-do list/Quests-#001 Save Dicky Bird aka The Fat Pidgin, and bring him home safely to Edna Gingster, although Dicky is on his way to the Narthex, which is in the Labyrinth, which is near the Seven Pillared Hall- which is in the Underdark- Bugger. Reward: 2000 XP & 1000gp each.<s>#002 Find and investigate the ancient dragon burial site Dicky was looking for, he might be there. Reward: 250 XP.</s> COMPLETE<s>#003 Destroy the kobold menace, including their leader- ‘Chopper.’ Reward: 250 XP & 75gp, with 1gp paid for every kobold tail handed in.</s> COMPLETE#004 Stop Orcus-worshipping Karl’s ritual to bring an undead army to Kirkgate. Basically, save the village, begs (eventually) Lord Crumble. Karl is in Kirkgate. 1000 XP & 250gp reward.#005 Find/Save Cheggers. That's it really, the PCs just need to find/save Cheggers (he’s with Karl, if he’s still alive), for Fionulla (the spy). Reward 100 XP.#006 Find and kill/capture the Bloody Heck- including any leaders. Recover any prisoners they have kidnapped. Find out where Karl is based. Reward: 400 XP & 100gp, with 1gp paid for every member of the Bloody Heck confirmed dead or captured.So, down below, and we’re already in the last hour of the session here, we generally only play for three to three-and-a-half hours, although… there have been a few extended sessions, when the combat was not yet done, and nobody wanted to stop.Anyway, down below- and the steps here descend at least fifty feet, according to McGow and his Stonecunning ability, so this place is buried deep.[ATTACH=full]407308[/ATTACH]This was McGow’s first look at the place, it’s a crypt- rows of sarcophagi, with the lights on.Here’s a better look at the place-[ATTACH=full]407309[/ATTACH]This after ten minutes of initially cautious investigation, here are the facts, or else the PCs various findings and/or assumptions. So, not facts as such.The place is ancient, and at some point, in the past dedicated to the worship (and burial) of knights- all adherents to the teachings of the Platinum Dragon- Bahamut.What little text that remains on the sarcophagi here make the above clear.The lights here are magical, mundane items with lesser (low wattage) versions of Continual Light cast upon them. It makes for a semi-spooky/reverent (possibly) atmosphere.The sarcophagi are unopened, seemingly, and will remain so- at least until the paladin and the priestess die or else leave the party. The PCs spend a good five minutes bickering to arrive at this resolution.There’s a not very well-hidden door to the north, a great stone slab that somehow sinks into the floor to expose whatever lies beyond, as discovered by Travis and then investigated with help from McGow.In a form of ancient draconic (that takes a little bit of time to translate) are engraved the following words on the ‘door’-“The Lord of the North Wind’s sire?”It takes a while, and access to the internet- and a few good rolls, but in the end C-Fax declares- “Io!”, and with that the great stone door sinks into the floor, there’s a high and wide corridor ahead- the way ahead illuminated by a fire bowl at the far end of the passage.Oh, but just for info-The Lord of the North Wind is…Bahamut, of course. His father was Io, the Greater God & Creator.Back to the here and now…There’s a passage ahead, and the entire place is quite a structure, the ceiling a good thirty to thirty-five feet above, the long years have caused the structure to fail here and there- the stone is crazed, water has got in, but again- it’s more or less intact.Who built this place? When? What for? The PCs are keen to find out, particularly C-Fax who is very much of the belief that this is his appointed task- to find out.There’s a much larger Continual Light spell illuminating the way ahead, and then…Well, this bit gets a bit strange, or else hard to describe.So, in the background- and ever since the ‘secret’ door was opened the dastardly DM has first of all dropped a small ‘misty’ overlay onto the map (although I dropped it in a spot that the PCs cannot see as of yet). Every minute or so since then I have been expanding the sphere and compass of the ‘misty’ overlay. Making it bigger.Basically, there’s a dark (necrotic) fog spreading from… well, somewhere ahead of the PCs present position.[ATTACH=full]407310[/ATTACH]Here’s the best picture we managed to get of this phenomenon, the mist/fog/dust (the PCs weren’t sure) is expanding out of the passage to the west here. In game the PCs spotted this because the shadow kept moving very slowly towards them.And then C-Fax stands and watches the dark(-ish) mist roll over him, and it smells of rot within the cloud, and it’s dark in there, and then moments later the paladin has to make a Constitution saving throw- he succeeds, and then very quickly retreats out of the mist.The PCs retreat, all the way back to the first chamber, and then- they’ve nowhere to go, and so- they either flee back up the stairs- back into the graveyard, or else they go on ahead, through the mist.Note the mist is very slow moving, it also obscures/reduces vision for those within its compass.C-Fax decides in an instant- “Onwards! To victory!” he declares, as usual, and plunges into the necrotic stinking miasma.We get to here (although only after a bit of bickering)-[ATTACH=full]407311[/ATTACH]And that’s a quartet of shambling zombies that C-Fax can see emerging from a passage to the northwest.C-Fax shouts very loudly for his colleagues to catch up.Note C-Fax has already started taking necrotic damage here, the save is DC 11 Constitution, failure and the target takes just one point of necrotic damage, that’s it. The first save that C-Fax made for this was a success, nine turns later- when the fighting is done (see below), that first save is still C-Fax’s only success. He’s +1 on the roll; he fails to roll a ‘10’ or higher nine times in a row.To put that into context- at the end of the zombie fracas (see below) Mavis has failed the save four times, McGow and Snakebite three times each, and Travis- just once (the last one).And keep in mind that Travis/Yui was doing a lot of shouting and wailing about having to make the saves in the first place- nothing should be allowed to hurt her precious Travis. She didn’t want to go into the mist at all.Anyway, we go on…[ATTACH=full]407312[/ATTACH]Zombies, and more of them coming from the northwestern passage.Oh, and here are the bad guys-[spoiler= The Bad Guys]Enc#12 Necrotic Zombies are Go! 650 XP CR 6 Deadly.1 x Necrotic Mist Trap (50xp) DC 11 Constitution save every turn within the mist/fog/miasma or take one necrotic damage as skin shrivels, dries up, splits, bleeds, scabs, falls off etc.10 x Rotten Zombies (40xp each) As per MM Zombie except Con 12 and so HD 3d8+3; Vuln: radiant & Resist: necrotic. They’re falling apart.4 x Zombies (50xp each) As per MM Zombie except Vuln: radiant; Resist: necrotic & better HP spread 3d8+9 = 3d5+18.Tactics- Undead- shamble about- attack and kill.[/spoiler][ATTACH=full]407313[/ATTACH]And then some of the tougher zombies start hitting, in a matter of moments both C-Fax and McGow take critical hits. Go ME! The paladin is bloodied already.And, as it turns out…[ATTACH=full]407314[/ATTACH]As with the skeletons above there are lots of zombies to go around.At this point some of the Inspectors are having doubts- retreat has been mentioned, more than once, but C-Fax (& McGow) are talking up ‘the bitter end’ here, and already three of the five PCs have spent their Inspiration Points.[ATTACH=full]407316[/ATTACH]The churn continues, and keep in mind the zombies are not landing very many hits (at +3 to hit) but the necrotic mist is taking its toll.McGow is now bloodied too.The encounter is proving to be difficult.And so…[ATTACH=full]407318[/ATTACH]Launch the Turn Undead, Mavis starts waving an ear of corn around (Chauntea).Not an overwhelming success, my zombies are rolling high still.And so…[ATTACH=full]407319[/ATTACH]The PCs get swamped, and everyone except Travis (and maybe Snakebite, somehow) has taken at least one hit from a member of the shambling undead.We’re at an impasse.[ATTACH=full]407320[/ATTACH]It doesn’t look much but at the time Travis was backing a little further away each turn, ready to run. C-Fax is down to maybe four or five hit points, McGow a few more- but less than ten.The PCs were flailing, the players were- at times- screaming at each other.“NO! You BLOODY IDIOT! That one is TURNED- target the other BLOODY ONE!”Mavis to C-Fax.More than once.And I may have swapped out a few words. For the sake of the children.[ATTACH=full]407321[/ATTACH]It’s going the PCs way but, not entirely- C-Fax is down to his last hit point- as usual, and remember the necrotic mist, the paladin failed his save every turn (except for the first).You can’t fault his courage; he doesn’t give a stuff about his hit points (until it gets down to one) and he goes wherever the fighting is toughest. He’s a paladin alright.And then… well, the PCs gang up on the last two (rotten) zombies that are still in the fight and quickly put them down.The rest of the (incapacitated = turned) shambling undead are picked off one at a time, with Mavis firing off Sacred Flames and directing traffic.“That one! Attack that one next! Then the one behind it, the one with half her head missing, yes- that one!”The zombies go away, and when they do… the necrotic mist is gone.More than one PC points out the similarity to the disappearing mist/fog/miasma here, and in the graveyard (and Kirkgate region) up above.The PCs deduce from this effect that this is the place. This is where the bad stuff is coming from.Good work.Here’s the afterwards.[ATTACH=full]407322[/ATTACH]And in a chamber to the west is a great towering (over ten feet high) pile of ancient human/oid bones, the PCs- naturally- are suitably wary, but with the necrotic mist gone there’s nothing left to hurt them here.But some of the PCs are broken, C-Fax particularly so, therefore the adventurers, after a very brief nose around- head back to the first chamber, the crypt- set a watch, and then take a short rest, taking a little more time to chat about what they’ve seen/experienced down here.The over-riding impression is this place is (or rather- was) some ancient redoubt for worshippers of Bahamut, to what end or purpose is unknown, but something is down here- something worth guarding. Whether the necrotic mist and zombies are/were a ward of the ancients that once inhabited here, or else the work of Karl, is at present unknown.The PCs believe that they are in a dungeon, and in a race to the bottom to meet Karl.And that’s pretty much the end of the session, except to say that after their rest the Inspectors head back to the spot where they fought the zombies, the undead have all but rotted away- as in the graveyard they have been reduced to dark smears on the stone flagged floor.[ATTACH=full]407323[/ATTACH]However, C-Fax is more interested in what lies ahead.That’s 170 XP each for the encounter with the zombies, and a few extra XP for some smart work previously- figuring out how to open the not-so-secret-door- C-Fax, McGow & Travis with an extra 20 XP each.Next time.Cheers goonalan and the Tokyo Massive.</blockquote>

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