Heather Under Moonlight

Saturday Group, 23/5/26

The party continues to explore the temple under the North Hettland Baths. They look cautiously around a side door, under the bottom and through a crack, seeing seven ghouls feasting on bones. They open the door, realize the ghouls have no treasure and can't fight them because of the paladin's aura, and close the door back up. They then enter a secret door off the wine cellar, finding a library criss-crossed with thick spider-webs the size of heavy cords. Thistle is cutting a path around the outside of the room when, to the surprise of absolutely not one person, two giant spiders descend from the ceiling and attack. The party draws on initiative with them; one of the spiders is killed immediately, but bites Serenity - and injects burning poison into the unfortunate cleric's veins. Serenity crumples to the earth with the spider as the other flees and is finished off. The party then takes stock, searching the library to find some 58 ordinary books still in usable condition, as well as two books of exceptional merit - the Chronicle of the Order of White Sand. These books are written on black paper with an ink that glows slightly in the gloom, and detail an order of knights who fought in the Western Isles and Hettland before being adopted as preferred bodyguards of the Imperial College of Alienists and fighting a bloody and brutal campaign against strange and otherworldly creatures in the Dreaming. It includes the true name of an Ice Devil.

Loading the crossbowmen up with the books and the dead, the party explore a little further; they come upon a room for book-binding, with needle and thread, and a press, and some jars of ink reagants against one wall. There were actually some oozes hiding in the jars but they didn't investigate those. Then they pushed on through the corridor, coming upon the monks' cells and searching them, but finding nothing but some giant rats. The party withdraws back the way they came and rush to get Serenity resurrected.

Serenity has twelve days to get the spell cast before she is beyond the skill of the Shrine Mother. The party sets out with her body on the cart, but soon realizes that they won't make it at the present rate, and sends her forward with Thistle and Rachel on horseback. Thistle and Rachel ride south, meeting a small body of No Tongues and making a daring escape from a family of giant crabs. They meet with the Bare Pines, the money changes hands, and Serenity is resurrected and spends until the 24th in the infirmary. The rest of the party divides the money, identifying a Ring of Protection +1 and selling it, as well as identifying and retaining a Wand of Negation. That's all for this session :) see you all around!