Heather Under Moonlight

Session 11, 22/7/25

I didn't write this one up properly at the time but here goes.

plus five dogs and two mounted infantrymen.

The party heads to Alfred's quarry operation (salvaging marble from a ruined temple) in order to investigate the "demon" that has been taking quarry workers, arriving late in the evening of the 30th of the White Moon, despite lightning and pouring rain. They bed down for the night, intending to start their investigation in earnest in the morning, but keeping a guard to ensure their safety from the monster. In the dark of the early morning, Nissa sights movement along a nearby ridge; a dozen mounted figures, illuminated for only a second by a lightning flash.

She runs to wake the others. Many of the miners flee into the hills, but twenty others and the party descend into the remains of the ruined temple. They hide out in some dormitory rooms coming off a rectangular loop of corridors, so as to force their pursuers to dismount and allow them to be flanked. The group distributes their forces; Valeucoux in the front on one side, the hobilars on the other, Relimi in Chant range for everybody, and Nissa way up the back with the dogs.

After a little while, Nissa hears a grinding noise - and sees a living statue leave through a titanic door! She ducks back into cover and doesn't get a good look at the thing. As she and the miners wait, the riders dismount - but they're not men. Eight of the fire-breathing newt-things from the mountain shrine descend rough-cut stairs into the quarry pit, red armor and long swords at the ready. The leader carries a great bone sword that glows in the starlight. He and his men clear the ruined structure before coming to search for the party.

What ensues is a drawn-out grinding melee combat; Valeucoux fights four newts, three of which Nissa Sleeps and then sics the dogs and miners on them. The miners and hobilars are routed before the leader's group, but the leader's group is held by the party's aggressive and faithful hounds, then Valeucoux, finally free from his engagement, rotates against their rear. The last one, who's been dueling a mercenary in a doorway, breaks and flees into the night with his surviving friends.

Then the statue comes back. Nissa webs and magic missiles it, and the miners go to town with picks. Eventually, the thing goes down, and the party (and the miners!) check out the rest of the temple, finding a whole lot of secret doors (seriously massive pain in the ass on the secret door front,) as well as some giant centipedes (which get deep fried with thrown oil) and a font worth 2000 GP. Some levels all around.