The Haunted Highlands

Laughing Zombies

Kiboc 23rd, 1352 - 11am

Retreating back to their safe room on the second level, our group of adventurers spends the night resting and healing following their battles with the elite kobald guards. Naela has a strange and horrifying dream sequence during the night. She shares the vision with the other adventures in the morning. In her dream, she witnesses the murder of one of the Ipati boys by a strange cloaked figure named Malash, which they later determine to be the mysterious “Necromancer”.

The next morning they set out. The group is still torn between exploring the rest of the second level or moving on to the third. The party congretates near the gear room and sends a scout down the unexplored hallway toward a lighted chamber. The scout quickly returns and reports a kobald presence in the chamber. The adventureres quickly determine the kobalds are preparing for an attack and decide to move on to the third level.

Our little troupe finds themselves on the landing of the third level and immediately notice the stone used is a bit darker than what they’ve seen before. The move deeper into the complex and find a chamber with two strange winged statues. The statues appear to radiate magic and the group does their best to avoid them as they move on.

Moving down a long winding hallway, the party checks to locked doors. The first they are unable to open, but Bree manages to get them past the second. Inside the find a chamber filled with large urn, stopped with wax. Naela recognizes these from her dream and quickly moves to open one. Inside they find a human corpse submersed in a strange acidy smelling liquid. Jebadiah examines the body finds the Ipati birth mark on its neck. The adventures check the rest of jars, but do not find the other brother.

Moving farther down the winding hallway they find it ends a large room, that can only be described as the laboratory of a mad man. Inside they find all manner of macabre experiments, including dissections and dismemberments. Each is pinned to its respective table and includes research notes. From the ceiling hang cages, many of which contain the unfortunate subjects of strange and unnatural experiments. The group quickly decices to move on, but finds the southern door locked and unopenable. As a result, they decide to explore the other exit from the jar room.

The adventurers quickly determine the exit connects to a ledge along the circumfrence of the pit. They follow it for some time and eventually find it connects with an “L” shaped hallway deeper in the complex. As the adventurers move to investigate the hallway, the are surprised by a large group of skeletons. While setting their line for battle a second group of skeletons joins the fray. Esaleth quickly moves to turn the foul creatures…but fails miserably. As the skeletons continue to advance the characters soon realize they will be overwhelmed and organize a retreat back to the winding hallway. As Tristan covers the retreating characters, Grugosh chops down the other locked door in the hallway as an escape route. Meanwhile, Bree studies the lock to the jar room. As the last characters emerge into the safety of the tunnel, Bree slams the door shut and locks it. Grugush has chopped through the heavy oaken door and group moves into the dark room beyond as skeletons claw at the locked door…

Comments

Tron100