What to do with Dijin’s corpse? The group ponders and decides it is appropriate to go back outside. They depart and return to Rosegate House. The aristocratic enclave still buzzes with talk of the midnight attack on the Vladam family, but there seems to be no direct involvement. Some quick negotiations are completed and Inverted Pyramid pulls some strings to return DIgin to the land of the living. He was handed a shiny new axe, dusted off, and brought back to the party. The group rushes back to the Warren, hoping that their small lead is still large enough to finish before the group behind them.
The group advances and as they climb they enter an older part of the structure. There are several statues and symbols here that remind you of the guardians and watchers that were set up to oversee the area. There are many secret doors that lead to strange and interesting places, some of which are very well hidden. One such door provides access to a hallway with three sealed doors in the wall and a screen blocking the view across the room. At this point, they remember that they were carrying a hand that was working to open other unopenable doors, and try it to break the seal on the door they just discovered. This will lead to an attack from several summoned air elementals. They are defeated, but victory comes at the cost of Dijin’s new axe. Dijin re-evaluates the bend in the direction of his axe. Probably not. He has to ask himself some difficult questions.
The vault door is unsealed, several strange items are recovered, and a strange orb of swirling green gas is left untouched. It’s too weird by anyone’s standards to mess with it. Another area is full of traps and attracts the group’s attention. Several hours are spent traversing the floor and attempting to converse with a “ghost” trapped within slowly rusting armor. In the end, a barely clothed Sniffles rides Saar like a flying carpet and attempts some complicated evil deeds. Unfortunately, the time and energy spent here doesn’t seem to have yielded any results. All they learn is that a great evil is sealed within the vault, collectively known as “Bane.” Yes…well…anyway…we’re off!
A new door will be found and opened by hand. This leads them upwards into a series of rooms with decidedly angelic decorations, but much of the place is desecrated. So there are some shenanigans going on behind these sealed doors that indicate the presence of others. After investigating several rooms, the group eventually comes across a familiar object. It’s a large brass ball on a metal shaft that I saw unfinished near the door I used to enter the whole area. There are some ideas floating around about how to use this device, but an attack by a group of wights led by what appears to be vampires has put the conversation on the backburner for now. In the ensuing battle, Fingers captures the fugitive heinous and disappears into the darkness. Saar, Sniffles, and Kegdrain all lose energy levels to this ravenous beast, but ultimately fight it off, causing it to turn gaseous and flee the area. Veiga wants to follow the steam, but the others are worried about the roaming gnomes. In the background is the certain knowledge that whoever organized the Umberhulk to create the Lothian Church and the first tunnels will be here soon, if not already.
