SESSION 8 - WHAT LIES BENEATH

The Graz-naz

The party is brought in to observe the war council.  Kell turns the floor over to Markus, who explains that he and Dreng returned a few days ago from the Black Edifice, which is haunted by something trapped behind the disc.  The disc was once a “door” but is now more of a “lock.”  Markus and Dreng fought their way through several orc scouts to escape, and saw many more orcs coming down from the mountain in great numbers to an assembly point in the north end of the valley.

Professor Malort, who has recently arrived from Yorvik, has deciphered the rest of the script and symbols on the disc.  The marking indicate that the Edifice was once actually a shrine dedicated to some forgotten dark power a long time ago.

The Valinesti elves also just told him that they had once infiltrated the Edifice nearly twenty years ago as a large band of orcs had been tampering with the disc.  During this raid, Ghaelvwynne had cast a binding spell to seal the evil within, so that only a paladin could undo the binding.  During this raid, she had lost her sister Amraylle, whom she believed was killed.

The party must infiltrate the edifice while Kell and his people make defensive preparations.  Kell’s forces are not strong enough to attack the orcs, and so everyone else must help prepare for an invasion.  The party is asked to make a surgical strike- enter the Edifice and eliminate the evil trapped behind the disc if they can.  Markus and Professor Malort believe that if the evil is eliminated, the dark influence causing the orcs to gather will dissipate.  Professor Malort volunteers to join with them in their quest.

After quickly preparing, the party heads out on their new mission.  When they enter the valley, they see that the army of orcs has begun their march toward Hannsport.  Time was running out!

As they approach the Edifice, they spot several fiendish harpies guarding the entrance.  The ambushers are ambushed and heavy fighting ensues, with the harpies unleashing their unholy smite ability on the party of good adventurers.  When they have overcome their enemies, the party infiltrates the Edifice.

As they next make their way to the disc, they encounter no further resistance.  Sir Donagahst breaks the seal and they prepare to enter, but are caught in a steam trap, which injures all of the party members except Moghash and Professor Malort, who were further back.

The party then makes its way through a corridor filled with statues of bizarre looking creatures placed into evenly spaced alcoves.  As they move along, the "statues" animate and attack, and the party engages in a drawn out, bloody battle with the animated creatures.  They are victorious!

They proceed into the shrine and next encounter a haunted area that infused them with a weakening curse.  Upon taking the remains of several poor souls who had been tortured and packed into narrow steel cages to die out of the area and burying them outside, the curse was lifted!

Proceeding along the nest hallway, they come to a large worship hall with a smooth stone door at the other end that cannot be opened.  In the hall, they inspect the altar, which bears the same sigil they encountered many weeks ago on an altar used by hobgoblins in the woods outside Dark Oaks.

They circle back, looking for another way into the area behind the stone door.

Soon afterward, the party finds itself trapped in a winding corridor with a vampiric ooze, which tries to consume Sir Donaghast whole!  They successfully battle the creature and after their victory discover a secret door that leads to a tunnel that takes them to the sealed off area.

The area is the lair of the Graz-naz, a being alluded to in the documents the party had seized from the various goblinoid creatures they had previously defeated in the past.  They battle the Graz-naz, who blinds Moghash and assaults the party with deadly magics.  The party overcomes their foe after a lengthy battle, and finds a concealed chamber behind a secret door that contains the Graz-naz wealth- a dozen grimoires and several chests of jewels and gold coins!

They party loots the area and makes their way out.  As they head back to the village they realize that with the death of the Graz-naz, the orc army has split up, and the party is able to avoid the scattering bands.  They also note that at least one sizable force has continue toward the village!

They race toward home, concerned for the fate of their village!