Session 7 - 2/26/24

The next room over had some statues we examined, but some kind of ghost or specter came out?! One of them entered into me and a chill came over my entire body, which started to move on its own. I could not fault my friends for swinging at me, because I did the same - or rather my body did, not me! A strong blow finally dislodged it from me, somehow, but boy did that hurt...
 
Afterwards, Velvet tried her hand at opening a lock as usual, but she must've been shaken up from battle, because the lockpick broke, which left us with no treasure and Velvet with no tools...she looked pretty upset by it.
 
We did the best we could in the circumstances, which were to break open the chest the old fashioned way. It's a good thing we did, there was a King's fortune inside!
 
We also found a greenish metal bracer, which was similar in material to the boots we found. We took the time to Identify (and rest, thankfully) the bracers and boots we found.
 
Arlen took the bracers, which helps his magic recover. I was given the boots, which give me a burst of speed when most needed.
 
We continued through a few more unremarkable rooms but came upon one with a nattering goblin in it, at least until Mara clocked it over the head. This seems to be where the goblins were hiding all of their stolen loot! Thankfully, Velvet was able to find another set of lockpicks in this room. We're back in business!
 
Little else was found on this floor unturned, so we descended to the next floor. Rather than narrow twisting tunnels, this floor seemed to be more traditional hallways and open rooms. We found more goblins down here and got rid of them as we usually do. However, some unusual ferver overcame Chael and he bolted down the hallway like a bat out of hell. We ran after him, with Mara in particular calling for him to slow.
 
One of the rooms that Chael ran to was some kind of laboratory? Or surgeon room? Chael was drawn to a skeleton found in this room, whose bones were covered in runes. It also had some kind of black mass on it that connected to its other bones. Chael revealed his sleeve, showing similar runes on his bandages?? Whatever this is, greatly disturbed him, and he started speaking harshly in some language I had never heard before, but he sounded furious. Before we could even discuss it though, the skeleton began to move on its own!
 
Though it was a skeleton, it instead glowed with a holy light and would sear us with radiance - a burning that left no heat or smoke. Chael was even more distressed by what he saw and halted it with magic, before telling us all to retreat. We did so, but instead it pursued unrelenting. Chael asked me to strike it down after all, and though we did, the end only left Chael to collapse in utter despair. He wailed and cried like a sound I never wished to hear. I think whoever that was was once family...its no wonder he was so pained by what happened.
 
With everything done, we took the time to examine the bones. Some of the runes were the kind I've never seen before, but some I recognized - meaning 'containment'. What was being contained? On top of that, the black stone(?) that was attached to it was knocked away. Did I imagine that the skeleton stopped moving when it was detached?
 
Mara managed to find the stone and Harper used his magic to examine it. He called it a Black Stone Fruit...and said that consuming it improves you permanently...but...at a cost of your humanity...
 
What does that mean? These things terrify me. Did the once living owner of this skeleton eat this fruit? Is that why he ended up that way?
 
We all wanted to destroy it, and yet Chael wanted to preserve it. It seems to be a clue for...whatever he is trying to figure out.