2024-11-21 A Little Taste of Home
1492 DR 28 Uktar (The Rotting)
General Summary
Emerging from the acrid smog surrounding the hill, we found a staircase between the two monoliths at the base of the hill. The stairs led down to an antechamber where the air was cool and clean. Double doors bearing the heraldry of Elturel and the inscription "These are the paths of the dead" in Infernal led into a long corridor. Reliefs depicting the Hellriders fleeing and dying covered the corridor. As we entered the corridor, Leo and Dallon reported feeling a chill as they entered. Enkidu felt it as well but kept it to himself.
At the end of hall, another door led to a wide room where more reliefs depicted Zariel's fall and Olanthius being revived as a death knight. Seven dessicated corpses floated suspended against the walls. They issued an unearthly moan that stung our minds and drained our life, but then made no other hostile moves. It left us all significantly weakened. We left the room and found 9 identical burial chambers, arranged in a 3x3 grid, containing urns and ossurary niches and bearing the inscription "Fealty beyond death".
As we explored the chambers, the ashes and bones formed into soldiers that stood silently as we passed into a second wide chamber with six sarcophagi and the inscription "Undying loyalty" upon the walls. Wraiths carrying swords arose from the sarcophagi. Harad conversed with them briefly, learning only that Olanthius was not currently at the crypt and we were not permitted the enter "the sanctum", the last unexplored chamber in the crypt.
Discussing our weakened condition, we decided to use Leo's rod of security to take refuge and a long rest. However, though the extraplanar paradise accelerated the normal healing of Harad, Xandar, Varanis and Lulu, the other 3 instead grew weaker. They also proved unable to heal magically. After some discussion, we concluded a curse was likely at work. While Dallon would be able to fight the curse's weakening ability, Leo and Enkidu would eventually wither away and die before a long rest would let Harad prepare remove curse. Our best recourse was to use Dallon's amulet of the planes to return to Nils' tower in Baldur's Gate and seek the wizard's help. It took two more hours in the paradise for Dallon to unattune one of his items and attune the amulet, during which Leo and Enkidu grew even weaker. Once achieved, we swiftly plane shifted home. Nils removed the curse from Dallon, Leo, and Enkidu. They ceased getting weaker and were able to heal again.
Nils called Ayla to help us recover. A potion of vitality recovered Enkidu's weakness and Ayla cast greater restoration to do the same for Leo. We took a long rest at the tower, recovering our full strength. Enkidu also reported feeling a weight lifted from him after the rest. Feelings of hostility towards Harad and other abnormal urges had suddenly left. Dallon identified them as signs of the corruption from the Nine Hells. As we prepare to return to Avernus, Nils dug up a scroll of greater restoration he had lying around and gave it to Leo.
As we recovered, Nils passed on rumours that Milo and Iain have been involved in some sort of Lower City gang war involving The Guild. Nai and the Monastery of the Enduring Heart continue to protect Brother Hodges, who in turn is leading the efforts to feed and house the refugees from Elturel. Liara Portyr has assumed leadership of the Flaming Fist and declared martial law.
The Wasting Curse
Entering the main hall of the crypt, Dallon, Leo, and Enkidu fell victim to a curse that left them unable to regain hit points. They also gained one level of exhaustion every hour. As a ranger, Dallon's Tireless feature allowed him to recover one level of exhaustion after each short rest. As long as he was not exerting himself, he'd be able to fight off that part of the curse, but the other two would eventually die from exhaustion.
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