Restless Souls Report
General Summary
11-17-21
Session 8 – Stream #2
The party parts ways with Cora and leaves the ruined farmhouse on the road to Torma. Autumn is ending and the leaves have fallen, leaving skeletal remains of trees behind. Cloaks are pulled tighter against the winter chill in the air.
On the evening of the 3rd day they approach the town of Cromwell. Lord Vilhelm Rosenstrong built this village around the Narwhal (but not Narwhal) Lodge - seeking to take advantage of the travelers on the road to everywhere but, as he tells it, the Torumands screwed him over and built the road on a different path. While discussing this local history Kai’ron points out a series of pulsing lights ahead. Near where the town would be but off in the woods a little. As they discuss the lights and what they mean they hear horrible sobbing coming from the area of lights and pin it down to a few hundred feet into the forest. The party enters the woods and the wailing and sobbing continues. Scanlon sends Coruxa to investigate and through her he sees that there are 3 lights near the noise. As she nears them 2 of the 3 go out leaving a single yellow-green orb that blinks its light and then disappears behind a tree. Coruxa follows and sees an incorporeal woman, glowing softly, on her knees sobbing. The group decides to carefully approach and call out to her.
They learn that her name is Maggie and she’s been dead for 2 days.
“They’re all dead”
“who”
“everyone in Cromwell. There was gas everywhere. The air was thick and yellow. It burned our eyes and throat. My daughter was killed – she was 3 and she took her last breath in my arms. I fell to the ground and took my last breath.”
“Where did the gas come from?”
“I saw a man – he killed my husband. I was floating and I saw the stairs that lead to the afterlife (I think there was a specific name for the place here but I must not have written it down?). The stairs were full of people. The island leading to the stairs was so full that people were pushing forward and those on the stirs were falling off. I fell and floated back down to Cromwell. I saw my body and then saw John. He went outside carrying a shovel and a man with a long point mask pointed at him. A bolt of yellow light struck John and he died.”
At this point there is a rumbling in the ground and we roll initiative. Maggie says “I don’t want to do this” and 9 zombies appear. During the battle Maggie says “I don’t want to do this” and after a burst of yellow lights 2 wisps appear on the battlefield. Kai’ron convinces Maggie that she doesn’t need to do this and that we will help her so she joins the battle. The battle is won and the party gathers around Maggie to comfort her more and try to get any more details.
“There was a man. He told me if I brought more dead bodies to him he would help me cross over. He took the bodies and made them stand up. There was thing as well – it was half there and half not and the bottom half of his body turned to smoke. He killed people and turned them into things that look angry and are misty as if they aren’t fully there.”
Nefkler flares at the mention of the undead and promises Maggie that he will help her and will reunite her with her daughter in the afterlife.
The party decides to rest and heal their wounds before Maggie leads them into town. As they approach the town they find it covered in a low hanging yellow gas along the ground, about a foot high. They remember Raynor telling them that after the attack on his home a gas like this lingered for weeks. They decide to press forward and Scanlon sends Coruxa ahead to scout again. She sees a couple pockets of zombies, one with a ghost looking thing with them. They decide to clear pockets as they move and press towards the ones on the right with 2 zombies and a Specter. Altariel touches Nefkler’s Quarterstaff, turning it into a magical weapon. During the battle Kai’ron hears a voice in his head saying ”nothing you do is ever good enough – you might as well lie down and breathe it all in.” A shadowy creature appears behind him and attacks. Upon hitting Kai’ron and Altariel he seems to sap their strength from them (Kai’ron -4STR, Altariel -3 STR) but the party manages to down all the enemies.
They approach the second cluster – this one has 3 zombies and a Specter and during the battle 3 Shadow creatures appear.
The party is starting to come together as a fighting force. Coruxa flies about the battlefield creating advantage for her master. Scanlon obliterates a shadow with a critical hit. Altariel portents a miss to one. Kai’ron supports the group with inspiration and heals and attacks. Nefkler uses her newly magical weapon and the battle is won - but not without more strength drains (Nefkler -3, Kai’ron -6 total, Altariel -3, and Scanlon -8).
Coruxa is once again sent forward to scout and sees a 3rd (and final?) group with more zombies, a Specter, and another fearful looking glowing creature that they haven’t come across yet. They decide to take shelter in the 2nd floor of a building and rest before taking on this group. Nefkler remembers the drift globe and the party realizes it might be a useful tool in the battle against undead and things that are literally shadows. They feel rejuvenated (STR back to normal for all) and prepare to face the next battle.
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