Downtime, Friends, Skulls, Nazi Zombies - 3rd Session

A week of Downtime

The Brigade gathered at Nok & Nak’s Brewery after several of the members (Un’Goro, Baern, Logan, and Xune) took some time off to train for their 2nd levels.

While enjoying a “Failed Save Ale”, Baern informed the group that he looked into the matter regarding the arcane meteorite. Someone he trusts told him that he might consider keeping this on the down low from the Arcane Academy in fears that they will ask for presidential help in securing this meteorite. The Brigade’s best bet might be to seek a buyer from another town and sell it to them as the ritual needed to remove the meteorite is not proving difficult.

Logan mentioned that his close friend, Carlos, would be attending the Arcane Academy.

The Brigade worked on asking around in regards to the Church of Bane. This is the first step of a five step process that will reveal information needed to attack the Banites presence in Rock Hammer. This skill challenge focused on where the evil church could possibly be. The group asked around, the best person was Maxwell Amand of Maxwell properties, and eventually learned this first important clue:



The Brigade expands and gains a new friend

Baern decided the first order of business would be to contact Councilman Droverson in the Temel Ward to see if he might know anything about Franco the Wererat’s placement in that ward.

Droverson listened intently to the Brigade and informed them that he was nearing in on the location of a cell of Sons of Temel in the ward and would return to them shortly with that information, and to wait for him at the Red Tankard.

While the Brigade was enjoying a beverage there, a man named Farian approached them and was in great need. He had worked for a man named Doran Underhelm and was waiting for payment here in Rock Hammer. He feared that Doran and the rest of Doran’s Daggers had met an unfortunate demise at an abandoned temple they all saw while on their previous mission. Farian returned to Rock Hammer in hopes of appeasing the person(s) to whom he owed a bit of coin to. But Doran never returned with his money and Farian is quite worried. The Brigade agreed to look into this temple for Doran and Farian’s money.

Councilman Droverson returned with the location of the Sons of Temel cell, the Squiggly warehouse not far from here. The Brigade was a bit hesitant about assuming such authority, but the Councilman assured them that the Sons of Temel needed to be stomped out at any opportunity.

When the Brigade busted in the front doors of the warehouse they saw the Sons of Temel already in the middle of battle against a giant of a man, a goliath, single-handedly taking on nine attackers.

Together, the Brigade and the goliath killed the cell of Sons of Temel, as evidence by the pamphlets laying about, calling to the citizens of the ward to rise up and fight their oppression. Dokanor introduced himself as a person who attacks the Sons for actions they had done recently. Finding common ground, the Brigade asked Dokanor to join their group.


Recovering the Necromantic Skull

Following the direction to the letter, the Brigade quickly found the campsite of the miscreants who stole it from the courier. They included several skeleton minions, a wererat, a skeletal rider, and a tiefling necromancer. The battle was rough due to the shifting abilities of the wererat and the necromancer’s ability to raise the dead skeletons. Logan, Dokanor, and maybe Lendri were all dropped at one point in the battle, but eventually the forces of good prevailed and the skull was recovered.

Since they were still in the relative vicinity, the group camped for the night and decided to check out the abandoned temple the following day. But as the group prepared camp, an old man with a strange laugh approached. He announced himself as Lane the Hermit and he mistook the Brigade for the Lords of Rock Hammer, a hundred years prior. Nevertheless, Lane bestowed upon the group the Mirror of the Past, claiming that Kings, Queens, and Saints have all carried this particular mirror and it served them well.


Defending the Temple from waves of Zombies

The following day took a little bit of time for the group to find the abandoned temple. It was dedicated to Orcus but a closer inspection revealed that it was originally a temple of Erathis. The group found nothing on the main floor, but did find something in the rectory. Below the main floor was three corpses, and a mummified cleric with a gem around its neck that glowed a dreadful purple.

Sure enough they came to life and attacked. The recently formed zombies, Doran and his men, were easily dispatched and soon after the Deathlock Wight was put down as well. The group recovered the money for Farian in addition to some coin for themselves for their troubles.

However, as the Brigade reached the main floor of the temple the sun had set, and the purple Necroshard they retrieved from the wight increased in intensity. Outside the group saw hundreds, if not thousands, of undead emerging from the treeline and the ground itself, all intent on getting to the temple.

Baern barked out orders and the group quickly made fortifications inside the temple as best they could in the form of a skill challenge. But with each failure came more undead that breached in through a window, or the front door, or even the ground itself.

After defending the temple for two waves the undead made one final push with an attack that included shard zombies, corruption curse, and of course, gravehounds.

As the last hobgoblin zombie was destroyed the morning sun rose, ending the effects of the necroshard. For now. Currently the group must decide whether to keep the necroshard and infuse it with a weapon, or destroy it. Perhaps that alter to Erathis could be reconsecrated and used to destroy it here?