Summary:
Part II of the Army of the Light’s battle with the Necromancers of Nergal. More than 20 zombies walk through a wall of fire and burn away! A wraith surprises the group through a stinking cloud, Nathalas the Despicable escapes from the Army of the Light, and Gorgat becomes the next major figure of power in the Duchy of Aerik.

PC’s:
Rolando, Hobbit Rogue 6/Pacer 5 of Brandobaris Fleetfoot
Llewelyn, Elf Cleric 8/Wizard 7 of Sehanine Moonbow
Martin, Human Rogue 10 of Bacchus
Gorgat, Half-Orc Barbarian 9 of Haephestus
Tiberius, Human Cleric 6/Paladin 3 of St. Ingrid
Magni, Dwarf Fighter 5 of Barundar Battleaxe
Balthazar, Elf Wizard 8 of Arcanus
Zen, Human Monk 8 of St. Agathos
Rosaline, Half-Elf (Elf lineage) Druid 8 of The Daghda
Astrid, Human Skald 5 of Loki

NPC:
Dhekeon “the Disgraced,” fallen skeletal paladin of St. Justus (seeking redemption)

Game Diary:
We ended the last session in the middle of combat. Nathalas had disappeared and left his steel skeleton constructs behind to keep the PCs busy, with two attacks around, a 21 AC, and magical resistance, they were formidable opponents. But with all other enemies gone, the group could focus on them and destroy them.

They heard some noises outside the corridor. Zombies had been commanded to attack them. They placed a wall of fire to protect themselves and as the mindless zombies poured through (20 in all) the flesh was burned off their bones and they fell into a pile of bones. Another spellcaster summoned monster allies (which happened to be bugbears from a few corridors away), they cleared up the bones, the wall of fire was dismissed, and the bugbears and several adventurers headed out to get whatever necromancer stragglers they could find. A few necromancers had been clearing out the belongings from their barracks while the zombies had kept the group pre-occupied, and now they had some more bugbear mercenaries continue to hold off the PCs while they grabbed some final items.

As some members of the group needed into the corridor to take on the remaining necromancers and their bugbear companions, a few others remained in the main chamber. A glyph of warding was now placed on the entrance to provide more protection for them.

This was fortunate, for a stinking cloud suddenly appeared outside the room separating those inside the main room from those who had headed out to get the necromancers and bugbears. Fearing what might happen those in the main room stepped back from the entrance at just the right time as a wraith (disguised by the noxious cloud) swiftly entered the room – but activated the glyph of warding! It took heavy damage and the group was able to lay in and destroy it before it could drain them of their life force!

With the necromancers now in retreat and the major threats out of the way, the PCs now entered the former barracks of the necromancers (which had been mostly destroyed from the sinkhole that Rosaline had placed above them from the Barrowmoor a couple sessions prior). Most items had been taken, however, they did find a 3,000 lb gold sarcophagus worth 12,500gp (and similar xp if they could find a way to get it out of the dungeon!). Of course, this group is really creative and with multiple characters per player (some multiclass), the players have a lot of options, especially at the levels they are now reaching. After some calculations, it was worked out that floating disc can hold up to 1,000 lbs, so they summoned three of them to take the sarcophagus out of the Barrowmaze! It did take some time and the spells had to be cast a few times, but they succeeded!

The group returned triumphantly! Gorgat the barbarian made 9th level from this adventure, and as with the old-school feel I want to present, means that he has now become famous enough to get followers, immediately as they entered Helix and Ironguard Motte people noticed his authority and power. Upon returning to the caves with the cavepeople in the southern Barrowmoor (who had already become impressed by him), more cavepeople began arriving for him to serve as their leader. To the cavepeople Gorgat was GorGod! A new major player has now taken his place in the Duchy of Aerik. Viscount Kell Ironguard is interested in making arrangements with Gorgat as one of the new influencers in the realm for peace and trade between the people of the Duchy and the cavepeople.

No time to rest, however, for the group wants to head back to the Barrowmaze as soon as possible to try and find and get Nathalas before he can regroup with what remains of the Nergal faith. That will happen next time!

Summary:
The Army of the Light enters the chambers of the leaders of the Necromancers of Nergal and begin their showdown with Nathalas the Despicable and Thala-Kul, his second-in-command (surrounded by mirror images), protected by Black and Steel Skeletons and dodging lightning bolts and stinking clouds sent forth by the spellcaster leaders!

PC’s:
Rolando, Hobbit Rogue 6/Pacer 5 of Brandobaris Fleetfoot
Llewelyn, Elf Cleric 7/Wizard 7 of Sehanine Moonbow
Martin, Human Rogue 10 of Bacchus
Gorgat, Half-Orc Barbarian 8 of Haephestus
Tiberius, Human Cleric 6/Paladin 3 of St. Ingrid
Magni, Dwarf Fighter 5 of Barundar Battleaxe
Balthazar, Elf Wizard 8 of Arcanus
Zen, Human Monk 8 of St. Agathos
Rosaline, Half-Elf (Elf lineage) Druid 8 of The Daghda
Astrid, Human Skald 5 of Loki

NPC:
Dhekeon “the Disgraced,” fallen skeletal paladin of St. Justus (seeking redemption)

Game Diary:
The session began with the group entering an old dwarven crypt to Drambuin Hilsmith. They battled a stone golem guardian and afterward collected his mithril warhammer, plate mail, and a nice helm.

After that, they chose to explore an area that was seemingly under the rubble of a sinkhole they created in the Barromoor above in the previous session. Passing through a secret door they saw a corridor filled with rubble and a zombie with tools to clean up the rubble, water, and mud (the 10-foot wide corridor was effectively only 5 feet wide to pass through). Approaching double doors they saw symbols of an Egyptian god Anubis but was clearly defiled and reconsecrated from the Egyptian Hound of the Dead to Nergal, the Babylonian Lord of the Underworld. Upon entering the room from the east two brass jackals came to life and attacked the adventurers. Bugbear leaders (Gblug and Kakta) of the Red Fang clan (that had become hired mercenaries of the Nergal necromancers) emerged from the northwest room covered by a tapestry. From the central west room hidden behind columns and a giant statue as a necromancer with a voice that commanded authority (Nathalas the Despicable) was accompanied by black and steel skeletons. Finally, there was a necromancer (Thala-kul) emerging from a southwest room, accompanied by two more brass jackals.

Several members of the Army of the Light rushed northwest to take on the bugbears, Nathalas sent out a half-a-dozen black skeletons to try and destroy them. Nathalas sent out a powerful lightning bolt toward the entrance to the room where most of the group still stood. It did devastating damage to them. However, a player chose to use a card they had from the Deck of Dirty Tricks – a limited wish! – and the lightning bolt was canceled. Nathalas was outraged! Thala-kul in the southwest also hurled a lightning bolt, but he was not the high-mage that Nathalas was and his lightning bolt was less effective.

The next wave saw Nathalas surround himself by a magical protective sphere of energy (spellcasters recognized it as a globe of invulnerability), but the spellcasters in the Army of the Light successfully dispelled it! As the adventurers attacked Thal-kul’s brass jackals, he surrounded them by a stinking cloud. But the spellcasters in the Army of the Light created a wind tunnel through the cloud to the PCs that opened up breathing space for them! The player’s clever use of counterspells, dispel magic, and combat tactics put the leaders of Nergal on the back foot!

The bugbear leaders in the north didn’t last long and the black skeletons were at best only keeping about one-third of the group pre-occupied. Thala-kul in the south had now lost his brass jackals and his stinking cloud was no longer effective as PCs charged through the wind tunnel and others circumnavigated the outskirts of the cloud. Thala-kul had summoned mirror images to give himself a fighting chance, but the shere skill and perseverance of the Army of the Light struck them down, and soon enough with no illusionary defense and no constructs to protect him he went down.

Nathalas was the high-mage of Nergal for a reason, however. Clearly possessing greater magical skill and physical fortitude than others, he passed his saving throws against the spells of the heroes trying to ruin his concentration, and when he saw his bugbear mercenaries and black skeletons go down as well as his second-in-command, he had his two powerful and formidable steel skeleton constructs remain behind to prevent the warriors from getting to him while he summoned a swirling vortex and lept through it as it closed behind him!

What happened next? Well, it was the end of the session, so we had to leave this adventure on a cliffhanger!