Over the river and into the undead…

…the party searched Jakob’s body, finding a small cage in his pocket with a miniature Brymu inside. The party returned upstairs to find that the magic circle was dormant, and that the servant upstairs was finally at peace. Edgar, Lenore, and Annabel were laid to rest together, with the maid and servant given a proper burial as well. Once that work was done, the party returned to the Tear of Selûne at the docks to reunite Brymu with Lirith and let Captain Amella know what they found in the House on the Hill. With a few days until their planned departure, the group began debating what to do in the meantime.

The House of the Crocodile

Remembering the news of the Order of the Gauntlet‘s fallen outpost at Camp Righteous and subsequent relocation further up river to Camp Vengeance, the party decided to see if there was anything more to learn. Once outside the city’s limits, Leo called upon Silvanus to transform the group into a gaseous mist once more, and they wind walked southwest along the banks of the River Soshenstar. They flew past the remains of Camp Righteous, built in front of the ancient temple known as the House of the Crocodile, and transformed back to their corporeal forms just outside Camp Vengeance. When they encountered an Order patrol, the party asked to be taken to the camp commander, and were escorted in to see Commander Niles Breakbone. When asked what assistance the Order needed, the Commander invited the party to join a patrol that was leaving in the morning.

Patience is not a virtue for these heroes. The party left almost immediately, their mist forms continuing to follow the River Soshenstar to its source in the Aldani Basin, and then River Tath south to the jungle’s edge. There was no riverbank to follow to their destination, so the party entered the jungles and pressed on to the south. Soon after, the vegetation grew thick enough to block out the sky… and they found themselves surrounded by a score of humanoid zombies: humans, goblins and even ogres! The undead ogress hit hard, but the party ultimately hit harder… giving a second and final death to their foes. Deciding that it was best to regain some strength before continuing on, the party took a short rest before resuming their journey to the Black Jungle…