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Session 70, A Complaint for the Manager!
Paldegora
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Session 70 – 2026-05-23
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Summary
Detail
Company Clandestine had just finished fighting off Ghasts and a “Thrall” and the stench that came with them. The passage ahead continued to the southwest, where stairs descended into another lit section below. Before moving on, the company considered whether they had missed anything in the previous rooms. The small room with the two madmen seemed like exactly the sort of place someone might use to hide a secret door. The madmen would make perfect guards.
The company paused long enough for some healing. Angelique used the last of her “Cure Light Wounds” spells, and others used doses from their supplies. After that, Eryn, Symon, and Cassandra returned toward the room with the madmen while the others waited in the barrel room. Eryn quietly checked on the rescued prisoners and told them the company was going to look at one more thing before continuing the search for Mary's sister. Jane urged them to hurry, saying she was ready to get out of this place.
The unconscious man in the room had not moved. Cassandra went in first with her shield raised, checked him, and found him still unconscious. Eryn slipped in and examined the odd stone in the wall that had caught her attention. It was a secret door, slightly ajar. She could not believe they had missed it before, but they had been busy trying not to be killed.
The door opened inward and revealed a narrow passage. It was rough and looked manually dug out. It went about fifteen feet before turning east. It was not natural. A dim lantern glowed around the corner, almost burned out. Eryn went ahead and found a shovel, a bucket, and signs of digging. A passage leading north from there had partially collapsed in places, but there was another light beyond the debris. Cassandra went back for the others, and X'or examined the collapse. He judged that it could be cleared if they worked carefully. The roof looked shaky, but not likely to bury anyone if they were cautious.
X'or and Cassandra began clearing stones while the others waited. After about an hour, they opened enough of the passage for X'or to get through. Beyond the collapse, the passage turned north and came to an opening. Beyond, Eryn could hear sounds of the sea. She squeezed through and found that they were only a little west of the main gate.
The company realized they had found a possible escape route. Symon pointed out that it could be used to move the prisoners back to the ship. They considered resting but decided not to yet. They did not know what condition Julia was in, or whether she was still alive, and in waiting she might lose her life. Angelique returned to gather the prisoners and told them the company had found a way out. They would take them to the ship for safekeeping and then return for Mary’s sister.
The prisoners agreed at once. They escorted them through the newly cleared passage, out to the shore, and back to the ship. The company and Captain Hurst then returned through the same route, back into the dungeon. By then, it was about half past midnight.
They reentered carefully. The unconscious man they had tied and gagged was awake and struggling, but still secure. Eryn checked ahead and found the nearby rooms and hallways as they had left them. She checked the trap at the top of the stairs and found that it was still locked in place. Then they moved back through the barrel room and through the door to the foul-smelling chamber toward the lower stairs.
Symon stepped on and triggered a pit trap. He dropped into it, took damage, and had to be pulled out. Eryn moved to help him but found another pit trap by falling in. She very quickly fell into another one. After that, the company slowed down. Eryn began checking each section of floor and each set of stairs before anyone moved forward.
The stairs continued downward through the stench and fog. The fog stayed low and seemed to come from nowhere. As Eryn checked the way, a voice called to her from below, inviting her to come closer, and saying that it was anxious to meet her. She asked whether there were any more traps between them and the speaker, but there was no answer. The company continued downward.
From below, they heard chains rattling, as if someone were struggling. The voice called again, saying they were just getting ready to have dinner and invited the company to join them. Eryn checked the next stairs and the floor beyond, then moved forward with the others close behind.
At the bottom, they found a large chamber lit dimly around an altar. The altar bore skulls, knives, and other objects. A huge skull motif marked the back of the chamber, and dark religious markings covered the area. The signs seemed connected to Sahn and dark magic, mixed with the black dragon markings they had already seen.
A woman was chained at the altar. She was gagged and struggling, with blood running from her neck and arms. Eryn moved toward her and saw that the woman was shaking her head, warning her away. Cassandra saw the girl indicating danger and began looking around. Eryn started working on the padlocks but then stopped.
Then the attack came, from above.
Small, undead children dropped from the ceiling. They looked as if they had once been children, but no longer. They carried short glowing scimitar shaped swords made for their size. The creatures fell among the company and struck at them. The fight descended on them all at once. Captain Hurst joined Angelique in fighting of her attacker.
Angelique cast Mirror Image to protect herself. Eryn struck one of the creatures and interposed herself between the chained woman and her attacker. X'or and Cassandra pressed the attack with their weapons. Cal-El fought as well, but one of the undead children struck him and left him paralyzed. Eryn was later struck and paralyzed as well.
The fight became more dangerous when the mist around them gathered near big double doors to the east and began to take the shape of a person. The mist solidified into someone known as The Manager. There was no doubt what he was. He was a wicked looking vampire, and he moved into the fight that he’d sent his undead children into.
The Manager fixed his gaze on X'or and tried to charm him, but X'or resisted. X'or stepped forward and struck him hard. The battle continued around the altar. Angelique's images absorbed blows as she attempted to turn the undead. She managed to turn one of them and he scurried off, up the wall. Cassandra, Angelique, Captain Hurst, and Symon pressed the fight with the Thralls while X'or focused on the vampire. Symon used blink and popped in and out around the top of the stairs while supporting the others. The paralysis holding Cal-El wore off and he joined X’or in finishing off the vampire. Unfortunately, his Scimitar of Speed was broken and lost in the fight.
Eryn’s paralysis also wore off. She and Cassandra finished of the Thrall that had been hitting on her. The turned creature had last been seen moving along the ceiling to the southern end of the room. Cal-El went to free Julia. He removed her gag and then began trying to find the keys for the many locks that held her chained there. He found a key ring with ordinary iron keys and, in another pocket, a large-jeweled key. The jeweled key looked important, so they kept it.
Cal-El used the keys to unlock the woman from the altar. As soon as she was free, she asked whether her sister was okay. The company told her that her sister was waiting for her. The woman smiled, but she was weak from blood loss and nearly collapsed. Angelique gave her a potion and began bandaging her wounds. The bites were small and child-sized. From what Angelique could tell, the woman had not been drained to the point of death and was likely to survive.
The company searched The Manager and found a fancy longsword, scale mail, and a purse with about one hundred and fifty gold pieces. They also examined the weapons carried by the undead children. The short swords had a faint magical glow, and the company kept them to identify later.
Eryn asked Julia about Princess Seraphina. Julia told them that the princess had been there. She had been held downstairs only briefly, as if another place was being prepared for her. Then she had been taken away. When Julia last saw her, Princess Seraphina seemed to be in good condition. Julia believed they had moved her upstairs but was unsure if she was still here or not.
Julia did not know anything about the upper level. She had never been upstairs. She had heard some talk about a password, but she had not paid attention to it and could not tell them what it was.
The company considered how to reach the upper level. They remembered other entrances they had already seen: the locked door near the causeway, the cave side, and the main gate. They also now had the jeweled key found on The Manager. They decided the next step was to take Julia safely back to the ship and then return.
Before leaving the chamber, Cal-El checked the altar more closely. Behind it was a shelf or storage space with ceremonial items and many bottles. Eryn checked it and pulled them out. Most were empty potion bottles, but four still contained liquid. Three of them looked familiar. The fourth looked strange and unknown. They kept the potions so Angelique and Symon could examine them later.
The company had rescued Julia, learned that Princess Seraphina had been taken upstairs, recovered The Manager's key, and found more possible magical supplies. They still had the upper level of the fortress ahead of them.
This is where the session ended.
Please start the recorder!
Experience: 4417 + 442 = 4859.