Stonehell: Pushing Deeper into the Quiet Halls

Session 26 was played on 2/10.

Wilhelm, drunk Dwarf 5 (Julia)
-Helmut, war dog
-Xerxis, Human Fighter 1 (Henchman)
-Yolanda, Human Fighter 1 (Henchman)
-2 torch bearers (Z, A.A.Ron)
-6 men at arms (O, Siri, T, U, V, W)
Nilbog Dracon, human wizard 2 (Matt)
??? wizard 1 (Kat)

Stayed in town
Tink, a pretentious Elf (but I repeat myself) and former barkeep (Hanna)
Shelly, a vegetarian recovering alcoholic halfling Thief 3 (Nadia)
Frank, halfling 1 (Emily)
Yaqen, elf 1 (Shaun)
Karlaih, Human Thief 5 (Mollie)
Leroy, human fighter 3 (Mike)
Sarin the Ugly, Human Fighter 1 (Josh)
Menchi, Cleric 1 (Laural)
Unnamed, Elf 1 (Nicole)

The session started by heading out of Stonehell, and back to town. The party wanted to follow up on the quest to find Malfreces Nul in the Quiet Halls, but wanted to see about hiring a priest to help out with the less than quiet dead. After spreading around a few donations, a pale woman in black robes named Baraball the priestess of Tarchanna (the petty goddess of death's infinite darkness) agreed to join them in Stonehell for 40gp/day (plus any costs incurred for spellcasting).

Back to Stonehell, they stop to visit Rocky and ask the following questions:
Q:"What do Stone Oliphants fear?"
A: Stone Mice

Q: Where are the Annals of Tacitus? (a book Nilbog is looking for)
A: In the Old Wizard's school

Q: Do you know where the old wizards school is?
A: Yes *GRIN*

Realizing they'd wasted a question, they thanked Rocky, and headed into the Quiet Halls. Baraball proved incredibly useful, calling on her goddess to return the unquiet dead to their rest again and again. Even the swirling bone thing faltered before her, and the party destroyed the skull at the center of the swirling mass, causing it to collapse. An impressive treasure stash was recovered, and moving on the party made it into a new section of the halls discovering both a stairway down, and some non-crypt rooms.

The first was a junk room, full of moldering linens, smashed urns, and rotting empty coffins. A big spider lurking on one of the coffins was quickly dispatched. Beyond was a large pillared temple, but the shredded hangings and smashed altar hid whatever divinity it was once dedicated to. A large papery nest hung in one alcove, and when Wilhelm reached the halfway point of the room, big bug-eyed heads popped out to look at him. Everyone froze for a moment, but the creatures emerged, and spread out to attack as many of the party as they could. Given that there were 10 bodies to choose from (the wizards and 2 bodyguards stayed back in the junk room for safety) the 7 stirges had lots to choose from. The hooked claws were remarkably adept at latching onto armor and allowing the piercing beaks to sink easily into soft flesh, but the numbers worked against the creatures. Once they were killed, Wilhelm burned their nest. As the room filled with smoke and the smell of burnt sugar, they finished searching and found a large chunk of amber.

As the air was getting bad in the old temple the party continued on through a broken door into a room divided by a pit. In the pit was a dark thick looking liquid that stank of rotting stagnant water. Spanning the pit was a rickety looking bridge. Thankfully there was a doorway that didn't require crossing the bridge leading out into a long hallway. Wilhelm noticed that just a little way down, the stonework looked wrong directly across from the first door they came to. He opened the secret door into... little more than an empty walk in closet. But then the torchlight fell upon a sigil on the far wall. Wilhelm poked it with his 10' pole, but nothing happened. V eventually agreed to touch it for extra pay. Everyone flanked the door as V announced he was touching it. Silence fell.... and peaking around the door, they found the room empty. While discussing what to do next, V reappeared and told of the chamber it teleported him to. Marking it down, the party closed the door, and checked out the door across the way. 12 hungry rats the size of corgis grinned as the room was lit by the torches, but Nilbog put them all to sleep, and they were all killed. Remembering that the tavern in the Korners would buy freshly killed rats, the carcasses were gathered up, and the party decided to head back for some food and rest.

Gains: 4280gp worth of treasure, 1 Potion of Heroism
Kills: Whole bunch of low level undead by Baraball, Bone Thing, 7 Stirges, 12 Rats
Losses: