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Session #22

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Sun July 30, 1178 (14:00 - 21:00)

With the vast, windowless stone structure of the Necropolis of Mezdamol before them, the Executors decided on the most sensible course of action: knocking on the door. They received an answer in the form of a grave voice speaking from within in the old Mezdish language, which Zerendar helped them translate to what seemed to be a pre-written message for solicitors and visitors to the Necropolis. It gave instructions for gifts of the deceased, apprenticeship inquiries, and any miscellaneous inquiries. Unfortunately, the door was not opened for them. Instead, they chose to investigate a nearby collapsed tunnel which led to a network of rails underneath the Necropolis, staffed by a team of skeletal workers. Returning from their quick expedition, they devised a clever plan: Astrid would cast Feign Death on the other Executors, and transform herself into a spider to ride along with them. This worked! The Dead Collector came outside as the sun set and brought the "bodies" inside, where they discovered a line of gruesome operating tables where skeletal workers transformed new corpses into armoured soldiers, replacing limbs as necessary with higher quality bones. Not wanting them to be operated on, Astrid woke the others from their slumber and posed as an eager apprentice. Fang used this distraction to observe how the other corpses were being handled, and learned that while most personal effects got trashed, magic items were kept for "special handling" by the Dead Collector. Carnage did not trust these undead nearly as much as the others. She had a shocking grasp spell prepared at all times to attack any of them who seemed remotely threatening, and was searching for a reason to cast it. Fortunately, they seemed to be neutral - for now. Having been told to wait for the Dead Collector to let them into the Necromancer's Quarters, Astrid and Fang instead snuck everyone through the door (waiting is boring). Here, they found a set of long-forgotten rooms where people may have once lived, with a giant door at the back to where the Crypt Keeper resides. Having run out of spells to use for sneaking through the door, they returned to their original strategy: knocking on the door. Surprisingly(?), someone answered. A harsh, gravelly voice spoke to them, seemingly surprised to have a new apprentice. They allowed the Executors inside to begin their training. They spoke of the gnomes, the "vile vermin of Centrum" destroying their old necromancers and "stealing" their "lady of war". But, they seemed grateful for a new apprentice regardless. They showed the Executors some of their finest work with creating new necrotic monsters using scavenged magic items. They created a fine army of bone nagas, the Dead Collector, and another creature using a magic chrononancy pocketwatch: the Timewatcher. The Executors of course recognized this pocketwatch immediately as one of Zerendar's anchors. So while Astrid was speaking with the Crypt Keeper, Carnage used that time to climb onto the Timewatcher and try stealing the pocketwatch from out of its heart. This unfortunately failed, and finally gave them a reason to unleash their wrath in the form of... A FIREBALL!! The Crypt Keeper dropped all conversation of apprenticeship at this sudden attack, and released their monsters to assist in what was now a fight against the Executors. Beginning an all-out fight, they said: "You come to offer apprenticeship, but rob me instead? If you wish to prove an inkling of worth, you'll have to first survive my wrath!"