Session — 06/08/989–06/09/989
The Man in the Mausoleum
The chamber beneath the Strangeways Mausoleum was vast—fifty feet long, thirty-five wide, with a ceiling that disappeared into shadow. Four towering columns held up the weight of history, and a gold-inlaid rune gleamed faintly in the stone floor. Beside it stood a golden font, its surface smooth and untouched.
And standing next to it was a man.
He was pallid and thin, his chest marked with a symbol the party had seen before. He did not raise a weapon. Instead, he spoke calmly, commenting—almost approvingly—on how efficiently the Blades had dispatched the kobolds.
Corwin Thorne engaged him in conversation, commiserating about the difficulty of finding competent help. The man listened. Asked questions. Wanted to know if they were religious. He seemed pleased when the answer was no.
He asked if they had killed knights of the realm.
Gideon Kael lied.
He asked if they followed the law of the Kingdom.
Leda Gebhart hedged.
He asked about obedience. About orders. About leadership. He did not like their answers. Too democratic. Too unfocused.
When Leda asked his name, he refused to give it.
Corwin quietly warned Gideon: He’s undead.
Zel Cunningham confirmed it.
Gideon charged.
The Rune Awakens
The moment Gideon surged forward, the rune flared beneath his feet.
A suit of armor standing silently in the corner came alive.
The thin man sighed—not in anger, but disappointment. His features twisted, briefly feral, as whatever entity inhabited him withdrew. His body collapsed, empty.
“I won’t see you again,” he said softly.
Then the fight began.
Battle in the Chamber
The animated armor struck first, battering Gideon to the ground with crushing blows. The ghoul lunged for Corwin, its stench overwhelming, its claws swift. Leda dragged Gideon back from death with healing magic and paid for it—critically struck as she resisted the ghoul’s reaction.
Mol Potts hurled alchemical bombs. Zel recognized the creature for what it was—a ghoul soldier, weak-willed, dangerous up close—and unleashed lightning.
Gideon rose again. With a staggering strike, he shattered the armor’s plating, breaking centuries of craft in one brutal blow. The ghoul darted between Mol and Leda, slashing wildly, only to be burned and blasted by magic and alchemy.
Zel stepped fully into the chamber, channeling power without hesitation. Lightning arced between enemies.
Then Gideon struck again—snaking his blade through the ghoul’s guard and taking its head clean off.
Silence returned.
The Duke Appears
As the party caught their breath, thunder cracked.
A magical explosion filled the room—and a figure appeared as if stepping through the storm itself.
He took in the chamber with a single glance and frowned at the symbol carved into the ghoul’s chest. With casual ease, he broke the enchantment animating the armor, dismissing it like an inconvenience.
Magic flowed from him openly. Freely. Without fear.
He spoke with Zel about her spellcasting and asked—mildly—whether she had summoned him. Addressed Leda, who replied with a simple, “Yo.” He commented dryly on their lack of etiquette and introduced himself at last.
He invited them to visit his manor.
“Speak to Hammond,” he said, gesturing to his manservant.
Before leaving, Leda showed the Duke a ring she had recovered. Hidden within it was a subtle Infernal Empire mark—not his. His expression hardened.
Then he vanished.
Bugs, Poison, and Persistence
Exploring the natural caves to the south revealed little of value—vermin, glowing fungi, damp stone. Corwin attempted to pet Leda. She bit him.
Farther in, massive toadstool mushrooms loomed. Chittering echoed.
Thousands of insects poured out.
The fight was chaos. Swarms bit and poisoned Leda and Zel repeatedly. Fire, frost, and water magic battered the mass. Gideon finally cut through it, destroying the swarm.
What followed was not a fight, but a struggle to keep Leda alive.
Failed saves. Antidotes. Encouragement. More failures.
Eventually—finally—she survived.
Mol identified the fungi as Capscelous Enlargus, light-feeding mushrooms with a symbiotic relationship with the insects. Corwin pocketed a lightstone.
They left.
Fallout in Strangeways
Back in town, tensions mounted.
Leda argued with her mother. Ophelia Gebhart dismissed the Duke’s appearance as fantasy.
Zel buried herself in paperwork. Mol was dragged to church by his father, leaving his pack behind. The Church of the Beauty was overflowing—sermons warning that faith, not adventurers, would protect Strangeways.
Gideon reported to Garrick Thorne, the constable—who looked exhausted and overworked. Gideon summarized the delve. Corwin refused to corroborate.
Zel overheard guards speaking again of the elf hunter—a man who could sniff out magic anywhere. She packed to flee that night.
Her parents begged her to stay. Her father worried the party would sell her out. Zel admitted she had summoned the Duke. They worried—quietly—that she spoke far too often about Gideon.
Strangeways Manor
On 06/09/989, the party dressed well—except Leda and Zel.
They traveled to Strangeways Manor, a crumbling brick estate with slit windows, a crooked tower, and a massive astrological dome. The iron fence sagged, rusted and broken.
The door was not opened willingly.
Inside, Zel found a book titled Understanding the Weave. It was about fabric.
At last, Duke Elric Strangeways appeared again. He spoke to each of them in turn. Hammond greeted Leda warmly—he knew her mother. Corwin realized he had met the Duke once before, long ago.
Then the Duke asked a simple question:
“Would you like to go on an adventure?”
Next Session Reminders
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The Duke has plans
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The symbol beneath Strangeways is spreading
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Someone marked the undead intentionally
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Zel is running out of places to hide