Once recovered by a short rest, Charlie Company eagerly returns to the west area of the undercroft where the chambers revert to a natural cavern rather than worked habitat. Briar slides down a ten foot ledge to an eerily quiet, unexplored area. To the right, Sqyylarr watches a case of icy stairs leaving up from a ransacked supply room. Straight ahead, Watc examines an altar of Ioun, an unexpected find right where the altar of Inle ought to be. Ash points out some newer desecrating markings on the altar and invites Brother Im to look with his eyes but not his hands. Brother Im identifies the altar as definitely dedicated to Inle, never heard of this Ioun fellow, and recognizes the desecration as Frithian-ish. Brother Im explains that Inle is worshipped almost exclusively below ground, above only during an eclipse. More jealous Frith is worshipped almost exclusively above ground, below only during a full moon. The desecration here specifically alludes to a sun, or son, of Frith and really needs to be cleaned away somewhat urgently. Ash, convinced the runes are inherently dangerous, bids him to wait.
Ander attempts to dispel any magic from the altar and confirms the danger is not magical. The runes are painted on with a rusty pigment which Ander attempts to remove with a rope end doused in a dilute acidic solution. A spectral wraith appears at the first disturbance of the runes and inquires as to Ander’s religious predilections. Unsatisfied by Ander’s reply, more menacing specters appear in the crowded chamber.
Sqyylarr eagerly charges in from the other room and utterly destroys a specter. Two vampires emerge right where Sqyylarr was, grab enraged Barika in the narrow passage where no one else can get by to help her, and rake the dickens out of her with their claws. Barika fights back, chopping at her embracer, but the vampire simply bites her, siphoning her life force. Ash interposes himself to protect nonviolent Brother Im sheltering against a wall. Briar shifts and covers the spectral wraith boss. Ander shockingly grasps away from the specters. Watc ignites a couple of fireballs in the small chamber, popping a few specters and fortuitously revealing a third vampire lurking on the ceiling.
Briar and Ander destroy the wraith. Sqyylarr finishes off the ceiling vampire. Barika, soloing two vampires, gets the worst of the fight and will not last much longer. Ash shoots Barika’s grappler off her. Ander’s force ballista knocks the other away from her. With more room to maneuver, Briar misty steps in and Sqyylarr mauls out the last vampire.
Barika and Sqyylarr take a replenishing rest while Ash searches the altar and finds a wand. Watc identifies it as a wand of the warmage [+2] which goes to Ander. Ander collects 6 vampire fangs and incinerates the vampire remains into collectible ash.
Brother Im lingers at the altar for a little religious observance. Ash waits just outside the altar chamber to protect him. The rest of the party, mindful of the three heroic weapons that might still be found, returns to the bat pit where a third, unexplored passage leads away north.
Briar carefully scooches along a narrow ledge around the bat pit and throws a rope end back to Sqyylarr. They pull the line tight for a steadying support and anchor Ander with a second rope in case it all goes wrong. It all goes wrong. Ander falls into the bats, dangling from Sqyylarr. The bats swirl thickly around them, flying off to less disturbed Ander-free parts of the undercroft. Sqyylarr hauls Ander out for a second attempt. The second attempt goes almost as poorly. Sqyylarr hauls Ander out for a third, successful attempt. Barika eyeballs dense Watc and jumps the line to go next. She only falls once and, retrieved by Sqyylarr, makes a second, successful attempt. Sqyylarr ties onto 280 pound Watc who spider climbs around the pit wall to the other side. Relieved Sqyylarr crosses the ledge without trouble.
Into the chamber beyond, the subparty gratifying locates three sarcophagi arranged along three sides of the chamber. Each displays a heroic implement: a tower shield, a longsword, and a silver bow. Briar clears the bow for traps and picks it up. Curious Ander touches a sarcophagus with his mechanical hand and that seems to instigate some scratching from inside. The entombed scratcher does not answer shouted queries. The sarcophagus seems intact enough to preclude rodentia infiltration. The generational time passed since the tale of the three heroes seems to preclude the possibility of mortal survival. Briar signals a vote and the ballots come back unanimously for status quo. Ander grabs the shield, Barika the sword, and they beat feet out of the chamber of creepy scratching.
The liberated weapons are identified: a battering shield [+1 AC with 3 charge to boost any push by an additional 10’ or prone], a corpse slayer longsword [+1 with +1d8 versus undead and imposes disadvantage on saves until end of turn versus undead], and a silvered vicious longbow [critical hit is +7].
As Brother Im has completed his devotions, the party reckons the visit to the undercroft is at a successful conclusion. What remains is to ascertain Brother Hlessi’s part in the attempt to trap the party in the undercroft, and the stairs up from the supply room might offer an opportunity to sneak on unexpecting Brother Hlessi in the act of something nefarious.
The icy stairs prove to be far more formidable than any room full of undead without a cleric. After several humiliations and injuries, Sqyylarr alone manages to get enough footing on the stairs to force open a grate at the top. The party emerges in the cold outside air next to the temple of Frith where Briar had sent the bandits to timeout. If that punishment was intended to be humane it failed; all four bandits are found deceased on the temple floor, apparently all with crushed clavicles. Ash locates fresh tracks in the snow, arriving, murdering, departing. One thing Ash can say with certainty is these tracks were not made by the formidable eight foot tall fellow standing large and in charge right there by the temple gates, blindfolded and holding a considerable spear. Even unflappable Brother Im takes notice.
Tall Fellow proclaims, Once again he announces my coming! By “announce”, he seems to mean the bundle he rolls at the party. And by “he”, he seems to mean the head of Cohoreth the Herald rolling within the bundle.
