The group continued up the dark tunnel, following the trail of blood left by the skeletal creatures. Eventually it split, with a side-tunnel leading up to the surface and another continuing down the tunnel. From the surface-tunnel they could hear shouting, and so Reginald argued that, since there was no definite payment agreed, there was no need to put themselves in harm’s way. And so they continued down the wider tunnel, until the thinning trail of blood petered out entirely and the tunnel split again. Another side-tunnel went up to the surface and a slim ladder continued upwards to a street above. A quick investigation by FAF determined that the blood trail terminated at the ladder and that a little had pooled at the ladder’s base. So the party went up the ladder to find a vacant street. The houses still seemed populated, but there was not a soul to be seen on the street. With the sun setting on the western horizon, they all climbed out of the underground and back to the surface.
The street was much like any housing area, with an old bell-tower that towered over the houses around it. FAF quickly determined that someone or something had stabbed something sharp into the tower’s door and wall with enough force to dislodge bricks and mortar. Whatever had done it had done so to climb, and the party looked up into the darkened bell-tower. From their view there was nothing outstanding about it aside from that the bell must have been taken out when the tower fell into disuse. Even the light from the Cathedral of the Silver Flame did not illuminate the dark space at the peak of the tower.
Reginald used his magic to blink to the roof of an adjacent house and fastened a climbing rope for the others to follow. FAF created some motes of light and sent them up to light the peak ahead of them, but the moment they crested the edge of the platform, they blinked out, FAF feeling that they were not obscured but dispelled entirely. The arcanist cast a spell of Detect Magic to suss out what had happened, and felt a strong necromantic presence, as well as a fading hint of evocation or abjuration, they couldn’t be sure. Before the lights had disappeared, Zildar had seen a clawed hand waving at them for the briefest moment. The party was now assured that something waited for them at the top, but was not sure how they should approach it safely. At Reginald’s request, FAF made them another climbing hook which Reginald lifted with a Mage Hand. To their collective surprise, the hand was not dispelled when it rose above the platform, and the hook was fastened. Being the most durable of the group, Thuun was asked to go up first. In the meantime, Golkir and Zildar had returned to the ground to reach the top via the conventional route. The door to the bell-tower was locked, but Golkir’s strength gained them entry in short order. Within they found an abbatoir; dead and mutilated bodies lined the walls of the work-room, as well as a pair strung up from the ceiling with hooks. A ladder led them up to the first floor which had once been a living space but was now storing yet more dead bodies. Hearing a commotion above them, Golkir and Zildar hurried up the final ladder.
The bugbear ascended the bell-tower wall in short order but was attacked by a spear-like claw the moment he got above the edge. Only his quick reflexes saved him from a grievous injury, and he managed to throw a net on the dark form trying to escape him. It trashed against the ropes, giving them enough time for Thuun and FAF to climb the rope. FAF cast their lights yet again, showing the extent of the creature before them.
It was taller than Thuun and easily as broad, even when hunched. Its long arms were covered in spikes and claws. The trail they had followed came from its blood-soaked form. Clearly undead, it emanated an aura of wrongness that the party had not felt since their tour to Fallen all those weeks ago. Golkir pushed through the hatch onto the roof, arriving to stare right into its horrid features.
The ropes snapped as it tore them apart and rose, leaping off the top of the tower to the houses below. Reginald reacted quickly and cast a Web spell at it, capturing it at the end of its bound. As it struggled against the constraints, Golkir and Thuun attempted to close the gap, with only the bugbear being fast enough to land any blows. It spoke to Thuun’s skill that he managed solid blows without slicing apart the webbing. FAF, Zildar and Reginald unleashed attack-spells, with FAF’s Scorching Ray setting fire to the webbing holding the creature down. With another ripping noise, the monster removed the webbing and launched itself further down the line of houses before sprinting off into the night. Reginald and Thuun attempted to follow, but soon lost it in the darkness.
The party returned to the bell-tower and searched through it, discovering a log-book on the ground floor. In it, some of the research to create the monster was described, with some of the dates being only four days ago. The monster was described with a variety of names, including one that Zildar recognised; Skull Reaper. While not the one he remembered from his youth, this monster was tied to it. The log also mentioned the existence of a lair by the harbour-front.
Reginald and FAF attempted to track the monster’s progress through the city via vanishing lights, but were unsuccessful. Zildar opted to head to the inn, while the rest of the party returned to the underground to deliver their findings to Hammlen Leth. Since they had not brought the creature or its master, Hammlen only gave them a meagre 20 gold, calling it an advance payment to fund their hunt.
Reginald and Thuun went to join Zildar at the inn while FAF and Golkir hoped to find the second lair and thereby also the creature. They found a damaged house and a café that had been attacked by the creature some days ago, but no hard clues. They reconvened with the others and relayed their findings. With no further leads, the party rested so that they would be ready for whatever Thomas’s plan was to exfiltrate Algo from the city.
In the morning, a letter arrived to Reginald. It bore the seal of House Tharashk. Thomas’s house.
Cookbook Overload 