The Cradle of Unlife

Last week my players continued through the Red Mausoleum. This is an adventure I adapted from Advanced Adventures Module #2 by James C. Boney published by Expeditious Retreat Press. The Cradle of Unlife in question is a portal to the negative material plane that is being used to create an army of the undead by a Lich.

I left the Cradle chamber more or less the same as written in the original Osric rules adventure and for once I think I managed to convey the magnitude of the chamber to my players. They seemed suitably impressed with the danger.

This chamber is one of the reasons I decided to run this adventure so it was gratifying that it had the impact I had envisioned. There is nothing worse than an anticipated encounter going flat.

Session 126: The Cradle of Unlife

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Thistle Walker (human ranger), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC).

The Company of Adventurers are somewhere deep in the earth searching through the Red Mausoleum for the source of the undead hordes attacking Edgerton. With the portal back to the dungeon they entered from closed the group has been searching for a way forward or a way back.

The dungeon level is a confusing maze but Thistle Walker remembers which directions they have gone before so he and Lakima confer. As they talk the other adventurers hear moaning and the sound of many shuffling feet coming from a nearby hallway.

“Light!” Lakima shouts and casts light into the dark hallway.

Four shambling zombies can be seen moving toward the adventurers. Eathwund followed by Aldus moves to the front and blocks the zombies from entering the chamber. They make short work of the four undead.

Thistle Walker leads the group down one of two hallways leading from the room that they have not explored. But the hallway circles back and returns to the chamber. Lakima then points south. Walker tells him that the chamber barred by a portcullis is in that direction. They decide to head that way and Aldus with help from Eathwund manages to lift the portcullis. The chamber has a large iron grate set on the floor in an iron frame. Peering through the grate, Fenris announces that he can see a metal ladder headed down into another chamber below. The iron grate is hinged to be lifted open but Fenris says it must be incredibly heavy.

Still enchanted with Lakima’s Strength spell, Aldus grasps the edge of the grate and manages to swing it up and open. Ian helps to steady it open while Fenris descends. He goes down a short way so he can get a clear look and then cries out in surprise and rushes back up.

“There are two mummies down there!”

Lakima tries to get a view below to see the mummies but he is unable. He casts a fireball spell and tosses it down into the chamber below. The fireball explodes and smoke pours out of the chamber. Fenris goes down a short way again and announces that the mummies are burnt badly but still moving. Alrix finishes off the mummies with a few well-placed arrows shot from his longbow.

The entire group descends the ladder to the next level. Other than the burnt corpses of the mummies the chamber below is empty. A hallway leads off into the darkness. They notice that the strange vines and flowers do not cover the walls on this level. Also, the walls are not pockmarked with ossuaries for the dead.

Fenris leads the group to a locked door. The lock is complex and he is unable to open it. So, they continue on to the next door they find at the end of a hallway. Fenris takes the lead down hallways until he finds another door. This door has a small circle of glowing runes on the front of the door. Fenris says that it is locked but he is more concerned about the runes. Lakima casts dispel magic and the runes vanish. Fenris tries the lock and finds that it is fake. In fact, he realizes the door is unlocked but the lock and hinges are fake, the door swings on hidden hinges on its opposite side. He swings the door inward and looks into a strange chamber.

The walls, ceiling, and floor are made of the same red stone that they have found throughout this dungeon – but all of the stones are covered in painted eyes that seem to stare directly at them. On the far side of the room rests a stone coffin with a padlocked lid. Fenris moves forward cautiously to the stone coffin.

As Fenris traverses the chamber the eyes appear to follow his movements. Eathwund and Aldus move up to the edge of the doorway to cover him with Thistle Walker a short distance behind them.

Fenris unlocks the stone coffin and the lid flies off hitting the far wall. A brilliant white light shoots out of the coffin and before anyone can react – three enormous, scaly, demons climb out of the coffin. Fenris staggers backward toward a corner of the room. The three demons immediately attack Aldus and Eathwund with their enormous, clawed hands. Three more demons emerge from the coffin.

“Are there any more coming out?” Lakima shouts to Fenris.

Fenris does not answer as he is too busy trying to make himself hard to see in a corner of the brightly lit chamber. One of the demons easily spots the cowering thief and steps toward him clawing into his flesh. Aldus and Eathwund continue to hold off the remaining demons but things are getting desperate. Alrix fires a few arrows at the demons and Thistle Walker hurls bullets from his sling.

Lakima cast conjure elemental and an enormous air elemental appears and swiftly enters the fray blowing past Eathwund and Aldus it pulls three demons off of them and smashes one with a strike. Three of the demons turn to fight the air elemental. Fenris manages to use his longsword to slash at the demon attacking him. Domago blows the Silver Horn of Valhalla and 3 berserkers appear behind the demons in the chamber. Two of them immediately launch themselves on the demons and the third slides the stone lid of the coffin over the opening.

Fenris is soon clawed apart and he falls to the floor. The demon attacking him turns its attention to the berserkers and soon dispatches them as well. The air elemental keeps three demons busy but is mauled by the attacks of the demons. Eathwund takes a bad slash on his arm opening a large wound. Domago casts a healing spell on Eathwund. One of the demons falls to the air elemental. With the space created, Eathwund and Aldus push forward and Alrix is able to get his dancing sword into the fight. With all of the adventurers concentrating their attacks on one demon they are able to finally kill it.

There are still four demons fighting but the elemental kills two of them. Now with the space opening up, Thistle Walker is able to get into the action using his battleaxe. One of the two remaining demons opens a gate to the abyss and retreats. The last demon is killed and Alrix fires an arrow into the back of the demon stepping through the abyssal gate.

As the fight ends, Lakima sends the air elemental through the closing gate to the abyss.

The fight over, five dead demons cover the floor of the chamber. Domago makes his way to Fenris and finds he still has a pulse. He casts healing magic on Fenris until the thief is ready to get up again. Fenris thanks Domago and looks at the healing staff in wonder.

Lakima and Fenris walk over to the stone coffin. Aldus comes over and Lakima asks him to open it. The stone lid is pushed back again. Looking in they see a stone chamber 8 feet square. The walls and floor of the chamber glow with a bright white light like a powerful continual light spell. Only a few silver coins lying on the floor. They decide to close the stone lid again.

The group sets out again. Fenris finds another locked door and opens it. Inside they see a single, human, male prisoner chained to the wall. The prisoner looks emaciated and wears only a loin cloth. His head droops forward and he is actually suspended in the air by the chains on his wrists.

“Hello! Who are you?” Lakima shouts.

The man slowly raises his head and sees them. He cries out for help and tells them his sad tale. He is Talien, an adventurer who was in company with Kenrae the Black (a teacher missing from the Academy of Magic. Lakima questions Talien with suspicion but eventually tells Fenris to get the man down from the wall. Once freed Talien asks if they know the way out. When he learns they do not he asks to join them and asks for a weapon. Lakima hands him one of his magical daggers.

“I’ll just stay near the back and out of trouble until we find a way out,” Talien says.

Their number increased to nine, and the adventurers head onward. Their sense of smell is soon assaulted with a rotting smell. Rounding a corner in the hallway they come across a chamber full of dirt and debris. Dozens of capped mushrooms over a foot tall grow up out of the debris.

“Stay back!” Lakima yells expecting that the mushrooms are shriekers.

However, the light from Domago’s continual light spell illuminates the mushrooms and no noise is made. Not wanting to take risks, Lakima casts a fireball into the chamber, and the mushrooms and burnable debris all burst into flames. Soon all that remains is ash and dirt. Fenris carefully darts through the chamber followed by the less careful Domago and Aldus. Nothing happens so everyone follows. They follow a long hallway that ends in a stuck door. Fenris tells everyone that it is not trapped or locked but it is firmly stuck in its frame. Both Aldus and Eathwund find they cannot push it open.

“I’ll try,” Talien says and the thin man moves up and manages to shove the door open. He looks back at the group and shrugs apologetically.

The door has opened into a hallway perpendicular to the hall they came from. To the left, the hallway descends and is flooded with dirty green water. To the right, the hallway goes a short distance before entering a chamber. From the right, the entire group can hear a cacophony of voices shouting. They cannot make out the words or individual voices.

The large chamber is empty with two large iron doors at the far end. The noise of voices gets louder as they approach the doors. Fenris nervously moves up to the doors. He has to shout to make himself heard.

“The doors are unlocked. They are well-oiled and have been open recently. I don’t like this!”

Lakima yells for Fenris to move to the back of the group and asks for the fighters to move to the front. Talien and Ian move to stand near Lakima. Aldus, Eathwund, Domago, and Thistle Walker move up to the doors.

“Ready?” Aldus asks Eathwund. Eathwund nods.

The two fighters swing open the doors and both are hit with a wave of noise. Hundreds of voices calling out, screaming, and babbling. They cannot make any sense of it. Domago shines the continual light spell into the chamber beyond.

They see a huge chamber at least 100 feet across. The ceiling is 70 feet above and the floor drops away after a ledge deep into the darkness. A 10-foot-wide ledge circles the chamber. In the center, they see a square pillar 20 feet wide. On top of the square is a painted mandala from which a black vapor pours out. Above it hangs a hemispherical iron cap the same diameter as the mandala. The iron cap is suspended from a thick iron chain.

The incredible noise of voices comes from the pit. Fenris walks to the edge of the ledge and looks down. He staggers back in horror. Below are a thousand corpses. As the black vapor pours down into the pit the corpses stir and stand. Hundreds and corpses and skeletons are climbing up the walls of the pit.

“Can you understand them?” Lakima shouts at Fenris.

The thief, his face pale and drawn, shakes his head numbly.

Alrix follows the chain holding the cap upward with his eyes. He sees it go up into darkness passing through a pulley on the ceiling and then coming down where it meets a winch 100 feet away located on the wall perpendicular to the doors.

“Look! We have to get over there and lower the plug!” Alrix shouts. He points across the chamber.

The adventurers look at the path along the ledge and realize that some of the undead will soon climb up to the ledge and flood over them.

“We have to clear the path” Lakima shouts looking at Alrix.

Alrix casts an enormous fireball spell, detonating it over the pit. Dozens of skeletons and corpses are consumed in the blast and tumble back down into the pit. Lakima casts a wall of iron anchoring it on either end of the ledge in an attempt to block more undead from climbing upward. Quickly, Fenris leads Aldus, Eathwund, Domago, and Alrix along the wide ledge. They arrive at the winch.

“What would happen to that wall should you die?” Talien asks Lakima. Ian looks about at the man in surprise. Seemingly, unfazed Lakima answers.

“The wall would vanish. What a strange question.”

Talien then transforms into his true appearance. That of a cambion devil.

“Then die!” he says and he swings a clawed hand at Lakima cutting open his shoulder. 

Ian leaps at the devil swinging his long sword and stabbing the black-skinned creature in the stomach. The devil swears in anger its red eyes flashing. It turns to attack Ian.

Meanwhile, Fenris examines the winch and declares it safe. Looking over the chain he tells Aldus to turn it to the left. Aldus grunts and with his magic-infused strength he slowly turns the winch as instructed. Eathwund watches as the metal dome begins to close over the inscribed mandala.

Alrix looks back toward Lakima and Ian and sees the devil attacking them. He yells a warning at Eathwund and turns and fires two arrows. Both strike the surprised devil in the chest. Lakima casts a summoning spell and two wild-eyed harpies appear. He directs them to attack the devil. The talons of the harpies dig into the black flesh of the devil.

The devil staggers backward and put his arms up in surrender.

“Okay, let's talk, I have important secrets to share!”

Lakima waves the harpies back and dismissively tells the devil that he has little time. The devil refuses to give its name but it does tell Lakima that the architect of this mausoleum is a lich called Gaheris. Gaheris is one of the legendary demonologists of Mor. He built this mausoleum 1,500 years in the past. On further questioning the devil tells Lakima that Gaheris is in a chamber just past where Aldus stands by the winch. He asks if he is now free to go, but Lakima gestures to the harpies to finish him off. The devil is killed and the harpies soon vanish.

Lakima and Ian join the rest of the company. Domago comes over to heal Ian.

“That was bravely done,” Domago tells Ian.

Eathwund points to a nearby door in the wall. Fenris goes over and checks and then opens it. As soon as everyone has passed into the hallway Thistle Walker pulls the door shut. The noise of the screaming and babbling undead thankfully subsides to a lower level and the adventurers find they can speak without shouting and be heard.

Ahead Fenris spots a large iron door blocking the corridor. The adventurers know that likely the Lich Garheris waits for them beyond the door.

The Portal

Right now my players are working their way through a dungeon with a currently closed portal leading from the first level to the second level. Often this group of players gets frustrated with puzzles but this time they worked it out fairly quickly. But now that they have passed through the portal there is apparently no way back.

Session 125: The Portal

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Thistle Walker (human ranger), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon has passed through the Guardian gate and avoided a fight with a guardian skeleton protecting an altar dedicated to the Dark Lady.

A single door leads on from the temple. Aldus goes over to the door and with his enhanced strength he is able to force it open. They see a hallway and a stair leading down. This leads to another stair and another door. Aldus forces this second door open and the group finds themselves in a derelict chamber with a partially collapsed ceiling. Stone and wood debris litter the floor and there is a large cavity in the ceiling. Sitting amongst the rubble are three stone shelves with a few damaged books on them.

“There is no way out,” Domago says.

Alrix looks about and sees that there are no other exits from the chamber other than the one he is standing in. He rests a hand on the door to be certain it does not close.

Lakima casts a detect magic cantrip. A very large book, bound in red leather or reptilian skin, glows blue on a far bookcase. Lakima quickly goes over to the shelf and laboriously lifts the book down from the shelf and places it in the bag of holding. A few moments later, a non-corporeal human figure rises up through the floor in the center of the room. Everyone immediately spots it. The figure points at Lakima and floats across the room toward him. Lakima quickly pulls out the scroll of protection from possession and reads it. The scroll turns to dust as the ghost moves toward him. Aldus and Eathwund dash forward and swing their swords through the immaterial form. Domago raises his holy symbol and tries to banish the ghost. The ghost reaches Lakima and reaches out an incorporeal hand touching him. Lakima yells in pain as the ghost’s touch is freezing cold. The ghost pauses, turns, and reaches out a hand toward Aldus. The big cavalier freezes up and a strange blue glow comes from his eyes as the ghost seems to merge with his body.

“No!” Alrix yells.

Lakima raises his hand for silence.

“Return the book,” Aldus says in a low creepy voice.

“What is this book, why do you want it?” Lakima asks.

“Return the book, I am its guardian.”

Then the glow drops from Aldus’s eyes. He shouts in anger and whirls about swinging his sword. The ghost emerges from Aldus and floats near him. Eathwund slashes at it again. Alrix casts a magic missile, and bolts of magic smash into the ghost. Thistle Walker swings his axe at the immaterial form. Finally, the ghost vanishes, dissolving away.

“We should destroy that book,” Domago says. Alrix nods his head in agreement. Lakima looks at the disapproving faces of his companions. He argues that it is not necessarily evil, but he promises to destroy it if he finds it to be evil or dangerous.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Domago says. Aldus nods to Domago in agreement.

The adventurers set about checking the walls of the chamber looking for a secret door. Unable to find one, Lakima pulls out the Wand of Secret door detection and locates a door right near where he is standing. He activates a switch found in the wall and a section of the wall slides aside revealing a hallway. Lakima waves Fenris forward to take the lead.

Fenris leads them down several halls before he points ahead and tells them that he can see a large chamber. They approach cautiously toward the chamber. They see a large room with a 20-foot-high ceiling. Stone pillars, five feet in diameter, support the ceiling. The extent of the room is blocked by a large, red curtain stretching across the chamber on their right. Painted on the walls are numerous symbols. Immediately, they recognize the holy symbols of the Dark Lady and the White Worm. Other symbols are not recognized.

“That one is the symbol of the god Hool,” Domago states, pointing at a symbol that looks like the head of a dragon. He explains that Hool is a god of evil.

“Strange that anyone would worship a god of evil,” Alrix says.

Domago tells Alrix that Hool is also seen as a god of cold, winter, and sickness. Some pray to him in hopes of avoiding the cold or sickness.

Lakima waves at the curtain and tells Fenris to see if there is an opening. Fenris goes to the curtain and he finds it parts in the middle. Pulling the curtain back, Fenris sees that the chamber is even larger than suspected. In front of them is what looks to be a curtained-off temple. They see a large, red mandala painted on the floor, a raised pool of what might be water, an altar, and behind it a glowing red energy field.

Lakima suggests they check the two doors in the chamber first before venturing behind the curtain into the temple. Both entrances lead to small tombs holding a single, stone coffin each. Aldus opens the first coffin and they find a skeleton inside. Domago tells them it is not undead. They do not bother to open the second coffin, finding nothing interesting in the first. The adventurers pass through the curtain into the temple area. Everyone carefully avoids the mandala painted on the floor. Thistle Walker moves to his left behind more pillars and sees a faded painting of a beautiful woman painted on the wall. The woman's face is twisted in agony as she has been painted as if she is trapped behind the wall and desperately trying to get free.

Fenris spots a human body lying on the altar. He silently points it out to everyone. Alrix looks into the pool of what appears to be water and sees the sparkle of some small silver objects at the bottom. The pool appears to be only 3 feet deep. Fenris and Lakima move up toward the altar. A thin, male, human corpse rests on the altar, its throat slit open. A stain of dried blood lies on the stone about its neck. Less than one would expect. At the feet of the corpse rests a book made of metal. Three claw-like clasps hold it closed. Lakima grabs the book and places it in his bag of holding. He advances up toward the red disc of energy. Thistle Walker approaches as well and looks at the energy barrier.

“It’s a portal,” the ranger states.

Lakima looks over at the ranger in surprise. Thistle tells him that he has studied these things. He knows it is a portal but it could lead anywhere. Alrix comes over to examine the barrier as well. Lakima tosses a silver coin at the barrier and it bounces off. Alrix takes a short stick from his pack and presses it against the barrier but he finds the barrier to be solid like a wall. The adventurers walk over to stand near the mandala on the floor. Lakima tosses a silver coin into the pool. It strikes the surface which appears to be water and floats to the bottom.

Lakima takes out the book he found in the ruined library and opens it. The first page is covered in symbols in a language he does not recognize but which are not magical writing. He hands the open book to Domago. Using the Helm of comprehending languages, Domago is able to discern the meaning of the open page. He tells everyone that it is called the Book of Red Whispers. It was written by someone called Herbert the vivisectionist. The opening page says that this book will teach the reader about blood magic and making pacts with arch-devils of the abyss.

“It is evil, we should destroy it,” Domago says. Lakima takes the book back and places it in his bag. Lakima argues that it takes special preparations to destroy the book. Several of his companions do not seem pleased by this.

“I want to try something,” Lakima says, and he steps inside the mandala painted on the floor. After waiting a minute with nothing happening, Lakima takes out a silver coin and tosses it into the pool of water. Everyone watches the coin land right in the pool with a plop and sink. They then notice that Lakima is gone!

Thistle Walker runs over to the mandala where everyone else is standing, giving the symbol a respectful distance. He examines it and tells everyone that he thinks it is a one-way portal somewhere. The adventurers discuss what to do to find Lakima.

Meanwhile, Lakima finds he is standing in a small chamber an instant after the coin he tossed landed in the pool. The chamber is 10 feet square and lit only by the light of his staff of power. There are no exits. He takes out the wand of secret door detection and finds no secret exit from the chamber. The air already tastes a little stale. Doing some math in his head, Lakima guesses he has about 6 hours of air before he will pass out. He grasps the talisman of demon summoning and speaks the command word. Concentrating he makes a summons. He feels a being of immense power and evil hook onto his summons and suddenly an enormous demon arrives in the chamber. The demon has four arms, two ending in huge pincers. It has a horned head and hoofed feet. The demon regards Lakima with red glowing eyes.

“Little fly, why have you summoned me?” The demon speaks in a deep voice.

Confident in safety provided by the talisman, Lakima informs the demon that he needs it for a task. He then casts a charm monster on the demon. The demon regards Lakima for a moment and then laughs.

“You are not powerful enough to command the likes of me,” it states.

“What if I were to give you a soul?”

“Your soul?” the demon responds with eager interest.

Lakima shakes his head and produces the Soul Cage from his bag of holding. Offering the soul trapped inside. The demon complains that this soul is small and weak but eventually, he counters with an offer to aid Lakima in return for a favor to be performed within one year. Lakima amends this agreement to state as long as the favor does not harm him or those he loves. The demon agrees and produces a contract and a metal-tipped quill.

“To be signed in blood.”

Lakima takes the contract and carefully reads over the contents. Surprisingly, the demon does not appear to be trying to trick him. He signs the contract.

Lakima asks to be returned to his friends and the demon grabs Lakima in one scaly claw and transports them through a gate.

Back in the temple, the adventurers discuss how they can find Lakima. Lakima suddenly appears in a cloud of brimstone. Beside him is an enormous demon.

“Lakima, are you okay?” Aldus asks with concern drawing his sword.

Lakima waves him back and turns to the demon. The demon reminds Lakima of the promised favor and then vanishes through a gate.

“What have you done?” Domago says in horror. Alrix opens his mouth to admonish the foolish human mage and then just closes his mouth and shakes his head.

Lakima tells everyone that he was trapped in a small oubliette with only enough air for a few hours. He explains that he used his wits to escape in return for a tiny favor to a demon.

After some discussion with Lakima the group turned back to the problem of opening the portal. Lakima takes the book of metal out of the bag of holding and asks Fenris if he can get it open. Fenris does not want to touch the book so he asks Lakima to rest it on the floor. He then examines it. Fenris tells everyone that three metal clasps hold the books closed. They are hinged and could probably be levered open. However, Fenris says that there are magical glyphs on the clasps that would surely kill anyone trying to pry the clasps open.

Lakima then decides to cast dispel magic on the steel tome. The spell is cast and the clasps spring open. Lakima flips open the book cover and finds 21 pages of thin steel. The first page is covered in runes and symbols he does not recognize. Read magic reveals that the symbols are not magical. Domago is asked to examine the book. Using his helm, he finds he is able to read the book. Domago tells them that the book details a ritual needed to open the portal. The user needs to read a long incantation without error and there needs to be a sacrifice of human blood. Fenris drags the corpse off of the altar revealing a depression and several small drain holes. The adventurers argue about who should sacrifice some blood and how much. Domago tells them the instructions say it must be fresh human blood from a single sacrifice. Alrix then states that clearly, he cannot donate the blood as he is not human. Thistle suggests that as a dragon creature, his blood should be more magical. Alrix tells him that he is not related to dragons. Fenris suggests that he cut Ian the squire since he is not very useful to the group. Aldus growls at Fenris for this suggestion.

As the argument goes on Eathwund states quietly that he will do it. Everyone keeps arguing, having not heard him. Eathwund states that he will do it louder this time. Fenris hands a dagger to Eathwund. Domago tells Eathwund to wait so he can start the ritual. Domago starts speaking in a strange language and Eathwund cuts his arm with the dagger allowing the blood to drip into the depression on the altar. He allows it to bleed freely until Domago signals him to stop. As the ritual comes to a close, they hear a loud boom resound through the temple. The barrier of red energy clears to reveal a hazy sight. There is a second loud boom as Domago ends the ritual and the portal clears to reveal a dark chamber seemingly lit by their lantern light passing through the portal.

The portal is carefully checked to see if it is open. Once it is shown to be open Lakima and then Eathwund step through. Thistle steps through and then steps back to show that it functions in both directions. Soon everyone steps through.

“From what I read in the book,” Domago says, “I think it will only stay open an hour.”

Lakima tells everyone that they need to hurry. As they move into the chamber they are suddenly attacked by a horde of shadows. Lakima casts a fireball killing most of the creatures. The rest are hacked apart or peppered with arrows. The adventurers pick one of the many passages from the chamber and follow it. As they pass down the hallways, they see that the walls and ceiling are covered with a strange reddish vine. In some places, red flowers grow on the vines. Eathwund examines the vines and finds that they seem to move toward him and that the stalks of the flowers are covered in inch-long thorns. They continue along hallways careful to avoid the vines until they arrive at a chamber with an open door. Inside is a faded tapestry and a stone coffin. The tapestry depicts a mortician working on preparing the dead for burial. The mortician in the tapestry wears a gold circuit or crown on his head.

Aldus opens the stone coffin and they see a mummy lying inside. The mummy is strangely wrapped as if to provide movement and sight. The mummy's eyes slowly open and a dry, ancient voice asks who they are. Lakima questions the mummy and demands to know why it is releasing undead into the surrounding countryside. The mummy laughs or coughs and says that its master Gahernis is the one commanding him to raise the dead. He offers to take the adventurers to see his master.

Once the party agrees, the mummy slowly rises out of his coffin and steps on the stone floor. They noticed the gold circuit studded with gems about its head. The mummy reaches into the coffin and removes a longsword in a gilded scabbard which it belts to its waist. The mummy leads them down many passages and halls covered in vines and flowers. Soon everyone with the exception of Thistle Walker is completely lost. Then the mummy turns about and shouts.

“Rise my soldiers!”

As he waves his arms there is a rumbling and stone lids are pushed open on enumerable stone crypts hidden under the vines. Skeletons armed with swords and shields emerge from the walls all around the heroes. The adventurers find themselves attacked from all sides. But the skeletons prove to be fairly weak and soon they are being smashed to pieces by Aldus, Eathwund, and Thistle. Alrix ignores the skeletons and blasts the mummy with magic missiles. Lakima uses his staff to cast a cone of cold at the mummy. Once the skeletons have been dealt with, Aldus and Eathwund attack and kill the mummy. It collapses in a heap.

Not sure where to go, the adventurers wander through a maze of hallways. Now that they are aware of the tombs, they see rows of tombs hidden under the vines. In some places, the tombs have already been opened and emptied. They find a chamber with a locked door and inside lead-lined walls. Lakima is barred from entering by a glyph of fear but the others are able to enter. Fenris is able to open 2 of 4 chests he finds inside. One is full of junk but the other holds a pile of gold and silver. This is quickly scooped into the bag of holding. In another chamber, they encounter a stable for three nightmares - coal-black horses of the abyss. One of the nightmares threatens to attack so they flee the chamber and close the door.

Realizing that the hour Domago warned them about has passed, Thistle moves to the front and leads the group back to the entry chamber. But they are too late. The portal has closed.