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A Leetle Beetle Do Ya

Claw Recap
2020-12-27

Venerikine 13th, 989 IaC

  • Beset by a large number of animated, drained husks, the group retreated into the back of the room as the drained followed
    • The corpses were soon ensnared by the roots of the nature spirit, which began to constrict around them
    • Cora was stuck in a precarious scenario, but managed to escape with minimal injury
    • Rorug Fletsworn again utilized the personality of Ragathor, deftly escaping the room as the drained clawed as the retreating party
  • The group came to a long hall with many doors, soon coming to find that many were trapped or held more Drained behind them
    • Ilryn opened a door, coming face to face with a number of Drained, who she quickly slammed the door on
    • Further down the corridor, the party spotted a large, armored figure, soon discovering it to be dead
      • The corpse was caught in a door trap, seemingly dying of a poison
    • Kel checked for traps, knocked on a door and eventually opened it, revealing an axe that swung out towards her, which she was able to nimbly dodge
    • Steve opened another door, revealing more Drained
    • Lambchop opened yet another random door, finding more Drained which he hauled out and attacked 
      • The party attacked the Drained and went down the cleared out corridor
      • Opening trap doors in the floor, the group discovered halls of tombs heading deep underground
      • Unwilling to meet the hordes of Drained head-on, the party retreated back to the hallway after shutting the encroaching Drained out
    • Heading back, Cora investigated the armored corpse, finding a small metal bead on the back of its neck that was embedding itself into her body
      • Cora pulled out the bead, adding it to her collection
      • The group looted the corpse for supplies
    • Heading down to the end of the hall, the group began to check the doors one by one, soon relying on Steve's Mage Hand to trigger traps from a safe distance
      • The group was caught in a poisonous cloud trap that afflicted Cora and Ilryn with poisoning
    • Eventually, after spending a significant amount of time in the corridor, the party was able to feel a slight bit of fresh air circulating through one of the doorways, which opened into a safe room
  • The group came face to face with a large metal door, out of place with the rest of the temple and covered in Batraxian imagery
    • An imprint of a hand was centered on the door's face, with an inscription that read in Abyssal: A question, answered
    • After some trepidation, Cora placed her hand on the imprint as the door boomed out a word into the group's mind, and the halfling felt an eerie presence that seemed to watch her
    • After Cora asked a question, the door seemed to deactivate
    • Ilryn touched the door next, quickly providing a question to the word the door gave her, causing it to open
  • The party arrived at an intersection
    • Door locked, voices behind
  • Headed left to a room, burst in without reading the door
    • Poking around, Kel lifted the cover off of a stone coffin
    • Triggered trap, caustic gas burning through party 
    • Break door from both sides
  • Other side of corridor
    • Lambchop picks up dagger with key attached
    • Room goes dark, Lambchop feels he needs to complete a hunt with the dagger
  • Open door with key
  • Heading down into the next room
    • Cora finds a crazed Rorug on the other side of a caged door around some eviscerated Drained, freeing him
    • Rorug attacked as Ilryn stepped out further into the room, 
    • Doors open, drained flood out and overwhelm the group
    • The party manages to escape to the other side of the room to drop a trellis between them and the Drained
    • Veckwin, Serasha, Abwe and Rorug are left behind
  • Party forges on to next room, finding a bunch of clues and a large Batraxian ritual circle
    • Lampchop found a strange beetle-like artifact that began to communicate with him
    • Steve reads a Batraxian spellbook that places a spell on him, filling him with dread and anxiety
    • Ultimately the beetle is placed on a corpse, per its request, which reanimates
    • Inside a body, the Beetleman is able to speak with the group, but seems to remember little
    • He is apparently capable of controlling the undead
  • The group discovers a back passage with two blocked doors, and a large mat on the ground
    • After some cajoling, Steve used his Inkwell Ring to complete a symbol of Merrav on the mat, opening the doors
    • One room contained a number of thorn-covered chests and a gargoyle facing them
      • Ilryn attacked the thorns on one of the chests, causing the gargoyle to spray out a corrosive acid that melted the chests into the ground
    • The other passage led to a cave system with a moderate breeze, hinting at an exit
  • Lambchop chose to stay behind and follow Beetleman
    • Beetleman began to move through the catacombs, exercising precise control over the Drained
    • Coming across the corpse of Bacca, Beetleman reanimated it and brought it along
    • Eventually, the party moved back into the crypt to follow, with Steve begrudgingly pushed along by some of the Drained
  • The group arrived in a side corridor containing a locked door and a mat similar to the one in the other room
    • After some arguing about the intentions of Beetleman, Steve used his ring to unlock the door
    • The party discovered various treasures inside, which they pillaged
    • Beetleman was interested in a crystal the group found in the room, which he asked for
    • Uneasy, Steve identified the crystal, believing it to be some form of power source, perhaps fueled by a soul
    • Steve, again begrudgingly, handed the stone over after some convincing
  • Promising to recall the Drained wandering the surface, Beetleman escorted the group to the entrance of the crypt
    • Before bidding farewell, Beetleman acquired some of the party's hair as a means of "communication"
  • The group headed back through the forest, eventually making camp for the night
    • Discovering it was Cora's birthday, the party held a modest celebration, with Ilryn and Lambchop bringing back an elk for dinner
    • The party was later disturbed by the sight of the Rampager, soon after finding Erdo Elfast following the beast
    • Erdo convinced the party to assist him in killing the creature, despite their tired state
    • The party followed Lambchop as he tracked the beast through the woods, eventually arriving at a maze-like glade