Curse:Session/4 Dead Warrens

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Starring: Braecth, Dwsyer, Hrrm, Ilmax
Guest Starring: Cressida Kroft, Thousand Bones, Vreeg (Necromaner Derro)
Challenge: Lots of undead skeletons and zombies; Vreeg the necromancer derro
Location: The Temple of Many Casino; Gray District; Dead Warrens
Date Played: 22 Aug 2026

Hrrm and friends at city service. Not alone. Sable Company, Hellknights, and Cityguards all trying to quell chaotic city in own way.

With chaos, comes rumors. People say young girly friend wanted in suspicion for King's murder... Hrrm not know what to think. What world coming to...?

Braecth: The next day, the Order of the Nail is being the Order of the Nail. Jackboots. They've got a suspect in the king's assassination: Trinia Sabor. Name doesn't mean anything to me, but then again, I can't say the king meant all that much.

Thousand Bones wants the body of his grandson

Hrrm: Cressida asks friends for meeting on sensitive matter. Seems bad friends in no short supply these days. These bad friends concerned on matter of race. Enough to hate, to murder.

Meet new friend, Elder Thousand Bones. Shaman of Shoanti Skoan-Quah tribe. Thousand Bones' grandson, Gaekhen, murdered in riots. Tribes speak of war in retaliation.

Sam says:

Life among the Skoan-Quah revolves around death. Whether they are fighting against undead, acting as guardians for the deceased among all the clans, or tracking the oral history of the Shoanti people, the enigmatic and sinister members of the Skull Clan sometimes trouble even the most understanding of their fellow Shoanti.

Hrrm see similarity between Thousand Bone and friend Dwyzer. No wonder they seem good friends already. Hrrm not think Thousand Bones or Dwyzer sinister, though.

Thousand Bones asks friends to retrieve Gaekhen's body. Rolth Lamm, son of Gaedren Lamm, and nasty necromancer, has body. Reportedly in Dead Warrens.

Hrrm not tell Dwyzer or other friends. But Hrrm and Sam been there before. Not Dead Warrens exactly, but area. Hrrm like scenery. Quiet. Like reading names on tombstones. Hrrm certainly not take anything. Not grave robbing - Dwyzer would be very upset. Hrrm found broken and battered censer near ruined tomb. Sam say it Pharasman censor. So Hrrm fix and shine up new curio. Is Hrrm bad friend for not telling? Hrrm not lying! Hrrm just never asked by friends...

Ilmax: Cressida introduced us to a Shoanti shaman, Thousand Bones, whose grandson had been murdered. Given the tumultuous relationship between Korvosa and the Shoanti and the possibility of racialized violence during the already chaotic upheaval in the city, Cressida has tasked us with retrieving Gaekhen's body so that the Shoanti can perform their funeral rites. It was explained that the entirety of his remains are needed for the rites. While all of us feel for this man's loss and sympathize with his desire to see his grandson at peace, I can tell that Dwsyer is especially disturbed by the situation. It seems that Lamm's son, Rolth, is something of a necromancer and bought the remains for his own experiments somewhere in the Dead Warrens.

Braecth: I don't like clocking in. But the work is good and useful, and provides opportunities. Today's fresh hell: Cressida wants us to rescue the corpse of a Shoanti shaman's son. And it gets Dwyser's dander up, because playing games with corpses is one of his red lines. The most interesting part: it's Rolth Lamm that's behind it.

Dwsyer: The city's still up and hurting itself. The Hellknights are rumored to be looking for Trinia Sabor as the King's Assassin. Not a name I recall seeing on the board at Oumax's.

Cressida is in a conference with a Shoanti man, Thousand Bones of Clan of Skull. The Shoanti are threatening invasion unless amends are made for his dead grandson, Gaykin Gaelkhen. His body was taken and sold. If we recover his body so they can do the proper funerary rites, he expects he'll be able to calm the clan down from attacking. We get his son's description.

There are rumors of a necromancer, potentially one Rolth Lamm, an expelled wizard from the academy. (And the son of Gaedrin Lamm. It looks like familicide is the order for the day.) This happened in the Potter's Ward area of the Dead Warrens. A simpleton is in custody for selling corpses and there was a wheelbarrow used for transport.

Reverend Ouvan about the Manacles

Hrrm: On way to Dead Warrens, friends make quick stop by Reverend Ouvan at Temple of Many to inquire about manacles.

But before Ouvan gives information, asks friends do favor. Finally some time to clear temple roof of pesky imps. But psuedoimps no longer there? Hrrm wonder if Majenko related? It should have been simple. But Imps tricky and evasive. Despite friends effort, imps fly off, for now.

Turns out, Ouvan say there more manacles in circulation. Seem to be used as reward, but by who and for what?

Ilmax: Given that the manacles had changed hands several times, seemingly from gambling losses, we stopped by the Temple of the Many to speak to Reverend Ouran about them. He confirmed that he got the manacles from Verik (Lindsay's memory is fuzzy on that one) and gave the manacles to a man named "Four" with sallow eyes. We immediately suspected that this was an alias of Rolth.

Braecth: We swing past the Temple of the Many on the way. I want to get some insight on the path of the manacles. Turns out, multiple guards have left manacles as collateral. Which is about right for cops, in terms of what kind of smart moves you can expect from them. But we make a trade with Ouvan: we clear out some imps, he gives us the details. Somebody named "Four" took several sets of manacles as payment.

Dwsyer: We try, but fail, to take care of the imps upstairs. They are dodgy little buggers and also go invisible. They left, for now, but will likely be back. Ouvan, now paid with the favor, talk with Ilmax and Braecth bout manacles and confirm thes tories about the Dead Warrens. The manacles appear to be another connection -- beside the name -- between the Necromancer and Lamm.

The Dead Warrens

Hrrm: Dead Warrens very different from peaceful graveyard Hrrm visit. Desolate and uncared for. In dire need of good friends. Signs of grave robbing, with obvious wheelbarrow tracks leading to poorly hidden trap door.

Friends think being quiet and careful, but still attract attention within. Hrrm and friends fight many skeletons and zombies. And unfriendly derro. Even see another stinky Otyugh!

Special fun part when Braecth, disguised as derro, releases caged stirges on foes and open door to Otyugh! Hrrm smart and use Grave Mist from Pharasman Censer curio to hide friends. Stirges mostly attack bad friends. Eventually able to dispatch all foes when weak enough. Teamwork fun!

Friends recover parts of Gaekhen. Many from same undead fought. Was not easy, had fair share of wounds and damaged armor. But that not all. Find many interesting potions and trinkets!

On return to Thousand Bones, elder friend seem pleased enough.

Cressida say now capturing Trinia before Hellknights or Sable Company very important. Hrrm agree. Truth may quell chaotic city some.

Ilmax: We were off to Potter's Ward, Dwyser's haunt, if you'll pardon the pun. It was easy to spot and follow the wheelbarrow trail that led into a mausoleum. "Warren" is an apt name, for after fighting off animated skeletons and a zombie inside the mausoleum, we delved into a series of twisting passages and caves, a mix of manmade and natural rooms. A group of derro were helping with necromantic experiments, and they somehow also cornered a otyugh (or found it in its burrow and left it alone?) that had a pile of bones in its own pit. They had a cage of stirges, I assume to help with blood extraction. I can't believe that's the best way to extract blood. While we found no trace of Rolth, we were confronted with a different necromancer, Vreeg, who had a patchwork zombie protecting him. Still, Hrrm managed to disarm Vreeg, and Braekth and I teamed up to bring him down while Dwsyer dealt with the unnatural monstrosity. We managed to assemble the remains of Gaekhen, though they had been scattered and, in some cases, cruelly repurposed. Thousand Bones did not ask for details as we returned the body, nor did any of us want to offer them. I hope both Thousand Bones and Gaekhen find peace. Cressida has now asked that we track down Trinia Sabor, a woman who's been accused of killing the king. It doesn't sounds like Cressida believes the woman is guilt, but she fears what will happen if others get to her first.

Braecth: To the Potter's Ward and the Dead Warrens. We find some mooks lead by Vreeg, a necromancer who's running as Rolth's right hand. We add their bodies to the warrens, and get Gaekhen, though some assembly will be required.

All that, and we get a new mission: find Trinia Sabor.

Dwsyer: We find our way in to the Dead Warrens no problem. I've been here before and it was trivial to find the disturbed entrance. We clear some skeletons and zombies (perhaps we will be lucky that it's a young and inexperienced necromancer). Derro, an always utterly vile people, are guarding the corridors. They're the exact type of cretin that would work with a necromancer. After we make rapid work of them, we explore a bit -- while fending off the necromantic energies that perfuse this place. There's a room that Braecth is sure is trapped, a room with an otyugh (UGH!), and a room with caged stirges and another derro doing a ritual. We mix it all up nicely and come out smelling only slightly worse. We search the place and don't find too much other than... parts of the Shoanti youth.

Moving through the trapped room (it is), we get a short reprieve and then find the necromancer. It's not Rolth but a different one. He tries his best to get away, but we don't allow it. We find the rest of the teen's body, some useful items, and head back out.

Kroft has more for us to do, immediately: Find the purported assassin before the queen or the hellknights.

Treasure

Consumables

• Armor Stitcher (Used)
• Varik Leaves (Used)
• Major Control Potion
• Health Potion (Used)
• Grindletooth Venom
• Vial of Darksmoke
• Morphing Clay
• Gill Salve
• Bolster Potion
• Armor Stitcher
• Vial of Moondrip
• Major Charm Potion

Loot

• Suspended Rod → This flat rod is inscribed with runes. When you activate the rod, it is immediately suspended in place. Until the rod is deactivated, it can't move, doesn't abide by the rules of gravity, and remains in place
• Arcane Cloak → A creature with a Spellcast trait wearing this, can adjust its color, texture, and size at will
• Empty Chest → This magical chest appears empty. When you speak a specific trigger word or action and open, you can see the items stored
• Glamor Stone → Activate this pebble to memorize the appearance of someone you can see. Spend a Hope to magically recreate this guise on yourself as an illusion