Session 68: Out of the Silence and Into the Knight

In the silence, the group was unaware of the Black Knight, pointing toward Prynhawn from the darkness down the corridor.

Yanliz transferred his hunter's mark to a zombie attacking Valeria, and tore it's head off with an arrow.

Brother Martin hit an attacking zombie in the back of the head with his spiritual weapon, and dropped it with his mace.

An arrow whizzed from out of the darkness down the corridor, through the zombies surrounding the paralyzed Philip, and sunk into his belly.

Jess grabbed the ax from Valeria's paralyzed hand and waited for someone to clear a path through the zombies.

Philip fell to the ground, unconscious.

A ray of sickening greenish energy lashed out from the darkness down the corridor, hitting Vernim.

In the silence, Vernim and Brother Martin both heard the sound of a dolorous bell fill their ears, but shook the ringing out of their ears.

Vernim slammed his large shield into a zombie's swing and began charging through the zombies, toward the door to the chess room, knocking two other zombies down. Another zombie clawed at the priest from behind as he charged through.

Prynhawn blocked a zombie's swing and got behind Vernim, helping the priest push through. He tried to grab the unconscious Philip on the way, but was punched in the head by another zombie and lost his grip.

Jess followed in their wake, dodging as she went.

Valeria broke free from her paralysis as Lawrence grabbed her, and began to drag her through the path between the zombies. A zombie slammed the sorcerer as he ran by.

A black beam of enervating energy narrowly missed Brother Martin as he blocked a zombie's swing and followed his companions into the chess room.

The silence fell away as they entered the chess room with Yanliz.

Yanliz released his hunter's mark and cast fog cloud toward the far end of the corridor.

Brandishing his emblem of The Morninglord, Brother Martin cast healing word on Philip and shouted, "Gaze upon Lathander's light and be banished, you foul abominations!" channeling his divine ability to turn undead.

All but two of the zombies turned and fled

Jess used the ax to open the secret door, and ran through the portal, followed by Yanliz and Brother Martin who waited just inside the labyrinth.

Just as Philip leapt to his feet, an arrow silently bounced off the floor where he had been laying. As he prepared to dash through the door, The Black Knight charged out of the fog and slashed the halfling across his belly. Prynhawn lunged into the silent corridor to protect his companion, but was too slow, and the halfling fell to the wound.

The Black Knight pointed his sword at Prynhawn and then to the floor, as if compelling him to a duel.

Valeria cast healing word on Philip, but he was still down. She cast eldritch blast on The Black Knight, but it bounced off his armor. She stepped through the portal.

Sheathing his sword, Prynhawn ignored The Black Knight, grabbed his companion and dragged him through the door, blocking a zombie's swing on the way, but not preventing the zombie from following them into the room.

A red robed man stepped out of the fog, surrounded by swirling dark fiendish spirits.

Lawrence quickly hurled scorching rays on the red robed man, but only one of them hit the figure.

Lawrence and Vernim closed the door before the last zombie and The Dark Knight could enter. They held it against the thudding from the other side.

The door was battered by something heavy, but Lawrence and Vernim barely managed to hold it closed.

From just outside the portal, Yanliz aimed at the lone zombie in the room and dropped it with an arrow in its head, as it was lumbering towards Prynhawn and Philip.

Brother Martin used his spiritual weapon, which was still back in the corridor, to slam the lone zombie banging on the door.

"Someone breezed my fog!" Yanliz stated. "My fog cloud is gone!"

Valeria cast eldritch blast on the unconscious Ishara, and with Prynhawn's help, they dragged the bleeding Philip through the portal.

"Go!" Vernim shouted to Lawrence. As soon as Lawrence let go of the door, it slowly began to open. As Lawrence was dashing to the portal, he was struck by an arrow in the back, but he still made it through.

Vernim released the door and withdrew, with his shield up, through the portal, as The Black Knight entered the room, followed by the red robed man.

Valeria closed the door to the secret portal.

She cast cure wounds on Philip, but it did not revive the heavily bleeding halfling.

Vernim cast lesser restoration on Philip, but it had no noticeable effect. In fact the halfling only appeared to be getting worse.

Fearing the worst, Valeria had Brother Martin cast spare the dying on Philip.

Brother Martin examined Philip's wound.

"Brother Martin, I can't seem to figure this out," Vernim said, trying to assist Brother Martin. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I might in just a second," Brother Martin said, concentrating.

"Yes, of course. Take your time," Vernim replied. "I don't mean to interrupt your craft. You are the expert on this sort of healing-poison magic, after all. And not in a bad way. I mean that—"

"Shh! Vernim, Vernim! Shh! Vernim, Please!" Brother Martin hushed, trying to concentrate on Philip’s wound.

He found that it appeared to be horribly rotted and infected. Using Lawrence's knife, he cut away the rot infected flesh.

Brother Martin cast his last cure wounds on Philip, and the halfling's wound looked noticeably better, but he was still unconscious.

Valeria cast healing word on Philip, and the halfling stirred briefly. She cast healing word again, finally reviving him.

"Oh, my gosh, Philip," Vernim gushed, "How are you feeling? I'm so glad you're back with us! Is there anything—"

"What happened?" Philip asked.

"It seems like the slash from that sword was poisonous," Valeria surmised.

"Do you need anything to eat?" Vernim asked. "Anything to drink? I mean I'm no Philip, but I have prepared food in my life before. I'm happy to try to prepare something. I've been wanting to try something out, like, for you guys..."

"Okay," Philip moaned. "If you want to, that sounds nice. That sword..." Philip looked around and realized his staff was nowhere to be found. He recalled leaving it behind when the zombies attacked, but the last thing he remembered was the ringing of bells in his head.

"I just want to, you know, try to make your life a little easier," Vernim expounded. "I can only imagine the pain, and I just want to help."

"Are we taking a rest here?" Yanliz asked.

"There's definitely some things we need to talk about," Vernim added.

They all agreed they should return to the keep during the night, but needed to rest first. They soon made their way to the portal under Lykos' lair and rested there.

Vernim prepared rations for everyone.

Philip drank some of the ale he had grabbed from the tavern.


When they were done resting, they all felt much better and Prynhawn, Lawrence, and Jess' drained strength had returned.

"How are you guys feeling?" Vernim asked. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel like myself now," Prynhawn replied while Lawrence and Jess nodded their agreement.

They made their way through the labyrinth to the secret room with the chalk map of the countryside. From there, they went through the old orc cave to the exit, where Yanliz peeked out.

When Yanliz didn't see anyone in the starlight, and what little light was offered by the waxing crescent moon, they made their way through the valley, towards the trail back to the keep.

They had almost made it halfway through the valley when they heard galloping ahead of them and soon saw The Dark Knight charging toward them on his armored black steed.

"To the kobold cave!" Valeria commanded, "Run!" as an arrow from the treeline to the north hit Yanliz in his chain shirt, knocking the wind out of him.

"Halt!" the Black Knight commanded Prynhawn, as the steed charged right at him.

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