A loud yell sounded through the icy caverns as the lone remaining Bladescarred called out for aid. Quickly, two Bladescarred archers emerged from a tunnel up ahead and loosed their arrows in FCG’s direction. As Triple J scrambled to get Malcolm back to the safety of Artaema’s magic circle and revive him, more Bladescarred came flooding out of the tunnel. The numerous Bladescarred warriors darted down an adjacent tunnel and out of sight. FCG fired back with spells and weapons of their own, unwilling to give up their hard won position in the caverns, continuing to pile up bodies around them.
A low menacing laugh echoed from the tunnel beyond as a figure clad in billowing red and black robes strode into view. The figure slammed his staff into the ground, causing rays of sickly green light to pour out from within. These rays struck the bodies of the fallen Bladescarred who all began to rise in undeath to begin their assault anew. Malcolm rejoined the fray to aid Eris on the exterior of the magic circle, however the two warriors quickly found themselves surrounded by a group of Bladescarred that rushed up to flank them from the southern cavern.
Endrin cracked his knuckles and strode up to meet the Bladescarred’s necromancer in arcane combat. The gnome mage conjured a massive gravity sinkhole in the far cavern and crushed many Bladescarred, including the necromancer, in his wake. Weakened from Endrin’s spell, the necromancer turned his gaze toward Endrin and retorted with a spell of his own. Despite a counterspell attempt, Endrin found himself struck square in the chest with another sickly green beam. The beam caused Endrin’s body to wither and rot, bringing the wizard to the brink of undeath.
Eris and Malcolm fought against the closer Bladescarred, swinging with ragged resolve at the undead warriors and animated shadows around them. Artaema chipped in, and mind-controlled one of the still living Bladescarred, forcing it to fight its own allies. Nyx continued to launch eldritch blasts in the direction of the necromancer, but found it difficult as a large fog cloud now filled the far cavern. Dodging a continuous onslaught of arrows from the archers, Triple J ran up to Endrin and healed his withered friend with both potion and the finest Xhorhasian wine.
Eris smote many of her undead foes to ash, but it was not enough to turn the tide. Sensing this, Malcolm jumped in front of Eris before another arrow could strike, and the two ran for cover within the magic circle. The circle could not save Malcolm from the necromancer’s foul magic however, as waves of necrotic energy continued to pour out from behind the fog cloud, rendering the fighter unconscious. As soon as Eris healed Malcolm, the nearby Bladescarred berserker thrust his axe right through Malcolm’s chest, sending him to death’s door once more.
The situation turned extremely dire as a large bloody hyena emerged from the surrounding mists. Triple J’s pleas for retreat finally rang true as the bard granted everyone the power of teleportation, enabling them to flee down the tunnel behind them. The party suffered a few more pot shots from the Bladescarred, but managed to escape for the time being as the Bladescarred were unable to pursue beyond the magic circle. FCG fled all the way back to the ruined arcane tower in which they had rested earlier and re-sealed its wall. Hurriedly, Triple J conjured up the dome, and the party settled in for an uneasy night of rest.
During the first watch, Malcolm felt the pangs of hunger as he looked upon his friends. During the next, Endrin heard the faint sounds of crunching ice and claws scratching at the tower’s exterior. Endrin too felt hungry as he eyed Malcolm’s meaty physique. Unable to fight the insatiable hunger for his friend, the gnome bit Malcolm on the arm. Endrin quickly came to his senses just and Malcolm lost his. Driven by a dark, unrelenting, fury Malcolm began pummeling Endrin bloody. Triple J threw pillows and blankets at the enraged fighter, but it wasn’t until Eris kicked Malcolm in the groin that he came to his senses. Shocked at the sudden outburst, Endrin called into question Malcolm’s blade, which had given the wizard dark vibes during his last detect magic spell. Reluctantly, Malcolm agreed to let Endrin identify it at a later date.
Sleep came to some, but not all, of the party as many members slept restlessly, seemingly haunted by ill intent and bad dreams. All but Eris and Nyx awoke disgruntled and weary. With no choice but to continue their exploration of the cave system, FCG reopened the tower wall and retraced their steps all the way back to the icy cavern where they had just fought. However, the Bladescarred were long gone. Thanks to some keen survival skills, the party was able to track the band of Bladescarred further into caves. FCG followed the tracks until they came across a single Bladescarred figure staring at an icy wall with a writhing black entity veiled behind the cloudy ice. As the party began to take in the scene, they each felt another presence worm its way inside their minds…
