009_20260724 Session 9

# [[009_20260724 Session 9|Session 9]] ## Session Summary > [!tldr] [[009_20260724 Session 9|Session 9]] > After sending Irina safely away, the Gang descended into the deepest reaches of Durst Manor, where they uncovered some grisly Durst family secrets. With the ceremony already underway, they were forced into a desperate fight to stop it before it could be completed.^summary ## Log ### Scene 1: Still Fighting Despite ending their previous fight with the DM saying, "Let's try not to get into combat," the Gang found themselves still hacking their way through ghouls and a worm. Roughed up and *of course* having learned their lesson, they found themselves in the family crypt, where [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] immediately proceeded to look for loot. Instead of finding loot, however, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] found that the crypts were empty. Some remained unoccupied, their resting places reserved for living members of the family. Others, belonging to the Durst ancestors [[The Durst Family#Claudia and Balthazar Durst|Balthazar and Claudia]], had once held stone coffins that had since been removed entirely. ![[009_20260724 Session 9-1785606485149.webp|right|350]] One crypt stood apart from the others. Barely large enough for a child, [[The Durst Family|Walter Durst]]'s resting place had been opened only recently. It, too, was empty. As [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] examined the little stone coffin, the nursemaid's ghost appeared once more. Gone was the terrifying specter from the attic. She simply stared into [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]]'s empty crypt, still searching for the child she had failed to protect. When [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] gently asked what had happened, the answer was worse than he expected: [[The Durst Family|Gustav and Elizabeta]] had murdered their own son only hours earlier, intending to use his blood in a ritual to restore an "old Durst." [[Body in the Attic|When the nursemaid discovered what they had done, they murdered her as well]]. Suddenly, everything fit. The bloodstained nursery. The body in the attic. [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]]'s empty crypt. But there was still hope. [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] had only been taken downstairs hours before. If the ritual had not yet finished, the Gang might still be able to stop it. When [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] asked whether there was anything they could do to help her find peace, the ghost instead offered to help them. Introducing herself as [[The Durst Family|Nynka]], she agreed to scout the lower levels of the manor, passing through walls and reporting what she found back to [[Andraste Amo|Andi]]. ### Scene 2: The Cultists' Quarters With [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] scouting the ritual below, the Gang continued their own search of the dungeon. The first room they entered appeared to house the cult's novices. Rows of simple cots lined the walls, reminding [[Zar]] of the dormitories beneath the churches where he had trained. Unlike those, however, these quarters had been abandoned in haste. Their occupants had already gathered for the ritual, leaving nothing behind but threadbare bedding and a few personal effects. The adjoining chambers belonged to the cult's senior members. Here, the furnishings were noticeably more comfortable. Several locked chests sat among the rooms, alongside a stone well that disappeared into darkness. Naturally, the Gang split up to search. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] forced open one of the chests, uncovering 11 gp, 60 sp, and a pouch stitched from human skin. Her experience with dead bodies left little doubt about what it was made from. #loot [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] had better luck with another chest, uncovering three agates, worth 10 gp each, and a folded piece of black cloth bearing the image of a sun-shaped pendant or symbol. #loot The final chest proved more stubborn. [[Zar]] tried both careful lockpicking and brute force but failed to open it. After watching the others collect their prizes, he wandered off to sulk like a parent chaperoning children as they bagged fistfuls of candy on Halloween. ## ## Scene 3: One Last Shadow As they investigated the cultists' quarters—and the DM encouraged [[Zar]] to stray from the group—the surviving shadow emerged from hiding and struck [[Zar]] before anyone could react. Though weakened from the earlier fight, it still managed to sap some of his vitality before the party rallied around him. The ambush was brief. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] and [[Zar]] quickly cornered the shadow while [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] continued directing [[Daddy Longlegs]] toward the lower level. The last of the manor's shadows finally dissipated, leaving the crypts silent once more. With the danger passed, the Gang returned to looting. This time, [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] tried the final chest herself. Her **19** with the thieves' tools succeeded where [[Zar]]'s attempts had failed, revealing a **silver shortsword**. Remembering the werewolves they had learned about upstairs, the Gang decided a silvered weapon was too valuable to leave behind, and [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] immediately handed it to [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]], who could make better use of a finesse weapon. #loot Satisfied that no treasure remained inside, [[Zar]] picked up the now-empty chest and dramatically threw it down the nearby well. ## Scene 4: The Reliquary With the cultists' quarters picked clean, the Gang continued deeper beneath the manor. While [[Daddy Longlegs]] crept through the reliquary, [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] continued scouting the ritual chamber beyond. Between the two of them, the party now had eyes on nearly every path ahead. The reliquary itself housed an unsettling collection of ritual objects: - A mummified yellow hand with unnaturally long claws, suspended from the ceiling. - A knife carved from bone. - A dagger with a rat skull set into its pommel. - An eight-inch preserved eye, apparently belonging to some enormous creature. - A cloak embroidered with a devil's face. - A desiccated frog tied to a stick. - A bag of bat guano. - A hag's severed finger, which [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] took to negotiate with [[Morganta, the Dream Pastry Lady|Morganta]] in the future. - An aspergillum/asparagus used to sprinkle holy water. Among the reliquary's stranger exhibits was the preserved head of a halfling mounted on the wall. Introducing himself as [[Talbot, the Halfling Head|Talbot]], he seemed remarkably unfazed by his predicament and cheerfully answered what questions he could about the cult and the rooms below. Desperate to leave the house, he calmed down when [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] promised to come back for him after dealing with the ritual nearby. Continuing onward, the Gang narrowly avoided a concealed pit trap after [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] noticed that one section of the dusty floor lacked footprints. Lifting the false stone slab revealed a spike-filled pit waiting for the unwary. Moments later, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] spotted the carrion worm clinging silently to the ceiling overhead. Satisfied that it seemed content to remain where it was, the Gang gave it a wide berth and continued toward the sound of the chanting. ## Scene 5: "Brother Erno" Before charging into the ritual chamber, the Gang found one more room that appeared to have been used to hold the cult's prisoners. It was empty now, littered with incomplete skeletons whose missing bones had likely been added to the enormous mound nearby. One body was much fresher. The dead man wore the same black-and-red robes as the [[Ba'al Verzi]] cultists upstairs. More importantly, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] had a disguise kit. ![[009_20260724 Session 9-1786117995473.webp|right|350]]After changing into the dead cultist's robes, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] looked convincing enough (**25 Performance**) to walk straight through the door. Inside, he found the ritual chamber much as [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] had described it: cultists standing knee-deep in water, rusty hooks hanging overhead, and [[The Durst Family|Gustav and Elizabeta]] gathered around an altar. [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] was still alive, with the gemstone beside him. On either side of the altar lay the finely dressed corpses of [[The Durst Family#Claudia and Balthazar Durst|Balthazar and Claudia Durst]], explaining exactly where the missing occupants of the ancestral crypts had gone. [[The Durst Family|Elizabeta]] immediately demanded to know why "Brother Erno" had arrived late. Thinking quickly, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] claimed that enemies had infiltrated the dinner upstairs and brought reinforcements with them. If the cult wanted the ritual to succeed, he warned, they needed help immediately. It worked. With a **19 Deception**, [[Erno]] convinced [[The Durst Family|Elizabeta]] to take **three cultists** upstairs to deal with the imaginary attack, substantially thinning the forces around [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] before a weapon had even been drawn. [[The Durst Family|Gustav]] thanked his helpful brother, ordered the remaining cultists back into position, and instructed [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] to join them. ![[ErnoCult.png]] Outside, [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] and [[Zar]] prepared to enter through a collapsed section of wall while [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] shared bad news with [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] via Message: > "They are about to kill [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]]." [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] could also sense that the enormous bone creature nearby was undead and dormant, though she had no idea what might wake it. The Gang decided that keeping [[The Durst Family|Gustav]] occupied was probably their best chance of keeping it that way. Inside, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] watched the ritual resume. The remaining cultists took hold of the rusty hooks hanging from the ceiling, apparently preparing to hang themselves as part of the ceremony. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] copied them well enough to maintain his cover. Around him the chant continued: > _"He is the Ancient. He is the Land."_ Then the voices changed. Gustav raised a dagger over [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] and began a new chant. > _"One must die. One must die. One must die."_ ## Scene 6: One Must Die Before [[The Durst Family#Gustav and Elizabeta Durst|Gustav]] could bring the dagger down, [[Zar]] cast **Command**, ordering him to **hold**. [[The Durst Family#Gustav and Elizabeta Durst|Gustav]] froze with the blade still raised over [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]]. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] seized the opening—and somehow doubled down on the disguise. Rather than attacking immediately, he shouted to the remaining cultists that _another_ group of attackers had appeared in the adjoining room. Playing the panicked loyalist, he begged them to defend their lord while he tended to [[The Durst Family#Gustav and Elizabeta Durst|Gustav]]. Two of them believed him and ran off to fight enemies who did not exist. The deception did have one unfortunate side effect: the commotion stirred the dormant [[shambling mound]] of bones, which began to move toward the battle. Still, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] had managed to send away a huge portion of the enemy force before the fight had properly begun. With his cover finally expendable, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] turned on [[The Durst Family#Gustav and Elizabeta Durst|Gustav]]. His assassin training gave him the advantage against an enemy who had not yet acted. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] buried his poisoned dagger into [[The Durst Family#Gustav and Elizabeta Durst|Gustav]] for **13 damage**, poisoning him in the process. Then, with [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] and the gemstone both within reach, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] was presented with the sort of moral dilemma for which no adventurer is ever truly prepared: Baby or loot? After considerable soul-searching (and discussion with the distinctly Andi and Zar-like voices in his head), [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] grabbed the **gemstone**. The fight spread quickly across the ritual chamber. [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] joined the Gang against her murderers, phasing directly through enemies and tearing at them from inside their own bodies. [[The Durst Family#Gustav and Elizabeta Durst|Gustav]], who had once killed her for discovering the truth, eventually died with [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] quite literally inside him. Andi made for the altar and finally pulled [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] out of the ritual. Backing away with the baby in her arms, she sent a message to [[The Durst Family|Nynka]]: > _"We have Walter. Take heart."_ The news gave [[The Durst Family|Nynka]] fresh resolve as she continued fighting alongside the Gang. Unfortunately, [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] was safe just in time for everything else to become much worse. The shambling mound had fully awakened. Made from the bones of the cult's former prisoners, it lumbered into the fight and quickly focused its attention on [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]]. One blow left him barely standing; another round finally knocked him unconscious. With no spell power remaining, [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] dumped a healing potion down [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]]'s cloak, bringing him back into the fight. [[Zar]] meanwhile found a practical use for the ritual chamber's hanging chains, shoving one of the cultists directly into one before turning his attention to the mound. While [[Zar]] smited it with divine radiance, [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] darted back into the fray, with [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] and [[The Durst Family#Nynka|Nynka]] attacking it from opposite sides (and from within!). By the end of the session, [[The Durst Family#Walter Durst|Walter]] was safely in [[Andraste Amo|Andi]]'s arms, the gemstone was in the Gang's possession, [[The Durst Family|Gustav Durst]] was dead, and [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] was still alive, bringing the session to a close with the shambling mound badly wounded—but very much still standing. ## New Quests    (None) ## Quests With Deadlines   | Quest | Deadline | Days Left | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------------------- | | [[Fight in Lazarus's cage match]] | 0713-12-08 | -0.3333333333333333 | | [[Help Ismark with Irina's party]] | 0713-12-08 | -0.3333333333333333 | | [[Retrieve a stolen gem for Stafania Martikova]] | 0713-12-13 | 4.666666666666667 |  ## Time-Sensitive Quests   - [[Find Arabelle]] - [[Find the Conjurer]] - [[Find Gertruda]] - [[Find and keep Irina safe]] - [[Protect Vito the Alchemist as he gathers herbs]] - [[Save Doru]] - [[Look for missing children in Stoya]] - [[Find a ride via the Burgomaester]]  ## Social Calendar   | Event | Description | Date | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | | [[Boy Dinner at the Castle]] | \- | 0713-12-10 | | [[Wolf's Head Jamboree]] | \- | 0714-01-14 | | [[Ceremony at Yester Hill]] | \- | 0714-02-12 |