The session began in the midst of battle. Both sides had defensible positions, so things were at a standoff. There were 3 archers, one magic caster on the ground and one with wings flying around the chamber. The Storm Peace Keepers started moving forward, in preparation for the serpent folk and the winged being to attack. The serpent folk showed discipline and did not rush into a bad situation. The flying creature cast spells but did not have any luck affecting the party. Within two rounds, the winged creature flew over and grabbed the other magic caster, then disappeared. The rangers shifted slightly, waiting for someone to enter the room and within range. Sheliak was fortunate enough to hear a slight noise in the rooms and noticed the winged creature had reappeared behind them. He gave out a warning and most of the next attack centered on him. Cendrine went out to the archers in order to keep them out of the way. Darsus, Danicia and Sheliak ganged up on the casters and forced them to keep moving.
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Cendrine quickly waded into battle and shrugged off the first arrow attacks. Meanwhile, the casters were having no luck with their spells and they were taking damage each round. After a few rounds of this, the winged creature flew off and then disappeared again, leaving the other caster behind. Cendrine was doing damage, but she was also taking extensive damage when the archers hit vital areas. Danicia and Darsus were in position to finish off the other caster, so Sheliak went out to aid Cendrine, he arrived in time to see her fall from another arrow. Darsus and Danicia quickly joined them and Darsus channeled in order to keep Cendrine alive. She took the opportunity to exit and drink a potion, while Sheliak and Danicia went after the archers. The archers were taken care off, although Danicia had to chase one down before he escaped to give an alert.
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The group came back together and healed up. They went into the next room, which was a large hall, with a throne at one end and large doors to the outside on the other. While carefully walking through the hall they heard voices in one of the side rooms. The group entered at two different doors in order to surround whoever they heard. They found two more archers and after a short battle, they were able to send the two to their ancestors. In one room they found an old jeweled gown that was worth some coin. The other room had a table and stairs to the upper floor. There were also stairs to a lower floor. The group was running low on spells and decided to go back to the ruined village in order to rest and see how Sophia was doing. They spent the night, with only a disturbance from coyotes and were rested and ready to return in the morning. There was no change in Sophia's condition, and she did not appear to be suffering from thirst or hunger. Sandru, Koya and Brianna continued to stay with the wagons in order to keep a watch for trouble.
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That morning, the group returned to the castle, without any trouble. They returned to the main hall and did not notice any new signs of creatures stirring where they had been. The group decided to go back to the upper floor and finish exploring areas they had left behind due to other threats.
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The group went upstairs and found that one room as the second level of what appeared to be an old ballroom. They then went to another room where they had heard a child sobbing behind a jammed door. After a shove by Shelika, the door opened and they were facing two undead, one a whirling mass of energy, the other a small, child like figure, with an animal skull and clutching a small toy. The two undead were no match for the group and were quickly sent to their final rest. When exploring the room, they found a small skeleton, pinned beneath boxes in what had once been a store room. Near the skeleton there were stick figures drawn of bird like creatures, one large creature with an ax and others with masks, standing over many bodies.
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With the second floor cleared, the group went down to continue exploring the main floor on the ground level. They went back to the large hall and found a door on the opposite side. They found small rooms and the ground entrance to the ball room they had seen from above. In the ballroom area they found stairs up and stairs down to the lower level. On the other side of the ball room they found another set of doors and a small hallway to another set of doors. These rooms appeared to be below the ruins of a greenhouse that had been on the second floor. They opened the doors to this room and saw another serpent folk and a small gnome. The room also had stuffed animals arranged in patterns around the room, with faces that looked like they had been in pain when they were stuffed. The serpent folk was armored and stepped up to the group while the gnome went into a corner. The group entered and started to surround the gnome while the fighter moved to block the way. The gnome then cast spells, and before being completely surrounded, disappeared. While Danicia focused on the gnome, Cendrine went after the fighter and exacted revenge for her earlier fight by taking him down.
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Meanwhile, Danicia had found the gnome in the other corner and been able to sneak up on her. Sheliak joined the party, and after Darsus and Cendrine joined in, the gnome was taken down quickly. The group explored and found some items on the gnome and fighter. They found a sculpture kit that looked like it had been used to mold the faces and shapes on the wall. It’s impossible to tell what this room may have originally been used for, as the walls and floor are decorated with countless preserved animals and creatures, ranging from small birds and forest creatures to fearsome predators. Several of the displays look uncomfortably fresh or humanoid in shape.
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The group moved back into the main hall in order to contemplate their next move. The session ended here.
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