Session 8

The session opens as the party just managed to get rid of the spiders which climbed on Una, and pulled her out of the wall.

The group is deciding where to go. There is another narrow path from where the group entered. There are more webs blocking the path.

The group heads back into the larger cave they dropped into and head into the narrow path. Theo steps first with the torch, Athtar follows ready to toss a vial in case more spiders appear

Una takes a moment to recall knowledge. She notices that at the deeper end of the tunnel, the stone cavern turns into smoother, more handmade stone.

Athtar and Theo look ahead. Athtar can hear the humming of a person around the corner of the path and also hears clattering as if something was dropped.

He reports this to Theo as Una reports her discovery. They extinguish the torch and light a hooded lantern to keep the party concealed. They sneak to the entrance. As Theo rounds the corner, he feels something tap his feet, and roll down the stairs, tapping down each one. A small humanoid creature is hunched over a pile of bones a little deeper into the room.

As it hears the sound, it looks away from the bones and looks at him. It seems wary and hostile. It throws a human femur at a wall by him. It holds a screwdriver it found up in defense.

Theo returns into the crevice with Athtar and Una. He reports his findings and says he'll wait a few minutes before checking in again to see if it's gone.

He peeks around the corner to see it is now tinkering with something with the screwdriver.

Theo thinks back, he recognizes the creature as a Morlock. A creature that resides in twisted tunnels and are humanoid. They are from an equivalent of the underdark, have an innate understanding of engineering and tinkering but have no ability to think for themselves and recall nothing of their previous life. It can crawl on all fours for speed or stealth.

Theo suggests heading back to check out the other passages as a means of not taking the risk of upsetting the creature. It doesn't seem openly hostile and may just be scared.

As they head back, looking at the entrance to the crevice, they see another morlock which was observing the burnt webs of the previous crevice. It locks eyes with the group before dashing away.

The group heads back into the larger cave and explore the southern path. The corridor itself splits two ways, to the south and ot the left.

Maintaining the same order, Theo opts to scout as they enter. Athtar is searching for more Morlocks, now that they've spotted the group, Una continues to investigate, and Pete also searches.

They find another morlock waiting for them, which throws a rock at them and runs away. Another waits deeper in the corridor, and the group is now in initiative.

Pete whips out his pistol and takes a shot at one of the Morlocks, hitting and doing some damage. He then attempts to intimidate them

The morlock attempts to throw its screwdriver club at him but misses, hitting a wall. It yells something at him and scuttles North.

Athtar shifts past Theodore, takes a shot at the remaining Morlock, but misses. He reloads.

Theo joins, attacking the morlock and hits. He then moves into cover.

Una joins, she recalls knowledge on it and learns that it has light blindness. She then fires upon it, but completely misses.

The morlock then pokes at the staircase, runs north with the other morlock.

Pete pulls out one of his glowrods. He looks south and notes it may be a path leading out to the courtyard.

The first morlock returns and chucks a bone at Athtar, missing.

Athtar, suspicious of the stairs, gets closer to investigate it but doesn't find anything off. He returns to cover as there isn't much to do without overextending.

The group opts to head south and try to establish an exit. Theo heads closer and checks for traps on the stairs going south, finding none. Una hangs back to hold an attack. The second morlock returns, chucks a bone at Athtar, hitting him square in the head. Una attempts to shoot him but misses. She manages to barely spot a third morlock that came up beside her to stab her and get out of the way.

Pete continues down the stairway. It seems like it goes down to a storeroom, but also up to the dining room of the manor.

Athtar gets hit again by another rock from one of the morlocks. He then gets out of the way to stop getting hit. He prepares his bomb launcher and loads an acid flask.

Theo gets to the corner Athtar used to be at, so he could prepare an attack against a morlock if it comes down. Una also prepares a shot if another morlock heads down. Theo hits his shot. The morlock lets out an angry growl at him before it heads in to throw a club at him, but misses. It runs back up.

Pete heads back down the stairs and joins the party.

Athtar heads into a corner to fire his bomb launcher the moment he sees a morlock head down into view again.

Theo gets his armour up and prepares an action to shoot the morlock after athtar fires a bomb.

Una gets closer to the stairs and notes the trap. It's a simple trap that makes the stairs turn into a slide, sending the person on them back down and into the wall behind them.

Pete heads into the group, preparing to head in.

Athtar gets closer, still holding his attack.

Theo attempts to head up the stairs without triggering the trap, but he slides down, hits head and falls at the base of the stairs.

Una moves in to disarm the trap and succeeds.

Pete and Athtar hear a screech from behind them as a morlock returns from where they entered from, only for it to be blinded by the light Theo has, and run back up.

Pete pulls around the corner and shoots it, critically hitting the blind morlock. As Pete is heading back around the corner, the first morlock comes around the corner and hits Pete with his club, downing him.

It then runs back up, stealing Pete's gun.

Athtar heads to a vantage point to fire his acid vial at the two morlocks. He misses but manages to hit them with splash damage from the acid. He then returns to cover.

Theo heads back to their entrance, transforming his arm into a shotgun and blasting them.

Una heads back to check on Pete. She makes a medicine check on him. She then realizes that Pete is only made of bone. She calls this out to the group. She also mentions she's not equipped to deal with that.

The third morlock heads down, getting in Theo's face.

Pete stabilizes and then gets up. He then attempts to intimidate the morlocks using his skeleton face, but he just barely fails.

The first morlock leaps and attacks as it lands. Swinging at Theodore as it lands, shattering his armour. It then bites Theo, nearly killing him.

Athtar shoots at it with his colt rifle, dealing with critical damage but not killing it. He reloads and tries for a second, but misses.

Theo one action punches the third morlock. He charges his fist with lightning and hits, but doesn't do enough damage to take it down. He steps back.

Una recalls knowledge about the morlocks. She recalls information about its leap attacks. She then shoots the first morlock, hitting it right through the eye as it explodes along with its brain.

Pete picks his gun up off and reloads. He moves towards the formerly trapped stairs. Athtar heads back to the stairwell and leaves. Theo and Una join him as the party isn't doing too well. Pete follows and the group sneaks back to their rooms. They close the door they used to enter the dungeon and try to heal. Una can't help with Pete, but she can help with Theo. She attempts to heal Theo, but doesn't manage to help. She then attempts to heal Athtar, but critically fails.

She then tries again a little later, succeeding on Athtar and nursing him fully back to health.

The group goes to sleep, ending in their original rooms.

The night passes slowly. It's a dark and stormy night. Una sleeps in her room alone. As the night passes, she hears footsteps coming down the hallway. Una has caltrops in the hidden corridor in the false wall of her room.

She stays still. After a few moments, she hears the sound of the footsteps stop. She hears the sound of a door creak open and then close.

She makes a move to slip across the hall to let the others know. As she crosses, she sees a young woman standing by the door adjacent to her. Una recognizes her as the general store owner's (Jennifer's) daughter. Oddly, she is alive.

As she steps out of her room, she looks at Una. There are dark bags under her eyes. She greets Una, asking if she's the daughter of the priest. She says yes, and asks if she's Jennifer's daughter. She confirms, stating her name, Serenya. She then asks what Una's doing out here.

Una replies that she's tying up some loose ends, and asks what about her. As she speaks, the moonlight shines in. Fangs can be seen on her.

Una steps into the room with Pete, Athtar, and Theo. She mentions she feels weird and tells them about the interaction she had. Una mentions she doesn't feel comfortable having to do something about the situation. Theo and Athtar mention they don't need to do anything. They were here to figure out what was going on. Not vampire hunt.

They agree to sleep with an eye open and talk about it in the morning.

As the group wakes up, they smell an incredible breakfast. As Theo leaves the room, he mentions to Pete that they will talk later.

The keeper greets everyone. He mentions that the master of the house will be in 5 minutes, and that everyone may begin eating. The party takes some food and begins eating. Master Labelle joins the table. He wishes that everyone had a good rest. And then mentions that something peculiar happened last night. As he was looking around the upper floor, he noticed a wall was open. He asks if anyone happened to know anything about it.

Una replies no in an attempt to deceive him. It doesn't seem like he fully buys it but he stops asking questions.

Theo asks Labelle if he will answer their questions. Theo then mentions why they are here, in search of the vampire spawn. But he mentions they will not target her in his house. Athtar chimes in saying they were pursuing her not as in hunting but as in following. Theo asks if he knew anything about her. Labelle replies it's not his place to say. It's hers.

He also mentions that she requested a room in the basement, and if the group wants to talk to her, they have to go there. They already know where it is. Una realizes her lie did not work.

Labelle asks Theo that once they get what they're looking for, they plan to leave. Theo says most likely. Labelle then gets up, leaves his fork and knife at the table, and leaves for his study. Before he enters, suggests being a little more careful next time they're down in the basement.

Pete follows him in. Labelle is unhappy with the situation. He didn't grant Pete permission to enter. Labelle comments that Pete likes to push his luck. That he probably died out in the wilderness with nobody to care. That's why he's the way he is.

Pete comments, that Labelle pretends to know him. Labelle mentions he knows more than he lets on. He asks Pete how it must've felt to be shot in the back by his own comrades. That it must've filled him with rage. Labelle asks if he wants to just let it out.

Pete responds, not to him.

Pete reaches his hand out. He ungloves it to shake, assuming they're both the same. Labelle laughs, amused by Pete. He notes that Pete has entertained him. In return, Labelle places a hand on his shoulder and casts harm on him. The harm healing his undead body.

He then instructs Pete to leave the study, and that it's not wise to enter someone's personal chambers without permission. He also advises that Pete not enter again.

Pete leaves.

Una takes a moment to try and heal Theo once again, and she succeeds.

With that, the group has their objective and head back to the basement.

The two morlocks wait near the entrance. One is digging its screwdriver into the wall, the other is picking up the bullets on the ground that were fired, and keeping them in a small pouch.

As Theo lights his lantern, the morlocks cover their eyes, let out a screech, and turn to run.