The party knows its score:

• Get Contract information from Hezeroth
• Check out the Queen’s Tomb
• Enlist the help of Matrius RaedWolf the Vampire Hunter

Hunters’ Lore

Matrius revealed some more of his background: He was sent by some Baron called Osmund to look for a family heirloom, an amulet that Clan Noctis had won. We can speculate how … let us assume a close relative of Osmund’s is now a vampire. But that is not our concern.

What IS our concern is that vampires drain energy and cast spells. And when they bite, they turn someone into their own kind.

The only way to truly kill a vampire, says RaedWolf, bearer of a silver scimitar, is not a fancy weapon like that, but a simple wooden stake to the heart.

Splitting Loot

His offer: We come with him to sniff out traps and get the path clear of lesser threats. He will handle vampires. In return, he gets 50% of the loot, and we make do with the other 50%.

That did not sit well since it really ate into our winnings, and therefore, quite directly, also our XP.

We discussed and tried to negotiate a better deal, but he was a tough negotiator and what money we argued to get ever made us beholden to him for more missions, which would, potentially lead us farther away from our destination. On the other hand, it might lead us closer to it: at least Darion suspected that the only one who could want to re-awaken a Great Devil would be a vampire, to start a rule of monsters.

Not so, argued Bubo: Vampires and Demons didn’t and couldn’t get along. Devils would ever have the upper hand, so it would be expressly against the interests of vampires to awaken devils. Vaeva supported that claim … but still, having RaedWolf with us sounded like a godsend in case we ran into bloodsucking nightmares that our clerics could not repel at their level.

During the negotiations we also spoke about that loot split, and there it was uncontested that the amulet would go to Raedwolf … of course. On his part, he stated that he had no interest in the magical sword Endbringer. We could have that.

Splitting Hairs

That triggered some debates about the morals of taking it: The clerics felt that as a parting gift to the dead, it belonged to the Queen and might not be right to take it. Darion on the other hand felt that would he see it lying there, there was no way he would let it lie there. A sword was made for being used, not for being buried. Heidel assured him that he would speak out against taking it, but would not actually stop him.

To keep us honest and right, Apoqulis also wanted to bring a couple of barbarian spectators with us, so they could advise us on how to hold up their customs and not spoil the rest of the dead queen. That irked Darion who remembered well how annoying the druids had become with their constant opposition against hurting animals, until they themselves were (part tragically, part thankfully) slain by none other than animals.

The reason for Apoqulis was that he expected the sword, being magical, to demonstrate that it wanted to be taken, that it would signal its consent and actively come to Darion. If that would happen in front of witnesses, they would be awed and support our claim to the sword.

Darion was less certain about that: What if the sword just lay there, unmoving? What then?

As the voice of reason, Bubo didn’t give us final answers, but reminded us all that there were some facts to consider, independently of moral considerations:

• We needed the sword, because it was the only weapon that had already proven effective against that very Devil.
• Only Darion could wield it, being the only Fighter in the group.
• Therefore it would be bad if Darion was to be taken by a vampire and turned, because then we would have no-one to wield the sword.
• Stopping the Raising of a Great Devil was more important than some burial taboos.
• We didn’t know where the sword actually was, or how dangerous the trip was, so in any case bringing civilian spectators meant risking their lives.

All valid and smart points. And Bubo tried his best to get that part about Darion’s special role hammered into the fighter’s thick skull: Much as it would be sad to see a bunch of villagers get taken by the undead … if Darion was to play the hero and be sucked dry by a vampire, that would, and not to take that as bragging, potentially jeopardize the fate of the whole world. So pretty please, for the love of all things under the sky, honour or bravery be damned, stay away from vampires!

Hunters

Finally we went. We bought out the whole supply of Holy Water in the Elf’s shop (which delighted him, as the barbarians had no use for Holy Water and it just took up shelf space). On the way to the Tomb with 11 vials we cut some good wooden stakes.

And we brought the donkey with our camping equipment because we expected to be there for two to three days and packed for five.

Surprise: the tomb entrance greeted us open! Long ago it had been broken open, long overgrown and covered in dust and cobwebs. Well, so much for preserving the rest of the dead.

Inside the tomb we saw a big empty room and three pillars with doors, each wide enough to potentially house a stairwell.

Dwarfiana Jones

We took our sweet time checking them for traps multiple times, and discovered a dead orc in one and a gas trap in another.

Finally we set up camp for the night before going in again and picking one that Bubo and Darion both suspected to be the right stairwell. And it was that; and it wasn’t even trapped, even though as we tested using the half-desiccated orc-body. Again, so much for preserving the rest of the dead.

Below we found a room that looked rather out of place, with a pool of lava shielded under a force field and red light crystals in a room full of brass tubes and empty space, like a matter-antimatter-drive in a Federation Starship. The floor of lava blocked access to a huge double door, looming and beckoning.

We stared at the lava with great respect and went to ask Heidel for his opinion and expertise in Dwarfcraft. That was the right choice: he quickly defused the whole room, turned on the light and opened the next door.

With donkey waiting outside, the rest of us blundered right inside to face an Indiana-Jones-worthy trap room, with the door to the entrance closing behind us: we have to puzzle out a pile of dwarven letters or die trying.

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