Scions of Punjar: Session 3

(Another short session) At the end of the last session the party was headed back to the city of Punjar. Armed with the knowledge that they would most likely be facing undead the group decided to hire, if possible, a cleric or paladin etc. They made their way through the streets of Punjar on a warm, humid and rainy afternoon, finally arriving at the Bazaar of the Gods - a small section of the city comprised of various tent shrines and ramshackle temples. Through the use of an urban skill challenge the party managed to find a small unassuming temple dedicated to the Raven Queen. The group was confronted by a scarred old man and and was able to hook up (skill challenge) with a shifter avenger who had been working and living at the temple who was more than interested in the idea of taking out undead.

They made their way to the mausoleum discovering that it was indeed the family crypt of the Dev'shir family. Upon entering the main room of the mausoleum, which served as a chapel, the party discovered two rooms on the east and west walls that each served as tombs. In these rooms they found about 16 undead each, standing in rows of 8 almost like an infantry, some skeletons and some recently dead - zombies. Much of the Dev'shir family ancestry had been risen as undead. After dispatching these undead tha party moved on to the double doors on the north wall of the chapel. It was here they noticed that the doors themselves had been craved like a gnarled trunk of a massive tree, with the branches extending out onto the walls. On the branches were bricks inlaid in the wall with the names of the members of the Dev'shir family - obviously a family tree. Upon closer inspection they found the branch noticed that belongs to Lady Dev'shir had 2 blank bricks underneath her name which looked out of place. The party figured out that this was a piece to what was becoming an interesting puzzle.

The party entered the double doors and found another tomb, noticing that one of the graves had been disturbed, spying a body lying in the corner of the room. While inspecting this an apparition, a young woman half-burned and wearing what appeared to be a dress made of flames, appeared behind them and began to attack, while screaming for them to stop disturbing her. Antioch's character, the tiefling bard Talibah, stepped up with a diplomacy check and rolled high. The group learned that she was Dugesia, the daughter of Lady Dev'shir, and that she had been burned alive but could not remember how. They also learned that she has heard many voices in the tomb, one a familiar female voice. Talibah convinced her that the group was hunting the people that had disturbed her and Dugesia begged the group to place her body back into the tomb properly. Once this was done the tormented ghost of Dugesia Dev'shir faded away.

Jester stated that he believed that it was Lady Dev'shir herself that was behind all of this mess and led the party back to the Dev'shir manner. In the middle of what was a rainy night the party stormed into the Dev'shir manner, knocking out a startled butler in the process. Lady Dev'shir, lantern in hand, dashes down the stairs in response to the noise and sees the party she had initially hired. Telling them to calm down she invites the group into the dining room and pours herself a drink, everyone else too cautious to drink anything.

Confronted with the evidence of the mismatching bricks in the family tree she seems surprised but explains to the party that she had 2 daughters, Lakaisha and Dugesia. The firstborn Dugesia being the smart well-behaved daughter and Lakaisha the, well you know, the typical black sheep. In a fit of rage one day after learning that a marriage to a very unlikable minor noble has been arranged for her and the fact that Dugesia was being groomed to take the reigns of the Dev'shir estate Lakaisha murdered her sister. One day while Dugesia was grooming her favorite horse in the family stables Lakaisha locked her in and set it ablaze. Enraged by this the family quietly has her committed in another city miles away. This was the last Lady Dev'shir has heard of her only remaining daughter.

Convinced of this and only one option remaining, the party decided to set out for the abandoned windmill in the morning.

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