AD&D Session 79 - Footsteps in the Dust
15th of Duscar, 835 PD
Continuing deeper into the warded mountain complex, Marcus and the others advanced past the remnants of earlier traps and reached a more natural-looking cavern. Before committing to the open space, they paused to search for danger and noticed something subtle but telling: fresh-looking footprints forming in the dust, as if someone—or something—had moved nearby without ever being seen. That caution paid off almost immediately. When Bibi tested the air ahead with a sweeping strike, she connected with an invisible lurking creature—revealed as a nothic that had been stalking them unseen. The party brought it down quickly and pressed on, now even less convinced this place was merely abandoned. Their odd gnome tagalong, still driven by curiosity, investigated a nearby glowing rift and managed to extract a small, luminous stone from within before the group moved on. The next chamber felt like a morbid change of theme: crypt-like side rooms lined with sarcophagi and coffins, all sealed behind grates and locked doors, with even the forward route barred. A careful check suggested the direct way ahead was warded, so they chose the less-protected option—picking a side lock instead. The “easy” route punished the decision at once: scattered bones across the room shuddered into motion and rose as skeletons. It became clear the magic Marcus had sensed was bound to the bones themselves, not the coffins. With divine power brought to bear, the party cleared the undead swiftly, though not before Whisper took several hard hits in the crush.