The weary heroes ventured into the altar of the forgotten tomb and saw an undead abomination of bones and rotten flesh shaped like a tree. Beside it was a freakish four-armed skeleton that charged the party while the tree hurled an arrow of bone dripping necrotic fluid that nearly impaled Pog.
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| Armed Skeleton |
The group took cover while Goh and Blumpkin fired arrows at the tree, but its carapace resisted the blows. Pog protected his companions and together they destroyed the skeleton, but the tree vomited up new foes to wear down the heroes. Stevil discovered the tree was susceptible to light, and with the help of the team, who distracted it, cast Guiding Bolt and Sacred flame, which badly hurt the monster. However, Stevil was nearly knocked out of the fight after he got hit twice with the deadly projectiles, but he stayed on his feet with Relentless Endurance and finished off the tree with Sacred Flame.
The adventurers deduced from the reliefs that the monster was the mutated remnants of a sorcerer that had been animated by an evil, black diamond of demonic origin. After consulting Kord via an Augury scroll, the heroes smashed the gem and cleansed Phandalin of an evil that would have soon overwhelmed the town. The party harvested several necrotic arrows, shards of the black diamond, and a Periapt of Wound Closure that was worn by Stevil.
On the way to the inn the team picked up Donton and discovered that the townsfolk were in good spirits with the destruction of the gem. Qelline Alderleaf then told the band about undead at Old Owl Well and that Reidoth of Thundertree, a druid, may know the location of Wave Echo Cavern. The heroes, intent on clearing the surrounding wilds of evil and returning the lost supplies to the Lionshield Coster, ventured back into Cragmaw Cavern. They attempted to negotiate for the supplies with Gnarlgrimm, the new leader of the cavern, but Gnarlgrimm refused and a battle ensued.
The group raced across the creek to do battle, taking potshots at one of the archers, who caught one of Pog’s javelins with his throat. The party was then nearly swept away by a deluge from a raging torrent trap unleashed by the Goblins, but they escaped unscathed. The party planned an ambush of their foes but Donton gave his warcry, “Donton Clindald!” and charged into the oncoming Goblins, but was ineffective. The team charged after him and became jammed in the tunnel, which trapped Goh between three foes who had been blessed by dark magic. Goh fought heroically and was nearly killed, but Stevil smote their enemies with the power of Kord, instantly killing a rabid Wolf and Hobgoblin, and badly injured a Goblin and Gnarlgrimm. With Gnarlgrimm’s main vanguard destroyed his remaining forces were easily defeated, with the last threat, a Goblin ritualist, being cleaved in two by Pog to end the battle.
A lone surviving goblin, who cowardly hid during the battle, surrendered and told the party the location of Cragmaw Castle in exchange for his life.
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