Session Report: Aldsburg Chronicles [A7]

... wherein the adventurers run afoul of previous adventurers' misadventures ...

The Party
Boreas, Winter Mage
Alois, Cleric of the Unfettered Raven
Werner, inexperienced Fighter/Thief
Minock, Fighter associate and non-scoundrel
Larry, freakishly loyal henchman of Minock

Recap and Setup
The adventurers, temporarily fleeing Aldsburg because it is in the middle of a pogrom and the plague has lasting effects and Clarissa the Grotesque has sent her Praetoria to hunt for scapegoats ... like the party.  The adventurers stopped by the small mining camp of Bortund to investigate the rumors of bandits who stole a wizard treasure and a cave that is full of evil (and therefore adventure and loot).


Wandering the Underworld
After settling in the posh estate of Mr. Olaf, town boss, the adventurers head into the underworld cave.  The encountered the bloody statue of an insect god, wandered around a bit and found a "bedroom"(?), went through a beaded curtain made of finger and knuckle bones, killed something that was undead but imprisoned (and surrounded by Arcane Guardian symbols), then got jumped by some asshat with a bow.  The battle was more of a chase back by the bloody insect god statue which ended with the enemy plunging off a cliff that was previously ill investigated.  There was definitely something down that cliff snuffling and gurgling and generally being ominous.

Retracing steps, the party made their way through a stone door into a corridor flooded with brackish water with bits of gore and scabby clotted blood floating on it.  They smashed open a door to find a huge cauldron filled with body parts.  A moment later a swarm of huge bloated flies, the size of grapes and filled with blood attacking the party.  Werner went down and almost drown, but with some clever torch-work the flies were driven off.

More exploration brings the party to a room with a huge stone sarcophagus with water splashing out of it.  Werner drops again vomiting and bleeding ... then goes completely crazy.  As he attacks the party some huge demonic thing bursts from his body and attacks the party (Jeremy can fill you in on the details of why that happened).  This huge writing mass of tentacles and chitinous plates slams into Minock the fighter, nearly killing him outright.  Boreas, Minock, and Larry flee while Alois makes a slow retreat.  Something strange happens to Alois as he nearly gets crushing slamming the stone door and retreating. A bloody mess, the party, down one member, makes their way back to Mr. Olaf's place.  In the morning, Alois' room is completely destroyed and covered in sour-smelling feces.  The party is wounded and troubled, but there is definitely something in that dungeon worth adventuring for ... why else would there be such fearsome foes?

GM Notes
This is the second session in a row where I've only had 2 players because the weather in New England is pretty crap this time of year.  The next session is next weekend so hopefully the weather will have relaxed a bit and I'll have a full table and some new players as well.