The Collective - Session 21

This is the twenty-first session in The Collective campaign and the sixth and final in the Stolen Swords, Orcish Villages, and Dwarven Vaults sub-arc of the Dwarven Sword Arc.

Summary
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1000: Having defeated the necromancer, the Collective quickly planned their next actions. Taking the mold that they found before back into the smithy, they cast it in the molten iron that flowed through the troughs and cooled it down with a bucket of water, then placed it into the corresponding slot in the door that they had also found earlier. Opening the door revealed a large minecart full of gold bars worth no less than 30,000 gold pieces, a boon because the universe felt bad for not giving the party any actual rewards for two years. As I am writing this (December of 2019?), they have already spent 22% of it. Uh oh. Coming back to John, the party questioned him, learning that he had been hired by the Dwarves to return the sword to Nottenhold, its original home. They also learned that he was merely trying to get the money so that his daughter could have a better life, not for his own personal gain. After some discussion amongst themselves, Rosanhi decided to speak for the group by sparing John on the condition that he lives with his daughter once he is free, allowing him to keep the money that he would make from returning the sword if they could fake his death to the Duke and collect the bounty on his head. John, being in no position to disagree, took this deal and was released, being handcuffed by Badger so that he could not escape.

Unfortunately for the Collective, they did not recall an important rule when fighting the Necromancer’s of Cencaela: their ability to return from the dead, more powerful than before. The party watched in horror as hundreds of bones came clattering down the hallway, swirling around the corpse of the necromancer and taking a giant serpentine shape. The party ran down the halls of the vault as the Chub chased right behind them, threatening to consume them should they fall behind. Rosanhi and Gorrn pushed the cart of gold upon which Gnorbitt rode, while the rest of the group ran behind them. Managing to make it all the way to the railway station, John took over for Rosanhi so that she could keep the monster at bay. After pushing the creature back, Badger ran for the exit alongside Rosanhi and Roscoe. One by one, the party placed minecarts upon the track to make their escape. First, Trin and Evangeline rode away, followed by John, Roscoe, and Gorrn. With the Chub fully upon them, Rosanhi just barely managed to haul the cart onto the track and the two escaped, leaving the creature behind.