RPG

Previously, the heroes arrived at the graveyard in Blackheath to find the Gravekeeper and learn whether his reappearance might aid them in creating a binding circle strong enough to use on Epidemius. After defeating the Gravekeeper once more, as well as half a dozen necrophages, discovering a mass grave of fresh corpses collected by the Gravekeeper, and descending down a mausoleum dedicated to the Garamond family, they found the Gravekeeper’s sarcophagus and discovered that his bones were wrapped in a dark chain. Virulencia, who had followed the heroes down into the mausoleum, taught the heroes that this was the Chain of Forgotten Names.

Ninth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is waning)

The heroes were still deliberating on what to do with the chain that was wrapped around the bones of the Gravekeeper. As they had uncovered the lid of the sarcophagus again the ominous voice started booming through the crypt’s partially flooded floor. They knew from before that this would preceed the Gravekeeper’s next appearance, and so the sands of time were quickly running out before the next confrontation.

Quentin, driven either by a hunch, or by a sense of duty, decided to ascend the steps up to the surface. As he did so he was followed by the treachery of ravens that have came to witness the heroes down in the crypt. He passed by the three guardsmen who were still resting and continue to ascend until he smelled the cold, winter air again. The wind had picked up over the bay, bringing with it a softer, less biting cold.

Quentin found the mass grave on the eastern end of the graveyard, surrounded by walls. The treachery took place all around the graveyard to observe what he was doing. He grabbed one of the bodies, which appeared to be a recently deceased man in his middle years, and he laid him out on the frozen, snow covered grass. He expected there to be twenty-seven bodies, one for each of the ravens in the treachery, and each of the links on the Chains of Forgotten Names, but he was surprised to find there were fourty-one. That surprise did not diminish Quentin’s resolve on what he felt honourbound to do; lay them to rest, observe the rites, and remember them; “No life goes unsung,” he said, determined, and continued to lay them down next to one another.

Taking some of the soil from around the graveyard Quentin blackened his eyes, and continued to draw a glyph of a raven on the forehead of each of the dead. Those who had their eyes open got them closed. Those who had them closed got the same gesture across closed lids, like a last caress.

Someone needs to say farewell. I do not know your names.
You are fathers, daughters, mothers, and sons.
I do not know your names, but I know you all.
I name you millstone.
I name you plow.
I name you steel.
I name you lovers.
I name you joyfull.
I name you grievers.
I know who you are.

Quentin drew Róisín and heard a gleeful voice as he stuck the blade in the ground and let her spawn tangling vines all around the bodies. The vines grew quickly and wrapped around the bodies like a chrysalis, like a coffin. Once the bodies were covered, Quentin walked around the site, twelve times diesel, twelve times withershins.

Hear my voice, o Majesty, hear your servant’s plea.
I ask for deliverance; release these souls from earthly thralls.
O Mother of Mercy, and grant them access to Thine eternal halls.
I annoit them with soil and let the earth have their remains.
I beseech Thee and ask for Thine favour.
Thine servant’s hard toil is soon to be over and his burden ready to be passed.
I relieve them from their chains and consign them to Thee, o Faceless Guise: I bid them farewell.

Once Quentin was done with the ritual, the vines whithered away and the ground had swallowed up the bodies, using them for nourishment. He took off his Ser Fulton’s shield and carved fourty-one tacks next to the names of Hejduk and Hamish to remember the bodies he buried.

In the distance, the bells rang three times.

Despite feeling a sense of satisfaction by what he did for the dead, Quentin did not get the sense that his attempt had resulted in a material change to the predicament of the Chain of Forgotten Names. The ravens were still looking down on the heroes from their perches, occasionally cawing their approval. And so the heroes decided to go back down into the crypt underneath the mausoleum. On their way the found the three guardsmen who had slipped into a tired torpor by the pale light of a small campfire. Both Luca and Neamhan were worried that their lingering spirits would grown vengeful if they realised their situation without being guided by a benevolent shepherd.

Some of the heroes engaged the lethargic guards in conversation, while others went down to check on the Chain of Forgotten Names. As Luca touched the chain and heard the murmurs coming from the links he nearly forgot Hamish’s name. Chakuq, who had joined Luca, quickly surmised that nothing had changed from before the ritual Quentin had performed, and suggested to Luca to join the others.

“You speak as if the world kept moving.” She paused, frowning, as if the thought slipped away. “Of course it did. That’s foolish. We just…” she exhaled, a sound like wind through old cloth. “We just lost track of the days.”
– Valerie of Eastminster, Crownsguard

Quentin and Neamhan were engaging Valerie, and during the conversation their lethargie seemed to fade somewhat. The ravens had followed Quentin down into the crypt again and had found ledges, alcoves, wall sconces, and statues to sit atop of. Chakuq and Astrid were singing and humming a melody which sounded like a lullaby, aided by Emrys. As the conversation progressed, they slowly changed the song from a lullaby to that of a mourning song.

The heroes found it difficult to navigate the conversation with the guards, and quickly found that each of them was motivated by and mournful of different things. What worked for one, did not work on another, and several times they said the wrong thing to one, leading them to get agitated, and their appearnce to start growing distorted.

“How long did you say it’s been?” the young man, asked. “No, don’t answer that. Everytime you do, my head feels… thinner.” He pressed a hand to his temple, the tops of his fingers passing faintly through. “Sergeant, I can’t remember my sister’s face anymore…!”
– Jon of Belstone Corner, Crownsguard

Quentin tried to get the guards to accept that they could rest and let go, but this did not appear to be what they were after. Neamhan, had an equally hard time getting them to understand the situation. Different ideas were discussed among the heroes. When it was suggested to trick the guards, Quentin resolutely said; “Death is no home to lies,” and with that the matter was settled. When Astrid was asked how to treat an old warrior, she said that she would not know, since there were no such things as old warriors in Helmark.

“I remember the march down here. Cold stone. The smell of damp,” the old guard chuckled softly. “I remember thinking we’d be home by Midwinter.” He looked around the crypt, as if finally really seeing it. “Midwinter must have come and gone quite a few times, hasn’t it?”
– Dirk Cooper, Crownsguard

Eventually the heroes managed to navigate their way through the labyrinth of each guard’s motivation, and found that Valerie was in need of cold proof, while Jon needed reassurance of what happened after death, while Dirk only cared that what they had done had mattered. Each of them, however, took pride in their watch.

“If we’re dead,” Valerie swallowed hard,”say it plain, if that’s what you believe.”
“So that’s it, then,” Jon said, “we died down here.” The young guard laughed a hollow laugh. “I thought death would feel louder.”
“No,” Dirk said quietly, “this feels right.” He paused before concluding, “That’s what frightens me.”
“There’s a choice, isn’t there?” Valerie said, addressing the heroes. “We feel it. Like a door we’ve been leaning against without knowing.”
“If we step through… what happens,” Jon asked. “Is there anything after this farewell,” his voice barely a whisper.
“What I want to know is far simpler,” Dirk said as his eyes met that of the heroes. “Did we matter?”

Eventually, each of the guards accepted their death. Quentin assured them that he would honour their memory; “I’m a grave knight of the Raven Queen; whatever is your burden, so shall it be mine.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Valerie said, removing her helm. “I was afraid we’d be leaving our post. Turns out, we held it longer than anyone could.”
Jon, breaking out in tears, asked “Will you say our names again? Just once?”
“Thank you for bringing us this far,” Dirk said, standing a little straighter.

He would not forget them; Valerie the Steadfast, Dirk the Unshakable, Jon the Jovial. Later, Neamhan suggested that Valerie should be called “Valerie the Loyal”, which none could deny.

As the guards accepted their death, the slowly faded, each leaving behind bleached bones and corroded armour. The last thing they saw from Jon was a bright smile as he looked out beyond the veil; “I think I remember her now. My sister.” Valerie stood up and saluted the heroes with a sign of the aquila and said; “The watch is yours now.” When they were gone, a weight was lifted from the crypt, and the heroes felt steadier and more assured.

Previously, the heroes had made their way down into the mausoleum at the Blackheath graveyard after defeating the Gravekeeper and several necrophages. On their way down they met three crownsguard that appeared caught between the present and the past. At the bottom of the mausoleum they found a partially flooded crypt that held the sarcophagus of the Gravekeeper, whose skeletal remains was bound in a chain made of black iron.

Ninth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is waning)

The heroes still found themselves down in the mausoleum at Blackheath, surrounded by submerged sarcophagi. They had removed the lid of the largest and only sarcophagus that emerged from the flood water, which revealed the bones of the enormous Gravekeeper, wrapped in heavy chains of black iron. Listening closely a soft murmur could be heard coming off the chains, like syllables of incomplete words being carried on the wind. Hearing these murmurs left each hero that observed them temporarily forgetting an important name from their past.

Chakuq had attempted to attune to the resonance of the chains, but found it hard, but Neamhan managed to channel a plant growth spell which she connected to the chains, redirected through the water and connected to one of the walls; the plants that sprouted there grew to resemble the head of a corvid, which to all appeared to be a sign of the Raven Queen.

An ominous voice had been echoing cryptic messages through the mausoleum. Quentin, unsure on how to proceed, decided to try and close the sarcophagus. Before doing so, he performed a step from the Farewell to the Dead ritual he had been studying under the tutelage of Cardinal Roark; running to fingers across the sockets of the skull to indicating the closing of eyes. A symbol etched on one of the links in the chain briefly lit up, and the heroes discovered symbols on each of the links.

It was at that point that the Gravekeeper rose from the water like a thought the mausoleum had tried, and failed, to forget. Quentin stepped forward, putting himself between his companions and the danger of the monstrosity, and appealed the Gravekeeper to depart. His words, though powerful, did not seem to have any effect on the Gravekeeper.

When the fight ensued, Neamhan wisely warned everyone that defeating the Gravekeeper would just make it come back. After that warning, water rose up all around her until it seemed to swallow her whole, and Neamhan transfigured into a being of pure liquid. Those that saw it happening and had lived through the horrors of Old Llygad were reminded of the elemental by the name of Lady Lyn, guarding the Crimson Tower.

Calling upon his patron, Luca pleaded for aid and it was answered with the appearance of a celestial warrior in the likeness of Aurion who stood sentinel. It was the first time Luca had received such help and he reckoned that the celestial warrior was but an aspect of Aurion’s full divinity.

Chakuq, Emrys, and eventually Luca all made their way onto a balcony overlooking the flooded crypt, trying to circumnavigate the fight with the Gravekeeper. Chakuq, who was at the front of the manoeuvre, spotted Virulencia in the doorway leading down to the flooded crypt, holding her child, who was spitting on the two statues of celestial figures standing on either side of the door. Soon, the others had defeated the Gravekeeper again.

Virulencia shared that the chain wrapped around the bones of the Gravekeeper was called the Chain of Forgotten Names. “During a great plague, entire villages were erased, names lost, rites skipped, histories burned. The Gravekeeper carried bodies, but never their stories,” she explained. It touched a nerve with Quentin, who claimed Virulencia was in no position to judge what he considered a divine act. Virulencia and Quentin continued to argue about why she was there and she claimed, like she had before, that she was there to prevent her brother from acquiring the Book of Woe, which she wanted for herself.

The argument was dissatisfying to both Quentin and Virulencia, and she decided to depart as she realised that the heroes were still not willing to negotiate with her. “Count the links on the chain, grave knight,” she said to Quentin before departure, “you might get somewhere.”

Taking Virulencia’s advice, the heroes counted twenty-seven links in the heavy chain, each etched with a symbol. Luca quickly realised that there were nine unique symbols, repeating three times along the length of the chain. He was reminded of the ritual of farewell for his friend Hamish, which had nine distinct steps. He recalled the nine steps, and what they represented;

The Breath, the soul leaving the body.
The Name, the soul’s identity.
The Body, the physical remains.
The Grave, the earth claiming the remains.
The Vigil, the watching over the dead.
The Rite, the farewell.
The Memory, the dead’s place among the living.
The Passage, the crossing of the soul to the afterlife.
The Silence, the soul’s final rest.

Before the heroes could form a plan, a treachery of ravens came flying down the staircase and spread out around the flooded crypt, cawing nervously. There were twenty-seven ravens in total.

Previously, the heroes spent time at the campus of the Circle of Magi to further develop a magic circle intended to trap and anchor Epidemius. They were aided by Esmeralda, headmistress of the Circle of Abjuration. Each of the heroes discovered what their source of power was, and which school of magic resonated with it. Ultimately, they acted on Quentin’s hunch that the Gravekeeper, a mysterious figure that was stalking the streets of Kingsport to collect the dead, may be a way in which they could anchor Epidemius in their trap.

Ninth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is waning)

The heroes made their way through a nighttime Kingsport blanketed in snow. Their destination were the botanical gardens in the Ravensbourne district, a large park that was as close to wilderness as the city could muster, complete with dense growth, a selection of game, as well as several easy to stroll pathways for the citizenry to enjoy. At its centre stood a house of worship surrounded by a graveyard, where the heroes had heard rumour the Gravekeeper brought its collections.

Upon arrival at the graveyard it was clear that there were several necrophages that were roaming among the headstones. Quentin, undeterred, entered the graveyard and saw that the house of worship was empty and desolate. A strong odour of decay came from a small area in the eastern part of the graveyard enclosed by a decorative wall, and the necrophages seemed to emerge from there. In the south-east of the graveyard stood a large mausoleum whose entrance had been broken open.

Soon, all the heroes had made their way inside in search for the Gravekeeper, and it did not take long for the necrophages to start prowling closer, trying to encircle them. As the necrophages postured, preparing to attack, the Gravekeeper emerged from the mausoleum, shovel in hand, and wordlessly advanced on the heroes. What followed was a spectacular, nail-biting fight in which the heroes dealt with a relentlessly advancing Gravekeeper, completely indifferent to the suffering of the heroes, or its own, while the necrophages took advantage of the situation.

In the end, the heroes managed to defeat the Gravekeeper again, and watched it quickly whither away, though not without cost. Chakuq discovered that the enclosed area in the east part of the graveyard was filled with unburried dead, including what looked like several custodians and a crownsguard.

The heroes found that the mausoleum that the Gravekeeper exited from was open and accessible, a name was enscribed upon the keystone above the door; Garamond, the family name of Lyria’s first king. Ser William of Garamond was crowned king at the founding of Lyria in the 620th Year of the Crusade, some three millenia ago, during the Age of Fear.

Inside, the mausoleum had two sarcophagi on either side of a staircase that lead down to an underground crypt. The first level held alcoves in the walls where people were laid to rest. At either end of the corridor there were stairs that lead down to another another corridor, similarly adorned with alcoves where people were laid to rest, and to a single staircase which lead further down. Upon entering, Emrys had wondered whether it was a Garamond family crypt, but it soon became apparent that many people from all walks of life were interred there. Luca used Blackstar to illuminate the darkness, but rather than emit a light, the strange crystal atop the staff absorbed the darkness, allowing the heroes to better see their surroundings.

Maury Briscoe, baker; “And when the soil finally claims your limbs, then you will truly dance.”

Chakuq, who had taken the lead, overheard people ascending the staircase and called for the heroes to halt their advance. After a moment he bade them to halt and identify themselves. A trio emerged, identifying themselves as Valerie of Eastminster, Jon of Belstone Corner, and Dirk Cooper, each a member of the crownsguard who were there on orders of the queen to rid the graveyard of necrophages. There was something off about the three, and it was clear to all but the least observant. Neamhan, who had come into the mausoleum in the form of an enormous raven, decided to shift back to her trueshape in order to accuse the three of deception, as she had a funny feeling. In the meantime, some of the others had noticed that the crownsguard uniform was outdated, had missing insignia, and looked off.

Neamhan grilled the three, who had been terrified at her transfiguration, asking them why an “undead queen” would order the three to clear the necrophages from the graveyard. This seemed to steel the trio, and Valerie could barely contain her rage at her queen being so offended. After a heated back and forth the truth came out; the three served Queen Marianne, the current queen’s grandmother who was long dead. Neamhan asked what year Valerie thought it was, but she could not remember. Valerie said that the trio found that the mausoleum had been broken into and they went in to investigate. They found something down below, but she could not remember exactly what. She said she was very tired.

Neamhan wondered whether necrophages came from the likes of the three crownsguard, but was told by Emrys that they were born from people succumbing to eating the flesh of other people. Quentin also felt that the crownsguard were restless spirits being stuck and unable to move on to the afterlife. And Luca was reminded of the time the heroes stumbled upon Ser Florianus Ironwood on their way to Pinefall; that the present and the past were being mixed together somehow. The heroes decided to leave the three as they were unsure what to do with them.

The heroes descended further down and came to the a large crypt whose stone door had recently been broken from the inside out. There was an inscription on the side of the door, written in archaic Lyrian:

Beneath the bloodmoon’s crimson glare,
The keeper stands with sightless stare;
Black wings circle above his head,
The queen looks down where graves are spread.

When plague bells tolled through choking skies,
Her curse was sworn as thousands died;
She bound his soul beyond his breath,
To serve her will past living death.

Through rotting streets he walks alone,
He works by sign, by skin, by bone;
He lifts the lost from door and floor,
And grants them earth to ache no more.

No fever dares to claim his skin,
Her magic seals the work he’s in;
Unlife sustains his digging hands,
As years erode his mortal sands.

When last black wings have left the sky,
He is released as chains untie;
‘Til then he toils at silent graves,
So others live while he still slaves.

Beyond the door lay a large crypt which was partially flooded by what was likely water from the ancient waterways. Quentin, Chakuq, and Luca moved forward, while Astrid, Emrys, and Neamhan stayed further back. Chakuq took a moment to expand his instincts and gain an understanding of the water, and the crypt ahead of him. He felt the unmistakable presence of the undead, and took off his boots and rolled up his trousers before wading forth into the water. The water hid several smaller sacrophagi, while at the back there was a large sarcophagus that stuck out of the water, in a place of prominence.

Neamhan kept an eye on the stairs leading up and noticed that Virulencia had made an appearance. She immediately went to confront her while Emrys followed her. Emrys, curiously, initially could only hear, but not see Virulencia, but she revealed herself when it became clear Emrys knew she was there. Virulencia complimented him on his powers of abjuration. Neamhan demanded to know what Virulencia was doing there, and the Lady of Plagues said she was there for “her children.” This infuriated Neamhan who had felt tortured by the thought of children from the moment Virulencia suggested she might be a mother. Neamhan wanted to know who Virulencia’s children were, and she said it were the plaguemaidens. Then she demanded to know whether she was, or had ever been a mother. Virulencia, taking a perverse pleasure out of Neamhan’s anger said that if she were to return home, maybe, just maybe, she would be. When Neamhan lashed out that it was not the answer to her question Virulencia said that “when you deal with a devil, you learn to be precise.”

Quentin, Chakuq, Luca, Emrys, and Astrid had advanced to the large sacrophagus. Emrys had used his sorcery to allow some of the heroes to fly so they would not have to get their feet wet. The heroes had noticed the statues of celestial warriors nearby, and were shocked to find that the face of the central one was the spitting image of Réonan.  At the base of the statue was an inscription just below the water which they found, with some sorcery, to read:

Here rest those watched over by Zerachiel, Angel of Dawn,
Guide of souls to final judgement.
Bearer of light, keeper of balance.
His watch is ended, his radiance remains.

This prompted the heroes to investigate the sarcophagus and they quickly found there were inscriptions on all four sides along the base. They read:

He kept the dead
So the living could endure.

Bound by ravens, sworn by choice,
He gave the dead their final voice.

Gravekeeper.
Cursed, yet willing.

He bore the plague,
And laid it gently to rest.

The heroes mused that the Gravekeeper might be benign and whether it would be best to not disturb him. Luca suggested that the Gravekeeper was neutral, but that which cursed him may have been benign. A choice was made to open the sarcophagus. Quentin asked the Raven Queen for forgiveness as the lid was pushed open, revealing a large skeleton wrapped in dark, black chains with sharp edges. A voice could be heard echoing through the crypt;

Though the earth and waters fade,
I will keep the watch I made.

When the soil and oceans fail,
Still my watch will not grow frail.

Though the world itself may bend,
I will stand until the end.

Though all ground and seas grow still,
I will keep my silent will.

He chose the curse when death ran free,
To stand where none would stay or go;
A keeper sworn to eternity,
Who buried fear so life could grow.

While the heroes listened to the ominous voice the water bubbled and roiled violently. Chakuq investigated the chains around the skeleton and tried to discern its nature, only to find that the chains were dark, though not evil, and were the focus of the curse. The curse itself felt dissonant to Chakuq; again, not evil, but not resonating with the symphony of life, of creation, of his people.

Previously, the heroes spent their time in the laboratory that they got assigned at the Circle of Magi coming up with a ritual that would help them trap and anchor Epidemius to the mortal plane so that they could defeat him once and for all. Headmistress of the Circle of Abjuration, Esmeralda d’Ortega came to help them draw up the ward they would need.

Eighth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is in high sanction)

Neamhan was one of the last ones that needed to be added to the ward, and for that the heroes needed to find out what magic she resonated with. She claimed to find it difficult to perform her magic in the depths of a dungeon and needed to be under an open sky. Despite it being past eighth bell, and well past curfew, the heroes decided to head out into the city to find a suitable place for Neamhan to find her resonance.

As the heroes ascended the winding staircase Quentin remained behind a moment, lost in thought, mumbling to himself that he could not believe that “it” had worked, whatever “it” was. Astrid, who had stayed behind, caught his attention and said “If you ever want to discuss this”, indicating to the hand he had cut in the ritual to find his resonance, “I am here for you.” In return, Quentin said “If you ever want to discuss this”, and indicated to his belly, referring to her motherhood, “I am here for you.” Astrid was silent for a moment and said; “A royal bloodline ended with me, but perhaps one might start with you,” and the two went up the stairs together.

Once outside, the heroes found that the storm had died down. It had grown even colder, but the sky was clear and there was a still crispness in the air. Luca suggested that the herb garden in front of the Circle might do, and Quentin suggested the park at Blackheath. In the end, a gently wooded spot along the river, in the shadow of the Bastion of Clarity was chosen, and Esmeralda conjured up a portal that instantly took them there. Neamhan took her time in a clearing and made connections with all manner of nature around her; conjuring a bright light, illuminating the surroundings, allowing plants to grow and flourish, only to summon a storm that brought lightning down on the clearling. When the violence of the storm was over the ground below their feet was scorched by lightning, showing the same symbol that had appeared for Quentin, only upside down; instead of three blades in the shapeof an upright triangle, the triangle was pointing downward. The drum was registering many different symbols, but it appeared that the green lyrium crystal, corresponding with the school of transmutation, was the one that resonated with Neamhans’ magic.

Having drawn the attention of the crownsguard patrolling the ramparts, with shouts coming from atop the Bastion of Clarity, Esmeralda conjured up another portal which took the heroes back to the lobby of the Circle of Magi, and they returned back to the laboratory. Emrys played the lute, Astrid laid down on one of the beds, while Luca and Esmeralda continued to work on the design of the ward. No matter what Luca tried, he was not able to get any of the lyrium crystals they had in their possession to resonate with the magic he cast. For Quentin it was equally difficult to get a crystal to respond to him.

Esmeralda identified which part of the circle represented the subject, which represented the anchor, and which represented the death of the subject. She had identified several other elements which were important to what the heroes wanted to achieve, but she had more work to do. At the mention of death being part of the ward, Neamhan retrieved the piece of inscribed bark she had retrieved from the Newport library and showed it to Esmeralda, thinking it might be important. She had learned that the magic which radiated from the bark had been necromantic, and thus it peaked her interest. Esmeralda decided to identify the nature of the bark and found that it held a the secret of transfering life between the caster and a connected subject. Neamhan would have to spend some time learning how to establish that connection before she could make use of it.

The heroes wondered whether “death” or the “anchor” might be related to the monstrosity they had spotted coming out of Blackheath. Cardinal Roark suggested that the Raven Queen’s bane was an anchoring of sorts, preventing the subject of the bane from moving to its afterlife. Quentin had a feeling this might be the case with the undead monstrosity, and so the heroes suggested to investigate Blackheath.

First, they made a trip to the Careless Wanderer, arriving there after tenth bell, so that they could get a quick bite to eat before heading out. Each excursion after the curfew was enforced was a drain on their resources, but at least they had ways to get around unseen by crownsguard or custodians.

The park at Blackheath was dark and desolate. Tall trees that had stood for generations were a pleasant break from urban life. In the centre of Blackheath the heroes found a cemetary in front of a small place of worship. A mausoleum leading into an underground crypt was also part of the cemetary. Necrophages could be heard skittering and stalking around the headstones in the cemetary, but Quentin was steadfast and strode ahead, unafraid. The necrophages kept at a distance until the undead monstrosity appeared from the mausoleum doorway, shovel in hand and ready to engage.