The Path of the Dead

It seems we were not the only ones sent out on a task by the Grand Regent. Upon the Path of the Honoured Dead, we found a woman named Miamin outside of a crypt. She was injured, though not mortally, and was distressed by her failure.

The Grand Regent had sent her to retrieve the Scroll of Anom-Irek, which was within the crypt. However, in the days leading up to the Alchemist's return, the crypt had become corrupted. To make matters worse for Miamin, the Sturmbeorn had already entered the crypt, though they were likely unaware of the scroll's presence there.

We were confident that we could handle a few Sturmbeorn and corrupted undead, so Malia and I made our way into the crypt, leaving Miamin with a few healing potions and bandages. The other undead seemed to be avoiding the tomb, so we felt she was relatively safe as long as she stayed near the crypt.

The undead in the tomb were more powerful than those outside, likely enhanced by whatever was corrupting the tomb itself. Some of them were capable of wielding lightning, while others were incredible fast and able to teleport short distances. Those who were once great in life rose up and became something akin to leaders, with the lesser undead crowding around them, clamouring for their guidance.

While there may have been Sturmbeorn who went into the crypts, none of them were truly alive by the time we go there; they numbered amongst the undead as well, which made their battle prowess even more powerful. They were difficult, however Malia and I finally made our way through the tomb to it's deepest room.

At first, it seemed as though this room was like the many others through which we passed, the undead of the Estherians and the Sturmbeorn shambling about, attacking us as we moved onward, however, we were met with a sight that neither of us expected.

A massive skeleton towered over us, its size comparable to that of the Guardians. It was glowing with corruption, twisted and empowered by the forces that reanimated it. The being slammed its sword into the floor, and ice erupted from it, almost like lightning in it's behaviour. Malia immediately shed her robe and began fighting the thing with her powerful claws and venomous poisons, and I joined her with my flames; the battle was draining, but the twisted being finally fell, shattering and fragmenting as the energies controlling it vanished.

The scroll was near-by, in what we could only assume was the coffin of the creature we just destroyed. Miamin was tight lipped about what it was we had faced, and both Malia and myself suspected that she knew more than she was sharing. Still, the Grand Regent would have his scroll, and we had fresh supplies for our efforts, so we moved on toward the Temple.