Session 63 - Grubs, Rats and a Black Skeleton

The adventurers loot an infested tomb and start back when they run into a pair of wererats and their entourage.

This write up is based on Kay’s notes from our August 6, 2025 session. Since our group is scattered around the country, we use Discord for our voice communication and Roll20 for our virtual tabletop. Thanks to Kay for the write-up and screen shots.

Continued from: Black Skeleton Surprise!

Location: Rappan Athuk Level 2: Ambro’s Base

Date: Saturday, June 18, 3517 

5:50 AM
Blaze revealed that during the last long rest, she cracked the code from the Healer’s book and learned A.Z.I.R.A.X was the name of a specific demon and if one of us had spoken the name out loud in the teleport maze, it would have appeared in a puff of smoke, and then if we didn’t kill it, it would stay there for a year and a day, making a new Fountain of Pestilence.

Expert tip: never read the book out loud.

Currently we were in front of the south door in the west wall. Sinis had turned the lock into wood and we could now break it. Blaze hit it twice while Sinis searched for secret doors nearby. The door finally opened and we found a hallway going south that turned west to a door. Artie checked; it’s locked, no traps. Artie unlocked it and it led into the room with the sarcophagus, and an archway opened to the north. Next to the sarcophagus was the body of a halfling.

Elron started to search the body. The 3-ft-diameter spiked ball started rolling toward us and stopped at the archway, travelling back to the north. 

Elron found out the hard way that the body was infested with rot grubs, as they leapt out of the body and landed on the floor, and on Elron; he jumped back. They were one-inch long; Elron stomped on them. The halfling was wearing a backpack; Elron cut the straps on it, and lifted the pack, but the fabric was old, the contents fell out, it contained a bag and some personal items.

 

 Three of the grubs managed get under Elron’s armor and burrow into his flesh. The healer’s knowledge was to apply fire to the site or dig them out with a sharp knife. Elron used his dagger to dig them out, adding more damage to himself. Artie torched the body. The bag was incinerated, leaving behind 120 gp and a dagger.

Breena looked at the sarcophagus. The seal was broken. It looked like a plaque was pried off and was gone now, so there was no way to know who was inside. 

Blaze used her healing kit on Elron to bind his wounds.

In order to avoid unpleasant surprises jumping out of the tomb, Blaze cast levitate on the top of the sarcophagus, and Artie cast mage hands to move it to the south. There was a body inside with a sword in a scabbard lying across it. It was a human female in rusty chain mail, holding a rotten wooden shield.

Artie used mage hands to pick up the sword. More rot grubs leapt out, landing on Elron. Blaze used flaming sphere on the sarcophagus to sterilize it, cremating the body inside.

Elron dug out more rot grubs from his body with his dagger.

Blaze suggested going home now.  She was down to three healing kits. We would have to go all the way back, which would entail more encounters. The group agreed and started heading back the way we came. 

The group got as far as the coffin-making room when we saw giant rats coming around the corner from the east.

Artie opened the door for us. Blaze and Parahelia moved into the room. A quick head count had about 24 giant rats and 2 wererats.

Elron cast Summon Beast in front of the rats, and stepped into the room, commanding the beast to attack. He also grabbed Artie, dragging him into the room. The Beast, in bear form, attacked Wererat #2, and hurt it severely. 

Giant Rat #14, ordered to “kill that thing,” by the wererat, attacked the bear but did no damage. Sinis grabbed Breena and pulled her through the door.

Elron could see through the bear’s eyes and saw it was surrounded by Giant Rats, all attacking, but doing little damage. Both wererats attacked the bear; they were doing damage.

Three of the Giant Rats went around the bear, and moved toward the door of the room we were in. 

Breena moved to close the door and Artie waited to lock it. Blaze cast flaming sphere outside the door at Giant Rat 15 and hit it. Elron used his sling, hitting Giant Rat 15, killing it. The bear attacked wererat 2. Elron’s second shot hit Giant Rat 16.

Wererat 1 attacked the bear, but missed. Giant Rat 14 bit the bear, killing it, which caused it to vanish. 

Sinis moved back farther into the room.

Eight Giant Rats and 2 wererats moved toward the door. Breena stepped up and cast thunderwave, hitting and killing 4 Giant Rats. Artie’s short bow hit Giant Rat 16 and killed it. Blaze shoved flaming sphere into Giant Rat 12, killing it, and moved away from the door. 

Giant Rat 14 started acting weird, making chittering sounds. Elron hit wererat 2, killing it. His second shot aimed at wererat 1, but his sling ripped. Luckily, he had another.

Giant Rat 14 skittered past the door to the west and didn’t stop. Giant Rat 24 ran also past the door.

Sinis cast acid splash but missed, and the rats kept running. The surviving Wererat ran past the door toward the giant rats.

A moment later, Elron heard a black skeleton approaching; it must have been what had frightened the wererat.

Breena closed the door. Blaze dispelled the flaming sphere. Elron put his ear to the door. We were all silent, waiting. Elron heard the black skeleton coming around the corner, strolling past the door going to the west, like it was on patrol. We waited until Elron gave us the all clear.

7:00 AM
We opened the door and saw one dead wererat, two burned Giant Rats, and fragments of rats. Elron looted the wererat and found 11 sp, 13 cp, a salted fish ration and five multicolored ribbons.

Our body count was one wererat and eight Giant Rats killed.

Continued in Session 64 - Return to Castle Calaelen