The Crypt of the Swordsman(Session E1-SideStories)

Following the HMS Maria, everyone is trying to recover and recuperate from the losses and exhaustion from the battle. The day after, nothing gets done other than resting and some remodeling of the ship, as well as some preparations to restore it to sailing condition. Day two saw Daniels the Cleric looking thru the effects of Lord Vyke, and locating a book which contained the supposed location of a nearby tomb of a hero who once bested Vykes ancestor in personal combat, and took his legendary weapon from him.sailing down the coast fro about 15 miles they locate an apparently deserted village on the cost with a small port.

The village has been plagued ever since a former adventurer, John de Li, accidentally found the tomb the party was looking for and opened it about a month ago. Since the poor village had been preyed upon by some manner of beast, ambushing the townsfolk and reducing their number to some where around 30-50 men, woman and children. After a Nights stay in a reinforced building, the creature appeared, and thanks to the heroic(but some would otherwise say foolish) actions of Derrick the Ranger, the horror was engaged and destroyed after a brief, but intense fight. After some investigation into the remains, it was discovered it had been constructed of skeletons, mostly of the dead villagers, who's corpses had been completely shredded and devoured for the bones and flesh. After some Partying by the villagers, and some excessive drinking(with one character waking up with an awful hangover surrounded by 5 unconscious and bruised villagers) John agrees to take the adventures to the cyrpt site he found, and bids them good-luck, as he goes back to town for more celebration of the slaying of the beast.

The team was led to a cave entrance, rather well hidden near the cliff edge. They entered and found the cave to expand into the entrance of the crypt. There they found the lair of the Beast, and found another just like it, slaying it in almost half the time. They located a false tomb, with an oddly placed statue that no one could move........

They continued down and found 4 looters trying to loot things. 2 died quick deaths, one took an arrow to the knee. They solved a puzzle. It was very easy.

Continuing on they found their first test. The Test of Purity, Patience, and Perception. There they were found strong enough to pass through and face the darkness inside. They traveled thru some hall ways and came to a banquet magically prepared for them. Unfortunately some kobolds had crashed the party, and after a quickly dispatching the unwanted guest, they finally ate a very graceful meal, stowing some in their bags for later.

After a light adventures' lunch, they continued down, passing a trap and not activating it at all.

They found a water filled room and met the first guardian. He tested their Resolve, their Resourcefulness, and their Reliance on each other.

They sought to eat some of the food they brought, but found it had turned to ashes, wet ashes.

They continued and entered a hall with 3 vials filled with a red, a blue, and a black liquid. Traveling thru a door, they entered the maze of earth and were tested by its inhabitants for Speed, Intelligence, and Stamina. Derrick almost died.

Finally they entered the final resting place of the Sword Fighter. His remains and soul had been in the crypt for almost 4 centuries, and after a long battle which ended in narrow victory, they learned about him.

He was once resided in Calaxia, during the time of the demons, and sought to prevent his brother from turning vampiric, but the deed was done. He defeated his brother in combat, and took the vampire sword which had transformed his brother, for himself. he led a campaign to fight off the demons, but ended up only driving his people further into their arms.

The sword corrupted him, began turning him into a vampire. He slew his child and wife in a fit if blood lust and hunger. Seeing his own corruption finally taking hold, he left trying to find a place to hide the sword from those who would abuse it. He befriended some master dwarfs, who helped him create the crypt to hide the sword. He sealed himself inside, and the dwarfs consicrated the ground such that no vampire could enter or leave.

But he knew some good would come to destroy him and the sword, so he prepared an armory, and many items to help them in their quests to destroy evil. The sword drained his life and turned him to the undead, retaining his soul to torture. When our adventurers finally found him, he was but a soulless husk of himself. He was defeated and told his story, leaving behind his hopes for our adventurers to defeat the evil empire he failed to stop long ago.........