St. James and Brandon arrive from Upchurch, and the enlarged party commandeers another boat for the trip across Lorn Pond. Upon landing the moorings are doused with holy water to prevent any more mishaps. However, Achaela refuses to leave the boat—she whines and growls in fear, even snapping at Vandoren. Reluctantly, the group leaves her behind in the boat.

The party explores the ruined stables and guest quarters, but finds nothing of interest there. The group then returns to the desecrated chapel where they find that the obscene figure has once again been set before the altar. After beholding a ghostly procession of monks walking through the church the Friar and Mot are overcome with horror and are forced to rush out of the unhallowed building.

After their shaken companions regain some measure of composure, the group returns to the dank root cellar below the rectory. One entire corner of the cellar is choked with a wild tangle of pale onion sprouts, which are given wide berth by everyone. A passage out of the cellar leads to a warren of cramped, filthy tunnels that appear to have been excavated by hand. Soon some hideous skeletons and walking cadavers emerge from the darkness and attack. The Friar is able to drive many of them off with his pentifix, and the fighters are able to dispatch the rest of the shuffling monsters.

The adventurers then come across a room with strange glyphs written on the ground outside the open doorway. Vandoren determines the writings to be some sort of prayer. Three completely burnt bodies lie inside the room, with shields and maces set atop the charred bones. The shields bear the insignia of the Order of St. Markham, suggesting that the burnt men were affiliated with the Seekers. Mendelor guesses that the bodies are many years old, and Valerius supposes that these were the remains of an earlier, unsuccessful foray. Unable to carry their dead out of the warrens, the Seekers probably chose to burn the remains and then ward the entire room with protective prayers, so that the bodies would rest in peace.

After further exploration of the tunnels, the group decides to head back, but blocking the path is a massive wall of iron. Vandoren uses the stone of dispelling to destroy the magical wall, but Friar Sidrach—perhaps influenced by the fell place—argues that the group should continue on. The impassioned Friar even insists that he will stay by himself, if need be. Vandoren is fortunately able to persuade the Gerardian to leave, and the group departs for Antace.

Below Lorn Abbey

After returning to the tunnels the next day, the group encounters yet more ghastly undead. Eventually the group enters a large and forbidding cavern. On one end are arrayed ranks of skeletons and slavering necrophages, seemingly led by a dark figure who hangs back, his form limned with mysterious blue flames. Friar Sidrach and Valerius prepare spells, but the dark figure is quicker on the uptake, hurling magical missiles that ruin our heroes’ enchantments. The fighters then close with the other abominations. The dark sorcerer wields potent fire magic, while Valerius summons three Lestrygonians, hideous giants that immediately attack the sorcerer. Meanwhile the vigilant St. James spots more necrophages creeping up behind the group.

The Lestrygonians are able to occupy the sorcerer while Valerius conjures webs upon the monsters to the rear. Eventually the sorcerer is able to get away from the Lestrygonians just long enough to call up a devastating cloud of poisonous vapors. The roiling cloud burns all living creatures within its bounds, and poor Brandon is slain instantly. The sorcerer follows up by launching a fearsome lightning bolt into the group. And to make matters worse, Valerius discovers that the thing seems to be immune to his fiery arrows. The group turns and flees the catacombs.

Once above ground, the shaken group paddles back to Antace, where they lick their wounds and debate whether to return—and whether the nigromauncer was the infamous Bened. Another interview with Father Theodore leads to an old serving-man who remembers the Abbey from before it was destroyed. While the servant does not know anything about Bened, after some prodding, the codger recalls the name of the old Abbot: Dominius. This revelation stuns Valerius, who later reveals that Dominius was the name of his first master.

Valerius explains that Dominius was a language teacher at the Bergenian Abbey of St. Rosemund in Abbermark. After having been cast out from his village, Valerius soon after came upon a stranger at a crossroads: Dominius. The old man took the boy back to the Abbey, where Valerius was given a new name and life as an Bergenian oblate. At the same time Dominius began secretly teaching the boy the fundamentals of ars magica.

Valerius now recalls that Dominius always seemed to be afforded much more respect than was due his station—and that some cloud of old scandal always seemed to hang over the man. In retrospect, Dominius’s situation would be consistent with that of a disgraced Abbot, whose abbey had been destroyed while under his care. Valerius also notes that several years later Dominius was apparently destroyed while trying to perform a ritual of summoning. This happened shortly before Valerius met the rest of the party.

The party returns to dark catacombs below the abbey and encounters no resistance. The great cavern where the sorcerer had last stood now sits empty. A passage to the northwest ends in a round, stone-lined cistern that opens into a deep shaft. As the group approaches the cistern, somewhere the eerie sounds of hooves echo throughout the warrens. The nervous group turns quickly away from the shaft to explore elsewhere.

They come to an open area where they hear weeping, and soon discover that the weeping figure is dead Brandon, who sits in the dark, asking his old friends why they left him behind. And nearby, in the shadows, stalk more hideous necrophages. Clearly, their old friend has been transformed into one of these wretches. Horrified, the Friar holds the abominations at bay while the warriors destroy the Brandon-thing with swords and holy water. They then carry the remains of Brandon to the Seeker resting place, where they set the corpse alight and sprinkle holy water over the ashes.

Turning back into the darkness of the catacombs, the party finds a strange iron door set in the tunnel walls. Behind the door is an odd room, where the stones have been shaped into eerie, blasphemous figures. Three huge, empty stone slabs sit in the middle of the floor, as if waiting to hold sarcophagi. The room is lit by lanterns that cast a weird, yellow-greenish light.

Continuing on, the group finds another lit chamber: a dining room, complete with a large table and place settings for eight. A covered iron pot sits in the center of the table, and something awful can be heard scuttling within. Sickened, our heroes push onward.

A third lit room is some sort of library, its shelves filled with many books of magical lore. Valerius examines the tomes and selects two at random, placing them in his sack. On the table lies a large book, bound in some repulsive covering that might be human skin. On top of the open book sits a note addressed to Valerius. The note welcomes him and his friends, and invites them to stay.

Continuing further, the group enters some sort of profane chapel—and standing at the nave is the same dark sorcerer encountered in the last trip. The creature smiles and welcomes the group in—and at close range it is apparent this thing resembles the necrophages, with pale corpselike flesh, pointed ears, sharp teeth, and a forked tongue. Valerius attempts to glean some information from the creature, who answers to the name Bened. The creature describes Dominius as a simple pawn in a far larger game, and itself as a piece which has been promoted.

Friar Sidrach steps forward and attempts to cast magical silence upon the creature. Unfortunately the prayer fails, and the sorcerer responds with a withering lightning bolt that cuts through most of the party. Many members are badly hurt and Vandoren is felled by the blast. The group immediately retreats, but not before Mendelor attempts to burn the foul book and the rest of the library.

Once back in Antace the group decides to forgo a return visit to the abbey, since they seem to be outmatched. The Friar instead attempts to stop or at least defer the coming battle between King Weremach and King Tereus. The Friar meets with another of the King’s advisors, Father Bole, who reveals that Weremach will be difficult to dissuade: his ministers fear that the coming battle will go badly for the Pentian armies, and they believe that Antace will likely fall.

Meanwhile Valerius, Mendelor, and Vandoren head for the Corbiestone and the magician’s scheduled rendezvous with the Lady of the Keep. At the top of the Corbiestone they meet an imposing, dark-haired woman, taller than Hamral but with fair features and a hospitable demeanor. She is flanked by two enormous creatures out of legend, larger than horses, with the bodies of great lions and the heads and wings of mammoth eagles. The Lady leads the men into a small tent where they conduct their talks.

Valerius apologies for past conflict, but the Lady does not seem to begrudge these misunderstandings. She appears to be an ancient and powerful spellbinder who does not wish harm to the consortes.

Valerius asks some questions, and the Lady reveals that Dominius had arranged the murder of Valerius’s mother in order to obtain an extremely promising apprentice. The Lady claims that Valerius is heir to a long line of powerful magic users, whose roots lie with a being she calls the Grandmother. The Lady also reveals that the Grandmother is the same creature that appeared as the Crone who gave Valerius Noxumbra, and is connected to the one the ogres of Wimm Copse described as ‘Auntie.’

The Lady confirms that Valerius, Dominius, and the Vavasor have indeed been dupes in a far larger and older struggle: a struggle that appears to involve the mysterious Grand Magus and a debt he incurred—a debt which must be paid. The Grand Magus was a powerful Adept from Tynan times who still walks the earth. The Lady also asserts that Valerius will have to destroy the Vavasor in order to be free of him.

The Lady attempts to explain why she has sided with King Tereus. The spread of Pentianity, she holds, is eroding the power of magic in the land. As the Church takes root in the Frounter, magic grows inevitably weaker. The ruck-men armies may be able to overcome this process, and push back the influence of the Five. The Lady foretells the death of the King, the fall of Antace, and the sack of Heremac. She does admit, after being asked by Valerius, that these outcomes are not entirely certain.

The Lady offers a third way between the Five and the Shaithim, the darkness and the light. Those two paths, she argues, are actually the same road and lead only to slavery. She holds out a middle way, the twilight road, and agrees to teach Valerius magic if he comes to her. The Lady and our heroes then part company on an amicable note.

All values are given as 3E experience points. The Roleplaying Award (RP) includes PBM responses, as well as participation in this and the last live session.