The Gathering: Session 3 part 1

As the Gatherers move beyond the magical battle, they find a room where the lighting is working better and immediately see a tipped over chest on the smooth floor.  Variel also notices the tips of expensive leather boots around a nearby corner and parallel to the chest.

Their careful investigation discovers a young man, who's left arm has been removed and hastily bandaged.  A closer inspection shows that he appears to have been impaled 3, 18" long, needles in his abdomen. While those wounds seem to have been field treated, a dark substance is moving quickly through the veins in his neck, easily noticeable under the pale skin.  His demise is farily recent.

Moments later the corpse began to shudder and an awful transformation begins.  The sound of bones popping and muscle tearing fills the room as the body transmogrifies itself into a quadruped.  The bones of the neck and spine crackle and grind as they rotate completely backward.  The abomination scuttles toward Barracus and clicks its teeth and jaws at him in some monstrous language.  Barracus dimly notes that its eyes are the same inky black as his own.

In the corner, Lord Wintresh wretches from the horrid creatures transformation and begins to regret his acceptance of Dunwich's task.

Barracus quickly takes a mighty swing and severs the chittering mockery's head.  The large warrior's eyes widen in horror as the thing's blood quickly begins coating his claymore, the hallmark of his smith skills.  He drops the weapon before it reaches his own hands and stares, mouth agape, as some cthoninan alchemical process reforges the blade into Phyrexium, expelling the precious metals it no longer requires as powdery residue on the floor.

Andro's Scope reveals that the weapon is now darkly magical and with trepidation, Barracus dares to wield it.  The elf also discovers a well made travelling bag discarded in a corner.  Inside it is an enigmatic note and Andro shares its message with Variel.

Faced with following the hallway forward or a passage to the right, the Gatherers opt for the latter.  The group find themselves in a long room with what they quickly decide are cells.  The floor and walls are smooth, just like the rest of the facility, but have lighted numbers on them.  Apparently several of the units are not functioning correctly and the left corner of the room is steeped in darkness.  An aching cold is spilling from one of these darkened units.

Peering into the bone-chilling cold, the room palely illuminates the skeletal remains of some 6-legged beast.  Jacob, shrewdly, looks up to find a mucous caked egg sack hanging there.  They quickly retreat and Barracus uses his brawn to try to close the doors with a struggle. In his efforts. his medallion touches thei door's metallic hull and theey immediately seal.

Jacob hears painful cry for help in the farthest cell.  He discovers the door is completely open and in its black depths rescues an injured halfling girl named Lin.  The Rooster quickly invokes his god and mends her wounds.

Lin begins to ask about her companions.  The Gatherers are now certain they are not alone.