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In attendance:

Note: This session is out of sequence and comes from the Mini-Dungeon, "Stone Dead", written by Stan!

the future

After returning from their harrowing and traumatic adventures on the outer planes, the party is in desperate need of some quality rest and relaxation, so Karelia recommends a sanitorium that she has heard good things about. It is in a village called “Respite” about two days south of Rota.

Since Bigby has not been to the area, they can only teleport as far as Rota. Aramil decides to stay back at Sorgul's commune, preferring the solace of the elven forest to cure his restless mind. Once in Rota, they decide to spend a night at al-Ibrahim's. The next morning, Pavo announces his intention to stay in Rota, as al-Ibrahim's services are more to his liking than soaking in hot water.

Thus, the remaining four set out on foot the next morning toward the town of Respite. The journey is uneventful, yet when they arrive within sight of the town, they can discern no activity. Worse, they discover some small animals along the road that seem to have been turned to stone.

When they enter the town, it is indeed deserted - and there are a handful of suspicious statues of people littered about. As they turn toward the sanitorium, a quartet of gargoyles break loose from the gate keep and attack. Bigby summons a swirling wind which forces the first two to the ground and delays the arrival of the second two. After defeating all four, they then notice at least eight more on the roof of the sanitorium. With the winds still howling around them, Bigby dimension doors the group past the front door to avoid them.

Inside, they find the place mostly untouched, except for the kitchen and storage areas - which have been ransacked. They explore the upper level and find the head cleric, who has been turned to stone. From his diary, they learn that the curse that befell the town came about gradually and that most people fled south to the safety of a nearby village.

Down below the sanitorium, the party discovers an evil Gargoyle cleric and his stone golem construct. Despite the fact that the construct seems to emanate a field that is slowly turning the party to stone, they manage to kill him and his construct. However, the magical field turning them to stone remains and a strange undead worm-creature emerges from within the ruins of the golem. Only when they destroy it, does the magical field disappear.

With the evil vanquished, the party spends the night in the sanitorium. The next morning, Roderick brings the head cleric back from the dead. By this time, the gargoyle guardians have fled and the village is safe once again.

Magic Items

• +2 Keen Longswords (4)
• +4 Belts of Giant Strength (5)
• +4 Rings of Protection (4)
• Pearl of Power (3rd)
• +2 Bracers of Armour
• +4 Periapt of Wisdom
• +4 Unholy Heavy Mace
• +6 Nivean Talisman (protects against petrification or calcification)
• +2 Cloak of Charisma
• Scroll of Cleric spells (Dispel Magic, Flame Strike, and Transmute Mud to Rock)

XP awarded: 6,300 for Bigby and Roderick; 8,600 for Vincent and Bria.