Investigating the Old Abbey of the Crimson Monks

The Yellow Rose Monks ask the Faerun Runners (placeholder until we figure out a good name) to investigate attacks along the King's Road near an old stronghold of the Crimson Monks. They think it might be demon cultists and the tunnels below the once proud monastery seem like the obvious spot for them to be coming from.

On the way there, they stop at the Cumin Inn, which seems much unchanged. Greeba finds time to explore...the stables...with an old friend, Sgt Stahlen. 

When they reach the ruins, the area seems deserted. Rather than entering from what was obviously the main entrance, they search around and Eamon discovers a back entrance by a grassy knoll with a very deliberately concealed door. Mac very perceptively notices a trip wire just inside and Eamon, with the help of Blurb's Immovable Rod, is able to jury rig the trap so it won't go off. 

The party once again ruminates on why none of them have picked up any thieving skills.

Inside, they wander the dark, often damp tunnels, and find many sarcophagi. The markings clearly indicate their ties to the Crimson Monks. Arnor senses that they are at a crossroad of ley-lines; likely, indeed, why there has been a site of some importance here for so many years. 

They also encounter many secret doors -- and skeletons, some of which wear yellow robes and were likely sent on a similar mission to their own. They are able to collect the bodies for a proper burial, somewhat ignominiously, by stuffing them into a bag of holding, as well as some treasure left behind.

They make short work of some ghouls, though Nathia feels a chill along her spine.

Behind one secret door, they find the tomb of Tomas the Third (sp?), who Wisteria realises is the monk of legend who once jumped off a 1000 foot cliff and did not die; instead floating to the ground. The well preserved skeleton wears glorious ceremonial robes and carries a golden sceptre. A tempting locked box inside proves too much temptation for Nathia and she whacks it open with her war pick. A poisoned dart pegs her in the forehead as Arnor looks on with some horror, but after a short rest, she feels well enough to go on. Inside the box is another ring of feather falling and a journal. Sadly, a stock of potions had not withstood the ravages of time.

In another chamber with strange rounded knobs on the walls, Nathia discovers yet another trap as she touches one and the door begins to close on them. Happily, they are able to jam it open. But soon, she is in trouble again when she finds a spring loaded sarcophagus lid and she plummets into a pit full of spikes. Arnor helps haul her out, shaking his head, and undoubtably wondering why he didn't stay in the realm of the fey. But, at least she discovered a small handful of coins. Enough, at least, to pay for some bandages.

As they continue on, Eamon sees a flickering light beyond a tunnel that seems barely held together with supports. Greeba and Nathia (amazingly) make it through, but Blurb is not so lucky and is buried under the collapsing tunnel. He finds his way out only after wild shaping into an earthworm, though it leaves a strange taste in his mouth. As the bulk of the party explore, trying to figure out whether it is possible to remove any rubble without collapsing more of the tunnel, our two sturdy heroines  discover the source of the flickering light.

A strange cowled figure scribbles furiously at a desk, the only really visible part of his body being his long, grey beard and his ever-moving hands. "I am the Archivist" he grumbles to Greeba after she introduces herself. "I write forever in the Archivist's Book."

As they question him, they are dismayed to hear him say that there is no escape, only doom, but after chatting fairly amiably a bit more and offering him stories for his book, he not only tells them much of the history of the place (recognising Greeba's Nar roots) but also that there is a crystal key held by a skeleton who was once a sorcerer...who had been trying to escape a balrog. In fact, there had been a trio of sorcerers, once. He kindly agrees to teleport them out, though he isn't exactly sure where it will take them. They wind up to the South in a former dormitory, where the only thing of great interest to them both was a wine cask that still smelled pleasant. Nathia fills a couple of wine skins that she had made. They are able to find the rest of the group by following the sound of their voices. They tell them who and what they discovered, as fantastical as it seemed.

They return to a room with many sarcophagi and find one with a false bottom full of potions and scrolls. They gather them up to be divided later. 

Wisteria was growing antsy, feeling she hadn't killed anything in too long, but she did not have long to wait. They came upon a room with blood-spattered white curtains and in it were 8 hobgoblins wearing striking black armor. With lots of smiting from both Mac and Joell, the hobgoblins are soon finished off, helped along by Eamon managing to stun the commander. But the noise was enough to obviously call in reinforcements -- they hear enemies approaching from either side. They prepare and ready themselves.

Soon they are faced with corrupted nuns (that Mac inexplicably warms to, even as he wards off their nightmarish visions), more hobgoblins, skeletons, and a wormy suffragen that Joell had sensed was a great evil coming their way. Blurb calls dire wolves in to aid them and they all just manage to talk Gorlock out of trying out his new spell, sickening radiance, as it would have enveloped them all. Wisteria takes out four of the skeletons in one go with a well-timed Turn Undead. Working together, they manage to defeat them all and, in the end, stand victorious and drenched in sweat (literally).

TREASURE/ITEMS GATHERED

• Ring of Feather Falling (2) -- Blurb and Jelly or Greeba
• Slightly waterlogged Spell Book (Mac gave to Nathia, who thinks maybe they should sell it or...?) *
• Coins in Waterlogged Chest: 825 gp + 330 pp
• 4 dead adventurers, stuffed into a bag of holding and then given a decent burial once out of the dungeons by Mac
• Sceptre of Tomas (worth 1000 gp to the right collector) *
• Journal of Tomas (worth 1200 gp to the right collector) *
• elaborate Crimson Monk Abbot Robes (value??) 
• Coins in Belt Pouch: 7 gp, 11 cp
• Two wine skins of wine (type?) -- Nathia
• Potions: gaseous form (Mac), polymorph, human control, humanoid control, invulnerability (Blurb)
• Scrolls: silence, 3 protection from undead (1 to Mac), 3 protection from poison (1 to Blurb)
• Golden bracelets worth 1400 gp
• Coins: 12 pp
• 3 onyx worth 50 gp each (Gorlock takes the gems, putting 150 gp in the pot instead for an even swap)
• Moss Green +1 Plate Mail, requiring attunement (Nathia and Joell played a game of Deadman's Chess for it and Nathia, weirdly, won)

NOTE: Gold divided between the 8 players (Arnor is just gonna share with Nathia if he needs something) works out to 1001gp/each.

* items to sell