The Black Wine Monastery

The RedWater Fellowship, having finished destroying the undead, they bind wounds and look to gather spoils.

Doc Holliday, reloads his pistol, "Keep your wits about you fellows. This place has me weary. Anyways we should be leaving Wayburry once we explore the Green to many people know us."

Cedric looks about, “I agree, once we start getting too well known, people may start coming to look for us.”

“Where did all these undead even come from? What kind of plague happened?” Kantif says, surprised from how many undead there were.

Graxusas can be barely understood being a wyvern says, "Onsssse were donsss everysssssing we needssss to do outsss here we cudsss hedsss backsss outsss towardsssss ensssssstad"

Gothi has a dream about being a dragonborn paladin named Arjhan and hopes to enjoy it again sometime...

Moving onwards, the party - with Graxusas still polymorphed into a wyvern - and decide to do some

scouting from on high.. Doc Holliday climbs on and the 2 swoop up into the air. Ahead are high cliffs with

a waterfall crashing down, probably over 100 feet up. It looks like the monastery was carved into the side of the cliffs, with 3 or 4 levels, and on top a large square building can be seen with high walls. A set of ramps zigzag up the side, wide enough for a wagon and horses.The various buildings are in disrepair, with buildings and areas have greenery growing on the ramps and more. Looks to be unused for many years. Many of the wooden ramps were falling apart, the bridges across the front of the misty waterfall looking treacherous.

Doc pulls out his elven spyglass. The wondrous item bringing the terrain into clear vision. No creatures or activity can be seen. Circling, the two scan down the main monastery. There is a large garden area with a large fountain - statue.

No life can be seen, dead vineyards spread out in all directions, the vines and plans all dead and black.

With a final circle, the two heroes fly back and inform the party. Meanwhile, Gothi, using her ranger skills, has found tracks of 4-6 riders that head towards the monastery.

Deciding to take the horses part way, up the Fellowship head up the ramps. Passing a number of ramshackle buildings, they decide to tie up the horses and move onwards. Find a larger building entrance, this one looked to be able to take wagons in. A ramp cut into the rock looked to lead upwards into the dark.

The doors, one hanging off one hinge and the other smashed inwards by brute force. An arrow is in the lintle above the doorway, shot from further sleuthing most likely further in. Perhaps something smashed the door in and one of the riders fired the arrow. Doc realizes the long arrow has his Father's mark on it..

Finding some old crates and tools, (Doc takes some of the tools) a single bottle of wine is found. Has the Black Wine Monastery symbol a sunburst with bunches of grapes and the wording: Silasin. Those whom could read Evlish, know this means "Black" or "Dark". Thinking back, Doc Holliday recalls the grapes in the region make a very dark purple to back wine and that was why - it is said - the monastery name came into use....

Strange sounds, bells ringing, and lights can be seen off in the dark. Doors slam.. strange music..

Traveling up the party comes out into the courtyard gardens of the monastery at the top of the cliffs.

Three bells can be heard to ring

A large statue 1/2 destroyed looked to be the elvish goddess Tilissa - goddess of Light. The fountain is long dry. The party searches around and finds the long grass in the area is razor sharp. Some is gathered up. Continuing to follow the tracks, of what they think are Doc's father and the husband of Ophelia Crakin, the party enters the monastery.

Searching through a variety of rooms the strange sounds continue, doors slam, a head can be seen peek out and disappear.

The party comes to a assistant to the Abbot, and searching further come upon grim findings. A room filled with torture equipment, cells, stains of blood and more.

The Fellowship see a head appear far behind in the dark, a bolt flies from Kantif's crossbow and hits, a female voice cries out. Graxusas steps into mist and appears beside the robed figure. Stepping back the door closes. The female elf - a spirit possibly - warns the lizardman of the creature that haunts the place, at 1 bell it will come for all, then she touches his forehead and a glyph appears there and then she is

gone.

Two bells can be heard to ring

The party finds a way down into the catacombs under the monastery. Hundreds of skulls line the walls, Coffins and tombs are set near and go off into the dark.

The party continues onwards following the tracks. They reach a point where walls have caved in a narrow crack - one person at a time can pass - goes into darkness. The party continues forward.

One bell can be heard to ring

Then a massive beastly growling and shuffling can be heard from behind as the party reaches a large room. Once probably a ceremony chamber, now a flow of water cuts through the room, a large table or tomb is in centre, with a humanoid skeleton on top. At the far end, the robed elvish woman looks to be crouching over a body on the ground.

The party quickly tries to disperse into the room and prepare for the crashing and growling coming from behind. some are able to react more quickly and prepare, others are slower. Then battle ensues as a 15' tall jet black beast, with massive claws - like short-swords - bursts into the room. A volley of attacks from the party hits the beast, barely slowing it down.

JawBone, Gothi's monstrous mount jumps across the streams to the centre and at that moment the skeleton rises and attacks.

Kantif gets multiple critical hits. The attacks of all the party do incredible damage.

The beast is incredibly strong, its swings knocking

back party members easily. Critical hits seem to all focus on one of the creatures legs, making it very difficult for it to move, but in the end that did not slow it down, as it had the ability to step through the shadows. Swinging mighty blows, multiple party members go down - Gothi, Vencer and Kaleer - but in the end the party defeats the creature.

Graxusas, is able to ensure Gothi and Vencer don't die. At first Kantiff did not seem to care if his clone - Kaleer - lived, but the party decides to save him.Although Graxusas did not notice, the glyph on his forehead was glowing and he had been slowly regenerating.

The robed woman looks to be administering to Doc's Father, seems to be in a coma. A priest's skills will be needed for him to recover.

Perhaps the curse of the Black wine Monastery is now set to rest...

As Doc Holliday cradles his father's head and breathes a sigh of relief..

"Sigmund!" Grandma Holliday's voice sounds in his mind, "Wayberry is under siege!" Doc looks about at his friends, his jaw dropping.. "A cloud castle.. or fortress in the sky is attacking!"

OverLord Romack's legions had engaged the BlackRunes and Iuz's forces at Wayberry...