Episode 5 - This is the (undead) apocalypse.

(In which our self serving murderhobos save the entire town)

Looking down from the water tower the band surveyed Deva. It was mostly deserted with small bands of shuffling shambling figures here and there. The quiet was punctuated by the occasional scream as the ghouls found a survivor and relieved them of that status. They noticed that most activity centered around the arena and main temple of Abbathor which still had it's main doors open. Scawl reminded them that their main priority was to recover Sala the alchemist and set off to reconnoiter her dwelling.

Inside the alchemist's house and store he found the place had been cleared and the occupant departed. It was clear she had not been forcibly dragged off like so many of the other citizens. As he was sneaking back the rest of the band saw four ghouls carrying off three paralysed dwarves to an uncertain fate. Heskin and Cheet promptly descended and charged while Senden and Perren provided covering fire.

There was a brief moment of total confusion as Cheet turned into a large tentacled horror. While ungainly it was fearsome as it quickly wrestled two of the ghouls into submission and then ate the head of one. Heskin dispatched the other two with help from the others. Senden wisely masked the sounds with his magic. While it kept other ghouls from hearing it made the battle just that more surreal. Scawl returned near the end but put the entire sight down to accidentally inhaling something at the alchemist's.

The band rescued the victims and another holdout in a nearby house and wondered what to do. They decided to check out the temple. The victims mentioned they had seen some strangers in black robes come for Sala and take her and her alchemical apparatus away. They identified them as followers of Myrkul, god of death and the undead. They had hid when they had come because  the cultists of the death god are not to be trifled with unless you have an army (or two).

The band crept along the wall to where they could look into the temple. Inside they could see a large pile of bodies. Senden saw one of the bodies twitch and realised the victims were alive and paralysed by the fearsome touch of the ghouls. They saw several ghouls and black robed figures moving within. While deciding on a course of action two of the cultists left and started for the arena across town. Seeing their chance the band followed and waylaid them, killing one and taking the other prisoner.

Senden used his magics to charm their captive, Caleyn. The magic made him very cooperative and he saw the band as potential recruits to the cult of Myrkul and his person plan to kill Vargas, the leader of the cult and to then take his place. They learned that Vargas was planning a mass sacrifice in three nights time and that the cultists of Ilmater would be crown piece of the pyramid of bodies. Caleyn and the other cultist had been sent to gather the cultists from their holding cells in the arena. While the Cult of Myrkul had not been responsible for the unleashing of the ghouls they had taken it as an unholy sign and were taking full advantage of the death and misery about them.

The band then hatched a cunning plan. They would disguise Scawl as a follower of Myrkul, retrieve the cultists of Ilmater and disguise the rest of themselves as them. They would then walk into the temple and ambush Vargas and his minions. It was a sound plan compounded only by the fact that no-one really knew anything about Ilmater and his followers. Would they be cooperative?

It turned out that the cultists followed a goodly deity of endurance and healing. The band absorbed this oddity with aplomb and asked if they could help. Their leader, a halfling named Korras said he could bring great pain upon those who had caused it. The band thought this a useful ability. They then enacted their plan and ambushed and slew the followers of Myrkul and released Sala and the other captives. They also looted the temple, tricked the still charmed Cleyn into gathering the ghouls into a large building and burning them all, and organised a reward from the governor.

During all this the band had spied a large dust cloud in the west. Sala prepared a potion that allowed one's spirit to venture forth from your body for a time and Senden drank it and went to investigate. The cloud was caused by a warband of about three centuries of warriors marching on the town. Investigating the leader proudly wore the same symbol as Heskin, that of Torm, the god of truth, justice and idiots. The warriors were planning a raid on Deva but since the spirit could only see, not hear Senden could not discern their purpose beyond a forcible withdrawal fro the temple of Abbathor.

Heading back he also investigated beneath the arena and discovered an underground complex and colony of ghouls, complete with chief and mistresses. A little wierded out, he returned and informed his comrades.