The Lost Heir, Part Three

The group concludes that Mira and her grandfather have fallen into the Duke's clutches. After sending a message to Rawne asking for support, they begin to search the forest for the circle of druids who can prove Mira's lineage.

The druids are an aloof, uninterested lot, but after the PC's agree to investigate a family of magically corrupted bears in a cave (and promise that Mira will acknowledge their sovereignty of the forest) the druids agree to performing the ritual.

The bears' den holds several surprises, not the least of which is the paternal member of the family. Also in a narrow side passage the PC's find what appears to be a buried tomb, sealed off and hidden for generations. Could this be the source of the corrupting magic? Whoever built it certainly didn't want visitors, and the party's newest member Xane is put through his paces as a thief.

The tomb itself is decorated with mosaics showing the ancient history of the land, especially the tyranny of a horrific cult that was eventually overthrown by the masses, and its leader, the priest Zagref, entombed within the shrine they are now exploring.

As a few members of the group are exploring a side room, Hammer falls through the floor into a lower room. Inside is a mysterious Moebius strip composed of twelve glowing runes moving in a circle. Hammer, of course, touches the strip, and the glowing runes scatter, one burning an copy of itself upon Hammer's forehead. The other PC's curse Hammer's foolishness and pull him out of the room, with Galinda making careful notation about the wall's inscriptions.

The final room holds the terror of the tomb, the mummy of Zagref himself. Hanthil, Violet, and Willow engage him in harrowing hand-to-hand combat with Xander's magic missle assistance until the others can recover from their magically-induced fear and return to overwhelm. Through a stroke of tremendous fortune, none end up suffering the mummy's rot. Having disposed of Zagref's evil, they return to the druid circle. But several questions remain:

Where is Mira?

What happened to Hammer?

Will his foolishness doom us all?