House of Bones

"Where is this House of Bony Skeletons?" asked Baru, mostly just to the air.  The party was on a trek through the wastelands of G'Henna trying to find the "House of Bones" which apparently constrained Zhakata the Provider a much kinder aspect of the God of G'Henna.  With the party were 6 cultists from the Circle of Darkness and twenty or so Mongrelmen.

The Circle members refused to carry their equipment, expecting the lowly Mongrels to bear their burdens.  They were also demanding, but condescending toward the party.  When asked for directions or even a description of the House of Bones they were referred to Blosh, who was a pretentious, pompous fool.  The Circle priests spent the trip eating, drinking and complaining about the hardships of the land.
As they skirted the edge of a mountain range, Arvien kept Summergale busy scouting each canyon the led out into the flatlands.  A strong breeze blew southward into the cold wastes, scouring the group with sand and grit.  Summergale returned with news of a unnatural white structure in the next, apparently dead end canyon.
As the party squinted at the darkening cliffs, Varrid detected something ivory white huddled at the base of the a jagged cliff wall.  As the party closed in they saw a squat, broken, structure rising from the stony floor of the plain.  Cracked eight-foot shard remains formed a toothy fence, barring enty from the ruin, though several lay toppled and shattered on the rocky soil.
An archway pierced the wall, and a yellowed path led through it to the building's only visible entrance - a gargantuan, monstrous skull.  The tips of its menacing canines had sunk into the ground like fangs into soft flesh.   The formed the sides of another archway leading into the dark interior of the structure.  A faint moaning sound rose and fell as the sand scrapped the party's flesh.  The gateway was composed of human skulls and exuded and aura of malice.  The building was pitted, weathered and partially collapsed.  It appeared long abandoned.  At the edge of the fence the ground crunched beneath the feet of the party.  The ground was covered with skeletons of thousands of small creatures.  The mongrelmen entered and gleefully walked over the crunching bones.  A pathway of skull crowns led to the entrance.
Seglun and Baru approached the entrance, through the mouth of the fifteen-foot tall skull.  As they neared the giant fangs, they discovered a rag-clad, sandblasted human skeleton impaled on one of the tremendous canines.
A wailing rise above the moaning of the house,  From the impaled skeleton rose the ghostly image of a young woman.  A dark stream gushed from her mouth, and her dusty clothes were quickly soaked.  She reached for Baru, her eyes wide with pain and madness.  "Help me!"  the apparition cried.  "Help meee!"
At the sight of the ghostly figure, several mongrelmen fled with terror, tripping and falling into the bones but beating a hasty retreat.  The Circle members looked on with awe but still headed forward with the rest of the party.  Through the mouth, warily, as Ralom recalled an earlier Rakshasa mouth that shut behind them, the party entered into darkness.  The odor of the crypt permeated the air and each steip caused a loud crunching noise to echo off the walls.
Ahead the party saw a pale blue radiance, and entered a huge chamber completely bathed in the blue light, emanating from the very walls.  Here and there skull-shaped sconces glowed with a pallid blue-white light.  Spaced along the length of the gallery were colossal leg boned supporting the ceiling like columns.  Beside each door huge, one-eyed skeletons towered.  They wore ornate armor bristling with nasty hooks and barbs.  Their poise was erect, and their mailed fists rested on the hilts of massive swords.  There were halls leading north, eats and west and double doors just to the west of the north hallway.
Baru and Seglun entered first, cautiously moving around the huge gallery.  Beside each hallway were a pair of skeletons.  The north hallway led into the darkness but Varrid headed toward the double doors listening for any sounds from within.  Hearing none she checked for traps and locks.  Finding none she allowed Seglun and Baru to open the doors.  The chamber beyond seemed to be some type of laboratory of medical surgery.  At the center of the room was a hugs table with leather restraining straps.  Around the table were four benches, each large enough for a giant to lay on.  A faint smell of rot hung in the air.  There was a small chamber along the west wall holding cages with the carcasses of long-dead animals.  Part of the northwest corner of the room had stone and rock strewn in a mess as part of the mountain had collapsed into the chamber.
Next the party headed up the north hallway, three doors on the right and two on the left were evidenced.  Each door on the right led to a once sumptuous bed chamber, the wood panels on the walls, decayed and dropped away.  The rugs on the floor, spotted with rot.  Sheets yellowed and stained.  At the end of the hall the mountain had collapsed into the area.  There appeared to be another room on the right but no door was seen.  Varrid used here helm to view another bed chamber, in the same condition as the others.
Double doors on the left led to dining area, a sturdy huge table and chairs stood inside.  A door from the dining chamber led to the kitchens.  The western ends of the dining and kitchen areas were also buried under rock.  The kitchen held a stove, pots on iron hooks, and several tables.  A door led to a meat locker with rotted and decayed haunches of beef hung on hooks.  Dishes crusted with almost petrified food-remains, rested on the central table.  Another pantry once held flour, sugar, salt and other staples.  All that remained were bags, barrels and other containers, something had consumed most of the wares.
Now the party headed to the west, where they encountered a door that led to a stairway heading down.  Another door led to a bedroom containing a large, unmade bed, various articles of clothing,, books and curious trinkets.  Several charts and sheets bearing cryptic runes were tacked to the walls.
Another door led to a room that certainly was once a study, with and armchair and fireplace.  The stuffing was pushing through the rotting fabric.  The walls were lined with shelves, many holding bizarre little items.  The mantlepiece and fireplace were carved with ornate designs.
The next door was more interesting, as Varrid listened she heard a weird crooning, underscored by something that sounded like hissing, whispering voices.  Donning her helm, she beheld a writhing mass of immense, slime-covered worms pressing onto all the walls of the room.  Each was as big as a man, with a twisted, humanoid face.  "No reason to enter this chamber," Varrid told the party of the contents.  The next two doors were not locked but would not open.  Baru, Seglun and Grunyar applied their shoulders to one of the doors and slowly pushed it open moving beds, dressers and all other kind of furniture out of the way.  Clearly someone was blocked the doors.  In one corner the group found an unfortunate lad.  He was dressed in a black robe with red trim, His knees drawn up to his chest and he was clutching a dagger in his mummified hand.  Baru's instincts kicked in before Seglun grabbed the dagger.  "That is an evil weapon!" he exclaimed, deterring anyone from acquiring the weapon.
Now the party headed to the east, where they found a room with bookcases lining every inch of wall space.  Each shelf was laden with scrolls, books, tomes and more.  There was also a jumble of bones in one corner by a door.  Arvien looked around for magic automatically, Seglun headed to a hallway leading to the north.
In a stack of books on one table, Arvien found a magic aura emanating from a large book.  She uncovered it, finding a spell book with she incautiously opened.  The whole item exploded in her face, doing damage as the explosive runes did their duty. 
Meanwhile Seglun and Baru had headed up the hallway with led to another collapse of stone and rock.  There appeared to be a chamber on the western side of the hall and Varrid once again peered in with her helm.  An empty chamber was all she saw.  As the party moved back into the Library, the pile of bones pulled themselves up into a Bone Golem. Arvien created a hungry pit next the creature who deftly managed not to fall into it.  The Golem threw bones as Seglun, which created a cage around her.  The battle then exploded in full force, Varrid trying to find advantage, Grunyar shot arrows, which did little damage.  Magic seemed to have no effect on the Golem at all.  Baru moved up using his mace, which inflicted more damage.  Arvien grabbed Seglun's hand through the bone cage and stepped both of them into the clear behind the monster.  Grunyar moved up with his hammer and Seglun with her sword.  Varrid found flanking with Baru, and even though the sword found its home it did little damage.  Meanwhile the creature was inflicting damage to Baru and Seglun at a good clip.  Arvien called Alvin the Anklyosauer into the room and he attacked using his bashing tail.
The mongrelmen and priests merely looked on in amazement or boredom.  After a few round the Golem again collapsed into a pile of bones on the floor.
After some quick healing, Seglun headed to the door and found another stairway down.  Alvin led the way with Varrid riding on his back.  Down the staircase into a small chamber which led to a hallway that led west into another vast area.  A faint smell of decay permeated the room.  There were huge cages on the north wall, some still holding the partially mummified bodies of unidentifiable beasts.  Tables with strong leather straps and several cabinets with surgical tools were spread around the room.  The wall were charts and diagrams of the internal organs of a variety of species. 
There was door to the east, three on the south and two open halls to the west.  Varrid used the helm to peer into the closed rooms.  To the east was an empty room, even more dusty than the areas the party had been through.  The doors to the south had small chambers holding linens and various tools.
Seglun headed west and found a stairway going up, probably leading to the other staircase they had found.  Grunyar confirmed this suspicion before heading out the other hall on the west.  This hall quickly turned north and ended in a foot bridge stretching across a humongous pit.  Summergale went flying into the chamber, which was dark and the pit so deep that no bottom could be discerned.  Drovic found the bridge made of bones held together by sinews.  He stepped out cautiously finding the footing secure but not necessarily strong.  Now the group started to discuss how to make its way across the bridge, which was very long.  Finally Drovic took rope and walked across the bridge opening the doors on the far end and securing the rope end there.  Several mongrelmen started racing across the bridge, shouting hosannas to Zhakata.  Ralom and Grunyar blocked any further advance.  The rest of the party, priests and mongrelmen crossed the bridge one by one.
Beyond the doors was a chamber unlike anything they had ever seen.  Although spacious, if felt small and cramped, because it was cluttered with tables and shelves.  Surprisingly, it was lit by two small braziers at the far end of the chamber, smoke rising lazily.  Shadows gathered in the corners of the room and clung to the bony beams overhead.  Between the doorway and the braziers stood a podum, upon which rested a massive book.  A body was slumped at the foot of the podium.  Two more bodies lay near the center of the room near a dais that rose between the braziers.  Here and there were the remains of small animals, in varying states of mummification.
The mongrelmen, including Petchko and Wahrg, milled about the chamber, chanting and praying to Zhakata the Provider.   The Circle priests were more cautious, carefully surveying the room.  Arvien looked at the body near the podium.  It was a hunchbacked man in black robes, a look of horror on his mummified face.  Baru noted that on the dais was a circle etched into the stone floor.  In the middle of the circle was another body, disfigured and shrunken.
Madar soon said, "Bolsh start the ritual."  Bolsh approached the podium and started leafing through the tome.  After a time he stopped and pulled a loose leaf out.  "Look at this drawing," he confided to Madar.  Madar took the paper and showed the party a diagram of the dais, the etched circle and an indication of where to place the talisman.
Seglun took the talisman from here bag and headed to the dais.  Bolsh began to recite arcane words and gestured with his hands and arms. As Seglun made it to the dais, there was an electric sparkle and she stopped in her tracks.  Ralom started to head to the dais while Bolsh continued his ritual.
The body inside the circle suddenly jerked into a standing position.  The haggard from stared around the room, its eyes glowing eerily with a fanged face that is disturbingly like that on the Zhakata statues that have been on display throughout G'Henna.  Its skin is stretched tightly over its naked body, showing every joint and bone.
Everyone then heard a voice in their head say "Go, quickly!"  They then could feel their strength begin to ebb.  The mongrelmen were filled with rapture and demand that the Provider be freed.  Bolsh continued with his ritual, his eyes glassed over.  The other priests stare in amazement as Wahrg rushed forward to the dais.  As he ran, he stumbled and fell into the dais, cracking open his head, blood spilling across the floor.
"I hunger," hissed the creature, an ancient smile on its lips.  He reached out, grabbed the unfortunate Wahrg and drained all the energy from the mortal shell in a flash of blue radiance.  He dropped the husk  and inhaled in ecstasy.  The body grew to twice its size and he crooked a finger in the dircetion of the other mongrelmen, they stumbled toward him as his eyes filled with a golden glow.
Ralom grabbed the talisman from Seglun and stepped onto the dais, where he was paralyzed.  Baru ran forward at full pace to the dais.
One by one, a dozen or more withered forms fell like cordwood to the floor.  With a roar like a hurricane, the creature's body distorted and grew to a towering height in the blink of an eye.  With a moan the remaining mongrelmen and several cultists fell to their knees chantting, "Provider, Provider, Provider!"
The creature survey the room with its glowing eyes, shivered and appeared stronger.  Feathered wings unfold from its back.
"O mighty one," said Yart.  "We have come to free you and crave your help against the vile Yagno Petrovna..."
The creature bellowed, "Yagno!" shaking the rafters.  His wings thrashed.  "Gladly will I aid any who battle him!  With you, my blind servants, we will defeat him!  We will gain our revenge!"  One of the creature's beefy hands closes on Yart and yanked him into the air.  The creature's gaze swept the room, and his body grew fuller.  "You shall serve the Devourer and we shall wage war on Yagno and his false god!"
Yart's anguished scream fell silent as the creature crushed his body.  The mongrelmen stared blankly at it unaware of the gore that splattered them, until their flesh began to melt and reform beneath its molten gaze.
Baru reached Ralom and grabbed for the talisman, which was missing.  "Where is the talisman?" cried Baru in shock at the proceedings.  Petchko yelled with dismay "Zhakata will strike you down for your blasphemy, creature!" But then his face went blank and he fell to the floor.
Drovic felt something brush past him toward the door as he stared to move forward to the dais.  "Someone is trying to escape," he declared, "and where is Madar?"
 As Varrid and Arvien survey the horror of the chamber, withered bodies strewn about, blood and gore dripping from corpses, Seglun and Ralom not moving, the creature laughed and said "Help me fight Yagno and I will not harm you!"  Then the monster blinked away in what Arvien knew was a teleport.

DM's Notes:  The total XP for this adventure will be awarded at the conclusion, if the party lives!!