Our heroes continued their quest, searching for the bandits they had been informed of. The next bandit camp lay eerily deserted. They then arrived at a haunted tomb, where Zonga encountered a ghostly gentleman who politely but firmly demanded his departure. Zonga complied and relayed this to his companions.
Their exploration led them to a tent housing a goblin and a ravenous half-ogre. Stealth gave way to combat, and our heroes swiftly dispatched the half-ogre and negotiated with the goblin. The goblin, revealed to be exploiting wounded grave robbers, was taken back to Red Larch to face the sheriff.
Some of the other heroes interacted with the ghastly gentleman, but all ended up leaving and did their best to reinforce the door to prevent people from entering the tomb.
Investigating another rumored bandit location, they found no bandits but unearthed freshly dug graves with bodies inside. Back in Red Larch, they learned of Tricklerock Cave, rumored to hold secret treasure, and a skull pinned to a tree with a black arrow—a dire warning. Disappointment hit Shabri hard upon realizing there was no 50 gold reward for dealing with the bandits.
After a night’s rest, they set out for Lance Rock. Ignoring a warning sign about a disfiguring plague, they pressed on and encountered animated corpses. These zombies were quickly dispatched. Further exploration revealed more zombies perched on a ledge, which the heroes swiftly dealt with, pushing some down and eliminating them.
Thus, the journey continues, with our heroes bravely facing haunted tombs, undead threats, and mysterious omens as they venture deeper into the Dessarin Valley.