Thrax sent us through a portal with absolutely no explanation. But hey, I need money, and my motley crew of compatriots seemed capable enough, so in we went.

We ended up in a graveyard centered in a dark and gloomy forest, no idea where in the world itself. But we heard a cat yowling for help. We move in, unsure what else we were brought here for. We found the kitty stuck inside an empty, recently dug grave. Using magic hands, we were able to rescue the cat, who was wearing a tag indicating her name is "Obsidian."

She seemed to want us to follow her, and naturally we did so. Into a mausoleum of course. In there, was an ancient statue of mystra, an orb, and several undead that popped out. I thought we were planning on just leaving, as the undead were advising we "get out." But alas, one of our members stayed behind to fight, which meant we ALL stayed behind and fought. We felled them relatively easily, and Obsidian led us to a set of scrolls. On them, were the details of a Netherese necromancy ritual, and a map to the location, very convenient.

So off we went again! We were able to find our way through the forest, and stumble upon the ritual. What followed was a terrible battle. Two of us fell, and were brought back. BUT we were ultimately successful, stopping the necromancer ritual. And saving the world.

A record of the investigation at the Gloomwood Cemetery on the nineteenth of Tarsakh, in the year 1502

My first job as a part of the Glassfang Syndicate was a strange one. It began with the Syndicate's leader performing some higher circle magic that teleported myself, some sort of imp goblin hybrid by the name of Desky, a dragonborn by the name of Mimsy and a strange, animated construct by the name of Vernal. I'd always been aware that there were all kinds of races that took up adventuring, so I suppose that rumor was truer than I expected.

The main object was to investigate strange occurrences at a cemetery, which had me feeling somewhat confident as I anticipated it would be somewhat similar to my experiences with archaeology with my father. Upon our arrival, we saw a sorry sight. The graves were overgrown, having fallen to the rigors of time. We discovered ancient Draconic writing that I believe may have been Loross or Netherese. After exploring for a few minutes, we heard the meows of a cat. Desky seemed to be disturbed, making some very strange comments that led me to believe he has a deep hatred or fear of felines, perhaps both. We found the cat trapped in a particularly deep grave that seemed unstable. Thankfully, Mimsy and Vernal were capable of casting mage hand and were able to work together to free the cat, which we later discovered was named Obsidian. After some strange discussions regarding both cats and cadavers, we decided to follow Obsidian who seemed to have a destination it wanted to lead us to.

Upon following Obsidian, we found what appeared to be a mausoleum in relatively good condition, when compared to the rest of the graveyard. As we entered, our attention was caught by a pristine statue of an older incarnation of Mystra, one that I believe was created during the reign of the Netheril, which supports my earlier conclusion about the language being used on some of the graves. We did not have much time to investigate before we were assaulted by three ghostly apparitions. Their touch was cold and draining, though I managed to find a small door in the altar under the statue of Mystra, which contained an orb that seemed to solidify their forms enough for my companions' magic to affect them. My weapons were ineffective, unsurprisingly. We managed to dispel the ghosts, and I offered a prayer to Mystra to see them through to their true afterlife. We took a break to relax and recuperate somewhat, where we also found some potions. Mimsy was able to identify them as being greater potions of healing, which was a relief to have on hand.

Obsidian took the lead once more, leading us to a secret passage underground. Our path was blocked by a portcullis, though with a good application of leverage I was able to lift it out of the way before getting it stuck overhead to allow us to proceed. We maanged to spot a trap as well, which Vernal disable with some forceful application of magic until it was triggered safely. Proceeding deeper into the catacombs, we found a sarcophagus and some papers, one of which featured a map of the cemetery and the second I have transcribed below:

"To the Disciple of Shadows, The time draws near when the veil between life and death will tear asunder. The ritual must be completed beneath the blood moon, within the cursed grounds of Gloomwood Cemetery. Gather the bones of the restless, those who cannot find peace, and bind them with the threads of the abyss. The Obsidian Spire awaits, shrouded in the eternal night of Neverwinter Wood. Within its ancient walls, the key to unholy power resides. The dead shall rise at your command, an army of shadows to sweep across the land. But beware—forces linger within the Spire, remnants of a forgotten age, and they do not slumber lightly. You must proceed with caution, for those who would stand against you draw near. They may seek to unravel our plans, but they cannot stop what has already begun. The darkness will claim what is rightfully ours. Do not fail me.
—Your Master of the Black Flame"

We were uncertain of when the letter was sent but with the map in hand we felt it best to investigate the area. Approaching the so called Obsidian spire, we found a necromancer in the middle of some kind of ritual, supported by two skeletons. He spotted us and a battle erupted. I managed to remove one of the gems that appeared to empower the necromancer, though it still seemed like he was somehow empowered by the other three. It was a bit of a blur, I was hit by some kind of necromantic ray and I lost consciousness briefly. Thankfully, the rest of my companions were able to finish him and Mimsy fed me one of my potions of healing. After some more investigation, the leader of the Syndicate opened another portal to allow us to return.

I believe I need some more practice with my bow, and I will be training to scale structures somewhat more effectively, as if I had been faster I may have been able to disrupt the ritual more effectively, given the gems powering the ritual were placed atop fifteen foot tall pillars. We were rewarded well for what we found and I plan to spend the gold I've earned to purchase some useful tools and equipment.

- Luckyfoot