Four separate residents of Geb are summoned to the residence of the Blood Lord Berline Haldoli, ruler of the city of Graydirge. As each arrives, they are met by Haldoli’s majordomo, a ghoul named Mhyurk, who directs them to refreshments.

Blake Skelton arrives first. His large frame shows the undead skeleton’s hobgoblin origin. Next up is Zaheri Javed. He is well dressed in fine clothing, walking with his quarterstaff as if it were magic. He briefly talks to Blake as he partakes. Sebastian d'Cross is next, telling the majordomo that he is here on orders from the Cross family. As he and Zaheri size each other up, Tsekani arrives trying to go to a servant’s entrance. Mhyurk redirects him. Zaheri introduces himself and takes it upon himself to introduce the other two. Since everyone has arrived, the ghoul leads them in.

The group is met by Lady Berline and invited to an early lunch. The Lady is friendly and quite approachable. Zaheri is the most at ease, used to dealing with the upper levels of society. However, he is well aware that this woman is one of the most dangerous leaders in Geb.

Lady Berline explains over a fine meal that a local farm, Ergahas, is having some trouble. She sent a crew to investigate and they returned saying this was a job for swords Their job is to simply go see what is going on and fix it if they can. They are promised joint ownership of a local piece of land that fell into her hands when its old owner died. The whole group looks at each other. This seems to be a far downplayed risk to an outsized reward. They finish lunch (well not Blake, who sits there bemused) and prepare to leave. Zaheri changes into what he calls his “work clothes” and leaves his fine things behind. He also introduces the group to his familiar, Tumbly. Tumbly is a vervet monkey from the Mwangi Expanse to the west of Geb. This prompts a biting comment from Sebastian about ”The brains of this outfit” to which the Zaheri haughtily retorts about Sebastian’s low status, cowing the man.

The trip to the farm is met with more discussion and further introductions between the group. Zaheri is of the opinion this is a high risk/high reward scenario, no matter how much she downplayed it. He cheerfully predicts it is likely they will all die ( or die again in Blake’s case). Still, he is clear this is the sort of fire he intends to face in life to fulfill his destiny and would rather die trying than shy away.

The farm itself is walled off with two gates. The main gate has a trapped zombie. Looking inside, zombies are milling about, undirected. Zaheri and Blake decide to go through the side gate. The gate seems to have slammed shut on a poor soul, perhaps one of the Lady’s crew. He stays quite dead as Sebastian easily deactivates the mechanism of the trap and opens the gate. The corpse has a satchel with a lessor antiplague and some sort of gray paste. Zaheri takes these and the group moves into the farm itself. They walk between four silos, one with its grain spilled out. Sebastian and Tsekani notice that the grain is tainted with Brian Grit which causes headaches but not much else. It seems an odd way to poison grain. Zaheri asks Tumbly for his crossbow and loads it.

The group does not get much chance to puzzle over this as they hear a distorted whinny of a horse and turn to see a zombie horse and two zombie hounds approaching. Blake runs forward and block the horse from moving forward between two wagons. The hounds leap over. Blake and the horse fight it out, with the zombie striking him badly. The hounds leap forward, one on Tsekani and one against Blake. Finding the skeleton has no meat, it moves forward. Sebastian uses his short bow while Zaheri fires his crossbow. Tsekani takes traditionally monk approach and beats the hound with his fists. Sebastian uses his battle medicine on the monk, while Zaheri keeps firing at the foes while Blake is forced to step back. Sebastian moves to heal her with oil of unlife, and the last of the creatures fall. The group wonders at what is going on.

Searching the bodies does not help. They seem to have been a zombie managers, zombie themselves, but with the spark of intelligence. They seem to have died fighting in a circle. In a nearby pen, they see a huge zombie cow, missing horn clearly embedded in a nearby destroyed building. At the front gate remain the two zombies on guard, ignoring the zone behind them.

The group decides to head down to the nearby hill cave holds the oversear’s room. There they find mindless zombies uselessly attacking piled up crates blocking a passage. The rest of the area has the bed for the now dead overseer and a rather grisly table and signs of cannibalism. The room with a bed has a violet everlasting torch which Zaheri gives to Tumbly to hold.

Feeling they need to press one, the group surprises the three zombies and easily takes them down. Moving the crates, they find the well for the facility and the only remaining zombie charge hand, Sifegtk, whom they rescue. He tells a tale of the farm being attacked for no reason. He knows nothing of grain being tainted, and can only say he was been in the well for days.

The group decides to take out the zombie cow. Zaheri suggests that he and Sebastian climb a roof and attack at range while the other two move in. They go all out, but the cow is dangerous. It lands a critical attack on Blake who collapses to absorb the damage. Before she reassembles, the undead beast is dead. Tsekani just manages to pull a magical scythe imbedded in the corpse from it. They group retreats to the cave, avoiding three zombie workers who have bashed their way out of a holding area. Zaheri spends three fruitless hours trying to heal Blake, and they resort to the oil of unlife from Sebastian. After a full rest, Zaheri awakes inspired. The mage pulls bones from the dead zombies in the cave and expertly stiches the still wounded Blake to full health. They easily kill the three zombies, and Sifegtk is able to control the other two. The group departs, still unsure of exactly what happened.

The group rises early and heads back to meet with their employer who receives them warmly. They show her the symbol on the tattered cloth as part of their report, yet she has little light to shine on the matter. Berline promises she will look into it further. The mild poisons have her puzzled as well. As promised, she turns over the deed to Kellok Manor, wrapped around a large iron key, and gives the party 20 gold among them to share.

The Manor itself is a mere mile south of Graydirge proper so it’s quite a simple matter to travel to and from it for any business the group would to attend to. Seeing they have time, Sebastian and Zaheri ask around to see if anyone knows about the strange symbol. Sebastian manages to find a name of someone they can follow up on.

The group heads to Kellok Manor and finds an already open door. Heading inside, they see a dead hand trying to deal with a swarm of rats. Zaheri breathes ancient dust on the swarm, and Blake charges in after, literally scything through the vermin. The hand introduces itself as Arghun The Annihilator, its voice disconcertingly coming from about where a head would be. It/He asks to see the deed and key, and accepts them as equal owners of the manor. He notes the basement is not secure and offers that the group might want to head down and deal with the problems there.

Moving down the steps, they hear the rasps of bones on stone. They are confronted with three ostovites, skeletons being run by things from another plane. Tsekani and Blake quickly kill one that charges them. Another attacks from behind, menacing Zaheri and Sebastian, who retreat and attack it. In a few moments, all of the outer planes monsters are destroyed and Blake as a collection of bones to take.

They clear out the rest of the basement, finding the ostovite nest and destroying it. They also run into a Skittering Ribcage that seems to be a former pet that only wants attention. In the ostiary, they find a key to a Graydirege security box. The site secured, they go upstairs to meet with Arghun. He shows them around as best he can. He does not remember much of his death, but he regales anyone who sits still long enough of his larger-than-death exploits. It’s not certain to any of the party how much of it is true. What is certain is his genuine attachment to Kellok manor. Arghun likes to see it well cared for and attended, and seems to have little desire for affairs outside it. He will perform whatever duties the group sees fit to assign or, he sadly sniffles, “none at all, if the current masters have no use for an old hand”.

After two days a messenger arrives announcing Berline will be coming to visit later that evening and wishes to meet with the party.

The group takes stock of the situation. Zaheri and Blake go back to the farm to collect bones; Zaheri to make a servant and mount, Blake to add to his collections. Zaheri invests in some carvings tools and offers to help Blake make his bones more ornate and suggests using bones of defeated zombies.

After two days, Berlin arrives as promised and brings a huge lunch. They share the meal and she shares that the cloth they found was from a new gang, The Three Finger Skull. She also notes that the two items found, put together, create a deadly poison to the quick. It seems this was an attempt to poison the quick of Graydirdge. She asks the group to investigate, on their own, nothing official as of yet, and the group agrees to the charge. She is clear she wants discretion.

The next day, four split into two teams, Zaheri and Blake as one and Sebastian and Tsekani as the other. The goal is to try to find out more about this new information that Berlin brought them. Zaheri manages to get to an party in the afternoon. While no one has heard of the Thre Fingered Skull, they are talking about the Boneshards, clearly engaged in extortion. Zaheri makes friends with Bilfor, a halfling storekeeper. Sebastian hears similar stories talking to a shopkeeper about the Boneshards. This does not help the mystery.

After two days of less than fruitful research, a skeletal thrush arrives with an invitation to meet with High Preist of Zon-Kuthon, Ortagar Stich-Skull the next evening. The followers of this insane god exist to suffer and revel in it. They arrive with the sun in their eyes. The inside of the foul cathedral is haunted by strange screams and moans. They are asked to engage in a ritual of blood cleaning, but they refuse. With insistence, Sebastian drives his sword through the hand of the woman leading them, much to her pleasure. Disgusted more than anything, the group heads to dinner.

The High Priest meets them and greets them warmly. His head is a mass of scars which makes his name make sense. There is little talk of business until the end of the meal.

Ortagar closes his eyes as he enjoys one final morsel before gently returning his napkin and spoon to the table. He methodically straightens them as he clears his throat. He slowly massages his temples, straining the stitches on his head, and then places his palms on the table and snaps open his eyes.

“I hope you have enjoyed your food. Later, I must pay for the pleasure this meal has brought me, but for now, we have important matters to discuss.”

“I recently learned of an apparent plot to introduce some strange substance—poisons, perhaps—to Geb’s food supply. This plot involved not just any remote farm, where the food would undoubtedly be shipped overseas and be no concern of mine, but a farm that supplies Graydirge itself, including this temple. You all know of what I speak, of course. I have a confession to make, about why I have brought you all here. Word of this plot did not reach me by way of our mutual acquaintance, the esteemed Reanimator, Mistress Berline Haldoli. No. I learned of this plot from a member of my own congregation.”

“It is difficult for our worshippers to keep secrets from us. My acolytes are quite skilled, and it is easy to recognize when one of our own has grown accustomed to our ministrations and requires extra attention. One such congregant is a man named Dakramat, who is also a member of a Graydirge gang called the Bone Shards. We’ve long known Dakramat worked with the Bone Shards, but it did not concern us. It is a pathetic group, little more than struggling ruffians, unworthy of our attention—or so I assumed. It seems the group has a new leader. This individual plots to poison Graydirge’s food supply. Dakramat heard about this from his gang’s new leader, but as he wasn’t in the inner circle, he couldn’t provide any details, even under intense interrogation. Our modest congregation consists mostly of living people, and there are many other quick across Graydirge. A mass poisoning is no trifling matter.”

“When word of what happened at Old Ergagh’s Farm reached me, it was clear there truly is a plot against Graydirge… against its living residents, at least. I try to keep myself and the Empty Threshold insulated from such schemes, and I’d appreciate external assistance with this investigation. Thus, I have brought you here to share what I know. The Bone Shards are somehow connected to what has happened, and what may yet happen, if no one acts. I can tell you where their hideout is. Try not to kill all of them. If they have information on this plot, we ought to learn who is involved.”

The group thanks him for the meal and the information and move to get out as fast as they can. Zaheri leads them to an old watering hole and indulges in a rare drink. This is a classy place and they can converse in peace. They decide to head into the hideout. This will be another significant test. Tsekani suggests it will be a use for the figurine of power they found.

After a night’s rest, Zaheri bemoans that they lack servants to prepare them meals. After a (self made) breakfast, the group heads into Graydirge and the charnel houses of the Meat Market. They descend into old ruins under the area, passing bones as they go. As they follow the direction carefully, they find four skeletons with chattering skulls atop them. They easily eliminate them, but Zaheri does manage to get bitten. Entering into the next room, there are bones and blood, and several severed hands walking about. Three humans are in a recessed cove. They are painted to look undead but are clearly among the living.

Blake approaches boldly asking to talk with them, despite their entries to leave. The female orders one or the two males to attack the skeleton, and she nearly kills him in one blow. Zaheri calls to them to stop fighting as it is clear they will all die. And intimidating glare for Blake seals the deal. Zaheri enters into negotiations with them as Sebastian sews up the one wounded man. Apparently, Dakramat led a woman here who was looking for a key to a Graydirge bank vault. They had taken it from a shopkeeper at some point. She slaughtered most of the gang, animating their bodies and walking them out. A few hands are left.

Zaheri offers them contracted employment at Kellok Manor, which they tentatively accept. They lead the party around the area, astounding for its immense number of bones, and these were what is left over. Back at the house, Zahari introduces the three humans are Sahrage (the girl), Zarken, and Fentan to Arghun and places them under his direction. They have a day or so to make up their minds if they want this safety or a return to the streets.

It is clear that the ruined Bank of Greydirge is the next stop, especially as they have their own key recovered from the house. Blake notes the two keys are starkly different from one another. They group decides to head to the bank the next morning.

They go to the bank which has three giant hands patrolling in routes. They are easy to avoid and the group enters through the already open doors. There is a stone figure who appears to be running away. She does not have clear markings of the Three Fingered Skull on her, but the group is sure this was someone recently turned to stone. Sebastian checks for traps on a door and finds none. However, Blake is not sure, and he strides forward seeing a trap ready to go off. He pushes Sebastian out of the way as three large blades comes swinging out. The prone Sebastian blinks looking at the slowly resetting trap that would have killed him. Zaheri has concern in his voice as he asks Sebastian if he is OK. The investigator nods as he stands.

Blake disables the blades, and the group continues. There is a long hallway with other doors. Those will have to wait as a opkherib gesturing them away. Sebastian suggests they hold up the key, but that does not deter the undead. Knowing they have to fight it, the group readies to attack. Blake and Tsekani move up, while the others fire their bows at the creature. Zahari sends his ghost, Hanover, to harass and attack the creature. As Tumbly moves the light forward, another one is visible.

They group fights hard to kill the first and then the other before either can drain any of their lifeforce. They search over the body in the room and find proof that it was from the Three Fingered Skull gang. The deeper enemy of Graydirge and perhaps Geb has been here.