The journey went smoothly and just a day later they found themselves at the ruins of Thundertree. The trail become an old, overgrown lane winding between dilapidated buildings choked in vines and brush. A dirt road huged the base of the hill and wended its way between old stone houses, many of which were roofless ruins with interiors open to the weather. Other buildings appeared more or less intact. The whole place was eerily silent. Moving slightly forward they saw an odd sight, an old tower that had fallen, decades past but had stopped short of crashing into the ground. It now stood at a 45 degree angle, tress and bushes growing upon it. It shouldn't be standing like that...but there it was.
Pine opened his senses and saw that several of the dessicated corpses, eerily standing in the buildings, like mannequins made of ash were more than they appered. Undead, moved by the dark magics that remained from the eruption of Mount Hotenow. Thinking to avoid them, the band snuck in the bushes. Unfortunately, those were not bushes but necromantic plants twisted into a half life, akin to the one Siax had wrestled with in his escapades (See (S05) Downtime in Phandalin). Over thirty of the creatures attacked, the noise provoking a few of the walking ash corpses to come out of a nearby house. Factoré was wounded by one but Pine heroically dashed and put himself between the undead and the small gnome. For one who had brushed with death so often Pine seemed not broken by it.
Combat was relentless but the party prevailed in the end. From Zenari putting a score of them to sleep with her magic, to Idris fighting a veritable horde, their tendrils bashing against his armour to no avail. Truly, what for most would be a life or death situation Idris made it seem like gardening work, sword chopping up and down with devastating results. Siax brought his swords out and became a whirlwind of steel, dispatching them left and right, keepign the left flank orf the party secure. Finally, Koraliki Verque lay arrow after deadly arrow, one lucky strike slaying three of the beasts.
With the creatures dispatched the party waited a moment but no more of the undead aproached. Cautiously they made it to the tower only to find the first level completely open. The ground floor of the tower consisted of open stone archways that gave a good view of a central spiral staircase, which seemed to lead to the next storey up. However where an entrance should be there was only stone and four statues, seemingly cultists of the Order of the Dragon, staring at the staircase. Thankfully before anyone could touch anything Idris opened his senses and saw that the staircase was magical. That was enough for Zenari to figure out that this was a trap of some sort,most likely making the statues animate and strike any would be explorer. Idris continued his explorartions finding a hidden compartment in a nearby building, filled with four silver goblets set with moonstones, some magical scrolls (a scroll of misty step, and a scroll of lightning bolt and a Scroll of Mage Armour) and a vial filled with brown liquid. What's more Idris spotted a door some way up the fallen tower, the true entrance.
Pine climbed nimbly and aproached this door, his knowledge of it piercing the illusion but before he could touch it a mouth appeared on the wood and requested a password in a silky voice. Much discusion and attempts were had until Idris mentioned the word "Password" opening the door. Perhaps the doors creattor hadn't set up anything different? Regardless, with the door open the party entered the oddly slanted tower to find the wizard Zatharius.