While gazing upon the dead rats slain last session, the party is startled by a strange eldritch rippling in the air, as a mysterious swirling vine appears from the floor, festooned with large, human-sized pods. In an explosion of magical, biological goop, one of the pods belches forth Dodger Graves. Thud McLoad reaches down to help pull Dodger out, and is suddenly sucked INTO the pod, which disappears just as fast as it appeared1
Dodger explains that some kind of ritual with Tuftwillig went sideways. Nobody really knows what he's talking about. Druids, man.
Although they'll miss Thud's sword arm, the party continues their exploration of the Tomb. Sadly, they're noisy, and they attract more rats, to which they vastly overreact, burning rats, carpets and oil with a makeshif bomb. Lotta work for things with 1d4 hit points.
As they wander the halls, they play things cautiously, tapping a pole and looking for traps, successfully finding two pits, one of which, holy moly, seems to contain Thud, waiting to be found! 2
They encounter more goblins - clearly fellow graverobbers and clearly not interested in sharing - who are dispatched relatively easily now that Shem Lua isn't there to mess up the tactics.
Treasure is acquired.
They find a strange room, the floor covered in dust. They sweep the dust away revealing strange iron concentric circles inlaid on the floor. They try several permutations of bodies and items trying to figure out the puzzle, but Thud decides to just stand in the middle.
He begins to float in the lotus position and has a vision of a giant statue of the Iron God in a cave. The God asks him if he will help clear the undead from his catacombs. Thud says yes and now finds himself under a geas. A sword materializes in his hand, and he returns to consciousness. He tells the party he's on the hook now.
Magic swords and quests on behalf of an Iron God? The party feels a strange echo from another time and place...
Torches dwindling, the party continues on.
1 Translation: Erik can play this week, Rob wasn't sure.
2 Rob showed up.