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Drik used his spare time chatting with his fellow priests, and learned that there was a noticeable increase in undead creatures roaming near the city. People also got sick, it was almost looking like the beginning of an epidemic. Drik spoke with a fellow named Wiglaf, who spoke of ghouls roaming the countryside. They set up a meeting for a few days forward to discuss if there might be something to do together about the undead problem. In fact, Wiglaf wanted to go to the sewers and wanted Drik and Radagast as guides.
Drik also loaned Radagast 100 gold pieces to hunt down some ingredients for the Summon Familiar spell. Radagast was determined to find a trustworthy animal companion if the swordmasters he searched for where either in short supply or demanded outrageous fees.
Radagast also investigated the ring he realized he was now wearing, found from the Paths of the Dead. He could only discern that it carried Abjuration or protective magic. Feeling paranoid, he checked if he could remove the ring from his finger: he could so he put it back on. It probably wasn't doing any harm if not that much good either, but any way to avoid being hit (if that was its function) would be a good thing, he figured.
Once again the friends joined Alayn for dinner, although since Drik and Radagast were no longer the topic of the day they ended up sitting at different table from Alayn. Ulf had apparently left town, and Bardia was nowhere to be seen. Drik and Radagast figured he must have found a beauty contest for donkeys somewhere.
The entertainment for the dinner was a bard who sang a ballad of an orc and a wizard who had saved the town of Fairhill from orcs. The rumor had it Ulf was trying to catch up with them.
One of the dinner guests was Garwolf, captain of Cordwellyn's mercenary army. Drik and Radagast did not discuss with him, though.
Drik and Radagast were approached during the party by people who speculated about Alayn's right to rule. He was not from a direct bloodline after all, and if lord Khulven happened to have a son nobody knew of perhaps he would be a better ruler. When Radagast pointed out he was a foreigner and did not know about the politics of the country, and that there almost certainly would be nothing for Radagast to benefit if he and Drik somehow managed to find someone who could claim to be the son of Khulven, the men quickly pointed out that anyone who helped would not go without reward: there was plenty of land and other riches which could be given out of generosity for those who deserved.
Drik was also trying to find out if the people knew of such a heir, pointing out that if you asked any woman on the street they would say their child was the direct offspring of the ruling lord (provided their husbands were out of hearing distance). They did not know for sure, but thought it was still a possibility. Drik and Radagast were cautiously agreeing with the people to put a direct heir to "throne" if such could be found.
Alayn finally seemed to have a little time to discuss with Drik and Radagast. Drik offered his and Radagast's services to get rid of the undead problem for Alayn, for a reward of course. Alayn, and the court enchanter Eomric wanted to know if the companions had any leads, they were certainly suspicous about two adventurers claiming to be able to do things the whole army of Alayn could not accomplish. They wanted to know what Drik had discovered so they could send the army to deal with it. Neither Drik nor Radagast were willing to reveal their plans of possibly re-entering the city sewers with Wiglaf. However, Radagast and Drik did admit that they planned to search the foundations on which the current city was built, since there were many older cities beneath. Alayn was not convinced that could be the source of threat, since the undead were not in the city, but far out, closing in.
The party continued discussion in Eomric's study. Alayn wanted Drik and Radagast to only scout, and leave the final resolution in the hands of the army. Drik and Radagast agreed. The most difficult part would be to locate the threat. The army had been unable to even follow the undeads in the wilderness. Either the army was filled with incompetents, or there was a conspiracy, or perhaps strong magic involved in hiding the undeads' wereabouts.
The talk then turned into peacebonding. Drik and Radagast wanted to somehow become exempt, or get some suitable weapons from Alayn to fight against the undeads. Alayn said the armory did not contain any enchanted weapons, so Drik offered his axe for Eomric to cast an enchantment on. Eomric flipped the axe around and concluded it could hold apprentice magic, and he would not need to be involved. Radagast then threw his masterwork longsword, which Eomric eyed with more interest, declaring it could be made into an enchanted one. But he would not do it. At that point Radagast realized he had broken the peacebonding of his sword, but before he got really upset Eomric used a cantrip to repair the peacebonding. Radagast felt both relieved and stupid - after all, even he could manage such a feat! But that solved the peacebonding problem, Radagast would simply magic them up again.
When it was time to meet Wiglaf, Radagast had finally hunted down the last ingredient needed for the Summon Familiar spell, so he was understandably upset that he would not be able to cast the spell before going back to the sewers. He swore he would haunt Drik if he got killed because of that.
Wiglaf had brought a companion with him, a young man named Gabriel. After a long discussion of trust, and trying to determine if Wiglaf and Gabriel had what it took, the party ventured back into the sewers. Drik thought Wiglaf could be some kind of a holy warrior, he vouched for his lontime friend Gabriel. It was a little difficult trying to figure out Gabriel, but he did not seem to be a religous type nor did he carry himself as a fighter either.
The way to the place where the fight with the frog-demon had taken place was uneventful. They were greeted with the stench of rotting flesh. Wiglaf promptly ordered the bodies to be cremated. There was plenty of wood, but carrying corpses filled with maggots was not a pleasant task!
Before following the demon's tracks, the party decided to search the sarcofagi room first. Radagast cast mage armor before they lifted the covers from the stone coffins. To their relief they only contained a long dead couple. Without further ado, everyone descended to the hole in the ground through which the demon had emerged and where Ofek's apprentice had disappeared with the demon-gem. And with Ofek's spellbook, Radagast remembered dreamily... it would make a fine addition to his spellbooks!
They found themselves in an octagon-shaped room. In the middle there was a raised altar, and there were candelabras in each corner of the room. Some of the candelabras were melted. Gabriel cast detect magic to see if there was anything magical, but there wasn't. However, Gabriel noticed fine ring of dust around the altar, and guessed someone had summoned a demon in the room. Apparently the demon had not liked that, hence the melted candelabras. Additionally, the roof had collapsed on two locations. There were a few scraps of torn clothing, broken vial and a fingernail as well.
Wiglaf could sense the evil of the place, and with the help of Drik he performed a ritual of consecration to cleanse the room.
Gabriel also spotted a secret door on the east wall of the room. Wiglaf noticed some strange symbols on the wall, which Gabriel copied on paper. He searched for traps, and finding none, picked the lock, and opened the door. Too late he realized he should perhaps have listened first.
Putrid smell of rotting flesh assaulted their noses as the door slid open. Two undead creatures were standing guard in the room behind, one holding a flaming longsword. The creatures were already attacking before the party could comprehend what they were seeing; Wiglaf got a badly burning wound from the flaming weapon, but the other creature missed. Radagast cast Bull's Strength on himself in preparation of battle, and Wiglaf grabbed his holy symbol and summoned spiritual strength. Drik called upon his god to turn the unholy creatures before him, but they were unaffected.
The way to the frontline was blocked for Radagast, but he managed to slip through so he could fight, and prompty managed to hit the creature holding the flaming weapon. Drik called upon his god another time, and the lesser being was trying to flee, giving Wiglaf the opening he was looking for. The creature fell. But the one holding the flaming sword surprised Radagast, and Radagast could feel the hot blade sink into his flesh. Angered, he also gored the creature. Radagast, Drik and Wiglaf were all landing blows on the creature, when it hit Radagast a second time. Radagast felt darkness closing around him, and he fell to the ground.
Drik healed Radagast bringing him back to consciousness, and the three of them were again pounding on the remaining undead. It managed to hit Radagast once more, nearly knocking him out the second time, before finally succumbing under the onslaught. After the battle Drik healed Radagast once more, and Wiglaf healed himself. Since Radagast seemed to be the only one who could use a longsword, Wiglaf offered the flaming weapon to Radagast. It was no longer flaming though. Drik took the other, normal longsword the second undead had been carrying.