Flowers and Zombies

Last night's Land of Azurth 5e game found the party still in the hidden fane of the Black Lotus. The floral tiger creature that menaced them at the end of last session turned out to be friendly when Shade the Ranger used speak with animals to converse. The creature told her how it had been imprisoned by Zaad and its pollen stolen for the evil priest's purposes. The creature wouldn't take them there, but did clue them in that Zaad's "malignant heart" was on a upper floor of the fane.

The party went seeking the stairs. They discovered a room where some sort of wine was being made from the flowers they had found in the vats. They were confused by a weird hallway that seemed to reverse the direction of your travel. They sneaked past some arguing clerics in plate only to stumble right into a trap, when a portcullis came down on Dagmar!

The party was unable to lift it. They were all trapped when some guards attacked. Erekose's crossbow and Shade's bow won the day, though, and examination of their surroundings lead to the discovery of a secret door, though it was beyond their reach. Waylon's mage hand opened it and discovered a small room with a winch, presumably to lift the portcullis. Two mage hands in concert were able to turn it enough to give Dagmar space to crawl out. While she worked the winch, one of the enraged clerics attacked the party.

Erekose killed him, while Wayon took out another that emerged from a second secret door. Another guard had barricaded himself in a room, and bargained away a dead cleric's scroll to get them to leave him in peace.

The party turned their attentions back to the endless loop hall, and finally figured out the trick. They climbed the stairs to the second level and pretty quickly discovered a room full on zombies. They stood their ground, and soon piled up the newly un-undead corpses.