9 - The Last Survivors!

Date
The 28th of Reaping through the 30th of Reaping

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 3
Ardic - Cleric - Level 1
Elric - Cleric - Level 1


Hirelings
Ratik, the Bowman
Flitglass the eager
Frywe
Og the torchbearer
Ephil (twitchy)
Tisius
Bakium (in old platemail)
Matha (and his pit bull Gif)
Kekrevius
Myni (wears a dress over his chainmail)
Grupa

Adventure Log
Karen was left above, on the first floor of the pit, while everyone else had slid down to level 2. Several of the hirelings were impaled on the spiked wall at the bottom. Some dead, some very wounded. There was a figure tied up at the bottom, Elric, a cleric. Father Ardic, showing up, worked with Karen to string up a rope and get everyone out.

Elric related that he had been captured by outlaws, Fat Mamma Cass' boys. They kidnapped him outside of town, blindfolded him, brought him over the lake and down the stairs, and then lowered him down a great distance, 30 or 40 feet. While they were talking he ran off, over a bridge and through some water, before collapsing in the room they found him in. They returned to town to heal up, noting that there were great marks in the sand near their boats, pulled up on shore, as if something had pulled itself out of the water trying to reach them ...

The next day, the 28th, was storming bad with high winds. Unusual for this time of year, said the locals. The party regrouped and hired criers and had flyers printed. "The Last Survivors! Looking for good men!" with a big wolf symbol under it. This caused a bunch of new people to show up at the Heifer, and many were hired, bringing the group up to  fourteen for the next expedition. The decided to return to the Black Maw, based on Elric saying that the outlaws were talking about hitting a tax shipment ... and news that a tax shipment had been hit.

Out they went, west, over the plains, in to the foothills, up in to the mountains on the mountain track, to the lake. Loading in to the two rowboats there they left Ratik with the donkey cart and began rowing. Ephil thought he saw something in the water, but they made it to the cave without issue, pulling the boat up. Down they went. Exploring the north hallway from the main room they went through a door to find a group of Mr Toads, including the certain Mr Lucas they had met before. They were setting up a net trap, and inquired as to the whereabouts of the short white-robed figures? It was ascertained that they were looking for the heretical dwarf cult of Arvid, who believes that the elves created the dwarves instead of the other way around. They also related that the outlaws, when they come in, head south, to the torture chamber. The party headed that way, and lowered themselves down the pit on the other side of the iron maiden secret door.

At the bottom they found a smithy, with a glowing hot forge, steam coming from it. They also found blood on the door threshold, which caused them to fidn a spear trap at the doorway, which they disabled. They left in place their rope, and found 100' of rope and a grapnel at the bottom.

Heading south they passed a hallway on their left and came to a curious room. A low black alter say on a black dias, The alter was covered in cracks, glowing vermilion, and releasing steam. The steam coalesced above in to the form of the Wraith King wearing an iron crown. The floor was worn in front of it, showing veneration, and Father Ardic roped it up to pull the alter down, causing it to stop glowing and the steam to dissipate. They headed south, out of the room.

The found a door and heard a lot of men behind it. Cussing, arguing, shouting. They decided this was the gang. They rushed in, seeing a gang of men gathered around a large chest, who slammed it shut. "Royal tax me! What are you doing here!" they shouted. They were in bad shape. Wounded, legs and arm gut off, the stench of gangrene. Karen was having none of it and started hacking! The party moved in, and hacked them down easily, only Elric getting wounded, along with Fllitgas, near death from a gut wound. The chest had the kings tax seal on it ... and 5000 freshly minted never circulated gold coins! The party dithered about what to do, melt them down, take them, turn them in for a reward. Finally, Flitglas grabbed Elric and mentioned that he worked for the government and that they would be rewarded if they turned them in ... after begging the party to record his death at the records office so his family would be compensated.

They returned to town, declaring their gold at the gates. Questioned by the guards, the lieutenant of the guards, the gates taxman, a captain of the guards, and finally a mysterious senior tax official, they were rewarded: 1000gp in reward money plus a cash bounty on the outlaw Crapgame and his men! They were directed to seek the man out at The Guardhouse, a local inn frequented by guards and other officials.







Deaths & Loot
Bakien - Death by soul sucking

5000gp in newly minted coins
17 ears and Crapgames head

Crapgame & his boys

8 - The End of the Innocence

Date
The 25th of Reaping through the 27th of Reaping

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 3
Melark - Magic User - Level 2
Harley - Halfling - Level 3
[Lucinda] - Cleric - Level 1

Hirelings
Werdik, last survivor of a massacre in his monastery
Ratik, the Bowman
Flitglass the eager
Buny
Jiip
Suphong
Diyesa
Piciji
Frywe
Og the torchbearer


Adventure Log
Resting a day to recover from their wounds in the Barrowfields, the party awoke to find the next day it was thunder storming with 45mph winds, so they took an additional day off to rest and heal. Karen busied herself vising houses with Andel the agent. The first house was just a few blocks up from the Singing Swan, and had a stone lower floor and an wooden upper, along with a basement, to which the door the barred and padlocked shut with a thick chair. "Can't find the key" said Andel the agent, "but it does sit right on top of the cities sewer system, so, you know, great for hygiene!" The party, being experienced in such things, had the usual reaction to the citie sewers. The second house was more expensive, but all stone, while the third was a essentially a fortified compound behind a gated bridge in the noble part of town ... for three times the price. Karen selected the first, for 3500gp, including the agents fee, and paid 100gp for a title and liens search as well. Finally, Andel is locating a barrister for her to draw up a corporate contract so the corporation can own the house instead of Karen proper ... given the seemingly high mortality rates this seemed prudent. While this was going on Harley visited his mom and siblings in town, dropping off a bag of 100gp for her, more than shes ever seen before in her life. He shot the shit with the neighbors, who were interested in the commotion from inside the house, and then returned to the group.

The 27th of Reaping came about and the party set off for the Heifer. Werdic has shivering at the table he had obtained, looking cold and shaken. A slew of hirelings were obtained. In fact, ALL of the remaining hirelings in the Heifer were hired ... except for the torchbearers. It's gonna be nine more days, nine more LONG days, before more hirelings show up. They bought backpacks and spears and headed out ... this time for The Black Maw, having had enough of the Barrowfields.

Up, in to the hills they went, west out of town. In to the mountains, up a cart path partially overgrown by weeds ... but which had seen some traffic. They arrived a small alpine lake. On the other side stood a sheer cliff face with a cave mouth, rocks jutting out of the water before it. Two old rowboats stood on shore, so they loaded up and rowed over to the cave, passing in to the darkness to find a sandy shore and water littered by old boat parts. They pulled up the boats on to shore and found a tunnel in the back of the cave, with a long stair leading down. And down they went.

The came to a great room with their torches throwing shadows off the high vaulted ceilings. Black pillars held up the roof, with shallow basins of liquid on the floor by them ... powerful acid. A huge patch of burned fungus was in the middle of the room, at least three feet high. The doors on one wall and a double door on another. They went through the double door to find a round room with an iron maiden on the back wall, flanked by manacles. The iron maiden was carved with snake motifs. Opening it, they found a four foot high humanoid in it, it's face and skin all gooey and melty, almost dripping off. They closed the iron maiden and, then, heard a pounding coming from inside! And a throaty "ellp eee!" They got the fuck out of the room.

The took the next door out, coming to a long winding hallway. As they neared a door at the end Harley, taking up the rear, looked behind him, as he does while guarding the rear. And saw a HUGE spider with a red hourglass on its stomach! It bit Harley, pumping poison in to him! He fell over and it started spinning its webs over him! The group pivoted their formation in the hallway, attacking it, ineffectively, as it started dragging Harley's body away! To eat! Melark then ordered it to "Sleep!" and it fell to the floor, to be killed. Alas, Harleys internal organs were already liquefied and leaking out of his ass, he was Harley no more.

Going in to the next room they found a bunch of sticks wedged in to the floor his severed hands on them, all facing them, as if you say "STOP!" ... and some pale scabrous ab-humans amongst them, once wearing a crown with rubies! As they postured and grunted and threw shit at the party, Melark again ordered them to "Sleep!" and down they went. They were killed and the crown taken. Werdik was a broken man throughout this, not able to do anything but wimper and hide behind Melark, the person he was supposed to be guarding. Diyesa, also, seemed to be having a hard time with Harley's death. Lucinda the Cleric, a friend from town, showed up.

There was a pile of rubble in the room and it was quickly figured out that it was some kind of collapsed stair to a secret door, 10' on the wall! As they were investigating, the door to the room opened and three more ab-humans came in, one dragging Harleys bodies and two dragging the spiders! Diyesa creamed "NOT AGAIN!" and ran off in to the darkness of the eastern side of the room ... screaming as he fell in to something. The rest of the group made quick work of the creatures. The secret door revealed a room with no floor, stretching 80' down below, and a narrow ramp walkway leading a quarter tun around the room .. ending in a door, with impossibly fragile pink crystals growing overhead. Ratik was tied off with a rope and sent to investigate the door. As we opened it a short melty face humanoid leaped on him, knocking him off the ledge! The creature fell, but Ratik was tied off, and pulled back up. They learned that the other side of the door led to the iron maiden in the second room they entered.

The other side of the STOP room was explored, to find a huge chasm cutting the room off ... and a MASSIVE pendulum blade swinging long wise across it! Diyesa's body could be been far below, covered in creatures scurrying over it. They threw a torch in to the darkness to see the other side and cought a quick glimpse of a VERY ornate room ... with the floor covered in bones. They headed back to the first room, thinking of no way across.

The next door in the first room led to a short hallway ... with a dry fountain at the end ... covered in two dozen living faces, silently pleading with the party. Melark gave water and food to one, which seemed to quiet that one. And then they heard a voice behind them. A small green humanoid with a round face, in a tophat and tattered waistcoat. A certain Mr Lucas. He was looking for some short fellows, with beards, wearing white robes. Had they seen them? No? He was just around the corner, first door on their left, of they did. He seemed to be avoiding the fungus patch in the room and had a long wicked knife on his belt. He excused himself.

The party waited a bit and followed, finding a long hallway. Avoiding "the first door on the left" they made their way to a room that had a couple of dozen squat skulls on the floor ... and hundreds of skin masks of ab-humans on the walls! They left.

After falling in to a pit, they found a room with two pot-bellied looping humanoids in it, once of which had a glowing right hand! Again, the party swarmed them and killed them quickly, finding the glowing came from a huge diamond ring one was wearing. They went through a door in the room, massive double bronze ones with a demonic mouth motif, to find a room with a fountain, four dragon heads with gemstone eyes pouring out golden sparkling water. The gems were looted, but then the water stopped being golden and sparkling. Melark had sadz. :(

Through a small collapsed wall in the room they saw reptillians, but retreated ... and the reptillians did not follow. Leaving up a processional stair on the other side of the room they found a statue of a ghoulish human eating entrials, it's eyes following them around the room. Tapestries showed gory feasts of ghoulish humans feasting on bodies ... and there was small door ... with a stairway behind it leading down. They did NOT want to go to level two, so left, finding another circular room with thin standstone standing stones in it, enough room for one person to stand in the middle. They did not stand in it. Another room had an iron chandelier near the floor with bloody clothing hanging from it. Again, they did not fuck with it.

They came to a room with murals on the walls, grimy ones, showing a dwarf creation myth, mostly heretical they surmised, since it showed the elves were the ones who created the dwarves. A door on the other wall held a dark skinned elf-like woman sleeping on a sleeping pad while wearing an elegant art deco dress, with two statues of giant spiders with ruby eyes overlooking her. She awoke, and lady Denuda demanded they leave. As they were slow to do so, her hands started crackling in Palpatine force lightning. They slammed the door shut and pondered how to kill her and loot the statues eyes. They decided against it, since the hour was getting late and they wanted to make it back to town. Opening a door to leave the Dwarf/Mural room, the floor of the room dropped out, sliding the party down, to level 2 ... and ending in a spiked wall! Lucinda was spiked, as well as several hirelings, impaled to their deaths, while most were injured or gravely injured.

And thus they ended. Alone on level 2, low on hit points.



Deaths & Loot
Harley - Death by Spider
Lucinda - Spiked slide

Buny - Death by spiked slide
Suphong - Death by spiked slide
Piciji - Death by spiked slide
Diyesa - Threw self over a cliff

A giant black widow spider
10 scabrous ab-humans
2 pot-bellied looping pallid yellow humanoids

Mithral and Ruby Crown - 700gp
Diang ring that glows faintly - 200gp
8 dragon eye sapphires - 800gp total.

7 - How many S's are there in the word Massacre?

Date
The 26th of Reaping, the Moons day

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 3
Melark - Magic User - Level 2
Harley - Halfling - Level 2

Hirelings
(all played by PC's)
Werdic the heavy footman (fourth expedition), last survivor of a murder spree in his monastery.
The Broken Shield - Mercenary company of (now) 3 heavy footmen with special tactics: Wade, Louis, Templeton
Ratik the Bowman
Reijel the Heavy Footman
Tikresia the Heavy Footman
Puawisa, a former friar
Flitglas, an eager beaver
Dryxia, looking for that one last big score
Edrig, the BowmanOg the Torchbearer, last survivor of a previous expedition


Adventure Log
Coming back, Karen was met by a gentlman in the Singing Swan, as she came in through the back door once again covered in blood "from her medical supply business." It was Andel, the man Nolan the innkeep contacted for Karen about some real estate. He had a lot of questions for her about what she wanted. Pink or Chartreuse, when her husband would be back, a private home (gasp!) or the standard unprivate one? Roof included? Schools? A good deal on a condo? Karen noted no slums, a roof, and, preferably, an established neighborhood with no Halflings.

Settled, they geared up the next morning and headed to the Heifer. Werdic already had a table and the three remaining members of the Broken Shield were there, along with Ratik, waiting for them, with Og & Vog nearby. A large train of men had just left, The Cloven Hooves, and bets were being taken at 2-1 against, this being their first foray. Denkel the Elf was drunk at the bar, complaining about the load he had lost on "those guys!", jerking a thumb at the party. Hirelings were recruited! Both heavy footmen, both bowmen, Og but not Vog, and a couple of light footmen, including a former friar with flagellation marks and Flitglas, an eager beaver.

They decided to return to the Barrowfields, bought holy water, and headed off, getting some stares from the gate guards since they were a heavily armed group of fifteen leaving the city. Shortly they arrived at the barrowfields, again, a light mist developing and it getting colder, but the mist burning off as they got to the barrows proper. As if it were inviting them in. Flitglas was seen to be a bit lippy by Karen, so he and Ratik the bowman were left to guard the donkey and wagon up top while the rest of the party delved in, through the hole, down by rope in to the darkness of the first chamber, The Vaulted Room.

They shifted immediately north, to the room with the trapped lintel stone. Figuring out that there was pressure plate, and wanting to see what was behind the door with the skeletons that opened up when the lintel dropped, they all packed in to the room, Harley keeping people from stepping on the plate ... including Reijel who almost did. Karen opened the door that hte skeletons had come from, with Dryxia at her side. It was PACKED with skeleton warriors, glowing red eyes, forming a shield wall, 2 wide! The scene in the main room was chaotic, with fifteen warriors packed in to a 20x20 room, trying to not step on a pressure plate, while Karen and Dryxia held the skeleton men in the hallway from entering. Shouts, questions, jostling, and the skeleton men in the rear pressing in to their front ranks, Who-concert style! Oil was deployed by Templeton, showboating by using his cup-hand as a catapult after Og refused to light the oil ... it wasn't allowed by the TorchBearers Guild to engage in anything resembling "useful activity!"Skeletons were slain ... but the last one stabbed Dryxia! As he lay dying he grasped Karens arm, looking in to her eyes, asking her to tell him about all the loot behind the skeleton, the last big score he was looking for. Karen told him it was full of gold, a HUGE score! Lying, to make it not seem like it was a dead end hallway only full of skeleton men, as it actually was. As Dryxia finally died the last words he heard were Harleys "How much is Dryxia's armor worth?"

Morale was low, several men were openly complaining. The party headed east down the main corridor, taking a little offshoot before "the giant snake room." There they found another dead end full of burial niches, and looting the funeral coins they came away with their first haul: 115 copper coins, a pair of silver earrings in the shape of a swan ... with some bits of ear still attached, a silver dagger that glowed with a silver light when picked up! They were not amused by the copper pieces.

Continuing in to the room with the snake and all the pillars, Kaaren, for some reason, looked up, probably since the snake had dropped on her from the ceiling the first time she was in this room. And her eyes met those of a naked man, hanging from the ceiling. He dropped to the floor in front of her with a sickeningly belly-flop *plop*. And then five more also belly-flopped on to the floor! She stabbed the one in front of her as it raised its head up, and the other clambered to their feet and began attacking! Wade, next to Karen, had his jugular torn out by the teeth of one of the men! It wasn't looking good to stand next to Karen ... The rest of the naked men were quickly dispatched and the party went on their way, through the north hallway ... with Karen staying behind to discretely behead Wade ... just in case. Finding a side passage and a door, they explored it, Karen first, after hearing some moaning coming from behind the door.

Karen opened the door and went in, finding a temple with black pillars, the nave having a 30' tall statue of the grim reaper, lit by their shadowy torch light, with a bony arm outstretched to them, as if to beckon them in to the room further. In front of it was a pit, with moaning coming from it. Karen found a Dwarf in it, almost starved to death! Arnd Cobblestone, who fell in the pit a week ago and was left there by his party. They went off to look for a rope to get him out and never came back. And he was PISSED at them. The Crazy Ones. He'd trust an elf before he trusted them again! But, he was grateful for the party and joined up, being a holy man and wearing his hammer & sickle symbol proudly on his plate mail breastplate! And the party had their first Henchman/XP Siphon, at level 2 at that! He told them that the statue would answer questions if you gave it a bag of gold, so Melark placed a large sack of 500 coins in its hands ... which it then crushed to ashes which disappeared! Its eyes lit up, Nergal the God of Death spoke to him: "Ask and I shall answer!" Melark got a potion and dagger identified as magical, found out the treasure room was "North, always North!" before the statue stopped answering questions. They vowed to remember this room as an alternative to having to deal with Drez the Unspeakable.

They continued down the main corridor and came to a crossroads, to the right was a door that they heard stone scraping sounds behind. Opening it, they found a room with a small camp of eight men talking. They jumped up and grabbed weapons when Karen entered ... but Arnd pushed past her ... it was the Crazy Ones! Arndt was PISSED! He was frothing mad, shouting at them, shoving their leader Rand, swinging at him with his hammer, which Rand kept dodging. Finally, someone else tried to calm Arndt down, one of the Crazy Ones, but, seeing as he was about to gut him, one of the hirelings shot him through the eye! It was on! But it didn't last long, as all of the Crazy Ones died, except for the last who surrendered. Arndt, being pissed, tied him up and threw him in the pit they had left him in ... after finding a small cache of 310gp that he told them about, hidden under the floor stones. Oh, the humanity!

The crowded out east, finding a hallway to the north, a hallway to the south with red glowing moving around somewhere in it, and a long wide hallway to the northeast. At the end of it they could make out torchlight moving around a figured in armor fighting other figures in armor and both seeming to fight naked men! Not wanting to get involved they headed north, because that's where the God of Death told them to go to get treasure. (The greatest treasure of all being Dyrxia's friendship, remarked Karen.)

They came to a side corridor west, but continued north to a door, behind which they heard running water. Inside there were burial niches and some skeleton bones ossified to the walls, water tricking down the walls like flowstone from the ceiling, covering everything in a thin layer of calcium. They began looting the burial niches. A big honking diamond ring. 58 gold coins. And then, one of the skeletons broke free from the wall! And the others did also! Seven of them!The party tried to form up, but the skeletons were mixed in to them! Down went Reijel, stabbed in the gut! Down went Tikresia, killed by a skeleton! And they were tough skeletons! Resisting their stab wounds! Louis was killed also! And Arnd, their new friend! An XP siphon no more! Werdic was in the corner rocking back and forth facing the wall, scared witless, and had peed himself! Templeton was pounding at the door to the room, trying to get out, breaking his mug-handed left hand and his right hand bloody from clawing at it with his fingernails! Puwisa was on the floor, having stripped off his breastplate and baring his back, flagellating himself madly! Edrig was sitting cross-legged, softly crying. Harley, gut stabbed by a skeleton, and close to death. Melark took out the orange gemstone and tempted fate. Once. Thrice. three times he used it, and lived!

They gathered their traumatized hirelings, ignoring the narrow passage revealed when one of the skeletons broke free from the wall. Back they went to The Vaulted Room. Calling up to those they left behind to guard the hole ... they heard no answer. And then Flitglas lowered the rope. Thirteen went down the hole. They found a fourteenth. And only three came back up alive and no scarred, psychologically. Trudging back to town they paid their tax: 30gp, and went back in while their hirelings scattered, shell-shocked.

A close call.




Deaths & Loot
Reijel, stabbed by fossilized skeleton.
Tikrosia,  stabbed by fossilized skeleton.
Dryxia, stabbed by a skeleton warrior
Wade, jugular torn out by crazed naked man
Louis,  stabbed by fossilized skeleton.
Templeton half-handed, morale broken, traumatized
Werdic, last survivor of a serial killer at his abbey, traumatized.
Edrig, a betting man, traumatized.
Puwisa, seen too much shit now, traumatized.

7 Skeleton Warriors with glowing red eyes
6 crazed naked men who fell from the ceiling
6 members of The Crazy One's band
7 fossilized sksletons

115 cp in funeral coins
Silvered dagger that glows silver when held
Silver swan earrings (50gp)
300gp in a bag
10gp in a pouch
58 gp in funeral coins
Big ass diamond ring 50gp.

6 - Entering the Barrowfields

Date
The 25th of Reaping, the Suns day

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 3
Melark - Magic User - Level 2
Father Ardic - Cleric - level 1

Hirelings
(all played by PC's)
Werdic the heavy footman (third expedition), last survivor of a murder spree in his monastery.
The Broken Shield - Mercenary company of (now) 4 heavy footmen with special tactics: Wade , Louis,, Templeton, Hanibal
Ratik the Bowman
Og the Torchbearer, last survivor of a previous expedition
Vog the Torchbearer, a stable boy
Adventure Log
Another glorious morning waking at the Singing Swan! Melark was in fine health after another dinner club meeting of the wizards guild. This time Drez served week old fermented oysters marinated in fresh lizard bile, but there was no tummy trouble for Melark! Karen spoke to Cragly, the innkeeper, about buying a house. He was loathe to discuss money but suggested he knew someone who could help her ... while strongly implying that the group use the backdoor of the inn when they came in all bloody from a days work. What line of import/export were they in again? Oh, medical supplies? That explains all the blood they are routinely covered in. Off to the Heffer to pick up "goons", as Melark to eloquently, but accurately, put it.

The Broken shield was there, waiting, as was Werdic. The Shield was done to four, Oscar no where in sight. The Shield was also putting on a brave front, down to four from their original six. Ratik the Bowman was hired, as were Og and Vog (no relation) as bearers and torchholders. Og was older, and was the last survivor of a massacre down below. Vog was a former stable boy wearing a big holy symbol of Father Ardics church. He had been sent in to the world on a mission of personal redemption, in order to become a good boy. Father Ardic volunteered to teach him. And ... the game moved on just a couple of beats too slow to prevent that line. :)

They debated where to go. The Bleakmarsh was paying better than the Prison of the Silken Caliphate, and they did better against the Dino Riders than they thought, it not being a total TPK. In the end they tried to decide between The Black Maw (the sight where the suns first rays of light first touched the earth, or so the rumors said) or the Barrowfields, which was full of mutants, again according to the rumors. They decided on the mutants and set off after buying a cart and some mules to haul the extra loot they were sure to get. (With a pointed comment from Father Ardic about him paying for it when the others had fuck tons of cash and he didn't. Oh, the cluelessnessof the wealthy ...)

There was a mist today, as they left Kryshal. They traveled a couple of hours, coming upon a marsh. The mist burst off just a bit, enough to reveal a swath of land, higher than the marsh and mostly dry. A thousand feet wide and several thousand feet long. And dotted with barrows and standing stones. The Barrowfields.

They followed a trodden path leading up to a large barrow, only a couple of hundred feet away, passing between two barrows, one to either side, only about fifty feet away from them. The large barrow was surrounded by standing stones. It's stone slab sealing stone has been pulled down and was laying cracked in front of it. Bones of animals and people littered the area. A strong stench came out of the darkness. The sickly sweet smell of death and dust. A large black basilisk stood nearby, with a large animal skull on top, covered in runic writing.  No one could read the runes but Melark and Father Ardic both recognized the runes for DEATH from their training. A bad feeling came over them, and decided NOT to tie up the cart and mule to it. Instead they left Radic and Og to watch them as they entered the main barrow.

Short steps led down to a vaulted room supported by giant stonehenge rocks. Bones littered the chamber. There was hole in the middle of the floor. Black, with a rusty metal tripod over it and an old rope attached. Bootprints and other unidentifiable footprints were in the dust. Dropping a torch down the hole they say a large vaulted chamber thirty feet below, with some rubble and some frescoes on the walls. Down they went in to the hole, Karen first, after putting up a new rope.

Below the room had a hallway to the east and a collapsed wall to the west. The frescoes shows scenes of villagers buying their dead. Nothing too freaky. Except for the graffiti. "CANNOT GET OUT"

They headed east, finding a hallway with many doors and side hallways running from it. They took their first option, a hallway to the north, ending in a door. Searching it, they found that the lintel was weird, not attached right. Being very cautious they opened the door to an empty room. Malark headed in, wary, after they first spiked up the lintel on both sides, making a lot of noise in the process. Stepping in the far door opened while the lintel began to fall, a stone slab to seal off Melark in the room! The first spike flew out as Melark dashed back in to the hallway, as the second spike failed and the stone slab came down. Melark didn't see, but the others did, a hoard of skeletons coming through the far door.

Checking the first door to the south, they entered an empty and silent room, the whole complex being as quiet as a grave, except for their own iron spikes. They scouted through a door on the other side, it led to a large room and a corridor. Retreating back they tried the next door, hearing squeeking coming from the room. Inside they found more rubble and some HUGE rats foraging. And a leather bag in the middle of the room. Ignoring the door on the other side of the door, surmising it led to the same corridor they had just scouted, Father Ardic through a bag of grain he carries for just such purposes. It landed in the far corner and was swarmed by the rats. While distracted they hooked the bag with their Amazing New Hook Ended Ten Foot Pole! Buy One Now! And then slammed the door shut, not so content with their 123 sp haul from the bag.

Another door presented a room with a dusty but sturdy table on the back wall. It had three polished skulls on it, not dusty at all. Melark collected them, and comments were made about the decoration style of the forthcoming house to be purchased, and Melarks role in in ...

Turning to the next possability, a hallway that ran north, they found it turned and had three doors along the north wall .. .the last one splintered open. There was an area to the south cut off by a down portcullis that was empty ... and the hallway dead ended in a bricked up doorway. Going through the first door they found a burial chamber with three alcoves in it, full of old dusty bones. The second was much the same except the bones were intact and in burial shrouds. When Karen stepped in to search A GIANT TARANTELLA dropped from the ceiling on her! And landed on the floor, missing her. The group rushed in to help but Hannibal had his stomach ripped open by the tarantella in one hit! The rest of the group quickly dispatched the giant spider and, searching the room, found nothing.

They moved on the third door, Karen taking a wide path around to ensure nothing could leap out. Inside by torchlight she saw another burial room, but the back alcove had its bones pulled out. And as she watched a ghostly form appeared. An old woman, with a long pale face a distinct top and and indistinct bottom floated towards her, arm outreached! Father Ardic thought quickly and doused it in holy water, causing it to disappear. They respectfully put the bones back and said a few words of prayer.

Tacking the bricked up doorway next, they took (noisily) a hammer to it and removed a brick. Looting inside they saw hundred of burial niches, each with bones in them. And the glint of coins! And the darkness inside? It started flowing out the brick hole! Karen attacked the darkness with the sword Illuminator! It caused it to freeze and fall to the floor, a dark outline of a person. Father Ardic quickly put the brick back in, shadow stuff flowing around it! He sealed it back up with some of the candles he carried! They dispatched the shadow creature on the floor with Illuminator. They turned to the portcullis.

The room beyond was empty, what they could see of it. Ardic raised the portcullis and they, again, loudly spiked it open. Searching they found a secret door! Beyond was another room full of burial niches with bones in them. Hundreds! And the glint of coins in them! And six, pale figures facing the corner of the room. They turned, and advanced on the party! Oil was deployed and Father Ardic commanded them to lay back down to the graves they deserved, but they continued forward! Now on fire! But the parties superior tactics won out, luring them in through the doorway choke-point. They spent an hour searching each of the burial niches inside, stealing their funeral coins, theorizing they had already paid for Charon's passing. 

Returning to the first hallway they found a section of wall that had been broken down, a room beyond. But, something from INSIDE the room had broken OUT of the room. [Ominous musical tones.] They continued to the door at the end of the hallway. Entering the large room they saw a hallway leading out, to the north, and heard a tap-tap-tap'ing coming from somewhere, indistinctly. Going north the passed one hallway to turn and go through a door in to an empty, partially collapsed room. Heading out down the only way, they came to a large room with black pillars running down either side. A hallway on the other side led out, and in front of the hallway was a rubble pile. And the glint of coins mixed in to it! And ... other things? Like owl pellets? As Karen investigated, poking around the pile at the copper pieces, she saw a small leather bag with something in it. AND A GIANT RATTLESNAKE DROPPED FROM THE CEILING! And it promptly broke it's fangs on the stone floor, missing Karen with a '1.' It was quickly dispatched. The pouch was full of gemstones! Finally finding a haul worth having they made their way out, and were moderately surprised (as was I) to find Radic and Og still alive! Making their way back to town they pointed to their empty wagon as proof they had nothing to declare to the gate guards, and tried to figure out what to do next.


Deaths & Loot
Hannibal - giant tarantella

A Giant Tarantella
A Ghost woman
A shadow creature
6 Zombies
A Giant Rattlesnake

128 sp
163 ep
94 sp
A silver bracelet (20 gp)
Gemstones worth 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 750 gp

5 - Dino Riders of the Bleakmarsh!

Date
The 23rd/24nd of Reaping, a Friday/Saturday.

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 2
Harley - Halfling - Level 2
Melark - Magic User - Level 1
Charley - Magic User - Level 1

Hirelings
(all played by PC's)
Nargax the heavy footman (second expedition), an army vet, ramrod straight
Werdic the heavy footman (second expedition), last survivor of a murder spree in his monastery.
Bardoon, the light footman, who likes to stab things
The Broken Shield - Mercenary company of 6 heavy footmen with special tactics: Wade, Jax, Louis, Oscar, Templeton, Hanibal

Adventure Log
Waking up in The Silver Swan, the party resolved to burn a day so Melark could use his magic powers to read the stone tentacle tablet. Doing so, he discovered a ritual that would, with a sacrifice and time, allow him to summon a malign being from another dimension! This gave the party pause ... given the gold and objects they were uncovering, they needed someplace safe to keep everything, and the miners guild just wasn't going to cut it. They set out to find a place to buy and hit the Heifer to let their hirelings know they were leaving tomorrow instead of today, also finding time to stock up on supplies for their next expedition. Finally, they spoke to Furby some, who they had smuggled in to the inn. He told them tales of The Last Resort in the lower caves, as well as the Reptilemen and how they rode dinosaurs in to battle and had war lances! Harley had to see it! They also noted that the gold & ruby necklace had an inscription from a Malvoy, from the castle on the hill, and mentioned the third member of the wizards guild in town, Aristide, the one who had not attended a dinner party for several hundred years ...

The next day they gathered their men at the Heifer, as the bartender yelled out "Odds Change!" when they entered. There were groans from the other patrons. Leaving the gates they were ignored by the guards and fifteen minutes later came to Franks place. Pounding on the door they heard Frank's woman screeching at him to get up and answer the door. (It was 9:30am? Don't farmers get up early?) There was a crash from inside, no more screeching, and Frank answered the door. Charley bought a couple of flasks of beet juice from him, as a curative, which he retrieved from inside. Meanwhile Harley negotiated to use Franks AirBnB to house Furby. The plan was that Furby would stay with Frank for a few days until they party could escort him to Monta-town in the Prison of the Silken Caliphate ... it was getting too hot in town for Furby to stay there with any reasonable guarantee of safety. Frank rented the party his empty shit-filled pigsty for 50cp a night, and then tried to jack up the price when he saw it was a monster/freak that was going to stay there. Furby understood that Frank was his new slave master, and off the party went to the Bleakmarsh, after Frank reminded the party that he was the forefront of civilization that was coming to the region. A man of the earth!

Another blast of mist erupted from the sinkhole, and then the party went down the wide stone ramp, no longer as afraid, with all their henchmen in tow. They explored the two areas to the south, where they had heard battle sounds their first trip in. They found only old blood, broken spears, and in some places crab carapaces. Triangulating from  heir map, they determined that the crab-men and the reptilemen must meet in these hallways, from the location of the sloping tunnels, and do battle. Not ready to go down deeper, they went back to the room near the Cousin It's where the heard the raucous party. Entering, they found nothing but shit, vomit, piss, and blood scattered among old hay. As they searched the room Bardoon, their lookout, called out "Creatures!" Having seen the Bardoons torch in the dark, a group of four reptilemen were coming down the hallway! They were currently making their way around a pit in the hallway so Charley chucked a flask of oil at one side, causing one of them to slip and fall in to the pit! The reptilemen came on, screeching their terrible shrieks! The henchmen stood firm, forming a semi-circle around the door to the room, luring the reptilemen in, where they were quickly dispatched. Searching, the party found some chunks of gold, amulets, on leather thongs around their necks, and they retrieved a fourth one from the one who fell in the pit and died.

They moved onward, to the door they could not open. Charley offered a gold coin to the hench who could chop the door down, so they set to blunting their blades before Harley stopped them. The door would have to wait. They returned then to the green mist hallway, the last place on this level they had not now explored. Massive amounts of oil were deployed, and the mist burned away. One by one they went through the hallway, stacking up at the door at the far end. First Harley. Then Karen. Then the next one ... and while that happened Karen, afraid of getting caught int he mist again, opened the door.

This time she saw a 6 foot tall androgynous emerald green guy with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. She promptly turned around and stabbed Harley. Harley, screaming, ran back down the hallway as Karen went through the door and closed it! The party ran down the hallway, threw open the door, and stacked up in the hallway beyond, Harley and Bardoon leading the way. Two stairways, both leading down, one on either end of the hallway. Karen was calling for help at the bottom; she was tied up! And there was a pile of treasure! Hurry and free her before the green guy returned! Charley hesitated. He could see a pentagram in the corner of the room, glowing white ... what to do? While hesitating, Werdic cried out! The creature was behind him! He had come up the other stairs! Fire erupted form his blue eyes, narrowly missing the party! The hallway was cramped! It was hard to get to him past their comrades! Bardoon and Charley ran in to the room at the bottom of the stairs to come up behind him! And Bardoon was quickly stabbed by Karen as he ran in, she had been hiding beside the doorway! But she, being Karen, missed! Bardoon continued, running up behind the green guy and stabbing! Charley looked deep in to Karen's eyes and, casting a spell, freed her from her enchantment! He gave er a bottle of Franks "beet juice", quickly learning that it was a ctually a bottle of Franks piss. Oh that rapscallion Frank! Meanwhile Melark took out the first sized orange gem. Warm to the touch. Unstable magic. He fired a blast of flame ... burning off the left side of the emerald guys face! Another round and he chanced it again, this time catching him full on and vaporizing the left side of his head, his brain falling out on to the floor ... before he vanished! Melark cackled at the power at his fingertips ... well, until the emerald guy appeared in one of the two pentagrams in the room, still blackened and missing a brain! Fixing his bright blue eyes, deep set in a horribly burned face, at Charley ... fire erupted and consumed Charly and his 2hp! The emerald man vanished again, reappearing in the other pentagram, only to vanish once more. Freaked out over the loss of Charley, the party quickly rummaged through a huge pile of gear on the floor, the loot from countless hobo's that had previously fallen victim to the emerald man. Coins, gear, fine silk cloaks ... and a slender wooden stick with a door on the end, right out of 1313 Deadend Drive ... a little plastic frame and little door that opened. Some kind of wand, they supposed. Maybe it opens doors? And a man, a priest, tied up. Ardic he was called, and he was quickly welcomed as a fellow full-share friend! They quickly regrouped and retreated, before the emerald man came back.

It was still early, so they set out to the tunnel of the reptilemen, venturing in to a deeper level. After a sloping tunnel down they found a cave chamber set with spears, wood, stone, metal, covered with human skulls, dinosaur skulls, arms and legs of various creatures. The stench was terrible! "Scarecrows" remarked Melark. Two passages west, one with a little shelf drop down and one with flowstone leading down, and a passage to the south, where they could also see a side passage to the west. Taking the northernmost of the west passages, Karen, leading the way, put her foot in a small hole filled with punji stakes! Only her plate mail footwear saved her! Continuing down the dark cave passage, lit only by their torches, they came to another long chamber. Exits to the north, west, and south, but the chamber empty. They started north ... but then ...

"Monsters!" shouted Nargax from the rear! Turning, they saw four dinosaurs charging at them, being ridden by Reptilemen with stone lances! They were bottled up in the hallway again! Nargax, faithful Nargex, vet of many war campaigns, a solid and stoic member, went down, stabbed by a reptileman lance and then bitten in half by a dinosaur! Aiieee! Aieee!! The party tried to maneuver, to bring their numbers to bear! It was too cramped! But, lucky hits dismounted one reptileman rider, his mount turning lethargically away. And Bardoon! Mighty Bardoon, eager to stab, and rejecting spears so he could see the light fade from someones eyes when he stabbed them ... he went down also, slain by a reptilemans lance! Regrouping, the party concentrated on the reptilemen, slaying one dinosaur mount and the rest of the reptilemen.

This was rough. Charley dead. Nargax bit in half. Bardoon now forever in his happy stabby place. Malark tried to ride a dinosaur but it would not respond to him. The party, having had enough, retreated, with several of their henchmen having sullen faces. They returned to town.

Only to find Franks place looking a lot better! Furby was working the fields hard with Frank nearby, cracking a whip! They chastised Frank, even though he said he was just cracking the whip AROUND him, not ON him. Furby seemed happy, he was fed and Frank gave him some whiskey. They told Frank no more cash, since Furby was working that was the payment for his AirBnB. They paid the gate guards their 10% tax on loot, again getting an official receipt.

A somber day. Several dead. Several with their morale broken.



Deaths
Charley - Burned to a crisp by a nude androgynous green guy with blue eyes
Nargax - Bitten in half by a dinosaur mount
Bardoon - Stabbed in the chest by a reptileman lanceLoot & XP
1 Dino Mount
7 Reptilemen
1 Nude androgynous green guy with blue eyes
5 gold nuget amulets (50gp)
2 silk cloaks, with giants eyeballs on the back in red thread (50gp each)
100pp
1500sp
330gp
Wand of something having to do with doors
Scroll with 2 holy spells that allows the holy man to remove a curse and find lost objects

4 - The Broken Shield delivers!

Date
The 22nd of Reaping, a Thursday.

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 1
Harley - Halfling - Level 1
Melark - Magic User - Level 1

Hirelings
(all played by PC's)
Nargax the heavy footman (second expedition), an army vet, ramrod straight
Gygar the light footman. (second expedition)
Werdic the heavy footman (second expedition), last survivor of a murder spree in his monastery.
The Broken Shield - Mercenary company of 6 heavy footmen with special tactics: Wade, Jax, Louis, Oscar, Templeton, Hanibal


Adventure Log
The Silver Swan was mostly still asleep while the party trotted over to the Hurling Heiffar with Melark, now recovered from the dysentary of his encounter with the Wizards Supper Club three weeks earlier, but with Charlie nowhere to be seen. The Heiffar was in full swing already at 8am; their heavy time being the evenings when expeditions get back through early morning when they leave again. Nargax, Werdic, and Gygar were hired for another day. Also hired were a company of heavy footman: The Broken Shield. Specializing in group tactics, they were expensive but the party rationalized they would be able to tackle the stirred by reptilemen in the Bleakmarsh if they were hired.

Leaving the town gates, Ed the gate guard was happy to see them again and inquired about their friend they brought in a few days ago. Clancy said they wouldn't come back and he was dumb to let them in but he knew they would come back! He asked how much treasure they had brought in on all of those large sacks of coins Stickyfingers was laying on and Karen told him 500cp. The tax being 5sp, a clerk came out and gave them an official receipt with wax seal and entered the details in to the log. Enquiring further of Ed, it seems that a personal retinue of the kings taxmen showed up in town about three weeks ago, there being rumors that the local nobility, the Malvoys in the castle up on the hill, had not been as diligent as they could have been. As they left, his buddy Clancy tore in to him, asking him why he had to be like that, chatting up everyone who passed through ... Passing by Franks place they were verbally assaulted by him, wanting a SP to clean up the blood, vomit, and shit that their friend left the last time they were there. They talked him down to 4cp, and were almost sold a fresh locally sourced heirloom beet for the price of 1sp, about 100 times what it was worth. Oh to be rich and have no concept of how much money is actually worth!

They hit the sinkhole after a large cloud of mist erupted. At the bottom they found the body of the older boy (~12) they had escorted out a couple of days ago. He had been gnawed upon. They had no idea why he was there.

They explored north, finding a wondrous site: a waterfall that was flowing backwards, water crashing from a pool in to the ceiling and flowing out through a gap 30' above! Karen took a look in to the water, it was too deep to see in to and the shore dropped away quickly. [Side note: good lighting effects in Marengo cave in Missouri create weird optical illusions with the water. A must see!] As she looked in she saw some eyes. Attached to a GIANT frog. Who surfaced. And breathed gas on her, she being evidently momentarily stunned in to not reacting to all of the warning signs like: you see eyes, attached to a giant frog, that surfaces, and opens it's mouth. It's tongue snapped out and attached to her, dragging her in to the pool! Not to worry though, The Broken Shield sprung in to action! Templeton and Wade run up and grabbed Karen by the shoulders, dragging her back while the other four, in a synchronized ballet, ran run, surrounded the frog, and stabbed in unison, killing it! Hiring these guys was starting to see like a good idea! Harley stripped off his armor and a rope was tied to him, a couple of people holding it, while the hirelings spread out to guard the many exits from the room ... including two on either side of the pool that sloped down quite steeply ... Harley jumped in, and swam UP the waterfall, surveying the passage above, it being not really workable to explore further. He dived back down in to the pool, and saw a small chest in the water! They got it out with rope after he dove in again, finding it sealed with wax! Just then, Gygar yelled out "Something coming up from down below!" Two pale looping humanoids, covered in sores, leaped upon Gygar, knocking him down! One clawed at his chest, ineffectually while the second ended up knocking the first off his chest! The entire group surround them and quickly dispatched them, but Gygar had been hurt bad. He was still up, but only had 1hp left. He soldiered on! The small coffer went in to a Karens backpack.

Traveling south, and west, they found a cave chamber with a ball of flame that was rolling around on the ceiling of the room, leaving char marks on the ceiling and the tops of the walls. Not being able to figure out how to exploit it, they moved on down a long and wide cave passage leading west. Coming to a crossroads, they found two small children poking some decaying bodies with sticks! It was the other young boy from a few days ago, the brother of the now-dead one, about 8. With him has a 2 year old, his younger brother. After they came home with all the silver their dad sent them back for more. Frankie & Brad were scared, and got separated from their older brother. Could the party help find him? Gygar, being nearly dead, was tasked with escorting them back to the surface, it being only about twenty minutes away ("Just enough time for a wandering monster check", thinks the DM ...)

The west crossroads went on about 200' further, ending in a dead end. The north has a small chamber full of rags and, searching, they found a stone tablet. It had strange creepy writing on it that no one could read, as well as a pictograph of a humanoid being rubbed on by a group of tentacles. Loot! Although they knew not what to do with it. To the south, after another long cave passage, they found a small pool of water, a spring, with small mushrooms growing around it. Huddled up next to it, in a fetal position muttering softly to itself, but a large humanoid covered in verdant green leaves, just like they saw in Monta-town. It was in bad shape, it's nose cut off, scarred by many intricate knife cuts, and deep lash and whip marks. Malark figured out it spoke hobgoblin after Harler calmed it down with food and soft words. It's name was Furby and it escaped a few days earlier from "Salicia", down deeper. It's friends had all been killed in a party Friday night, it then having escaped "Salicia" on Sunday. It had been a slave to the reptilemen and briefly worked as a day laborer at "The Last Resort" a nice place, Furby said, also down deeper. A bar, tavern, etc, run  by a human. They took Furby with them as they continue exploring. They headed back to the entrance room, this part of the cave system being played out.

Only to find, in the entrance room, the bodies of the two young children, and Gygar! They had been butchered, some of their organs and meat being removed as if they were cattle! Oops! (Looks like the DM rolled a 1 on that wandering monster check ...) Before the party was the misty hallway, stretching to the west. With the newfound confidence imparted by the mass of hirelings, they headed that way. Unlike all of the other passages, this was not a cave. It was worked stone, inlaid massive blocks of limestone. 30' tall and 30' wide, the floor worn smooth with countless traffic. They headed in to the mist ... only to find, about 100 feet down it, that the mist was coming from a bubbling pool of water that had formed along a collapsed section of wall/floor. They looked, and saw nothing. The hallway was sloping down a bit, and the mist was, inexplicably, lighter in that direction. They continued.

Another 200' and the massive avenue ended! There were two massive brass doors, inlaid with scenes, to the west, ending the hallway, as well as two smaller normal doors, one to the north and one to the south. The massive doors had art deco fairytale scenes, light woods, meandering streams and creeks, and fairy tale knight from French romances complete with pennants and banners riding their chargers about. There did seem to be an unusual number of bridges in the scenes, and the knights always seemed to be riding towards the bridges in all of the little vignettes. They tried to open the doors and failed. Furby looked horrified; The Citadel of the Dark Masters, he pleaded with them! The decided that wasn't their thing and gave up on the massive doors, instead heading north.

Coming to a T they went west, passing a short side passage that ended in a door. There was some raucous noise coming from behind it, A LOT of creatures being noisy, Malark identifying a few hobgoblin words now and then. The avoided it, continuing west, past a pit trap to turn in the hallway that ended in a room. What a room! In the middle was a suite of plate mail armor on an armor stand and two-handed sword on a stand next to it! More importantly, right the threshold were a Cousin It and a few of the smaller verdant green leaf creatures. All of which were lying in a huge pool of blood, all of them being neatly cut in half. Some experimentation with a 10' pole yielded two 5' poles and the observation that there were some blades that swung from the ceiling, lighting fast and razor sharp, when the threshold was crossed. Karen offered 5gp to any hireling who would crawl under them, since the blades only came down about 2' from the floor. Templeton, from The Broken Shield, accepted the challenge, after some razzing from his buddies. His friends held his beer while he crawled under them, avoiding the blades! He looked back and gave a Thumbs Up sign ... and then a second set of blades were triggered, these being offset away from the first by a few feet! *Schlock* went his hand! He was pulled back and bandaged. "Chicks dig scars!" he noted, while getting many slaps on the back from his Broken Shield buddies. He then crawled BACK in to the room to get his hand, as a momento, coming back again! Everyone in The Broken Shield had a newfound respect for Templeton.

The party went back to the T, again avoiding the noisy creature room. Walking down a short hallway they avoided a tripwire with cans and jars in a net on the ceiling, a crude alarm. Going through the door at the end they say a room with a fountain and two albino rats, normal sized rats, frolicking in it, one having a copper piece in its mouth. The eastern part of the room was full of crates, barrels, and two sets of bunk beds.  Harley and Karen entered further, everyone else huddling around the doorway. Harley say a Cousin It laying on the floor, behind some crates. He tried to parley, but the Cousin It pulled a rope, causing a ceiling note by the fountain to fall, which Harley leapt out of the way of! It jumped up and pulled out a wicked double-bladed battleaxe! Karen and Harley entered combat, killing it almost immediately! And as they did so Nargax, bodyguard of Malark who usually brought up the rear, cried out! Two more were in the hallway behind them! The party entered the room, forming a semicircle around the door, drawing them in, and then slaughtering one! The other made a fighting retreat down the hallway, yelling over his shoulder "Breeyark! Breeyark!" The Broken Shield, advancing down to kill it, yelled out that there was secret door! Killing the Cousin It, they found that the secret door led BACK in to the room they were just in, the Cousin It's using to to get behind the party! Pretty Sneaky Sis!

Going back to the bronze doors, they headed through the south door. Coming to a portcullis, they raised it up. This section, and the northern section, again being of worked stone, unlike the rest of the caves. In fact, this room was COVERED in bas reliefs, every wall surface, showing lizard-like men with elegant features, almost elf-like, frolicking with dinosaurs. They heading out the only exit, to the south. Avoiding a pit, they came to a door the the hallway ended at. They pounded at it HARD but it wouldn't budge a micron. They gave up and returned to the pit, finding that, at the bottom, there was a hallway running east and west. Going west, the came to a room with four statues. Three were of lizard-like men with elegant features, in alcoves on the north, west, and south walls. In the center of the room as a fourth statue, of a small crocodile with yellow eyes in a "pool" of rocks. Harley, searching, found the the western statues could be turned, releasing a secret door behind it. Looking in they saw a small landing and then a VERY steep set of stairs going down. Almost ladder-like in their steepness. They closed the door and headed east from the pit bottom. They came to a set of stairs, going up, that ended in a blank wall. It was obvious there should be a door there, so they searched until they found it. Another room, with an exit on the north, covered in carvings! But this time the lizard-like men looked more reptillian, and were casting spells and using magic while they played with the dinosaurs! Heading through the door they fond another similar room, but they looked even more lizard-like and were casting even more powerful spells. There was also a fist sized orange gem in the middle of the room, taking precautions they retrieved it, Karen noting that looking in to it she could see a raging inferno of fire. And not that "Hearts on Fire" valentine day ring fire either, but a real raging fire! They headed through the north door. More carvings covering the walls. Even more lizard-like and almost no elf features at all. And they were casting VERY powerful spells, like blowing up stars in the sky spells. In fact, they found a secret door behind that scene, opening in to a hallway that full of a pale green mist. It wasn't flammable, but they soon discovered that throwing oil in it and lighting it did cause the mist to burn out somewhat. Karen took a deep breathe and ran the length, 501, crashing through a door at the end! She found a short hallway, with a set of stairs going down on either end.

It now being 6 hours inside, they decided they needed to return to town, since it was getting late and "No one returns from the Bleakmarsh after dark" Karen fell asleep as she returned down the hallway, but was retrieved and slapped awake after ten minutes. They made they way back to the entrance uneventfully, and avoided Frank yelling at them. They had nothing to declare to the gate guards, a cursory search not looking in the backpack with the coffer, and paid 1GP for all of them to enter.

Returning to the Singing Swan, Harley used his local contacts to get in tough with Fast Eddy to unlock the small chest. He was out of place in the Swan, so they went to the alley out back, Eddy unlocking the coffer for them. As he started to open it both Harley and Karen, immediately and in unison, slapped the lid down with Harley dismissing Eddy. Eddy, looking straight at Karen, asked her if she ever had any friends that only wanted her for her pickup truck and didn't want to hang out or even have a beer together after loaning it? Eddy was given an extra gp. Back in their rooms they got ready for a fight and opened it ... finding a MAGNIFICENT delicate gold necklace with HUGE rubies. It had an inscription: To my darling Malvoy, from Aristide." Noting this was the name of the local noble family, they decided they would have to be careful "pawning" it. A quick trip to Drez the Unspeakable's tower, the host for Malarks supper club party a few days earlier, revealed only three members of the local Wizards Guild/Supper Club/Dinner Parties: Drez, Malark (who just joined) and "Aristide", who hadn't come to one in a couple of hundred years now. He id'd the necklace as just being a necklace and the gem as magical, offering to take it off their hands. They declined, deciding he was low-balling them, even though he DID say he's cast minor spells for cost if they did.

They wrapped up and headed to bed at the Singing Swan.

Deaths
Gygar the light footman - Died off screen escorting two small children back to the surface. Butchered by killers and remains placed in stone cairn by party. This was his second expedition with the party.

Loot & XP
Giant Mutated Frog
2 pale mangy looping pouncing humanoids
3 Cousin It's
Intricate gold & ruby necklace (5000gp) with a inscription To my darling Malvoy, from Aristide.
Stone tablet with strange writing and picture of tentacles rubbing on a humanoid figure
Fist sized orange gem that can erupt with fire bolts, but is unstable ...

Treasure Map!!!

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 1
Harley - Halfling - Level 1
Charley - Magic User - Level 1


Adventure Log
Karen and Charley, having met outside the tower of Drez the Unspeakable, looked over their newfound treasure map from the last excursion. Back at the Singing Swan, while consulting with Harley, it seemed easy enough. Just four rooms in to the Prison of the Silken Caliphate there was a note of Treasure, with the word LOTS underlined three times. Simple enough, right? Plus, they had stirred up the reptillians in the Bleakmarsh and wanted some time for things to settle down. Karen also needed an extra day of rest to heal up.

Off they went to the Hurling Heifer. There seemed to be much anticipation by the bar patrons, the place already packed at 8am, as drunks and layabout hobos will do. Baited breaths abound as Karen and Harley walked through the door ... and then sighs and cheers as Charley walked through ... and Rado and Aramil did not. Karen took to the table and the recruitments began! Werdic the heavy footman was hired; he was the last survivor of  murder spree in a monastery and took up a life as a hired man after that. Nargax was hired, a stoic heavy footman who called everyone Sir and stood at attention a lot. Bardoon the light footman was hired also; an ex-bodyguard with a desire to "stab things again." Gygar the bowman was the last of the crew hired. Charkley pulled out some magic daggers to sell, and while most of the patrons ignored him, one elf, from a table of hard living men in the back corner approached. He was very interested in the magic wares. Wanting to know what it did, and if Charley used it, and what spell Charley had memorized. Charley noted "Fireball" in response, once an offer to teach Power Word: Kill was offered by the elf, Denkel. Supplies were obtained and the crew set out to the Northwest, to the Prison of the Silken Caliphate, in haste lest the patrons of the Heiffer ambush them. As they left, more wagers by the patrons were made ...

They followed the river for two hours, speaking of the places nearby. The Well of Souls, rumored home of the demonlord Orcus, and it's infested wilderness. Zelkors Ferry, to the north of the Well, and rumored to be an easier entrance to the Well. The Black Maw, site of where the dawns first light touched the earth. The Bleakmarsh, site of their first two expeditions. The Barrowfield, home to countless barrows ... and the undead. Overlooking it all was the corrupted Castle, Xentillan, home of the local bandit lords/rulers: the family Malvey.

They found the side trek to Prison and followed it, finding a slot canyon a few hundred feet deep, sealed off by a wall. It had a tunnel through the center to get in to the canyon and a collapsed section to the north and south they could climb over. Harley scouted the tunnel, only to find murder holes. The ones to the north side of the tunnel he saw nothing ... and ran back quickly when the ones to the south had the sounds of moans and rattling chains! They proceeded over the rubble to the north to gain entry to the canyon, not taking the tunnel.

Inside the canyon were several ruined building foundation, covered with weeds. There were worked stone entrances to the canyon walls to the north and south, as well as a cave on each side higher up. A great steaming pool of water, from a waterfall, was deeper in, as well as another cave and another worked stone entrance. And, of course, the great arch, 20' wide, in the shape of a demon mouth: the main entrance to the Prison of the Silken Caliphate. Gygar took a shot at a cute little bunny on a tree stump, only to miss. The bunny didn't move. They decided to avoid it and, finding a statues of a heavily armored man, kneeling on one knee, in one of the ruined foundations, Charley knelt also, and then had Bardoon kneel, both to no effect.

The took to the entrance and quickly found it ended in a small room with a wide staircase going down, the walls covered in graffiti. "Karl was here" "So were the Shining Shields!" and other graffiti as well, in crude hand, in an unfamiliar alphabet. The treasure map was consulted, a marching order obtained, and down they went. And down. And down. 100'. To the bottom.

Decay and mold assaulted their noses as they entered the first room from the stair. Five exits, but the map indicated the one to the southwest. Karen opened the door, to find a room with skeletons on the flood, and old dried bloodstains. They entered and Bardoon was instructed to smash the skeleton skulls with a hammer. He did one. Then a second. Then a HUGE wind picked up in the room and a booming voice shouted "Fools! Flee before your bones rest here forever!" with a sinister booming laugh following. Bardoon, scared, was given a magic ring by Charley, and instructed to rub it when he was scared and it would make him not scared ... but warned to never do it twice in a row or he would go blind ...

Nothing happening, Karen lifted a rusty portcullis to the west, as their map indicated, and Bardoon spiked it open. They found a T, with one side having a door with a wheel carved in to it, inlaid with charcoal. But the map indicated the north passage. As the neared the northern door great rat squeeks were heard behind them. Oil was laid out on the floor quickly and, as a HORDE of giant rats turned the corner in their direction they lit it! One made it through, quickly killed, and two turned back and ran away (strangely, causing the Voice In the Room to once again threaten the rats with fooldom) the rest taken by the sudden flames. The hallway, stinking of bloated rat and burned hair, was left in favor of the door to the north, as the map indicated. Inside they found a fountain, dry, with carvings of leaping fish. They threw a copper piece in, to no effect and headed out the western door, as the map indicated.

Coming to a crossroads they saw a cave to the north, with a strange green glow coming from it, and another room to the west. To the south they found another portcullis, closed, and a hallway with four doors on each side, ending in a door, just as their map indicated. Karen raised the bars again and, once again, it was spiked open. The map said the door to the south ... but temptation was too much. Karen investigated one of the doors, trying to open it. It would not budge. Turning  to leave, suddenly voices were heard behind the door. Moaning. Pounding on the door. Loud. And then from another door. And another. And then a voice, in a dry whisper. "Is someone there?" repeating itself. And another voice, also dry "Bob, is that you?" The voice pleaded to be let out, for the door to be broken down. They were exploring yesterday and were trapped inside, with the door closing behind them. Help, please! The heartless party ignored them, going through the southern door.

To find a chapel, and home of the secret room with the loot! Vaulted ceiling, the alter made up of bones! And, on the wall, a great inlay of bones making up a 7' diameter Grinning Skull. Charley lit some incense and placed it on the alter. And then started laughing hysterically! Karen responded by destroying the alter, smashing it with the magic sword Illuminator! And then SHE started laughing also! They quickly found the secret door where the map indicated and saw a small room. It had black robes with skull patterns on them, and a few skull hat vestments, with tiny skulls hanging down from them as if they were braids. Charley donned one set as Harley found a poison needle on the chest. Opening it, they found two vials of pink liquid, sweet smelling, and A FUCK TON of silver coins. Harley declined, but PC and hireling alike filled up their santa claus bags with silver coins, as both Charley and Karen stopped laughing. Charley set about repairing the alter Karen had smashed as Harley gave his hireling free reign to take as much silver as they wanted, greatly improving his morale.

And as he was doing so ...

A group of creatures appeared by the portcullis! Small, red, scaley, and looking for all the word like little devils! They set up a ladder and started taking out the spike that held the gate up! Then they saw the party! Yelling at them in a weird language, and then "Bad men! Dumb men!" Charley appeared in skull regalia, and shouted back at them! Up to this point Charley had been doling out silver and gold to his hirelings pretty regularly when they showed doubt, and now he did the same with the little devil people. It seemed to greatly improve their mood! They offered to take the party to Monta-town. There was much apprehension but Charley insisted on going. They followed the friendly little creatures, back to the entry staircase room, over a pit they were warned of. Through several rooms, one of which had intricate stone carvings all over the walls. Through a gate manned by a little devil person, they went through a living quarters full of the devil people, then another room full of boxes and crates and piles of supplies on the floor being sorted by devil people. All the while being encouraged by the little friendly devil people tugging on their hands and clothing. They heard a din and saw light ahead, to the south ...

A great chamber! Full of noise, smoke, sounds, and lights! Little stalls set up all over the room, subdividing it, with little devil people manning them! Selling everything! Small snakes in cages in one! Another frying small snakes in cages to eat! Ropes made from hair! Clothing/rags! Weapons! Armor! Arrows! A broken down wagon dispensing drinks! A curtained off stall ... and countless others! And the people! Little red devil people! Patrols of them and great blobs of hair, like bulkier versions of Cousin It, not features visible! Svelte men, nearly nude, but with the heads of pigs! Little verdant green people that seemed to made up from leaves, and much taller versions, looking stern. Hairy men with the heads of various breeds of dogs, Doberman, pit bulls, rottweilers. And .. a few rough looking humans drinking at the wagon! Charley was hungry and went off, out of the room to the east, with some little devil men. Harley went to peek inside the curtained off stall. Karen approached the humans drinking.

Charley was taken to a nearby room, The Rat Kabob Kafe written on the walls in ... red paint? He ordered a rat kabob, being surrounded by people of all sort eating rat kabobs. The little red devil waiter asked him if he wanted it bloody as hell or burnt to a crisp, and was confused by the "medium" response, until they figured out Charley was a gourmet and wanted half and half, and continued his habit of overpaying. A rat in a cage was quickly killed, skinned, gutted, and grilled, served half raw and half burnt, just like mom used to make. Until ... his friends hosed back up, coming in the cafe in a hurry.

Karen approached the drinking men. "What are you guys doing down here?" was responded to with "Hey baby, looking for you! How's it going?" She backed off fast, but a little devil man asked if they were bothering her, this being a safe space fo everyone. She replied yes, which got the men a stern talking to from the patrol of little devil men and hairy Cousin It's. Karen could see the drunk men giving her a dirty look when she heard Harley calling out. It was not good.

Harley had investigated the curtained off stall, finding a small devil woman crouching on the floor, full of bones and chicken in cages. A soothsayer! Handing over cash and spitting on the bones in the old devil womans hands, the bones were rolled and consulted. He was to be rich! He ran outside the curtained stall yelling "Karen I'm gonna be rich!"

Things don't always translate well in Monta-town. All sounds stopped. Everyone stared at Harley. And Karen. They quickly ran to get Charley, noting the enemies they had made and the social faux-pax of yelling out "rich" in a room full of monsters. They had a devil person lead them out, back to the entrance.

On the way they met four trigger happy and nervous dwarves, and one more, Snorri Broadshoulders, on an architectural tour of the Prison, located now in the room full of intricate carvings. He was excited, noting in response to inquiries that he was not on some cultural tourism, he was a dwarf of science, a student of architecture, not like those filthy liberal arts archeology majors. Agreeing to tell him if they found anything interesting, and promising him to look him up at The Lame Lady in Kryshal, they headed back to town.

Stopped at the gates, they, and their santa claus bags fulls of loot, were charged A LOT in taxes, but also their information taken down by an official looking ledger, given a receipt signed and an official looking stamp affixed to it. Weird. Harley and Charley, both natives of Kryshal, had never encountered this behaviour before ...


Deaths
None!


Loot & XP
11 Giant Rats
5000 sp
2 sweet smelling potions