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