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
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
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.
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.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
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.
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.
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