Old School D&D - Session 8 - 20th March 2013

WARNING! Contains spoilers for Dyson's Delve.

This week Red Dongya and Zarjaz were back, but Wayne was absent due to work commitments.

Characters:

• Barack Kihnos - Cleric 4 - Male
• Vampire Hunter De - Cleric 3 - Male
• Red Dongya (The Last Barbarian Princess) - Fighter 2 - Female
• Zarjaz the Zazzy - Magic-User 3 - Male
• Gizman - Elf 1 - Male - NPC Retainer

The story continues ...

Having returned to Ethanfeld at the end of the last session the party are reunited with Red Dongya and Zarjaz. After the usual week's rest they gather once more to return to the Dragonbone Peaks. Wayne is unable to accompany them due to an overindulgence of the alcoholic kind; they leave him to sleep it off on the tavern floor.

Making their way back down to the 5th level the party head east from the well room and then south at the first T-junction. They reach a crossroads and head west with Red Dongya "taking the lead". Red Dongya charges ahead recklessly into a room where a pack of Kobolds have constructed a suspended ceiling 15ft above the floor. From their vantage point they throw flasks of burning oil down upon "The Last Barbarian Princess". She evades the oil and continues her charge south out of one room and into the next. The next room contains more of the little dog men still frustratingly out of Red Dongya's reach. Charging east from this room, she ignores a corridor heading south-east and instead smashes through a door to the north ending up back with the rest of the party; who are still deciding whether to follow her into the first Kobold room.

Having pondered a number of strategies to reach the Kobolds the party decide to leave them be for the moment. Instead they head east from the crossroads. The corridor passes an alcove in the south wall and after 30ft turns south. 20ft after the turn the corridor opens out into an octagonal room where the light of the party's lantern reveals a staff suspended in the middle of the room and a group of armed figures. Shouting her war-cry, Red Dongya charges into the room and runs splat into a Gelatinous Cube and is immediately paralysed. As the flesh dissolves from her bones over the next two rounds she just has time to see that the armed figures were merely reflections of the party in a series of large mirrors that decorate the room. Thus ends the chronicle of The Last Barbarian Princess*.

* It was a shame to see Red Dongya die, but the image of her splatted against the Gelatinous Cube was pretty amusing. According to her player she had, from this incident, finally learned her lesson about not charging recklessly ahead. Alas she would never get to put this new found wisdom into practice.

Though unable to rescue Red Dongya in time, the party ultimately succeeds in eliminating the Gelatinous Cube using a combination of Magic Missile and burning oil. From its bubbling remains they retrieve Red Dongya's +1 Leather Armour and the Staff of Healing that was suspended within the Cube.

The party head back north, through the tapestried hall, east along a corridor and then south into the room where they first fought the Ildorethan cultists. Heading south out of this room they ignore the side corridor that heads east towards the rooms where they found the floating candles and where Ragnfridr the Thief died after having had his arm severed. Instead they continue south-east and then south until they come to a door that leads into a trapezoid room decorated with 6 iron statues of warriors.

Initially the players approach these statues with a wariness born of 20+ years of RPGs. But ultimately curiosity (or sheer bloody-mindedness) gets the best of De and he can't help but trying to poke them into life. True to form, two of them animate as Iron Statues and start trying to beat upon the party. Barack beats them back but on the first blow his mace sticks to one of them. Whilst Gizman and Zarjaz shoot/throw arrows and daggers at the horrors, Barack switches to using the wooden Staff of Healing* as a weapon and with a series of exceptional hits puts down the first statue. Meanwhile De has got both his mace and hammer stuck to the second statue and in return taken several nasty blows. Barack, Gizman and Zarjaz switch their assault to this opponent, but it is De, down to his last longsword, that deals the killing blow.

* It had not been identified as such at this point and fortunately for the players I ruled that it didn't heal the Iron Statues.

After De and Barack have healed themselves the party decides to return to Ethanfeld for the sole purpose of buying a long wooden ladder that they can use to get at the Kobolds. This journey is uneventful and the ladders are successfully acquired. The party don't disturb Wayne who is still sleeping it off on the tavern floor. Transporting the ladders back to the Dragonbone Peaks proves to be a nuisance but not quite as bad as trying to maneuver it down four staircases ... "to me"..."to you"... some of which are spiral. It's a surprise (and probably a missed opportunity) that no wandering monsters are encountered.

After much swearing the party arrive back outside the Kobold lair with their ladder. The resulting battle proves to be anticlimatic as Zarjaz casts a particularly effective Sleep spell and Barack, De and Gizman are able to reach the Kobold's eyrie unopposed. The party loot only a couple of flasks of oil from the Kobolds and in disgust put them to the sword. De bitterly refuses to carry the ladders any further as they are "doing his head in."

The party contains their disappointment and heads to the stairs down to the 6th level in the hope of richer pickings. Despite someone having cleared the carnage from their fight on the stairs with the Ildorethan cultists the party's decent is unopposed.

They exit the stairs into a corridor running north-south that is heavily decorated with gargoyle reliefs. After 20ft the north end terminates at a blank wall and a search reveals no secret doors. Heading south the corridor turns west after 20ft with a door in the south wall at the turn. This door is held closed on the outside by a heavy chain and padlock. Having listened at the door and heard nothing the party decide to leave it for the moment and continue west.

After another 40ft the party turns north following the decorated corridor into a small room littered with smashed gargoyle remains. Whilst the party pick through these, Gizman spies lantern light coming from the western end of a corridor leading out of this room. Signalling for silence he sneaks down the corridor with the others following behind. In the next room three robed and hooded figures are being directed in a search by a fourth robed individual whose shaven head is tattooed with the Holy Hand of Ildoreth.

Zarjaz opens negotiations with a Sleep spell and the three lesser cultists succumb. Gizman charges their leader but is ensorcelled by a Charm Person spell and turns to defend his new friend from Barack and De's assault. Barack bundles Gizman to the ground whilst De chases the leader south out of the room*. Meanwhile Zarjaz finishes off the lesser cultists with his knife and loots spellbooks from their bodies. As the leader reaches the next room De puts a crossbow bolt on his back and then catches up to apply the coup-de-gras. As his prize he claims a map and a bejeweled circlet which he promptly puts on+.

* Actually I can't remember exactly how it went down after Gizman was charmed, but this is probably close enough.

+ A Helm of Alignment Change converting him from Neutral to Chaotic alignment.

The session ended here with the party dragging a distraught (at the loss of his new friend) Gizman back to Ethanfeld.

Old School D&D - Session 7 - 13th March 2013

WARNING! Contains spoilers for Dyson's Delve.

There was no game last week because I was in London on business. This week we were short Zarjaz and Red Dongya due to an H.P. Lovecraft double bill at the local cinema.

Characters:

• Barack Kihnos - Cleric 3 - Male
• Vampire Hunter De - Cleric 2 - Male
• Howayanshite Goblin Slayer (aka "Wayne") - Dwarf 2 - Male
• Gizman - Elf 1 - Male - NPC Retainer
• Ragnfridr - Thief 1 - Male - NPC Retainer

The story continues ...

The party are once again in Ethanfeld recovering from their last expedition to the Dragonbone Peaks. To replace Gil-Fimbriel they recruit De, a "Vampire Hunter" a la Hugh Jackman in "Van Helsing"*. When questioned De admits that he hasn't killed any vampires yet but he has put 2 goths and an emo out of their misery. Two retainers are also recruited: Gizman, an Elven Sheriff who has come to the area to investigate reports of the desecration of Elven dead, and Ragnfridr, a professional "adventurer".

* And initially dressed the same, though he quickly took advantage of my decision to change the ruling on the availability of heavy armour so presumably looks more like King Arthur wearing a big black hat now. He is also given the +1 Shield that the party recovered last time.

During this downtime Wayne hires a local sage to research the "white hand" device worn by the dead warriors that the party found on their last expedition. This costs as significant amount of silver but the party learns that the device is the "Holy Hand of Ildoreth", the symbol of an ancient, lawful, but supposedly defunct cult.

After a week's respite the party decides head back east. However that morning it is discovered that Zarjaz and Red Dongya are indisposed and unable to travel. It seems that the night before they had witnessed a mummer's play of such squamous horror that they have temporarily taken leave of their sanity. The rest of the party leave them instructions to follow as soon as they are able and to "bring healing potions."

The party's journey is one again uneventful and they make their way back through the labyrinth unmolested to the Goblin King's treasury on level 4. Here they investigate Wayne's hunch* that the reason they were previously unable to find the Goblin's treasure is that it is concealed in a secret room behind the "public" treasury. Eventually the party locate a secret door which leads into a long corridor which stretches several hundred feet north and east to connect 3 secret chambers.

* Not at all influenced by the fact that the GM hadn't hidden his notes well enough ;-)

This area proves to be inhabited by a party of six Lizardmen. Though they do not attack immediately they do make it clear that they aren't going to allow the party to search the area and carry off any treasure that they might happen to come across. The inevitable hostilities ensue and the Lizardmen end up as raw material for handbags without too much trouble. The party relieve their corpses of a ruby necklace and several sacks of coins; possibly the Goblin treasure that they were looking for.

Buoyed by this success the party descend to level 5. They go back to the corpses of the dead "white hand" warriors and ascertain that they are relatively recent and not of ancient vintage. They then proceed to search east of the tapestried hallway where the glow of a lantern leads them to a band of 4 more "white hand" warriors, this time still breathing. Whilst the rest of the party hides, Wayne extends the hand of friendship. Their reception is not warm and their leader is suspicious, insulting and evasive of Wayne's inquiries. The situation degenerates into violence and the warriors are subdued by Ilkizman's Sleep spell.

Wayne wakes their leader for questioning but despite being at the disadvantage the leader maintains han arrogant and evasive attitude. The party do ascertain that the warriors are members of the Cult of Ildoreth who it seems is not the benevolent deity suggested by the sage's researches. They also learn that they are here on cult business clearing the labyrinth of "unbelievers and other vermin"; it is commented that given the foes that the party has already had to overcome the cultists don't appear to be doing a terribly effective job. Finally the party learns that Dyson Logos (remember him?) is alive, in the cult's clutches and presumably somewhere deeper in the labyrinth.

Eventually the cultist leader's arrogance become too much for Barack and he decides to demonstrate the power of Thor by using a Cause Fear prayer to cow the man. Thor apparently approves rather too enthusiastically and the leader is terrorised into a heart attack*. Attempts to continue the questioning with a different warrior-cultist prove ineffective when it is discovered that all the others have had their tongues removed. The party instead put them to the sword.

* The result of a 1 on his Saving Throw.

Travelling south and then east along the corridor the next room that the party explore is illuminated by a dozen magically levitating candles. They play with these for a bit but are unable to ascertain any significance too them. Eventually, having discovered that when extinguished they fall to the floor but can be re-lit to levitate again,  they take the candles with them .

10ft further east along the corridor Ragnfridr open a door in the north wall and the party are surprised by a pair of Ghouls*. This proves to be a sticky little melee with Barack and Wayne both being paralysed and only Gizman's immunity to paralysis saving the party. Once the Ghouls are dealt with the party search the chamber which is decorated with massive sculptures of leering gargoyles. Gizman locates a secret compartment in the mouth of one of the gargoyles, but when Ragnfridr attempts to open it, the mouth closes shut, severing Ragnfridr's arm; he dies immediately from shock. De takes the brute force approach and smashes the gargoyle and mechanism and allowing the party to recover 3 pieces of jewelry from the compartment.

* Actually Thouls/Thoghrin, but they may as well have been Ghouls. Until these recent B/X games I hadn't realised quite how unbalanced these were for low level encounters. 3 attacks and their paralysis power makes them a TPK waiting to happen.

Opening a door leading west from the gargoyle room, Wayne is narrowly missed by a pendulum blade; apparently being short has its advantages ;-) The room beyond is 20ft square with a door leading north. It contains nothing of interest except for a similar trap on the north door. Disarming this trap and opening the door reveals a 30ft stretch of corridor that heads north to end in another door. Halfway along this corridor there is a long stairway leading down to the east.

Guarding these stairs are 6 more warrior-cultists and battle is joined. The fight is long and drawn out over many rounds. Barack, De, Wayne and Gizman initially push the cultists down the stairs, cutting them down one by one, whilst taking their fair share of blows; exhausting their stocks of potions and Cure Light Wounds. It seems for a moment that the tide of battle might turn when cultist reinforcements begin to arrive from the lower level, but the party throw flasks of burning oil to keep them at bay. Eventually having dispatched the last of the cultists on their level the party perform a strategic withdrawl out of the dungeon and back to Ethanfeld.

The game session ended here.