[Dark Dungeons -- BECMI Retroclone]In Search of Adventure IC

[thirdkingdom]

This is the IC thread for "In Search of Adventure" a campaign based off the TSR module compilation "In Search of Adventure" and using the Dark Dungeons ruleset.

Thirdkingdom is the sole DM and will be making all rolls. We will be making extensive use of the wiki, found http://insearchofadventure.wikispaces.com/home. The OOC thread may be found here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254429).

The current list of players is as follows:

[thirdkingdom]

1 Thaumont, AC 1000 (the first day of Spring)
Threshold, the gateway to adventure. At least that is what you have been told, either traveling here for your own reasons or itching to leave after a childhood spent within its walls.

You have, in the time you have been here, heard the following rumors:
The merchant Clifton Caldwell has purchased the Old Antilles Castle, some 5 miles west of the town. He has been heard inquiring about "qualified eviction personnel".
A group of wealthy merchants and town worthies have purchased the Old Mill on Fogor Isle, with the intent to turn it into a "mixed use development", whatever that is. Long plagued by giant insects, consortium is seeking those "brave and stout of heart" to clear it.
An elven merchant name Sindar needs a package delivered to Selenica, far to the north
A fearsome beast has been terrorizing the forests to the north of Threshold, severly reducing the amount of logging. The local logging companies have offered a handsome reward for the creature's head.
Hakeem the merchant has been on the lookout for adventurers to take on an unspecified job
There have been rumors of a temple dedicated to the evil gods to the northwest, just outside of Castellan Keep. The caves around the temple are said to be filled with the lairs of many loathsome humanoids.
Goblins have been raiding along the border of the Black Eagle Barony. The Baron is suspected to be involved. Of course, the Baron is suspected to be behind every misdeed and ill omen.
A local and very popular cleric named Aleena has gone missing and is presumed dead. The Patriarch of the Church in Threshold is offering a sizable reward for her safe return, or information about her death.

There you go. Think these over, discuss amongst yourselves. This will be a fairly open-ended game, with some broad arcs developing as choices are made. Keep in mind that I am tracking time, and some hooks will expire or develop as time passes. I will be making an effort to introduce new hooks whenever the characters enter a new town or village, or if they spend time and money seeking out rumors. I will be updating the wiki soon, with a partial map of the area surrounding Threshold and other information. I will be filling in information on Threshold itself as needed.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon pours himself another glass of wine out of the flagon and continued to eye the door for a familiar face. There seemed to be a lot going on in this town and he was certain his associates would be along any time now to involve him in some of it.

[thirdkingdom]

If you guys need more direction or information from me, please speak up. All of the above hooks are equally valid; there is no "right" one to choose. Some are mini-adventures/dungeons, some longer. Some are the first parts to longer plot arcs.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

The group had first met Ged when he was reciting epic ballads and romantic sonnets in exchange for ale at this very tavern. He had offered to travel with them saying that he was seeking out "new material." He enters now, as always, fully armored in his banded mail. Seeing Ganelon, he approaches and takes a seat. "When spring arrives, new winds blow from the north and rains bring up the shoots of green again, while brave men fresh emboldened sally forth in search of that rare prize - immortal fame." He recites the rhythmic lines to no one in particular and perhaps he is only working over some fresh inspiration out loud.

Now addressing Ganelon: "Do you favor the wine here? I suppose I shall have a cup. The news of goblin raids has me wanting for drink. And this so-called Black Eagle Baron is an insult to the very office of lordship..."

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

A tall slender elf, well-tonned and well-tanned from surviving alone in the wild, strolled in, bringing along with him the smell of nature. His slightly dishevelled appearance, complete with twigs and leaves in his leather armor, is proof enough that he had been out tracking yet again.

Sighing, he sits next to Ganelon, and orders some elven mead to boost his spirits. He's been with party for a while - in fact, he knows most of the people who does their line of work, having to traverse the unknown to make ends meet.

"Here's some inspiration for you, Gedeon.

When heroes stand against the wintry blight,
When shadows burst forth and blinds the sight,
Who shall prevail, who had more might?

Anyway, I've heard not of the goblin raid nor the Baron, but of the disappearance of Aleena. Should we look for her? I hear there's a good bounty behind it."

[thirdkingdom]

Very nice, keep 'em coming. I keep making the mistake of assuming y'all know about Threshold and Karameikos and stuff. Anyway, the Barony is about a week or two walking time from Threshold. The Baron is the cousin of Duke Stefan Karameikos, the current ruler. Please ask if you need more in game detail and I'll do my best to fill you in.

[Volthawk]

Haldar, Dwarf

As Haldar approaches the others, he inwardly cringes upon hearing the others. Reciting again. Lovely. Ah well, what keeps them happy and motivated is their own business... He then takes a seat, ordering a strong drink.

"While I like to kill goblins as much as the next dwarf, that mention of the Baron being mixed up in it doesn't look good. I don't think we should get involved in that kind of business just yet. Don't want to bring the wrath of the ruling class down before we've got the experience, skill, equipment and allies to deal with it."

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Ged smiles as the elf offers his verse. "A bit of the poet in you too? Your skills are always surprising. Shadows don't really burst, of course. Perhaps they fall like snow on endless nights? It fits with the imagery of winter winds and..."

Haldar saddling up to the table quieted down the young squire's erstwhile work-shopping. He knew the dwarf found his hobby a bit embarrassing, and not fitting of a warrior. With Haldar and Lanmoltar expressing their views, he considers briefly and says, "A grand quest needs grand preparations. Fair enough. Besides, the last time I tangled with goblins it did not end well. If we keep the goblins and the Baron " he adds in a whisper, "as a future goal, I'm all right with going after simpler fair for now."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

The next person to enter the tavern is a tall, fair-skinned elf, brawnier and stockier than Lanmolitar, clad in leather armor and sporting a sheathed sword at his belt and an unstrung bow strapped alongside a quiver on his back.
He listens to the deliberations with his pointed ears, his arms crossed, before speaking in a soft voice.
"I share my kin's concern for the missing priestess. We may yet be able to save her, and what cause is more noble than rescuing a damsel in distress? ...Or priestess, as it were."

[thirdkingdom]

Looks like there is a majority in favor of going after Aleena, the missing cleric. I'll give it a couple more hours till I post IC to give the rest a chance to jump in.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon pours Ged a glass from the flagon and gestures to the others as they arrive. He is content to listen to his compatriots discuss the action and adventure this frontier town seemed to offer in abundance.

"A beautiful and powerful damsel at that. Seems a worthy endeavor to me, if we are intent on leaving the comforts of this charming little town."

[thirdkingdom]

The disappearance of Aleena has been one of the most talked about topics about town for the past couple of days. It seems that everyone has an explanation for her absence. Some claim she ran off with a young man she had been seen with around town, some local commoner with dreams of being a warrior. Others swear she didn't run off with him, but was kidnapped by him. Still others say she was kidnapped by orcs, or slavers, or worse. The more colorful theories maintain she is in fact a criminal mastermind, in hiding from the mysterious Veiled Society. Or she worhips one of the more evil and obscene Immortals. Or is a dragon in disguise. Ad infinitum, the adventurers have heard countless rumors about the cleric, all of the sources agree, is one of the most attractive women in Threshold.

With little trustworthy information the adventurers must establish how to proceed.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

A lean and scraggy man enters the tavern and approaches the table. He is ready to travel and fight. He has his scale mail donned and brings his weapons, equipment and shield.
Ervenor is glad to see familiar faces and is glad to hear that they are talking about action.
"I hear that you are talking about the disappearing of Aleena. This very piece of news striked me the most this morning. Even if we worship different gods, I would like to try and help her and her church. I only hope that we are not jumping in something that is bigger than us. She is very famous; if someone made something bad to her, they are probably prepared for a great effort in searching her. "

[Vesth]

Lanmoltar grins at Gedeon, chuggin down another mouthful of mead.

"Yes, it does fit into the imagery. But I think replacing bursts with casts will do as well. But then again...yours does fit better."

Turning back to face everyone else, he contemplates the situation.

"I suggest we find The Patriarch of the Church first, and ask what they know. Not only will they have the most accurate information, we can probably get one of the priests there to contact their god for help."

Commune is a Cleric 5/ Druid 5 spell that the caster can ask 3 questions of their patron Immortal, which can be answered with a yes or no. They have loads of priests, so...

[thirdkingdom]

For future reference, who would you like to be the party "face" when dealing with others? I will be making reaction rolls, so a high Charisma modifier is always helpful.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter


Ged nods when Vesth suggests the church, taking a sip of the wine Ganelon offered him and finding it to his liking. "That seems a sound start. And you're right, Ervenor, this could be just as dangerous as going after the goblins. Is this priestess really so famous as to merit the intervention of the immortals themselves? Well, I'm ready when you all are, just as soon as I finish this drink. Let the adventure begin!"


I think the "party face" should depend on whom we're meeting with, rather than being set in stone. For example, Gedeon would be the natural choice in meeting with nobles and the like, given his knowledge of courtly etiquette. He's also a member of the Thayatian faith, but I don't know if that's help or hinderence here. Also, he's likable, but not clever. Vesth and Ganelon also have reaction bonuses, and it looks like Ganelon is both intelligent and has diplomacy training like Ged. Of course I'd want Haldar doing the talking with dwarves, or Ervenor appealing to his faithful, despite his lower CHA score. I think everyone should get to do talking rather than one person taking over, unless they don't want to.

That's my two cents

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"That's why I like this place," Ganelon offers in response to Ged's obvious appreciation of the wine.

"Well, that and the fact that they don't get touchy when you guys wander in here in full battle dress. How do you even walk through town in that get-up?" He grins and waves his hand to signal that he's teasing rather than expecting an answer.

Ganelon had only made a moderate dent in the flagon of wine, and hastily poured himself another glass at Ged's mention of leaving. Might as well squeeze all the enjoyment out of the evening before his friends dragged him off to toil.

[thirdkingdom]

Making their way through crowded streets, the adventurers soon arrive at the Church. A new and progressive town, the Baron declared that in addition to providing ample space between buildings that, where possible, all buildings should be built of stone with slate roofs, to cut down on fire potential. The Church is one of the largest such buildings in town, and strikes an imposing sight.

Upon entering the Church the group is immediately intercepted by a novitiate, who seems alarmed by the size of the party and their general appearance. When told of their gola, he stammers slightly and says, "Ah, the Patriarch is, well, not available at the moment. But, you see, I can take you to Father Varis, if you will just follow me and wait a few moments"

While the "few moments" seems more like "half an hour", eventually a harried looking older priest enters the room, grating hair slightly frazzled and a lopsided pair of new-fangled spectacles (of gnomish make, no doubt) perched on his nose. He sits down behind his desk and inquires, "Well, gentlemen, what can I help you with? Or is it that you wish to help us?"

[thirdkingdom]

Making their way through crowded streets, the adventurers soon arrive at the Church. A new and progressive town, the Baron declared that in addition to providing ample space between buildings that, where possible, all buildings should be built of stone with slate roofs, to cut down on fire potential. The Church is one of the largest such buildings in town, and strikes an imposing sight.

Upon entering the Church the group is immediately intercepted by a novitiate, who seems alarmed by the size of the party and their general appearance. When told of their gola, he stammers slightly and says, "Ah, the Patriarch is, well, not available at the moment. But, you see, I can take you to Father Varis, if you will just follow me and wait a few moments"

While the "few moments" seems more like "half an hour", eventually a harried looking older priest enters the room, grating hair slightly frazzled and a lopsided pair of new-fangled spectacles (of gnomish make, no doubt) perched on his nose. He sits down behind his desk and inquires, "Well, gentlemen, what can I help you with? Or is it that you wish to help us?"

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

As the group waits on the arrival of Father Varis, Gedeon takes the opportunity to admire the architecture of the Church and contemplate the frescos and stained glass depicting the deeds of the various Immortals. When the good Father does enter, Gedeon removes the glove on his right hand with a small flourish, and holds it in his left. He is not sure what effect this gesture will have on the clergyman, but the courtesy is accepted in court and elsewhere as a sign of peace and humility.

Clearing his throat and calming his nerves, he steps forward. "Good Father. My companions and I seek to help your Church, your faith, and the people of Threshold. Like all people of this town, the disappearance of the priestess Aleena troubles us. We hope to uncover her whereabouts and ensure her safe return to her place amongst the faithful." Assuming the Father took this offer of aid well enough, Ged would continue: "I know you are busy with your important duties, but it seems that every tongue has its own tale to tell of Aleena. We believe that there is no truer source of information than that of her fellows in faith. If you can offer anything on the priestess' habits and duties, or the events leading up to her disappearance, we can begin the task of serving you Church most capably."

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, cleric

Entering the church, Ervenor looks around with a mixture of curiosity and enviousness for the impressive building and the number of priests and believers. Then during the waiting he remains a bit still, wondering how shall he regard this faith, as an enemy, as a distant cousin back from a journey, as an annoying brother... Then he rallies himself up and start to think about the motive for which they all are here.

Do we have any knowledge about official pronunciations from The Patriarch or from the Church on this matter?

[thirdkingdom]

Father Varis
"Ah," he says, clearing his throat, "I have seen you at services, have I not, my son? Most impressive, most impressive. Well, yes, it is true that Lady Aleena has gone missing, though we have tried to keep it quiet. She is, you know, the Patriarch's niece, and much beloved by all. She has been missing for five days now, and the Patriarch worries. Lady Aleena was always a free spirit, and would often disappear for days on one quest or another, but this is too long."

"I have been authorized by the Patriarch to offer a reward of 1000 gold pieces for her return. In addition, I would be disposed to look favorably upon you, as the Church is always in need of men with certain … abilities, shall we say, assuming you are successful."

"I can tell you what I know. Four days ago, the guards at Northgate reported seeing her leave, alone but well armed and armored. They also reported a short while later a young man, clad like a warrior, left by the same route. Are they connected? I know not. Aleena was also known to frequent the Owlbear's Head. Perhaps you would have more luck than I in talking with the patrons. The guard you should speak to is Quintas; he is most likely on duty now. The Owlbears Head is on Fogor's island and caters to an … earthy crowd. Good luck gentlemen."
I'm rolling on my phone so no link, but 2d6 reaction roll was a 7, +1 Cha, +1 Diplomacy, +1 of the same religion, for 10. A result of "Impressed". Any other questions? @CJ, there is an at times friendly rivalry between the two faiths. Any tensions are more often than not ethnic rather than canonical. Will post more OOC when I'm at my computer.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Thank you, father. We will strive to bring her back to the best of our ability," the elf said simply, a bit uneasy about the place. He was a man of the wild, and such places unnerved him, not because of any wrongdoing he has done, but rather simply because it lacked the simplicity of Nature, where he could simply do as he wish, without fear of causing trouble with his words or manners.

[CockroachTeaParty]

As the group leaves the church, Orliander speaks up.
"I have some skill at tracking, friends. Though the trail may be cold, perhaps I can follow the route they took a ways? In any case, let us proceed to the Owlbear's Head before seeking the guard. I do not wish to inconvenience him if he is indeed on duty."

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon whispered something chuckle-worthy to the barmaid before setting out after his friends. He lagged behind the group, stopping to have a friendly word with several of the locals along the way. He hurried a bit to join the group as the entered the church, and looked about absently while they waited.

He followed the conversation keenly, but didn't interject.

[thirdkingdom]

Crossing the bridge to Fogors Isle is like entering another world. Whereas in Threshold proper the houses are neat, prim and well spaced to allow plenty of light, the Isle is a mass of two and three storey dwellings, all wooden and listing drunkedly, with a maze of alleys and narrow streets criss-crossing willy-nilly. The party sees that most of the residents of Traladarn descent and that there appear to be more demi-humans than they are used to seeing.

The Owlbears Head is found after a short search; it is a well-known watering hole, even for the more prosperous Thresholdians, who will often journey onto the Isle to "slum it" at the Head or several other locations. Entering the multi-storey building, the party finds a large common room more crowded than one would expect on a workday afternoon It looks to be a mixture of fisherfolk just off the water, harried merchants having a three firewhiskey lunch, and the usual crowd of malcontents and ne'er-do-wells that one would expect hanging out in a tavern at two in the afternoon.

The patrons all look up at your entrace, conversations cease briefly, and then heads return to the tables before them. There is a long bar along the wall opposite the door. A bored looking man stands behind the bar, polishing a dirty mug with a rag only slightly less dirty.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon's bemused mood faded as the party moved through the Isle. He always found this section of town a bit depressing, and he certainly wasn't dressed for it. Nothing for it, though, he'd have to press on and make the best of it.

Inside the bar, he sticks close to the others, trying to keep some muscle between him and any especially shady looking characters.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

On leaving the church, Ged had mentioned that, yes he had been at services and that while the gold is certainly generous, doing the work of the Church of Karameikos comes with higher rewards. He left the place of worship in fine spirits, as nothing pleased him more than a clear and narrow path to follow. But as he crossed over onto the Isle he begins to feel uneasy with the stares and whispers his expensive armor and Thyatian looks and accent elicit. In the tavern, he is completely out of his element, and seems nervous and put off. "Shall we take a place at the bar?" is all he has to say to the others for now.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Why not?" Lanmolltar said with a shrug, warily keeping an eye out for any pickpockets or people looking for trouble.

"Unless you want to sing a crude ballad to get their attention. You'll be surprised at how a song insulting their mothers in general can be exciting to them."

[thirdkingdom]

"What'll it be?" the man behind the counter drawls laconically. After the intital interest in the party, the majority of the customers turn back to their plates and mugs, except for the odd one who gives Ged and Ganelon the evil eye every couple of minutes.

Surveying the room, it seems there are maybe thirty or forty patrons and maybe a half dozen serving wenches. The longest table, in the center of the room, is filled with what appeast to be fisherfolk by their appearance and general odor. They are quiet and intent on the food in front of them. Smaller tables scattered throughout the room contain mostly what appear to be the more prosperous Traladaran merchant and business class, both male and female, eating and drinking with more gusto than the fisherfolk. Along the south wall are several dart boards and dicing tables, around which stand a number of youth notable for their scowls and rebellious attire. The bar, with the exception of yourselves, seats mostly men with the fixed expression and single-mindedness of those who go to a tavern with one goal; to drink oneself into a stupor as efficiently as possible. They take little notice of the party.

So, your cost of living covers expenses such as ordering food and drink (within reason, mind you) while in establishments such as this, so feel free to place orders with the bartender for either. Keep in mind, however, that a gold coin or two slipped on the counter out of a character's wealth will do much to improve a reaction roll. This, of course, is a general rule of thumb, varying only in the amount of coinage that needs to be spent.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

Ervenor approaches the bar and speaks to the bartender, with a voice not too loud but that can be heard by the nearby persons and by who want to pay attention in the room: "Dear Brother, some of my friends here are not much used to this part of the city. As well as maybe you are not used to people from uptown coming here to drink."
He then puts one gold coin on the table, leaving to the man the choice to consider it a tip or an advance on drinks.
"Or not, you must have some knowledge of people from the high class. I heard that the girl, the one that went missing, sometimes showed her lovely face down here."
Then, if the barman gives some information on Aleena, Ervenor will go on questioning: "Did she come here alone or used to come with someone?"

[thirdkingdom]

Rolled a 9 on my phone. -1 Cha modifier, +1 for being Traladaran, for a total of 9. Result of Neutral. Attitude was already Neutral, but the nine is on the high end
So I'll allow any additional attempts to modify the total as opposed to re-rolling

The bartender grunts in affirmation, casting a wary glance at Ged and Ganelon. "Yeah, she used to come in here 'bout once a week. Pretty much always alone, I guess. Didn't always leave alone, if you take my meaning. Used to tell stories of her adventures; young'ns loved to hear about goblins and orcs and other such nonsense. Putting ideas into people's heads that they can be heroes.", he snorts.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

"I know a few bawdy tales," Ged replies to Lanmolltar, "but I'll need a few more drinks before you'll get them out of me. So let's get started!" He approaches the bar and sits down, letting himself feel just a taste of that hollow bravery that impels young princelings to chase whores and drink in places like this. After a few awkward tries, he catches the attention of a barmaid and gets himself set up with "Your strongest stuff."

When the barman begins to discuss Aleena, Gedeon leans in close to hear the information. As for the priestess' habit of leaving with patrons, a combination of naivete, righteousness, and good old lack of brainpower bars him from "getting the meaning" at first. But then his eyes go wide and he almost chokes on the strong drink he's forcing down.

"So the priestess wasn't coming here to offer redemption to needy souls? You know, Lanmolltar, that does recall a certain ribald rhyme.. Would you all like to hear it?"



It was Ged's low Intelligence that led him to the bar, and his low Constitution that has him already on the far side of tipsy. If you all feel that it would not be helpful for him to start spouting off dirty limericks, please feel free to have your character shut him up.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon absently orders a drink, whatever Ged's having, and overpays as usual. Buying goodwill was pretty much his standard practice. He continues to scan the room for opportunity or trouble but his attention wavers as Ervenor and the barkeep begin their exchange.

Ganelon interjects, "have you seen her lately, friend? Or any of the men she left with, that we could have a chat with?"

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"What do you mean?" Lanmolltar asks the bartender in relations to his comment about putting ideas into people's heads, trying to seem only vaguely interested while he orders something that won't cause havoc with his stomach later.

"Sure, go ahead, friend. I'll try to match you." he said, smiling at one slightly inebriated Gedeon.

Please do :smalltongue:
I'm sure this is the kind of establishment that dirty limricks will be appreciated.

[Volthawk]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar shakes his head at Ged's suggestion. "That would not be a good idea. We don't want you singing and making a nuisance, especially with the looks you're already getting."

[thirdkingdom]

With practiced ease the coin vanishes from the polished bartop, and the man seems to relax a hair. "I mean, it's just unfair now, you see. Some bigwig cleric gets herself lost or captured by orcs and the whole town is up in arms. But one of ours goes missing, and you hear nary a word. Of course people listened to her, the young ones most of all. Young Ilya, he would almost sit at her feet like a puppy, soaking it all in. Didn't want to fish like his da', wanted to wear armor and swing a sword like in her tales. He's been missing since then, too, and talk around here is he went and followed her and got hisself killed. Don't got nothin' against who a woman wants bed, hear? These are enlightened times, and I consider myself an enlightened man. But what makes her more important than him, huh?" And with that the man falls silent, taking up another mug to polish . . . or make less dirty, at least.

[Volthawk]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar shrugs. "The people who care about her have a lot more influence and coin than those who care about this kid. Simple."

[thirdkingdom]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar shrugs. "The people who care about her have a lot more influence and coin than those who care about this kid. Simple."

The bartender nods in agreement. "You said it, you surely hit the nail on the head. I'm guessing you fellows are trying to track this cleric down, prolly for some big reward. But keep an eye out for the boy, too, would ya? That's his da' over there," he says, motioning with his head towards one of the grim fisherfolk eating around the central table. "He can't afford no reward, see, but it would mean a lot to him to get his boy back. Might try talking to him, too. He might know something about where his kid went. And if the two of them went together, now . . . you find both at once, make dad happy and collect your fat reward from the church."

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Ged had just begin to rhyme, "There once was a priestess from Threshold..." when the bartender begins to speak of the boy who is also lost. He coughs and stops suddenly. "You're right Haldar. I forget myself and the importance of our job here." Feeling suddenly very somber, he looks to the boy's father sitting in the corner and tries his best to empathize with the people of the Isle. Speaking to the bartender for the first time, he says "I think that's a good idea. Helping others is the best thing, isn't it?" He asks the bartender for a little bread to settle his stomach and, to the party, "Maybe one of you would want to go speak to him? We can at least all let him know we're looking for his son."

[thirdkingdom]

Sounds like a great idea to me. Can I get something IC from a character describing this?

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon was glad to hear some progress being made and he takes Ged's suggestion, momentarily forgetting about his safety concerns. He draws in his fine cloak, strides over to the man the barkeep indicated and attempts to draw his attention without laying a hand on the man.

"Excuse me sir, may I have a word with you. I have heard that your son, Ilya, has gone missing. Perhaps my friends and I could find him? Would you mind telling us some of the details so that we can set out on the proper path?"

Ganelon has both Diplomacy and Bluff as skills.

He really does intend to look for the boy. To him, he's just being concise and not purposefully concealing what brought them to the bar.

[thirdkingdom]

2d6=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3687302/) +1 Diplomacy, +1 Charisma, -1 Thyatian = 9. Neutral response
The man looks up at Gamelon with red-rimmed eyes. His face, perhaps once handsome, can now be considered "rugged". The man's forearms bear the scars from rope and hooks that betray his profession.

"Aye," he says, "that would be appreciated, 'tho I cannot pay, as I am sure you know. I fear the fool is dead, however, and you will bring nothing but ill news. But bad news is better than no news, I suppose, so I will help with what I can."

"The boy had saved up his money to buy arms and armor. He wanted to be a warrior like you hear in tales. Then last week he comes and says he has heard of some caves west of town to explore. Heard about it from this cleric that's always in here. Anyways, he says should only be a few goblins, and he's going with this Alanna, so not to worry. The caves are less than half a day's walk, so they should be back by that night, next morning at the latest. That's all I know . . . wish I could tell you more."

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

Ervenor listened with attention to the words of the bartender and of his comrades. Then pauses to evaluate the information.
When Ganelon set off to speak with the fisherman he is still deep in his thoughts. So he say to the bartender:

"Brother, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us."

Than he looks quickly for the reactions of his friends.

I think that we received all we needed, can we go?
Thirdkingdom, do we know the aspect of Aleena and can recognize her if we see her?

[thirdkingdom]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric
I think that we received all we needed, can we go?
Thirdkingdom, do we know the aspect of Aleena and can recognize her if we see her?
Yeah, you will have gotten a description of her from the church. I'll see if I can't dig up an image for the wiki. EDIT:Image of Aleena uploaded to the "Image" section of the wiki.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander scowls.
"Goblins. Is no where safe from their deprivations? Come, friends, we've no time to waste."


Ready to move out! Orliander's got some ranks in the Track skill, if that will help us find the cave.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon is sympathetic and asks the man for a description of his boy, including what manner of arms and armor he took, as well as when he and the cleric left town. Once he has learned enough to identify the lad, he says:

"We will look. Hopefully, we will find him, or at least bring you news." With that, he nods respectfully, and withdraws, heading straight for the door.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Be at ease...we'll try out best to help you."

That said, he finishes the rest of his drink, and catches up with the rest.

"Do we still want to find the guard? Or should we head straight for the cave?" he asks the group as soon as they leave the establishment.

[thirdkingdom]

You can talk to the city guards on the way out of the city. Keep in mind that from what you understand the caves are perhaps half a day's walk. It is now about two in the afternoon. It is likely that you could find a barn or some other helter to spend the night in, if you decide to leave today.

Ildu, we have yet to have heard from Cala. If we don't before the party leaves Threshold, I'm afraid she'll have to sit out this part of the adventure and can rejoin the party once they return.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Ged finished up his drink and bread and joined the others on their way out. Before leaving, he says to the sorrowful father, "Wasn't so long ago I was a boy, wearing a man's armor and dreaming a man's dreams. The Immortals watched over me in spite of it, and I pray they are doing the same for your boy."

Once outside the tavern, he says to the group, "That was some good work back there, everyone. I say we speak to this guardsman and head out before sundown. Like Orliander said, goblins are nasty creatures and the longer we wait to root them out, the more likely it is this boy and Aleena have come to harm."

[thirdkingdom]

The party heads towards the gates, stopping only briefly to gather whatever supplies they might need for the morrow's expedition. Approaching the gates they see that Quintas, head of the day guard, is about to come off duty for his afternoon break. He is a colorful and fairly well know figure about town, so the party has no problem recognizing him; they have even had limited dealings with him in the past.

[thirdkingdom]

If I can get a post IC from someone adressing how you will be approaching/talking to Quintas we can move along. I wouldn't worry too much about who does the talking; Quintas is one of the many Karameikans of mixed parentage. Someone with a high Charisma would be best, but other than that we can just post to keep things moving

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

"Hello there, Quintas," says Ged, "Glad we caught you between your shift and the tavern!" he adds with a mildly teasing and familiar tone. "We're off to see if we can find the missing priestess. Tell me, friend, one man-at-arms to another, did you see her pass this way? The more we know the better... She might have had a youth wither her, about ye high..." he goes on to describe the boy and see what the guard has to say.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Much like on the way to the bar, Ganelon falls behind the group, this time stopping into a couple shops. He grabs some more practical clothes, a lantern, and some oil. He considered a tent, but wasn't sure he could carry it to wherever they were headed. Ganelon managed to be quick about it and, with the help of a shortcut or two, he met up with the group as they began speaking with Quintas.

[thirdkingdom]

Quintas the Day Guard
"I remember, I remember. The cleric left about 9:00 in the morning; the boy cam through an hour or so later. I remember the boy 'cause he asked about Aleena, had she been through, which way did she go, and so on. 'Course, I didn't know which way she went, seeing as the road splits up ahead out o' my sight, but I let 'im know she had been through already."

Reaction roll = 2d6=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3689413/) + 1 Cha = 10, neutral reaction.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

Ervenor mumbles to his companions:
"I think that we are done with our search in town, my friends.
I suggest to go towards one of the groups of farms west of the city and try to look for tracks or rumors.
Unless someone has some idea for searching still here in Threshold."

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon has only a single question, which he offers breathlessly from the back of the group. "So, if they were headed out to explore some caves, is one fork any more likely than the other?"

He takes his answer, whatever it is, and tries to catch his breath from all his hurrying.

[thirdkingdom]

Quintas the Day Guard
"Caves, you say? Heard that temblor we had couple three weeks ago exposed some new caves out west, near the old Castle Mistamere. Might want to try there first." He proceeds to hive fairly detailed instructions how to get there.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon continues to bring up the rear as they head out of the gate, introducing himself to the head of the day guard and thanks him for his help.

[thirdkingdom]

Alright, intentions everyone? I'm assuming head for the caves mentioned by the guard. According to both the guard and what you've heard, the caves are about a half day's walk away. I'm going to say that is four hours of travel time. You have one guy moving at 30' per round, which translates to 27 miles per day, or 13.5 miles/4 hours. I'll try and get a map posted tonight. Now, from you guys, I'd like just a simple checking in IC a la Roland/Ganelon just so I know you're still out there. If I can also get a marching order, please. If possible, this should be a standard marching order that can be posted on the wiki and assumed to be "standard". Note, however, that in typical dungeon exploration you will only be able to stand two abreast.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

The open country ahead of them, Orliander strings his bow and breathes deep the fresh air.
"Onward, friends. Adventure awaits!"


Orliander will be second in line for marching order.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Ahh, the sweet smell of nature! The leaves that dance around us, the air that sings about our feet...Gedeon, do you have a song or a ballet to accompany us for this journey?" Lanmolltar said, finally relaxing as they took to his domain.

As a magic user, I'm going last. If we're allowed roleplay on our journey, I have a song I composed for another Pbp game that I can 'get' my character to sing....an octave or so lower. My character doesn't have a flute X|

[thirdkingdom]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Ahh, the sweet smell of nature! The leaves that dance around us, the air that sings about our feet...Gedeon, do you have a song or a ballet to accompany us for this journey?" Lanmolltar said, finally relaxing as they took to his domain.

As a magic user, I'm going last. If we're allowed roleplay on our journey, I have a song I composed for another Pbp game that I can 'get' my character to sing....an octave or so lower. My character doesn't have a flute X|

Go for it.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Ok, then. Let's go for some action!
Yes, friends, a couple of travel songs would go very well"

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon finds himself in the middle of the group, chatting people about their knowledge of caves, Threshold, and anything else he thinks might be useful in the short term.

[thirdkingdom]

Fantastic. Still waiting to hear from Ildu, Volt and Zuh1. I will be rolling out and posting IC the journey this evening regardless.

[thirdkingdom]

The party leaves Threshold mid-afternoon, minus two of their members; Ged and Haldar having forgotten urgent appointments they had for that day. The first day of spring is pleasant and only slightly hot. As the adventurers walk, the cultivated fields around the town give way to grazing and pasture land, then to hill country that is primarily used to graze sheep and goats. Along the roadside -- or trail, as it eventually narrows down to -- they encounter any number of farmers, herders, and other folk of the soil. Some of which, when questioned confirm they saw a woman in armor on that day a week ago, followed an hour or so later by a young man, also dressed for battle.

Just before dusk the trail rounds a large hill and the characters catch a glimpse of the caves they were told about. Halfway about a hill, two or three openings gape like open maws. Rather than risk going in at night, and hoping to be well rested before they venture within, the party ventures back around the hill they just rounded and set up camp in a defensible area.

EDIT: Just before the party is going to retire for the evening, Haldar the dwarf jogs
up to the campsite, having completed whatever urgent errand he had been called to do in town earlier that day.

2 Thaumant, AC 1000

The night passes cold but uneventful, and come morning the group is as prepared as possible. Weapons loose in their scabbards and sheaths, the party sets up the hill towards the caves. In the light of day you can see three openings. All three have mouths that funnel inward, toward massive doors that have been anchored in the rock. The center and right-hand doors stand ajar.

Okay. Hill country has a 1-2 (on d12) chance of random encounter during the day. 1d12=12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3691333/). Nope. Setting up camp, took the initiative and assumed you guys would be careful. 1-4 chance on d12 of nighttime encounter. 1d12=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3691339/). Nope again, you lucky guys.

Since we are starting out, I will allow the two missing characters to come running up prior to entering the caves, assuming their players respond before we do that.

There are currently two elves and two humans; I hope someone brought a torch or lantern. Unless otherwise stated, I will assume that Ganelon is holding a light source? You only need one free hand to cast spells.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

Ervenor greeted with relief the arrival of Haldar the night before. Now looks with suspicion at the three openings.
"What do you think? The closed one or the open ones? If we choose an open door I vote for the rightmost, I fear that if we enter the center one we are going to be taken between two fires."
"Oh, and I have a lantern if there is no light inside."


Should we still wait a little OOC, to see if Gedeon can make for it?

[thirdkingdom]

I understand the desire to wait for your comrade. However, I'm putting too much effort into this to let the game stall waiting on one poster. I'm not trying to be a hardass, and will take your reduced strength into account. I have sent the player a PM notifying him we're looking to move on; I checked his account and saw he hadn't been on since the 9th, so most likely real life has interfered, as it does so often. He is welcome, encouraged even, to join back in, once he is back. Like I said, my primary concern is keeping the game flowing.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Orliander studies his spellbook in the morning. As the party readies themselves to enter the caves, he casts a spell on himself, warding his body against the deprivations of evil. Sword in hand, he seems ready to go.


Orliander will cast Protection from Evil before we enter the cave, which lasts 2 hours(!) and gives him some bonus defenses against evil creatures. Wee!

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"More light seems better than less," the mage offers, lighting his lamp and easing into a central position in the marching order.

[thirdkingdom]

Orliander, Elf

Orliander studies his spellbook in the morning. As the party readies themselves to enter the caves, he casts a spell on himself, warding his body against the deprivations of evil. Sword in hand, he seems ready to go.


Orliander will cast Protection from Evil before we enter the cave, which lasts 2 hours(!) and gives him some bonus defenses against evil creatures. Wee!

Yeah, that duration is pretty sweet. Do you have a preference as to which door to enter?

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

Ervenor takes the place in the front line, abreast with Haldar.

If nobody objects, he suggests to carefully explore the mouth of the tunnels, then listen to center and right-hand door, then enter right-hand door. All this if nothing particular is noticed.

[thirdkingdom]

The party carefully approaches the leftmost door and examines the door itself, the ground in front of it, as well as pressing an ear to it. The door is massive, built of ancient planked oak with forged iron hinges and some complicated appearing locking mechanism. Nothing is heard at the door. Examining the tracks before the door, Orliander is only able to determine that no heavily armored individuals have entered this way.

The center door and right hand doors are much the same, both slightly ajar, both showing signs of more foot traffic. As it has been nearly a week, it is difficult to determine if the two you seek used one or the other. The center door shows evidence of some sort of giant serpent going in and out, while the ground before the right-hand door shows sign of rodent traffic, as well as some beast he is unable to identify, although it does not appear to be a predator.

No sound is apparent from either door.

Entering the door on the far right, the adventurers walk down a short, 20' long hallway, at the end of which they enter a large room approximately 50' x 50'. The walls and ceiling are of rough rock, though the floor has been polished smooth by the ages. The statue of a woman in armor -- not resembling the woman you seek -- stands in the center of the room, carved from ancient rock. Each wall of this room has a 10' opening in the center, leading further into the dungeon.


Orliander Tracking roll, left-hand door: 1d20+3=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3692579/)
Orliander Tracking roll, center door then right-hand door: 1d20+3=22, 1d20+3=19 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3692582/).

There were several votes against the center door, one maybe for the left hand door, and two for the right hand. So, I went ahead with the left hand door. Unless otherwise stated, the walls and ceilings will be of rough rock, the floors smooth. Hallways will the 10' wide, ceilings 15' tall.

Because I am doing enough as it is I will not be mapping for you guys. If one of you is willing to take up the task and post the map as we go on the wiki that would be fantastic. Since mapping is an integral part of the Old School experience, I am willing to give a 5% XP bonus if someone volunteers and keeps a map throughout the adventure. Obviously, if the mapping loses steam there will be no bonus.

The room you are in currently, assuming you entered through a door in the South wall, has an 10' wide opening in the center of the West, East and North walls. Of course, the western opening leads in the general direction of the other two caves.

[Zuh1]

Squire Ged, Fighter

A bustling, hustling can be heard from the end of the hallway, revealing Ged, fully armored, with weapons and a hefty backpack in tow. He is panting heavily, and a horrific wheezing sound streams from his nostrils. "You all move so fast and... Had to help Quintas... his son... working at the... ah..."

He stops to catch his breath. "Well, I'm here now, eh? So," now looking around at the doors and the statue, "where to?"


Ged will take a position in the front lines

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

The elf looks deep in thought as he surveys the large room.
"We should probably choose a wall, and stick to it, treating this place like a maze. That way, we cover all areas, and it will be harder to get lost. Since we know the other entrances to the complex lie to the west, mayhaps we ought to head east, towards places unknown?"

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon raises the lantern high and approaches the statue with caution. He gives it a careful examination.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

While he follows Ganelon to cover his back and take a look at the statue, Ervenor says: "Orliander, this is indeed a smart method. I agree to going east. We don't know where the two are, so any place can be good."

Does Ervenor recognize the subject of the statue?

[thirdkingdom]

The statue is simply that of a woman, most likely Traladaran, based on size and facial features, wearing armor that was out of date centuries ago. Walking around the room, Orliander espies something tucked into a niche in the north wall. Examining it, he finds a piece of parchment rolled up. When read, a warning is given: "RATS EAST, GOBLINS NORTH, BEWARE WEST".

Spot Hidden rolls for the elves: 1d6=2, 1d6=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3693420/).

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

"Look, a missive!"
Orliander reads it aloud to his companions.
"It would seem my instincts were correct. Eastward lies rats, which should prove a challenge within our capabilities. To the north, goblins, again, not to be feared if our bows and blades are true. To the west... a warning. Perhaps westward lies the greatest challenge. Let us explore the westward passage last, when we are prepared."

[thirdkingdom]

The party heads down the eastern passage, which continues for fifty feet before terminating in a room approximately 30' x 30'. The corridor enters the room in the northernmost corner. Another corridor leads out of the room in the easternmost corner of the north wall. The floor is covered in old rags, decaying tapestries, and mouldering detritus.

The note you found appears to be accurate, as four rats the size of small dogs blink stupidly at the lantern light as you enter the room, hissing at you in displeasure.

Rolled for surprise using my phone, so y'all will have to trust me. Surprise occurs on a roll of 1-2 on 1d6. You guys get a 3, the rats a 2. The rats are surprised and you have one round to act before initiative is rolled and the rats can act. If possible, declare your character's intention for the surprise round; you can spoiler intentions for subsequent rounds if desired. I will roll as many rounds as possible, 'tho will post IC if a round is eventful or circumstances change.

I would like to keep a 24-hour turnaround, so if you guys could state your intentions by this time Friday that would be great. Good luck with your first encounter. By the way, this is a published adventure. Edit: Well, not the rescuing Aleena bit, but the dungeon is.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Gedeon stared down the hissing rats with a smirk. As he readies a javelin and his shield, he offers a brief ode to his enemies.

"A pack of rats shall be our foe.
And through few creatures are as low
and humble as these simple beasts
We'll take up arms and drive them out
'Exterminate!', our battle shout
or else upon our gnaw'ed bones they'll feast!"

With that, he hefts the javelin above his shoulder and hurls it at the nearest rat, attempting to skewer the oversized rodent, then reaches for his sword.


Whether or not the javelin hits, Ged will close for melee in the first regular round and start hacking away with his sword.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Orliander hefts his sword and closes with the surprised rats, hoping to end the combat quickly.


Orliander will attack the nearest rat with his sword.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

Wielding his warhammer, Ervenor gets to the rats and tries to smack the nearest one.

[Volthawk]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar slashes at a rat, sighing at Gededon's newest piece of improvised poetry.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon draws his silver dagger and stays behind his allies. He holds the lantern high, using it first to fend off any approaching rats, but jabbing them with the dagger if they attempt to close with him.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

Drawing his bastard sword, he moved against his opponents swiftly, relying on quick movements coupled with strong, sweeping strikes as he launches himself at the rats, his blade aimed a little lower to account for the lower size of the rats.

[thirdkingdom]

Surprise Round

The party, having surprised the giant rodents, ruchses forward to attack. Ervenor brings his mace down heavily on the back on one, killing in instantly. Ged's javelin goes wild and clatters on the floor. Haldar's blow strikes a rat, but his timing is off slightly and he merely wounds it. Lanmolltar also hits, but again delivers a wounding, as opposed to killing, blow. Orliander's strike is true, killing the rat he faces.

Round One
The remaining two rats are struck down quickly before they even get a chance to act.

Searching the room, poking through the detritus on the floor, the characters find a wealth of silver in a half-rotten sack, about 2000 coins, and 2 gems in a smaller pouch, one citrine, worth about 50 gp, and one tiger's eye, worth about 25 gold. There are some ancient, ruined skeletons in here; perhaps the remains of whatever adventurer was carrying the coins, but no sign of Aleena or her companion.

There is still the corridor in the Northeast corner of the room, leading north, that has yet to be explored.

Fantastic response time, guys. In order to make things easier for myself, I will be rolling out combat in alphabetical order. I won't be rolling for intiative during the surprise round.

Surprise Round
Ervenor attacks: 1d20+1=20, 1d6=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694555/)
Ged attacks with javelin: 1d20+1=3, 1d6+1=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694561/)
Haldar attacks: 1d20+2=11, 1d6+1=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694563/)
Lanmolltar attacks: 1d20+2=11, 1d6+1=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694563/)
Orliander attacks: 1d20+2=20, 1d6+1=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694578/)
Morale Check for rats:2d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694581/)

Round One
Initiative: Note the rat's roll is last. I rolled straight d6s, and will add any modifiers to initiative after the fact. However, the point is moot here since the rats go last.
Ervenor:1d20=14, 1d6+1=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694589/)
Ged: 1d20=9, 1d6+1=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694592/)
Haldar: 1d20=17, 1d6+1=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694593/)
The remaining rats are dead. Huh, I thought they would have been a little more of a challenge, but oh well.

Treasure
So, I've decided when necessary I will be using the treasure types from the BECMI Rules Cyclopedia, since creatures in there seem to have better treasure. For instance, in Dark Dungeons, Giant Rats are listed as having no treasure, while in the RC they have treasure type "L". However, looking at type L I see the four rats have a 40% chance of having 2d4x1000 platinum pieces, which ain't gonna happen! So, in this instance I will be using the TT charts in the ACKS rulebook, which gives the rats treasure type "A" (they do a nice job, BTW, of distinguishing between monsters that have incidental treasure, hoard treasure, etc.): 30% chance of 1d4 x 1000 silver, 30% chance of 1d4 ornamental gems, 30% chance of 1d4 trinkets of jewelery; 1% chance of any 1 magic item: 1d100=14, 1d4=2, 1d100=12, 1d4=2, 1d100=80, 1d4=1, 1d100=60, 1d4=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694612/)
Gems (2d20):2d20=37, 2d20=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694616/)

With treasure, this is where the Encumbrance Ape on the wiki comes in. The bulk of the treasure is in silver, and you've found 2000 cn worth of silver, so decide how much you will, if any, be carrying at this point. Adjust movement rates accordingly, please. Of course, it is also kosher to leave all or some of the coins here, to get later if desired.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

Ervenor is relieved. "Hey, this was easy! Let's hope it goes on in the same way.
After we decide how to arrange with the coins I think we can try the northern passage."

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"Good show, gents! Ably done!" Ganelon offers to hold the gems, and whatever silver will fill his coin purse. "Perhaps we can return for the rest after the rescue?" He makes a mental note to hire bearers for the next excursion.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

"I'd say so," offers Gedeon as he picks up his javelin and examines the mangled rat corpses. "Now, the spoils of war! Back when I served with Sir Korrik, I had to lug a heap of things with me. Time is I got a squire of my own to do such things!" He begins scooping up coins and placing them in a large sack, which he then tucks into his backpack. "So shall we continue down this passageway?"


With all he's carrying, Ged can only take 15 coins

[thirdkingdom]

The northern passage continues on for eighty feet before turning left, or west. Forty feet up the corridor, another passageway opens up on the left; the lantern illuminates a hallway about 10' long that leads into a room of some unknown dimension.
So, if that makes sense, the passage is 80' long and turns left at 80'. Halfway up, at 40', a passage branches off and continues for 10' before opening into another room.

I notice that only three people have indicated what treasure is being carried on their sheets and no one has updated the Ape. Please do this as soon as possible. I will do a couple of sample ape entries to demonstrate how it is done.

[Vesth]

Having swiped 50 pieces of silver to store in his backpack, Lanmolltar gestures to closest passageway.

"Shall we proceed this way?"

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Ged nods and looks into the dark room. "Care to shine a light in there, anyone?"

[thirdkingdom]

The left-hand branch continues for ten feet before opening up into a room approximately 30' deep and 50' wide. The first thing noticed upon entering the room is a huge orange mouth, easily eight feet wide, that has been painted on the opposing wall. Other than the mouth, the room is barren and surprisingly clean.

Turning to leave, the party finds their way blocked by some invisible wall of force blocking the exit. At the same time this is discovered a booming bass voice fills the room, and the adventurers see the orange mouth move in sync with the words! "Surprise! You are here for double-or-nothing! Ready or not, here we go. O-T-T-F-F-S-S. What's next in line? If you solve this riddle your treasure will double. If you fail it will disappear. What is your answer?"

Try as they might, the party is unable to breach the field sealing them in the room, and at their first attempt the mouth says, "You must answer, you know!", then falls silent.

Okay, so I went ahead and took you guys into this room, seeing as it doesn't involve combat or anything and there were already two votes to do so. For those of you brought up with later editions of the game, you might be wondering "WTH? Why is there a room in this dungeon with a magical mouth painted on the wall?" There just is, that's why. Rooms and tricks like this were a big feature of early adventures and encouraged in the rules for dungeon design. I know it doesn't make any logical sense, especially for those who learned playing the thought out and logical 3/3.5/Pathfinder adventures (which are great, by the way, but sometimes it is nice to just kill things and take their stuff without worrying about internal consistency).

Believe it or not, I have not changed a thing with this room from the published adventure (I'm dying to know if anyone has recognized the dungeon yet), but it proves to come at a very illustrative time. I'm sure a lot, if not all, of y'all have been saying "why won't thirdkingdom shut up about keeping the wiki updated already?" The wiki is my way of keeping track of everything that is happening in the adventure, and as I mentioned in the OOC boilerplate if it is not on the wiki your character does not have it.

So, depending on how you answer this riddle (and you will answer as a group, btw, not singly) you will either find all of the treasure listed right now on the wiki (including gems and the money you came into the dungeon with) doubled or disappeared.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon edges forward to provide Ged with a bit more light. The mage startles at the voice and marvels at the barrier preventing them from leaving. It was a powerful use of magic.

Mundane folk would be amazed at how much of arcane learning was wrapped up in riddles. His master knew so many of them. It always seemed a bit inefficient to Ganelon, but apparently, they had their uses.

He mumbles the letters over a couple times before arriving at the answer, which he speaks more loudly and clearly in the direction of the mouth: "E, the answer is E, for eight."

I remember this riddle from the Mentzer Basic book's solo adventure. :smallsmile:

[thirdkingdom]

"You are correct!", the voice exclaims, then falls silent, to speak no more. Those carrying treasure immediately feel their load increase in weight as the coins and other treasures magically multiply. No bags or sacks split, as the coins instead fountain from openings and pour from pockets.

Okay then, double the amout of treasure everybody has, gems and existing cash included, tell me what you're going to do with even more silver (hide it in the rat room, perhaps?), and yes, this is the dungeon from that solo adventure!
EDIT:The barrier falls once the riddle is answered, allowing egress. What would everyone like to do? To your right is the rat room, while to your left is more unexplored corridor.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon grins self-satisfiedly, but is caught off-guard by the multiplying coin in his pouch. He clumsily tries to catch some of it in his cloak, but ends up kneeling on the floor picking up and sorting out the coin. He fills his two purses with his doubled gold, and he tucks the now four gems into a pocket after giving them a curious look over. The silver he puts in a sack with the plan to stash it somewhere.

"Perhaps we should stash all this silver in the rat room? Not that I need to see those rat corpses again, but I certainly can't carry all this."

He'll move in that direction, but then subtly delay to let someone get in front of him.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Ged is utterly speechless. First, the wizard answers a riddle from a giant wall-mouth that he still does not understand. Then there's coins popping out of his pockets and he suddenly feels so heavily burdened that he doesn't know if he can walk at any decent speed. Finally, the chatty fighter finds his words. "What strange and wondrous magics. Perhaps too unbelievable even for a ballad! Has anyone else felt a marked increase in wealth? The gods only know what stranger stuff we'll find as we press on..."

He ponders what he can leave behind and decides that he doesn't need to carry a whole brace of javelins. He takes two of his five and leaves them leaning against a wall, or will hide them in the 'rat room' if the party decides to stash stuff there.



Nice work, Ganelon! I figured it would be easier for the moment if Ged just leaves some of his armaments behind.

[Volthawk]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar nods at Ganelon's suggestion. "Yes, we should do that. There may be more valuable things further in, so lugging around all this silver won't help for bringing those things back."

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

Ervenor is amazed by the magic mouth and the riddle. And then stupefied by the sudden increase in wealth.

"I agree, let's go back in the rat's room."

[thirdkingdom]

The return to the rat room is uneventful, and any excess coinage is hidden with the original treasure.

Back up the northwest corridor? For those keeping track, one turn (ten minutes) has passed since entering the dungeon

[Zuh1]

Ged leaves all his silver in addition to the two javelins. After all, he might need the space for gold!

As they travel back, he begins to work on the inevitable poem describing the adventure. He does so in whispers, counting off syllables on his fingers:

"Shall we now tread into that dark
passage past the place
where magic strange did test our brains
and our wealth did increase?"

[thirdkingdom]

Ged leaves all his silver in addition to the two javelins. After all, he might need the space for gold!

As they travel back, he begins to work on the inevitable poem describing the adventure. He does so in whispers, counting off syllables on his fingers:

"Shall we now tread into that dark
passage past the place
where magic strange did test our brains
and our wealth did increase?"

Very nice, very nice. Vesth, I think we are all still waiting on your traveling song …

[Vesth]

"This reminds me....of all the death we'll be facing, I shall sing one of sorrow as a prayer to foes present and future...

This song was sung by a young boy, who's death of his pet snake stole his innocence."

Snarkos comes, I see him in my mind's eye,
strong, powerful with grace.
Snarkos goes, I see him with my mind's eye,
where could you be right now...
Oh, don't go away! You are my best-est friend!
Please, don't go...
Oh, don't go away! Please come and stay with me,
I love you!

Snarkos, I remember,
your fangs that saved me when I was young.
Snarkos, I remember,
oh fun times we have shared together!

Oh farewell, my lusus!
Oh farewell, my friend...
Oh Snarkos, I miss you...
Please wait...for me to come. (http://musescore.com/user/38154/scores/62375)

Not a travelling song. A farewell/death song. The only happy song that I have on the internet doesn't have lyrics.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

The elf seems entranced by the strange magic. He helps carry the increased treasure back to the room with the dead rats.
"Wonders and marvels abound here. Who knows what strange things are yet to be seen?"


We'll have to pick a new direction; I vote north, into goblin territory.

[thirdkingdom]

Just to clarify, there are now two possible ways to head north that you are aware of. You can go back to the statue room and take the north passage, or you can take the north passage in the rat room that leads past the magic mouth room. At this point, unless I hear differently, I will assume "go north" means "continue past the magic mouth room and not "go back to the statue room and head north.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Riddler and Magic-User

Ganelon is glad to be relieved of carrying all that silver and works to keep the lantern held high as they return to northern passage past the magic mouth. While he certainly appreciated the extra coin, it struck him as a very random use for such powerful magic. Would that he would one day be so powerful that he could spend his powers on such displays!

[thirdkingdom]

Heading north, the party reaches the left-hand turn, which continues for fifty feet before opening into a long narrow room 20' deep and 50' long. The passageway you are traveling enters the room in the northwest corner; there is another corridor leading west ten feet north of the southwest corner.
As the party enters the room they see five goblins enter the room through the southwest passage. The goblins are dressed in makeshift armor and carry crude yet efficient looking swords, which they shake threateningly as they see the party. They do not seem pleased to see the adventurers, and begin to advance towards the group.
Surprise rolls for party, goblins (1d6=4, 1d6=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3699067/). Neither group is surprised. Intentions, please.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, fighter

Gedeon seems positively pleased at the opportunity to face down goblins. "Have at ye, vile creatures, and may the death of good Sir Korrik be honored in an elegy written in your tainted blood." His heart pounds and breath flows quickly. Clearly, this is personal.

His basic tactic remains the same as with the rats. He will attempt to hit a goblin with a javelin, then raise up his shield and sword to do battle in the front lines.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Sword in hand, Orliander points the tip of the blade goblin-ward.
"Taste steel, fiends!"

(Intentions: attack the most convenient goblin.)

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Cleric

Ervenor grabs his warhammer, with the intention of approaching a goblin and attacking it.

Ervenor has left all the silver coins (except the 3 that were in his personal belongings) in the rat room.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon holds his lantern high, willing the light to burn the little monsters. He draws his silver dagger once again and wields it in his own defense, only if he cannot withdraw.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

The elf draws his blade once more, staying back warily, and lauching swift, precise cuts when he notices a gap in the goblins' defence. Goblins are smart creatures, and it wouldn't do to take them lightly.

Does anyone know some swordfighting terms? It always seems that I have trouble writing fighting scenes...

[thirdkingdom]

Round One
With a roar and crash the two groups advance towards each other and a wild melee ensues, with each adventurer pairing off against a goblin. Gedeon flings hs javelin, only to watch it sail over the head of a goblin, while Orliander feints with his blade and, when the goblin moves to parry, switches directions and shears the goblin's head off with a single, smooth stroke. After that the fight goes against the party, with goblins scoring hits against Haldar and Lanmolltar. None of the other adventurers are able to hit their targets, as the goblins are quick and nimble for such loathsome beings.

Round Two
The fight soon turns against the goblins, however, as a mighty blow from Gedeon pierces his opponent's heart. The remaining goblins are unable to connect. Ervenor strikes a blow that, while doing little damage, causes the remaining goblins to panic and attempt to flee, though Lanmolltar is able to strike down his foe as the little wretch turns, cleaving the goblin almost in twain.

Hit point loss is indicated below in bold. Please adjust totals on wiki; you can just change the first number after your PCs name on the home page (so, for instance, Haldar's becomes 4/9).
The two goblins are fleeing towards the door in the northwest corner and can be pursued, spelled, targeted by thrown weapons, etc. Ganelon can also act at any time, if desired.
Initiative rolls, PCs first in alphabetical order, followed by goblins. Will modify PCs initiative individually. 1d6=2, 1d6=5, 1d6=6, 1d6=3, 1d6=3, 1d6=5, 1d6=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700721/)
Goblin hp: 1d8-1=4, 1d8-1=3, 1d8-1=3, 1d8-1=3, 1d8-1=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700724/)

Round OneGedeon throws javelin: 1d20=7, 1d6+1=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700731/) (miss)
Orliander attacks:1d20=11, 1d8+1=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700733/), hit and kill
Goblins attack, each one of 5 PCs, except for Ganelon. Attacks made against alphabetical order: 1d20=5, 1d6=1, 1d20=14, 1d6=4, 1d20=15, 1d6=5, 1d20=12, 1d6=4, 1d20=15, 1d6=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700738/)
Misses Ervenor, Gedeon, hits Haldar 5 hp, hits Lanmolltar 4 hp.
Ervenor misses: 1d20=4, 1d6=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700742/)
Haldar misses: 1d20=9, 1d8+1=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700746/)
Lanmolltar:1d20=5, 1d8+2=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700747/)
Round Two
Ged attacks and hits: 1d20=17, 1d8+1=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700762/)
Orliander attacks and misses: 1d20=8, 1d8+1=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700764/)
Goblins attack:1d20=7, 1d6=5, 1d20=3, 1d6=6, 1d20=8, 1d6=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700773/) All misses
Ervenor attacks and hits: 1d20=16, 1d6=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700774/)
Morale check: 2d6=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700775/) Morale of 7, so they turn to flee.
Haldar attacks and misses: 1d20=1, 1d8=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700777/)
Lanmolltar attacks and hits: 1d20=17, 1d8+2=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3700778/)

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Despite the spectacular decapitating blow, Orliander ends the battle somehow without a speck of goblin blood upon him. With a quick motion of his wrist he flicks blood off his sword, a satisfied look in his eye.
"Well fought. Haldar, brother, how bad are your wounds?"
By brother, the elf seems to refer to his fellow elf Lanmolitar.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"I'll live..." Lanmolltar winced, nursing his wound, "As long as I don't get brutally mauled a second time."

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User and Light-Bringer

Ganelon watches the clash of steel and flesh with a wince and he holds the light high and stays to the rear of the battle line. As the foes flee, he hurls his dagger end-over-end at one of them.

"Are we letting them go, then?" he asks.

[Zuh1]

Squire Ged, Fighter

Ged leaves his sword hilt-deep in the goblins chest for the moment, letting the creature and weapon drop to the ground. He pulls another javelin from its place on his back and raises it with an arm covered in blood-spray. He launches the missile at a retreating goblin, while calling to his companions with the voice of a field commander, rather than a poet, "I say we press on against them. The wounded can take a fall-back position and use ranged attacks. To battle!"

He leans down to rip his sword from the dead goblin's chest and move out.



Ged would like very much to press the attack at the front line, mainly because he really, really enjoys killing goblins. He's not going to leave the party behind, however, and will not chase down the creatures if no-one else does.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

Ervenor is frenzied by the partial success on the goblins, even if he himself didn't manage to contribute a lot. He loads his sling and swings a pellet at the address of the goblins.
He looks at the wounded companions "Friends, can you hold on a little? I will try to help you when we are finished with the goblins".
He then moves to pursue the beasts.


To use the sling I suppose that Ervenor must drop the shield. If so, he will continue without it.
Ervenor tries to shot with the sling a wounded goblin, if possible.
He too will chase the goblins without leaving the party behind.

[thirdkingdom]

Round Two, cont.

Ganelon's dagger flies wide of its mark, and the two goblins reach the corridor. Following close behind, the party heads north for 20 feet before the corridor turns west, continuing for ten feet before opening into a large room that is approximately forty feet square, with the corridor entering in the northeast corner. There are two more goblins in this room, and a door in the southwest corner, leading west.

Upon seeing the two fleeing goblins the other two react with alarm, and soon all four goblins are sprinting for the door in the corner of the room, making it before you and slamming the door in your faces. There is a loud "clack" as some sort of bar is dropped into place on the other side.

The room is otherwise empty except for a small pouch that one of the goblins seems to have dropped. The pouch contains three new looking electrum pieces and a key.


Ganelon's attack: pasted wrong link. 'Twas a miss.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

With the battle moving at an almost unreal pace, Ged does not loose the javelin, and manages to pick up the one already fire as he clamors down the hall towards the enemy. "Cowards! Cowards, I say!" he calls out ineffectually as the goblins slam the door. With he and Ervenor in the front line, he turns to the cleric, "Let's try to force this door. On my count.... One, two, THREE"



Ged is going to try to break the door down. He'll give it a shove with or without Ervenor's help since he's pretty angry at this point.

[thirdkingdom]

Gedeon charges the door several times in an attempt to break it down, but is rewarded with little more that a bruised shoulder as the stout door refuses to budge.

Meanwhile, in the other room Ganelon attends to his two injured comrades with some success. The bodies if the dead goblins are searched; neither weapons nor armor amount to anything, but each carries a small pouch with some number of shiny new electrum pieces; there are nineteen in total between the three.

Roland, I hope what I did is cool. It is my attempt to make up for the two attacks I flubbed; First Aid has to be used immediately after combat. Ganelon rolled a 5 and a 2, healing Lanmolltar for 2 hp and Haldar for 1. I have also realized that splitting the group like this means Ged and Ervenor are without light, as I believe Ganelon has the only lightsource. Handwave that for the moment. Not to get too metagamey, but Ged gets the impression the door will not yield to force.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Oughormack, Cleric

"Come, my friend. We are going nowhere here. And it's better not to split our group; we have seen that the goblins can be dangerous. Let's hope that we can get to them before or after."

Ervenor tries to calm Gedeon and regroup with the others.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Ged rubs his shoulder and takes a few calming breathes. "You're right, Ervenor. Though some time I'll have to tell you the tale of the last time I faced down these creatures." He walks back to the group with the cleric. Seeing the wounded, he asks how they're fairing and if they feel well enough to push on.

[Volthawk]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar sighs at the people who charged on without the rest of the group. When they return, he looks up and says "Doesn't anyone here have some discipline? Charging off without checking you have everyone with you will get you killed..."

[thirdkingdom]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar sighs at the people who charged on without the rest of the group. When they return, he looks up and says "Doesn't anyone here have some discipline? Charging off without checking you have everyone with you will get you killed..."

Kids these days, I tell you what …

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User and Healer

"Dating that pretty young healer wasn't a complete waste of time, I guess."

Ganelon finishes his ministrations on his wounded friends and goes to retrieve his fallen dagger, just as the others returned.

I'm certainly fine with the DM having my character do non-fatal acts that the character would reasonably do!

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

At Haldar's words, Orliander says nothing, but nods quietly in approval.
"Is the way ahead sealed? Are there any further passages in this direction, or ought we turn our exploration to the unknown dangers of the western area?"

[thirdkingdom]

I know the above post is IC, but just to clarify there are two corridors that have yet to be explored that you know of (other than the door the goblins went through. The current room, the one with the three dead goblins, has a corridor leading out of the southwest corner. This is the corridor the five goblins originally emerged from. There is also the corridor that leads west from the entrance (statue) room.

[Zuh1]

Squire Gedeon, Fighter

Ged gives Halder a reproachful glance bearing all the hotness of youth, "It's letting goblins get the advantage of numbers that will get you killed. And I thought your people found honor in the glorious death!"

He checks adjusts the bands on his armor after the battle and wipes the goblin blood off his blade on a boot. He looks almost respectable once again. " In response to Orliander: "The goblins have barred the route of their retreat. I say we proceed to the point from which they originated."

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"We could - thanks - always burn down the door. Does anyone have a tinderbox?" Lanmolltar asks, feeling much better with the wrapped wound. What was orginally a raging, burning feeling is reduced to a dull ache.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"I have a tinderbox and also some oil, if we want try to burn it. But will it not make too much smoke?
Perhaps we can look over there and see if we find a passage around?"
He points to the passage in the southwest corner.

"Let's see this key and these coins. Did they all have freshly minted coins?"

The door in the other doom doesn't have a hole for this key, does it?

EDIT:
Do the coins appear as normal coins to us?

[thirdkingdom]

No, the door did not have a keyhole; it was apparently barred from the other side, from the sounds you heard.

[thirdkingdom]

The coins certainly appear "normal", aside from being newly minted Karameikan electrum pieces. Sorry, I had assumed that question was directed IC

[Zuh1]

Squire Ged, Fighter

"If the priestess or the lad are still alive, they're probably being held by the goblins. Unless that unknown danger is the kind that takes prisoners. We could always try our weapons on the door as well. Halder, your hammers and axe might be useful tools here."

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"Right's as good as left when you don't know what's down either path," Ganelon offers thinking he's being helpful. In truth, he was already a bit lost in the network of tunnels.

[thirdkingdom]

So, it sounds as if two people have suggested going down the corridor in the southwest corner of the room. There have also been rumblings about trying to burn the door down, but no concrete suggestions. If I don't hear to the contrary I will post IC this evening in regards to the southwest corridor.

[Volthawk]

Haldar, Dwarf

Haldar glares at Gededon "The dwarven way of a glorious death doesn't mean I'm suicidal, though. Besides, running into a group of goblins in some hole and getting killed because you were careless and reckless has no glory in it."

[thirdkingdom]

The southwest corridor leads west thirty feet then turns south, meeting up with the entrance hall after thirty feet or so. There is still the corridor to the west that has yet to be explored. Haldar ventures that it is likely, given what he has seen with the existing construction, that the western corridor most likely connects, if not directly, to the center door that had been see from the outside.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Haldar and everybody, I'm sorry. We got carried away by the excitement. And I thought that you all were following...
I, and I think that this is true also for Gedeon, isn't it?" and he nods to the fighter "will be more careful next time."

Then he looks around. "So here we are. Shall we go to the west?"

I updated the treasure page on the wiki. Who will carry these new coins?

[thirdkingdom]

Any other input?

[thirdkingdom]

The western corridor goes for 20 feet before opening up into a room about 30' by 30'. The corridor enters the room midway on the eastern wall; there is a hallway in the southwest corner of the room leading further west.

In the rough center of the room is the decaying corpse of a creature no one has ever seen before. About the size of a large wolf, the creature looks like some sort of mutant anteater with prehensile feelers growing from its mouth. The floor itself is covered in a strange reddish dust that, upon closer examination, reveals itself to be rust.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon circles the thing cautiously using his lantern to light scene and the surrounding room. He inspects the rust and pokes the thing with his staff.

"What a hellish looking beast."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Orliander examines the rust on the floor, checking for tracks.

(Can I use the Track skill here?)

[thirdkingdom]

Searching the room, Orliander discovers two pearls buried in one of the piles of rust. His sharp eyes also detect sign of passage through this room! By the size and motion of the prints, he deduces that they were human or human sized, one pair of prints is larger than the other, and whoever made the prints were likely the ones who slew the beast. A quick examination of the corpse reveals it was felled by blows from both a bladed and a blunt weapon.

Orliander Tracking: 1d20=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3705277/). The two pearls are worth 75 gp apiece

[Zuh1]

Squire Ged, Fighter

Ged taps the heels of his boots on the ground to shake the rust off them. "Do you think our missing priestess slew the beast? Or did the goblins get to it first? What is this creature, anyway... Ganelon, have you read of such a monstrosity in your studies of the arcane? Where there is one, there may be more!"

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User and Zoologist

"Well, it seems to have been living, so it may well have a mate or pack," Ganelon offers, adding anything else he might know of such a beast.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Kneeling by the rust, the elf scans the room carefully.
"I believe we can follow these tracks a ways. At least, it gives us an idea where these people went. By the looks of it, two humanoids, clad in boots, passed through here..."

[thirdkingdom]

Orliander is able to determine the tracks do indeed seem to continue west, out of the room.

Ganelon, after searching his memory, is able to recognize this beast as a rust monster, or Ferrophaga Trydactyla, a normally non-aggressive magical abomination that subsists on metal, and will move the largest concentration of metal in an area and begin turning it to rust.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Do you mean that this ...thing would have eaten our iron, had it been alive?"
Ervenor shudders as he passes by the carcass, thinking about all the iron that he is wearing.

[thirdkingdom]

Actions, anyone?

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Should we follow it?" Lanmolltar asked worriedly. A monster that can turn metal into rust? And someone managed to slew it? Whoever it was, this person is good...and not necessarily friendly.

EDIT: My bad. Misinterpreted stuff

[thirdkingdom]

I was unclear. Only the human(?) boot tracks lead west from the room. There is no evidence of another rust monster to be found here.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"It may well still have iron destroying properties, I'd give it a wide berth even now. Let's follow these tracks, I'd bet on the humans who left these tracks to be our quarry, and if not perhaps we can talk to whomever it might be."

[Zuh1]

Squire Ged, Fighter

"An iron eater...I guess we'll have to send the elves and wizard in on the front lines!" Gedeon readies himself to move forward.

[thirdkingdom]

The companions travel westward from the lair of the rust monster. A short ten feet from the room the corridor branches off to the right (north) as well as continuing west. The terminus of neither corridor can be seen from where the party stands at the branching; the tracks, too, have disappeared.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Sword drawn, Orliander follows the tracks carefully until they go cold.
"...Should we hug the right wall? That will take us up this branching path..."

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor, Oughormack, Cleric

"Of course, Orliander, I trust your wall-hugging method. Even if I expected such a show of love more from our friend Haldar. Ehm, hehe..."
Evenor tries to drive away the nervousness by throwing cheap puns.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon holds his lantern high and does his best to light the options. He concurs uselessly, "yes, hug the right wall," and one might be mislead by his apparent confidence that he had some idea where he was or where he should go.

He carries his staff in one hand and the lantern in the other.

[thirdkingdom]

The right hand corridor continues for thirty feet, opening up into a room that measures approximately 60' east/west and 30' north/south. The corridor you just came through enters the room in the southwest corner.

Standing in the northeast corner before a door in the eastern wall are six skeletal warriors carrying shields and long swords. As the characters enter the room pale blue lights flare into existence in the skeletons' empty eye sockets. Ancient bones creak and groan as the guardians step forward, raising their swords.

Hope the measurements make sense. As stated, the skeletons are in the northeast corner, the corridor the character's came from in the southwest. The door the skeletons are guarding is in the northeast corner set in the eastern wall. They are currently approximately 50' away from you and move slowly, only 20' per round.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

The elf stops in his tracks.
"Undead... Ervenor, can you turn them?"

(Orliander will stand his ground, ready to strike the skeletons should any come within reach.)

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"I concur. That would be quite useful." Ganelon agrees absently as the lantern shakes a bit in his hand. "Foul magics," he mutters under his breath.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Step back, I'm gonna try to drive them away".
Ervenor draws from the power of his faith, and pronouncing the ancient ritual of banishment steps forth.

Ervenor tries to turn the skeletons.
If he is successful, he is going to try to turn them again.

[thirdkingdom]

Ervenor intones the sacred words and presents his holy symbol firmly and with conviction. The skeletons pause for a moment, there is a brief instant when it seems his belief is not enough, and then the skeletons break, fleeing back to the corner they had been originally guarding.

Turn undead: 2d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3709099/). Skeletons require a 7 to turn, so just barely. He is able to affect all of them (2d6=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3709102/). They cannot be turned multiple times. However, at this point they will not advance and can only take defensive actions.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Alas, they are right where they were at the beginning. But now they won't fight back.
Quick, let's destroy those horrors!"

Ervenor intends to attack the skeletons until they are all destroyed.



They cannot be turned multiple times.

Yes, I meant if he is partially successful. :smallredface:

[thirdkingdom]

The doughty cleric advances, holy symbol raised, while the loathsome undead quiver and attempt to shield themselves from Ervenor's stern gaze. The rest of the companions are able to fall upon the skeletons at will, destroying the foul creatures with impunity.

Examining the door the skeletons were guarding, you find it is locked but has a keyhole -- as opposed to being manually barred from the other side.

I'm going to rule that Ervenor must keep the symbol presented in order for them to cower under assault. There is no point rolling out combat. It takes a couple of rounds, but the party quickly destroys them.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Wiping bone-dust from his sword, Orliander nods to the cleric.
"Well done."
Examining the key hole, his brow furrows.
"Might we try the key we recovered from the goblins?"

[thirdkingdom]

The key the party found is indeed for this door, and opens it with ease, revealing a room 10' X 10'. A large chest is pushed up against the northern wall.

[Zuh1]

Squire Ged, Fighter/Poet

"Excellent work! It is fine to have a man of such faith about when horrors like that roam the earth," Ged says, amid coughing from all the dust that has been kicked up.

Upon opening the door, Ged examines the small room with the chest,

"Fortune's prize rests across yon threshold
A dragon's horde? A goblin's stash? Mayhaps an ogre's hold?
While I am fain to seize it and enjoy
We must be cautious and perhaps employ
The service of a cunning man or else
a trusty ten-foot pole."

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User and Bonecrusher

Ganelon makes a few choice swings with his staff feeling almost sorry for beating on something that isn't really fighting back. The things seem even more pitiful as a pile of bones, but he sobers as he recalls the lights in their eyes and their plainly evil nature.

Ganelon looks around for the owner of the chest, peeking back the way they came. "Who just leaves a chest out in the open like this? It must either be empty or a very sturdy chest."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

"Or trapped."
Orliander frowns. He sheathes his sword, and keeps a good distance from the chest.
"Does anyone here have skill at disarming hidden traps?"

[thirdkingdom]

I'd like a decision on what you guys are going to do with the chest by the morning, if possible, so we can move on.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Yes, good elf, it can be trapped. As Ged said so well with his hymes, we're better be careful.
Ganelon, can you lend me your staff? I'm going to poke it, if you all agree. Maybe you can wait outside.
We can always take it and bring it in town to some locksmith."

If nobody objects, Ervenor is going to poke the chest with the staff, standing not straight in front of it. At first gently, then more strongly.
He also want to see if the chest can be easily moved pushing it and try to have a vague idea of the weight, always touching it with the staff.

[thirdkingdom]

The chest is fairly heavy and does not slide easily.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"Certainly," he says, offering his staff and stepping back, "good luck."

He does his best to look for any signs of change in the chest or in the room.

[thirdkingdom]

Ervenor pushes with all his might against the chest, barely judging it. As he does, a faint clinking can be heard from within the chest.

[thirdkingdom]

Hey guys, I'm not quite sure why everything has ground to a halt on this encounter, so I'm going to request that y'all do something with this chest, move on or we can just end the adventure here. I thought I was pretty clear about the expected post frequency in both Recruitment and OOC; I recognize once a day is not always possible, but if we are to continue I would like to pick up the post frequency a bit.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Ervenor, stay back! There's a strange sound from it! Perhaps we should attempt to open it from a distance away?" the elf said worriedly, and he slowly edged away from the strange chest.

[CalamaroJoe]

Can we understand what kind of clicking is? (Sorta silly question...)

Can we see a lock or padlock on the chest? Or instead is seems that it can be opened with ease?

[thirdkingdom]

There are no apparent locks or closures. Both Lanmolltar and Ervenor believe the clinking noise to be akin to the sound a large number of coins make when shifting. Both got 1s for their listen rolls.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

"...How did we bring nobody along who is skilled with locks and traps?"
The elf's eyes darken.
"Everyone, stand back."
He walks up to the chest and attempts to kick the lid open.

[thirdkingdom]

The lid flies open, a blur shoots out and strikes Oliander in the calf, and all can see a silvery glint from within. The chest was indeed trapped, and a spring loaded dagger grazed the brave elf's leg, but luckily Ervenor is on hand to speedily minister to the wound, greatly reducing the effects of the injury.

The chest contains thousands of shiny electrum pieces, a folded swath of fine green silk, marred slightly by humidity, the tanned hide of some great reptilian beast, a finely crafted locket in platinum chased with gold wired and studded with small diamonds, a potion in a semi-transparent blue glass vial and an exceptionally balanced dagger that appears to be magical. There is also a folded piece of parchment atop the treasure that reads, in an elegant hand, "This should be enough to help your cause. Remember the deal. B."

Rolled on my phone, so no links. Orliander failed the Save v Wands with a 4, taking 3 hp. Ervenor made a healing skill check with an 11, healing 3 hp. Unless otherwise stated, I will assume an able PC will use the healing skill in non-dangerous situations. There are 4000 EP, 4 yards of silk worth 1 gp apiece and weighing 10 cn. The hide weighs 170 cn and is worth 9 gp. The locket is worth 3000 gp. The potion is unidentified, as is the dagger. Two notes about magic items. They are randomly determined, so can be cursed. It is a good idea to have them identified before using

I am also using the intelligent weapons from the RC.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

The eyes of Ervenor shine with admiration for the large amount of coins and precious items, and at the same time they are filled of compassion for Orliander's injury.
"Here, while we think what to do, let me take care of that wound.
You were quite reckless, but at the end it got quite well I suppose."

Two questions:
- the electrum pieces are by chance freshly minted?
- is there some place left in the chest, for example for some other 2 or 3 thousand coins?

[thirdkingdom]

Two questions:
- the electrum pieces are by chance freshly minted?
- is there place left in the chest, for some other 2 or 3 thousand coins?
Yes to the first question, no to the second. At this point the chest weighs about 5000 cn, or 500 pounds, due to the coins and the weight of the chest itself. This is likely the goblin's treasure, since they had a key to the room. You guys are going to have to decide at some point whether to push on or head back to town with as much loot as possible. I can't guarantee that if you leave the chest here (for more than a day or so) it will be unmolested by goblins.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"I suppose we should push this back to our stash, at least, rather than leave it here for the goblins to reclaim?"

He looks to examine the dagger trap mechanism, curious about whether the trap was mechanical or magical.

[thirdkingdom]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"I suppose we should push this back to our stash, at least, rather than leave it here for the goblins to reclaim?"

He looks to examine the dagger trap mechanism, curious about whether the trap was mechanical or magical.

The trap is mechanical in nature. An elaborate yet tiny spring and clockwork mechanism -- likely gnomish in origin -- is used to launch a short blade upon opening the lid. Although Ganelon cannot find any method for for disarming the trap, it is logical to assume there is such a thing. The firing mechanism is badly rusted, however, which perhaps accounts for the trap's lack of lethality. Ganelon estimates the chest itself, if properly restored, might fetch 500 gold.

Not to metagame here, but depending on how much treasure you can stagger back to Threshold with Ervenor, at least, might level up.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Against reason, Orliander had hoped that the group was just being paranoid, and that the chest was not trapped. Alas, the stinging pain in his leg quickly proved him wrong, but after quick first aid the elf was back on his feet.

"This is quite the bounty of wealth. How are we going to manage transporting it back to town, on top of the coin we've already recovered?"
He paces a bit, before shrugging.
"Our personal windfall is one thing, but the fate of the missing priestess and her friend still troubles me. If we return to town to fill our coffers, and it costs us their lives, I'm not certain I could look myself in the mirror again."

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"I am with Orliander on this, and I am too damn handsome to eschew mirrors forever. Perhaps we could spare the time to shove it back to our stash, though?"

Ganelon reveals his findings about the chest, along with his estimation of value, to his friends, regardless of whether they seem interested. He reclaims his staff from where Ervenor dropped it to tend to Orliander's wounds. He tapped it softly on the floor as if testing its soundness.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"I agree with you, I'd rather waste no time for treasure when the lady is missing since several days.
If we think that the goblins will not go in the rat's room, we can bring the chest over there. Or perhaps we can find a hidden place outside the dungeon."

Can we remember a spot outside that can be good for hiding a chest? A bush, a hole, ...

"Apart from the vial and the dagger. We can bring them along and use them, if we have some idea of their powers."

[thirdkingdom]

Ervenor recalls a shallow gully near last night's campsite that should serve as a decent hiding spot, provided some branches and scrub were dragged over the lip of it.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

Ervenor informs the companions about the gully he recalls.

"Do you mind if I inspect that vial?"

Ervenor intends to smell the liquid, then sip a drop of it.

[thirdkingdom]

The potion is a semi-transparent, viscous milky-white solution that smells strongly of sage and peppermint. Other than a mild corporeal tingling and a strange sense of expansiveness Ervenor is unaware of any effects the potion has. The rest of the party, watching his reaction warily, notice no strange occurances.
So, it was a pretty rare potion I rolled up. It can be identified back in town for much less than a standard magical item would cost. As per the rules, potions can be identified by sipping them; if it is a poison the character is affected by the poison at the time of tasting. I'm going to rule that the character is not telepathically informed of what the potion does but must judge based on the effects. So, sipping a potion of levitation might make one feel lighter and more buoyant, for instance. Don't forget there is also the locket in the chest. It weighs maybe 5 cn and is worth 3000 gp.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon will pick up and inspect the locket. He incorporates Ervenor's recollection into his prior suggestion. "Yes, let's haul this thing out to the gully and leave it there. I'm not keen to leave the trail of our missing quarry for long, but this fortune ought not be left for the little cretins to reclaim."

He lacks the muscle to do it himself, but he tries to direct the others to begin shoving, at least until it becomes clear that they either are or aren't going along with his suggestion.

[thirdkingdom]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon will pick up and inspect the locket. He incorporates Ervenor's recollection into his prior suggestion. "Yes, let's haul this thing out to the gully and leave it there. I'm not keen to leave the trail of our missing quarry for long, but this fortune ought not be left for the little cretins to reclaim."

He lacks the muscle to do it himself, but he tries to direct the others to begin shoving, at least until it becomes clear that they either are or aren't going along with his suggestion.

The locket is per my earlier description. Besides being fabulously valuable, it does not appear to be magical or contain any secrets. If there are no objections to the above plan, I will proceed IC this evening.

[thirdkingdom]

After an hour filled with sweat, scrapes and colorful cursing the adventurers manage to get the chest outside and hidden. Returning to where they left off, the passage continues west for forty feet before opening up into a room measuring twenty feet east/west and thirty feet north/south. The passage enters in the northeast corner of the room; another passage leads south from the southeast corner and a third west from the southwest corner.

Coiled in the center of the room is an enormous rattlesnake. The snake's eyes follows the party's movements yet does not attack. It seems lethargic, and the party notices a goblin sized lump being slowly digested in the snake's gut. Laying partially under the snake's bulk is what appears to be finely crafted bastard sword. As the party enters the room a voice calls out in heavily accented Thyatian, "Help! Help me! Don't leave me here, it is ever so boring!"

Moving the chest took about an hour. The party is surprised, the snake is not. However, since it is an animal I rolled on the reaction table and got a 7. Cautious. The snake will not attack unless provoked. Wow. Rolled for treasure, Type U. 2% chance of any one magic item, rolled a 2. No other treasure, though. Type of magic item: sword. Bastard sword, to be precise. Intelligent bastard sword, to be even more precise.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

Can we tell where the voice is coming from?
Ervenor is quite afraid of such a beast, capable of swallowing a goblin whole. From the looks of the monster he thinks that it is much more dangerous than the foes they met before.
"Ugh, this is big. I think we must defeat it to go on, however.
Can we try to attack it from far, at least at the beginning?"

Ervenor is going to throw one or more sling bullet, if the party doesn't engage melee. If the snake approaches, his intention is to attack it with the hammer.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

Drawing his bow, Orliander nocks an arrow.
"Let us fell the beast quickly, before it has a chance to strike."

(Ready to fire an arrow, ideally with the entire party in one salvo.)

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Friends! I have a spell that might be able to put it into sleep, if you desire. However, I don't have the power to do so more than once today." Lanmolltar said, drawing his blade as he kept to the back, one hand ready to take his spellbook if he needs it.

[thirdkingdom]

The voice seems to be coming from the snake's vicinity. It would be possible to pass through the room without provoking an attack, provided the party keeps their distance and makes no sudden movements.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon holds forth his staff a bit, figuring the snake won't be able to swallow that whole, but otherwise hangs back to let the violence commence. "A blade that can think and speak is quite a prize. Probably worth the risk."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Orliander, Elf

"My thoughts exactly, Ganelon. Save your spell, brother (Lanmolitar), we can fell this beast with a decisive volley. Ready ranged weapons, comrades. Let this beast's death be merciful and swift!"


BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

[thirdkingdom]

Not to tell you guys what to do, but sleep will just barely work on the snake, which is one tough cookie. Two attacks per round, save or die poison, 4+1 HD. I'm just sayin'

[thirdkingdom]

Based on the intentions posted IC, Ervenor has readied his sling and Orliander his bow. They will fire. Any other actions to declare? Are you still around, Zuh1?

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

Considering the foul snake, and the possible effects of any venom, Lanmolltar hesitates for a moment...but brings out his spellbook anyway.

Flipping it open, he leaves the book's spine resting snugly in the palm of his hand, while his other arm waves about, complementing the magically-laced words emitting from his mouth, a soft, soothing melody that dulls the mind and wit.

[thirdkingdom]

As Lanmolltar's spell takes effect the snake's questing head wavers, then slowly collapses to the ground as unnatural sleep overcome it. There are twin thumps to the right and left of Lanmolltar as his two companions are overcome by the leftover effects of the spell, but they are quickly wakened and the somnulescent snake swiftly slain.

"Finally!" the voice declaims from beneath the snake, "I was beginning to believe 'twould be better to wait for some more assertive master to come along and slay this foul serpent, but you have proved your worth and not a moment too soon. Quick, take me up and together we shall be unstoppable!"

2d8=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3725053/). Sleep affects 7 HD of targets according to the 2d8 roll. As written, the primary target is affected first (note also that this spell has a range of 240 feet). The snake has 4* HD, so is considered to take up 5 HD for purposes of the spell. That leaves two HD remaining, so Ganelon and Ervenor are also affected, though they can be woken almost instantly and suffer no ill effects.

A word about intelligent swords. There is always the chance that the wielder will fall under the control of the sword. This does not mean the sword is cursed or the wielder is NPCed. The sword can be set aside or not wielded as desired. However, under certain circumstances the sword will attempt to assert itself over the wielder. These instances can include (note that the sword must be grasped in order to do this) passing over another weapon in favor of using the current one, charging blindly into battle against a specific threat/foe, spending large amounts of money on fancy scabbards, etc.

Under most cirumstances I require that magical items be identified prior to learning about their abilities. However, in this instance the sword, if wielded prior to identification, will impart knowledge of its powers to the wielder.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

Curious by the strange artifact, Lanmolltar walked towards it and picked it up gingerly by the hilt.

"...sword, what is your name?"

[thirdkingdom]

Talking Sword

Lanmolltar feels a brief mental struggle as he takes up the blade; it lasts but an instant than vanishes, leaving the elf in control. "Ho there Sir Elf! At last, one worthy of wielding the puissant blade that is Firebrand, scourge of the dragon Hylaxis, slayer of brigands, and bringer of light to the dark corners of the world. I was forged by the dwarves of faraway Rockhome, enchanted by the Three, and wielded by Jubbok One-hand. I have seen cities fall, empires crumble, and have striven to hold back the tides of chaos that threaten to engulf the land. I can grant three powers to he who wields me, each usable thrice per day: at your command I shall sheathe myself in flames. Another word shall protect you 'gainst the same. Finally, if you bid it I shall hold fast a door or portal so that none but those of you choosing may pass, for truly I am one of the greatest artifacts under the sun; too long wielded by the degenerate and unworthy goblin-kin."

I'm on my phone, but will go into more detail when I get home this evening. Meanwhile, there are two unexplored corridors leading from the room.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon pokes the dead snake a bit with this staff, in case there are any other treasures lying beneath or around it. He steps back away from the elf, not wanting to be cut down by a turncoat blade, and relaxes when all seems well. He sets about to searching the room.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"...did you just try to control me?!" he said, as he flinched from the mental struggle.

"...so, what do you want? I believe you have goals and beliefs like every other sentinent creature."

[thirdkingdom]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon pokes the dead snake a bit with this staff, in case there are any other treasures lying beneath or around it. He steps back away from the elf, not wanting to be cut down by a turncoat blade, and relaxes when all seems well. He sets about to searching the room.

The room was obviously the lair of this giant serpent; there are several large, discarded skins mixed with the undigested bones and leavings of what look to be several years worth of prey. Mixed in with the bones, scales and other detritus Ganelon finds 13 gold coins.

Contains dice rolls. Read at your own risk. So, enough time has passed between when I rolled for this encounter and now that I have lost all notes of the treasure, other than the sword, that the snake had. I will therefore, in the interest of fairness, roll again. According to the RC, giant rattlers have TT U, which gives a 10% of copper, silver, 5% gp, 10% gems and jewelry and 5% special. I had originally rolled a 2 for magic items, which resulted in the sword. Therefore, I will roll d100 six times: 1d100=86, 1d100=54, 1d100=1, 1d100=79, 1d100=85, 1d100=57 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3726218/). Aha! There is some gold, 1d100, apparently: 1d100=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3726219/)

[thirdkingdom]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"...did you just try to control me?!" he said, as he flinched from the mental struggle.

"...so, what do you want? I believe you have goals and beliefs like every other sentinent creature."

Firebrand, Enchanted Sword

"Master Elf, I was but testing your courage and strength of will to ensure that you are truly worthy of wielding such a splendid weapon as myself. And you have prove yourself to be so, I must declare!"

"My only wish is to be wielded in glorious battle, Master, to taste the blood of thine enemies and shatter them before you. The forces of law give me strength, against which the baseless thralls of Chaos stand not a chance! The Three enchanted me for a purpose, yes, but that has been met and done centuries ago, and now I simply seek to bring order to a world where there is none!"

Again, dice rolls below. Read at your own risk.

So, every intelligent sword has an Intelligence, Ego, and alignment. I rolled a ten for Intelligence, which means it speaks 1d3 languages and has 3 primary powers. Rolling a 1d12 for Ego I got an 8. Adding these two numbers together we get 18, which opposes Lanmolltar's Strength + Wisdom. However, a number of modifiers affect the sword's score, among them whether or not the wielder is injured and has fewer than half his hp (which he does not) and an opposition in alignment. Does the sword have a purpose? d20 roll of 8. No. Either that or the purpose has been fulfilled long ago.

The vast majority of people in the world are of Neutral alignment. However, magical weapons are often created by a dedicated subset of these people, often to promote a goal or cause. Therefore, rolling 1d6, a result of 1-2 yields Chaotic, 3-4 Neutral and 5-6 Lawful. I got a 5, so the sword is Lawful. The RC assumes a wielder of a different alignment takes damage each round the sword is held; I prefer to ignore this. Instead, having an alignment 1 step different adds +5 to the strength of the sword; 2 steps (i.e. Lawful-Chaotic) gives a +10. There is one step of difference in alignment, so the sword's modified score is 23, still not enough to overcome Lanmolltar. However, things might change if he suffers significant damage.

For languages, I rolled 1d6 and got a 5 again, for three languages spoken. Thyatian (common) is one. Rolling randomly I get Minotaur and Dwarf. The sword has three primary powers. I use my own custom tables; each primary power can be used three times/day. Rolling I get one 1st level M-U spell, one 2nd level cleric spell, and one 2nd level druid spell. Rolling on the respective tables I get Hold Person, Produce Flame, and Resist Fire. I am ruling that If Produce Flame is used to ignite the sword the next target hit suffers damage as per burning oil but the sword is no longer flaming. The flame also casts light as per a torch and will burn for 6 turns unless commanded to cease by the wielder or a target is hit.

Firebrand is a +1 bastard sword. Just because they are intelligent it doesn't mean they are not full of themselves.

So there you go, the creation process of a magical sword.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

"Okay, let's take your fancy sword and my handful of coins from a serpent's digestive system and be on our way. What do you think? If they came through here, the went through the nearest corner, skirting around the snake, I suppose."

He gestures at the exit that seems the nearest to where they entered.

The southeast exist, right?

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

Ervenor felt himself quite useless, while he waited for the companions to finish the sleeping beast. He made a mental note to try to not remain in range of sleep spells for the future.

"Lanmolltar, you really earned this prize! And Firebrand, good to meet you.

Ok, let's try the south exit."

[thirdkingdom]

Traveling down the southern corridor for only a few steps you begin to see sunlight at the end of the tunnel. This corridor clearly leads to the middle of the three doors that were observed before entering the complex.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Hey, this is exactly the entrance where we saw the traces of the serpent!
I guess we can try the other passage."

[thirdkingdom]

The western passage continues for sixty feet before turning north. Forty feet to the north the passage branches off to the east as well as continuing north. Lanmolltar's sharp eyes detect boot prints, similar to those found in the lair of the rust monster, continuing north along the main passage.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Wait, I see footprints." Lanmolltar said, pointing to the distinctive shapes,

"Prepare yourselves. Whatever killed that monster could be around here. Firebrand, do you know anything about what happened?"

[thirdkingdom]

Firebrand, Enchanted Sword

"I know not, Master Elf. My previous . . . master . . . was disposed of not too many days ago, and although possessed of a superior intellect and boundless knowledge I have never taken the opportunity to school myself in such a debased and stunted language as goblin. I do know, however, that there were two humans poking their long noses around here within the past week or so, but what became of them I know not."

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

"Shall we go north? If those are the footsteps of the two that we are looking for, we'd better go that way."

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"We...should." Lanmolltar said hesitantly as he led the way forward, Firebrand in hand.

[thirdkingdom]

The corridor continues north for forty feet then makes a ninety degree turn west. After running for nearly another forty feet, it opens into a room approximately 30 feet on a side, with the corridor entering in the center of the west wall. Directly opposite the party, a corridor in the center of the east wall leads out of the room. In the center of this room the adventurers discover three bodies: two humans, male and female, and a goblin, all slain. It appears the group has discovered the missing cleric and the young man who followed her.

Examining the bodies it is discovered that the young man and the goblin apparently slew one another; both are covered with numerous cuts and are arranged in such a fashion to make this a plausible theory. Wounds are not evidently visible on Aleena, but eventually Lanmolltar discovers a single puncture wound, the size of an arrow, abover her left breast. The wound is singed as if from fire, and the concensus between the elf and magic-user is that some sort of magic was used to end her life.

So, I just want to put this in here before I get a bunch of complaints about killing Aleena. Sorry to say this, but she was doomed from the start. I know Roland recognizes this dungeon; this is the introductory adventure from the D&D Red Box that introduced me to the game. See, you start off investigating these caves, are bitten by a snake and run into this cure cleric named Aleena who heals you and tells you a bit about adventuring ("not all thieves are bad people"). She is then killed by a certain magic-user, you survive to take her body home, and return to the dungeon after buying new equipment. The main part of the dungeon you went through is that second part of the PHB. The conceit I went for is that the young man who followed Aleena was actually "you" from the solo adventure; young and naive, only instead of surviving the fight "you" perished with Aleena.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey

Ganelon curses and shudders at the sight of the dead townsfolk. He recovers and begins examining the situation. After confirming the people were dead and surmising how they'd gotten that way, he begins a search of the room. "We'd best bear them back to town."

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Who...who could have done this?" the elf said as he kneeled beside Aleena, circling the burn mark with his finger.

"I agree. We should go back and tell them. Should we look into the other rooms in case there are clues about this perpetrator?" he said, refering the passage behind and in front of them.

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

Ervenor sighs.
"Poor pals. At the end the bartender at the Owlbear's was right...
Yes, we must bring them back to town. I'd like to investigate the rest of the dungeon, but there can be several rooms left, for what we know. I think we're better bring the bodies to Threshold right now, and then come back to search the rest of the rooms and find these magic-using muggers.
Perhaps we can bring them outside, then build two stretchers. I wonder if we can carry away the chest too."

Can we?

[thirdkingdom]

Some logistics. I'm going to say that both bodies weigh 1500 cn. That is probably on the light side, when considering armor, gear, etc. It is now 11:00 am, game time, and Threshold is about five hours away at your current encumbrance. Since the party has halved since entering the caves, through no fault of yours, I'm going to rule that any treasure you leave here will be unmolested as long as you return in the next few days. When you get back with the bodies I will figure up combat XP and will do treasure once everything has been returned to Threshold. The chest will require at least a mule to move.

[thirdkingdom]

Can I assume that the party will carry the dead back to Threshold, leaving the bulk of the treasure behind, with the understanding that as long as they return fairly quickly you guys won't run the risk of losing it? Seeing as the group has basically been halved, I don't think it would be fair of me to mess with you guys in such a manner.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey

Ganelon does his best to carry either the priestess or the boy, whichever seems lighter. If that fails, he offers to take others' packs to help them out. He suggests that they take them both to the temple in town. He hires runners to notify the Baron and the boy's father. He sends another to rent him a mule and cart; "return here with them, please."

He will speak with the local priests, the woman's family, and the boy's family, offering his condolences.

yes.

[thirdkingdom]

The trip back to Threshold is slow, smelly, and largely uneventful until the party stumbles into a clearing in which almost a dozen wolves of various sizes and ages are sunning themselves. What must be the alpha male -- a huge, graying wolf with a scarred muzzle -- is alone in the center of the clearing. Several smaller wolves, most likely the females, are clustered together at the end opposite to party before the mouth of a small cave or opening into the hill behind. Five or six little wolf pups scamper and tumble around the clearing. The adults look up as the party inadvertantly interrupts their relaxation time, and the pack leader growls lazily, but the party is allowed to back-up and depart with no violence.

The journey back takes almost twice as long as the journey their, and the adventurers arrive at the gate around six in the evening. Quintas, the head of the day guard, is just getting ready to turn the watch over to his counterpart when he sees the group approach, two bodies slung over their shoulders. He gives a start and shouts to two underlings, who quickly procure an unladen cart and serve as a makeshift honor guard for trip to the temple.

Father Varis is roused from his dinner and comes out to meet the party. Shaking his head in sorrow he asks for particulars about the circumstances under which the two were found.

Random Encounter
Random Encounter 1-2 on 1d121d12=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733286/). Yes. Roll 1d8 for type: 1d8=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733301/). 1 is an animal. Roll d100 to determine what type of animal: 1d100=58 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733303/). 58 is a wolf. Chance in lair (2d6): 2d6=9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733304/), in lair. Number appearing (3d6):3d6=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733305/).
Attitude: 2d6=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733306/). 7 is "cautious"
XP from Combat
4 giant rats. 5 XP each, 20 total/6 PCs= 3.33 each
3 goblins: 5 XP each, 15 total/6 PCs= 2.5 XP each
6 skeletons: 10 XP each, 60 total/5 PCs= 12 XP each
Snake, giant rattler: 125 XP/3 PCs= 41.67 each.
Total of 59.5, round up to 60 XP each, prior to ability score modifier
XP from treasure
According to the wiki, you guys brought back: 2 citrines (50 gp each), 2 tiger's eyes (25 gp apiece), 1 locket (3000 gp), 22 ep (11 gp), 60 sp (6 gp), for a total value of 3167 gp, or 1056 apiece, before any XP bonus due to ability scores is added in.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon shares a brief version of the party's investigation, trip to the caves, and hazards faced. He tries to extol his companions' bravery without overdoing it. He explains the specific scene of the pair's death as well as their surmises about the causes of death, and pointing out the relevant wounds and likely causes. He again offers his regrets.

"We are keen to return and root out this cowardly killer."

I'd have done more dialog, but I'm pressed for time and on my phone until tomorrow evening.

Also, Ganelon does have the Diplomacy skill, for whatever it's worth here.

[thirdkingdom]

Got it, Roland. I saw on the Old Ways OOC you'll be traveling and low posting. I'd like to hear from the other two PCs, as this is a fairly important scene in terms of moving things along. Also, I'm going to work Koren in soon.

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

Agreeing with Ganelon, he bows Father Varis, before looking at him solemnly.

"It would be a cruel thing indeed if we do not complete our invesstigations to find this killer. He is a cunnning on, making it seem like a natural fight against evil, but the foul play shows how dangerous this person can be. We will try out best to bring her killer to justice."

[CalamaroJoe]

Ervenor Oughormack, Cleric

During the transport Ervenor made sure, to the best of his knowledge, to handle the body of the fallen cleric according to the prescriptions of her faith.

Now, in front of Father Varis, he shows a like respect.
"Indeed it seems that we faced not a solitary band of goblins, but that they are coordinated and directed by someone. The brutes had with themselves new coins; and we have evidence that they made a deal with someone in order to achieve some results that we don't know.
We are eager to find this person and put and end to their plans."

Being oversuspicious, Ervenor describes the parchment found in the chest to Father Varis, if and only if he reasonably sure that the priest can't in any way be involved with the foul plots of goblins and "B."

[thirdkingdom]

Father Varis

"New coins, you say. Do you happen to have any with you for me to see? And this note, signed by "B". Hmm . . . I have much to think on. Return here in the morning, if you would be so kind. The Patriarch must be notified of his duaghter's death, and he and I must have a serious talk about some things. As promised, here is your reward. She could not be returned to us alive, alas, but you gentlemen did the next best thing and returned her body with dignity. As well as the body of her fallen comrade."

You gain the 1000 gold reward. Note that the reward does not count towards XP.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic-User

Ganelon produces one of the very few newly-minted coins he picked up and offers it to Father Varis.

"We would appreciate any insights you may have into what we face. "

He considers the boy's body and asks, "this young man accompanied Lady Aleena into danger and died at her side fighting this evil, will he be looked after here or should be return his remains to his father?"

He is reluctant to keep the Father any longer than necessary and when it is clear the conversation has ended he offers, "We will return in the morning."

[thirdkingdom]

Father Varis

"This young man is Traladran, no? We will keep the body here for the nonce; perhaps it would be for the best if you would deliver the sad news to his next of kin, and they can decide what to do with his remains."

[thirdkingdom]

To try and move things along a bit . . .
1)We can role=play bringing the bad news to the kid's parents or I can handwave it and write it up as a paragraph.
2)There is a little bit of time pressure to get back and retrieve the rest of the loot, which, if I am not mistaken, should come pretty close to bringing Ervenor to 2nd level and actual magic. A mule with saddlebags can be purchased easily, as could a mule and small cart.
3)Gems and jewelry can be converted to cast at a 15% rate. This is a 7% royal tax, followed by an 8% moneychanging fee. This does not affect XP.
4)All of the above can be done on the way back to an inn from the church.
5)There is another player, waiting patiently in the wings, who can be introduced at the inn. Join on in, Koren!
6)There was talk of finding a mage to identify items. Likewise, with the pared down group it might be wise to acquire one or two fighter type henchmen. Both of thses shall be done in the traditional D&D manner; frequenting inns. The more cash the characters spend (putting up posters, hiring criers, paying bribes), the better and faster the results. BTW, this also applies to finding new plot hooks. I would say that anywhere from 10-50 gp is a good amount to spend looking for henchmen/retainers. If we could take care of this now so that there will be people ready when you come back with the rest of the loot -- in terms of getting the ball rolling, at least.

Tell me what you guys want to do.

[Roland St. Jude]

To try and move things along a bit . . .
1)We can role=play bringing the bad news to the kid's parents or I can handwave it and write it up as a paragraph.
2)There is a little bit of time pressure to get back and retrieve the rest of the loot, which, if I am not mistaken, should come pretty close to bringing Ervenor to 2nd level and actual magic. A mule with saddlebags can be purchased easily, as could a mule and small cart.
3)Gems and jewelry can be converted to cast at a 15% rate. This is a 7% royal tax, followed by an 8% moneychanging fee. This does not affect XP.
4)All of the above can be done on the way back to an inn from the church.
5)There is another player, waiting patiently in the wings, who can be introduced at the inn. Join on in, Koren!
6)There was talk of finding a mage to identify items. Likewise, with the pared down group it might be wise to acquire one or two fighter type henchmen. Both of thses shall be done in the traditional D&D manner; frequenting inns. The more cash the characters spend (putting up posters, hiring criers, paying bribes), the better and faster the results. BTW, this also applies to finding new plot hooks. I would say that anywhere from 10-50 gp is a good amount to spend looking for henchmen/retainers. If we could take care of this now so that there will be people ready when you come back with the rest of the loot -- in terms of getting the ball rolling, at least.

Tell me what you guys want to do.


Handwaving that is fine with me. Ganelon is genuinely empathetic and sympathetic.
Ganelon has already sent for a mule and cart. His plan is to go back for the loot this evening or at first light depending on his assessment of how long it'll take/nightfall/etc.
Ganelon would like to keep the gems out of his share, but otherwise has no problem converting locket to to gold, as it's too big for anyone's share. By my count, after cashing in the locket, each person's share is 905 gp, 6 sp, 6 cp. Ganelon's take will be 150 in gems and 755 gp, 6 sp, 6 cp. Any objections? If not, the other two take their shares in cash.
Ganelon goes right from the church to reclaim the rest of the treasure, unless it's too late at night.
Yay, Koren!
Are things in this game that are magical obviously magical, though unidentified? If so, what did we get, aside from the sword, that's magical. If not, Ganelon will want to hold onto any items to inspect them with detect magic next time he casts it or has downtime.

[CalamaroJoe]

Handwaving ok with me too. Ervenor contributes with his knowledge of Traladaran manners, but leave most of the talk to charming Ganelon.
Ervenor is for the party to go for the treasure as soon as possible.
Ok for the share in cash. Ervenor will leave most of his possessions in a safe in the church.
ok
Welcome Koren!
There is a potion (can we try some guesses? Enlargement?) and a dagger, IIRC.

[thirdkingdom]

CalamaroJoe is correct; there is a potion and a dagger. Yes, I will typically indicate whether an item is magical or not, although this is not always the case. Properties must be determined somehow, though. At this point it is night, so I would suggest leaving in the morning. Before or after you talk to Father Varis again, because he did ask you to return?

[Vesth]

1)Handwaving is fine with me too.
2)I should get bonus exp as well, right?
3)I remember there was something about spending money for community projects...
4)Ahh, great!
5)Koren, join the gang! We have yet to make some epic ballads...
6)Talking about plothooks, I have one when we solve the cleric problem. We could always search for Firebrand's past.

[thirdkingdom]

To make it easy we'll deal with the retrieval before Koren joins.

The innkeeper gives the group directions to the young man's house, and there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth when the sad news is delivered, though all appear comforted that he died an honorable death.

The party sets out early the following morning for the caves. Several hours into the journey, just before preparing to leave the main path for the smaller game trail leading to the complex, the party encounters a small caravan of wagons, mules and guards approaching from the west.

"Ho there!", cries one of the guards at the head of the column. "Do you hail from Threshold? We have not missed the gnomish caravan, have we? We come from the west, across unnamed mountains and through perilous valleys, bringing precious goods, rare trinkets and unique wares from the kingdoms found on no maps. We are hoping to meet the gnomes and trade for their confabulous clockwork constructions!"

The gnomes are due in a weeks time. Vesth, Lanmolltar should earn a 10% bonus for both Str and Int at 13, plus 5% for mapping.
Rolled for random encounter using my phone. Rolled a 1, so yes to encounter. Rolled a 4, so human. Rolled a 63, so trade caravan. For those interested, I am using custom expanded encounter tables.

[Roland St. Jude]

Ganelon Gallifrey, Magic User

"You've made good time, then. The gnomes are due a week from now, though perhaps they are making good time as well? What have you brought to trade and where will you be staying? Perhaps we might do some business when we return from our morning ride?"

Regardless of their answer, he won't delver further, eager to be on his way. Ganelon gestures broadly back toward town and adds, "May you have a fun and profitable time in Threshold!"

[thirdkingdom]

Merchant

A richly dressed man, incongruously caked in dust and sweat, responds, "We have been trading with the savages that dwell on the very edges of the apocalyptic terrain we know as the Broken Lands. Possessed with a bravery verging on suicidal, the youths venture forth into that hellish place and, if they are lucky to return, sometimes find the treasures and machinery of the ancients. We plan to meet with the gnomes, then east to Ylaraum and south back to Thyatis."

"You all seem like a capable lot. Not ten days ago we sheltered with a clan of dwarves who mine for gems in the mountains. The pass from their camp to the rich city of Darokin has been seized by a foul and rapacious tribe of ogres, who will let none pass. The Thane of the clan would sorely like to see the pass opened, and offers a ruby the size of a man's fist to whomever can accomplish such a feat. You seem in a hurry. We may meet in Threshold yet. Good day, gentlemen."

[Vesth]

Lanmolltar Tathvaul, Elf

"Good day, human!" Lanmolltar replies cheerfully,

"Mayhaps we can meet in less time-stressed situations for some trading."

That said, he turns to the rest.

"Opening the pass...could be our next job after we catch the killer of the cleric..."

[thirdkingdom]

With a wave the adventurers bid the caravan goodbye. The remaining trip is uneventful, the treasure where it had been left, apparently undisturbed. After some time spent loading up the party departs. They encounter no trouble on the journey back, and arrive back in Threshold around six in the evening.

Intentions? Planning on visiting Father Varis in the morning? Koren, you can jump in, now. Just a heads up; I will be doing a show in New Jersey through the weekend -- leaving today, back late late Sunday -- so if I do not answer with my usual promptness I am most likely trying to sell stuff.

[CalamaroJoe]

Intentions? Planning on visiting Father Varis in the morning?

Ervenor is interested in talking with Father Varis as soon as it can be done without bothering him (this evening or tomorrow moring).
In the meantime he is going to search a weaponsmith to buy a better armor and some expert to identify the potion and the dagger.
If his associates agree, they can also go looking for some mercenaries.

[Koren n'Rhys]

Arcturis the Red, Magic-User

Later in the evening, when the group returns to their inn, they are approached by a tall, young man dressed in black and white, with a distinctively full, red beard.
"Ho fellows! I don't mean to disturb you, but I was told by Father Varis earlier today that you might be looking for additional companions to aid you in your upcoming adventures. He gave me your names and descriptions and told be where you might be found."

When he sees the man described to him as Ganelon, he nods and holds out a hand by means of introduction. "Ganelon Gallifrey, I presume? I'm Arcturis Sparano. Also known as Arcturis the Red," he adds with a grin. "Like you, I'm a spellcaster of some small skill. Hopefully enough that I can be of some assistance to your group."
Arcturis would be interested in hiring some sort of mercenaries or guards, especially when he sees the group is light on fighter-types and magic-heavy. he can contribute his share to the advertising fund.

[thirdkingdom]

Very cool intro, Koren. Perfect. So, if you want someone to go into a dungeon with you you will need a henchman. Henchmen are attached to a specific character. Charisma is important to determine loyalty under pressure; it is also a good idea to have at least a decent amount of XP because if the henchman surpasses the PC in level they essentially leave.

Here are some guidelines I have found useful in to know about when hiring a henchman. The more money and or time spent in town looking for help the more choices you will have. I'll say 20 gp is a pretty good increment to spend. This gives you posters, bribes, etc. Every additional day is good as well.

Henchmen gain a share of party treasure, which also goes towards their XP. 25% of one share is a good figure. So if there are four PCs and one NPC treasure, and therefore treasure from XP, would be divided into five shares, with each PC getting a full share, the NPC getting a 1/4 of a full share, and the remaining 3/4 of the full share going back to the PCs. The NPC would also get 1/4 of a full share worth of XP.

Henchmen also expect a salary. Between 50-100 gold per month is good; the higher the more loyal. It also helps to pay a month's salary up front. If the PC offers to help with starting equipment that is also good.

Any questions? Shall we move on to meeting with Varis again in the morning?