Catching up on Thursday in Thracia RELOADED
So it turns out that deadlines and regularly scheduled writing are anathema to me. I should have known, but I thought the drugs had changed me more than they have. (Don't worry, the drugs are good and having the primary intended effect)
Luckily my lack of posting doesn't reflect a lack of play, which is what I actually give a shit about. So without further ado, let's recap where my players have gone in the Caverns, and what sort of trouble they've gotten into.
At the end of session 2 our lovable miscreants had found themselves in between two rope bridges spanning chasms filled with giant bats.
Session 3 (Run Away!)
- Proceed across the rope bridge without light to keep the bats away.
- Come to a corridor, 30' turn to the right, torchlight ahead.
- Challenged by two humans, heavily armed and armored, beckoned to approach with a leer.
- Run away! Cut the rope bridge to avoid pursuit! Whistles from the strange men in the dark!
- Run to the T intersection, more armored men approach from the right. Mad dash away and up out of the dungeon, dodging thrown spears and eluding pitched combat!
- Re-enter the wide stair in the crumbling Temple of Athena. Through the guano covered huge square chamber and hall. Right through the small domed chamber where they met the Saurians and secret door.
- Instead of backtracking through the Gnoll outpost to the right, take a left. Another left, loooooong corridor that turns left into a stairwell deep down.
- Huge natural chamber full of stalagmites and old refuse, forward through a short worked hallway.
- Challenged by a single Gnoll!
Session 4 (The Diplomatic Approach)
- Gnoll is confused but not aggressive, demands the party meet with his commander.
- Party decides to take diplomatic approach, treats with Gnoll Lieutenant Grotch (lol).
- Grotch asks what their business is and by what right they come to this place. Part claims to be academics studying the human ruins, ask for safe passage. Grotch slyly offers to introduce them to Stronghorn the Minotaur King but the party demurs. For further safe passage through Gnoll territory Grotch demands 6 left ears of humans along with 6 death cult medallions as proof of dispatch of the troublesome Thanatos worshipers. Tells the party the Worshippers of Death can be found by taking the other exit from the guard post which heads south to the Great Cavern, then follow the river to the east to find the stairs up to the cultist compound.
- Party is concerned that the Gnolls clearly eat humans/demihumans, depart along indicated path.
- Upon arriving in the large cavern the party notices lights to the north-east and investigates finding Saurians. They present the bracelet gifted them by Thakk and are welcomed.
- The party meets G'ruk Fishfinder, Priest and Chief of the Saurians, turn down the offer of repast on cold somewhat recently butchered human. G'ruk makes a proposal, his scouts have found a great treasure which is guarded by some deadly thing, but his auguries have told him it can be secured if one were to "Cast the blood of man upon the troubled waters". As one member of the party is human G'ruk offers to split the treasure if they help secure it.
- The party agrees to try for the treasure and takes a welcome rest in the village of their new allies the Saurians.
Session 5 (Tentacles from the Deep)
- The following "morning" the party departs along with 3 Saurian scouts. Ropes and pitons are provided to allow climbing up a ledge beside a waterfall.
- When the group comes to an enormous spiderweb the Saurian scouts toss a whole human leg into the webbing. A humongoid spider with a red hourglass on it's abdomen comes and retrieves the leg. The Saurians lead the group into the water underneath the web.
- Moving from bank/ledge to bank/ledge the group comes to a flat wall, the Saurians reveal a secret door. Beyond the door is a dusty room only recently disturbed. 2 boxes, a large chest, murals of a fanged mouth, and a heavy smear of blood leaving through the portal opposite.
- Follow the blood trail. Find an the source of the River, large roiling pool. Rory cuts across palm and flings blood into water. Nothing. Nothing. Huge pythonesque tentacles topped with fist sized eyes break the water!
- Retreat! Pursued! One tentacle grabs Rory, nearly squeezes hit guts out.
- Counter attack! Stab eyes! Rescue! Set fire to hall!
- During reprieve from the eye stalks' predations the group opens the chest to reveal enormous riches. Then the party decides that the thief who's player isn't present will check the box for traps...
Session 6 (Our Miscreant's First Success!)
- Our intrepid thief's player failed to join us again. So when the floating fanged mouth appeared out of nothing it instead attacked Rory (sorry Rory), nearly slaying him.
- Panic! Strike at the mouth! Only the wizard connects dealing 1 damage! Disembodied collection of fangs and gullet disappears.
- Flame barrier failing, drag the loot out as quickly as possible. Wizard uses floating disk on the box.
- Portage across to the next embankment.
- Begin traversal of cave river + web, disembodied mouth re-appears and strikes! Wizard Simon dying!
- Fighter Grumble cleaves mouth in twain, blood spurts from mid-air.
- Cleric Lalandra heals Wizard.
- Finish portage back to Saurian village.
- Split treasure with Saurians. Level up!
- G'ruk outlines the dangers of the Great Cavern: falling carnivorous stalactite creatures, Saurian taboo hut, giant flying blood sucking cave bugs, a giant stands athwart the bridge at the far end of the cavern.
- Party crosses the river with the help of Saurians. Traverse cavern only briefly scrutinizing taboo hut. Jokes made about blindfolding Thief Iskios to prevent him violating taboo (Iskios player not present).
- Come to end of cavern. Encounter giant. Giant in fact massively enlarged gnome Grastic Hammerclay. Insane, outcast, caused own enlargement through alchemical meddling. Knowns cultists. Wants real food (not cave crustaceans and stirges). Given a ration with promise of more and help. Tells of Sphinx through hall of skulls to the north. Takes tribute in exchange for knowledge.
Session 7 (Riddles in the dark)
- Full complement of players!
- Travel 80' up hall to archway. Note rumor that "Hall of laughing skulls leads to great riches"
- Beyond arch is empty room with large pedestal. On entry Sphinx Ontussa appears on pedestal in column of golden light, demands tribute of 10gp per character. Iskios gives 100gp, Sphinx pleased. Offers to answer questions for 100gp per question.
- No charge, Simon Wizard: Why are you here, do you want company (wink, wink)?Answer: No, Sphinxes mate for life. Mine, Sarastrix, was lost to me in a storm and is dead.
- Question 1, Rory (anthropology PhD student, Fighter): who is the oldest extant group occupying Thracia? Answer: Saurians had the first civilization to occupy Caverns of Thracia. For more information seek "The Immortal King" in Saurian tomb complex. Entrances are secret door near Saurian village or behind statue across from Temple of Athena/ Temple of Descension.
- Question 2, Lalandra Priest: How can we help Grastic Hammerclay? Answer: the key is in his mind, which must be healed with powerful magic. Furthermore he will need access to alchemical equipment, reagents, etc.
- Question 3, Iskios: Is the minotaur king Stronghorn a good king, should he be deposed? Answer: He is happily supported by the minotaurs, dogbrothers, and gnolls. Some of his subjects certainly desire his downfall for selfish ends. The Saurians who are subservient to him would love to reclaim the Caverns for their people. The humans who serve as slaves and food to the beastmen would rejoice at his overthrow, as would the dryads (!?!). Much death and suffering would follow the destruction of the minotaur dynasty, as with all such occurrences.
- Total spent: 400, information gained: priceless, I hope.
- Party decides to return to Saurian village, as predicted Iskios is very curious about taboo hut. Simon examines warning totem using Detect Magic and discovers that it has a psychic alarm tied to an object in the hut. Leave.
- Return to Saurian village, interview G'ruk. G'ruk confirms that Saurians were the first here "That's what we've been telling you the whole time!" and had a vast kingdom with many human slaves. Party elects not to ask about entrance to tomb complex.
OK, that's where we left the game as of last night, it's been very fun. Maybe I'll go back to writing proper play reports again, maybe not. I will write up some Gnoll and Saurian stat blocks as promised (eventually). I was expecting that the group would want to actually leave the dungeon in order to spend some of their loot, but they seem content to just keep wandering around talking to people. Assuming they do want to go buy some decent armor at some point I'm also going to use my City generation procedure to write up Hanowa so I know what they can actually find there.
P.S. I don't know why I didn't do this earlier, it really didn't take that long. I guess having another more pressing blog post I'm halfway through writing has prompted me to write this one. picardfacepalm.gif.
P.P.S. suck my bullet points.