Category: Campaign

Posted on

W:DH Update – Shall we play a game?

I’m currently unconscious on the dirty floor of a warehouse in the Dock Ward.  Just how did I end up lying in an expanding pool of my own blood?

I guess it all started last night at the card game I run in the Yawning Portal.  I really like the people who have been showing up to play.  I guess I would consider them friends, especially Tobby, who has been coming to the table the longest.  As we were finding our seats that night, a fight broke out.  It’s a fairly common occurrence, but this fight seemed decidedly unfair to Yagra – the half-orc who was being attacked by multiple foes.  To my delight, much of our group stepped in to help immediately.  We also quickly found that the fight wasn’t quite as unfair as we first thought.  Yagra would probably have fared just fine even if we hadn’t stepped in to help. I noticed the leader of the attackers had several eyes tattooed on his head. I don’t recall seeing anything like it before.  Yagra explained that she had done some work for the group, but they wanted more from her before paying her their agreed fee.  I could understand her displeasure. She mentioned that the leader was named Krince, and was obviously someone who should not be trusted.

That bit of ugly business finished, we settled in to play our game.  Then a troll climbed out of the portal at the center of the tavern.  We were actually a bit excited to get the opportunity of taking some free pot-shots at the troll from the safety of the balcony where we sat.  As most of the other patrons ran for the exit, our new acquaintance Yagra ran down the stairs to face the troll.  To my surprise, Jumanji followed!  Moments later, we discovered what had driven the troll into our midst.  Stirges, who were attacking the troll, now swarmed into the tavern looking for new victims. One attached itself to Tobby, who dropped from the blood loss.  In the confusion, Boaz dropped as well.  As I rushed to give aid, I noticed another stirge had attached itself to Shava.  She killed it, and it dropped to the floor.  Durnan, the proprietor of the Yawning Portal, had joined the fight against the troll and called for fire to be brought to bear against the creature.  It was destroyed shortly after in a cloud of horrid smelling smoke.

After the smoke cleared, we reentered the tavern with hopes of playing our game.  Durnan approached our table and mentioned to Shava and I that the sage Volo was looking for help with a bit of work, and he had recommended our group.  We decided to listen to the offer as he was apparently right upstairs at that very moment.  We found that Volo was looking for a friend who had recently gone missing.  The friend’s name is Floon Blagmaar .  He was described as a striking, tall man with wavy red hair.  He and Volo had been doing a bit of bar-hopping – ending at the Skewered Dragon.  Volo had retired for the night, but apparently Floon never made it home.  Volo promised money up front for accepting the job, with more to come when we found Floon.  Our game would once again be postponed as we accepted the task.

We went to the Skewered Dragon and got some information from a patron named Whisker who suggested we be a bit more discreet if we returned for more information in the future.  His information led us to Zoblob’s shop.  We entered the shop and Shava talked a bit with Zoblob himslef – who had some eye tattoos on his head.  That makes two people with these odd tattoos. Zoblob indicated that Floon was not alone.  He was accompanied by Rainier Neverember, and they were both accosted by a group of men with winged snake tattoos.

We retired for the evening, but met back up at the Skewered Dragon the next morning to gather more information.  Shava noticed a man acting drunk while trying to listen to our conversation.  As she approached, he vomited at her.  She deftly dodged the “attack” and the man started to leave the tavern.  Shava bolted out the door in front of the man, and shortly after Jumanji followed.  We asked about the man and the barkeep told us his name is Argus. From what I gather, Shava disguised herself in an attempt to follow Argus.  Jumanji followed at a distance as well.  They followed for a while, but ultimately lost their quarry as Jumanji watched him leap from one rooftop to another!  Boaz stayed in the tavern to perform on stage while hoping to gather more information.  Tobby suggested that he and I meet a friend of his for lunch (and information)  We made our way to Monte’s Heartland Hot Sausages.  Monte appears to do decent business from his cart as there was quite a line. Upon seeing us, Monte closed his cart and we went to the Bloody Fist to talk.  He told Tobby of a warehouse with a winged snake symbol discretely placed on it.  Tobby explained to me that the winged snake is actually the symbol of the Zhentarum, and the eye tattoos indicate a group called the Xanathar.  Theses two groups were on friendly terms previously, but now are attacking each other.

When our group reunited, we decided to investigate the Zhentarum warehouse.  Later that night, we decided to investigate its interior.  I must admit, breaking in to a warehouse – even one run by the Zhentarum is not something I would normally consider any longer, but I know that I might be able to keep an eye on my new friends if there’s trouble.  Tymora bless my bold action – I just hope it’s not too reckless.  Tobby approached the warehouse first and we followed.  As Tobby entered, we immediately realized we were in for a fight.  There were several bird-people poised to attack. Perhaps our approach was a bit too noisy.  The fight started poorly for our side.  Tobby dropped.  I was too far to give aid quickly – I must stay closer to him.  As I tried to fend off attacks and make my way to Tobby, another of our group dropped.  This couldn’t be happening!  Boaz cast a healing spell to aid our fallen friend – bless him!  As I made it to Tobby, my rushed attempt to help him failed.  As I looked at my fumbling, blood-covered hands in terror, I too, was struck down.  As I lost consciousness, I realized these bird people were seemingly quoting other people. “Tie up pretty-boy in the back room.” My vision blurred. “Follow the yellow signs in the sewers.” My vision darkened.  “No time to loot the place, get him to the boss.”  Everything went black.

Perhaps we should have just played our card game.

Posted on

Upcoming Game — Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

As we’ve discussed, our next game will be a return to Waterdeep in the latest D&D module “Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.” From D&D Beyond:

 

“In this story, you are D&D heroes with swords and magic living in fantasy New York City. A lot of normal people live here trying to get by, but the city is really run by monstrous crime lords, secret nobility, and a lot of evil people trying to get very, very rich. But since this is a city with laws and a police force, you have to act like detectives or vigilantes to get results, like Batman or Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes. Words are weapons, and it’s better to bring villains down by revealing their deep dark secrets than by killing them with a sword.”

We’ll be playing in the “current” iteration of Waterdeep. As much as I have tried to avoid keeping up with the official narrative for Waterdeep (and the broader Forgotten Realms), this game will be firmly set in the setting as it is formally. We are 30+ years in the future from the time of the Open Lord Piergeiron Paladinson. But, while some of the faces have changed except for the newest “Ward:” Deepwater Harbor, the city has not changed, except that it is grander and more cosmopolitan than ever. The above reference to New York City should give some indication of how bustling, arbitrarily corrupt and immune to everyday concerns the City of Splendors is.

For Players: Make Thematic Characters
If your DM and fellow players want to play a game of urban intrigue, you would be well served to create a character that fits in that genre. This way you not only respect others’ fun, you set yourself up to have fun by creating a character well-equipped to handle the sort of challenges the campaign will throw your way. A barbarian suited only for fighting will have fun when combat encounters arise, but when a campaign is mostly based around infiltrating manor houses, schmoozing with nobility, and hunting for clues in ancient archives? You aren’t doing yourself any favors by playing that kind of character.

I will ask that you pick your race, class and background together.  In the first 1-3 sessions, I’m going to ask that everyone complete their Traits, Ideals, Bonds and, especially Flaws.  Please try to have your character’s behavior reflect all of your characters components, not just Race, Class or Alignment.

More from the article:

For Players: Get Involved in the City
Waterdeep is as much a character as any of the DM’s NPCs. Its many wards all have different moods and treat the characters differently. High-class characters with the noble background may feel out of place among rough-and-tumble sailors in muddy Dock Ward, and common city folk may feel like the North Ward’s suburban atmosphere is a bit too clean for their taste—to say nothing of the opulent extravagance of the Sea Ward. Waterdeep is teeming with personality of its own, to say nothing of the dozens upon dozens of NPCs that live there.

Your character has the opportunity to become involved in the city and make a life there. You aren’t a wanderer, camping out on the side of a road as you travel from ruin to ruin. You may have a regular room in the Yawning Portal Inn and Tavern, and get to know the locals. You might want to start up a business of your own and get to know your neighbors and customers. This creates opportunities for roleplaying, but this is a good idea even if you don’t like roleplaying very much. Making friends with the common people of Waterdeep will help you create valuable alliances that may lead you to finding new adventures, new treasure, and other rewards.

 

Thanks!

Posted on

TSM Update: The Gathering Storm

IN OUR LAST SESSION(s)…

…our heroes moved to take on Zanzibar and (presumably) Eyebite. Throm led the way out of the Vault of the Throne, and back through the great Hall of History. Along the way, Tiresius, the Secretary joined the party.

The militia, with their increasing retinue (Alamein, the centaur; Attickus, the ranger; Throm, the Seguran dwarf and Tiresius) followed Throm’s direction back along their path to the great chamber where they had previously slipped past the line of Orc drummers. The heroes dispatched the drumming group who had been frantically pounding away prior to their demise.

Throm led the group further. At the end of a hallway, a large steel door was being guarded by an ogre and orc in chainmail. The heroes dispatched the orc and Throm, in Stone Giant shape held the ogre at bay and tossed him clear once the party was through the steel door. The door was then secured from the inside.

Beyond the door were two similar passages, each festooned with murder holes and capped by a similar steel door. As the heroes made their way down the passage, an oddly uniform series of attacks began: crossbow bolts fired at those who passed, with an interval of clicks and clacks and then another volley of bolts would be unleashed. The militia sustained some damage, but managed to make their way through. The Warden’s Key, once again, proved crucial.

A single chainmail-clad orc spotted the opened door and dropped the rods he bore in either hand, linked by fine wires to some mechanism on each side of the hallway. The orc attempted to flee, but Tia pounced and struck him down before he could take more than a step or two.

The rods were in some way tied into crossbows mounted to platforms in spaces behind the walls of the hallway, positioned in front of the murder holes. Each crossbow was fed via a steel “magazine” and the firing and reloading process — part mechanical, part magical were controlled by the rods held by the orc. The following hallway was configured identically. However, the militia devised a tactic whereby Tia, made Invisible by a spell from Norm, crept down the hallway and surprised the orc operating the automated firing platforms. The orc was quickly overwhelmed.

Throm warned that the path now lead to an ever-broadening passage that emerged into a wide stone stair leading to a “Control” area (per Tiresius) and side stairwells that descended into the mining operation proper.
Norm had made contact with the Kruthik swarm, which was nearby and awaiting his instruction. He could see through the creatures’ eyes that ten or so orcs commanded a few dozen dwarves in two areas at the base of the descending stairs. The militia planned to advance, take the rightmost stairs down, and with help from the Kruthiks, defeat the orcs and free the dwarves on that side, then repeat on the other.

However, as the militia approached the staircase, they realized that a small orc contingent was holding the stairs leading up and would be an obstacle to descending either the left or right staircase. The heroes were able to close within 50 feet of the nearest orcs and unleash attacks before spotted. A volley of arrows and spells, followed-up by charging attacks from the speedy Tovlakov and the galloping Alamein, with Dain astride, crushed this orc force with hardly a blow falling the heroes’ way.

Next came twin assaults on the orc forces at the base of the stairs. However, as the militia carefully advanced on the now-alerted foes downstairs, Norm unleashed the Kruthiks, who boiled forth like an unstoppable tide and within moments had killed the orcs and begun to feast.

Many of the freed dwarves joined the heroes, as did the Kruthiks. Those dwarves too feeble to shape-change were left behind to assist the wounded dwarves lying about in the mines.

This new juggernaut task force, the militia, twenty-or-so Seguran dwarves in Stone Giant form, Attickus, Alamein, Tiresius and the Kruthik swarm moved up the stairs to a great set of double doors beyond which, if the incessant drumming was any omen, the remaining enemy force had gathered in defense.

Posted on

TSM Update: Hope You Guess My Name

IN OUR LAST SESSION…
… our heroes faced the necromancer Eyebite and his master, Lord Segur. Eyebite immediately began to animate the skeletal and rotting remains of the many corpses piled near the great doors of the Vault. Segur reached out and magically drew the Warden’s Key from Tia and used it to open the doors.
A great battle then began, with a score of zombies, including some reanimated ogres advancing towards the heroes and holding them in place while Segur made for the great Throne.
The militiamen first targeted Segur, then as he passed out of sight, they moved to focusing on Eyebite. For some reason Uddar and his team held back.
In the mean time, Tovlakov used his superior speed to rush around the growing wall of undead, and to zoom past Eyebite in pursuit of Segur.
The militiamen had their hands full trying to fight their way through the zombies and skeletons. They sought to move past the front ranks of relatively small fry to get to Eyebite. The greater zombies, however, were able to hold the heroes at bay for a while. Eventually, Eyebite, who during this time was a target of repeated attacks seemed to draw sustenance from his undead such that the bolus of damage he took seemed to have little impact.
The heroes’ continued threat, however, did drive Eyebite back and through the great doors. The militiamen followed.
Tovlakov had continued to pursue Segur, despite his significant head start. It soon became clear that Segur could not outrun Tovlakov down this massive hallway with a long strip of red carpet stretching toward an enormous stone throne.
Segur warned Tovlakov not to try to reach the throne. “I don’t have any reason to want you dead,” he said, hinting at some unidentified threat. Segur then met Tovlakov and attacked him with a vicious concealed knife. The two fought, one-on-one. Tovlakov, though, had been worn down in his many travails since falling from the great bridge, and was dispatched by the Count. Segur then set out once again for the throne.
Only the speedy Alamein could stop him. The centaur rushed forward and confronted Segur. The two fought, and once again Segur came out on top. He closed the distance to the great Throne and perched upon it.
All seemed lost. Then Segur seemed to fumble about for something, tapping around on the Throne as if he might have lost something. With no warning, the great dark head of a massive, ancient dragon descended from the depths of the ceiling and snatched up Segur, swallowing him in one bite.
Eyebite disapparated.
After a moment, the great dragon descended on the throne, perched atop it, far too large to be seated. The great wyrm then transformed into a Giant-sized dwarf in armor, with a glistening crown at his brow.
This was the King of Old. This entire dwarven complex had been ruled by a dragon, those many generations ago.
The King, after introductions, indicated that he might wish to rebuild the long-lost relationship between the Dwarven stronghold and Rankford. He asked that the heroes help by freeing the Dwarven slaves still held inside the mine.
Throm indicated that he knew where Zanzibar and his forces kept the slaves. The heroes agreed to free the slaves, to defeat Zanzibar.
The ancient prisoner, who Dain now realized was a physical manifestation of his deity Ilmater, had one final discussion with his cleric, and disappeared.

Posted on

TSM Update: Pleased to Meet You

IN OUR LAST SESSION…

… our heroes made friends with some dwarves led by Uddar, priest of Berronar Truesilver. The dwarves had been trying for some time to get through the door leading to the Vault of the Throne. So far they have been unsuccessful. Uddar helped the heroes to identify the creatures heard the previous night clomping through the hallway: kor!

Uddar and crew had helped the heroes up in to the space above the hallway, and participated in the fight against the flameskull. The heroes had hoped to perhaps use the kor’s ability to teleport to pass through the door.

Their other new friend, Jermiah, who they had freed from the previously-explored vampire spawn lair, seemed to feel that the militiamen had it within themselves to open the door. Once the attempt to use the kor’s teleport ability seemed infeasible (or would take too long), the militimen, accompanied by their Segurian dwarf allies Strom and Throm, Jeremiah, Uddar and his three associates, the centaur Alamein and his ranger friend Attickus, the heroes all pushed on the door together…

“You strain, your party members sweating alongside. Dust and plaster fall into your hair. Your muscles burn, tendons stretch and threaten to snap. Your breath is hot and increasingly ragged against the cold stone of the door. Through gritted teeth you urge your allies on for one last push, and the door begins to creak and then with an audible crack and a rush of air, the door gives.

You find yourself blinking in the dim but seemingly omnipresent light of a great stone hall, in the grandest dwarven fashion. The themes that you have seen previously in Dol Seguria — on the forest door; in the spectacular entrance beyond the drawbridge; at the base of the stairs where the orc drummers pounded out their mysterious message — are all represented in this space. The stonework is exquisite, the carvings perfectly in tune with the natural color gradations of the marble, slate, granite and sandstone. The minutely intricate art of the stonemason’s craft converges through the walls and ceilings of the space on two enormous doors. Your back and shoulders still aching from prying open this far more modest door all but groan at the sight of this new obstacle.

Despite all of this grandeur, your eyes quickly settle on the floor before the colossal doors. A hundred, perhaps a thousand corpses repose in an angry and dismaying pile, at places five or six bodies high. Most are skeletal, though bits of dry flesh and desiccated clothing remain here and there. Some have been clearly dragged from the main mass and been gnawed clean. The majority, though, seem to still lie as they fell, in some forgotten day long past, in some horrible conflict or holocaust. Glancing along this dismal collection, you quickly realize that with only a handful of exceptions, while the skeletons seem to represent a great variety of races, dwarven corpses are glaringly absent.

The scene is simultaneously spectacular and spectacularly gruesome. As your brain attempts to take it all in, Strom beside you lets out a heart-rending groan of misery at this tableau, and, simultaneously Throm draws the longsword provided to him by Dmitrov from its well-oiled sheath, and in a single, effortless gesture,slices it through the neck of his brother, such that Strom’s head momentarily hovers in mid-air as his body, now beginning to fountain blood, slides sideways and collapses with a crunch to the flagstones, before the severed head itself thuds wetly alongside.
Throm now turns the shining sword, slick with the blood of his fellow inward. His intent is clear: he means to disembowel himself.
A scant instant before he can complete that task of self-mutilation, there is a flash and a pop and an odor of brimstone, and near the great doors, a foot or so before that hellish pile of deceased, two forms blink into view. One lavishly dressed, his longe blonde hair uncharacteristically unkempt, a smirk on his unshaven face, the other dressed in black robes, white paint on his face, his dark eyes red and manic. “Too late,” Segur says with some cheer to Throm.”

And that’s where we left our heroes.

Posted on

TSM Update: That’s the Spirit!

IN OUR LAST SESSION…
… our hero Tovlakov, separated from the rest of the milita due to clumsiness and gravity, sought to find his way back to his militia friends. After tumbling into darkness, he had arrived at a wide passage with options to head back towards what seemed to be the orc drumming line the heroes had seen from Segur’s entrance to the lost mine,and another heading into darkness.

As he moved, Tovlakov ran into the wererat members of the local thieves group. Tovlakov met up with a stout holy warrior named Dmitrov, and together they vanquished some of the wererat menace, and following a hallway with many doors, they freed the priestess of Gond, Pearl who had been held captive here, as had Dmitrov.

Together they continued and eventually the hallway led through a heavy door spiked open and another wererat who the party dealt with. Beyond, a wide passage swept downwards, and a scaffolding, mounted to the near wall, led in a similar direction, but at a consistent height. Tovlakov and his new friends mounted the scaffold and followed it.

After some distance, the heroes observed that the scaffold led to a rough hole in a wall, with just the plank extended a few feet through the opening. Beyond suspended by ropes attached to pitons in the stone ceiling was a small crew of four of these curious grey dwarves, a member of which, it seemed, Dementia Lancaster had been, toiled, attempting to open a hole in the naked stone.

Far below, presumably at the base of the downward sloping passage the team had eschewed, was a small force of various races, urging the dwarves on.

Very quickly a shout arose and the dwarves attempted to surge back onto the scaffolding, chased, as it turned out, by a young adult dragon. The wyrm snatched up one of the dwarves, then quickly returned and made off with a second.

Tovlakov’s crew questioned these dwarves, who only spoke an ancient variant of the dwarven tongue. They indicated that they did this work because Zanzibar demanded it of them. They understood that they were supposed to cut an opening in the ceiling here that would lead to something known as the Vault of the Throne. That this Vault (or, more likely, the Throne) was what Zanzibar and his master or masters were truly seeking down here.

Tovlakov and crew, now with two dwarven additions, retreated. They deduced that the force at the foot of the sloping path would certainly send someone to encourage the dwarves to return to their work. Tovlakov and team set an ambush for this messenger, and managed to nab him, a runner, as it turned out.
Tovlakov just wanted to find his way back to his militiaman party. Through threats and intimidation, they convinced the runner to lead them to another hole that had been cut by the dwarves. This route lead, via an arching passage up a very steep staircase to a hole guarded by elven archers. The party overwhelmed the archers and then descended through the hole to a great dwarven promenade that the militia had previously navigated, lead at that time by the dwarven ghost Mudron Voon.

The party now was lead through this landscape by the grey dwarves, who by a direct passage delivered the party to the Guardian, the great, snake-like Naga who secured the massive doors leading to the bridge from which Tovlakov had stumbled.

The Naga healed the injured among the party and ultimately allowed them to pass:  all except Pearl and Dmitrov. “Only the living may pass,” the Naga pronounced, halting the progress of Tovlakov’s new friends. Tovlakov and the grey dwarves continued on.

The militiamen, having retreated to a previously expolored room as a temporary sanctuary, rested. During his watch, Norm heard a clumsy banging of several creatures passing through the outer hallway.

Once fully rested, as the militiamen emerged into the hallway once more, they discovered the sound of heavy chains moving. Attickus was asked to investigate. He proceed back down the passage towards the bridge, guessing that the sound was of the great chains that raised and lowered the drawbridge leading to this place. Attickus, then, came face-to-face with Tovlakov and his new grey dwarf friends.

Posted on

TSM Update: Questions Three

IN OUR LAST (few) SESSION(s)…

…our heroes descended into the lost dwarven mine of Dol Seguria.  At the base of the ladder which ended in a tunnel heading both east and west, a large barrel, with its contents partially spilled greeted them.  And not far away, a drunken ogre reclined.  On “watch.”  He was surrounded by other barrels, seemingly of recent vintage, clearly marked with the symbol of Hugo’s distillery.

The ogre, Greb, tried to stop the heroes, but proved no match for them.  Beyond, the heroes discovered that the tunnel led to an area of different, presumably much more ancient construction. Two identical stairs led to a great open hall. The incessant drumming that the heroes had heard emanated from a crew of orc drummers down on the floor. There was a buzz of activity, including runners who would report to the drum leader, which seemed to inform the resulting drumming patterns, and a runner who had been waiting on one knee then would run off, to be replaced by the new runner.

In seeking alternatives to a brazen entrance down the open stairs, the heroes found a “trap door” (neither trapped Nor truly concealed) covering two open chutes, one running to a space under the stairs to the north, the other to the south.

Attickus discovered that Segur’s map was changing. On the roughly drawn layout a new path was superimposed, showing a route down the stairs and to the right (south) and leading to a door along the southern wall.

The heroes decided to use the chute and attempt to sneak to the southern door. They were discovered and chased, but managed to get through the door to the south, down a long stair, and through a door to the right (per the new route the map revealed), although there was also a door directly across from the stair.

The passage to the right led some ways and past a human man seated at a large wooden desk with a mess of papers scattered across it.

As the heroes attempted to move closer, the first who approached was caught in some invisible field. The man at the desk (the “Secretary”), then posed three questions of him. The questions were generally, but not always of the form, “Who are you? What is your purpose in trying to pass here? What will you do if you are successful?” At each response, he would glance through his papers as if confirming the veracity of the response.

Each of the militia in turn, plus the centaur and the party’s guide were posed these questions. Each, after giving thier answers was permitted to pass. Except for Norm. It seemed that Norm’s response, related to carrying out treasure that they might find along the way, was not judged as acceptable. Eventually he tried again, this time without insisting on removing items, and that was deemed by the Secretary as acceptable.

The militia advanced down the passage.

Eventually they emerged into a huge space with a massive vaulted ceiling above. There were sounds of significant combat, though mostly from above.
The heroes encountered a ghostly dwarf, Mudron Voon, who led them through this complex. Once entering a kind of mausoleaum, they realized that they were being pursued and set about preparing an ambush. The creature that then accosted them was some evil spectral creature that Walter, aka “Shaggy” had taken on in death. He confronted the heroes, but they prevailed.
Voon then lead the militia to a great doorway protected by a serpentine Guardian Naga.
The Naga helped to heal some of the heroes, and then being convinced that they should be permitted through, opened the great doors. The heroes proceeded.

The militia moved through another hallway and into another large, open space, this one bisected by a narrow, arching stone bridge over an abyss. As the heroes moved across the bridge, each was visited by a ghostly form of a dwarven soldier. Each dwarf, as it passed through the hero, had a message for them in ancient dwarven.

As the first dwarf passed through Tovlakov, the militiaman uncharacteristically lost his balance, and somewhat clumsily tumbled from the bridge. Norm cast Feather Fall on him as he disappeared into the depths. The heroes attempted to find Tovlakov, spelunking off the bridge. A small, circling black dragon shape sent them scurrying forward.

Eventually the bridge met up with a mechanical drawbridge emerging from a great stone dwarven face. The heroes moved through. This new hall seemed somewhat similar to the dwarven dwellings of Dol Seguria that the militia had previously seen when entering from the woods. Tall walls with apartments or other spaces looking down onto a hallway. Unlike that other setting, there was no obvious way up to these dwellings. Along this hallway, the heroes found detailed carvings of dwarven heroes, some matching the ghostly forms that had approached them on the bridge. Here, the messages given to each of the heroes could be read beneath the statues:

Norm “Fear not the sworn.”
Dain “Respond to suffering not just with kindness, but with action.”
Tia “A key may turn two ways.”
Alamein “The dark of the well does not decrease with each water bucket.”
Attickus “The whiskey ages in the cask; that is not its purpose.”

There were occasional sounds emerging from the great hall. Sounds of wind. The slapping of feet on stone. The beat, as on the bridge, of leather wings.
At one point, a huge planter of dead flowers came unmoored from above and crashed in the middle of the party. The cause was not identified.

The hallway ended in enormous double doors. Their weight proved beyond the ability of the heroes to budge. However, after careful inspection, a hidden door was found. Norm spoke the dwarven phrase that he had read at the mouth of the tunnel and the door opened. The heroes moved inside.

This more narrow hallway extended before them. Far less ornate than the outer hallway, twin doors faced into the hallway every 30-50 feet. As the heroes explored, they found the lock of the doors to be beyond their abilities. However, Tia, perhaps inspired by her spirit interlocutor, decided to try the Warden’s key, which effortlessly opened the doors. Each of the rooms that the heroes then explored (six doors, at this point have been opened) contained similar accoutrement: two medium-sized stone tables, a number of stone chairs, perhaps some spoiled food and drink, some scraps of paper here or there; spider webs, signs of rodent activity… and in four of them, a creature or creatures. The heroes faced undead beings, including some vampire-like creature, as well as a black pudding. After defeating the latter, the heroes determined that they needed to find a safe place to catch their breath. Alas, when they opened the next door, they were treated by a flame skull who brought a fireball down in the middle of the party. As we left it, the heroes had limped back to a room they had previously determined was empty.

Posted on

TSM Update: How do you defeat a Centaur?

IN OUR LAST SESSION…

… our heroes headed out for the lost Dwarven mine of Dol Seguria.  They were lead by Attickus, Lord Segur’s chosen guide.  They left Rankford on horseback, heading west into the King’s Wood.  Attickus indicated that he had been given a map by Segur, but that he didn’t know the exact location otherwise.  He was, he said, familiar with the King’s Wood and often works as a guide in that area.

The first day’s travel was fairly uneventful.  Near dark, Attickus led the militia into the wood north of the Road, and along a little-used trail to a forest cabin situated facing a cliff dropping off into the valley below.  A stout ladder had been firmly attached to the cliff face leading to an outcropping below, and a series of ladders leading, presumably, to the valley floor.

The heroes encamped.  Near midnight, the watch, Tovlakov and Norm’s familiar discovered that there seemed to be a man on the ladder, yelling that he had somehow become stuck.  His chest plate was stuck on a rung, he claimed.  After rousting the camp, and dismissing Attickus’ objections, Tovlakov descended the ladder, to discover that the creature stuck on the ladder was actually a centaur.

After helping the centaur, named Alamein free from the ladder, the party invited him to stay the night.  Alamein mentioned that he was an outcast from the resident centaur tribe.   The centaur was quite loquacious, and inquisitive.

Travelling on the next day, permitting Alamein to accompany the party, despite Attickus’ protestations, the party passed Fort Midway and Lord Segur’s residence.  Later, Attickus led the party on a meandering trail north into the woods, and eventually to a location with a precarious slope.

After struggling to descend the slope, the heroes arrived at a narrow stone stair leading to the quarry below.  The entrance to the mine, per the map, was located inside a stone structure near the foot of the stair.

Tovlakov, who had previously spotted some wordless communication between Attickus and Alamein.  At this point, he spotted it again and called them out on it.  Reluctantly, they agreed that they knew each other.  That they are friends, and that they had arranged to have Alamein “randomly” run into the party, both as a gauge of what kind of people these militia were (would they help a creature in need?) and as backup for Attickus should the party turn against him out in the wild.  Attickus had determined that the party seemed legitimately lawful and good-aligned.  He and Alamein would continue to accompany the party at least some distance into the mine.  Alamein, then transformed into a normal-seeming bipedal man in order to descend the stairs.  Asked if perhaps the centaur aspect had been an illusion all along, he claimed that he was a centaur, but one who could assume human form.  He hinted that it was this ability (perhaps passed down from his parents) that had caused he and his family to be cast out of the centaur herd — er, tribe.

The party navigated the stairs, and after Tovlakov defeated a stout lock on the blockhouse, entered it, and camped briefly while Alamein repaired his chest plate which had been severed at the leather joints when he had been “trapped” on the stairs.

Sounds of drumming, and perhaps more fell things came to the ears of our heroes, perched at this secret portal to a lost world.

Posted on

TSM Update: Grand Opening

IN OUR LAST SESSION…

… our heroes met, somewhat unexpectedly, with Lord Segur. He wanted to know if the militia intended to pursue the path they had previously discussed, back into the underground depths of Dol Seguria; the lost dwarven stronghold. He had brought with him a human ranger-type named Attickus who he proposed as a guide for the PCs.

Tovlakov showed Segur a remnant of baby clothing he’d diligently carried around with him since the first run-in with Dementia, the sight of which caused the count to break down in tears. He apparently had lost a son, Lukas, in child birth, approximately 18 years ago.

In preparation of heading out to the underground complex, a few things had to be wrapped up. Tim-Tom was left at the Warden’s Office, protected by the newly-restored defenses. Arrangements were made via Carly for food to be delivered to Tim-Tom daily.

Also, in an attempt to aid Seamus Finney and his men’s efforts to decipher the messages coming out of the War Wizards tower, Tia prepared a “message” to her superior for Kazuo to send out, via “secure means.” That same, unmodified message was to be brought via courier to the old farmhouse where the heroes had met Finney.

The gifted, then borrowed, then re-used draft horse that had been rescued from Dementia was returned.

Upon returning to Rankford proper, the heroes discovered that a new building had been constructed on the site of the former house of ill repute that Rekar had been given as the location to build his Wizard’s Tower. Instead, they found a local franchise of the Waterdeep stores Balthor’s Rare and Wonderous Treasurers. Apparently Rekar had been just an agent/advance scout who was paid to secure a location with appropriate rights for the franchise to be constructed.

While investigating the Balthor’s , the heroes were able to trade their mithril bars for some goods. Norm was able to purchase a Robe of Protection. As an afterthought, they purchased a Scroll of Resurrection, which included a bonus Scroll of Detect Magic. The Resurrection scroll was used to return life to the scattered remains of Dain.

Thus prepared, the heroes were to set out towards Dol Seguria, once again.

Posted on

TSM Update: Some new friends, and one old one

IN OUR LAST SESSION…

… Our heroes “fell” into the brigands’ trap, striding forthrightly into the old farmhouse to confront these highwaymen. Only to discover that they were waiting for the heroes, yes, but with the intention of making an arrangement. They met with Seamus Finney and his merry band. Seamus invited them to drinks and to discuss their proposal.

Finney suggested that he and his men would leave Rankford completely alone (his men would not enter the Warden’s jurisdiction) if they would likewise leave the north-south road (Calantar’s Way) to the brigands. Finney said that they required that rich merchants who travel on that road to pay a “tax” which he claimed that they then shared with the underrepresented people of his community.

Finney also said that he had information of interest to the heroes: the current whereabouts of Dementia Lancaster, the notorious Midwife. In return, he wanted help from the militia in that the new sage, Kazuo, was sending a number of official messages via courier, but they were somehow written in a script that the brigands could not decode. Could the heroes help? They agreed to try.

The evening proceeded with good food and a good deal of wine. The heroes were put up in a room in the old farmhouse for the night. In the morning there was coffee and bread and bacon, then they met up with their guide, the elf Eskin who had “warned” them at the Flailing Chicken of the dangers of the highwaymen ahead.

After traveling some 5 hours north of the farmhouse, the group came to the predicted intersection of a logging road and the Way. Eskin told the party to continue up the road and he would travel a ways north to see if anyone was following them. As the heroes turned west onto the logging road, they quickly ran into a horse-drawn wagon bearing down on them, driven by the dwarf Midwife herself.

The heroes scattered and attempted to attack Lancaster as she rushed past. Only Norm had any real success — his Sleep spell affected one of the horses, causing the wagon to careen out of control and smash into the trees lining the road, fully overturning.

The battle then ensued between the heroes and Lancaster, who immediately emerged from the dust roiled into a cloud around the site of the crash in the form of a stone giant. With one great plow of her massive club, she killed Dain, sending him (or at least some of his parts) thudding into a tree trunk 30 feet away.

Tovlakov, Norm and Tia then went toe-to-huge-toe with Dementia. Well, Norm never got that close, actually. Dementia rained a surprising number of those devastating club attacks on the heroes, dropping Tovlakov before long. After a bit, Eskin arrived, firing at Dementia with his longbow. Eventually, the significant damage that the Midwife incurred resulting from the crash, as well as blow and blast raining down on her from the heroes terminated her life.

Next session:

What’s in the wagon? What awaits our heroes in Dementia’s Hideout?