Gygax & Greyhawk Session #17 - Down and Out in Orlane

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 3)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 3 / Magic User 2)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 3/ Thief 2)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 3 / Fighter 2)

 

Date/Time

Wealsun 12 morning to Wealsun 15 evening

Having decided to investigate the rumors of strange happenings in the village of Orlane, the party purchases horses and makes their way east to the edge of the Troll Fens. They have an uneventful journey, except a brief interruption  in camp by a trio of stag beetles on their last night on the road. An encounter they avoid by saddling up and moving to another field just down the road.  Rising the next sunrise to sheets of rain and thunderstorms, they make their wet way to Orlane, arriving mid-morning. Thanks to the weather, there is no one about, so the party rides the village and identifies the inns (The Slumbering Serpent, The Golden Grain and the ruined "Foaming Mug". They note  a temple to Berei on a rise north-east of town, and all the farms and tradesmen shops to be expected in a small village. They also note a distressing number of apparently abandoned homes and weed choked farm fields, signs that all is not right. And Goro makes  use of a detect evil spell, and immediately senses bad things about a number of locations [#2, #6, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #18, #21, #22].

As the rain  starts to lift around noon, the party makes a few stops to get the lay of the land. 

• The livery stable [#11] where they are greeted with great enthusiasm by a little boy, shy reserve and suspicion by his mother, and pleasant professionalism by Killian the liveryman. When asked, he recommends the Sleeping Servant over the Golden Grain for food and lodging, noting it is a more pleasant and friendly place. Pressed further, he notes these are strange times in Orlane. He is suspicious of the two strangers who moved into the cottage across the road [9] several weeks ago. "They don't seem to be interested in mixing with anybody." And mentions his neighbors at the general store  "up and disappeared a couple months ago; gone for nearly a fortnight, then the whole family came back. Didn't even leave one of the boys to mind the store!"

• The Slumbering Serpent [#25], a pleasant and cozy establishment run by wife and husband Belba and Ollwin. Bellla confirms the general sense of  "something wrong", and seems inclined to blame it on the old hermit in the grove across the road. Ollwin interjects to say the hermit (Ramne) is "good people", and is probably more than he seems. Anyone interested in getting  to the bottom of the town's mystery would do well to speak to the old man.

• And so after a mug and a meal, they head to the grove [#27] and find a small cottage hidden under the elm and oak. They are greeted by the hermit Ramne and his companion weasel Whiskers. He is very guarded however, giving up no information to the party, while still remaining pleasant. 

• They next drop by the village store [#12], using the pretense of stocking up on iron spikes and torches to probe the proprietor Kirdir and his wife Ana, hoping to get clues as to where they'd disappeared for two weeks. While Kirdir is polite and himself probes the party to find out what they are doing in town, they learn nothing of note. However, after they leave the store, Ranzel quickly pops back in and notes suspicious movement beyond the curtain that separates the back of the shop from the serving counter.  

• Passing the tailor shop [#11], they decide to drop in to talk. But the tailor Myron is too nervous to even open the door. They laves some clothes to be mended, but Myron insist they just leave it on the step with payment, and will not let them in. 

• Making their way to the neatest and nicest house in town [#10] , they sit and chat with the village reeve, Zakarias. He is polite and curious with these strangers, but is discreet, seeking information more readily than giving it away. Solcha decides here is a suitable target for her charm, and the reeve quickly changes his tune. He knows something is not right in his village, and associates the changes with recent midnight disappearances, noticing that the folks who return are in a somehow altered state. He is convinced that the storekeeper, the smith, the carpenter, and the clerics are all members of this secret order. And is convinced the old hermit in the grove west of town is behind the whole thing. Lack of proof has kept him from acting on this assumption, however. He also reveals the occupants of the cottage [#9] are a pair of elves, Dorian and Llywillan. Old adventuring companions who he's asked to investigate the strange goings on in Orlane. But he's told no one else about them. 

• With evening now coming on, they make a visit to the temple of Berei [#12], with a brief stop at the pig farm [#19] where the farmer Varek is not communicative. At the temple, most of the party explore the courtyard (noting is is much too weedy and unkempt for a place of worship of the Hearth Mother. Inside, Goro encounters the young priestess Misha, making hints he may wish to shift his allegiance from Heironeous  to the goddess. The priestess seems oddly blasé about the matter, stumbling over her words as she attempts to sing the praises of Berei. As if she really didn't believe anything she was saying. 

As darkness starts to fall, the party heads back to the Inn of the Slumbering Serpent to rest, regroup and plan. 

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

none

LOSSES

none 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #16 - Ankheg Ambush!

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 3)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 2 / Magic User 2)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 2/ Thief 2) and his dire wolf. 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 2 / Fighter 2)

Date/Time

Flocktime 26 morning - Wealsun 12 morning 

The party heads east out of Oxton under a blanket of cold mist.  After several hours, the mist starts to lift and they arrive a the site of the caravan ambush. An outcropping on the north side of the road rises about 40', and on the south they find the battered remains of three wagons. What cargo remain (barrels and sacks of food supplies) are broken open and contents soiled. Partially eaten remains of an oxen lie in the traces of one wagon, and a newly built cairn nearby is thought to contain the remains of the lost drover. Searching the greater area uncover a pile of very old weathered stone blocks on top of the outcrop, and a 5' wide hole in the ground (a partially eaten oxen sprawled at the edge) to the south where something had obviously burst out of the earth. Examination of both oxen reveal they have been more dissolved/digested than chewed on. Skeef speaks with a nearby groundhog and learns the creature that attacked was a large, long insect thing with pincers and more than the usual number of legs. 

The party decide to lure the creature out by rolling rocks off the outcrop. This takes a few hours to get the 'thumping' rhythm correct (and elicits a few strange looks from people passing on the road), but suddenly the ground shakes and a large (15' long) chitinous insect burst out of the ground and starts to advance on the party. The archers pepper it with arrows, but as Goro closes to deliver the coup de grace, the creature turns and flees back down the hole. The party  follows, entering a maze of 5' tunnels, following the dripping ichor of the wounded insect. They run it down in a larger chamber, where they fight it and a second ankheg hiding on an overhead terrace. They find some out of place worked stone blocks, but nothing else of interest. 

Proceeding further, they delve deeper into the maze of tunnels. They encounter and kill another, smaller ankheg by a pool in a larger chamber. And then explore on. They start to note unusual signs of construction, such as the odd block of worked stone or masonry wall. All very old and all pre-dating the tunnel system. Eventually they stumble into a worked stone chamber. Octagonal in shape and with much worn and faded brutalist dwarven designs on the wall, it features a low dais in the center on which stands an obelisk and four statues. The statues are of dwarves; child, young, middle aged and old. The obelisk is of solid black stone. Finding nothing of note on their initial search, the party finds the statues can be moved, and so rearrange them in chronological order. This opens a door in the side of the obelisk, and a set of stairs lead down. This opens into a chamber with a dwarf skeleton holding a wand in it's hands and lying on the top of a pile of coins.  Initial probing shows it does not appear to be a threat, so the party starts scooping coins into sacks. At some point, the skeleton shifts as the coins supporting it are removed. At this moment,  gout of flame bursts from it's skeletal jaws, catching Skeef in the blast. That moment passed, they pluck the wand from it's hands and gather the rest of the gold.

Done looting, the party heads back into the tunnels looking for more gold.  They encounter no gold, but have to fight another ankheg in very tight quarters. They convinces them to turn about and head back to the surface and thence on the Oxton to spend their new found wealth on much needed training. 

GAINS

3000ep

1000go

500pp

wand of magic detection 

KILLS/VICTORIES

5 Ankheg

LOSSES

none 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #15 - Goblin Strike and Gathering Intel

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 3)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 2 / Magic User 2)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 2/ Thief 2)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 2 / Fighter 2)

Balthus (Human Fighter 2) and his wardog Slasher 

Date/Time

Flocktime 16 morning to Flocktime 26 morning

Once trained and rested, the party turns their attention to identifying magic items. Of particular note is the book, a codex entitled "The Tome of the Blood Tyrants, being an enumeration of the vampires of Oerth and the means of their power". In includes within it's pages the following:

• Metaphysical discussion of how vampires come to be, including a description of drawing it’s life forces from the Negative Material Plane. Also discussion of the role of the gods (Kyuss the Bonemaster, Nerull God of Death, etc), and the demon Orcus, Lord of the Undead
• Selection of undead related magic user spells (1/Invisibility to Undead, 2/Detect Undead, 3/Feign Death), and 
• Description of the ‘Castle of Blood’, home of the king of vampires and gathering place of the nosferatu. The Castle roams the various prime material planes, and appears on Oerth only under very specific astronomical circumstances when the moons eclipse certain planets and the other stars are right.

The last part of the book consisted of blank pages, opening with a single phrase "For that taken from a blood tyrant". 

The other unusual item was the weird metal rod. In addition to the shapes, there is a series of strange symbols carved on it. Solcha, using her new comprehend languages spell, discovers it is a map that seems to lead from the Lichway, through the mountains to some other unknown location. But definitely some place related to the Salander. 

Solcha also uses her spell to read the golden scroll, which proves to be a history of the Salander. They were a Suel tribe that a thousand years escaped from the Baklunish-Suloise Wars that left both empires magically-devastated wastelands. The Salander split off from those Suel who went on to become the Frost, Snow and Ice Barbarians, and instead isolated themselves in the lower Griff Mountains. They became enamored of water and undeath, and in the end they disappeared from history in a final bid to gain immortality in a mass bid for undying eternity. The scroll was written by the one who led them on that final path, the vampire lord Nappesrit Ker-Zan. 

Before leaving Vestvale to return to better shopping opportunities in Oxton, the party takes notice of the village around them. There are a couple of issues of interest:

• There are a number of refugee families recently arrived, being temporarily housed in the village communal building. They come from Orlane, a village on the fringes of the Troll Fens. They tell of sinister and mysterious evil at work in their once safe and pleasant town. People disappearing, people attitudes and behaviors changing for the worse, strange creatures that emerge from the fens to slither through the darkened streets at night.  They also mention in passing that their first stop on their journey was the village of Caermor, halfway between Orlane and Vestvale. But they found it cold and unwelcoming in a way that reminded them too much of the evil that had enfolded their own town. 
• Rumors speak of goblins roaming the nearby hills in recent days. The local goblin tribes rarely cause much trouble beyond steeling a sheep or two and occasionally ambushing the unwary. But this band seems to be looking for someone, or rather a group of people. The goblins captured and mutilated a shepherd boy as they tried to learn more about any strangers in Vestvale. And as a warning to all. 

The party surmised this might be Lugzug and his band, out for revenge since the party cheated them on the treasure deal in the Lichway. Feeling somewhat responsible, and goaded on by Goro, the party decided to head back into the mountains to deal with Lugzug once and for all. The village reeve, Hallibard,  arranged for them to borrow horses and gave directions to the location of the attack on the boy.  

The party heads into the hills, and Ranzel picks up the trail of the goblins. The raiders seem to be following a predicable path along the ridges as they watch the valley bottom and paths below, so the party prepares a nighttime ambush. Setting up a fake campsite, they hide in the darkness beyond the blazing fire to wait. And the goblins do come in the night. First, a group of about a dozen approach the campsite, and are utterly surprised by a fusillade of arrows from the party. All are cut down. They are followed, however, by a charge by wolf riders, followed shortly by archers of their own. In the end, the party prevails, slaying all the goblins, including their their leader Lugzug.  Skeef is also successful in charming one of the wolves and now has yet another animal companion (although his dog did die in the melee). 

Returning the horses to Hallibard, the party receives the village's thanks and the reeve promises to mention them in his next dispatch to Duke Ehyeh. They then leave for Oxton, arriving there after a few uneventful  days of travel across the rolling plains of Tenh. There they do some shopping, consult the sage Pharnabazus about the prime rod, and poke about for news of the realm and possible adventures. Pharnabazus confirms what they already know about the rod and the Salander in general, but is also able to tell them the purpose of the prime rod . Prime rods are paired with another item of Salander make, the spectral candle. When lit, these candles cause all the contents of a room to become ghostly and incorporeal. A prime rod can at least partially negate a spectral candles power. The prime rod can also be used against undead who may usually only be hit by magical means; touch them first with a prime rod, and their immunity to normal weapons is removed. 

Asking around for news, the party learns the following:

• With the Duke's attention and most of the Tenha host focused on the border with the Theocracy of the Pale, raiders have been seen deep inside the Duchy. This includes barbarians from the Hold of Stonefist beyond the northern Griff Mountains, Faithful Bands from the Pale itself, and swift riders from the Bandit Kingdoms. 
• They hear again of the call from Marshall Iaba in Calbut for armed bands to clear old bandit holds and orc lairs along Rockegg Pass.
• On a more local note, a merchant caravan heading east to Dour Pentress was attacked a few days ago by some foul monster or monsters. Most of the drovers and the merchant (who has since disappeared, running from his creditors it seems) escaped unharmed, but the oxen were all devoured and the wagons abandoned. Reports of the monster(s) are unclear; descriptions range from giant worm, dragon, 'foul beast' , insect god, etc. Big and scary are the common themes. 

The party, once more gold-poor, opt to investigate the nearby wagon-train in the hopes of easy pickings and/or massive piles of monster guarded treasure. 

GAINS

2 silver arm bands [30gp each]

180sp

short sword

KILLS/VICTORIES

21 goblins

3 dire wolves (defeated, not killed)

LOSSES

none 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #14 - Claiming Their Wares

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 2)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 2 / Magic User 1)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 2/ Thief 1)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 2 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 2) and his wardog Slasher 

Date/Time

Flocktime 8 to mid-afternoon to Flocktime 16 morning

The party finishes it's exploration of the Lichway, finding that it is symmetrically laid out and contains nothing except line after line of crypt-stones. They likewise scramble all over the metal skeleton and find nothing of interest. Meanwhile Skeef digs out a skeleton and hauls it carefully outside the range of the whistling sound, confirming that the undead will animate if the sound stops (and gets a few wounds for his trouble).  They also run into the small goblin band lead by Lugzug. They avoid a confrontation, and instead cut a deal. They promise the goblin sub-chief 25% of the treasure they find in the dungeon, and the goblin replies in kind. He also assigns two of his band to follow along after the party to make sure they don't cheat him.

Turning back to the silver cage, they drive the strange creature back using the 'bullroarer' so Skeef and search the bottom of the cage. And behold, he finds a hollow space right under the floor of the cage. The party also learns that the things hates the burning black incense much as it hates the burning lantern. 

Still not sure they want to disturb the creature and cage, the party heads back to the entrance of the dungeon and the crudely build brick wall in the flooded room. Hoping to find the tombs treasure, or more clues to it, they start tearing away bricks. They find a narrow secret passage that just links the docks to the jailors room. They also find a leaver that drops the stone slab in the rune room, blocking off access and egress from the dungeon. 

Having exhausted all other options, the party turns back to the cage. Leaving the stone barrier in place, they prepare a second barrier in the corridor by Dark Odo's former rooms. This way they hope to delay pursuit if the dead arise. While the rest of the team distracts their goblin spies, Skeef turns the key in the cage's base. This lowers the bars, letting the strange whistling creature escape. Solcha uses the 'bullroarer' to keep the creature backed in a corner while Skeef opens the secret door. And finds below it a room the same size and shape of the one they are in, but filled with treasure! Quickly, he and Ranzel jump down the shaft and and start hauling out all the valuable items from the dross. Once done, Solcha herds the creature back into the cage and Skeef locks it in again. And they pass off a sack of low value coin on the goblins, telling them it was their cut. The goblins are not so sure, and head off to tell Lugzug. But the party doesn't stay around to answer questions. They bolt from the dungeon as fast as their treasure-loaded legs could carry them. Making a cold, fire-less campo for they night, next day they head into Vestvale to rest and re-train over the next week ... 

GAINS

3000sp

1500gp

Bloodstone (50 gp)

Blue Quartz (10 gp)

Chrysoprase (50 gp)

Deep Blue Spinel (500 gp)

Obsidian (10 gp)

3 x Peridot (50 gp)

Red Spinel (100 gp)

2 x Silver Pearl (100 gp)

Star Rose Quartz (50 gp)

Violet Garnet (500 gp)

Ivory earrings (600 gp)

Gold earrings (700 gp)

Jade earrings (1700 gp)

Silver brooch set with gems (1000 gp)

Silver ring set with gems (1500 gp)

Wrought gold brooch (1300 gp)

Wrought silver tiara (300 gp)

Golden Scroll of the Salander (800gp)

Prime Rod

Tome of the Blood Tyrants 

Dagger +1

Potion of Climbing

Horseshoes of Speed 

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 skeleton

LOSSES

None

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #13 - The Lichway

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 2)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 2 / Magic User 1)
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 2/ Thief 1) and his war dog 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 2 / Fighter 1)

Date/Time

Flocktime 8 morning to mid-afternoon 

Immediately upon entering the dungeon, and thanks to the sharp-eyed elf, the party avoids an ambush from a band of kuo-toa. While the ichthyoids do not immediately attack, they block the path into the tomb. Seeking higher ground and firm flanks, the party retreats up one of the towers, there encountering another ambush from a kua-toa 'whip' assassin. Caught between the two, the party in now embroiled in a fight. Ranzel takes the brunt of the blows, but in the end Goro drives off the leader with a command, at which point the rest break and flee back into the water. 

Licking it's wounds, the party pushes on into the dungeon to explore the areas beyond Dark Odo's lair. Most rooms are of little interest, full of rotting or decayed supplies. In one they recover a collection of strange old incense and a potion of healing hidden inside a hollow stone in the floor. In another room they encounter a trio of glowing purple dogs, braying at a quartet of goblins perched on a shelf high above the canines reach. Skeff's speak with animals reveals the dogs have been in this room since the party killed Dark Odo's crew, and they are starving, The goblins wandered in and have been trapped by the dogs. Skeff convinces to dogs to go feast on some of the bodies left in the passageway, then leads them to a room at the end of the hall and bars them in  with  couple of bodies for a snack. The dogs are not happy by this turn of events. 

Meanwhile, Solcha and Goro question the goblins. They are part of a band lead in to explore the dungeon by the subchief Lugzug. This group was scouting ahead when they were caught by the dogs. The party confirms Lugzug leads just a small band of goblins; the full tribe lairs elsewhere outside the tomb. Oddly reluctant to murder goblins in cold blood, but unwilling to leave potential foes in their rear, the party leaves them stranded on the shelf and bars the door shut to slow any pursuit. 

Having exhausted all the small rooms, the party emerges next into the far end of the Lichway, traversed weeks earlier by the sprinting ranger. In the centre of a large octagonal chamber is a low stone block, atop which is a silver cage holding that strange gorilla-coral creature from which the haunting whistling sound blanketing the dungeon emerges. It reacts violently at the sight of the party's lantern, but calms when Solcha closes the shutters. A search uncover a stone panel in the base of the block, behind which is a key hole. Which fits the key found by the party under the vampire statue's tongue. They dare not turn it now though, until they better understand the possible dangers. Through experimentation, they also learn the 'holy symbol' in the shape of the creature they found in the flooded room makes a sound similar to the creature when spun around in the air. The sound calms the creature and makes it retreat from the person making it. 

Leaving the cage behind, they proceed down the Lichway to explore further. The walls are covered in stone slabs carved with short words or phrases in some unknown language.  They pry open a few and confirm each contains a immobile skeleton; but when they attack or abuse the remains, they animate and attack back. Delving further they come to an intersection with a 15' tall metal skeleton at the centre. It appears harmless, but no one really believes it is. Faced with the prospect that it may be a danger, the hundreds upon hundreds of entombed skeletons, and the still uncertain danger of the whistling creature, the party pauses to consider options before doing anything rash ...

GAINS

15ep

18gp

6pp

Potion of healing 

KILLS/VICTORIES

3 kua-toa

1 skeleton

LOSSES

1 War Dog

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #12 - Interlude with Bandits

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Solcha (Elf Fighter 2 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 2 / Thief 1) and his wardog 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 2 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 2) and his wardog Slasher

Date/Time

Planting 19 mid-day to Flocktime 8 morning

The kua-toa are curiously reluctant to engage in combat, focusing instead on protecting whatever sits on the bottom of the pool. Ranzel is able to skewer one however, and the second then flees down the river. Skeff, being lighting armored, then jumps in the pool and recover a treasure filled leather sack that was chained on the bottom. At this point, the party is getting loaded down with coin and opts to head back to Vestval and thence onto Oxton for a bit of rest and training before returning to the dungeon. 

Travel to and time in Oxton is uneventful. Pinella and Paxon choose to take their leave of the party, accepting a gift of treasure as they go. After 8 days in town, the party is ready to return to the mountains. Skeff convinces them to spend a little time in the wilderness as he wishes to find a new animal companion, a mountain lion or a bear. They have no luck encountering animals, but do fight a band of starving bugbears and stumble upon the bandit camp of Fulva the Half-Ear. The party fends off a probe by  a group of bandit scouts on horseback, capturing one in the process. Their captive (Mordric), does not want to give up much information, especially not on their numbers. But based on their observations, the party knows there are 50+ bandits at least. Mordric tells them they raid the roads and byways to the south, retreating into the mountains when pursuit gets too hot. Hoping to make peace if not friends with the bandits, the party release Mordric back to his companions. The party then returns towardstheir own camp, encountering another band of mounted bandits along the way. Both sides ignore each other. 

On the next morning, the tomb of the Salanders beckons ... 

GAINS

397pp

237gp

2 gems (10gp, 100gp)

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 kua-toa

6 bugbear

1 bandit (captured)

LOSSES

None 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #11 - The Fall of Dark Odo

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 1) and his wardog Slasher

Jenny the Mule 

[Pinella (Human Magic User ?)]

[Paxon (Human Cleric ?)]

Date/Time

Planting 19 mid-day to Planting 19 late-day

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/aY8d49

Without delay, the party quickly searches the cluster of rooms around the central combat zone. All prove to be bed chambers, one larger and more ornate than the others. That one was obviously home to the cleric of Nerull; the others are non-descript. But all are unoccupied, so the party again quickly pushes into the next room where they assume Dark Odo had been lurking. It too is unoccupied, but the still smoking water pipe suggests that it hasn't been empty long. Another door leads into what appears to be Dark Odo's bedchamber, while at the other end is a pool, around the back of which climbs a ramp lit by coloured lanterns. When a few quick checks for secret doors and passages reveal nothing, the party accepts their foe has given them the slip and settle into looting mode. From a hidden chamber under Dark Odo's bed came a spell book, immediately claimed by Pinella as her own. The cleric Mudras' chamber yields a duvet full of gold, and various chests in all the rooms yield another small collection of coin. 

The party's attention now turns to the pool. It seems to be about 10-15' deep, but the bottom cannot be clearly seen. A waterfall tumbles into the pool from the east wall next to the curving ramp, and behind it Skeff discovers a chain attached to the wall, and which leads down into the pool. The party tries to pull it up, but it seems either firmly attached to the bottom or to something of great mass. Closer inspection of the pool reveals two figures swimming near the bottom; more kua-toa is the guess. 

Meanwhile, Solcha discovers a secret door along the east wall. It leads to a narrow passage and ends in a secret door, now bared open by a spike. It looks down over the flooded chamber 15; below. A rope is tied to the spike, and it would seem this is the escape route used by Dark Odo and her henchwoman. Also noted is the absence of the shackled kuo-toa; it's bonds had been carefully cut. Pushing further, Ranzel finds Dark Odo's tracks in the eastern passage. Where they also find their mule, dead and disemboweled. 

Retracing their steps, the party returns to the cluster of rooms and decide to push on rather than pursue Dark Odo. They move into a short passage that ends in a T-intersection. And when Ranzel, walking point, steps into the intersection, a door at the northern end of the passage flies open. Two slathering war dogs rush out, released by a man who himself holds back from combat. As the party turns to face this threat, another comes from a second  door to the south; Dark Odo and a pair of her henchmen. The dark mage immediately drops all the party with a sleep spell, leaving only the sleep-resistant Solcha standing. She immediately interrupts Dark Odo's next spell with a magic missile, then starts to kick her comrades awake. Soon a viable fighting band is re-formed. The dogs and henchman to the north are taken down, as are the pair of henchmen who have charged from the south. Leaving just Dark Odo. She frantically casts an invisibility spell, hoping to escape unseen. But Goro stopped any immediate fleeing with a command. And she did not account for the fairie fire outlining her form, Skeff's contribution to the fight. And the druid also provides the 'coup de grace', charging at the dark mage and bludgeoning her to death with his mighty shillelagh.   

After taking a few moments to recover, the party once more turns to looting. They recover a couple of rings of unknown provenance, Dark Odo's spellbook, and a collection of loose change. Then, feeling chuffed, they decide tackle the monsters in the pool. Skeff casts entangle  on the watery weeds on the bottom, which seems to catch one of the creatures. The party then lowers Ranzel into the pool headfirst, hoping the ranger will skewer the second creature with his spetum. But alas, that does not work, and the party if left wondering how to deal with their underwater foes from here ...  

GAINS

214sp

1650gp

Pearl [523gp]

Ruby [1000gp]

Ring [100gp]

Ring of Protection +1 

Bag of Pale Powder

Earthen Pot of Ashes 

Brass Waterpipe [10gp]

Dark Odo's Spellbook 

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 War Dog

Runas

Jessup

Tuxarra

Dark Odo

LOSSES

Jenny the Mule 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #10 - Captives and Culprits

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 1) and his wardog Slasher

Jenny the Mule 

[Pinella (Human Magic User ?)]

[Paxon (Human Cleric ?)]

Date/Time

Planting 18 - morning to Planting 19 mid-day

The party leaves Vestvale and climbs once more into the mountains. An uneventful day and night bring them back to the tomb. Before delving deeper, they opt to place Jenny and the cart in an isolated room. On their way, they interrupt three kuo-toa, who are tearing  limbs from the men slain by the party days ago. Though the ichthyoids make no threatening moves, the party attack  to avoid leaving any foes in their rear. Two are killed, and one captured. The captive speaks no language common to the party, but rather than kill him they shackle the creature to the wall in the flooded room. Jenny is also locked in the adjacent hallway before the party makes its way through the thus far unexplored door exiting the west wall of the flooded room. 

Goro and Skeff, listening at the door, hear a frightened female voice and a gruff male one. Bursting in the room, the party discovers a young woman, bound and unclothed on a crude bed, about to ravished by her disfigured and ugly jailer.  The party rushes the man and knocks him out. Questioned, he is uncooperative, and after first shackling him in the flooded room, Balthus eventually has Slasher rip this throat out. The woman's name is Pinella, a magic user captured by Dark Odo's henchmen. She states the other surviving member of her party, Paxon of St Cuthbert, is in the adjacent cells. She has no equipment or spell book, but provided with clothing and a dagger she joins the party. The room is otherwise unexceptional except for the jailers gear and a bell rope hanging over the cot. 

Entering the cellblock, they find Paxon and learn it is almost time for the evening meal to be delivered. The party sets an ambush, and kills Erig the fighting man as he comes in with the captive's paltry supper. Recovering and equipping Paxon, the party pushes on down a corridor hidden by secret doors, and then into another room with multiple doors leading off of it. There they surprise the gnome Trob the Black sitting at a table. The gnome call's out for Dark Odo before the party can cut him down.  Half the party rushes through a door the gnome had called out to, while the rest set up defenses in the main room. In the side room they do not encounter Dark Odo, but the female fighter Runas. She holds them off long enough to escape through another door. Meanwhile, in the main room, the party is attacked when  the cleric Mudras of Nerull, and the thief Orwen emerge from two other rooms. There are tense moments when the cleric of the dead god starts casting spells, but in short order the two are dead and the party if left to decide what to do next ...

GAINS

17sp

14 ep

106gp

8pp

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Kuo-Toa (1 Surrendered)

Foul-Faced Viviok

Erig

Trob the Black

Mundras of Nerull

Orwen the Thief

LOSSES

None

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #9 - The Mighty Fishmen

 DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1) and his wardog Spot
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)

Jenny the Mule 

Date/Time

Planting 15 - midday to Planting 18 - morning

... Listening at the door, Skeff hears an indistinct voice in the next room. Opening the door, the party faces a man in wizardly robes and holding an elaborate staff. But they quickly suspected "The Mighty Amdor" is more sham than shaman. He is friendly and helpful though, explaining he is part of Dark Odo's crew who was 'left' here in this part of the dungeon. She and the rest of her henchmen (mostly thugs but with at least one cleric) are deeper in the complex of room. He also tells them about The Lichway, the long passage where the Salander buried their dead. Devoid of further use, Amdor is told to leave the dungeon and head for the nearby village of Vestvale. Which he does. 

Moving on to the double doors at the end of the rune hall, the party enters a hexagonal room where once more the strange whistling sound is heard and continues to be heard throughout their exploration. To the right is a bridge, with rails of human bone and posts topped with wax-encased skulls. It crosses flowing waters and also leads deeper into the dungeon. To the left is the tall statue of a vampiric figure, mouth open wide and fangs barred, pouring water from a jug into a floor gate. As the base of the statue is an inscription, the language of which changes to the readers native tongue:

Bathe, Salander, and restful

Ease your cares;

Til the Singer stills his song

Then rise to claim your wares 

Skeff searches and finds a silver key under the statue's hinged tongue. Then while searching the flowing stream under the bridge, the party is attacked by 4 ichthyoid humanoid creatures that scramble up out of the water. In a  drawn-out, bloody fight, Spot the Wardog is killed, as are two of the creatures. The remaining two flee back to the stream. 

The party wonders if they should cross the bridge, as they suspect it leads to The Lichway, a name that fills them with fear of legions of the undead. So Ranzel, still under the effects of a potion of speed, offers to run down the corridor beyond the bridge to get a rough idea of what is there, while hopefully being too fast to be caught by anything hostile. The ranger is successful in his sprint down a long wide corridor flanked with stone slabs, noting branch passages at the 1/3 and 2/3 points, as well as a more complex intersection at the halfway point.  At that halfway point he also observes a low platform on which stands a 15' tall skeleton, while at the far end of the passage is a low platform with a silver cage holding a creature that looks somewhat like a gorilla made of coral. But no undead are seen. 

However, the party decides to retrace steps and try another door they'd bypassed. This leads into a large chamber, filled with water to the level of the entrance. Another set of doors is seen on the opposite wall, and on the north wall there are signs that another door has been bricked over. The party surmises this is the other side of the door they saw on the dock when they first ended the dungeon. Careful search and rat abuse revealed the water is shallow around the edge, but in the centre is a deep pit filled with human skeletal remains. From the top of the pit they recover one skeleton with treasure; a weird bone and serpent mace, strange holy symbol (?) and a bag of gold. 

With wounds aplenty and healing spells few, the party decides to retreat to Vestvale to rest, recover and refit. There they find Amdor the Mighty, whom they decide to this time take back with them. They spend a few nights at the Black Stag Inn until fully hale and hearty again, and then prepare the head back to the tomb of the Salander ... 

GAINS

Snake Mace +1 

Weird holy symbol (?) 

364gp

10ep

2pp

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Kuo-Toa

LOSSES

Spot the Wardog 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #8 - Goblins and Gold

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1) and his wardog Spot
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 1) and his wardog Slasher

Date/Time

Planting 11 - morning to Planting 15 - midday

Staying each night in a village along the way, the party's four day journey across the high plains and into the mountains is uneventful. The directions they have ben given lead them to a path and through a pass in the mountains, and eventually to a dark cave entrance. Footprints show others have been here before them. The short passage leads into a huge cavern filled with an underground lake or sea. A bridge over a river leads to a series of docks and watchtowers. A set of double doors, carved with flames bordered in skeletal forms, lies to the south but a permanently barred with iron beans, chains and locks. After looting a sunken barge and fighting a giant lamprey, the party moves through the only apparently operable doors, leading east. Three old and desiccated bodies lie inside the entrance of a room filled with rune inscribed floor tiles. When disturbed the bodies rise to life and attack, but are rapidly dispatched. 

Three doors lead out of the rune-inscribed chamber. Through the one to the south, the party surprises a group of goblins and a hobgoblin torturing a stirge.  These too are dispatched with ease and their coins looted (as well as a valuable gem hidden in a straw-filled mattress). Leaving through another door, the party proceeds down a winding passage before it ends at a set of double doors. They backtrack to see what lies behind another door they passed along the way; beyond it is a ruined torture chamber and a single hobgoblin rooting around. They corner and question him, learning only that other humans may be found in the tomb complex alongside the goblins and hobgoblins.  He tries to buy his life, but Goro the crusader will not take the deal and the hobgoblin is killed. 

Retracing their steps to the rune-room, the party goes to the northern door. The room on the other side, is faintly lit by torchlight. And they startle three men preparing to burst through a door in the eastern wall. These three turn on the party, and after a short combat all three (plus an archer hidden in the shadows) are dead. Looting the bodies of gold and arrows, the party now turns to the eastern door to see what lies beyond ...

GAINS

Onate Golden Goblet [200gp]

Silver Armband [50gp]

Flash of Strong Fishy Liquor [25gp] 

Gem [1000gp]

475gp

40sp

15cp

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 Giant Lamprey

2 Zombies

1 Ghoul

4 Goblins

2 Hobgoblins

Veneman, Luge, Argun, Pipluk 

LOSSES

none 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #7 - On To New Adventures

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 1)  

Date/Time

Planting 5 - midday to Planting 11 - morning

Before making any decision between exploring the isle or moving on to other things, Skeff charms a blackbird to gain aerial reconnaissance . The bird reports no human structure on the isle except some stones and a long narrow thing separating one side of the island from the other. A large serpent lay on one side of the long thing, and the only human was on the other side. The shinning light they party observed from the mountain came from a cliff at the end of the island, beyond the serpent area. The party is still uncertain whether they should alight on the island, citing a combination of low spells and multiple wounds, as well as reluctance to interfere with the scaredness of the island to the Kharan tribe if there was no clear reason to do so. Leaving the second question unresolved, the party retreats back to the gnoll cave to rest for the night and address the first. 

Next day, they head back to the lake and make steps to cross the shallows. They get halfway and are challenged by a wild man in robes of strange material, yelling at them and swinging a staff over his head. He forbids them entry. Questioned, he explains the tribe worships Mok' Slyk, the Serpent who consumes souls of the dead. The island is sacred to him, and the valley on Hardway Mountain is the path cut by Mok' Slyk as he descended from space to the primordial Oerth.  Goro notes this being is some sort of ur-deity, ancient and long forgotten by the world. After several more attempts to talk their way past Arn, the party decides to leave and not provoke a confrontation. Instead, now that they know roughly where they are in Tenh, they head west towards the crossroads town of Oxton. After a short but frightening encounter with a troll one night, and a pleasant one the next day with a group of pilgrims of Beory going to worship at some sacred burial mounds to the north, they arrive safe and sound in town after a few days travel. 

They check and reject a few inns (Dancer and the Dark Mage, The Troll's Hand, The Hellgate) before settling in for a few days at the Ox & Lyre. In addition to resting and refitting, the party looks for rumors of further adventure. They learn of three possibilities:

• Hygar the Ox-Driver is heading east to the Troll Fens and the borders with the Theocracy of the Pale. Duck Ehyah II is there again this campaigning season, upgrading defenses against both the trolls and the Faithful Bands of the Pale across the Yol River. He looking for company and protection along the way. 
• Jakael Foss, recently arrived from Nevond Nevend, passes word that the Duke has put out a call for armed bands to clear old bandit holds and orc lairs along Rockegg Pass above Calbut. It seems the Duke wishes to deal with the raiders from the Hold of Stonefist in the next campaigning season, and wants to clear out any minor annoyances along the way first. See Marshal Iaba of the Tenha Host in Nevond Nevend  for more details. 
• While discussing their encounter with the pilgrims with  a local man (Gyar Uldan), they are reminded of the reverence the Flann of Tenh have for their dead. It would be unwise to disturb barrows and graves in the Duchy. On the other hand, non-Flann burials are free for the plundering. Gyar tells them of one such place just a few days away in the Griff Mountains. A local near-do-good by then name of Black Odo headed off to the tomb just as the snow cleared from the uplands. She and her henchman have not been seen since. Another group followed after her just a few days ago.

The party decides to stay local and (hopefully) loot-rich, and get directions from Gyar to the tomb, beginning  their journey back east the next day. 

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 Troll

LOSSES

none 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session #6 - Off the Mountain

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)
Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)

Balthus (Human Fighter 1)  

Date/Time

Planting 4 - midday to Planting 5 - midday 

The party takes the bypassed branch and soon come to another intersection with 5 paths radiating from it. A crude abatis of brush blocks the two furthest paths, and a pair of frog-like humanoids guard it. There is also a crude wooden cage containing a giant lizard.  The party tries parley, but no one speaks bullywug and the dim creatures understand nothing else. Sign language and gesture leads to misunderstanding, and a battle begins. The bullywugs release the lizard from the cage, but it turns on them before running off into the swamp. Soon the pair of foes are dead and their heads placed on poles to scare any others. Footprints in the mud suggest two types of bullywugs are around, one larger or heavier than the others. 

Taking the path leading towards the plains, the party in ambushed by bullywugs who are dispatched as per the previous attack. The trail eventually leads to a thick entangled wood where the river reforms, and beyond which lies the plain.  It appear difficult to pass through, so the party opts to head for the nearby ridgeline where a path can be seen. After climbing nearly to the top, they note a cave and hear shouting in crude orcish. Five orcs emerge into the sunlight and reluctantly attack; three are killed and two surrender. Questioned by the party they reveal that a massive gnoll lives in the cave and had kept them in thrall. Releasing their captives, the party tries a bold approach with the cave, but Goro ends up with three arrows in his chest. They then opt to descend off the ridge for the night, and return fully rested the next morning to deal with the gnoll. Which they do quite easily this time, and recover a bit of treasure in return. 

The party descends onto the gently rolling plain, finally leaving the mountainside behind. They follow the river towards the sparkling lake and island, looking for signs of civilization along the way. The reach the edge of the lake and note riders coming from the east, leading a bound man on foot. They stop at the edge of the lake nearest the island and call out. After some time they receive a reply or sign, and ford across to the island. They return after a while, and release the man on foot, directing him towards the mountains before riding off.  The party waits for the man to get closer and then waylays him. They learn his name is Ritik of the Kharon tribe, and he is a horse-thief. He was brought here by his tribe to be judged by their shaman Arn Flowmane on the sacred Isle of the Serpent. He opted not to fight the Serpent as his punishment and redemption, but rather elected to try his fate on Hardway Mountain to search for the great "Eye of the Serpent" that legend says is found there. If successful, his shame will be erased and his crimes forgiven. The party gives him a few helpful items and advice before sending him on his way ...

GAINS

12gp

Crude Gold Jewelry  [50gp]

Electrum headband [25gp]

Golden earing with malachite gem  [50gp]

Tourmaline Hat Pin [250gp] 

KILLS/VICTORIES

5 Bullywugs

3 Orcs

1 Gnoll

LOSSES

none