Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 92 - All Around the Circle

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Patchwall 9 (mid morning) to Patchwall 10 (early morning) 

Taking inventory of their loot, the party realizes they cannot carry all the coin they have accumulated thus far. So they decide to tuck the silver and some of the gold (4000gp & 7073sp) on a couple of ledges in the behir cavern, hoping to find a way to recover it and get it out of the dungeon later. Thus lightened, they move out to continue their exploration. 

Hearing guttural humanoid voices in the next cavern, they opt to avoid a further confrontation for now and circle around. They continue moving generally in a clockwise circle, looking for more of the iron doors. As they pass from cavern to cavern, they find one that gives all but Skeef and Baqua a feeling of deep serenity and security. In another there is a demonic idol, flanked by a pair of strange abyssian weapons made of bronze. Both are bypassed for now, and their next encounter is in a large vaulting cavern. Across the vast space a glint of treasure can be seen. But also seen is a black dragonish creature. Chanee shows his linguistic  prowess and opens a conversation in Black Dragon. His words are returned by the creature, albeit poorly. The creature demands treasure for passage through the cavern, and no amount of  "we'll bring it later" breaks the deadlock. So the party opts for violence, which sees the cleric and paladin both sprayed with acid breath and Goro turned to stone by the dracolisks gaze.  While Skeff dispels the petrified priest, the rest dig through the treasure pile. Once more they have to drop some gold (988gp) to pick up more valuable jewelry, gems and platinum, Solcha also gains a useful wand of magic missiles from the hoard. 

One exit from the dracolisks cavern leads thousands of feet up to a opening in the mountainside overlooking the entrance vale though which they'd passed to enter the lost caverns. The second exit leads deeper into the maze. Soon the party finishes circumnavigating the caves and find themselves in a recognizable location; the cavern in which they fought the chasme demons. And then they realize they have been circling around all the irons doors. This realization made, and after a short detour through a teleport trap to a mysterious white room with animated armor, they quickly find three more sets of irons doors. This seems to complete the circle at the center of their map. They head back to the serene cavern to set up camp for the night, and prepare for their entry into the centre of Iggwilv's power and treasure. 

GAINS

Wand of Magic Missiles 

988pp

7 gems (7 x 10gp)

5 jewelry (1700gp, 8000gp, 100gp, 1000gp, 700gp) 

ivory case (300gp) 

jeweled scabbard (1850gp) 

KILLS/VICTORIES

Dracolisk

6 Animated Armor  

Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 91 - Caverns and Killing and Coin

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Patchwall 8 (early evening) to Patchwall 9 (mid morning) 

After a quick return to the chasme lair to loot a cloak of elvenkind  and a small pile of platinum coins, the party moves back to the third set of doors. Once more passing through the iron doors, then down the corridor to open the ebony doors ... once more the party finds themselves teleported to a 30' square cavern with four exits. With no sign of the markings left on their previous teleportations, they push on once more to explore and look for the next set of doors. They stumble into a large luminescent cavern where they are attacked by strange rock-like gargoyles. Defeating these margolyes, they decide it is time to rest and lick their wounds. Solcha sets up a Leomund's tiny hut while Skeef blocks off a dead end chamber with stone shape. This allows them to pass the night safely even in these evil environs. 

Continuing their exploration the next day, they stumble into an immense cavern. There they are confronted by a large snake-like reptilian monster with a dozen taloned legs and a head like a crocodile. It does not attack at once, but in limited common demands they give it live flesh in return for their lives. Negotiations ensue, but the creature gets angrier and angrier as it's live meal is not forthcoming. Assuming the beast guards something of value, the party opts to not leave under the pretense of going to collect a meal; instead they choose violence. The beast immediately lashes out at Chanee, and it swallows the paladin whole! The rest of the party turns their attacks against the reptilation thing, while Chanee slashes from the inside as he is slowly digested by the creatures stomach juices. Thankfully his stewing time is short, as the party collectively slays the thing in short order. 

Exploring the far reaches of the behir cavern leads to disappointment, as the party finds nothing of interest. Backtracking and pushing on through new caverns, they come to a vaulted chamber lined with limed-over corpses. Multiple layers of calcified barely-distinguishable corpses stand in multiple layers high up the walls. A steady drip and splash of water from the ceiling down the walls trickles over the  stoney corpses creating a pool of water in the northeastern portion of the cavern. As the party looks around in horror, they notice one corpses seems to move it's head to follow there movement. As Chanee approaches this strange figure, it gazes at the paladin with large milky-white eyes. Chanee feels a sudden shiver of evil and death which he is able to shake off. This is enough to bring in the rest of the party, who swiftly hack and slay the vile creature. 

Cleaning the ichor off their weapon, the party then searches the narrow passage into which the trickle of water flows.  And there they find a kings ransom of treasure ... 

GAINS

Cloak of Elvenkind

Periapt of Proof Against Poison

Potion of Diminution

Potion of Poison 

Clerical Scroll (resist fire, remove curse, raise dead, heal)

MU scroll (??) 

Scroll of Protection from Possession 

4 vials of holy water

4196gp

541pp

254gp

10 gems (10 x 10gp)

20 gems (50 x 50gp) 

17 jewelry (600gp, 1600gp, 3000gp, 10000gp, 9000gp, 2000gp, 5000gp, 1000gp, 6000gp, 3000gp, 4000gp, 1200gp, 1100gp, 800gp, 1000gp, 400gp, 1200gp)

KILLS/VICTORIES

Lludd the Behir 

4 margoyle

1 bodak 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 90 - To the Doors and Back Again

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Patchwall 8 (late afternoon) to Patchwall 8 (early evening) 

Gathering up the dead Chossos' treasure, the party continued on it's exploration. Just around the bend from the gorgimera's lair, they came to a pile of old broken, worked stone piled against one wall. Solcha searches and realizes the stone hides a passageway, so the party starts excavating. One stone, oddly coloured and light, appearers hollow. Breaking it  open reveals a stone tablet inscribed with the following: 

In the center Lies the gate

But opening it is sure to vex

many are the guards who wait

as you qo to the middle hex

 

Randomly sent to find a way

Back to a different iron door

a seventh time and you may stay

and seek the glowing prize no more

 

you have won old Iqqwilv’s prize

her hoarded cache of magic

and freed the one with yearning eyes

whose lot was hunger tragic

With stones removed, they also find a set of stairs going down; it is takes only a short conversation to decide their goal must be somewhere down there. 

Over 900 steps stairs lead straight down to more caverns, which if anything, are more phantasmagorical than those above.  They wander a maze of branching tunnels for some time, always heading toward the 'centre' as they understand it. Eventually the reach a pair of iron doors,  Each door is 9' wide and 20' tall, and at least a foot thick, On each  are many leering demon visages in bronze, and weird symbols form a the border of each great iron portal. In the center of each is a plaque with the following:

Iqqwilv’s treasure nests within,

her curse on any who disturb it.

seek no further to steal it, nor

to free she who is prisoned here,

for a fate worst than death is

sure to come to those fools who

Violate this circumscribed place.

The doors are very heavy and difficult to move, but eventually the party gets them open. Beyond the iron doors is a corridor with walls of red marble. A thick black carpet runs from the entry to an ebony door 40' away. The arched ceiling is of black marble shot through with bands of scarlet. The walls and floor are polished and dust-free. From the entrance can be seen the gleam of silver hinges, studs, and ring set in the far door. A dim red glow seems to come from the ceiling, bathing the entire passageway in eerie light. A painting shows a wooden boat with a lovely, black-haired lady at the tiller, smiling under a stormy night sky.  The boat in the painting has a name on the prow—the name "SHRIMPKIN".

As the party moves down the corridor towards the black wooden door at the end, they feel a tingling in the air-a perceptible magic. The ebony portal's silver hinges are bright and oiled, so when Goro reaches out to grab the pull ring, the slightest tug swings it open. At this very instant there is a brief flash of golden radiance. When their vision clears, they find themselves in a square 30’ cavern with multiple exits. 

The party continues it's exploration, taking care to leave traces of their passage behind so they know if the end up retracing steps at any time.  Eventually reaching another iron portal identical to the first, they enter again and the same course of events repeats. After a couple of encounters with a pair of chasme demons and a lurker brings them once more to a third set of iron doors ... 

GAINS

9 gems (9x100gp)

potion of plant control

2x Keoghtoms Ointment 

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 lurker

2 chasme demons 

 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 89 - Trial by Fire

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Patchwall 8 (midday) to Patchwall 8 (late afternoon) 

After a short detour to stirges, the party enters a large cavern with multiple exists. Next to each is a carved face, human but with varied animal characteristics. When approached, each say the same thing; a mournful TURN BACK ... THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY. When the faces speak, Skeef notes there are gems deep in their mouths. So he proceeds to 'pick pocket' each, receiving only one cushing bite for his troubles. 

The party chooses a random passage and pushes on. In one dead end cave they encounter an enraged clay golem that charges out of the shadows at them. Once it is defeated, Solcha notes a strange pattern of lines carved into the constructs back. Further examination by the party convinces them it is a map of the caverns. Testing their theory, they follow another passage to see it it matches with the lines. It seems to, and they arrive at large cavern with a thick layer of guano on the floor and a high ceiling lost in darkness. Somewhere ahead Skeef has heard water, so the party moves in to investigate. And then out of the darkness dives a massive bat, striking hard and fast before disappearing into the darkness again. This attack pattern repeats, but each time it appears to be a different bat. Goro casts a silence to block the agonizing shrikes of the creatures, and the party fires away with bows and try to chop them down as they dive. Meanwhile, the paladin (having borrowed Baqua's gloves) climbs the wall to find a total of 6 bats hanging from the ceiling; and a ledge about 30' about the floor. Skeef makes a beeline for the ledge, and there finds two things; a pile of treasure, and a passage in the wall leading out to a ranging underground river. 

Finishing off the mobats, the rest of the party climbs to the ledge. They see across the raging river another passage. And so decide to hop on the carpet and fly across to explore this new part of the caverns. A long straight passage leads to a stone arch bridge over (anorther?) river. Around them, the rock walls have gone from grey and brown to a kaleidoscope of color and phosphorescent lichens. 

Crossing the bridge, they pause at a 4 way intersection. Skeef stops to listen, and hears emanating from the left hand passage, a sound of something large moving about. Creeping ahead, he sees a strange creature with the body and head of a metallic bull, plus the head of a lion and a red dragon. It crouches behind humps in the uneven floor, apparently guarding the pile of treasure in front of it. Assuming it to be evil (confirmed shortly by the paladin), the party plans a surprise assault. Prepped with prayer from Goro and haste from Solcha, the party charges in. Only to find the gorgimera is ready for them. A gout of flame engulfs the party, and it is by luck alone that none die a fiery death. But the beast does not get a second chance; Goro and Chanee hastily charge it, and with whirling blades slay it before anyone else can react. And then the looting begins. 

GAINS

7073sp, 9012gp 8471gp 

gems (5x10gp, 4x50gp, 9x100gp, 5x500gp, 4x1000gp, 1x5000gp)

jewelry (silver broach 700gp, necklace 2000gp, matched pair of gold and lapis lazuli broaches 2x5000gp) 

Dagger +2, Longtooth

Bag of Holding (1000lb)

Potion of Green Dragon Control

Scroll of protection from elementals

Horn of fog

KILLS/VICTORIES

8 stirges

clay golem

6 mobats

Chossos the Gorgimera 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 88 - From Crypt to Caverns

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Harvester  18 (slightly later) - Patchwall 8 (midday) 

As the demon charges the party, Skeef throws down the figure of wonderous power and a mastodon immediately blocks the fiends path. Goro and Solcha turn their focus on Lady Deveri, assuming she is the primary target. Another demon appears, but Goro and Solcha take out the succubus while the rest of the party and mastodon take down one of the demons. At this point, the second demon disappears and the combat if over. 

After collecting the jewelry from the oily smear that once was Lady Deveri, the party turns thier focus on the stone sarcophagus she'd been standing behind. Wrenching off the lid, they find the inside full of silver coins. And below the coins lies a body, a wooden stake through its heart. Solcha takes a lock of it's hair and places it on one of the blank pages of her vampire tome; and is rewarded as the page fills with writing, the story of Mathew Deveri. A great illusionist, Mathew made a pact with Orcus, Demon Lord of the Undead, trading his soul for great power and unliving life. He slew the rest of his family who opposed him, sparing only his granddaughter, whom the party knew as Lady Elohira Deveri.  She in turn was cursed to take on the form of a succubus. But alas, the story of the the Deveri's has now come to an end. 

Scooping up the silver coinage, the paladin then beheaded the body and Goro poured holy water into it's mouth, once and for all destroying the vampire. And it is then time to leave, and the party flies back to Greyhawk for rest and resupply before heading west to the Yatil Mountains and their search for the Lost Caverns.

.

.

.

The time in Greyhawk and the journey west are uneventful, and the party now finds themselves in the northern reaches of the March of Bissel, facing the mountain path to which their map has led. Choosing once more to fly rather than walk, they soar about 100' above the trail, following it deep into the mountains. They encounter two other groups; a warband of surly dwarves who are uninterested in small talk or help, and a raiding party of gnolls who take a few potshots at the carpet before the party pulls away. After flying back to warn the dwarves about the gnolls, they party retrances their path. They find themselves, just as night is falling, back at the wide pass and trail intersection where they had earlier encountered said gnolls. Wishing to avoid any trouble, they opt to camp away from the intersecting paths (and the route of the gnolls), heading to the flanks of the mountains to the south east to find a place to rest. And to their surprise, there they find another hidden path, winding south east!

After another uneventful night, the party rises and follows this new path. After avoiding another warband, this one of goblins, the path brings them under the eves of a tall tooth-like peak. At the base is a cavern, and the party moves in to explore. Obviously once inhabited and used by intelligent creatures, it is now empty. Delving deeper, they come to a winding passage, slopping down below the mountains. As the passage levels off, the party sees ahead that more cavens await them ...   

GAINS

Jewelry (24300gp total)

7000sp

KILLS/VICTORIES

Lady Elohira Deveri

1 Type IV Demon

Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 87.5 - Interlude with Demon Baby

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Harvester 18 (early hours)  - Harvester  18 (slightly later)

The party paused a few moments to catch their breath, while Goro took this moment to collapse into an exhausted sleep. Undoubtedly a side effect of the kiss of the Lady Deveri. Meanwhile, the rest of the party searched the Lady's chambers for loot and secret doors. Loot they found, including two chests of gold and a curious locket with an ancient cameo image of what appeared to be the Lady herself. Skeef also noted curiously that there were no clothes in the room; the Lady's wardrobe was empty.  

Leaving the snoring half-orc behind for now, the party pressed on into the next room. There they found at the far end a crib from which came the sounds of a cooing newborn. They also noted the bowl of bloody raw meat sitting on the feeding table, and so were not too surprised to find that the swaddled newborn sported a pair of horns, fangs and tiny bat wings. There was a spirited debate as to what to do with the demon-child, but in the end Chanee convinced the party this cute bundle of joy was indeed irredeemably evil. And so the paladin slew the horned babe; but he still felt bad about it. 

 Meanwhile, the rest of the party had pushed aside the crib and discovered a secret, door. This led to a set of stairs that circled down into what appeared to be the family crypt. And as they entered, they could see at the far end the Lady Elohira Deveri. Once more clad in human form, she stood behind a stone sepulchre. And between her and the party stood a towering demon of the Abyss ... 

GAINS

1265gp

68sp

Locket (2000gp) 

KILLS/VICTORIES

Josette, the Baby Demon 

Gygax & Greyhawk Session # 87 - A Date with the Deveri's

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 8 / Thief 8) 
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 7 / Fighter 7) 
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 8) 
Chanee (Human Paladin 7)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 6)]

Date/Time

Harvester 14 (morning) - Harvester 18 (early hours)  

Taking a few days to spend their new found wealth, the party finds themselves now the centre of attention in the City. Word of their success with Judge Porthos attracts others looking for men (and women) of brawn and brains to help them with their troubles. After separating the wheat from the chaff, the party finds themselves with three possible offers of employment/pleas for help:

• The merchant Merzueos Zhen, looking for someone to recover the contents of a caravan of fine cloth, pigments and dyes that's been lost to a bandit ambush. He offers 3000gp for the successful recovery of his goods. 
• A delegation of villagers look for help dealing with a medusa that is turning them, one by one, to stone.
• Another group of villagers carrying a request from a Lady Elohira Deveri, asking for their assistance with an unspecified problem

Immediately turning down the medusa problem, they opt to negotiate with the merchant. However, their hard driving bargaining to squeeze more coin from Merzueos Zhen simply drives him off to look for cheaper help. Throwing their lot with Lady Deveri instead, they get directions from the peasants to her small manse just under the eves of the Gnarly Forest. They fly there easily and swiftly, arriving in the late afternoon at the village. There they are directed to the Lady's home a half mile deeper into the forest. 

Her home proves to be a small stone manse surrounded by very overgrown grounds. After a short encounter with the half-elven groundskeeper Gothwald and his dogs, they are presented to the Lady Deveri. Of faintly fey appearance, the Lady is so pale of skin to be almost translucent, wearing a long blue gown and much jewelry. With her are two men in full armor and bearing knightly livery; Sir Garon Attriris and Sir Raith Attiris, knights errant from the Kingdom of Geoff. 

Lady Deveri brushes off all questions regarding why the party has been summoned. Instead they are feted with a fine meal and the attention of the Lady. Chanee in particular draws her eye, to the somewhat visible discomfort of the two knightly brothers.  Feast over, the party is led to their chambers. Two to each room, except Chanee who gets a private room. But the paladin is not alone for long, as Skeef sneaks over in mouse form to join him. And very soon someone tries to enter through a secret door to the outside, which the paladin had fortuitously found ahead of time and barred shut. 

Shortly thereafter, a woman's screen is heard in the hallway. Rushing out, Chanee and Skeef see one of the brother knights looming over a struggling Lady Elohira. The paladin does not hesitate and rushes in to save the lady in distress. As he forces the knight back, he indeed feels his place is truly at her side rather than with his usual wandering rabble. Which rabble now begins to appear in support, with Goro dropping a dispel magic as the fight moves into the Lady's chamber. This breaks the charm on the paladin, and seriously displeases Lady Elohira. Who is more displeased as a now suspicious party turns on her, as well as the pair of knighly brothers. And the cocktrice she suddenly releases from a hidden cage.  As the battle rages, the Lady suddenly begins to transform, bat wings growing from her shoulders and fangs from her mouth. A succubus! Turning on her demonic charms, she uses her kiss to drain strength from the half-orc who by now is flailing away at her with his mace.  The rest of the party tries their best to help the now bruised and bleeding paladin, while also dealing with the cocktrice. Both quite difficult to do in such cramped quarters. 

The party, however, is successful is slaying the brothers and the cockitrice, but the lady/succubus escapes them by suddenly disappearing ...  

GAINS

A good meal 

KILLS/VICTORIES

Sir Garon Attriris and Sir Raith Attiris 

Cockatirce