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