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