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