This session took place over a week ago but I am/have been on holiday so there has been a delay in the write-up. There are only two more playing sessions left before the game ends, so the denouement may be a little more rushed than I anticipated. That said, there is only one main encounter left - the one with the demoness herself. Anyway, here is the latest session...
The
Golden Skull (13th August 2014)
The
Adventurers
Bow
– Ranger
Cormac
– Fighter (NPC)
Johan
– Cleric
Maximillian
– Thief
Tarquin
- Fighter
Theoderic
– Fighter
Vox
– Magic User
Courtesy of TSR/WotC - used purely for gaming purposes
The Basilisk – Freyasday 26th
Hextember (day 87) - morning
The
cocks crowed at first light on the late summer morning, awakening the
adventurers from their slumber. The Talehangers’ Inn at Castleford provided the
companions with freshly baked bread, cold meats and hot porridge to break their
fast and to stuff into their travelling packs for later that day. The party
quickly splashed their faces with cold water, collected their weapons and equipment,
and went to the stables to collect their mounts. They swiftly mounted their
horses and passed through the Southern Gate on their way back to the Temple via
Nulb.
The
journey back to the ruined barn outside the Temple walls was uneventful and they
tethered their horses with plentiful oats to keep them going for a day or so at
least. They readjusted the strapping on their armour and backpacks and climbed
down the well just outside the ramshackle building and advanced upon the lair
at the end of the tunnel complex on their map.
Bow
had taken point, so he was the first to turn the final corner of the
underground warren into the small complex. He narrowly avoided the glowing
green-eyed gaze of the eight-legged lizard that rushed to meet him upon his
entry. The ranger counter-charged his adversary and out of the corner of his
eye he noticed an urn upon a shelf above the fountain in the open chamber
beyond upturned by what seemed an invisible hand. A spark erupted and flaming
oil poured from it along the runnels set at the base of the walls of the
chamber.
Unperturbed
by this, the ranger carried on fighting the lizard whilst the rest of the party
rounded the corner and spotted their companion in trouble. Cormac, Theoderic
and Tarquin rushed in to join the fight whilst Vox and Max hung back;
especially after Johan yelled out to avoid the creature’s gaze unless they
wished to be turned to stone.
It
took a few minutes for the adventurers to realise that no matter how much they
hit the monster it never seemed to feel the pain or show any injury. Theoderic
was the first to realise that even after he had given the giant lizard his best
shot his sword had caused it no harm; no wound and no blood appeared where he
struck the creature. He called out that the beast was not as it appeared.
Rogues and Wizards in the House – late
afternoon
Bow,
more single-minded in the mission than his companions, broke from the fight and
decided to explore the two doors on the northern and southern walls of the
chamber in order to try to find the Golden Skull. He hopped over the runnel of
fire that had now lit a couple of torches set within cressets on the walls and burst
through the northern door. He stepped into the dark room beyond only to be
struck from behind by a small blade. His armour turned the majority force of
the blade, so it only caused him minimal anguish, and he took the fight to the
small ambusher behind him.
At
this point Tarquin had realised that the creature was an illusion and as his
disbelief kicked in, the monster disappeared from his vision. However, his
companions still fought for their lives against the fearsome foe, disadvantaged
by the fact that if they met its gaze they would be turned to stone. He left
the fight to aid Bow in the search for the Golden Skull by opening the southern
door.
He
stepped through the doorway and found himself face-to-face with a wizardly
fellow who cast a Lightning Bolt at
him. The bolt only caught the fighter a glancing blow but it flashed past him
and into the northern room where it also glanced off of Bow, struck the far
wall and rebounded back to strike the ranger again. Bow was reduced to within
an inch of his life.
By
now, Theoderic had also realised the basilisk was a deception and he too broke
from the combat to aid Bow who he saw had caught the worst of the Lightning Bolt.
With
more time to think than the others from their cover behind the last stone
corner, Vox put a blindfold on his eyes and stumbled forward whilst Maximillian
imbibed a portion of an Invisibility
potion and snuck up on the basilisk. He managed to strike it firmly at what he
thought was a vital point but even he found he could not harm the creature.
Eventually
all of the party except Cormac realised that the creature was an illusion and
had left their faithful fighter companion to face the threat alone. It took him
a while, but eventually he too figured out he was doing the beast no harm and
as his disbelief kicked in, the illusion faded for him too.
Back
in the northern room, the ambusher saw their opportunity and dashed for the
exit. The masked and hooded rogue made it past Bow and Theoderic and then out
of the basilisk’s chamber, but Vox had just pulled off his blindfold and
spotted the rapidly escaping figure. He cast a Magic Missile at the retreating shape and the escapee fell to the
stone tiled floor. Vox and Cormac checked over the body for anything of value
and it was then that they realised that the rogue was in fact a woman.
Meanwhile,
back in the southern chamber, Tarquin had moved forward to attack the wizard
but a small imp-like creature had hurled itself upon his shoulders and began to
claw at his neck. Johan had arrived on the scene at this time but could do
nothing but watch in awe as the wizard and his familiar disappeared from their
sight.
Both
the warrior and cleric struck around them with their weapons and blocked every way
out of the chamber but after a few minutes they realised that there was in fact
no-one left in the room anymore except them.
The Hidden Chamber
With
the fighting over, the rest of the party convened within the wizard’s chamber,
where Johan dispensed with magical Healing
to those who had suffered in the jaws of the basilisk or the human defenders of
this part of the dungeon. They searched it thoroughly for anything of value and
pocketed items that they thought would be either helpful to their cause or of
value. The only quandary was what they should do with the warning note nailed
to the door jamb of the only other exit from the room.
Vox
cast a Detect Magic spell and
discovered that several of the items that they had picked up were magical but
the strongest glow was from beyond the closed door. Max checked the door for
traps but found none, so Johan pulled the door open. The warding glyph held
within the parchment nailed to the door jamb exploded and caught him full in
the face.
After
he had recovered from the shock and hurt the cleric took a look inside the
small chamber beyond. This was the wizard’s store room and it was packed full
of useful items for a mage. Vox took his pick from the many spell components in
a variety of jars and vials, whilst Max hunted down the magical items identified
by the wizard and stored them within his various pouches.
It
was at this point that the party began to grow a little confused. They were
assured from several sources that this was where the Golden Skull had been
secreted. The adventurers began to search the walls for hidden doors but none
could be found. It was only Tarquin’s curiosity with the fire outside in the
open basilisk chamber that led him to discover the trip for the secret door
within the southern chamber.
The Golden Skull
Image courtesy of TSR/WotC
Max
quickly ascertained that there were no traps upon the hidden door and he pushed
it open to reveal a short corridor beyond. He advanced cautiously along it
looking for traps but the rest of the party lost patience and someone threw a
lit torch at the far wall. It did not set off any traps or move in an unusual
way, so they advanced into the corridor looking for another secreted doorway.
Again,
it fell upon Max to discover the hidden doorway. He popped open the portal and
stepped into another wizard’s chamber with a large, cold fireplace complete
with hanging pots and cauldrons. This one looked more like a wizard’s study
than a laboratory though and inside he spotted a variety of wizardly items and
a large library. Vox and Max began to remove books at random from the shelves
and stuffed them into their pockets and pouches.
The
rest of the party searched for whatever treasures they could find, but it was
Bow that spotted the iron box hidden away from normal sight. He handed it to
Max who detected the very dangerous chlorine gas trap held within. He disarmed
the trap but realised that if he tried to save it for future use it would
rupture and cause great anguish to the party. Instead, he gently handed the
iron box back to Bow who opened the lid to see the golden skull-shaped item
within. He smiled to himself with the knowledge that their mission was almost
complete, reclosed the lid and stowed it away in his back pack.
Return to the Tower – early evening
The
party had got what they had come for, so they decided to make haste and get out
of the dungeon before they were spotted again by the wizard returning with
reinforcements.
They
decided to hole up in the tower within the grounds of the Temple above ground.
If it was still empty they would be safe within. But if it had been reoccupied
then they might have another fight on their hands before they could rest.
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