Still Day 123
However, from the trap in Room 57 to the puffballs erupting
in Room 61, the inhabitants are aware and waiting. Two troglodytes, 1 5HD
mudtiger and an evil cleric who has cast Bless on the others, giving them +1
attack, +1 damage and +1 morale. Unsurprisingly, the party is surprised by the
foes but the cleric, meaning he cannot act in the surprise round.
Surprise round, the troglodytes launch their javelins and
miss even with the Bless. The mudtiger surges forth and shocks. Dounil takes 3
damage, HP 14->11 and Celest takes 1 for saving, HP 5->4.
Round 1, The mudtiger fails to bite into Dounil or recharge
it’s shock, the troglodytes miss him with two attacks but the battle axe
catches Celest for 1 damage, HP 4->3. The evil cleric tries to split them
up, casting Command “Flee!” on Dounil. Dounil knows Celest and soon himself is
dead if they split, opts for Defying Death and forces a success by rolling 3d4
(first time today) for damage to himself as he strains against the magic.
Coming to three lots of 1 damage and HP 11->8.
Dounil tells Celest to pick them off at range, his wild
swings are blocked but he does kill one troglodyte. Celest moves back, swaps to
her longbow and sends a Fray bolt towards the cleric, doing 1 HD of Damage, HD 2->1.
Round 2, equal initiative so attacks are simultaneous. The
mudtiger fails to recharge or bite. The troglodyte fails to hit with either
attack. Dounil kills the other troglodyte. The cleric moves into combat and
tries to touch Dounil to cast Cause Fear, Dounil passes only thanks to his +1
WIS modifier. Celest shoots with arrow and magic at the cleric, the arrow hits
again only thanks to her ability modifier (+3 vs the -2 from magnetisation) and
the cleric dies. So, she sends her spell Fray at the mudtiger. HD 5->4.
Round 3, Again simultaneous initiative. The mudtiger does
not recharge and no one hits. Spell Fray does damage to the mudtiger, HD 4->2.
Round 4, The party get the initiative and Dounil finishes
the mudtiger off with a sword blow, having arced it away from his armour.
The pair bandage and take stock of the dead cleric 4/6 [16:49].
The cleric is armed and armour as his companions above were but has nothing
else. How the cleric can cast without his unholy symbol (left in Room 44) is
not addressed. Dounil HP 8->10 and Celest HP 3->5.
They investigate the chamber of Room 65, where the cleric
came from. Finding a bedroom and splitting to search the belonging. They find
another two vials of presumably nonmagical liquid. They must rest here at the end
of the 60 minutes [17:09]. Dounil suggests that Celest keep her longbow out and
follow a short ways behind him. It smells like the cleric spends most of his
time here. Another turn takes them to a T-junction and they turn left, going
east to and hopefully not the ghouls again 1/6 [17:19]. About 20 feet into
their next turn, they encounter enemies in Room 63. They fail to surprise the troglodyte
but it surprises them. Launching a javelin at Dounil and rolling a natural 20
for 1 damage, HP 8-> 7.
Round 1, The troglodyte goes first. The troglodyte misses both
attacks. The combined Fray kills the troglodyte.
Round 2, the pregnant mudtiger emerges ponderous from her
pool and attacks, but the heroes rolled a better initiative. Dounil slices up
the elemental foe, the eggs released by the death throes in the pool. Dounil
and Celest realise looking at the eggs and the fingerings in the north pool
that this will be a continuous problem. They try tipping the herbal remedies
into the pool to see if they are poison, but it doesn’t seem to do anything.
They resolve to deal with that and the water weird later after they escape [17:21]
Advancing another turn to the east and they turn north to
see and smell the charnel caves in Room 62, 3/6 [17:31]. They backtrack, while
covering themselves with their ring and cloak. That at 3 times speed for
passing through already explored territory that then turns to the west as they
head south from Room 64, 4/6 17:41].
Another turn takes them to Room 66, where yet more pools
lie. But this time with a cloying fog that makes it hard to see and brings them
on edge. This is exactly set up to make Celest’s bow useless, but it’s warm. They
realise that taloned killer frogs are emerging from the pool, not yet properly
hostile but with the general sort of semi-hostility that comes from the text
declaring them to be automatically hostile yet being surprised.
Surprise round, Dounil kills 5 killer frogs, and Celest 2.
Round 1, the heroes win initiative and the last frog dies.
Good thing too as they have 3 attacks each and their last attack is 1d4+1 or
always 1 damage. They rest again, worried that their gear will get a little
rusty and their clothes soaked from the mist 5/6 [17:42].
Exploring the room is a matter of moving a little bit in two
directions while progressing around the warm pool. While there are no more
frogs, there is a pool of fish. That does mean they have to spend another turn
in the mist, 1/6 [18:02]. Two more turns take them back along the beach and
they see where they first fought the mudtigers and pulled up the boat. They
have completed the dungeon. But still have no oars. They realise they left them
back in Room 64 and must either loop back or go back through the tapped roundabout
in Room 57 2/6 [18:32].
At 3 times speed they get back to the entrance to Room 64 in
1 turn [18:42]. They can pick up the oars in one 1/3 of a normal turn or 1 turn
in an explored area. With Celest carrying them while Dounil carries the black pyramid
and end up back in foggy Room 66 at the end. Celest wants a full maintenance done
on their gear in Darkshelf and she won’t pay. Dounil says maintenance is fine,
it’s about getting the money back to safety that is the learning part 4/6.
Another turn gets them to the boat and they must rest; they cut
the rope while Celest banks the oars. Dounil pushes off and tries to hope in
before yet gets into the freezing water, no dice, he has some soaked feet and
very cold. So, he tries to row vigorously to Celest’s annoyance on the other
oar 1/6 [19:12].
They heave and hoe for more than a mile in the freezing wet
dark. Using their darkvision to navigate the turns before they reach the hidden
jetty and the fading twilight. Luckily it is still the 1st of Harvester, high summer
and the light has not yet faded, but is quite obscured by the bluffs and trees.
It took an hour [20:10]. It takes another hour to row west to where the bluffs
give way to bottomland [21:10]. From there it’s another hour to get back
through the bottomland to the outline of the quarry with pair of random encounter
rolls for the river and woods. Nothing in the river but they run into a pair of
goblins on worgs in the forest. Scouts who are sweeping the land for any
escapees or survivors, unaware everyone is dead or fled to Darkshelf yesterday.
They are 110 yards away and neither are surprised.
Round 1, the goblins win initiative, and with their split
move and fire special ability, they move halfway of their mounts’ speed (180
yards) to 90 yards (20 yards away) and fire their slings at close range.
Pinging harmlessly off the heroes’ shields. Then the worgs finish the remaining
20 yards movement and attempt to savage them with their bite and mass. Celest
takes 2 damage, HP 5->3.
Dounil and Celest aren’t going to let a pair of goblins stop
them now, Dounil’s main thrust fails but his Fray kills the rider and wounds
the worg, HD 3->2. Celest gets her revenge, doing 4 HD and killing both
goblin and his mount with a massive set of swings.
They bandage and she gets the last health potion again in
case there are more, HP 2->5.
They make it back to the keep/guardhouse and strip-off their
soaked, stinking armour at [22:10]. They lay it out, heave some furniture over
the door to a guest room and pass out. Hoping their keen part-eleven sense will
reveal intruding foes.
Day 124
It is [8:00] and they are not dead, since there are no
random encounters in the quarry. Their clothes stink, their armour padding
stinks and they have a pile of treasure to haul back. They use a wheelbarrow from
the quarry. Arriving at [10:00] to much fanfare and no random encounters on the
path. With much ceremony, Overlord Neistor thanks them for ridding Darkshelf of
it’s terrible scrouge and awards them 500 gold pieces. They then begin the tending
too process.
The room at the inn is rented, they are too tired to care
about sharing a room and or bed, but it might be awkward later. Breakfast is
included for 5gp a night with the suite. The blacksmith will take 10% of the
value to melt down the silver unholy objects, the washing of the undergarments
and sand-cleaning of the magic armour is 10gp more from various services (I’m
just guessing). They will oil and polish their own swords and other weapons. The XP for monsters comes to 1101XP /16 = 68.8 x 1.10/1.05 =
75/72 for each class.
Treasure XP all goes to Celest, hopefully to get her to
level 2 so she can assist Dounil against 1 to 2 HD foes in the Temple.
Three holy symbols at 25gp, minus 10% comes to 67.5gp. That
plus 500gp (reward) and 8910sp,
1125gp, 23pp in coins. Darkshelf will also take the blood stones (90gp), quartz
crystals (230gp) and urns for 75gp in total. But they don’t have a jeweler to
change over the remaining jewelry and gems. Understatedly, Neistor is worried he
might not have enough cash on hand to change everything over and still have the
village economy run for the next season. Especially as it will be months before
people feel like working at the quarry again. That comes too 2813.5/8 = 351.68
x 1.10/1.05 = 386/369 XP.
Still to cash
in 7 silver and ornamental stone rings/one with bloodstone (770gp), 3 jade
figures (300gp) and
Glyrthiel’s spellbook which requires magic to read (Friends, Read Magic,
Shield, Sleep and Unseen Servant).
This is
looking like a bit of a bust for Celest, she is still only ¼ and 1/5 of the way
to level 2 after an entire module of XP. Still, they rest for a while, with Celest
requiring 2 days of full rest to reach HP 7 again and Dounil to need 11 days
complete rest.
So 11 x 5 =
55gp of cost + 20gp for cleaning is 75gp less than 8915sp, 2287gp, 23pp and the
gems. Which is being paid out of the silver first to lessen the weight to 8165sp.
At day 8, Celest is thinking about what happens to the fingerlings and the
water weird, especially if they get accused of leaving a job unfinished. She
wants to research how to defeat the weird, but with a lack of sages in
Darkshelf, resorts to Defying Death as she racks her brains from her magical training,
she did with Dounil. Having not rolled one this session, she rolls 1d4 and gets
a 1, no damage. She remembers water weirds can only be permanently slain by Purify
Water spell and only blunt weapons do full damage to them.
She goes to Neistor and explains to full make the quarry
safe, she needs to hire the town cleric, borrow two clubs and have three lots of poison bait for
the pools (she doesn’t trust the fish). Neistor agrees to give
her the bait and clubs, but says the Cleric
will want a donation. The 1E DMG says 100gp for the spell, which she pays.
Day 136
The pair
armed with clubs to avoid the stacking 1 damage only rule for water weirds and
the cleric accompanying, return to the quarry. The cleric hopes he won’t have
to turn back any ghosts later but is relieved the bodies in the guardhouse were
burnt. It takes an arbitrary time from [8:00 to 12:00] to get down to the pool
where the water weird is, the cleric has a lantern and is concerned the goblin
bodies might rise as undead. But that’s not really a thing in OSR D&D,
undead tend to be human based. They tell the cleric to come in after they are
done.
They both can
sense each other but the water weird still surprises. It grabs at Dounil, but
misses. Round 1 the weird still goes first, trying and missing again. A blow
from Dounil’s club and a Fray bolt from Celest bring it low and they call the
cleric in quickly. Who casts the spell. On the journey to and from the pools,
they tip the posion into the water, ensuring the fingerlings die, the egg spawn
will die and the fish will die for good measure.
But they
hear a growling from Room 56 as they stand in the cloying mists of Room 66. It
appears the rogue mudtiger who appeared in the Darkshelf backstory and on the
river random encounter table is back and is having a go at the other mudtiger corpses
on the beach. Dounil and Clest move to intercept. The mudtiger is nowhere to be
seen until it bursts from the water, having been forewarned by the crunch of
the sand and light of the cleric’s lantern, surprising.
It shocks
as it’s first action, catching the pair. Dounil takes 2 damage and Celest 3, HP
18->16 and 7->4.
Round 1,
the mudtiger attacks first but misses. Dounil misses from the magnetisation but
Celest hit with her club. They both fire Spell Fray for a total of 4 HD of
damage, killing the mudtiger. They get 8XP for all classes.
That
sorted, it’s back to the village for another 3 days of rest.
Day 140
The pair
finally leave Darkshelf on the 18th of Harvest, hoping to get back
to the Temple before winter sets in, mild as it is warmer than Earth in Greyhawk.
They take a boat, despite their collective misgivings as they don’t want to
travel overland. Better 21 days aboard than fighting griffins and goblins
throughout the wilds of Nyrond and the Cairn Hills.
With
promises of magical protection and steel, it costs them 1gp per day per person with
hard tack thrown in for the limestone-carrying ship.
Day 143
Six small
whales spotted, no threat
Day 146
A manta ray
rising towards the surface, no threat
Day 147
100
Locathah +2 leaders and 8 assistants, all mounted on giant eels migrating They
are uncertain, but as they are Neutral in alignment, the encounter is just
passing by.
Day 153
5 giant sea
horses, not a threat
Day 158
A patrol
out of Hardby, Dounil and Celest are kept on the foredeck ready to cast until the
ships both verify the other is not flying a false flag.
Day 160
10 sharks feeding on the detritus drifting out of Hardby. No threat. With the ship arrived at the destination, Dounil and Clest pay the 5cp each entry fee and change the remaining gems and art figures including the pyramid, which they didn’t want to sell in Darkshelf. Celest gets the XP, 1570/8x1.1/1.05 = 215FXP and 205MUXP. They debate what to do with the spellbook but decide it’s best they keep it to themselves and if they don’t spontaneous learn Read Magic next levels, they’ll find someone to share it with.
Celest banks most of her money with the city. Who is always ready to take coins from those who might not return. She and Dounil now I think about it, have 1 year to claim the money back. She receives a note for 2087gp 23pp and 6000sp.
They have 1464sp (Celest's), his and her promissory notes and Glyrthiel’s
spellbook which requires magic to read (Friends, Read Magic, Shield, Sleep and
Unseen Servant).
They rest
for the night in separate small but private rooms. Celest says they will pay separately
from now on. But Dounil says he has no money except paper. They can split when
they start splitting the Temple loot. So, Celest will have to contribute for horses,
food and board.
Day 161
They
purchase food, horse feed and two horses and begin to ride for the Temple,
using the dangerous but unobtrusive road across north of the Wild Coast and through
the Gnarly Forest.
The inn was 2gp, 150gp for the horses and 14 days of oats and fodder for getting the horses there though riding horses can eat grass according to the rules. 14 days of rations and 14 days of iron rations for themselves if it takes too long to get there. Taking mostly from her silver, they spend 100gp more and she is left with 424sp.
They set
off.
