AD&D Solo Adventures - The Village of Homlet Part 5

I realised I made a mistake with some of the XP and had to round back to level 2 base values before recalculating again. I think I lost some XP but really it was maybe a few hundred. And That’s a rounding error at this point with the treasure.

Day 39, He is finally outfitted in his plate mail +1 and his AC is now 0. 5630gp of money in Verbobonc (he donates it to the Viscount in exchange for a promissory note, good for Velune. 9800gp (yet to XP) still buried and 3200gp (yet to become XP) awaiting him in Hommlet with the rest of the money.

In prepping the character, I realised I needed to deduct 10gp for the accommodations, stables and food. Also I should of done something with the small Cloak of Elven Kind as well. 6gp for expenses.

Day 44

Dounil rides out upon his horse, allowing himself to carry all the way to the hills. Neither lost nor waylaid. He realises the armour and the coins in his purse causes the horse to be encumbered.

Day 45

Dounil recovers 4900gp of treasure, leaving 4900 behind. He rides back to Verbobonc, not getting lost but encountering Pilgrims, a reaction roll of 11 means they are indifferent. Dounil lets them pas and does not try to parlay with them. The XP shuttle continues and Dounil pays 6gp for the night.

Day 46

Dounil sells his treasure and gets ready to ride out one final time. With a mere 33cp and 9sp on his person and another promissory note from an increasingly happy Viscount. For Dounil could well perish against the temple and never redeem his notes. FXP 673 MUXP 643. He takes the opportunity to sleep in the castle as a guest to preserve his money and avoid the bands of thieves who are quite aware he has been carting treasure into the city.

Day 47, Dounil rides and gets lost. Riding due south instead of south-east. NRE.

Day 48, He cannot seem to find the site in the morning. Another roll of 1 means he is anti-lost, of realises he is 30 miles off course. No random encounters but deeper into the hills.

Day 49, He is not lost and navigates the slopes and gullies to arrive back near the road where he buried his treasure. A final digging occurs. NRE.

Day 50, Making moderately good time. He rides halfway to Hommlet, not being lost but encounters 20 Bandits (66 means they aren’t good hillmen either).

He surprises them by riding down the hill when they were packing up. 30 yards away they are, 19 men and level 2 Fighter. These are a roving band of robber, bringing loot to the temple as Laerth no longer commands the western approach. Dounil knows what they are for they have had no chance to use their trickery or surprise. He draws his bow and fires as his surprise action.

SR/R1 - Fray means his shots skewer foes alike in the rain of arrows, though only 2 die. He uses he normal action to dismount and switch to his sword. The bandits rush him, crossing the distance with ease and 12 attack him, including their leader. 3 per 10-foot side. Dounil is putting a lot of faith in his 0 AC. None hit.

R2 – Dounil hews away, 3 die. They strike back, not going to test morale till half have fallen. Despite the armour, Dounil takes 1 damage, HP 13->12.

R3 – Dounil kills the leader and 4 more bandits. The bandits pas their morale check and keep fighting. Dounil takes 2 hits from the pressed mass of swords, taking 3 damage, HP 12-> 9.

R4 – The swords swings and 2 die. Though one bandit cuts through, the blade turns on the under armour (roll of 1 damage).

R5 – The remaining 8 bandits fail their morale check and begin to flee. Dounil knows he should pursue, but he cannot chase 8 scattered bandits with a horse overloaded with treasure. He instead loots the dead. He gets 91sp. He bandages HP 9-> 11.

He has a sleepless night.

Day 51, he finally returns to Hommlet with no more delays.

It has taken Dounil 28 days to dispose of all his loot and return to Hommlet, ready to travel to Nulb. It only took him 23 days to clear the Moathouse with resting. He stores his treasure with Rufus and Burne along with the Gnomish payment that was lodged with them. While they are clearly unhappy with the prospect of all this money which is not useful for their castle. Thy do permit the issuing of a promissory note on the grounds Dounil does not claim if before the castle is built, which will take years and allow them to invest it themselves. Dounil gives them the small-sized cloak of elvenkind to sweeten the deal, suggesting perhaps it should go back to the Gnomes if they have no use of it.

Dounil retires to the inn with three pieces of paper worth more than whole estates, he pays 4gp in silver for room, food and stables. Elmo sidles up and says that if he is in Nulb, his brother Otis the Smith is a good man to talk to. FXP 1113 MUXP 1063. plus FXP 28 MUXP 27 from defeating the Bandits. Dounil levels up his Fighter class to level 3 HP Maximum is now 16, HP 11->14.

Day 52, He requests 100 gold pieces from his stored wealth and converts the rest to a promissory note from Rufus and Burne. He then rides to Nulb.

Nulb by all accounts was described as an awful place, by some tributary of the Velverdyva River called Imeryds Run. River-pirates, bandits and people too self-motivated to be cultist make it home. Rather than ride through the increasingly dangerous woods, Dounil takes the low road through the hills and swampland past the Moathouse.

Gygax’s tables are getting dangerous and adventure specific here but a lucky roll of 12 means Dounil meets no one on the day-long journey north and west.

Nulb is a wretched as it sounds, Dounil enters the Waterside Hostel with 24 boisterous people and sees his gold and even perhaps his silver are dangerous rich here. He says he’s a wandering mercenary, looking for ruins or work. He also buys some simple food, drink, and shelter for a total of 7cp and 10sp. Dick the Hostler, recognises him as a foe of the temple, but sizes him up as a man who kill for money not for Good. He recommends the temple being both unexplored and the home to several bandit groups in need of strong men.

When stabling his horse at the blacksmith/stable, he is accosted by the owner, Otis the ex-mercenary. Asking how is known, Otis said his brother Elmo told him. He then drops his voice and says the Waterside Tavern is a bad place for an enemy of the temple to be. But certain people would gladly help if the temple was to be explored and foes counted. He directs Dounil to Mother Screng for potions and remedies. It costs 2gp to stable the horse.

Day 53

Waking at [7:00], Dounil tells Dick he’ll be back when he’s got work from the bandits. He visits Mother Screng who disturb him when he’s inside until he says he was sent by Otis. Then they turn serious and tell him they are sure the Waterside Hostel is servants of the temple, reporting his movements. The Boatman’s Tavern will merely kill him in his sleep for his treasure, but that’s most of the town.

Fortunately, NRE as Dounil leaves, he reaches the Temple at [8:30]. It is a ghastly place as revealed in the flowing textbox.

With all his equipment, Dounil explores at 30 feet per turn and moves outdoors at 30 yards. Meaning it takes him 1 turn to walk from the entrance to the doors of the hideous edificial of the temple proper. Pulling his horse as well. NRE.
He doesn’t feel like leaving his horse outside, as this place feels like something will eat it. He’ll walk it out later, but the horse will be hungry.

Opening the doors he moves inside at [8:40]. The place continues to assault the senses with box text detailing how awful everything is. He dares not touch the alters or liquids and certainly doesn’t think he can fit his armoured form down the well.

Approaching the sealed doors, they do look important, but he fails the Sav vs Spells to approach them. He’ll have to take a Defying Death roll to try again later.

The dais stumps him.

THE POWER OF ELEMENTAL DEATH

BRINGS MORTALS LOW

BUT RAISES THE NAMELESS ONE

HIGH

Is clearly a riddle, but he feels he would need to understand something inside the temple first or mess with the order of the alters. But that might trigger something. The collection of multicoloured robes intrigues him but he files that away for later. He ends up choosing to descend the stairs in 4a. NRE x3 [9:10]

The ring of invisibility can be used once per turn, but I have taken to assume that means it lasts 1 turn when activated.

It’s tiring and heavy work, edging down the corridors and stairways in heavy armour. Going 30 feet every 10 minutes like each step might be the last. On the staircase itself, Dounil was too slow and ran into 3 Gnolls going for air. Neither were surprised so Dounil took the initiative.

R1 – One Gnoll was wounded but alive HD 2->1. One Gnoll penetrated the magic armour and did 1 damage, HP 14->13.

R2 – The wounded Gnoll perished to the fray and the other were run through. No treasure was found. Bandaging HP 13->14. [9:25]

He has to rest [9:35]

Continuing, and Dounil came to four-way junction. Remembering staying left is how you get into a maze’s heart, he went left into a T-intersection and went left again (eastward). NRE x2 [9:45]

Two more turns brough him to Room 102, a disused armoury NRE x 2 [10:05]. He searches the place and finds a quiver of 17 usable arrows. NRE x 5 with the rest. [10:55] He feels like he’s wasting his time here.

Going the other direction, he reaches Room 101 the other armoury and doesn’t bother searching it. NRE x 5 with a rest [11:25]. 2/6

Fed up with his slowness but not willing to compromise his safety, he marches back up to the top of the staircase. He dumps his money, his bullseye lantern, quiver and his longbow on the floor and pulls the broken wardrobe over the top. Now he’s feeling lighter. NRE x 6 [12:25] 2/6

Back down the stairs means he can make some actual ground, yet on those same stairs is an Ogre with indigestion, pausing due to the sight and smell of the dead Gnolls. Neither are surprised. Dounil’s silver spear catchs the Ogre in the chest while his sword does overkill, laying the monster down, though there is no treasure to be found. [12:45] 4/6

Continuing, Dounil takes the right at the intersection, but must make a nerve-jangling rest some 10 feet down in the featureless corridor. NRE x 2 [13:05]

Another 60’ down there’s another four-way intersection. Dounil keeps heading right because with his Infravision, he can see something interesting ahead. NRE [13:15] 1/6

He slips on his ring of invisibility and moves towards the hall with the pillars. Entering several things happen, after a round exploring, a heavy grate drops on the entrance, and singing is heard from above. Dounil passes the save vs spell by 1. But hides behind a pillar anyway (3/60 rounds). Next round the 2 Harpies fly about puzzled. With no bow he makes his attack.

R1 – The Harpies fail their surprise roll. The surprise attack causes one harpy to squark and falls wounded, but it requires a few more blows to finish them off.

R2 – Six ghouls emerge from the room to the south. This terrifies Dounil, for he is not immune to their paralysis. Neither are surprised. Still Dounil slays 2, but it doesn’t deter them. Three attacks hit for 3 damage and paralysis HP 14->11. Dounil will die if he gets paralysed, he will have to Defy Death 3 times. He takes 4 damage from that HP11->7.

R3 – 6 HD of damage is 3 dead Ghouls. The last one misses all attacks against the enchanted shield and plate.

R4 – It takes fray and a hit, but the last Ghoul is slain. Dounil pauses to bandage HP7->9 [13:20]

Total FXP so far 59, MUXP 56

He turns on the ring again and moves into Room 104. Dounil finds the room is empty and begins searching the rotting nests and hanging cloaks. The room descriptions after a through search, so I assume Dounil must search the entire room, plus a turn outside to rest and avoid vomiting. [14:30]

Finding 187cp, 81sp, 5ep, and 61gp and an elf-sized suit of chainmail. OSE Advanced multiclass rules say to allow for the best armour of any class and cast spells without restrictions. So, I think the rules for casting in armour don’t apply. No Random encounters as this is a sealed-of area, in my opinion.

Moving back to the northern door, [14:45], Dounil does not detect the secret door. He activates the ring and moves into Room 105. Where there are 4 Ghouls, who do not notice (4/6). It’s an automatic surprise round for Dounil.

Fray of 8 and a hit, 4HD of damage kills 2 Ghouls. They roll 9, exact morale and pass.

Still Round 1 means Dounil starts first as the hero. 3HD kills another and wounds 1. One of the three Ghoul attacks hits for 1 damage HP 9->8. Though Dounil fails the throw, he dares not succumb. Defying Death means he rolls 1d4 and takes 1 more point of damage HP8->7.

Round 2, the fray dice destroys the Ghoul. FXP 10 MUXP 9 [14:47] The Ghasts in Room 107 think it’s yet more visitors and the Room 105 Ghouls have gotten involved. They are alert but not yet uneasy.

Dounil bandages and rests HP 7->9, and searches the chest, being the most obvious thing present. [15:10]. He finds pieces of cloth in brown and tan as well as 108cp, 92sp, 37gp, and 7pp. He is wondering if the robes were left over from the temple and if they might still be in use. He dumps the pile of coins next to it and thinks of casting Floating Disc on the way out to carry his gear and treasure. Moving through Room 106, he sees nothing of interest and does not stop to investigate.

Activating the ring, he passes through to Room 107. It is a battle of confusion for while the Ghasts were expecting his arrival, they were not expecting nothing to appear. Normal combat ensures and no side is surprised. Dounil is nearly overpowered by the smell as he fails his Save and so takes a -2 to hit.

Round 1 – A roll of 11 damage and a magical fray of 3 means 5 HD damage, one of the best results, that’s to his Sword Specialisation and high Strength. A Ghast is destroy and the other wounded HD 4->3. The ghast does 1 damage back and Dounil passes his Save vs Paralysis exactly with his +1 bonus. Meaning he doesn’t need to Defy Death, HP 9->8.

Round 2 – Fray and swinging destroy the Ghast HD3->0. 250. FXP 34 MUXP 32

Bandaging in Room 106 to avoid the sight and smell of an orc’s body partially eaten HP 8->9, Dounil decides that destroying the visual obstructions is enough [15:09, lets round to 15:20 with the rest]. Tossing the chairs and couches over the orc as a kind of makeshift pyre. Fortunately, the wood is dry enough to catch even if rotten and stained in unimaginable juices. While pulling the bed apart and kicking it into the flames. Dounil sees the large section of missing plaster. Taking a turn to search it and mindful of the rancid smoke. He finds the loose block and treasure beyond. He is forced to retreat to Room 106 to rest [16:20].

Returning to Room 105, he realises he is too slow now and finally casts Floating Disc. Piling it up with the coins and treasure for 1143/5000-coin weight. He begins to return home, feeling sore but victorious. Upon coming to the dropped gate, he rolls both an Open Gate check (3/5) and a Strength check (12/18) [16:48]

He can reach the top of the stairs before he has to rest and his treasure will clatter to the floor. But before he can do that he has to face four random encounter rolls now he is outside the sealed Ghoul and Harpy trap. He encounters 5 gnolls some 20 feet away when leaving the gate. Who are prowling about looking for whoever just killed their comrades earlier that day. None will have treasure.

Round 1 – Dounil wounds 1 HD2->1. One Gnoll hits back for 2 damage HP 9->7

Round 2 – Our Half-Elf does 3 HD of damage, killing the wounded one and another. In return they do 2 HP damage, HP 7->5

Round 3 – The Gnolls pass morale. Finally Dounil properly hits. Doing 5 HD damage. Killing 2 and leaving one on 1 HD. The Gnoll does 1 damage, HP 5->4

Round 4 – The Gnoll passes morale, the wild swinging of the sword as Fray Dice kills it and Dounil stops to bandage HP 5->7. It’s been pretty much 1 turn of combat [17:00]

There are no more random encounters to the top of the stairs (NRE x 3), but the Floating Disc spell gives out there. The clinking of the falling treasure on the stone triggers another random encounter roll and the rest turn and following turn is spent picking it up (NRE x3) [18:00]

Finally, under the sudden weight of the treasure, Dounil staggers up the to cold air of the Temple proper. His horse is very hungry and very irritated now it is loaded with 1509-coin weight plus 681 from Dounil [18:30].

He rides it out of the temple, and it is a whole half an hour before he finally lets his sad horse eat, for the plant life around the temple is unwholesome. That takes 30 minutes [19:30]. The horse is still unsatisfied as he forces it forward again. He reaches Nulb by [20:00] as the places goes to sleep. He walks his horse around the edge and knocks on the stables. To his surprise, Otis was waiting for him (Informed by the owls as a Ranger).

Otis is willing to stable the horse, but at double fee for the extra food needed for the hungry animal. For treasure, Otis recommends hiding it or spending small amounts, for wounds perhaps Mother Screng might be a good place to launder good-gotten gains. Dounil pays for the stabling with gold (-4gp).

Heading to Mother Screng, Dounil is not too surprised to find she is also awake as is her ugly daughter. She asks if his expedition to the temple wounded him too much. He replies yes and he can pay for her services. The first heal was free as Screng put it, rest needed information. Dounil relates his tale, and they narrow their eyes at the room of Ghouls. For Ghouls can be dangerous in battle many times more than their numbers. Screng suggests that he find some way of disposing of the treasure with the river pirates, as Tolub (black pearl ring) has landed for this night alone. Also, Dounil was stupid for admitting anything to the proprietor of the Waterside Hotel. But the Elfin mail she could give to an Elf in need (Murfles). Trusting her so far and not in need of it, Dounil gives the Elfin Mail and gets the full XP value. He hides the gold, platinum and cup here. FXP 68 MUXP 65.

Cure Light Wounds heals 1d6+1, which by luck was 7, which is subject to the same conversion as damage, HP 7->9.

Dounil nearly completes his rounds by entering the Boatmens’ Tavern, which is filled with rowdy river sailors who eye him with suspicion. He swaggers up to Tolub and asks him if he’s interested in some business. Tolub has been drinking and is a bit confused as to why some sellsword would boldly stride into a den of pirates and talk to the captain first (8 on Reaction Roll). Dounil explains that he works out of the Waterside Hotel and today he met with some fellows and ran into orcs. Those orcs were surely yet fatally overconfident and now Dounil had some gemstones he thought were too rich for Nulb. Tolub told him to show, and Dounil showed the three onyx gems. Tolub thinks about it and asks if he works for the Temple. Dounil said he was told to go there but his horse was too scared to do much and he saw nobody. Tolub thinks about it and decides he’ll pay 25gp apiece. Dounil accepts, silently cursing that perhaps riding all the way back to Hommlet would be better. FXP 10 MUXP 9

He gives the same story to Dick the Hostler at the Waterside Hotel and pays 7cp and 10sp. Dick asks if he met anyone else passing by the Temple ruin, Dounil makes up a red-headed man with a broadsword and checked shield, based on one he saw in Verbobonc but with a slash on it. Dick will check that and says that orcs can be good company if they all share a mission and they fight first. He also notes the bulging sack. Which contains: 314cp, 183sp, 5ep, 371gp and 7pp. Plus the large gold cup (worth 450gp).

Day 54

Dounil decides to rest today, paying Dick in copper and silver and Otis in gold. -7cp, 10sp, 2gp. He visits Mother Screng for some useless herbs to show Dick why he visited and a Cure Light Wounds HP 9->11->12.

But that does mean he can launder the coins for XP since people now accept, he’s living large on some theft. He made 288cp 143sp and 271gp off the expedition. That’s FXP 39 MUXP 37

Day 55

Dounil tells Dick he’s going to see if anyone’s in the forest, maybe Elves and Dick tells him he’s going to die if he thinks he can ambush a Celene border patrol.

Dounil goes to retrieve the wealth from Mother Screng and his horse from Otis and rides to Hommlet. No one sees him leave along the High Road. And another roll also says no one say him on the second leg as he passes the Moathouse.

It is not yet dark when he visits Hommlet. He passes by the Traders to get to the moneychanger, giving them a start as they thought he was dealt with in Verbobonc. Melubb will give him 360gp for the large golden cup. FXP49 MUXP47

He lodges at the Welcome Wench for 5 nights. -10gp.

Day 60

He buys 14 days’ worth of iron rations (-70gp) and 14 days of oats in sacks (-28 gp). When the Traders ask where he’s been going, he decides not to tell the truth and says he’s been running with caravans up and down the road to Verbobonc and farther north. This is obviously a lie because fresh food is readily available that way. He lodges his gold and platinum (262gp and 70pp) with Rufus and Burne, who say that if he’s willing to cough up so much money and fight the temple, Burne can make spells available for a nominal fee of 1,000gp per spell. But no, he cannot take that out of the promissory notes. Dounil is annoyed by this Gygaxian rules bending. FXP and MXP for the Platinum is 9 for both.

Dounil decides he will cut across the forest and make for the Temple, set up a proper basecamp and water his horse by riding it to the river each day. He’ll feed it oats to stop it being poisoned by the weeds.

Taking the High Road, he rides through Nulb without stopping in the evening, hoping no one notices. Encounters entering Nulb occur on first visit, encounters leaving are 10 wolves. These wolves have grown up on humanoid carcasses from the fighting a decade ago and the remnants of bandit and humanoid attacks. Plus, they outnumber a lone man and rider.

Dounil swings off his horse and grabs the reigns to stop it running. He then lets go to charge the wolves.

Round 1 – 5 HD of damage kills 2 wolves (why do they have 2+2 HD in D&D?).

Round 2 – With a heightened morale of 8, a roll of 11 means the wolves scamper. Finally, a morale roll fails. FXP 34 MUXP 32

Its dark by the time Dounil rides to the temple doors. NRE, he decides he will not sleep in such an unsafe place and thinks to find a ruined outbuilding. Relying on his Dark-vision to spot foes. NRE x 3.

He reaches the ruined building surrounded by woods and ties his horse beneath some overhang, hoping nothing falls. He can occasionally heard scurrying from below. Not wanting to be ambushed in his sleep, he backs as far as he can into the corner. Hoping his horse will alert him to anything.

He settles down for a sleep and a morning expedition. His sleep is disturbed by dreams of past horrors that must have been done in this temple and a heightened sense he sleeps in a deeply unsafe place.

The Giant Rats do not come out this night, for they are scared of the horse.