Return to the Tomb of the Lost Lich - The Land of Jo'Ril, Chapter 19

The party returns to the Tomb of the Lost Lich. Is this too much dungeon for them?

We are playing Old School Essentials, which is another way of saying Basic D&D circa 1981.

The Party:

• Arrn, level 3 magic user 
• Wumpus, level 3 dwarf
• Waverly, level 3 ranger
• Andrew Price, level 3 cleric
• Gordon Binghampton, level 4 cleric, out this week
• Fitzhugh Skitter, level 2 thief 
• Hildetrude, a level 1 Halfling NPC hireling

Here's a quick summary of their hex-crawl exploration of the land of Jo'Ril as generated by HEXROLL.

Note - Be aware, we are playing full-on tomb plunderers. We are aware of and deplore the real-world issues of colonialism, cultural theft, etc. We are role-playing characters and situations with different cultural mores and norms than our own. This is not an endorsement on our part for such behavior in the real world. 

After resting overnight at the Wight and Crying Queen Inn, the party reunited with Arrn and returned to the Tomb of the Lost Lich, this time without Gordon.

1. Two Troglodytes. The party, certain of the presence of a secret door in this corridor, returned to try again. This time, they found it after thirty minutes of searching. They entered and spotted the troglodytes using their mimicry ability to set up an ambush (neither side was surprised, thanks to the Waverly's ranger abilities). The troglodytes were quickly killed and looted, producing 16 gems worth 815 gp in total and 20 jewelry items worth 4,550 gp in total. It was later determined that the troglodytes were guards placed in a magical form of suspended animation.

2. Seven Pit Vipers. A room with lit by a single candle lit in a sconce. The center of the room was covered in a large pile of debris, loose bricks, large rocks, etc. A human man was chained to the wall in the southwest corner. Wumpus went to his aid, then called Fitz over to open the manacles. Fitz inspected the manacles, they were held by a cotter pin. She removed it and glared at Wumpus. As she trudged back to the southeast corner of the room, she stepped over the debris pile. A venomous pit viper, hidden within the loose stones and bricks, struck her. She staggered before falling to the ground, dead. (Failed Save vs. Poison).

Wumpus quickly killed the viper while Waverly doused the entire pile in oil before setting it ablaze. The pile burned. Six more vipers emerged from their hiding spots, fleeing the flames.

DM Note- By my original design, had they just avoided the pile of debris, they wouldn't trigger any vipers at all. However, setting the pile on fire did one round of burning damage to the vipers but forced them out of the pile. They're animals so I rolled reactions for each viper to see if they'd just flee or attack. 

Two slithered towards Wumpus and Waverly, biting but missing. Arrn cast a sleep spell and all the vipers fell into torpor. They were quickly dispatched as the flames died down. The party quickly dispatched the remaining vipers. The room produced no treasure.

3. Five Robber Flies. A secret door in the northwest corner kept opening, then closing, then opening, then closing. It was soon discovered that one of Arrn's invisible guards had been pressing on the floor plate in the previous room, opening and closing the secret door.

DM Note- the real reason was I said, "Oh wait, you stepped on the plate, the door is open!" and opened it in the VTT, then immediately remembered, "Wait, that was yesterday, the door is re-closed. No, it should be open." and I literally kept opening and closing it in the VTT. Wumpus' player said "Which is it?!" and I came up with the story about the guard stepping on the plate over and over again. 

Inside the secret room were five yellow-and-black insects, each the size of a large rat! Were they hornets? Bees? It was difficult to say. They leaped onto Wumpus and Waverly and began biting with their mouth parts. 

DM Note- one of the bees bit Wumpus HARD twice! Once for 8 damage and once for 7 damage!

The lack of stingers told Waverly these were robber flies, insects that resemble killer bees. The insects were soon dispatched.

A lever was located in the secret room. Waverly pulled the lever but it was blocked. Suddenly, a spitting cobra slithered out from under the lever! 

DM Note- I had rolled the cobra as a wandering monster, and this was a perfect place to fit it in!

The cobra was quickly killed before it could do any harm.

Waverly pulled the lever with no immediate effect.

The human captive turned out to be a half-elf from the city Arkon. He introduced himself as Boots.

DM Note- we used the captive as a way to introduce Fitz's new replacement character.

4. 76 Bats. Wumpus forced opened the door to this room to find dozens of bats flying hanging from the ceiling. The opening of the door sent them into a swarm, filling the room with a cyclonic cloud of flying bats! Arrn cast a sleep spell and all the bats fell to the floor. The room produced no treasure.

DM Note- I wasn't quite sure how 7HD of monsters equated to 76 bats each with 1hp. In retrospect, I should have had Arrn's player roll 7d8 and that many bats would fall asleep. Whatever, they're just bats.

A secret door to the north was open, revealing a hidden niche filled with bat food. 

The door to the west was locked but a key the party had earlier found fit and the door opened.

5. Four Killer Bees.  An altar contained four large yellow-and-black flying bee-like insects. These attacked immediately, stinging Wumpus multiple times (Successful Saves vs. Poison). That these had stingers and died after using them told Waverly they were giant killer bees. The bees were soon eliminated. The room produced no treasure.

The party thought about continuing north but, out of holy miracles and arcane spells, and low on hit points, they decided to retrieve Fitzhugh's body, retreat to the entrance, and return to to the Wight and Crying Queen Inn. There Wumpus buried Fitz with a dwarven funeral dirge.

Back at the Inn

DM Note - We had about thirty minutes left to play so we did some interaction with some NPCs at the inn. I used donjon's random inn generator to create some more guests. 

Wumpus met a male dwarven storyteller and his male travelling companion. The storyteller had been cursed by a necromancer in the city of Tybor int he neighboring land of Urazar. The travelling companion was a drunkard trying to scam people out of free drinks. Wumpus also met a female dwarf travelling to Kömür to earn money for her hold - her clan's mine had dried up and they need some more money to survive a few more months while they dig deeper, hoping to find a lost vein of gold. Arrn offered her money but she angrily snapped, "A dwarf never accepts charity!" 

DM Note - That's where we left. What will happen next week? Will they return to the obviously deadly Tomb of the Lost Lich for some more punishment? Will they seek a gentler dungeon? Will they travel to Ankar? Who knows? 

The Tomb of the Lost Lich - The Land of Jo'Ril, Chapter 18

 

The party ventures into the Tomb of the Lost Lich, meet their match, and decide to withdraw.

We are playing Old School Essentials, which is another way of saying Basic D&D circa 1981.

The Party:

• Arrn, level 3 magic user - out this week
• Wumpus, level 4 dwarf
• Waverly, level 3 ranger - showed up two hours late
• Andrew Price, level 4 cleric
• Gordon Binghampton, level 4 cleric
• Fitzhugh Skitter, level 1 thief 
• Hildetrude, a level 1 Halfling NPC hireling

Here's a quick summary of their hex-crawl exploration of the land of Jo'Ril as generated by HEXROLL.

Note - Be aware, we are playing full-on tomb plunderers. We are aware of and deplore the real-world issues of colonialism, cultural theft, etc. We are role-playing characters and situations with different cultural mores and norms than our own. This is not an endorsement on our part for such behavior in the real world. 

The party, minus Arrn (whose player is on vacation) descend into the tunnel beneath the privy of the ruined Castle Solomon. Within, it is rumored, dwells the vampire of Baron Solomon himself!

1. Some gnolls can be seen in the next room, arguing over treasure. They advanced to the corridor and wait for the gnolls to notice them.
2. Three gnolls arguing over some treasure, spot the party and charge to fight. They engage at the entrance to the room. All three are quickly dispatched. They return to search room 1. 
• The gnolls had 8 gems worth 630 gp in total.
• Two cages containing long dead skeletons flank the stairs at the entrance.
• Skeleton of an orc near the entrance impaled against the wall by a sword, 20gp in a bag. 
• A key hanging on a hook on the wall earns much suspicion but no trap is found. 
• Some cracked tiles on the floor are removed to reveal another key. 
• A phrase is painted on the ceiling in the ancient runes of the Priests of Law: "Magical Bones". 
3. The room is barred from the inside. Waverly forces it open. Three crypts and a pile of gold. Wumpus enters. Glowing green and blue mists emanate from the crypts, coalescing into wraiths! The clerics attempt to turn undead but fail. The party withdraws to the door and begin hurling flasks of holy water - remarkably effective against the wraiths. Wumpus and Andrew each lose a level! The party withdraws to room 2 but are pursued by the lone remaining wraith. It is eventually defeated by holy water. The party takes a much needed ten-minute rest.
• Treasure pile contains 5,250 gp.
4. The party encounters a lone bee the size of a large rat. It watches them. They watch it. They move near it - maybe its a druid? They try to talk to it. The bee attacks them but is quickly dispatched. Waverly the ranger determines it is a type of wasp called a Robber Fly - they look just like giant killer bees and hunt them as prey. The party is warned - there may be killer bees about.
5. While traversing this corridor, Waverly could smell a foul odor, like a skunk, emanating through the wall. Wumpus could hear the guttural hissing reptilian speech of troglodytes behind the wall. Despite an organized search of both walls, no secret door could be found.
6. Five gnolls are sitting in a room cleaning their weapons. They hear the party approaching. A battle ensues. One gnoll panics and flees through the east door. Waverly chases the gnoll down and kills it. The other gnolls are soon dispatched save one who surrenders. It is allowed to flee without its weapon. 
• The walls are encrusted with hundreds of humanoid skulls.
• A wooden plaque is fixed to one wall, on it are painted the words "Magical Spirit" in the ancient runes of the priests of Law.
7. Curious to where the other gnoll was fleeing, they find a locked door. The key from the hook works! Within they find a desiccated orc lying on wood planks on the floor in the center of the room. The floor is covered in dried rose petals. Wumpus uses a ten foot pole to push the orc body off the planks. Picking up the planks reveal a deep pit covered in spikes. Wumpus and Waverly moves the planks aside to reveal the pit and inspect the orc's body.
• 20gp
• a warm cloak
• a sling
• another key
  
• The walls and floor and ceiling are covered in dried orc blood, the spray pattern indicate an explosion of blood from a point in mid-air ten feet above the ground. There are two "shadows" where no blood spray touched the floor. Are there TWO vampires?
• The doors to the north and the east are locked or barred and cannot be opened.

8. After a short ten minute rest, the party returns to the corridor to try to search for the secret door they KNOW is there! They give up after spending nearly an hour searching. 
9. The party spends some more time searching for a secret door in this dead end.
10. Another floor covered in rose petals. Waverly inspects a pile of sacks in the corner, poking it with her sword - one of the sacks explodes with poison gas. Waverly makes her saving throw and covers her mouth, coughing. She is safe. The bag contains 20gp. A wooden sign on the west wall contains the word "Magical ___" with a blank space. Gordon remembers the phrase "Magical Bones" painted on the wall at the entrance and "Magical Spirit" in room 6. Gordon touches the sign and begins pairing "Magical" with various body parts - "Blood, Muscle, Sinew", etc. He eventually tries "Magical Bones" and the wall turns, revealing a hidden alcove. Within the alcove he found:
• a long leather bag containing a custom-made sword. On the bag is embossed the name "Luda Framtrude of Arkon".
• The sword was curved like a claw and decorated with pointy bits reminiscent of teeth.

The party, wary of another encounter like the wraiths, or heaven-forbid a vampire, decides to exit the dungeon. It is mid-afternoon. They return to their temporary base of operations, the Wight and Crying Queen inn, three hours away. They arrive just after sundown. 

Where will they go next week? I have no idea! It's a HEX CRAWL!

A Storm is Coming - The Land of Jo'Ril, Chapter 17

The party survives a magical hurricane in Kömür, then set off to explore the Ironhammer fields. Pretty much two combat encounters and lots of fun exploration and roleplay.

We are playing Old School Essentials, which is another way of saying Basic D&D circa 1981.

The Party:

• Arrn, level 4 magic user
• Wumpus, level 4 dwarf
• Waverly, level 3 ranger - showed up two hours late
• Andrew Price, level 4 cleric
• Gordon Binghampton, level 4 cleric
• Fitzhugh Skitter, level 1 thief - still out this week

Here's a quick summary of their hex-crawl exploration of the land of Jo'Ril as generated by HEXROLL.

Note - Be aware, we are playing full-on tomb plunderers. We are aware of and deplore the real-world issues of colonialism, cultural theft, etc. We are role-playing characters and situations with different cultural mores and norms than our own. This is not an endorsement on our part for such behavior in the real world. The orcs in my setting were created by the serpentines to wage war against the elven kingdoms in the ancient times. They are a created lifeform that knows only war and violence.

We started in Kömür during an unprecedented cyclone. The party and their retainers huddled in the house of Arrn when suddenly every door burst open and every window was smashed, their shutters thrown wide.

Through every aperture appeared wispy creatures - bat-wings made of smoke and mist with no bodies! They flew into every room, smashing things and making a mess. 

Note - these were 1HD Fundamentals from the Creature Catalog. Originally they are immune to normal weapons but I got rid of that for this fight. Every room was engulfed in strong wind which made missile weapons useless. The entire encounter was meant to make a storm menacing and give players something to do. 

Arrn and Andrew ran downstairs to aid the three guardsmen retainers and one cook against three fundamentals.

Gordon and Wumpus stayed on the second floor to fight the five fundamentals there.

Gordon cast Protection from Evil and found that the minor air elementals avoided him. However, if he attacked, the prayer would wear off. So he stayed on hand in case anyone needed healing.

Arrn, Andrew, and the retainers made pretty quick work of the fundamentals downstairs so they returned to help Wumpus.

Wumpus took a few hits but was holding his own. With the help of his friends, he was able to dispatch the remaining fundamentals, including the two in the attic.

The next day, Arrn found a note on the front door of his house.

Their original plan was to search the long finger-like extension known as the Wizards of Alvania desert. With this new information, they decided to postpone that search.

Many houses were struck by Storm Fundamentals, many people died and there was much property damage. The party spent the remaining week helping to rebuild the neighborhood from the storm damage and preparing for a journey.

They left Kömür following the east bank of the river north. 

Hex 74 - The river flowed down a waterfall from a deep lake of black water. Three hippogriffs foraged for food. One flew near them, investigating. Arrn dumped a bag of rations onto the ground and the party hurried on.

Hex 28 - The land became increasingly dark and gloomy. The ruins of an ancient castle sat atop a nearby hill. The terraced hillside spoke of once fertile farmland, now withered and dead. The bones and skulls of long dead human warriors splintered under their boots and horse hooves. This was a place of death - the location of the Tomb of the Lost Lich and home to Baron Solomon, the Vampire. 

They hastened their journey, pressing on to reach their destination.

Hex 27 - A black lake nestled between two bleak hills, dead fish gathered on its shore. A sign read "The Wight and Crying Queen Inn", pointing to a large structure on the shore of the lake. 

Inside they found a friendly travelers inn, warm and inviting. The party was exhausted. They would spend the next day resting.

They spent the next day relaxing in the dining hall, getting to know their fellow travellers. 

Note- I got to roleplay a lot of NPCs. it was a lot of fun.

• Meinward Magnificus, a level 2 Elf. 
• Minger Roenwallon, a level 2 Thief. 
• Svator Nadalbert, a level 1 Magic-user. 
• Ratrude of Narus, a level 1 Fighter. 
• Facetus of Zamara, a level 4 Magic-user. 
• Littera Hildetrude, a level 1 Halfling. 
• Hildewin of Goldenclover, a level 3 Magic-user. 

Wumpus took a liking to Littera Hildetrude, a halfling with plate armor. No one would allow her into their adventuring party. Wumpus also liked Ratrude of Narus, who was so stupid she thought everyone was making fun of her whenever they said her name. 

Later that afternoon the large barn-like doors were thrown open.

In came a man, part-pig, fat and disgusting, leading a group of mercenaries. The pig-man stopped when he saw Waverly.

"You! (SNORT) You did this to me! Do you remember me? It's Drudo Cadhoiarn! You delivered the black lotus - the black lotus that did THIS to me!" he pointed at his porcine appearance. "100 gold pieces to the man who captures her alive! I want to have some fun with her!"

Note - Drudo had like ten men or so. I rolled reaction for each of his men, some were neutral and stayed out of the fight, many took him up on his offer and ran towards Waverly. One rolled a 12 and turned on Drudo! 

What followed was a barroom brawl. Arrn charmed one of the mercenaries and ordered him to stand by his side. Ratrude and Littera got involved. The brawl was harmless, for the most part, until one of the berserkers took it too far and Wumpus was forced to defend himself using his axe, then Littera shot a mercenary with her bow. 

Waverly leaped over tables and made a bee-line to Drudo. She drew her flaming sword and skewered the pig-man through the neck and head.

Note - she rolled a 20 and did great damage!

Drudo fell down dead. The remaining mercenaries surrendered. They didn't like Drudo much anyway.

Without a leader, the mercenaries turned to Ratrude. They were impressed with her fighting prowess. She gladly stepped in and took over, naming the group the Iron Dragons.

Wumpus hired Littera.

The three dead bodies were dragged away and buried, their feet cut off to prevent them becoming zombies.

The next day, the party, now accompanied by Littera, left their wagon and horses at the inn and returned to the crumbling castle. 

They searched the grounds, hoping to find the entrance to the Crypt of the Lost Lich. After an hour of searching, Wumpus found an old castle privvy, the hole in the floor led to a set of stairs that descended into the earth.

They found the entrance.

To be continued...