"The Flaming Skull" Chapter 10 of the Lost Mine of Elder Flinch

This week, Aline and Valerius recruit new party members in Flinch before returning to the mine to seek vengeance for the death of Braxton and Cyral.  Later, they learn the hard way that flaming skulls regenerate, and that wraiths aren't as tough as all that.

Spoiler Warning! This is a florid retelling of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure included with the Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Starter Set.

The party:

Aline, a Thaumaturge of half-Human/half-Sylvan parentage (Level 4 Half-Elf Wizard)
Note, I have been informed by the players that they now picture Aline wearing pince nez spectacles, and that I have been instructed to depict her with such going forward.  

Thaddeus, Under-City Scout from Swallow (Level 4 Human Ranger) 

Ser Valerius, Errant Armiger, Executor of Justicia (Level 4 Human Paladin)

and introducing...

Winterfrost, Silver Elf , Warrior Mystic from Iron-Shard Hold (Level 4 High Elf Eldritch Knight)

Flinch

Aline arrived, alone, at the gates of Flinch around noon. Red cloaked bodyguards ran to alert their employer and de-facto town boss, Harra Thorntooth, of her arrival. Aline immediately sought out Valerius, the executor of justice, to inform him of the tragic events of the morning. She found him at the office of Sildar Halwinter, agent of the Archon of Thither. There she told him of the death of their comrades, Braxton Hicks and Cyral, and of her intention to return to the mine to seek bloody vengeance against the ghouls that took Braxton.

While in the village, Nundro Rockseeker thanked Aline and Valerius for escorting him safely back to town. He announced his plan to return to the mine to reinforce his claim as sole heir of the Rockseeker brothers. He expressed his condolences on the loss of their friends, then asked the party for their help in clearing the mine of the remaining dangers in exchange for ten percent of the profits and any valuables they find within. Valerius and Aline did not feel that his claim had merit and felt that instead they had a stronger claim. Nundro, offended, stormed off in a huff.

The pair decided to recruit additional help. They entered the Auld Dunn Inn and took a look around. Valerius immediately recognized Thaddeus, wearing rags, looking thin, and with a bearing of a man who had been surviving in the mountains. The two exchanged greetings.

Thaddeus then related to Valerius the tale of how he came to his current state. Two months ago, while escorting Princess Murti through the Defile of Castragon, the party was ambushed by a Cyclops who could fly and turn invisible! They were captured and taken to a mountain fortress. There Thaddeus and the rest of the party were held in a dungeon. Princess Murti is still held there along with Babu, Jalani, and Knott. He only recently escaped the dungeon of the cyclops and managed to survive in the mountains long enough to make it to Flinch. He would like help in rescuing the princess and later helping her to reach Horek.

Valerius pledged his help, however he asked Thaddeus for his assistance first. He must avenge his fallen comrades Cyral the Sylvan and Braxton Hicks of the hill folk.

Winterfrost, a silver elf warrior-mystic with blue hair, overheard the story of the death of Cyral and interrputed to inquire of his remains. She asked if she could join the party so that she may recover the fallen elf and return his soul to the Celestial Tree. The party agreed and welcomed her help.

Back to the Mine

The next morning, having rested and resupplied, the party hiked back up the slope of Mount Zinnober to the cave entrance of Wyvern Tor. They retraced their steps to the hidden niche containing the entrance to the lost mine.

They descended into the sinkhole by rope and proceeded directly to the ancient guard room where Braxton met his demise. Thaddeus listened at the door to verify occupation within before Valerius kicked it in. The full party, suitably equipped and prepared, eliminated the five ghouls with swift and righteous vengeance! 

The Flaming Skull

After defeating the ghouls, the party scooped up what they could of Braxton's remains and put them into jars. They then went to the other guardroom and recovered Cyral's body, which the ghouls would not touch, and placed it in a large sack.

After their grim work, they moved cautiously into the chamber of the blast furnace. The room was dominated by a huge blast furnace and a deep dry channel cut into the floor. A flaming skull stood sentinel above the furnace and the long dead remains of dwarven and orcine warriors littered the floor.

Once more prepared for the coming encounter, they first tried to talk with the flaming skull. The skull replied only with hissing shrieks and the words "None may enter this place!". Satisfied that the guardian was mindless in its endeavor, they entered the room. The flaming skull attacked with a fireball spell, catching Winterfrost in its full effect and Valerius and Thaddeus in its periphery. The party entered into futile battle with the magical construct. Their arrows had little effect and the flying skull was a whizzing blur, difficult to target and immune to all of Aline's magic.

Then the zombies rose. The remains, animated by the necromantic magic that suffused the place, stood and began attacking the members of the party. 

It was a pitched battle. Eventually, Valerius demanded the skull face him or suffer his divine righteousness. The skull obliged. Meanwhile, Thaddeus climbed atop the long dry water-wheel. Eventually, the flaming skull was defeated. The zombies, however, continued to fight but were eventually destroyed.

The group took a much-needed rest after the difficult battle.

After an hour, to the shock and horror of everyone in the room, the flaming skull re-formed and launched another fireball, once more catching Winterfrost in the explosion. The party decided to exit the room in a hurry.

Mormesk the Bitter

The party then entered the starry cavern and approached the house of Mormesk the wraith. 

Entering the demolished apartment, they attempted to parley. Mormesk materialized and conversed with the party via threats, insults, and braggadocio. The disembodied spirit took credit for the flaming skull, claiming that it was far superior to any fucking useless Spectator. He reiterated his low opinion of the wizard Noh-Nah-Meh and that wizard's choice of guardian. When asked what they could do to help Mormesk, Mormesk answered that he would grant access to his library in exchange for Valerius' magic sword or Thaddeus' magic mace. Thaddeus responded by attacking Mormesk. Valerius followed suit and the wraith was destroyed before it could react.

In one of Mormesk's books, the party found a passage that revealed that flameskulls could only be banished with holy water, dispel magic, or restoration.

A Long Rest

The party was by now low on magic and exhausted. They spent the rest of the day and a night of slumber in the starry cavern and the forge of spells, counting their coins, reading books, and learning to use new magical items. 

Return to the Flaming Skull

After their rest, they prepared themselves for an assault against the flaming skull. Thaddeus and Valerius rushed into the room and spread out while Aline and Winterfrost kept a safe distance in the hall. Eventually, Winterfrost ran into the cavern and she and Valerius was caught in the blast of a fireball spell, again! Aline, meanwhile, used her wand of magic missiles to force the flaming skull to deplete its magic shielding spells, eventually rendering the skull defenseless so that Thaddeus could destroy it with the mace Lightbringer.

So destroyed, Valerius sprinkled the remains with holy water. After waiting an hour to verify its demise, the party performed a final sweep of the mine. Satisfied that it was now empty, they returned to Flinch with the remains of their comrades.

Winterfrost

Back in Flinch

Once back in the village, Winterfrost took the remains of Cyral into the forest to perform the ritual to return his soul to the Celestial Tree. The rest of the party met with Nundro Rockseeker, the sole surviving member of the Rockseeker clan, to take him up on his offer of ten percent of the mine's profits in exchange for clearing the mine of danger. Since the party had previously declined the offer, Nundro argued that he owed them nothing, and thanked them for clearing it for free. The party told Nundro that his claim to the mine was tenuous and reminded him that were it not for them, he would still be held captive and the mine would be full of monsters. Aline insinuated that she could restore the flameskull as guardian of the blast furnace. Nundro acquiesced and agreed to pay the party ten percent of the profits from the mine per his original offer. Harra Thorntooth, in her role as town banker, agreed to write up the contract and make all the arrangements. She even waived her usual fees and surcharges as a goodwill gesture to Valerius. Valerius smiled, politely but with as much implied menace as he could convey.

Harra Thorntooth, aka "Snaggletooth"

Thus Concludes the Lost Mine of Elder Flinch

On November 7th, the party begins a new quest: the rescue of Princess Murti from the magic cyclops of the Defile of Castragon.

"Not My Forte'!" Chapter 9 of the Lost Mines of Elder Flinch

In this episode, the team learn the value of having a healer and a defender in the party as they continue to explore the Lost Mine of Elder Flinch without the aid of Ser Valerius or a cleric. This week, they meet a deranged magical guardian, run away from a frightening apparition, eradicate a flock of bloodthirsty stirges, dismantle a troop of skeletons, barely defeat a pack of ghouls, lose one of their own against a room full of bugbears, bypass a glowing skull, and lose another of their own against the remaining ghouls.

Spoiler Warning! This is a florid retelling of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure included with the Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Starter Set.

The party:


Aline, a Thaumaturge of half-Human/half-Sylvan parentage (Level 4 Half-Elf Wizard) 

Braxton Hicks, a Hillfolk Explorer and Trail Guide (Level 4 Halfling Ranger)

Syral, Sylvan Assassin (Level 4 Wood Elf Rogue)

The Starry Cavern
As they stood in the starry cavern, its high ceiling glittering like the night sky, Ser Valerius bade his temporary farewell to the party. He was taking his prisoner, the Black Spider, along with the rescued dwarven survivor, back to Wyvern Tor to leave with Balaton of Clan Brocktaw.

The remaining members of the party, Aline, Braxton, and Syral, stood before the ancient sigil-inlaid door of a small stone structure. Unlike the other architecture of the mine, this structure was built for human habitation. Recalling the story of how human wizards cohabited with dwarfs and gnomes within this mine, they suspected that this was once the domicile of a wizard long dead.

Hello!
They forced the door open and saw a large floating orb. The orb was a living creature. In the center of the orb was a giant single eye and a wide mouth filled with serrated teeth. Four tentacles sprouted from the orb. As the door was thrust wide the eye opened and the tentacles sprang to alert attention. A thought appeared in everyone's mind, "Hello!" 

"Hello!"

The party was momentarily taken aback. It was Braxton that first replied, "Hello?"

"Is the battle over? How did we fare?" inquired the orb.

The party tried to explain that the battle was over eighty years ago and that no one survived.

"Oh, that's quite impossible. My master, Noh-Nah-Meh, will be along to relieve me shortly. In the  meantime, I am tasked to guard this place until his return. Hello!"

The orb began again as if the previous ten seconds of conversation had never happened. And so it went for several minutes until Aline came upon an idea.

"Hello, I am your master."

"Oh! Have I been relieved of my duty?"

"Oh yes," replied Aline.

"Excellent! Is the battle over? How did we fare?" inquired the orb.

"Not well, I'm afraid." said Aline.

"Alas. That is not good. Well, if you need me, you know how to summon me!" and with that, the orb tore open a purple burning hole in reality and slipped back to its home dimension.

"Is the battle over? How did we fare?"

Within the room, the party found several old book filled with technical formulas and charts of the properties of various metals and materials, most of which were written in arcane code and far above the understanding of anyone in the party.

In addition, the found a mace with a head shaped like the sun and a suit of armor adorned and emblazoned with a serpentine golden dragon. Aline determined both to be magical, along with the gauntlets and wand both found earlier.

The party proceeded down some stairs cut into an escarpment that separated the large cave into an upper half and a lower half. Below, the found another square building, a domicile like the previous structure.

Mormesk the Bitter
The roof of the structure was sagging and in poor repair. As they forced open the broken doors, they found the remnants of a room that had been blasted by an explosion eighty years ago. Across the room they could see a treasure chest and a shelf of books, well preserved despite the destruction. Aline used a spell to manipulate the chest. She found it filled with coin and too heavy to lift.

As Braxton cautiously entered the room, alone, to retrieve the chest, a ghostly wraith materialized out of the floor next to him. "You dare violate the abode of Mormesk the Magician? You dare invade my domicile searching to steal my treasures? Fools!"

The party attempted to bargain with the wraith for its possessions. "You may have one treasure if you fulfill for me a single task. You must KILL that fucking spectator next door!"

"But, why?"

"Because it belonged to that asshole Noh-Nah-Meh! And I always hated Noh-Nah-Meh! I despised that asshole! What a dick!"

The party explained that the spectator has already been returned whom whence it came. Mormesk said, "Good! Well then, I guess you have nothing else to bargain with. Therefore, your life is forfeit, and your deaths belong to me!"

Not My Forte'!
Mormesk the wraith became a frightening visage of terror. The party bombarded Mormesk with attack spells and arrows. They shouted for Braxton to engage the wraith in melee. Braxton attacked with a weak, half-hearted strike. Sensing the disappointment of his companions, he defensively shouted, "Not my forte!" and turned to run.

As he turned to flee, the wraith reached into Braxton and grabbed his heart! Braxton froze as he felt his very life essence being pulled from his body. Suddenly, just as his soul was pulled nearly completely out of his body, he regained his composure and willed himself to live, pulling his soul back and throwing Mormesk away. Braxton scrambled and ran out of the room with his fellow companions not far behind.

They looked back to see Mormesk's gaunt skeletal face filling the entire doorway, his piercing scream blasting them with cold necrotic wind. The doors, once broken off their hinges, slammed back shut on their own accord, leaving the cavern in eerie silence.

Spores!
The party continued southwest and entered into a medium-sized cavern filled with giant mushrooms. The mushrooms were giving off an eerie green phosphorescence. There was little space to move through the room so they walked gingerly, careful to avoid stepping on a mushroom. It was Braxton who accidentally brushed against one of the massive fungi, causing it to release its spores. The event triggered a chain reaction. In a blink of the eye, every mushroom had discharged its spores, creating a thick choking miasma of glowing green motes.

The party ran from the cavern, covering their eyes and mouths and choking. Braxton barely made it out, but they ultimately escaped unharmed.

Stirges

They continued west, entering a four-way intersection of rough-hewn mine with a high dark ceiling. Suddenly, a flock of bat-winged creatures descended upon the party, hungry for blood. Aline, thinking quickly, waited for them to close and unleashed a clap of magical thunder. The shockwave instantly killed the entire flock! Ten rat-like bat-winged creatures with long blood-sucking proboscises fell dead to the mine floor like so many bags of wet clay.

Stirges!

Assay Office
Exploring a passage to the south, they entered a door to the right, finding a room with a long counter and a wall filled with several rows of small niches. Within each niche was an ancient piece of parchment covered in dwarfish runes. All papers that Braxton touched crumbled to aged flakes. Behind the counter Syral found a strong box. Without thief's tools, Syral was unable to open the box. They decided to take it with them, piling onto Braxton's already laden pack. 

Guard Room

Across the hall, they entered another room. A portion of the ceiling in this room had collapsed and the floor was littered with the bones of various victims, orcine and dwarven. When they entered the room, the bones began to assemble into makeshift skeletons of amalgam bones. The skeletons moved jerkily. They lurched forward towards the intruders. The party easily defeated the clattering horde with little trouble.

Lost in the Mines

The party found where they originally entered the mine. Having made a complete loop of the perimeter, they decided to head inward. Ignoring the door near the four-way intersection for now, they explored the passages to the northwest. They soon found the labyrinthine mines difficult to navigate and impossible to reconcile on their map. Ultimately, they found a set of rough hewn stairs headed north and climbed them.

Eaters of the Dead!
They found themselves in a vast cavern, over a hundred and fifty feet across and a hundred feet high in places, with a sunken rift in its center. Lurking near a large stalagmite and column were seven hunched humanoids, some dwarven and some orcine, with pale eyes that glowed in the darkness.

Wary, the party stayed near the exit. Suddenly, five of the figures burst forth, charging the party! They were ghouls, immortal Eaters of the dead! Syral fought a retreat, his elven blood immune to their potent paralyzation. Aline cast a spell that filled the entrance and the area beyond with magical spider webs, slowing the ghouls as they ran back into the complicated passages of the mine.

Defensive Position

After running blindly through the corridors, they found themselves having run a loop and in sight of the passage with the stairs. The sound of ghouls running down the passage could be heard. Aline and Braxton took position in a doorway and prepared ranged attacks in case any ghoul came their way. Syral guarded their rear. The ghouls emerged from the passage and took random paths. Two came towards them and were attacked by Aline's eldritch blasts and Braxton's deadly arrows. The rest, hearing the death screams of the others, came running. Aline, Braxton, and Syral were able to fight them two at a time and, in so doing, were able to defeat five ghouls. Two of the ghouls hung back, waiting around the corner. As the battle ended, they fled back up the stairs.

Two at a Time!

A Brief Reprieve
Wounded and frightened, the party retreated from the dungeon, climbing the rope out of the sink-hole and returning to Wyvern Tor. There they reunited with Ser Valerius and Balaton, along with the prisoner, the Black Spider, and the dwarf survivor. They studied the mace, armor, gauntlets, and wand, becoming familiar with the abilities and limitations of each. That night, they rested and recuperated.

Back Into the Mine
The next day, Ser Valerius and Balanton instead took the survivor and the prisoner back down the mountain to Flinch. Meanwhile, Syral, Aline, and Braxton donned their gear and descended the pit into the mine, hoping to complete their exploration.

They carefully retraced their steps back to the great hall, which they found empty. After thoroughly exploring it, they took a passage to the north. There they found a stout door covered in claw marks. Syral tried to open the door but met resistance. He shoved with all his weight and managed to burst the door open despite its being barricaded from within.

The Sad Demise of Syral the Assassin
Inside they found five bugbears, brutal agents of the Black Spider assigned to guard the door. They had been interrupted in the midst of an argument over what to do since they found several of their brethren killed with no sign of their leader. Faced with an immediate enemy, the bugbears rushed the intruders.

The fight in the doorway was brutal. A lucky shot took sent Syral to the floor. One of the bugbears dragged Syral's unconscious body into the room, separating him from his companions. Although many bugbears were killed, Braxton soon found himself at death's door as well. Finally, Aline was able to defeat the remaining two bugbears with a magical blast of thunder.

Acting quickly, she rushed to Syral's aid, but it was too late for the sylvan assassin. She quickly ran to Braxton and saved him with a healing potion. The pair laid their fallen companion on one of the stone slab beds, vowing to come back for him.

The party explored east and found a large chamber containing a complicated mechanical apparatus, a water-powered blast furnace used to smelt ore. The floor was littered in the long dead victims of that elder battle. Above the blast furnace hovered a floating skull, wreathed in green flame.

The pair carefully backed out of the room, unnoticed by the arcane sentry.

The party traveled back south, through the great hall, and down the southeast passage. There they found an old pantry, its goods long ago rotted into dust or evaporated into the air, leaving empty bags and casks.

The Gruesome Death of Braxton Hicks
The party came to the last unexplored room. They opened the door and spied five hunched orcine and dwarven humanoids with grey clammy skin and gaunt fanged faces. They were faced with five more ghouls!

The ghouls rushed the door. Braxton immediately ordered Aline to run, proclaiming that he had a plan!

Swarming the door. What's that fifth one doing?

The ghouls swarmed over the diminutive archer, clawing him, pulling him into the room, screaming.

Aline shouted, "Was that your plan?"

Braxton cried out, "No!"

The Gruesome Death of Braxton Hicks!

Before Aline turned the corner at the four-way intersection, she looked back. The last image she saw was Braxton being dragged into the room by three ghouls while a fourth slowly closed the door, watching her, holding his finger to his mouth as if to say "Shhhhh...". Braxton's muffled screams were all she could hear as Aline fled back to the sink-hole.

Aline Escapes

Meanwhile, the fifth ghoul had exited through a side door and was trying to sneak up on her. She ran for the rope and pulled it up behind her. The fifth ghoul ran out and jumped for it, but missed. It sat there watching her. She hurled a witchbolt at it and it ran away.

At the top of the sink hole, Aline realized. All the party treasure was now in that room.

TO BE CONTINUED!

After Thoughts

This is what happens when you try to take on an undead-themed dungeon without a fighter front line and without a cleric for healing and turning. Scott's paladin, Ser Valerius, is currently fulfilling both roles admirably. Unfortunately, Scott was in Florida this week and the rest of the party decided to carry on without him.

To their credit, they knew when they were in over their heads and fled when they could. Their goal was to scout the dungeon, eliminating the opposition when they could, noting it when they couldn't, and come back later with their paladin and cleric.

Speaking of cleric, we were really hoping Jeffy, who plays Balanton and has been absent from our group for many months, would be rejoining us tonight. He had signified his intent to join us. Every car that drove by outside got us excited, then ultimately disappointed. A large portion of the decision to continue was based on the hope that Jeffy's cleric would show up any minute now. Unfortunately, Jeffy was unable to make it.

The death of Braxton was brutal. Woobee really had a plan to save Braxton. He just wasn't counting on me to roll two critical hits in one turn. Ouch.

Aline is heading back to Flinch, hoping she'll be able to recruit more adventurers to clear the mine. The next time the party returns, Trevor is hoping to bring back Thaddeus the Urban Ranger and Woobee is still thinking about what he wants to play. He's leaning towards a dragonborn fighter.

We're not gaming next week. Our next game is scheduled for October 24th. Then a week off for Halloween. The week after that is November 7th.

Lucinda, who plays Aline, is pregnant and is due November 8th, so she may or may not be there and even if she is, it will be her last game for a few months.

However, about that same time, Dodd will return and he'll be able to play Gravy, once and for all!

"The Black Spider" Chapter 8 of the Lost Mines of Elder Flinch

In this episode, the team interrogates a red orc chieftain, find the lost mine of Elder Flinch, and finally confront the Black Spider and his evil henchmen!

Spoiler Warning! This is a prosaic retelling of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure included with the Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Starter Set.

The party:


Aline, a Thaumaturge of half-Human/half-Sylvan parentage (Level 4 Half-Elf Wizard) 

Braxton Hicks, a Hillfolk Explorer and Trail Guide (Level 4 Halfling Ranger)

Ser Valerius, Errant Armiger, Executor of Justicia (Level 4 Human Paladin)

Syral, Sylvan Assassin (Level 4 Wood Elf Rogue)

Kost the Red Orc
When we last left our cadre of haughty adventurers, they had defeated a small band of Red Orcs and had taken their leader prisoner. They rested for the night which passed uneventfully. The next morning, they interrogated their captive. The Red Orc was named Kost and he spoke guttural Common. He was the leader of a small scout party sent to investigate what happened to the chieftain Grunch, he who wore the armor of Osgda, god-hero of the red orcs. He brought a war-band to Flinch several months ago. The chieftain had made arrangements with someone in the village who said the gates would be open. Kost hadn't heard from the chieftain since.  He had come down the mountain but had to stop here because the way was blocked by a necromancer down living in the tower with the well. The necromancer had held them at bay.

When asked about the cave, he explained that this was Wyvern Tor. It was once inhabited by a flock of wyverns but some goody-two-shoes adventurers took care of that a few months ago. He said that the passage in the back led to a dead end with the giant carving of a dwarf face barfing on one wall.

He said that he came and went so there were plenty of times someone might have come into the cave while they were out hunting.

Having gotten the information they could, the party let Kost go free, telling him that the chieftain was dead and that he was probably the chief now. All he needed to do was go back to the lair and claim his title. He ran off, clambering back up the mountainside.

The party delved deeper into the mountain, following the passage indicated by the arrow drawn on the wall. A few hundred feet in, they found a great stone face carved in the wall of a cavern. The mouth had at one time formed the entrance into a mine, ten feet wide and twenty feet tall. The entrance was filled with debris from a collapse, filling the cavern with rubble and giving the appearance that the carving was vomiting boulders.

A Dead Dwarf
Searching around, the party found another arrow drawn on the wall. Searching near the arrow, they found  a secret door concealed as part of the cavern wall. Opening it they found a hidden cavern. Within the cavern was the decomposing body of a dwarf, dead for at least a week. They also found a shaft dug into the floor and the remains of a campsite for two dwarfs. A rope was tied to a piton and descended into the shaft. After rifling through the campsite for useful items, the party descended the rope. Balatan was left behind to guard the entrance.

Everyone descended the rope easily save Aline, who lost her grip and fell ten feet, injuring her leg.

They found themselves in the middle of a mine passage. Off in the distance, they could hear the booming sound of surf, as if at the ocean.

Dungeonmaster's Note: I played an eleven-hour Youtube video of the sound of crashing surf on my iPad. It added to the experience of exploring the mines.

They came across a series of short dead-end passages which they carefully explored and mapped. At one point Braxton, who was bringing up the rear, saw something moving behind him. The shape quickly disappeared from view. The followed the movement down a dead-end shaft but found nothing save for some yellow-brown slime on the unfinished wall. Aline applied magical fire to the slime to be safe. With no reaction, they continued.

They soon came across a cave containing a large pool of dark water. Braxton swam into the water to search for anything beneath the surface. There he found the remains of a long-dead wizard clutching a wand. He returned with the wand and some other valuables.

The Black Spider
After drying himself off, the party climbed some stairs and took a right turn. They opened some heavy double doors made of ornately carved brass on the right and entered into what was at one point the temple to Ordain Stoneshield, god of the dwarves. There they encountered a mysterious elf with dark black skin and white hair commanding two bugbears. The elf and bugbears were examining some notes at a table. When he looked up and saw the player characters, he said, "So despite all my efforts, you still managed to find this place. I guess I will have to deal with you personally. KILL THEM!". At his command, the bugbears rushed to attack.

"I guess I will have to deal with you personally. KILL THEM!"

Aline reacted quickly, casting a spell that caught caught the wizard in a magical web. The bugbears escaped somehow and charged the party. Meanwhile, a yellow-brown gelatinous mass approached from behind the party, emerging from the darkness of the mines they had recently explored. The dark elf wizard became invisible but Braxton's arrow found its mark (DM's note: Critical Hit!), killing the mysterious wizard.

What's that coming up behind us??

Suddenly, three giant spiders descended from the darkened ceiling, catching Valerius in webs. One of the spiders wrapped the fallen wizard in a cocoon of webbing.  At one point, Braxton fell to a bugbear's attack but was soon saved by Valerius and a healing potion. A fierce battle culminated in the killing of the spiders and the bugbears.

Don't Move! I'm HIDING!
The party moved into the room and closed the door to avoid the yellow-brown jelly. The jelly squeezed through the cracks in the door, forcing it open and poured in through the gap. Braxton took cover behind Valerius. When Valerius shifted position to stay away from the jelly, Braxton yelled, "Don't move! I'm HIDING!"

A few arrows and fire spells soon killed the amorphous blob, causing it to collapse into a quivering liquid mass on the floor.

After the battle, they cut open the cocoon to learn that the dark elf was alive, saved by the spider's venom. They took the groggy dark elf as their prisoner. Examining the papers, they found a partial map of the mine with several areas listed with an "X".

Within the adjoining priestly chambers they found two dwarves, one poisoned and the other injured. The injured dwarf said that they were the Rockseeker brothers and that they had discovered the location of the mine. He said the dark elf was named Nezznar, aka the Black Spider. He had followed them to the mine and had attacked them while they were waiting for their brother, Gundren, to arrive. The poisoned dwarf was groggy and incoherent, the victim of a spider's bite.  They brought the two dwarves and the Black Spider with them as they continued to explore.

The Sudden yet Inevitable Betrayal
In the next chamber, they found a large cavern separated by a deep ditch. A dark elf overseer and three bugbears were managing the work of a dozen chained and enslaved Cragmaw goblins who were digging the ditch.

A battle ensued. Valerius ran forward and clashed with the dark elf while shoving bugbears over the ledge as they tried to climb up the rope. The injured dwarf betrayed the party by attacking Braxton with surprise!  Syral killed the dwarf, revealing it to be a doppelganger as it shifted through several of its forms: goblin, peasant woman, Valerius, young guard from Flinch, old drunk miner, etc. Valerius killed the dark elf, only to reveal that it too was a doppelganger. Eventually, the two surviving bugbears tried to flee, only to be taken down by arrows and spells.

The Wave Echo Cave
The party rested for a few hours as Braxton, Aline, and Syral took turns digging where the goblins were digging. They interrogated the weakened Nezznar about what he was looking for but he was of no help. Eventually, they found the body of a dwarf clad in armor and the magical treasures buried with him.

Suitably rested, they continued. They found a large chamber that connected to a vast underground lake. The lake surged as if driven by waves. The level of the lake rose and fell by twenty feet every few minutes. A ledge ran along the inner edge of the cavern connecting to another passage to the right.

The party explored the passage and found themselves in another larger cave. The ceiling of this cave glittered with glowing gemstones, creating the illusion of a night sky. A ledge split the cave into an upper cavern and a lower cavern, separated by a twenty foot drop. The party were on the northern edge of the upper level. A small stone structure, the shape of a forty-foot cube with a small attached out-building, lay before them. The entrance was a heavy brass door carved with ornate and arcane symbols. They forced the door open and were met by a large spherical creature with one large eye and multiple eye stalks who greeted them telepathically, "Hello."

TO BE CONTINUED

Next week: the thrilling conclusion to the Lost Mine of Elder Flinch!

After Thoughts
I was kind of disappointed that Nezznar the Black Spider went down so easily, but a web spell followed by arrows from two strikers (a ranger and an assassin rogue), one of which a critical, will do that!

Technically, they killed him, sure. But I said the spider cocoon, whose job is to store prey at a state of near death for later, stabilized him. It allows me to roleplay him interacting with the party more as his prisoner.

I've got to say, too, that the standing tactic for my players is always ALWAYS take the path to the left. If you always follow the left, you will eventually explore every room in a dungeon and find your way out of any maze. I looked at the map of the mine, and of course left, left, left, will take you past all other threats and straight to the boss room!

I thought about putting a cave-in to redirect them to one of the other rooms, but I decided to run the module as-written. It makes for a slight anti-climax but eh, that's why it's a game and not a novel.



Elapsed Campaign Time

We started playing in the Xanthus River Valley back in January. I originally created the setting for Dungeon Crawl Classics. The first adventure was the funnel adventure "The Portal Under the Stars". I'm assuming that adventure takes place during the summer solstice, which places it on June 21st.

After a four months of DCC, my players wanted to switch to something more traditional, less lethal, and less random, so we switched to Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. I kept the chapter numbers consecutive because we were playing the same characters in the same setting. It was a straight continuation of events.

We played AD&D for four months and decided to switch to the recently released Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition. I restarted the chapter numbers because we were telling a new story with new characters, albeit in the same setting.

I have cataloged the elapsed time in the game world, adding up all the overnight rests and the various weeks of recuperation, training, and down time.

The following spreadsheet is the result.

Adding up all the elapsed days brings us to a current date in the campaign of November 1st, which is about what I've been describing. Winter is coming and the air is getting colder.

Of course, after I started describing the oncoming winter, I remembered that the Xanthus River Valley is set in a sub-tropical latitude, roughly equivalent to that of Kyushu island in Japan. The lowlands are steamy jungles while the highlands have an oceanic climate with little seasonal variation. At best, it should have a rainy summer and a dry winter.

So I've decided to make this discrepancy a plot point. Something for the player characters to investigate.

"The Doppelganger" Chapter 7 of the Lost Mines of Elder Flinch

In this week's chapter, the team helps a lonely farmer deal with an ogre, gains two new adventurers, is ambushed by  hobgoblins, almost undone by a doppelganger, and take on a tribe of Red Orcs!

Spoiler Warning! This is a prosaic retelling of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure included with the Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Starter Set.

The party:


Aline, a Thaumaturge of half-Human/half-Sylvan parentage (Level 3 Half-Elf Wizard) 

Braxton Hicks, a Hillfolk Explorer and Trail Guide (Level 3 Halfling Ranger)

Ser Valerius, Errant Armiger, Executor of Justicia (Level 3 Human Paladin)

Introducing! 

Syral, Sylvan Assassin (Level 3 Wood Elf Rogue)

Balatan of Clan Brocktaw, Bronze Draconic Priest of Bahamut (Level 3 Dragonborn Cleric)

Clucks, Ser Valerius' Cart-Pulling Megallus (giant chicken)

Ogre in the Night

When we left our party, they were traveling from the tiny village of Flinch, recently the victim of a deadly massacre followed by being taken over by a gang of ruffians, to Swallow, a medium-sized town of several thousand inhabitants, to purchase needed supplies. They arrived in Swallow at dusk, just in time to make the closing of the gates.

Fitong, the half-orc barbarian, bade his farewell to the party. He had other plans elsewhere and did not plan to return to Flinch. Braxton and Aline took a room at the inn while Ser Valerius enjoyed the hospitality of a local peasant, as is his custom.

That night, a somewhat over-educated milksop of a farmer came into the inn begging for help! An ogre was plaguing his farm and he knew not what to do! He required the intervention of brave adventurers to thwart this brute and send it on its way! Braxton and Aline decided to lend the farmer a hand. The party interrupted Valerius' meal and took him away from his peasant hosts. They talked the gatekeeper into letting them out the city gate after dark and up the road they went. They traveled a few miles outside of town and turned up a path to a small farm carved out of the forest.

The forest was dark. A chill was in the air. A lamp and a torch provided the only illumination. The farm's split-rail perimeter fence had been knocked over and a wide swath cut through the crops to the main gate of the farm compound. The gate of the compound had been smashed in. Inside the compound, an ogre was holding a dismembered sheep's leg and drinking wine out of a barrel. Valerius stepped forth and challenged the giant brute as Braxton and Aline sneaked around. The ogre turned and attacked Valerius. The subsequent battle was short and resulted in the dead bulk of an ogre lying on the ground.

It was late and the party decided to stay at the farm. That night, Braxton heard bad singing coming from the compound. The farmer was in the barn, drunk and singing. Braxton offered to help him back inside. Farmer lamented that he had no friends and that no one liked him. Suddenly, he became paranoid and accused Braxton of orchestrating the ogre attack in order to take his farm!

"You can't have it!" he slurred.

Braxton extended his left arm hand out saying, "Look over here" When the farm looked, Braxton knocked the farmer out with his right hand. The diminutive ranger dragged the unconscious farmer back inside to sleep it off.

At dawn, Braxton made a hearty Bantami meal and Valerius left a gift of enough gold to purchase two new sheep. They left the farmer asleep.

That morning, the party followed the ogre's tracks back to its cave. The cave was just below the ridge at the edge of the plateau. They peered over the thousand-foot precipice and surveyed the jungle of the lower valley far below. Mountains towered to the north, west, and south. Mist constantly blew up from the valley, condensing into cool clouds that clung to the plateau. Braxton declared that he would one day build a home here. They found a bag with 20 gold in the ogre's cave.


New Companions

They returned to Swallow about mid-morning. Braxton and Aline went to gather their belongings and found two travelers in the room they paid for: a meditating sylvan and a sleeping draconian with bronze scales. The sylvan introduces himself as Syral and his sleeping companion as Balatan. Syral, Braxton, and Aline returned downstairs to talk.

Syral explained that he and his companion were headed to some small village in the north, Filch or Finch or something. Braxton corrected, "Flinch", and said that they were headed back that way if they wished to join them. About that time, Balatan groggily came down the stairs and met the rest.

After a Bantami second-breakfast, the party completed their shopping, had lunch, and rejoined with Ser Valerius . The reunited party, along with their new companions and Ser Valerius' cart pulled by a megallus (a giant chicken used as a draft animal), struck out to Flinch.

A Measly Bounty!

A few miles out of town, they came across a broken wagon blocking the road. A lone human female called for help. No one noticed the lack of cart animal. Nevertheless, they sensed treachery and stopped their caravan about forty feet away.

Braxton noticed dark figures lurking in the trees to either side of the road. Valerius called out "There seem to be some mysterious figures lurking in the trees behind you!", the woman replied "What? I'm sorry. You're going to have to come closer. I can't hear you!" To which they replied, "No!"

At that point, the woman, frustrated, shouted "It's them! Get them!" and four hobgoblin warriors ran out of the bushes and opened fire with arrows. The party responded quickly. Braxton put some arrows in the woman and she quickly fell to the ground. Valerius and Balatan closed with and fought the hobgoblins around the wagon while Braxton and Syral sneaked through the trees to flank them. One hobgoblin jumped up onto the wagon but was taken out by Aline and Braxton.

After the battle, they cautiously approached the spot where the woman fell, but she was mysteriously gone without a trace!

Searching the hobgoblins, they found papers with drawings of Aline, Braxton, Fitong, and Varis. Each was listed with a reward of 25 gold pieces and each posting bore the mark of the Black Spider! Braxton was offended by the paltry reward.

So the Black Spider put a bounty on their heads. Interesting!

Ser Valerius is a Doppelganger!

The party arrived in Flinch several hours after nightfall but encountered no further trouble. After paying the entrance fee, they retired to the Auld Dunn Inn where they caught up on the events of the past two days by talking with Exposition. As is his custom, Ser Valerius enjoyed the hospitality of a peasant family.

 That night, after going to bed, there was a loud banging on the door of Braxton and Aline's room. Braxton got out of bed and asked what was the matter. Ser Valerius exclaimed that there was trouble in town, and he needed Braxton and Aline's help in defeating Harra Thorntooth! Braxton opened the door to let Valerius in.

Ser Valerius immediately stabbed Braxton in the chest! Braxton fell to the floor, mortally injured.

Aline, who had gotten out of bed, tried to cast a Hold Person spell on Valerius but with no effect. Valerius then stabbed her. She fell to the floor.

"Valerius! What have you done?"

By this time, Balatan and Syral had come out of their rooms. Syral immediately rushed Valerius, tackling him. Both went bursting through a nearby window and fell to the ground ten feet below. Meanwhile, Balatan set about stabilizing Braxton and Aline.

Valerius was the first to his feet and he ran around the ruins of the Elder's house. Syral gave chase. When he rounded the corner, he saw the old miner Lanar, stumbling drunk, and another old miner Linar, stumbling drunk, both were exact duplicates.

Syral examined each one closely. One had bloody hands from the recent battle. Sensing its the discovery, the Lanar with bloody hands bolted for the rear gate. It arrived before Syral, climbed the steps, and stabbed the young guard standing watch over the gate, taking his keys.

Desperate Battle Atop the Gate

Syral caught up with the shape-changer and the pair battled atop the gate. Syral tried to swing around a post to double-kick the doppelganger in the head. The creature caught Syral's legs and morphed so that it was pointing the opposite direction. It then spun around, swinging Syral by the legs, in an attempt to throw Syral off the wall. Syral caught himself on the wall and pulled himself up. The doppelganger morphed one of its hands into a long blade and stabbed Syral in the chest! Syral fell and the doppelganger ran off into the night.

Back at the room, Balatan had revived Braxton and Aline and the trio ran outside. They followed the commotion to the gate and found the young guard and Syral both lying unconscious on the ground. Balatan revived them both with holy prayers of Bahamut while Braxton retrieved the "captain of the guard" and Aline went to gather the real Ser Valerius from the house in which he was staying.

All the guards were young volunteers, typically the teenage sons of recent settlers, and none had been on the job more than a week. The captain was one of the settler men, a farmer, with no experience guarding a village. He was unsure of what to do but followed the orders of Braxton, Balatan, and Ser Valerius.

The party set watches for the remaining hours of night, two at a time. The next day, they met in the common room at the Auld Dunn Inn and formulated their plan.

They would attempt to draw out the Black Spider by making it known that they were headed back to the Old Owl Well. There they hoped to lure one of his agents into the open, where they would capture and question one for information about the Black Spider.

An Afternoon by the Well

After breakfast, they packed up their gear, left the megallus at the stables, and started hiking up the trail towards the slopes of Mount Zinnober.

They bypassed the ruins of Balk, about three miles outside of Flinch, where they pointed out the tower of the green dragon to the new members of the party. Balatan was ready to fight but they explained that they were unready to deal with that threat.

They then spent the afternoon resting and waiting at the Old Owl Well. The air was cool and the sky was grey. At one point, a large dark shadow swooped overhead, flying down the valley to Balk. They watched as the green dragon disappeared from view within the walls of its ruined tower.

A few hours into their rest, they realized that their plan wasn't going to work. No agents of the Black Spider were attacking. So they decided to continue looking for the lost mine of Elder Flinch.

The Red Orcs of Wyvern Tor

The party continued their trek up the valley, following the direction of the arrow they found in the tower next to the Old Owl Well. They eventually reached the treeline at dusk and were enshrouded with fog and mist and gathering darkness. Visibility was reduced to a sixty feet at best. Based on something they heard from somebody, perhaps even a misunderstanding of something they heard, they were looking for a rock shaped like a wyvern. Partly due to the low visibility and partly due to there not being a rock shaped like a wyvern, they could find no such rock.

Braxton scouted ahead, he did find several cave entrances in the sheer face of the mountain. The scree and talus below the caves indicated trash and waste left by habitation.

Red Orcs of Zinnober camping in a cave

Braxton returned and reported what he found. He and Syral approached with stealth to within fifty feet of the cave. Braxton spotted an orc lookout sitting on a rocky promontory jutting out from the mountain near the cave. The lookout had not spotted the pair. Braxton and Syral took aim with their bows and fired two arrows. Both were sufficient to slay the lookout.

Braxton approached the cave entrance and listened. He heard many voices speaking orcine and a large voice speaking giantish, which he understood, saying "Hey! Let me eat some of that! Let me have some! I'm hungry!" Based on the echoing voices he heard, the smell, and the spoor at the cave mouth, Braxton estimated ten or so orcs and something bigger, and ogre or a giant!

The rest of the party approached noisily.

The rest of the party approached noisily. The noise of their approach caught the attention of the one speaking giantish. It bellowed out a call to battle, alerting the orcs, and the sound of its plodding footsteps echoed through the cave. From around a corner deep within the cave came loping an ogre! Before he could take another step, Braxton and Syral filled him with deadly arrows, dropping him in an instant!

The orcs began to swarm over the walls made of boulders they used to keep the ogre separate from their camp. A fierce battle ensued in the caves of the red orcs. Balatan and Valerius held the line, with Valerius fighting a mostly defensive battle. Braxton moved around the battlefield, firing arrows from various sight-lines. Syral darted back and forth, leaving dead orcs in his wake. Aline's witch-bolts failed to score any hits. At one point Syral fell under the axe of an orc and Balatan had to leave the line to save his companion.

Eventually, there was just the boss orc, a brutish individual wearing chain mail who spoke the common tongue. Aline tried to put him into a magical sleep but he brushed off the effects of her spell. The party soon defeated the leader and the battle was won.

Upon exploring the cave, the party found a treasure chest belonging to the leader, as well as a passage leading deeper in the cave. Next to the passage was an arrow drawn in chalk. This was Wyvern Tor! 

This was the way to the Lost Mine!

After dumping the bodies outside the cave, the party decided to rest for the night.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Next Week, part 1 of the final act of the Lost Mine of Phandelver as the party finds and explores the Wave Echo Cave Mine!

After Thoughts

In case you are wondering about the high character turnover lately, it's because we're using this adventure to experiment with the new system. I'm encouraging my players to play different characters to see what they like and don't like Play something different. Do something new. Once we finish with the module, they'll be fifth level and they'll have to commit.

I did a lot of ad-lib dungeon mastering this week. The farmer with the ogre trouble was a random event I rolled from the Midkemia Press Cities book. The hobgoblin road ambush was a random encounter from the module, which I spiced up with the doppelganger that escaped the goblin castle. And finally the doppelganger attack in the inn was something that was just too perfect to pass up!

The doppelganger fight, I might add, was kinetic, fast-paced, and lots of fun! I chose not to use minis for that fight and it kept the action moving throughout the scene. Trevor, who is playing Syral, is a dungeon master himself and loves descriptive cinematic fighting with lots of stunts. That fight allowed me to indulge him.

For anyone who has read the module, I have obviously taken some of the side-quests and put them in a direct line with the Wave Echo Cave mine. That was because the players skipped all that and their characters would have to tackle the mine at third level, so I added some additional encounters to beef it up.

"Exposition" Chapter 6 of the Lost Mine of Elder Flinch

In this week's chapter, the adventurers ask the questions: If it's a necromancer, is it really murder? Was killing Glasstaff the right thing to do? Should we fight a green dragon? Are Banshees inherently evil? The answer to all of the above is "Hopefully Not!"

Spoiler Warning! This is a prosaic retelling of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure included with the Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Starter Set.

The party:


Fitong, a Tribal Warrior of half-Human/half-Orcine parentage (Level 3 Half-Orc Barbarian)

Aline, a Thaumaturge of half-Human/half-Sylvan parentage (Level 3 Half-Elf Wizard) 

Braxton Hicks, a Hillfolk Explorer and Trail Guide (Level 3 Halfling Ranger)

Ser Valerius, Errant Armiger, Executor of Justicia (Level 3 Human Paladin)

Back in Flinch

It was a nine mile hike through the mountains from the goblin fortress to the East Gate of the Defile of Castragon, followed by a three-mile ride on a ferry-raft across the lake to the jetty at Flinch, a journey of eight hours. On the way, Garl Gembeard read and translated the map of his kinsman, Rungren Rockseeker.

The words in were in Daro script and read:

\

HOREK

FLINCH

BALK

WELL

WYVERN

FACE

WAVES

Varis Leaves the Group

Before arriving in Flinch, Varis informed the party that he had to take his leave. He needed to return to the wilderness to participate in the lunar rendezvous at the stone circle on the other side of Nightflame Mountain.

As the remaining party members entered the gates of Flinch, they encountered two Red Cloaks, now serving as guards. One of the guards rushed off into the village, no doubt to inform Harra Thorntooth. A gnome met them at the gate and informed them of the new entrance fee of two copper coins levied against all strangers. The fee was common in other villages throughout the Xanthus river valley but new to Flinch, so they paid.

It was late afternoon. The air was chilly with the approaching autumn. With no immediate plans, Braxton, Aline, and Fitong went straight to the notice board to catch up. There they met a young man clad in scale mail, carrying a shield bearing the symbol of the Executors of Justicia, Goddess of Justice. The man introduced himself as Ser Valerius, a land-owning armiger of Wince. 

Ser Valerius explained that he was a peregrine executor of Justicia, travelling the land, enforcing the decisions of the Justicars. He was currently without assignment and seeking to provide aid and protection to those who were worthy. The party said that they lived a life of danger and adventure and that they were generally law-abiding, and suggested that they needed protection and had encountered many people in their travels who needed help. Not to mention an official executor would lend legitimacy to their activities. Valerius decided to travel with them.

While they were talking, an acolyte was nailing a new notice to the board. The acolyte said that Sister Gareale needed someone adventurous to undertake a perilous mission. The party walked over to the ruins of the temple and met Sister Gareale, a devotee of Draven Windshard, the demi-god of bards, poets, history, and lore. Sister Gareale wore a broach shaped like a silver harp.

Sister Gareale asked the group to take a gift to a banshee named Agatha. The gift was a jeweled comb in a lacquered box. When the gift is presented, the presenter must ask Agatha the following question: What do you know about a spellbook belonging to a legendary mage named Bowgentle? In exchange for returning with the answer to that question, Sister Gareale would provide the party with three healing potions as payment. The party accepted the quest and took the comb.

After chatting with Sister Gareale, Fitong retired early to the Auld Dunn Inn.  The rest inquired Daran Edermath about another job on the notice board. Daran was a turnip farmer, another recent settler who came at the behest of Feisty, one of the nine survivors of the Red Orc ambush of several months ago. 

Daran invited them into his house, a modest home with an old gauntlet hung over the door. Daran's wife made them tea and they chatted about current events, noting that Feisty, the presumed elected Elder of Flinch, will take umbrage at the usurpation of her authority by Harra Thorntooth while she was away recruiting settlers. The party also learned that Daran was a retired adventurer and fortune-seeker who had retired to become a turnip farmer here in Flinch.

After the chit-chat, Daran explained the problem. He said that zombies were chasing prospectors away from the Old Owl Well, an ancient fresh-water well about ten miles up on the slopes of Mount Zinnober. Prospectors returning from the mountain often stop there for water and rest. The last prospector to visit there reported that it looked like someone was living in the ruins of the old tower next to the well. He'd like the party to go check it out. The party agreed to take on the mission.

After talking with Edermath, it had become dark so the party retired to the inn for dinner and relaxation. There they met up with Fitong who found himself being ignored by the innkeeper, a bantami named Tobey. Braxton took care of things and had a talk with Tobey, bantam to bantam. Tobey apologized and they were served immediately.

They spent time talking with the barmaid of the Auld Dunn Inn, a human female named Exposition. Exposition was also one of the nine survivors of the massacre. Exposition, as befitting her unusual name, was a font of information. She went on at length about the politics of the town, the recent troubles with Glasstaff and the Red Cloaks, the anticipated row between Feisty and Thorntooth, and so on. 

When asked about the history of Flinch, she exclaimed that history was a passion of hers! She had red several books on the subject before the massacre. She learned that the town of Flinch was founded by a dwarf named Elder Flinch who discovered a mine somewhere up on Mount Zinnober. The mine was productive and was the source of magical elements used to make enchanted weapons and armor. She told of how the location of the mine was lost after the war with the Red Orcs eighty years ago. 

After a while of exhausting conversation with Exposition, the party decided to talk instead with another patron, an old prospector named Lanar. Lanar told how he was recently chased away from the Old Owl Well by zombies! After providing what information he could, the party thanked the old man and went to bed.

Old Owl Well
The next morning, the party set forth, following Edermath's directions to the Old Owl Well. On the way, about five miles out of town, they came across the abandoned ruins of an old village. They got a bad feeling about the town and went around it.

Old Owl Well

By noon, they reached the ruins of the Old Owl Well. The well was within a rectangular enclosure of a ruined wall, little more than straight piles of loose weathered stones. Next to the well was the ruins of an old tower dating back hundreds of years. A small square structure, also in ruins, was attached to the base of the tower. It appeared as if someone had patched up the roof of the adjacent structure and was living within.

The party approached cautiously, calling out their presence. Zombies began shambling out of the tower. The adventurers sprung into action! Braxton began firing arrows at zombies. Valerius took a defensive position. Fitong ran blindly into the attached structure and attacked an unsuspecting bald wizard who cowered under the onslaught of Fitong's blade. Aline followed up with a witch bolt that killed the wizard before he can even speak or raise a hand in self-defense.

The battle continued outside the structure with half of the zombies going after Valerius and Fitong. The other half went around a breach in wall to attack Aline and Braxton. Aline and Braxton frantically ran around the wall and took shelter in structure while Valerius and Fitong defended against the clawing zombie horde. The battle was long and difficult but eventually zombies were defeated.

Going through the possessions of dead wizard, they learned that he was using zombies to excavate under tower in search of treasure. His belongings included a tiny jeweled box with a magic ring from the days of the ancient Nedula Madhya empire, a scroll, a potion, and assorted coinage. The wizard's notes indicated that his expedition had been harassed by a tribe Red Orcs from Wyvern Tor.

The party briefly questioned whether killing the wizard in such a way was murder and was, perhaps, unwarranted. They concluded that he was obviously a necromancer and up to no good. He probably deserved what came to him.

Searching the tower, the party found the basement excavated. They also found an arrow drawn in chalk on the wall, indicating a direction further up mount Zinnober, no doubt left by Rungren to point the way to the hidden mine. Who drew the arrow? Did someone else know the way? Concerned about these unanswered questions, they erased the arrow.

On the way back, they noticed a sign warning of danger and proscribing entry into Balk, a sign they did not see before. Curious, they entered the town. The town consisted of several small structures in various states of overgrown disrepair and ruination. A tower loomed atop a hill overgrown with twisted trees, thorny bushes, and especially evil-looking shrubbery. One house in town, however, was well kept with a sign in Druidic. They approached the house and knocked.

Fairuza of Balk

An old man dressed like a druid opened the door. He introduced himself as Fairuza. Fairusa was a laconic man. He offered them tea and goodberries and told them of the dangers that lurked within the town. He said that until recently, this town was simply abandoned, but that a few months ago a green dragon took up residence within the tower. After that, the presence of the green dragon began having an evil effect on the town. Twig blights appeared. Giant spiders occupied one of the buildings. Zombies and skeletons began to animate from the remains of the dead. He's even seen robed humans lurking among the ruins. Valerius guessed that they were probably dragon cultists. 

Fairuza said that he has been keeping an eye on the dragon and the other inhabitants of the town, but that he would be going to the lunar rendezvous soon. At that time, he will leave. The party weighed their chances and decided to leave the dragon alone for now, but to be wary of attacks on people or livestock. They left Balk and returned to Flinch in time for evening.

In Flinch, they informed Edermarth of the success of their mission and the nearby presence of the dragon. Edermarth rewarded them by telling them of the Order of the Gauntlet, and that should they ever need assistance, they should look for the gauntlet above the door, knock, and say the password, "Chevall". 

Go Ask Agatha

The next day the party borrowed two canoes and crossed the lake, following the directions given to them by Sister Gareale to the hidden lair of Agatha the Banshee on the slopes of Mount Pachuat.

They followed a small rocky stream up a steep valley. Mount Pachuat towered above them.As they neared their destination, the forest became darker, colder. The sky became grey despite the lack of clouds and the light lost all its color, becoming bluish-grey. They came across a kind of domed structure made of thick overgrown vines, thicket, and trees. A curtain of moss and leaves hung over a doorway.

Braxton announced their arrival but no one answered. He looked inside but saw no one. He cautiously entered the dwelling and a glowing form, the angry spirit of a female elf, materialized before him. It was Agatha the Banshee!

The spirit demanded, "What brings you here, mortal? You are in grave danger!"

Braxton carefully replied, "We come to ask a question for Sister Garaele."

Agatha became suddenly malevolent and frightening, "You insult me with your ill manners, halfling!"

Braxton courageously presented the gift of the comb, "We offer you a gift!" The banshee looked upon it and calmed.

"I know this thing. It once belonged to me, in another life. Thank you for returning it to me. By the pact that binds me to this place, I must answer you one question. What is your question?"

Braxton asked, "What became of the spellbook of Bowgentle?"

Agatha answered, calmly and thoughfully, "I have not heard that name in centuries. I traded the book to a necromancer named Tsernoth over a hundred years ago. I know not what became of the book afterward."

Afterwards, she looked upon them, "Do you have any other gifts?"

Fitong thought about trading something in in exchange for asking about how to become the Archon of Flinch. He thought about it hard, but ultimately decided to hold his tongue.

"Then I have fulfilled the pact. You are no longer safe here, nor are you welcome. You should leave this place!"

They left.

Green Orcs of Mount Pachuat

Orc Ambush!

On the way back down the valley, they crossed a rocky ford in the stream between two tall rocks. Braxton stopped the party. He sensed an ambush. Green Orcs from the forests of Mount Pachuat laid in wait atop the rocks. The party approached cautiously. Braxton notched an arrow and took aim at the rocks while Fitong began climbing. The Green Orcs leaped to their feet and  up and began throwing javelins. Braxton fired an arrow as Fitong engaged in battle atop one of the rocks. Aline targeted Witchfire at the others atop while Valerius engaged in hand-to-hand battle with an orc in the stream-bed.

Fitong was seriously wounded and fell from the rock, unconscious. Valerius revived him and the pair fought with the orc in the stream. Soon, all of the orcs were killed and the party continued back to Flinch.

Ambush!

Once they had returned to Flinch, they reported to Sister Garaele. She thanked them and gave them the potions she promised. She also offered them membership in the Harpers, a secret brotherhood devoted to fighting tyranny in the name of Draven Windshard. They politely declined.

After resting for the evening, they packed up their things on the following morning and headed downriver to Swallow to do some shopping.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Next week, the party return to Flinch to re-join Garl Gembeard and follow the directions to the Wave Echo Cave mine!

After Thoughts

The group intentionally followed through on some side-quests this week because Jeffy, the guy playing Garl Gembeard, was going to be out of town this week and asked us to wait for him to return before we headed into the mine, so we obliged.

I decided to re-do the map so that it was a list of way points that had to be reached in order. No one knew exactly where the next point was, but if you got there an arrow would point you in the right direction. If I had the time, I would come up with devilish location-based puzzled ala the DaVinci Code, but who has the time for that???

Here's a revised and expanded map of the area around Flinch including the locations of this week's encounters.

The areas around Flinch

I gotta say, I feel bad for Kost the necromancer. There he is, minding his own business, not bothering anyone, when a half-orc rushes in out of nowhere and attacks him with a sword! He's murdered before anyone even bothered to ask "What are you doing here?"

I thought about making some kind of lesson-teaching point by having there be repercussions to the slaying, but it's better to just let the players have fun and not introduce too many ethical problems. It's just an elf-game.

We joked that the necromancer wrote the following in his journal:

"I have managed to keep the zombies at bay for 6 days now. However, the spell that repels them also keeps me trapped here. I'm running low on food and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. If I lower the spell, the zombies will surely devour me!

"However, I have a good feeling about today. I get the sense I will have visitors, someone who can help me escape this imprisonment. I certainly hope they are friendly!"

Really though, I know why. It's because I built the scene using minis and terrain. That immediately told the players "Battle! And kill everything before it kills you!" I should have role-played it first, allowed the wizard to come outside first, maybe even be a dick, but show that he was a real person, even though he was a necromancer.

Is practicing necromancy a capital offense? Yes. But I think Ser Valerius should have called for a fair trial by Priest of Justica first BEFORE carrying out the sentence, and he might remind Fitong of that. 

Or I could ret-con it in their favor and say Ser Valerius had standing orders to execute the necromancer Kost on sight, thus justifying their actions. It's kind of a cop-out, but it's more fun that way, and I want my game to be fun and not angst-filled drama-ramas.