Real World Info
This session was played on June 4 2010.
Summary
A veteran adventurer and several retainers are claimed by the Temple of the Blood God Shul-Hazadar.
Cast
William Parsnip, his dogs, plus his retainer Mulyx the cleric.
Viktor the elf and his retainer Stulhmyr.
Helmut von Bonspiel of Kor and his retainers Bella Clover and Shaz Medinkle.
Emelio Tog the mage and his retainers Reynil Thorsson (of Glar) and Kalgar Orc-Hater.
Feralion the elf with Helvetica, Malai Kofta, Jackdaw the halfling tween and Maths the actress.
Retained
Whilst enjoying a few libations at the wonderful tavern L'Oeuf Vert, our intrepid adventurers and their various retainers happen to be sought out by Wellesley Teasmoke. The halfling from the village of Littleton approaches:
"Please, brave sirs and madams, I beg you to help my people. I am Wellesley Teasmoke, and I hail from a halfling town called Littleton, hidden in the foothills to the East. It's populated solely by my people. We are a shy folk, and we chose to settle in the secret ravine because it was cloistered from the rest of the world. Over the past few weeks our trappers have spied many monsters in the surrounding hills. Orcs, goblins, and other fell creatures are emerging from their hidden recesses and converging on the Devil's Cleft just uphill from our town. Our spiritual leader, Noswald, has always forbidden us to enter the area, and has sent me to find some brave warriors who can protect our home. We are not a rich people, but we can offer as reward for your bravery some gold and much more hospitality."
Despite this pathetic offer, the group decides to have a look at this Devil's Cleft, and the well-known Temple to the Blood God that lies within.
After buying much ale the following rumors are sussed out of the local alcoholics:
A blind priest named Shul-Hazadar made a pact with Chaos.
Shul-Hazadar's eyes were blood-red rubies.
Do not enter the temple without a cleric to ward off evil.
Shul-Hazadar was buried with his magic helmet and daggers.
Shul-Hazadar cannot be harmed by normal weapons.
Shul-Hazadar can only be defeated by using his own weapons against him.
Orcs vs Kobolds
After resupply, the party gathers together on Viktor's large wagon like an itinerant Gypsy family for the journey to Littleton. There they meet with Noswald who accepts Bonspiel's offer to build a shrine to Kor in lieu of his share of any reward. He also directs young Teasmoke to guide them to the Devil's Cleft.
A few days of travel later, Viktor, Bonspiel and Feralion approach the edge of the ravine and look down. Two large parties of monsters appear to be facing off against one another at the bottom of the ravine. On one side are kobolds and a lizard-man lined up against a bunch of orcs led by an orc shaman with an orge. An attempt to shoot arrows from above the ravine and incite a battle appears to go awry goes perfectly, and the two groups fall to fighting anyway. Helvetica charms the ogre but he dies in battle before she can taste that forbidden fruit.
After the remaining orcs flee inside the Temple, Maths falls off the edge of the ravine pulling the boy Jackdaw with her to the jagged stones below. Bonspiel notes this is more proof that children should not be hired as retainers, and begins composing a strongly worded letter to the Dead Gentlemen mercenary company.
Gaining Access to the Temple
Our investigators make their way carefully to the ravine bottom and find a large set of doors to the entrance of the temple barred from within. Viktor, speaking orc, bluffs the orc leader Nognorog into opening up the doors. Stulhmyr and Malai Kofta push the doors open. The remainder of the party kills the orcs with steel, dog and arrows. Nognorog is blinded from Bonspiel's spell and subdued but offers little information on the dungeon.
The Antechamber
The Antechamber has two 10' high landings on either side, each with a door. The remains of a shrieker seems to be rotting in the corner. Both doors are firmly and magically closed. The one to the west has an inscription: "He who submits with no resistance or protection shall pass". After what seems an interminably long time, Shaz Medinkle picks the lock of the door with the inscription. No one is more surprised than Shaz.
Maze of Drowning
The door opens to a 10' drop down into a series of interconnected passages. Several of the party climb down to explore the area which reveals little other than another door located up another ledge. Without warning water begins to gush forth from the walls and quickly rises up the adventurers legs. As the water rises all flee back the way they came to avoid being drowned. With assistance from those that remained behind everyone gets out except Viktor, who drowned trying to reach the second door when his magic rope failed him. Bonspiel and Shaz disrobe and retrieve his body for the grieving Stulhmyr.
Store Room
The remaining adventurers remove and bundle their armor and swim across to the other door. That passage leads down to a door through which appears to be a storeroom. Despite near unanimous agreement that it is a terrible idea, Malai Kofta chops down and releases yellow mold from a suspended pod. Fortunately he manages to pull the door closed quickly enough to prevent the spores from killing everyone.
Pit Trap
Another room has a large raised dais on one end. Parsnip, with his polearm, triggers a pit trap in the center of the room. The party pass by unscathed through another door into a warm room.
Salon of Fire
This room has a large bowl of magical fire in the center which seems to contain something thin. All in the room take slight damage from the heat but brave Bonspiel steps forward and pulls a Stiletto Dagger of the Blood God from the flame.
The Second Stiletto
In another small chamber behind the pit trap room there is a large table. Feralion finds a second Stiletto Dagger of the Blood God hidden inside.
Hallucination Hall
Another long hall reveals a set of 8 statues all with similar daggers and jagged slits across their throats. Parsnip is attacked and valiantly fights back but neither seems to be getting hit or to hit them. The party sees Parsnip battling the air. Feralion takes Bonspiel for a demon and after having had to watch hours minutes of Bonspiel try to chat up his sweet Helvetica needs little persuasion to attack his brother adventurer, another accidental victim of Bonspiel's legendary 8 Charisma.
Weird Water
Again heedless of his safety or the scarcely muttered threats against his person for endangering them again, Malai Kofta shoulders his way into a room with an uncanny pool. He prods the pool with his halberd and the water itself attacks! The party vanquishes the creature of Chaos, but are too late to save Malai Kofta, who is drowned.
Epilogue
Most of the party makes camp in the entrace hall of the dungeon, alert to the arrival of orcish reinforcements that the cunning Feralion discovered by reading Nognorog's thoughts with his magic amulet.
Bonspiel makes his sad way back to Threshold with Viktor's body and Shaz Medinkle. He dismisses Bella Clover from service for dereliction of duty, having allowed the maniac Kalgar to murder Nognorog while the party explored.
Epilogue II
Bonspiel throws a huge wake for Viktor, but the maudlin, inebriated ceremony is broken by the Elven Guard. Bonspiel wrestles with a distraught Belrain the Sword Singer in the mud of the square until they are forcibly separated. In the morning, Bonspiel finds the honest townsfolk less welcoming than before.
The town ne'er-do-wells remain as steadfast in their appreciation of the would-be priest as ever.
Total Losses/Loot
Losses
Malai Kofta
Viktor Calanon
Maths the struggling actress.
Jackdaw the 'tween.
Loot
- Magic Stiletto Dagger of the Blood God (two of them: Emelio & Feralion)
- 30 gp
- Nognorog's Virge (Bonspiel)
- 2 healing potions (Bonspiel & Mulyx)
- gems!!
- another healing potion (Stulhmyr)
300 XP for PCs, 150 XP for retainers (including the gems from the store room plundered online by Stulhmyr)