The Lure of Magic

 I am a little behind on posting sessions. Two weeks ago was our Session 30. Which is about 25 more sessions than I planned for this online campaign. But then the pandemic happened.

I was really not sure which direction the players planned to go next. I had several options open for the players. The player who plays the wizard and tends to lead took off after the lure of the Well of Woe. An adventure I ran fairly close to the published version from Creations' Edge Games.

Session 30: The Well of Woe

Players: Lakima (Human Magic-user), Eathwund (Human Fighter), Carric (Elven Thief), NPCS: Domago (Human Cleric), Dag Icefoot (Dwarven Fighter), Lantosh (Human Fighter).

The heroes of the Company of the Black Dragon have returned from the village of Whetwhistle where they killed a trio of Rock Apes that had taken over the local Copper Mine (gaining half ownership in the mine in the process). Now back home in Edgerton, a number of disparate threads of adventure beckon them. Which will they choose to follow?

Lakima is visited by the apprentice wizard Zia. The young girl tells him of her master who also had dreams of the Mana Well. Her master surmised the Well's location and became determined to find it. Zia explains that she and her master were attacked on the road by ogres who ate her master. Zia tells Lakima some of the histories of the Well. That it is also a Temple of Medamellara and that it can recharge magic items. Lakima tells her they may take on the mission (eager to get his magic items recharged) but he needs to ask his companions first. Once Eathwund and Carric return they agree to take the mission.

There is a discussion amongst the company on the best way to get to the Well of Woe. Zia tells them it is in the Valley of Heroes a short walk from Caster's Ford. Lakima thinks taking the horses overland is the best way to journey there. But going by boat will only take a day while the horses will be 4-5 days. Carric heads over to the docks to see what it would cost to get passage on a riverboat and how often boats are traveling to Caster's Ford. He asks some boat crew and stevedores about the passage and is directed to an agent named Meike Becker. The old woman tells Carric it would cost 2 sp per person to get to Caster's Ford.

Lakima goes over to Clerwin's Oddities and asks about Medamellara. Clearwin brings out an old statuette of the goddess of magic that Lakima pays 600 gold to purchase. He also buys a spent wand that has the word "Kanrikat" inscribed on it. Carric goes back to the docks again to speak with Meike. He buys them passage with Captain Iainwallon Trueworthy through Meike. He rents the boat for a week so it will be waiting for them in Caster's Ford when they return from the Well.

The next day the Company of the Black Dragon load their goods on the riverboat owned by the Captain who introduces himself as Iain. They set out early in the morning for Caster's Ford. Carric reads his Journal notes on Caster's Ford to his companions. They arrived at the small walled northern town by sunset. Freshly fallen snow on the ground. Iain gives them some advice about the town including the expected toll to enter and where to stay. The heroes decide to stay at the Blue Dragon Inn. They take note of the number of adventuring parties in the town and the number of people openly carrying weapons. After getting rooms they get some dinner in a private room of the tavern. The waitress impressed with their silver when they pay upfront. Lakima and Zia discuss what Zia knows in more detail. They then retire for the evening in three rooms.

While Eathwund is on watch in the room, Carric is awakened by his sword Everwatchful. Going to the door he hears a pair of thieves outside. The thieves pick the lock and swing open the door seeing Eathwund standing there at the ready. The thieves try to run for it. One of the thieves, a woman, gets away. But Carric gets caught up with the other thief on the stairs causing everyone to tumble. Lakima casts Charm Person on the thief. The Innkeeper comes out to see what is going on and tells them not to bloody up his tavern and to kill the thief and toss him in the street. Instead, they question the man who gives his name as Brenci Teague. He and his compatriot Gest Kestle were just planning to rob the rich newcomers. He is sent on his way with a warning.

The next morning in the tavern over breakfast Lakima talks to a fellow wizard named Wella Hobba and his two friends Kenver and Penketh. They are adventurers headed to the Valley of Heroes. While friendly, Wella suggests they leave at different times. He says they will give the Black Dragons a few hours head start. Then the three men get up and leave. The heroes finish their breakfast and discuss with Zia her story again. Lakima suggests she apprentice to him. She declines and Lakima tells a parable about his father the warrior. Then they set out on foot for the Valley of Heroes. Zia takes them on a trail beside a swift-moving mountain stream. After a few hours, they come across four bodies lying in the road. Wella Hobba and his two friends shot with arrows and another man is blackened by fire. Nervous they decide to leave the road and set out across the country. That night they have a dark, cold camp. Everyone closes together to keep warm except Zia who seems not to mind the cold.

The next morning an impatient Zia is waiting very early to get going. She suggests skipping breakfast because the Well is only a few hours away. They set out and come to battered wooden doors placed into a wall built in the hillside. Carric moves up and checks the doors. The doors are large, old, wooden doors that look to have been recently knocked down and rehung. The doors are unlocked, so Carric cracks one open and looks inside. He sees a short, unlit hallway. Near the end in front of some doors, a pair of huge ogres are fighting three flying, glowing skulls. Carric lets everyone know and they all move to look. Zia gasps, "Mana wraiths!" She tells everyone that Mana wraiths are the spirits of dead wizards. They feed on magic, especially from charged items. The heroes decide to watch the fight and await the outcome not lending either side any aid. The ogres are bitten by the skulls a few times but they soon destroy all of the mana wraiths.

As soon as the fight ends the heroes wait to see if the ogres will leave but they stop at the end of the hall conversing. Carric slips quietly through the hall in the shadows and walks right up behind one Ogre. He tries to stab an ogre in the back but misses. The pair of ogres immediately attack Carric but miss him. Eathwund, Dag, and Lantosh come to his aid and fight the ogres. In the first exchange, Eathwund is struck by a huge club. After a few exchanges, one of the ogres is killed and the remaining one shouts in alarm several times. Then more ogres arrive. Two from a hall to the north and two from a hall to the south. Eathwund gets surrounded and pummeled several times but stays on his feet. Dag and Lantosh are also struck a few times. Carric and Lakima stay back using missile weapons. Domago moves up and Casts Cure Light Wounds on Eathwund. One by one the ogres are overpowered and killed until only one remains. The last ogre flees to the south into a chamber. Eathwund and Lakima follow the ogre and kill it in what looks like a bed chamber. Eathwund tried to reason with the ogre but it lacked the ability to communicate.

The heroes investigate a room to the left of the hallway and find an empty room with a broken wall. Dag examines the wall and declares that it was a secret door now broken. He removes more of the wall and finds a concealed wine storage with three bottles of wine still on the racks. Dag gives the bottles to Lakima.

Carric listens at the door at the end of the hall and is unable to hear anything. Opening the door the heroes see the Chamber of the Mana Well. A large chamber, with a ceiling 20 feet above. In the center, a circular well spouts huge gouts of bluish mana right to the ceiling. In the chamber, three ogres stand on the edge of the wide well. The heroes move to enter the chamber and the ogres ignore them - engrossed in the mana torrent. Finally, one of the ogres notices the heroes and growls and moves to attack. A second ogre follows it. As they watch the third ogre puts his hand and arm into the stream of mana. The ogre's eyes begin to glow red as his arm bursts into blue flames.

The Well of Woe

Carric moves through the shadows and moves up behind the entranced ogre attempting to strike it from behind. He misses and the ogre turns toward him and grins. Then magic missiles shoot from the ogre's eyes and strike Carric. Across the room, Eathwund and Lantosh fight the two ogres. One ogre falls and Lantosh maneuvers into the chamber to allow more heroes to attack the ogre. Dag, Lakima, and Domago join the fight. The second ogre falls but the remaining ogre continues to fire magic missiles from his eyes at adventurers. Eathwund, Lantosh, and Dag close with the ogre and strike it repeatedly. It staggers backward toward the mana stream. Lakima tosses darts at it and it stumbles and falls into the well. The ogre's body is consumed and disappears.

With the danger passed the heroes check the chamber. Dag spots large double doors across the chamber and moves to hold them. Lakima takes some of his charged magic items and places them into the mana stream. Each item regains some charges. Carric suggests putting his sword in the mana stream but Lakima and Zia advise him not to do it. Lakima takes out his statuette of Medamellara beseeches her favor and tosses it into the mana stream. He waits expectantly for something to happen.

Nothing happens...