Escape from the Plundered Tomb

Over the Holidays we played another session in my Swords & Wizardry campaign. The players managed to continue at their breakneck pace through my retelling of the classic module I3: Pharoah. Once they escaped and I told them what adventure they had gone through they indicated they had no knowledge of it. So I guess I did not need to make so many changes. But a lot of the changes were made just to suit the module to my own likes. The conversions needed for playing it with Swords & Wizardry rules were really minor.

One of the players did not make the game. Given the Holidays I was wondering if it was holiday-related but a few days later he let us know he was dropping out. Carric the elf will now be an NPC party member and fade into being a local NPC non-party member in the coming sessions. On the plus side, we picked up a new player for the next session.

Session 34: Tests and Escape

Players: Lakima (Magic-user), Eathwund (Fighter), Carric (Elven Thief absent), Domago (Human cleric NPC), Lantosh (Human Fighter NPC), Dag Icefoot (Dwarf Fighter NPC).

After flying up through the Dome of Flight to the next level the adventurers are confronted with a pair of doors leading each with the same ominous message written on them.

Lakima directs Carric to check the door on the left and open it. The door proves to be untrapped and opens easily. The chamber beyond is a vast hallway, sloping up in the distance. At first, it is dark, but torches light one by one as they enter lighting the entire chamber. A waterfall cascades down the length of the room with a stair up the middle. The stair is broken by four landings. At the end of the hall is an enormous bronze fist 10 feet across resting on a huge wrist-like forearm.

Carric is the first to advance up the stairs. As he steps on the first landing, two armed men made of clay appear magically. Carric rushes back down the steps as Eathwund runs forward to defend him. Lantosh and Dag also come up the stairs. One of the clay men swings a sword at Carric and misses. Eathwund slashes at one and his sword passes right through the shoulder. Both the arm and the body turn to sand and fall to the platform in a heap. Eathwund just has time to express his surprise when both piles of sand form into two clay men. Dag slashes at the other clay man and the same thing happens. There are now four clay men facing them on the platform. Before they can warn him, Lantosh plunges his polearm into the chest of one of the clay men. The clay man becomes impaled on the end of the polearm.

Lakima shouts at Lantosh to dump the clay man into the torrent of the waterfall which he does. The construct is washed away into a tunnel of water. Seeing how it is done Lantosh impales two more clay men and dumps them into the water. Eathwund even manages to impale one on the point of his sword and shove it over the edge into the water. The first landing is now cleared.

Carric now comes up and rejoins the others on the first landing. He moves up cautiously checking for traps. Lakima tells everyone this might be a test of the elements - earth for the clay men, water for the waterfall. The next test might be fire or air. As Carric steps on the second landing, a wall of fire rushes up from the floor and extends across the platform from floor to ceiling completely blocking the hallway. Carric and Lantosh who are closest to the flames stagger back from the tremendous heat. Lakima tries throwing the contents of a full waterskin on the fire but it apparently does nothing. They all step back and confer on the steps. The only suggestion they have is dunking their blankets in water and racing through the flames. Dag loudly states that he is not going first.

Lakima decides he will go first since it is his idea and he sees no other alternative. He leaps through the flames and is badly burned. Next comes Eathwund and then Dag and Lantosh. Carric holds back on the other side. Lakima sees a man standing beside the bronze fist about 30 feet away. The man is dressed in a priest's robes. He hears the man speak in his head telling him to give up and telling him that he is High Priest Nadron who has lived here and defeated tomb robbers for two thousand years. Instead of surrendering, Lakima threatens Nadron and the voice in his head laughs telling him that he keeps his life elsewhere and he cannot be harmed. Lakima moves up to the penultimate landing. A duplicate Lakima appears magically and silently attacks its original version. Eathwund and Lantosh fire arrows at the duplicate and Lakima uses his staff to destroy the duplicate.  Lakima then races up to the last platform holding the fist and runs around the fist looking to see if Nadron is an illusion. The fist animates and tries to crush him but Lakima makes it to a pair of doors and into the chamber beyond. Here he sees a crashing fall of water ten-feet in diameter and an altar before it. Arched hallways lead off in either direction. Nadron casts a slow spell that affects Lantosh and Eathwund.

The Gauntlet and Nadron

Eathwund and Dag advance up to the second last platform and their doubles appear. Lantosh moves to just off the platform and helps Dag kill his duplicate. The priest Nadron casts another spell, this time a fireball that knocks Dag and Lantosh unconscious. Domago and Eathwund are still standing and they use the magic healing oranges to recover Lantosh and Dag. Lakima tries casting a magic missile, using darts, and directing Eathwund to fire arrows at the priest. But nothing seems to affect him. Nadron casts another spell covering Lantosh, Eathwund, Dag, and the two duplicates in a sticky web immobilizing them. Lakima returns the favour and casts web from his wand at the priest. It works and Nadron is held by the web against the wall of the great hall. In his head, Lakima hears Nadron cursing and threatening him. Dag works his way loose and comes up the stairs readying his sword to kill Nadron but the fist animates and a single finger flicks Dag back down the stair in a crumpled heap. Lakima checks a nearby chamber and sees two men who look identical - chained to the walls. The men call out for help and accuse each other of being a doppelganger. Lakima leaves them where they are.

The fight slows as Nadron is held by a web spell that Lakima replenishes whenever the priest starts to get his hands free. Lantosh, Eathwund, and their two duplicates try to work themselves free. Lakima tries putting his hands on the altar before the waterfall but he is knocked down by a lightning bolt shooting out of the waterfall. Domago is joined by Carric on the platform. The wall of fire continues to burn behind them. They use arrows and slings stones to destroy Eathwund and Lantosh’s duplicates. Once Eathwund is free of the webs he runs past the giant fist which misses him and to the safety of the chamber beyond with Lakima. Lakima casts a Lightning Bolt at the bronze fist badly damaging it. Eathwund and Carric fire arrow at the fist until it finally collapses in a heap. Lantosh moves to the highest platform and Lakima directs him to bind the priest's mouth and drag him into the next chamber. Carric and Domago step on the platform one at a time and everyone works together to destroy their duplicates. Unfortunately, Domago finds that Dag was killed by the strike from the giant fist. There is nothing he can do for the unfortunate dwarf.

With everyone gathered in the chamber beyond Lakima starts negotiating with Nadron whose voice is still in his head. They seem to come to an understanding after Lakima has Lantosh hold Nadron’s head and shoulders under the crashing waterfall. Nadron tells him the only exit from the tomb is above in the burial chamber of King Munera. There is one final test in that chamber - the King’s undead mummy. Nadron tells him he needs something called the Star Gem of Pelar to open the exit. Once his gag is removed Nadron immediately casts Lightning bolt at Lakima, hitting Eathwund and Domago with the blast. Lakima survives but Eathwund and Domago are knocked unconscious. Lakima tells Lantosh to behead the duplicitous priest. He does - but the head just rejoins the body as Nadron laughs and curses them in common. Lantosh chops the head of the body again and Lakima boots the head across the chamber. Nadron continues to berate Lakima telling him he can never pass the final test of the King because he is not worthy.

Lakima points at the altar and tells Domago to put his hands on it. Domago is reluctant but is convinced and presses his hands into hand-shaped depressions on the altar. The waterfall immediately stops and the room is silent. Even Nadron is quiet. Lakima then taunts Nadron. They take the headless body and toss it down the now dry waterfalls in the great hall below the fist. Nadron’s head is placed in a sack. With everyone tired and hurt the remaining five adventurers rest in the chamber. The last of the magic oranges are eaten. From a nearby chamber, they hear the words “help me” plaintively crying out but Lakima tells everyone it is a trap. Domago argues they should help the men but is eventually convinced to wait.

The heroes rest for several hours by the now-empty shaft that held a waterfall. Each man takes a watch while the others rest or try to sleep. During Eathwund’s watch, a flickering apparition of Wella Hobba appears. The apparition nods to Eathwund and walks over to observe the mean chained to the wall. The apparition speaks to Eathwund telling him, “Now that I see my murderer so helpless and lost I no longer feels the need for revenge upon him. He has suffered enough. Do what you will with him. I will trouble you no more.” With that, the apparition disappears.

Once everyone is rested and Lakima has recovered his spells they pack up their equipment and prepare to move on. Eathwund tells everyone that he is fairly certain that one of the men chained to the wall is the bandit and murderer Vychan. He tells them of the apparition's visit. Domago still argues that they should free the men and take them to Caster’s Ford for justice. Lakima argues against freeing them. It comes down to a vote with only Domago voting to free Vychan.

The group walks into the arched hallway opposite the one where the men are chained up. They discover Nadron’s library, workshop, and living area. Thousands of scrolls are found devoted to extending a man's life. Lakima deciphers scrolls detailing the creation of a unique version of the magic jar spell. He also finds scrolls of Fireball, fly, and confusion. Then he reads a cursed scroll and is paralyzed for 20 minutes while his friends search the area. They find some food and books that are recent acquisitions. Domago insists on taking some of the food and water and leaving it for the two men chained to the walls. He tells the men that someone will come to free them if the gods decide they are worthy.

Lakima casts levitate and drifts up the shaft. At the top he finds a short hallway blocked by a pair of bronze doors. A large, painted stone jar that is unstoppered rests above the shaft. Lakima drops a rope down to everyone else and they climb up. Lakima directs Lantosh to pick up the heavy stone jar. Lantosh is just barely strong enough to carry it into the hallway. He questions taking something so heavy but Lakima tells him he is sure it is a Decanter of Everlasting water - a powerful artifact. As they approach the doors Lantosh suggests he set the jar down and retrieve it once they have cleared any threats.

The bronze doors are held shut by a simple tasseled red rope. Carric checks and does not find any traps. Lakima suggests that Domago pull the rope aside since the guardians of the tomb seem to respect him. Domago does so and pushes the doors open. Beyond is a small chamber with four pillars holding up the ceiling. Across from the heroes is another pair of bronze doors. A full-sized wooden longboat rests on the floor along one wall. Lakima leads the adventurers directly to the far door. Domago again removes the rope but the door is held shut. Carric examines the door and cannot find a way to open it. In the center of one door is an indentation in the shape of a 3” in diameter gem. They search the chamber and note the faded painting of a longboat anchored to a cloud. This boat has a gem glowing on its prow. They check the real boat in the chamber and find an indentation in its prow but no gem. In the boat, they find 10 copper jars full of ancient platinum coins. Platinum is not a current currency but it is more valuable than gold.

Lakima pulls Nadron’s head out of the sack and removes his gag. Nadron tells him that the gem in the prow of the ship is the key. He appears surprised that it is missing. He insists to Lakima that he was the last to leave this chamber thousands of years ago and no tomb raider has ever gotten past the tests to reach this chamber. He also tells them that the tomb is magically protected from teleport and dimension door spells. Lakima accuses Nadron of lying but the priest is insistent that something has changed since he “tricked” King Munera. He does not elaborate on the comment. Lakima suggests they dump out all of the copper jars on the floor of the chamber looking for a gem. They do but do not find one. They try pressing other, smaller gems into the door but it does not work. Lakima suggests taking all of the valuable platinum piled on the floor. But it means dumping all of the less valuable treasure (copper, silver, gold coins, and even bottles of wine) they found in the tomb and in the previous adventure in the Temple of Medamellara.

Conversing with Nadron

Searching the chamber once more, Lakima touches the painting of the ship. The painting shimmers and becomes a window, or portal out into a night sky far above the clouds. A wooden longboat gently rocks in the wind about 30 feet away anchored to a cloud. The Star Gem of Pelar on its prow. Lakima uses the scroll they just found to cast Fly and then flies over to the ship. He carefully removes the gem and flies back into the chamber. Below he sees the tops of snow-covered peaks between breaks in the cloud cover. Taking the gem he gives it to Domago who places it in the doors. The doors swing open to King Munera’s real tomb. A large, stone sarcophagus rests on the floor of the chamber. On the wall opposite is a ten-foot-tall statue of Munera. A familiar rod in one hand and a large red gem in the palm of his other hand. Writing on the wall hints at a passage out of the tomb. Carric checks the wall and finds cracks in the stone indicating a passage but no way to open it.

Reluctantly they all look at the stone sarcophagus. Arranging themselves at the ready around the stone coffin, they slide the lid off. Inside is the mummy of the King covered in gold armor. It rears up, still managing to surprise them with its sudden movement. It swings at Eathwund and misses. Domago attempts to turn the undead creature but fails. All five adventurers hack away at the mummy and use missile weapons. It steps from the coffin and falls upon Domago striking him but is eventually destroyed as everyone attacks. They are briefly disappointed as they do not see a gem in the coffin. Then an apparition rises up from the body. They realize it is the spirit of King Munera as the appearance matches the statues found throughout the tomb. The spirit speaks to the heroes but they cannot understand it. Lakima pulls Nadron’s head from the sack in an attempt to communicate. The ghost immediately reaches out toward Nadron and blue flames shoot from its hands at the head-turning it to dust. The ghost seems to nod toward them in thanks. Then with a wave of its hand, a stone door opens revealing a passage to a magical portal of swirling blue mist. Lakima shouts, “Finally, the way out - let’s go!” He races into the passage toward the portal. Lantosh shouts, “What about the gold on the body!” Lakima tells him to leave everything - they do not have enough bags to carry it, just bring the full sacks of platinum coins. The ghost walks out of the chamber and takes the gem from the doors. It heads into the other chamber. Domago gets one last look of it gliding through the portal toward the ship in the clouds. They all run into the portal.

They arrive in the worship hall in the first room they entered in the Plundered Tomb days ago. The chamber is as they left it. The dead bandits are still lying on the floor. They take stock of their load and shoulder packs. The tomb rumbles ominously, and small stones shower down from the ceiling as they hurriedly march outside into the cold. As they watch from a distance, the mountain of rock above the tomb entrance begins to collapse. Huge clouds of dust and snow rise up obscuring their vision. When the rumbling stops, the dust clears. The entrance to the tomb is blocked with rubble. Domago looks at the ruin and states, “I guess the gods have passed their judgment”.  Up above they all see a star shooting across the sky. Carric says it looks like a boat sailing above the clouds headed west. A bright star on its prow.