Old School Economy

This past week I tried running a mystery in my Swords & Wizardry campaign. While I am running what is advertised to be an OSR campaign I do like to try something different just to change things up. I used “Nine-Tenths of the Law” from Dungeon Magazine 26 (Nov/Dec 1990) written by Willie Walsh for AD&D. I changed the maps and updated the plot to fit my campaign but kept the basic plot the same. The players were soon racing all over the town of Edgerton trying to find clues. The players seemed a little lost at times but eventually managed to pick up the necessary clues to move forward with the plot.

Like many mysteries, the adventure plot takes place according to a timeline that is fairly fluid. This allowed the players to take downtime. One player decided to advertise for an apprentice and another decided to buy an old run-down tavern. I have some veteran players in the group and they are doing their part to help me with the economics. I wanted to run this campaign in the style of the games I played back in the 1980s. Treasure is needed for experience points. A lot of treasure. I am cutting back some of the treasure in the published adventures but the players are still accumulating a fair amount. But they are not rolling in gold coins because they are finding things to spend the gold upon. They bought a Chapter House for the adventure company. They bought 50% in a struggling copper mine. They are repairing an old temple to a goddess followed by one player. One player has an expensive fiance. And now one player has a tavern - that is a wreck that will need a lot of work. Of course, now I have to come up with the cost and the time needed to repair the Tavern.

Session 42 Find Nerick

Players: Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alonso (human fighter).

As the session opens the players leave the Temple of Medamellara in the Valley of Heroes bound for Caster's Ford. In Caster’s Ford they find that Tolfin the riverboat captain is waiting for them. They pay him 20 gold and set out south for Edgerton. On the first day, they are ambushed by a band of goblins. The goblins have stretched a rope across the river catching their boat. Lakima uses fireballs’ to wipe out most of the goblins. They make camp at the side of the river and the goblins return late in the evening but are driven off.

They arrive in Edgerton late in the evening the next day. Their manservant Huntley tells them of a rough-looking man who keeps coming by looking for them. The next morning they meet this stranger. Holger Kurtz, the thief Domago saved who was dying in the crypt beneath St. Bethesda. Holger keeps repeating that he owes them a debt and is at their command. Lakima suggests Holger join up with the thief Carric. Domago suggests he help out at the Church of St. Aleena. Holger leaves a little confused. 

Eathwund goes to the magistrates and checks in on the ownership of the Ten Bells Tavern that they investigated the previous week (Red Cap Rampage). He learns it has sat unoccupied for 20 years. For a 200 gold transaction fee, he gets the legal title. That evening he goes over and checks it out. He ends up having to kill a giant spider living in the storeroom. He also spots the ghost of Mari Kell. She is still haunting the tavern - but is no longer violent.

So you bought a Tavern

Alonso spends time studying the Field Guide to Demons. Lakima goes to check up on Malyn the Apothecary. He finds three clerics of the Dark Lady in the shop having a conversation with Malyn. He leaves. Lakima decides to post a notice in the town square looking for an apprentice.

A few days later their old friend Marta, Abbot of St. Cuthbert, comes to visit and tells them of a man named Nerick he needs them to find. Nerick is a werewolf. He paid to be cured but changed before the spell could be cast. Marta offers 1,000 gold to find Nerick. He has no idea where to look. Lakima goes looking for a good sketch artist and finds one who agrees to create several images of Nerick from Marta's description. They post the images with a 5 gold reward around town. Even as the poster goes up in the Low Market a young man named Sligh approaches them. Sligh tells them that Nerick has a wife in town who lives near the Tax Collector's tower. He gets 1 silver for bringing them to the tower (5 gold if Nerick is there). They meet Cindal, Nerick's wife, who is very surprised that Nerick is alive and back in town. She tells them (for 1 silver) that Nerick went off on an adventure in the Cursed Marsh three months ago and did not come back alive. Only his friend Germad came back. She has been pestering Germad for compensation.

From the information provided by Cindal the players pay a visit to Germad. He is surprised that Nerick has returned. He is not surprised about the lycanthropy. Germad is now the Captain of the Citadel Guards. He does tell them that there was another surviving adventurer. The mage Lavinia Crane lives outside the town near the East Gate.

They visit Livinia who is rude to them and while surprised that Nerick has shown up clearly demonstrates her disdain for him. She and Lakima argue about magical prowess and she slams her door in his face.

For the next few days, the adventures try to find new clues. They check several local Inns looking for Nerick but do not find anything. They find that someone is taking down their wanted posters of Nerick. They ask Holger Kurtz to investigate. That evening Holger tells them he spotted a known thief, a member of local gang, taking down the poster. He offers to rough up the thief. Lakima suggests he grab the thief and bring him back. Holger agrees.

The next morning Holger arrives with Somblet the thief. Somblet turns on Nerick with a little persuasion. He tells them that Nerick is staying at the Bishop's Rest Inn outside East Gate. He has been paid 1 gold per day to tear down the posters. He has known Nerick for some time but finds that now Nerick has been acting strangely.

They head over to the Bishops Rest. They find they have missed Nerick by a few hours. He checked out in the early morning and headed into the town. The waitress the question mentions that he arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back but when he checked out he had a large bundle of goods.

Eathwund hires a man to clear the bats out of the second floor of the Ten Bells Tavern. Eathwund also starts looking for a carpenter. Lakima suggests he hire Issac the carpenter who built them a wagon. A hopeful apprentice applicant shows up at the Chapter House. Lakima tells him sternly about apprenticeship and gives him some notes to study.

Another day with few clues. Lakima, Alonso, and Eathwund check in on Germad again. No one answers the door but it is unlocked so they open the door and look in. They find the Captain has been murdered. Dagger wounds are in his back. The place has been ransacked. The group searches the cottage and Alonso finds the Captain's journal. It details the last adventure that Germad went on with Lavinia and Nerick and two others who were killed. It was to Artanal's Tower in the Cursed Marsh. The group had found a hidden treasure room. Nerick went wolf and ran off. Germad pocketed a strange gem that he did not tell Lavinia about. His journal notes that he and Lavinia disagreed on how to handle Nerick. Germad felt his old companion deserved another chance. Lavinia disagreed. They parted angrily. Germad writes that he felt guilty about his good fortune when thinking about Nerick. So he sold the gem to the pawnbroker Clearwin.

Murder!

The Reward

 Last week's game session saw the players run through the Warlord's Vault. I based this on the Creations' Edge Games adventure of the same name. I kept the concept and the rewards but I came up with a new map and added magical summoned monsters rather than a bunch of monsters sitting in rooms waiting for the players.

One player has dropped out of our regular group. He noted that he felt the game rules were too bare-bones for his liking. But another player has been able to drop in more often so we still had three players.

I posted the map I created below. I have been using Blender to create all of the maps I use in Roll20. I find it gives it a pretty good look. The maps are 3D so I can also picture how the rooms are connected, and I can easily create images for Handouts or action shots.

My version of the Warlord's Tomb Map

As I noted I kept the rewards as written in the adventure. One issue with using published adventures is that the amount of magic items tends to be high. But I decided to leave them in.

Session 41: The Warlord’s Vault

Players: Lakima (Magic-user), Eathwund (Fighter), Alonso (Human Fighter), Domago (Human cleric NPC), Lantosh (Human Fighter NPC), Fenris (Human Thief NPC).

Eathwund and Domago spend the night in the Blue Dragon Inn in Caster’s Ford. In the morning at breakfast, they meet their friend Alonso who has ridden overland from Edgerton over the past two days to join them. Eathwund fills Alonso in on what has become of the group. The rest of the company is trapped behind a rockfall in the Temple of Medamellara in the Valley of Heroes.

The trio packs up and heads over to the Greenstone brother's shop where Otto Greenstone and his six dwarven brothers are waiting. The Dwarves load up a large metal wagon pulled by four oxen. The entire group head out of Caster’s Ford bound for the Valley of Heroes. Progress through the snow is slow as the oxen are not very fast

Meanwhile, at the Temple of Medamellara, the evening before Lakima, Moonshadow, and Lantosh take turns through the night keeping an eye on Fenris the thief. The silver dragon Lethnearinos has wandered off deeper into the temple looking for a suitable resting chamber. Earlier that day Lethnearinos had dug the front of the temple out. When Lakima and Lantosh wake they find Fenris is cooking breakfast over a brazier of hot coals. Moonshadow has vanished and taken her equipment and sleeping gear with her. Lantosh checks his pack and tells Lakima that the silver necklace they found on the wizard’s corpse is also gone. He says it loud enough for Fenris to hear. Fenris says, “Oh that? I picked her pack after I saw her lift it from your pack”. He holds up the necklace and tosses it back to Lantosh.

Seeing as Fenris had every opportunity to leave, rob them, or kill them in their sleep and did not, Lakima decides he can be trusted. He accepts Fenris into the adventuring company. For the rest of the morning, Lakima straightens up the library and workshop in the Temple. Lantosh stands to watch at the busted front doors and Fenris sticks close to the fire.

Around noon the two parties of adventurers meet up again. Eathwund and Domago are surprised to see that the debris has been cleared from the front of the temple. But they call out and Lantosh answers. The two groups exchange stories. Otto Greenstone and his brothers immediately set about inspecting the damage to the temple and taking measurements. Otto carefully makes notes in his journal. Throst Greenstone ventures deeper into the temple and comes running back yelling “Dragon, dragon!” All of the dwarves with the exception of Otto scramble for weapons (Otto yawns). Lakima quickly settles them down, explaining that the silver dragon is a friend and the new guardian of the Temple.

The dwarves and Lakima go over detailed plans for a few hours detailing changes to be made to the Temple. They agree on a price and a discount if the Company of the Black Dragon can clear the nearby Warlord’s Vault of a manticore problem. Lakima tells Fenris that they have an immediate job that will give him a chance to show his worth. The Warlord’s vault is a trap-filled dungeon protecting the treasures of the warrior Uther Grimwulf from unworthy recipients. The dwarves are responsible for the dungeon's upkeep but cannot do their work with a manticore in the entrance chamber. The Company of the Black Dragon set out immediately for the Warlord’s Vault further up the Valley of Heroes. The dwarves set out with them but quickly fall well behind. The next day they arrive.

A large statue of a wolf rests in the snow outside the entrance to the vault. A huge pair of bronze doors that once protected the vault lie on the ground in the entrance. Lakima tells Fenris to scout ahead. The scout moves forward into a large octagonal chamber. A fifteen-foot tall stone statue of Uther Grimwulf dominates the chamber. To his left, he sees a collapsed wall into a room beyond. Ahead are two closed bronze doors with no handles. Fenris motions everyone forward. They quickly deduce that the manticore is in the side chamber beyond the rubble. Eathwund and Alonso move to flank the opening. Fenris readies his heavy crossbow. As light from Lantosh’s lantern and Lakima’s staff is cast into the chamber they hear a large beast getting to its feet. Then the manticore lets out a roar and comes into view. Fenris fires first and the iron bolt thuds solidly into the manticore’s chest near the heart. Blood sprays onto the floor and the beast rears up on its hindquarters. Alonso casts a spear and misses. Then draws his two-handed sword and advances. Eathwund closes on the manticore and strikes it with his flaming sword. The manticore desperately slashes out at Eathwund with its claws but Eathwund gets his shield up and blocks the attack. Then the manticore fires a spray of spikes from its tail. A few strike Eathwund’s shield and one flies true and strikes Lantosh in the chest. Alonso and Eathwung both attack from opposite flanks with their swords and strike the manticore down. The beast cries out and topples to the stone floor.

Alonso, Eathwund, and Fenris check through the manticore’s nest of leaves, branches, and gnawed human bones. They find some gems, a scroll case, a full potion bottle, and a battleax. Eathwund offers the battleax to Alonso but he shakes him off, “I prefer a sword, thank you.” So Eathwund gives the two-handed battleax to Lantosh.

Their mission accomplished, the group pauses in the chamber while Domago cares for Lantosh. Lakima suggests they try to defeat the tests of the Vault. Several magic weapons that were the property of the hero Grimwulf are rumored to lie in the vault. The group decides to take the test of the Vault. Lakima carefully examines the walls and after a lengthy check finds no fewer than five secret doors. He waves Fenris over and asks him to check the door on the north wall. Fenris declares the trigger for the door safe and depresses it. A stone door slides back into the wall revealing a large chamber with a fountain. Everyone enters the room and approaches the fountain. The walls are painted with frescoes depicting a human hero saving a merfolk town from a sea serpent. The hero is given a statue of a mermaid by the merfolk after saving them. The statue in the frescos looks like the statue of a naked mermaid standing in the dry fountain. Fenris spots a riddle written on the edge of the fountain’s basin:

Three lives have I. Gentle enough to soothe the skin, Light enough to caress the sky, Hard enough to crack the rock.

The heroes debate the meaning of the riddle and Fenris examines the statue and the fountain closely but finds no clues. Lakima pours some water from his waterskin into the basin. As soon as the bottom of the basin is covered in water they see a silver key appear in the water. Fenris reaches out and picks up the key. It is a simple, flat silver key with a Moon Rune engraved upon it. Fenris heads over to the doors but sees that there is no keyhole. Lakima suggests that they try another secret door.

Fenris opens another secret door and this time they see a much smaller chamber. A short hall leading to a stone block upon which rests a blue cloth. On top of the cloth is a silver key. Lakima and Fenris both say, “that looks like a trap!” at the same time. Fenris approaches the key carefully. The other delvers wait in the main chamber. Lakima calls out to Fenris to use a thread to pick up the key. Fenris nods and produces a silver thread. But he is unable to get the thread under the flat edge of the key. He reaches over and picks up one edge of the key and slips the thread through the end. Just then there is the sound of a thunderclap in the main chamber. The heroes in that chamber spin about to look at the source and see a flaming, humanoid, figure striding towards them. The creature looks like a humanoid figure engulfed in flames.

Fire Phantom

Eathwund is closest to the figure and he swings and hits it with a solid slash with his sword. He feels the sword impacting a solid object like a body but no injuries are visible. Alonso rushes over and swings as well but misses, Eathwund also misses on his second strike. Domago and Lantosh fire sling bullets missing wildly. Fenris fires and hits the creature with an iron bolt. The creature swings repeatedly at Eathwund with flaming fists but Eathwund manages to keep his shield between him and the strikes. The creature extends a hand and blasts Eathwund with a bolt of flame. Then Alonso and Eathwund both strike the creature one after the other and its flames go out. The creature staggers and crashes to the floor, a blackened cinder.

Fenris shows Lakima the second key, the rune of a cup is engraved upon it. Lakima tells everyone that the next door will likely have another guardian. Fenris opens another secret door and again sees a small chamber with a stone stand and a key. Fenris grabs the key and there is another crack of sound. Appearing 10 feet off the ground flapping wings of ice is an Ice Drake. The creature rears back and lets out a high-pitched cry. Lakima yells at everyone to get back and then he casts a fireball on the creature. The creature melts and rains down on the floor completely disappearing.

Fenris tells everyone that the third key has the rune of a sword upon it. Eathwund suggests that they battled fire and water. The next creature may be earth. Everyone nods. Lakima asks if the runes could signify the suits in a deck of cards. Fenris agrees - but notes it is more like a tarot suit. Lantosh points out the bas-relief carvings on the walls. They depict Uther Grimwulf’s many heroic deeds. Near the door to the fountain, he can be seen negotiating with a mermaid, fighting fire elementals near the door leading to the second key, fighting a White Dragon near the door to the third key. The next secret door shows him fighting a four-armed demon. Lakima tells Fenris to open the next door. The scout does and again there is a small room with a key. When he lifts the key there is a thunderclap and a nine-foot-tall, four-armed stone gargoyle appears next to Lantosh and Domago. The creature immediately attacks the two startled adventurers with a flurry of attacks. Clawing with all four arms, rearing back, and attempting to gore them with a single horn on its forehead. Lantosh is in fact clawed twice and then gored directly in the chest with the horn. He slides to the floor in a heap, unconscious. Eathwund and Alonso rush over to defend their fallen friend while Domago drags his body to safety. Lakima hurls his magic dagger at the gargoyle striking it in the back. Then he hits it with his Staff of Striking. Eathwund slashes the gargoyle repeatedly with his sword - which reverberates in his hands as it strikes the stone. His blow slashes into the chest of the gargoyle and it breaks apart and collapses. Domago does a prayer of healing over Lantosh and manages to revive him. Lantosh weakly gets to his feet. It is clear he will not be able to continue to fight. Lakima checks his pack but finds he has no more healing potions. Alonso comes over and hands Lantosh a healing potion and Lantosh drinks it recovering much of his wounds. He thanks Alonso.

Fenris opens the last secret door that Lakima had found. Inside is another small chamber. A stone display covered with a blue cloth rests at the far end. But there is no key! Fenris rushes forward and carefully checks the display. Patting the surface checking for an invisible key. Nothing is found. Lakima suggests that maybe some other adventurers found the key and they will find it further in the vault. He walks over to the bronze doors and gives them a shove. The doors do not move. The hinges are rusted solid.

It takes Alonso, Domago, and Eathwund working together to push one door open far enough to step through. Beyond is a long hallway. But every ten feet the hallway is blocked by a translucent barrier of prismatic energy. To either side of each barrier are alcoves. In each alcove rests a strange, short stone statue holding a shield and sword. Fenris examines a metal post in the center of the barrier and tells everyone that there is a keyhole with a diamond rune above it. They now have keys with a mace, moon, cup, and sword rune. But no diamond rune. Lakima examines the barrier closely and becomes convinced it is made of prismatic energy and will be deadly to touch. They are at a loss as to how to proceed.

Prismatic Walls

Heading back into the chamber, Lakima leads everyone over to the manticore’s chamber. Spending some time putting the busted stones back into a pattern to show the ruined bas relief they find it depicts Uther fighting a band of trolls. Lakima suggests that the key must be in the chamber somewhere. Since they have searched everywhere he suggests searching inside the manticore. Eathwund takes his sword and slices the belly of the manticore open. Entrails spill out onto the stone floor. Slicing open the stomach he spots a silver key. Fenris cleans it off and proclaims that it is marked with a diamond rune - the key they were looking to find. Going back to the barrier Fenris uses the key and the barrier vanishes. But he cannot pull the key back out of the lock so they leave it in. Ahead of them is another barrier and two more statues. Lakima examines the statues but they are inanimate as far as he can tell. He tries moving one but it is massively heavy and does not budge. Fenris calls out that the next barrier lock has a Moon rune. He uses the key and another barrier disappears. But there is another barrier before them. Fenris checks the keyhole and exasperatedly says, “we need a key with a sun rune!” They do not have this key.

Everyone heads back to the main chamber to take a rest and debate where the next key could be hidden. Alonso and Eathwund lift up the fallen bronze doors at the entrance but find nothing underneath. After a lengthy pause, Lakima checks the chamber that had no key in it at all. He yells out, “A secret door!” Fenris comes over and checks for traps and then opens the door. A short, narrow hallway is revealed. It looks undisturbed for ages. The hall ends in a dead-end so everyone checks the walls and floor for secret doors or levers. Lantosh finds one along the south wall and Eathwund finds one at the dead end. They decide to open the south one first. Inside Fenris sees a small crypt. A stone coffin rests on the floor. As they watch, four small braziers burst into blue flame lighting the chamber. Five hooded statues with heads bowed surround the tomb. On the iron surface of the tomb rests a silver key.

The Sun Key

Lakima asks Eathwund and Alonso to follow him into the tomb to protect him. Then he reaches out and picks up the key. At first, they do not hear anything - then one statue in a dark corner begins to move. It lifts its head and the robe falls away to reveal a creature with the lower body of a serpent and the upper body of a woman. Her face is hideous and she has snakes writhing in her hair. Everyone immediately looks away as the medusa steps into the light. Alonso and Eathwund avert their eyes and swing wildly with their swords but miss completely. Lakima reaches into his pack and pulls out a small, metal mirror. He hears the medusa recoiling from him and stepping toward Eathwund. Eathwund puts up his shield and blocks the creature away. Fenris reaches into the chamber with his crossbow and fires blindly but misses. The medusa stands beside Eathwund looking upon him but does not directly attack. Lakima tries calming it down but it just hisses at him. Lakima casts Phantasmal force and makes an enormous mirror appear between Eathwund and the medusa. The creature backs away into a dark corner. Lakima yells, “everyone out!” and all three run from the chamber. They immediately shut the secret door and Fenris grabs a mallet and some iron spikes to attempt to jam the door shut. Everyone steps back from the door and waits but nothing happens. Fenris heads down to the dead end and opens the secret door. He finds it leads back into the hall of barriers. Lakima takes his small mirror and mounts it on the wall facing the secret door into the small tomb.

Lakima hands the silver key to Fenris and says, “the sun rune”. Fenris nods and uses it in the barrier. Another wall falls. Ahead they see another wall, using the mace rune they lower it. Than the Sword rune key to lower another wall. Finally, they are before a final wall. On the other side, they can see a large chamber bathed in blue light. The final key is marked with a cup rune. The barrier drops. Lakima tells everyone to be cautious he expects more monsters.

The heroes fan out into the large chamber. A large tomb dominates the center of the room. False moonlight spills in from illusions on the wall designed to look like windows. They see six display stands. On each stand rests an object. A sword, a suit of plate mail armor, a shield with a lion image upon it, a necklace with a medallion, a helm, and a plain leather bag.

The Reward

Alonso reaches out and picks up the helm. Immediately, the illusion of a helm replaces the object he has taken. He places the helm on his head and feels more powerful. Once everyone sees that nothing bad happens to Alonso they all pick items off the displays. As each item is picked up an illusion of the item replaces it. Eathwund picks up the armor, Lakima takes the necklace, Fenris takes the bag and discovers it is an empty bag of holding, Lantosh takes the shield but decides to give it to Domago. Domago takes the shield and suddenly a Lion appears beside him. The lion nods to Domago. In shock, Domago takes off the shield, and the lion vanishes. Lantosh takes the sword and puts it in a sheath over his shoulder. After one last check around the chamber, the group heads back toward the entrance.

As they step outside they see it is late afternoon. Coming toward them they see the Greenstone brothers on their enormous iron cart. Otto Greenstone hails them. “I see you have succeeded where many have failed” Lakima and Eathwund nod. “Tell me, did you find the diamond-rune key?” Lakima tells Otto it was in the Manticore’s stomach. The old dwarf laughs, “that is why we could never find it”. The dwarves explain that they were paid to maintain the Vault after each foray by adventurers but the manticore prevented them from doing their jobs. Now that the treasures have been taken from the vault - it was their employer's wish that it be turned into a memorial tomb. They will remove the traps and set up the tomb for safe viewing. One dwarf carves a message above the entrance, “The treasures are gone but the hero remains.” The dwarves thank the heroes and set to work on the vault. The heroes mount up their horses and Lakima allows Fenris to ride with him. They set out for the Temple of Medamellara again and arrive early the next day.

Tricking a Dragon

Last weekend my Swords & Wizardry campaign online made it to Session 40. I am not sure how much longer it will go on for but that seems like a fair accomplishment. We play almost every week. We started near the beginning of this pandemic in mid-April and we made it through 40 sessions.

Session 40 turned out to be a bit of a surprise much like a number of other sessions have been lately. I had already titled the session "Legacy of Madness" expecting we would deal with Synastarax the blue dragon and then descend back beneath the city to find out what lay in the crypt beneath St. Bethesda's church. The players did deal with the Blue Dragon - but not exactly as I had expected and it gave me an opportunity to have him reappear in the adventure. At several points in this adventure, I found I was not sure what should happen next and I just went with what popped into my head. I ended up having to restore a few maps from the Roll20 archive on the fly to keep up with the action.

The plot of the campaign would probably be easier to plan for if I could decide on a plot. I want to give the players the freedom to chose the course of events and where they decide to explore. So I have been reluctant to add an overarching plot. But as the players advance in level I think this is going to have to happen at some point.

Session 40: Return to the Well of Woe

Players: Lakima (Human Magic-user), Eathwund (Human Fighter), Moonshadow (Elven Thief), Domago (Human cleric NPC), Lantosh (Human Fighter NPC).

On the morning of Dechem 26, Lakima goes over to Malyn’s shop and picks up the Wall of Iron scroll he spent so much money upon. Moonshadow heads over to the Low Market and spends some time gathering information from his contact Snipe. Moonshadow also visits Cromly the smith and inquires on the price to get her two longswords enchanted. They agree on a trade. The Trident of Returning found in the flooded tunnels under the town for an enchantment of both her blades. But with the dragon set to arrive the next day she decides to wait on getting the swords enchanted.

At first light the next day the heroes hear the ringing of alarm bells from the watchtowers of the town. They hurriedly dress and head outside. Overhead they see the enormous blue dragon Synastarax circling over the town. When they arrive at the Market Square Synastarax is just settling to land. The blue dragon beats its enormous wings blowing over many of the tents and stalls in the Market square and in the process reveals the ballista hidden under tents on the edge of the square. The dragon pays them no mind and rumbles out something in draconic that only Moonshadow catches (foolish humans, etc). Seeing the Company of the Black Dragon at the edge of the square - Synastarax bellows at them to approach with the book it has requested.

Lakima approaches and places the Tome of Artifice on the ground near the dragon. The dragon reaches out and places one claw over the book. With gestures and magical speech, the dragon casts a spell to check the authenticity of the book. At this point, Lakima proceeds with his plan to "kill three birds with one stone" as he put it. Lakima then tells the dragon that the book is incomplete. That the ghost of a dragon told him that the book needs to be bathed in the Well of Mana. The dragon looks at Lakima and demands to know to which dragon he spoke. Lakima responds with the true name of the Ysar'n Drax. To which Synastarax laughs, dismissing the ramblings of the ghost of Ysar’n Drax. Lakima persists telling Synastarax that it will need to use the mana well. The dragon does appear to listen and asks for directions. Lakima sketches a quick map that the dragon looks at and then takes flight. Synastarax releases one bolt of lightning blasting a ballista atop the West Gate tower into splinters and then flies off to the north in the general direction of the Valley of Heroes (and the Mana Well).

Turning to the other members of the adventuring company, Lakima tells everyone to prepare for a return trip to the Mana Well in the Valley of Heroes. Eathwund, Lakima, and Moonshadow head over to the docks and ask the shipbroker about passage north. But they learn no ships are headed north. The recent cold weather has caused ice floes in the river making the trip too dangerous. Lakima produces 200 gold coins and the agent reconsiders. After talking to many captains at the dock he comes back and tells them that Captain Tolfin will take them. They go and check on Tolfin’s boat and find it is a battered old tub but it seems seaworthy. Tolfin asks when they want to get underway? They tell him they will leave within the hour. Tolfin goes off to press-gang some crew.

Lakima, Eathwund, Moonshadow, Lantosh, and Domago gather equipment and get on the boat. Their fellow companion Carric has not been seen in days and Alonso is busy with the Town Watch so only five companions set out. The two men hired by Tolfin look like street thugs but seem to know their way around a boat. The riverboat heads north upriver using sails and sweeps. Moonshadow watches from the bow for ice that might endanger the boat. As darkness falls, Tolfin takes the boat to shore and drops anchor. A plank is dropped to the riverbank and a campfire and tents are set up. The adventurers set watches and view a few clumsy attempts by the crew to rob them with amusement.

The next day the ship slows as they get in amongst the ice floes. Moonshadow aids Tolfin by pointing out ice in the river to avoid. The crew use sweeps to push off from the larger ice. They make it to the town of Caster’s Ford in the early evening. The river for the last few miles is frozen over but the ice is thin and the boat is able to safely break through it. Lakima gives Tolfin an extra 20 gold coins for getting them to Caster’s Ford safely. The five heroes check into three rooms at the Blue Dragon Inn. The tavern is full of the usual colorful assortment of traders, trappers, and adventurers.

On a whim, Lakima asks Geflion the innkeeper if there are any stoneworkers in town. Geflion is surprised by the question, asking if they are planning to bury someone in the Valley of Heroes. But he does direct them to the Greenstone Brothers. A group of seven dwarven brothers who maintain some of the tombs and monuments in the valley (at a price). Lakima, Eathwund, and Moonshadow decide to go over to visit the dwarves despite the late hour. The door to the shop is closed and locked but a dwarf named Belfin Hammerhand answers the knock at the door and invites them in once they make it known that they are looking to have extensive stonework done. Belfin and his brother Throst Redhand listen to Lakima detail work he wants to be completed on the Mana Well to make it more secure. When the dwarves learn that Lakima believes that evil necromancers may have taken up residence in the former temple, they suggest he clear the temple first and then contact them. Throst does mention some work the dwarves would like done at a nearby monument they maintain. They would be willing to knock 1,000 gold off the build costs for a quick job.

The trio of adventurers say goodbye to the dwarves and return to the Inn for a relatively quiet night’s rest. A thief does try to enter Moonshadow’s chamber but, a somewhat functional trap on the door alerts her to the intrusion and the thief runs off. The next day they buy five horses from a Horse trader who assures them that his horses know the way back to the stable should they be killed. They set out for the Well of Woe. On the clear trail through the river valley, the journey only takes four hours.

As they approach the Temple of Medamellara that houses the Mana Well they see that someone has refitted the door loosely over the entrance. When last they visited the doors were lying on the ground. They also see a dead body lying face down near the entrance. The blood pooled around the body is frozen but not more than a few days old. As they approach the entrance three mana wraiths approach and are quickly dispatched from a distance. Moonshadow is able to open the doors by lifting the bar that is on the inside. In the corridor beyond, they see two more human bodies lying on the floor. All of the corpses have knife wounds. The doors to the chamber of the Mana well are closed.

Moonshadow checks the doors and see they are not locked or trapped. Eathwund and Lantosh move up and push the doors open and rush inside. The room is still dominated by the fountain of mana rising up out of the mana well. They do notice that it is not spraying as high as it did before. Near the well is a man with greyish lizard-like skin. The man is seated at a table covered in books and parchment. Without turning he yells, “Fenris! Go away. I told you not to bother me!”

Eathwund and Lantosh circle around the mana well toward the man. Lakima shouts out, “Obviously we are not who you were expecting!” The man gets up from his desk and confronts the intruders. He angrily tells them they are trespassing and must leave immediately or they will face the consequences. Lakima says much the same. The man’s eyes begin to glow with blue mana - and Moonshadow fires a pair of arrows at him. One hitting. Eathwund runs forward with his sword engulfed in enchanted flames. Lakima casts Confusion on the man and he is stunned and unable to think clearly. Just as Eathwund shoves his sword through his chest. The mana glowing in his eyes blink out and the man collapses on the floor.

Lakima comes over to examine the notes and books while Eathwund checks the corpse for loot - finding a necklace and a dagger. Lakima finds the man’s spellbook and notes on the nature of the mana well. Some of the notes are insane ramblings but in the scribbles, he notes that the man was correct in realizing the mana well was a rip through to a higher plane. Holding open one book, Lakima finds a pouch full of gold. Moonshadow, Eathwund, and Domago head off to explore deeper in the temple. Lakima and Lantosh linger behind looking through the notes and then eventually join the rest. The rest of the rooms beyond the Mana Chamber seem unchanged from the last time they visited. A few books and scrolls have been removed or moved about and that is it.

After a few hours, they start preparing to pack up. Then they hear the flap of enormous wings from outside the main entrance. The light from outside is blotted out and they hear a booming, draconic voice, “COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!”

Lakima and Eathwund duck into a chamber near the entrance to hide and Moonshadow goes to the hallway on the other side. Lantosh and Domago hide in the Mana Chamber. Synastarax the blue dragon continues to call out to them to show themselves from outside the temple. Seemingly unable, or unwillingly to squeeze its enormous frame into the entrance hall. With a loud crack and rumble than a flash of light - the blue dragon breathes lightning down the hallway clear through the temple and through the stream of mana. Synastarax keeps calling out to them - calling Lakima and Eathwund by name. The heroes hide for over an hour hoping the dragon will leave. While moving behind some crates Eathwund spots a man who is hiding and drags him out of cover. The man claims to be Fenris. A member of an adventuring company he names the Brave Blades of Northrun. He tells them he came here with Horatius the wizard, Conall their leader, and Griggs and Hartpole. He warns them to be wary of Horatius. Lakima tells Fenris that they killed Horatius. Fenris seems relieved by this news. He claims that Horatius began experimenting with putting his hands in the mana well and went mad. He claims Horatius killed the other three adventurers in the group when they wanted to leave. Fenris says that he has been serving Horatius out of fear for his own life.

The blue dragon bellows out that he has a lot of patience. With a sigh, Lakima carefully steps out into the hallway and into the dragon’s view. Synastarax asks Lakima why he lied about the book needing the mana well. It has practiced magic for hundreds of years and was well aware that the mana well was not necessary. But it came north to see what they were up to. Lakima tries sticking to his story but the dragon is not having any of it. He questions again if the Book is the real one and is seemingly assured that it is. Synastarax tells Lakima that then their deal is complete and he will abide by the deal despite Lakima trying to lure him here to the Well. But he will leave them with one more gift and the dragon opens his mouth to unleash a lightning bolt. Lakima quickly casts Wall of Iron from his scroll. The wall appears blocking the doors of the hallway. There is a loud boom when the lightning of the dragon stikes the wall and then a screech of anger from the dragon. Followed by rumbling noises. A short time later they hear the sound of a dragon taking flight.

Speaking with Synastarax

The heroes decide to wait for the full 2-hour duration of the Wall of Iron spell. Fenris asks them about their company and asks if they are hiring. Lakima tells him that he will consider it. Two hours later the Wall of Iron vanishes. But now they find the exit from the temple is blocked by a pile of rock debris. The dragon has buried them alive in the Temple. Fenris and Moonshadow check the debris and tell everyone it will take a week to remove the stones. Moonshadow checks throughout the temple and notes the numerous air vents in many of the rooms. She tells everyone they will not suffocate. But the vents are too small to use as a point of egress. Fenris produces a long metal stick and pushes it through the rockpile creating a tiny hole. He tells them the debris field is only three feet thick at its thinnest point. However, removing rocks might just cause more rocks to tumble down.

Lakima suggests using the two Potions of Gaseous form he has. Unfortunately, anyone using the potion will be naked when they become corporeal again. Eathwund and Domago volunteer. They drink the potions and pass through the debris. Then fly over to the horses. Becoming corporeal again they hurriedly put on clothes from the saddlebags. Domago and Eathwund lead a pair of horses back to the rock slide and examine it. They tell their friends trapped inside that if they remove rocks more will come down. The dragon dug up the entire cliff face. Lakima tells them to go for help. Eathwund goes over and grabs the spear from the dead body in front of the temple so the two are at least armed. Then the two men ride off for Casters’ Ford. They arrive after dark and have to bribe the watch to be let in. They head immediately for the Greenstone brother's shop - telling the dwarves what happened. Domago asks them if they can come immediately. Dored Blackbrow asks if their friends have air? When they admit they do he tells them to come back in the morning. Eathwund and Domago check into the Blue Dragon Inn.

Meanwhile, back at the Temple, the entombed heroes make themselves comfortable preparing for an evening in the Temple. Fenris claims his bed. There is only one other bed that used to belong to Horatius and it is messy so the heroes decide to use their own bedrolls instead. Just as they are getting comfortable they again hear dragon wings again from outside. Everyone goes quiet. Then they hear the familiar voice of Lethnearinos the silver dragon from outside asking if everything is okay? Lakima lets the silver dragon know what happened. Lethnearinos uses his claws to clear most of the debris from the entrance and then polymorphs into his other form of a human hermit. He enters and tells them that he observed Synastarax headed north over the Valen peaks likely headed for his lair in the north. Their bargain is complete and the Tome of Logic is safe. So he has come to serve his agreed-upon ten years of protecting the mana well. Lakima gives the silver dragon a tour of the temple and tells him of some of his plans. Lethnearinos listens and makes some suggestions, including a room for the dragon to relax in with an escape route should Synastarax return. Everyone settles in for the evening.

Playing Legend of the Ripper

In last weeks' session, the players in my Swords & Wizardry campaign solved the Legend of the Ripper and killed the Red Cap behind the series of murders in the town of Edgerton. This was a rewritten version of the DCC adventure Legend of the Ripper. That as written was sort of two adventures with a secret dungeon beneath the town unrelated to the primary adventure. I also kept that part in with a few rewrites.

Session 39: Legend of the Ripper

Players: Lakima (Human Magic-user), Eathwund (Human Fighter), Moonshadow (Elven Thief), Domago (Human cleric NPC), Lantosh (Human Fighter NPC).

In the previous session Lakima, Eathwund, and Moonshadow investigated a string of killings in the poor part of town. The clues led to the abandoned Ten Bells Tavern.

Lakima, Eathwund, and Moonshadow continue to search through the ledgers in the office of the Ten Bells Tavern. They do not find anything helpful and are unsure of what to do next. Domago and Lantosh soon join them after returning from St. Aleena’s church and they are brought up to speed on the ghost in the tavern. The ghost then makes another appearance.

The ghost of Mari Kell appears and attacks one member of the Town Watch stationed on the Tavern main floor. She slashes at the frightened man with a ghostly knife. Immediately, Domago steps forward and tries to turn the ghost with his holy symbol. The ghost backs off a little, shouts at them about all men deserving her fate. She then slowly drifts down through the floor. It occurs to Lakima that she should have gone up through the ceiling to where her body is located on the second floor of the Tavern. He then asks one of the members of the Town Watch if the building has a cellar. The Watch man shrugs in answer. Lakima asks Moonshadow to check the floor in the office. Moonshadow pulls across the rug and finds a simple trapdoor. She opens it and sees a rickety-looking staircase descending into darkness. The air wafting up from the cellar smells like an open grave.

Moonshadow asks for a rope and while Lantosh and Eathwund hold one end of the rope she grabs the other and carefully starts down the staircase. The steps creak and groan as she moves down and then they collapse beneath her feet. Grabbing the rope, Moonshadow pulls herself up just as the claws of a slime-covered skeleton grab for her legs. A Bone Jelly. Moonshadow is able to get out of the trapdoor to safety. Behind her, a skeleton covered in slime slithers out of the hole in the floor. Eathwund and Lantosh attack the skeleton. Their blows do little damage so Eathwund calls forth flame on his sword which does work. Lantosh calls for one of the town guards to bring a torch and he swings that at the creature. Working together they are able to destroy the ooze and in the process, they realize that the skeleton was just some bones in the middle of an ooze creature. It loses its form and collapses down into the darkness. Lakima then called for it to be burned and Lantosh tossed a flask of oil on the steps and a flaming torch. The wooden staircase and the ooze creature catch fire - worrying the members of the watch but eventually, the wet stairs stop burning. The entire wooden staircase collapses into the cellar.

Using a rope the group climb down into the cellar of the Tavern which is a stone-walled chamber with a mud floor. Moonshadow immediately spots heavy footprints leading from the destroyed staircase to one corner of the cellar. A check of the wall in the corner leads to the discovery of a secret door. Moonshadow opens the door into a stone passage. In the distance, she can see a glowing red mist in a chamber. The group head carefully down the corridor until they come to an intersection. Turning down the side passage they found a summoning chamber and the skeleton of who they surmise is the last owner of the Tavern - Henry Crofter. Moonshadow and Lantosh gather up his notes and some potions amongst the equipment.

They continued down the corridor until they reached a large chamber. The ceiling held up by 10 foot in diameter stone pillars with bas-relief statues of St. Bethesda on them. The chamber is filled with red mist. Moonshadow takes a deep breath and runs through the chamber to an antechamber at the far end that is clear of the red mist. Gulping for air she looks at a horrible room filled with the remains of the Ripper’s victims. Standing in a corner glaring at her with red-glowing eyes is the thin figure of a man wearing dark clothes, a blood-red cap, and large iron boots. Moonshadow immediately screams for help and backs away readying her short bow. Looking away from the creature's gaze with difficulty. The rest of the heroes also hold their breath and race across the room to join her.

The heroes attack the creature immediately. Eathwund with his sword, Domago with his mace, Lantosh with his polearm. But their attacks seem to do very little damage to the silent creature and those wounds seem to heal rapidly. Domago tries to Turn the creature with his holy symbol but it glares at him with disdain. Domago briefly meets its gaze and then falls stunned to the ground (drained of a level). The creature seemingly gains strength from the draining of Domago. In desperation, Eathwund grabs a vial of holy water and throws it on the creature. The water burns the creature badly and they can all see that the burns are not healing. The creature moves at Eathwund slashing him with its long, filthy claws. Moonshadow continues to fire arrows faster than the creature can heal the damage. Domago gets to his feet and also throws Holy water on the creature followed by Lakima doing the same. Lakima casts Atanazabir’s Acrid Finger and splashes the creature with acid which seems to work. A final blow comes from Eathwund and Moonshadow together and the horrible creature staggers and falls. Its form slowly dissolves leaving only the iron boots and the blood-red cap. Eathwund then takes more oil and burns the cap.

Cornering the Red Cap

In a quick search of the chamber, Moonshadow locates a locked chest. The padlock is well made and she is unable to pick it but Eathwund breaks it open with a crowbar. Inside they find tokens the creature has taken from its victims and a few treasures.

The heroes prepare to leave but face the red mist again. Moonshadow spots a censor that is the source of the mist. Domago walks over and closes the lid on the censor and the mist dissipates. As they leave the chamber, Eathwund who is closest to one of the pillars here’s a female voice whispering in his ear, “Find me, free me…” He looks over the pillar and sees writing in the language of ancient Vay. Moonshadow is able to translate the writing as saying, “To enter her realm, speak descend in the language of the builders.” Lakima immediately suggests that this means Dwarvish. With no Dwarven speakers in the group, they head back to the cellar and called up to the worried Watch guards above. They tell the Watch that they have killed the Ripper, “all that remains are his boots” and then they ask the puzzled men to go get a dwarf and ask him the dwarven word for descent. One of the men runs off saying that the local breadmaker is a dwarf. While they wait Moonshadow spots another secret door. This one is opened and reveals a long corridor ending in a door. Flickering light can be seen through cracks in the door. Lakima guesses that this is the trapped hallway from the thieves’ safe house beneath the Church of St. Bethesda. They decide not to investigate.

One of the Town Watch returns and tells them the word they want is “inni”. The entire group return to the large chamber and Eathwund says “inni” very loudly. After a moment the stone column begins to descend into a shaft into the ground. They watch as the platform descends into the darkness leaving the stone statues of Bethesda behind, ringing the edge of the newly formed pit. Once the platform stops moving, Moonshadow ties a rope to one statue and descends.

Fifty feet below Moonshadow calls up that it is a corridor filled two feet deep with sewage. There is a stone door at the end of the corridor and a swollen wood door well along one wall. The rest of the group descend on the rope into the dark well. Moonshadow tries to open the wooden door but finds it stuck fast. Eathwund tries next and succeeds only in bruising his shoulder. Finally, Lantosh is able to bash the door down. The door falls into a chamber filled with sewage. A stone dais above the level of the water holds a gold necklace with a large gem. Looming over the necklace is a ten-foot-tall Iron Golem covered in rust. Its head is that of a lion.

Lantosh and Eathwund slosh through the water and into the room. Lantosh takes up a position near the door to block the iron golem and Eathwund on the other side of the dais. Yelling, "Go!", Eathwund grabs the necklace and runs for the doorway but as he touches the necklace he hears a click and he dives for the water just as a fireball trap goes off blasting everyone in the room. As the smoke clears the Iron Golem animates and slowly begins to chase Eathwund. Lantosh covers his escape out the door and everyone runs for the rope leading out with their treasure in hand. Except for Moonshadow who stays behind to observe the iron golem. As the Golem arrives at the door to the chamber it stops and stands motionless, apparently unable to move beyond.

Everyone returns to the corridor as Moonshadow examines the Stone door. The door had no hinges or locking mechanism. But an indentation in its surface matches the gem on the necklace. Eathwund had handed the necklace to Lakima. Now Lakima hands it over to Moonshadow. She presses it in the door and the door slides up with a grinding sound revealing another flooded passage. This passage ends in some steps climbing out of the water and revealing a wooden door with a blue skull painted on it. Water slowly trickles into the corridor from a rockslide partway along the hall. Moonshadow moves to the dry steps and carefully examines the door. Judging it safe she swings it open and she, Eathwund, and Lakima are blasted with a lightning bolt flashing out from the lintel of the door. As everyone gets back up to their feet Moonshadow steps into the next room.

What looked to be an empty chamber 40 feet across now Moonshadow realizes is an enormous chamber. A bright light like sunlight comes from the ceiling. The far door is hundreds of feet away across a sandy floor. She walks toward it. Outside the chamber, Eathwund and Lakima watch Moonshadow slow down until she is barely moving as she very slowly makes her way across a dark 40-foot chamber with a sandy floor. They try to shout at her but she does not respond. Lakima guesses that the room has a Slow spell enchantment cast upon it. They settle back and watch Moonshadow walk slowly across the room. As she nears a crack in the floor she turns and starts running in slow motion towards the wall. In the room, Moonshadow watches in horror as thousands of scarab beetles pour out of a crack in the floor and race toward her. She runs for the nearest wall a few hundred feet away, keeping ahead of the swarm of beetles. Then she climbs swiftly up the wall but the swarm follows. Moonshadow kicks off the wall and runs back toward the doorway far in the distance. Outside the room, Eathwund and Lakima see the slow-motion pursuit and Lakima casts a Lightning bolt - which functions normally and blasts the beetles out of existence.

With the danger passed, Moonshadow again sets out for the far door. Finally making it and opening it to step in the hallway beyond. Looking back she sees the rest of the group standing 40 feet away in the other doorway. They shout back and forth and then agree to follow her. Moonshadow walks down the short hallway and carefully checks for more traps as she waits for the other heroes to join her. It takes the rest of the group an hour to cross the chamber.

The Mirage Trap

The next hallway is dry and the floor is made of colorful stone tiles. Two wooden doors face each other on either side of the hall. Choosing one, Moonshadow opens it and sees a short hallway leading to a door. A glowing yellow gem is placed in a recessed holder in the lintel over the door. Slumped by the door is the emaciated corpse of a man dressed in workers' clothing. Moonshadow approaches the door and the gem blasts her with a dehydration ray. Gritting her teeth Moonshadow makes it to the door and pushes it open. Inside is a circular chamber. It is empty except for a gurgling fountain of crystal clear water. Reaching for her waterskin Moonshadow finds it is completely dry. Ignoring the fountain she yells at Lakima to toss her a waterskin. The waterskin lands in the chamber with a thump. Moonshadow takes the waterskin and drinks thirstily. Eathwund and Lakima join Moonshadow in the chamber by running rapidly through the open door and avoiding the Ray that fires at them. But Domago is also hit by the ray. He takes a drink from Eathwund’s waterskin and then checks his equipment. Domago tells everyone that the Neutralize Poison potions he was carrying are dry, as are Holy water stores. In the distance, Lantosh remains in the far doorway and refuses to follow. “I will hold this door in case it closes behind us - you go ahead”.

Deathray Trap

A door leads from the fountain chamber into another room. The walls are covered with frescoes showing aquatic creatures of all types dying in horrible detail. Many dehydrated and baked in the sun. Resting on the floor is a very large, wooden crate with a padlock. Moonshadow is able to open the lock avoiding a cleverly hidden poison needle trap. Inside the heroes find a cache of peculiar items - a trident, a shark-tooth belt, a necklace of pink pearls, and a single pearl in a trapped tiny wood box. They take their haul and move back to the door with the Dehydration ray. Moonshadow reaches up and finds she can pry the gem out with a crowbar. It falls to the floor apparently undamaged but no longer glowing. Moonshadow tosses a blanket over the gem. The heroes all move safely down the hallway and rejoin Lantosh.

Moonshadow opens the next door and finds another flooded hallway that ends in a door. On one wall an open doorway leads into a circular chamber. Glancing inside Moonshadow sees the walls of the circular chamber are covered in frescoes that circle the chamber walls in rings like a story. Domago and Lantosh enter the room and Domago tries to read the story presented in the fresco. But he is interrupted as three skeletons are pushed up out of the water at him by a wave. He tries to turn the skeletons but they just fall back into the water. Domago then realizes that the skeletons are not animated. They were flung at him by a creature of water that emerges from the water - an elemental of water shaped like a humanoid figure. Everyone quickly runs back to the dry stairs and up into the hallway. The water creature disappears beneath the water. But they can see ripples of movement as it moves about. Lakima goes back and gets the gem from the other hallway. He unwraps it from the blanket and points it at the water but nothing happens. The creature continues to circle in the water.

Taking stock of their battered condition and lack of spells - the heroes decide to leave the dungeon. Figuring that it has lain undisturbed for centuries and a few more days will not hurt it. They again walk for an hour through the sandy chamber to get across. They find that the lighting trap is seemingly dead. They climb back up to the lair of the Red Cap then climb back up into the cellar of the Ten Bells Tavern. Sergeant Frans of the Town Watch is there to greet them and take possession of the Iron boots of the Ripper. He listens to their story with interest and posts guards to block entrance into the cellar. They also tell the Sergeant about the thieves' safe house nearby. Town Watch guards are sent to check the rooms but they find the thieves have left. The heroes wearily walk back to their Chapter House - some in desperate need of a drink. They know that they have a meeting with an old Blue Dragon on the next day.