Salvation Rides on Dragon's Wings

I have gotten a few (3) weeks behind in posting Session reports. The players finished off the re-mastered Palace of the Silver Princess a couple of weeks ago. We had a new player join the party. The player asked what class would fit the party but I told him to play whatever he wants. NPCs can fill out missing roles. So he decided to play a Wizard. I had a private session with the player to work out how Roll20 works and roll up his character. During the discussion, he asked if his wizard could have some leanings toward a necromancer. I found an OSR Necromancer class online and we made a few tweaks to it to make it work. Bringing in a necromancer, who the player felt would be a generally good but misunderstood individual allowed me to introduce a few elements of a back story I have been trying to introduce for some time. The missing body parts of the Ghoul King. The Necromancer had in his possession a staff with a mummified eye on it that was the source of his spellcasting ability. 

The basic template came from The OSR Library webpage by David Baymiller.  I made some minor changes in spells to fit my Swords & Wizardry campaign.

http://theosrlibrary.blogspot.com/2018/08/necromancer-for-basic-games.html

Necromancer

The class is open only to humans and they must be non-Lawful.

Prerequisites: Int 13+, Con 13+, non Lawful

Class Abilities:

Servitor Undead: 

Once per day Necromancers can raise servitor zombies or skeletons but the total HD of Servitor Undead cannot exceed the necromancer's level. He can replace lost servitors each day if he has the corpses to do so but, again, the total HD of all, yesterday's, today's, tomorrow's, etc cannot exceed his level in HD. The actual ritual to raise the servitors takes one minute per HD raised.

Banish Undead:

Necromancers can banish undead as if they were clerics. A "D" results in the undead either being destroyed or, if the Necromancer chooses, falling under the control of the Necromancer for a number of rounds equal to half the Necromancer's level before de-animating. This does not count against his HD total of Servitor Undead as these are extremely limited.

Spell Casting: 

Necromancers cast spells as per regular Magic-users, but because so much of the Necromancer's studying is devoted to death and the dead, Necromancers have a limited spell list compared to a normal Magic-User.

Necromancer Spell List:

Cantrips: Detect Magic, Read Magic, 

Level One: Drain Life, Charm Person, Hold Portal, Light, Magic Missile, Read Languages, Identify, Shield, Sleep.

Level Two: Continual Light, Darkness, 15' Radius, Detect Evil, Detect Invisibility, ESP, Invisibility, Knock, Locate Object, Mirror Image, Stinking Cloud, Web, Wizard Lock.

Level Three: Cause Disease (cleric spell), Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Darkvision, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Hold Person, Invisibility 10' Radius, Lightning Bolt, Undead Summoning I, Protection from Evil 10' Radius, Slow, Speak with Dead (cleric spell), Suggestion, Life Transference.

Level Four: Major Drain Life, Charm Monster, Confusion, Dimension Door, Extension I, Fear, Undead Summoning II, Remove Curse, Snake Charm (cleric spell), Wizard Eye.

Level Five: Animate Dead, Cloudkill, Contact Other Plane, Extension II, Feeblemind, Finger of Death (cleric spell), Hold Monster, Magic Jar, Undead Summoning III, Passwall, Telekinesis, Teleport, Transmute Rock to Mud.

Level Six: Anti-Magic Shell, Death Spell, Disintegrate, Ghostly Servitor, Legend Lore, Undead Summoning IV, Project Image, Repulsion, Stone to Flesh.

Level Seven: Cacodemon (cleric spell), Delayed Blast Fireball, Extension III, Mass Invisibility, Undead Summoning V, Phase Door, Power Word Stun.

Level Eight: Clone, Mass Charm, Mind Blank, Undead Summoning VI, Power Word Blind, Symbol.

Level Nine: Astral Spell, Gate, Meteor Swarm, Undead Summoning VII, Power World Kill, Time Stop.

Session 49: Salvation rides on Dragon’s Wings

Players: Lakima (Magic-user), Eathwund (Fighter), Alonso (Human Fighter), Aron (Human Monk), Aashdashon (Human Necromancer), Domago (Human cleric NPC), Lantosh (Human Fighter NPC), Fenris (Human Thief NPC), Slabs (Bugbear NPC).

While the Company of the Black Dragon is busy looting the chapel in the Palace another man is pacing in his room in the Palace. Aashdoshan the Necromancer has made his way to the Ice Palace to meet with Catharandamus. He has learned that Catharandamus has possession of something he wants. Under the pretext of having a tribe of Quicklings that can be hired as mercenaries, Aashdoshan waits to meet with Catharandamus. But he has been waiting a week. As he paces in his room he hears a number of footsteps in the hall. Opening his door he is confronted by a large adventuring party.

The company comes across a human wizard dressed in a hooded grey robe. The man claims to be seeking something that is in the possession of Catharandamus and is willing to show them the quickest path to the audience room where they can meet him.

The group set out together for the stairs to the next level. Before ascending the stairs they see two doors partially blocked by rubble. Aashdoshan tells them that he was warned by the Spriggan guards not to open the doors. Lakima is intrigued and suggests there might be treasure behind the doors. Aron suggests that they have a mission and they should proceed quickly and avoid unnecessary confrontation. Lakima wins out and the group opens one door and enters a large, dark banquet hall. Wooden beams span from the walls and crisscross overhead. Fenris makes his way to the edge of the darkness and is greeted by four High elves having dinner with wine and pork at the end of a long table. Lakima becomes suspicious and casts Detect Magic. He immediately discerns that the elves are an illusion. Looking up into the rafters Lakima sees an enormous green monster with nine tentacles and a huge mouth.

The creature lashes out with eight of the tentacles while hanging from the rafters with the last tentacle. Both Lakima and his charmed bugbear are grasped around the neck by tentacles dragging them off their feet and slowly choking them. Other tentacles strike Lantosh and Fenris. Aron, Eathwund, and Alonso hack away at the tentacles with their weapons. Aashdoshan empties his bag and animates two skeletons to protect himself. As the battle continues Lakima is freed from one tentacle. The bugbear continues to struggle. A number of magic missiles from Aashdoshan strike the creature for the killing blow and it crashes to the ground in a heap. Aron and Fenris search the chamber and find nothing. Fenris even makes his way up into the rafters to no avail.

The company of adventurers continues up the stairs to the next level. Aashdoshan sends his captive quickling Moonswirl on ahead into darkness to scout for the party. The quickling returns and tells him that two Spriggan are standing outside a door. Aashdoshan tells them that the door must lead to Catharandamus’ audience chamber. Eathwund, Alonso, Aron, and Lantosh run down the hall and attack the Spriggan. While briefly surprised, the Spriggan are ready by the time the heroes get to them. One grows to double its height and blocks the hall while the other grows and then bangs on the door urgently. The fighting starts with the heroes concentrating the fight on the first Spriggan. The door opens and a coal-skinned dwarf appears clad in platemail. Then a small, white fox springs out of the chamber and releases a blast of ice from its mouth with a roar. Eathwund, Alonso, and Aron are all blasted with the cold. Lakima tells everyone to get ready and then he casts a spell and lobs a small bead of fire over the Spriggan down the hallway. A second later there is a tremendous explosion. Fire engulfs the hallway. The two Spriggan shrink down to their normal 3 feet of height and collapse to the floor as blackened corpses. The fox is incinerated. As the smoke clears the heroes race into the doorway. They see a dark-skinned dwarf lying on the floor dead and another one that is badly injured that raises a battle ax in defense. Slipping through a doorway they see a purple-skinned dark elf making his escape. Lakima yells for Aron to get after the escaping elf. Eathwund attacks and kills the badly injured dark dwarf with a single blow. Aashdoshan enters the room and glances down the hall to see the body of the dead quickling.

Aron chases the elf down a hallway and through a secret door into a throne room. The elf grabs a large red gem off of the throne and holds it up to Aron brandishing a dagger. Aron sees that a red glow emanates from the gem. As he enters the gem’s light he feels a life-sucking cold wash over him. He staggers back and calls out a warning too late as Eathwund and Alonso also step into the cold aura and are similarly affected. Lakima and Aashdoshan join the other members but stay back from the red glow. Aashdoshan tells Lakima that this is Catharandamus the Lord of the Palace. Catharandamus yells for the heroes to stay back or he will “kill her”. They surmise that Princess Argenta must be trapped in this gem. Lakima nods at Aashdoshan and begins to prepare a spell. Lakima casts confusion on Catharandamus and a moment later Aashdoshan casts tap knocking the gem to the ground. Catharandamus is stunned and stands limply. Aron and Alonso drag the unresponsive elf out of the field of the room. The gem is left on the floor in the throne room. Making their way back to the audience chamber they securely tie Catharandamus to a wooden chair. Lakima tells everyone that they will need to wait a few hours for the effects of the spell to wear off so they can question the elf.

Aron spends the time searching the area. In a messy bedroom that must belong to the elf, they find a fine suit of platemail armor. Aron finds a secret door leading into a small chamber. Inside a trapped chest sits on a table. Aron discerns the trap and disables it. Inside they find bags of gold, silver, and gems. They also find a black staff with metal ends that appears to be constructed from a human femur bone. Aashdoshan claims that this is the item he has been searching for and asks to take possession of it. He declares that he asks for no other treasure. Since no one else seems interested in the staff Lakima tells him to take it.

They head back into the audience chamber and find that Aashdoshan has lined up all of the recently killed dark fey creatures on the floor of the room. Aashdoshan busies himself with the creatures carefully marking runes on their foreheads with chalk. Domago longs on disapprovingly and then asks what the necromancer is doing. He does not receive an answer.

While they wait in the room they hear footsteps in the hallway. As they stand quietly there is a knock on the door. They wait and there is another knock. Eventually, whoever is in the hallway walks away. Slowly, Catharandamus comes to his senses and throws off the effects of the confusion spell. He demands that he be released. Lakima questions Catharandamus about the curse that was placed on Haven. At first, the elf refuses, but when threatened by the bugbear he relents a little. Telling them that My Lady’s Heart is the source of the curse. A gift from the Winter Queen. He warns them that if any harm comes to him the Winter Queen’s anger will be frightening to behold. He also laughs when they ask how the curse can be broken. He tells them they lack the power to defeat magic created by the Winter Queen. When asked about the sun sword or a harp he tells them he does not know what they are talking about. Since they are not getting anywhere they decide to continue exploring. Lakima asks Catharandamus where the quarters of the princess are located. He points in the direction.

First, they need to deal with the gem, My Lady’s Heart. Aashdoshan sends one of his skeletons to put it in the treasure chest they found. The skeletons succeed but are destroyed in the process. But the deadly glow of the gem is contained. They search through the Princess’ apartments which appear to have been abandoned for 200 years. In a sitting room, they find a magic cup that swings. It repeats the same riddle over and over:

Three crystal notes, One Dragon of Red, One Shining Sword, all will smash My Lady’s Heart, and lift the curse from Haven.

Listening to the message carefully, Lakima suggests that it might mean that any of the three methods will break the curse. That they need not find the sun sword or the harp.

The adventurers travel back down to the dungeons and locate the cave with the red dragon in it. As they peer around the corner into the cave they see the red dragon gazing intently back at them. Aashdoshan has his last skeleton walk into the cave bearing the chest which it then opens. The dragon does nothing. So Aashdoshan has the skeleton advance toward the dragon. As the red glow strikes the dragon it angrily roars and breaths fire incinerating the skeleton and the wooden chest. They hear a high-pitched tone and suddenly a beautiful elven woman lands on her feet near the charred remains of the skeleton and chest. The dragon rears back in surprise. The elven woman screams when she sees the dragon and turns to flee. Lakima yells for her to run to them.

The elven woman makes it safely to the group of adventurers and collapses in their arms. She tells them she is Princess Argenta of Haven. She has been trapped in a gem in a dreamlike state for hundreds of years. The adventurers answer her questions about who they are and what has happened. They hear a number of elvish voices and see elves emerging from the cave where the statues were stored in large numbers.

The elves escort the adventurers to the throne room where even more elves await. Looking out the windows they see that summer has returned. The snow has melted. The trees are blooming and the river is no longer frozen. The princess thanks them and asks them to stay for a short time so they can be properly rewarded.

The heroes are put up in some rooms on the first floor of the palace. They learn from Mirabilis, a court wizard, that Haven has been reclaimed by summer. All of the winter fey creatures have fled. At a feast held in their honor the Princess rewards each hero with 1500 gold coins. She apologies for the small amount telling them that they have found that most of the treasury is gone. What’s more, many of the artifacts of the palace have been ransacked. Even the silver and altarpieces were stolen from the palace chapel. Argenta promises to have Miribilis find them a way back to the Material plane.

Argenta asks Lakima about the ring he wears, telling him she gave it to Kragor NeMoren many years ago. Lakima allows the Princess to incorrectly assume that he is a descendant of the man she loved so many years ago. After being honored by the elves for three days, Mirabilis comes to them and tells them that there is a nearby Moon Gate that they can take back to the material plane. It is located a few hours from the palace on the summer side of the border in the feywild.