Hiding the Key

Last weekend our group played Session 60 in my Swords & Wizardry campaign. I am surprised we got to 60 sessions since this was originally going to be a one-shot of In Seach of the Unknown. In those 60 sessions, we have played through 42 different adventures. Most of these have been ones I rewrote or modified from published adventures - a few were original. As you can see from the number most of the adventures last only a single session. When playing online, with a group of players that changes all of the time, my preference is for short adventures.

This adventure, which is a modified version of I7: Baltron's Beacon is an exception as it has taken 3 sessions so far and I expect at least one more session. But it almost ended this week.

The players found a teleport platform in the Keep from which Baltron's Beacon emanates. But that platform requires a key for it to work. In the published module there are 2 hiding places in rooms on the same floor of the keep to find keys. One requires a secret door roll, but the other just requires players to look carefully. I added a third location for a key to be found. There is an escape tunnel from the keep on the dungeon level with what appears to be an emergency kit packed in a wooden box. I removed the Wings of Flight and placed the third key. It turns out that was necessary.

The players explored the keep and were unable to find a key and they were unable to find the dungeon level (a concealed trap door leads to the dungeon). I do not like to have NPCs solve things for the players so I just had the cleric NPC indicate he wanted to stay and continue to search for the key when the players decided they wanted to give up. The players were a little exasperated with the cleric but they were on an important mission sent by the rulers of the Duchy and it made sense for the NPC. Another NPC suggested another search of the cellars. Eventually, they found the dungeon level. But the dungeon level is just a dead end - this is not connected to the level they needed to find. The key on this level was also fairly well hidden. The players actually traded for the box containing the key and did not find it at first. Then they checked one last time and found the hidden compartment.

There was a lot of rejoicing once the key was found. The players had spent the entire session looking for it. In the end I think I handled this correctly. I was ready to let them walk away and fail on their mission but I wanted to give them another chance to succeed. This is why a number of commentators on adventure design warn you of the dangers of hiding critical path clues or items.

Of course, if they had not found the key I would have had it come back to affect their world at some point in the future.

Session 60: Search for the Key

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alonso (human fighter), Aashdoshan (human necromancer), Domago (human cleric NPC), Lantosh (human fighter NPC), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Vervork Merwin (human fighter NPC).

The members of the Company of the Black Dragon are resting on the second floor Balutron’s Keep in the room that appears to be an alchemy lab. All of them are injured some seriously. They all take turns resting. Aashdoshn pokes around on the alchemist’s workbench and takes a few items that look interesting. On one watch while they rest, Alonso hears a crash from the level below. But nothing else happens.

Lakima asks Aashdoshan if he can cast Speak with Dead on the corpse of the wizard Antarcus. During the rest, Lakima read through Balutron’s journal which hints at a secret shrine under the Keep accessible only by a teleport platform. Balutron mentions finding a key in his journal but does not describe it. He also mentions storing his accumulated magic treasure in a vault that is shielded from ethereal and astral travel.

Aashdoshan casts speak with dead on Antarcus. The wizard’s spirit rises up out of his corpse and answers three questions. Aashdoshan asks Antarcus where the key is to the teleport platform. The spirit laughs and taunts him, telling him that in three months of searching Antarcus was unable to find a key and he claims to be a lot smarter than the heroes. They also ask him why he came to the keep to which Antarcus answers that he knew from the emergence of the beacon that Balutron was dead leaving his magic for any to find.

The heroes set off in a search for the key to the platform. Fenris examines the platform and describes what he suspects the key looks like. The heroes search the keep almost from top to bottom. Fenris is even lowered down the well in the kitchen. When they do not have any success they discuss giving up and returning empty-handed to Edgerton. On one last search, they find a hidden trapdoor in the cellar. They open it and see a shaft and ladder descending down.

The adventurers descend an iron ladder for 40 feet and arrive in a chamber roughly carved out of the rock. A passage leads south to a heavy wood and iron door. The door is locked, but Fenris tries the rusty keys they found earlier and discovers that one of them fits the lock. He opens the door and finds a jailor’s room. The room is covered thickly with mold. Over a desk and chair. Water seeping in from the ceiling. The mold proves to be harmless if a little slimy. Fenris uses the keys to unlock a door that leads to a dusty torture chamber. Then he unlocks a barred door that leads to five prison cells.

Checking in the cells they find a skeleton sprawled out in one cell. Fenris reports that there is a medallion hanging about the neck of the skeleton. Aashdoshan has one of his skeletons remove the medallion and bring it to him. But, as soon as the medallion is removed, a ghostly apparition rises up and floats over to Aashdoshan. The apparition attempts to strangle Aashdoshan with hands that briefly have to become corporeal while strangling him. Eathwund and Alonso swing swords at it but their magic swords pass harmlessly through the apparition. The heroes find that spells and physical weapons seem to pass right through the apparition harmlessly. Meanwhile, the apparition continues to struggle with Aashdoshan attempting to strangle him. Eathwund speaks his armor's command word and becomes ethereal. Now on the strange ethereal plane, Eathwund sees the solid form of the apparition before him. The creature now looks like a monk dressed in ragged clothes. He attacks repeatedly with his sword while the creature continues to try and kill Aashdoshan. It takes Eathwund five strikes with his sword to vanquish the apparition which departs shrieking in anger.

Aashdoshan assures everyone that he is okay and he thanks Eathwund once the latter returns from the Ethereal plane. Fenris busies himself searching the other jail cells and finds a secret door in the back of one. He opens it and sees a rough-hewn passage stretching out of sight into the darkness. The passage smells damp and he can just make out echoing voices in the distance speaking in a language no one understands.

Fenris cautiously slips down the passage into the darkness. Eathwund, Alonso, and Vervork follow at a safe distance. After more than 100 feet of tramping through the passage, Fenris comes back and tells everyone that there is a large, natural cavern ahead. He reports seeing seven ogres and a trussed-up lizardfolk captive. It looks like the ogres are preparing to eat the Lizard Man. Lakima and Aashdoshan advise the group that they will have to stay out of the coming fight in the cover of the passage while the fighters take on the ogres because of their weakened state. Lantosh volunteers to stay back and protect the mages.

Alonso rushes into the cave and attacks the nearest ogre who is just getting up from drinking murky water from a pool. Eathwund, Vervork, Domago, and four skeletons head the other way and confront five ogres. These ogres are soon joined by four more. The adventurers find themselves outnumbered but Aashdoshan casts Web and traps five of the ogres in a sticky web.  Alonso manages to kill one ogre with help from Lakima who is throwing darts. Eathwund kills one as well and Domago, Vervork, and the skeletons kill an ogre. Things are starting to even out when they hear a loud voice in simple common yell out from a cave to the south demanding to know what is going on!

A giant humanoid figure strides out of the cave to the south. At least 14 feet tall, wearing primitive skins and with a small tree slung over one shoulder. Seeing the heroes the giant levels the tree it uses as a club and strides angrily toward Alonso. Then Lakima successfully casts Charm Monster on it. The creature stops, scratches its head in confusion, and asks Lakima what the problem is in broken common. Lakima shouts, “They are the problem!” while pointing at the ogres.

The giant nods and advances on three ogres driving them back from the heroes.  But two more voices are heard from the cave to the south. Aashdoshan casts Darkness on the cave mouth and they hear confused shouting. Then Lakima casts a Lightning bolt into the darkness. They hear yells and screams but the two giants to the south continue to move about in the darkness. So Lakima casts Wall of Iron blocking the entrance to the cavern.

The friendly giant subdues the ogres that were not trapped in the webs and then removes the other ogres from the webs. The ogres try arguing with the giant to no avail. The giant comes over to Lakima and asks his new friend if there is anything else he wants to do. Lakima asks the giant about a key or other areas of the caverns but the giant does not seem to know very much. He and his friends found these caverns but were attacked by several humans including a wizard. Several ogres were killed and one giant. They are hiding here. After entering the cavern, the wall collapsed behind them. The giants set the ogres to clearing the rubble but the ogres are very lazy. Lakima asks the giant to make the ogres go back to clearing the rubble. Aashdoshan tries speaking with the tied-up Lizard Man but it just looks at him blankly.

After a few minutes, the ogres break through the rubble and run away the giant angrily yelling at them. They follow the ogres to an exit trapdoor that opens onto an island in the swamp outside the walls of the keep. Lakima asks the giant if he and his friends found any treasure. The giant tells them that they found a wooden box with a pack inside it. Lakima asks where it is now. The giant tells him it is back in his cave with his other belongings.

They head back to the cave. The darkness spell has expired. A few hours later the wall of iron spell expires. The giant walks into the cave and gets into a loud argument with his fellow giants. Eventually, he emerges with a backpack. Fenris searches the pack and finds some rope, a few coins, and a few gems. Lakima asks the giant if they can have the wooden box as well. The giant goes and collects the large wooden box and drops it near Lakima. It is empty. But, Fenris pokes around in the box and finds a secret bottom. Inside is a small sack that contains a strange key. The heroes celebrate finding what they believe is the key to the teleport platform.

Lakima bids the giant farewell. The giant offers to come with him but Lakima tells the giant to leave with the other giants. The three giants then leave the caverns. The heroes ascend back up into the keep. Realizing they are still suffering the effects of several battles – they decide to rest. Lakima uses the time to cast identify on several objects. The Helm taken from the ranger is identified as a Helm of Free Action. Lakima hands it to Eathwund who tries it on. Too late, they discovered that it is a Cursed Helm. Eathwund is now susceptible to suggestions from Lakima. Domago assures Lakima that once he has prayed to St. Aleena, he should be able to remove the curse. Eathwund tells Domago that there is nothing wrong with his new helm. The group then settles down to rest.