Puzzled

The last session in the Swords & Wizardry campaign was entirely in a dungeon. Specifically, Red Mausoleum adapted from Advanced Adventures Module #2 by James C. Boney published by Expeditious Retreat Press. OSR dungeon adventures have a history of having roadblocks in the dungeon that must be passed by solving puzzles or finding the correct key. This dungeon is no different. I enjoy a simple puzzle in a game, it allows everyone to participate and it is a break from constant monster fights that become necessary at higher levels. I particularly find that some of the quieter players get a chance to offer opinions on the direction the group should go or what to try. No ideas are bad ideas (unless they result in setting off a trap).

The party of players was briefly stumped in this session and they went back and forth between three rooms several times (I lost count). Some members were beginning to voice the thought of giving up and leaving. I had to remind them of some of the clues they had received but for the most part, they figured it out on their own.

A new player character joined the game. The player who tried out the game playing an NPC rolled up a new character to join the play.

Session 124: The Guardian Gate

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Thistle Walker (human ranger), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC).

The adventurers are in a dungeon beneath a red platform of stone they discovered in the Sistermoors. They are trying to find the source of the undead hordes menacing nearby villages and towns. They just recently killed a pair of undead creatures in a tomb they found.

The adventurers leave the tomb after being certain they checked each coffin for treasure. They ascend the stairs back up to the large room full of stone coffins. They walk to the far end of the room counting the stone coffins and find there are 19. They make note of the bronze plaque they spotted earlier that mentioned 21 knights were buried here. They spot a light shining from the passage they entered from and take up defensive positions. A human ranger enters the chamber.

“Who goes there?” Aldus challenges the stranger.

The man tells them his name is Thistle and he has been sent to discover the source of the undead in the Sistermoors. His tracking skills lead him to the red, stone platform in the swamp and he entered. Following tracks, he came to this chamber. The adventurers decide to let Thistle accompany them and they tell him about what they have discovered. They speak about the mystery of the guardian gate in another chamber for which they need a password to get past.

Thistle asks about the door at the south end of this chamber but Fenris warns him that it is a false door and it is connected to a mechanism of unknown purpose. The group decides to head back to the entrance chamber with the stone floor painted with thousands of faces. Here they find a door they have not passed through yet is open, but Domago tells them that he opened the door when he was making his way back to the group after being teleported by the crypt thing (last session). The door leads to a hallway with six doors. Each door leads to a crypt chamber with a single stone coffin. The group checks each stone coffin. Aldus, still under the strength enchantment cast by Lakima, opens the stuck doors and lifts the heavy, stone coffin lids. Inside each coffin, they find undead, zombies, ghouls, shadows, and in the last coffin a wraith. In the fighting, Aldus is paralyzed by ghouls twice and has to be healed by Domago. Eathwund is also drained of life force by the wraith. They manage to destroy each of the undead and find nothing of value in the coffins.

The group examines the guardian gate again. Fenris inserts the rusty sword again and they note the humming sound. Heading back to the entrance chamber, Thistle hears the humming sound from two of the columns in this chamber as well. There is one door they have not yet checked so they open it. It leads to what was once a library. Only stone shelves covered in debris remain. They search the debris and find six belts made of woven hair that have a platinum belt buckle. The buckle has a strange sigil on it. Lakima tries to use a detect magic cantrip but it fails and he loses a 1st level spell. The belts do not detect as magical. Nonetheless, they decide to wear them. All but Aldus and Domago put on belts.

They are uncertain how to proceed so they head back to the Hall of Honored Dead where the 19 coffins rest. Since the false door activates a mechanism Thistle suggests they open it. Fenris warns him that it could activate a trap. Despite the warning, the group decides to proceed.

Thistle opens the door and they hear the sound of stone moving. Lakima who is standing beside a stone coffin at the far end of the room sees it slide to one side revealing a cavity beneath from which a horrid black pudding monster begins to rise. Lakima shouts a warning and backs away behind a stone pillar. Eathwund and Aldus run to the area. Eathwund warns Aldus back telling him that the creature is acidic. Lakima casts magic missile and the bolts seem to strike the blob but they are not sure it does any damage. Alrix fires a pair of arrows into the creature from his magical longbow. Eathwund readies his mace and uses his magical ring to ignite it into flame. He then strikes the black blob and he clearly sees he has injured it. At this moment a second coffin slides to one side, this one again beside Lakima. Lakima looks and sees a grey ooze emerging from a recess that was below the stone coffin. Lakima quickly casts a wall of ice in a circle from floor to ceiling around the grey ooze. Meanwhile, Alrix continues to fire arrows at the black pudding, Eathwund attacks with his flaming mace again and Thistle fires sling bullets at it. A third stone coffin slides to one side, this one again not far from where Lakima is standing. A strange, floating round orb of flesh with a single large eye emerges. Tentacles sprout from the top of it.

“We have to kill this beast quickly!” Lakima shouts to his companions.

Aldus turns to confront the new danger, as do Thistle and Domago. While Eathwund and Alrix finish off the black pudding. Lakima hurls a dart at the floating orb and it explodes, releasing a large cloud of spores. Everyone stands back as the cloud settles to the stone floor. Only then does Lakima carefully advance. He notes that the recess under the stone coffin is empty. At this moment they hear a slam and see the false door they opened slam shut again.

Thistle who had taken cover behind the central column takes note of the fact that it is damp with condensation. He taps on the column with a metal spike and hears a hollow echo.

“The columns are hollow,” Thistle tells everyone.

Fenris checks a pair of columns near where he is.

“These aren’t,” he says.

Lakima tells Fenris to go and examine the hollow column. He checks and finds there is a 2-foot square section that he can slide down. Inside the hollow is a pool of stagnant water. Fenris checks it and declares that he can see a water-filled passage heading northeast under the chamber. They debate whether to enter. Lakima is sure it is a dead end but Thistle and Fenris suggest they search the tunnel and then come back. Domago tells everyone to gather close and he uses his magical Book of Water Breathing to cast water breathing on the entire company. Fenris then climbs into the column and disappears under the water. Thistle follows a few moments later after trading his scrolls to Domago for the priest’s silver coin that has continual light cast on it.

Fenris and Thistle swim down a narrow stone passage under the chamber and come to an end. Above they see an opening. Swimming up they emerge in a pool in a chamber with no exits. Across the room from them they see three large iron trunks held closed with padlocks. Fenris immediately pulls himself out of the pool and shakes off the water. He suggests to Thistle that he should head back to tell the others what they have found.

“You want to wait here in the dark all alone?” Thistle says.

Fenris then changes his mind. He says that they both should stay. Fenris finds traps on each of the chests and manages to disarm all of them. He opens the chests and finds a stone bowl filled with gems and jewels in one. The second holds bags of gems, a fine dagger in a sheath, and three garish gold statuettes depicting nude elves. In the third chest, he finds a simple prayer book dedicated to Saint Waldon written in old mor. They put all of the items in a large sack and swim back to the Hall of Honored dead.

Emerging in the hall Fenris shows everyone what they found. He examines the dagger and asks Lakima to cast detect magic on it. Lakima declines and tells him he can not afford to waste spells. Fenris shoves the dagger into his belt. The prayer book is given to Domago who examines it closely. Despite being immersed in water it is remarkably not wet at all. Domago tells everyone that St. Waldon is the patron of a peaceful death. He is certain this prayer book would destroy any undead who viewed it.

More time is spent going back and forth between the entrance chamber, the guardian archway chamber, and the hall of honored dead. The group cannot find a way past the iron gates or the guardian archway.

“Maybe we should leave,” says a frustrated Lakima.

Thistle suggests that possibly this strange, red stone dungeon is not the source of the undead. They have encountered some here but no indication of a source for the hordes of undead found in the Sistermoors and no tracks to show that they came from here.

Eathwund suggests that they check out the stone faces in the entry chamber once more. Thistle notices that the lower lip of the stone face of the angry male figure is made of a different stone. Fenris takes his crowbar and chips away at the lower lip revealing a cavity in the mouth. At this moment a magic mouth spell is triggered and the stone face begins to laugh diabolically and very loudly. As the laughter gets louder and louder the walls and floor of the chamber begin to shake and dust and debris shower down on the group. Then the laughing stops. Lakima tells Fenris to check inside the mouth. Reluctantly, Fenris reaches into the cavity with the crowbar and finds it empty. Again, the magic mouth appears and laughs loudly. More debris rains down and cracks appear in the ceiling. Then the entire group notices that the entrance is gone. The stair has been replaced with a stone archway. A sigil is carved into the keystone. There appears to be no way to exit.

Fenris and Eathwund tap away at the closed entrance but it appears to be solid. Lakima tells Fenris to check the other stone face. He and Thistle check the face of the angelic woman looking skyward. Thistle notices that the stone beneath her eyes looks to be covered in a stucco-like material. He calls Aldus over and gets a boost up so he can reach the eyes. Using a crowbar, Thistle breaks away the stone patch revealing a small hole and a rush of water comes pouring out splashing down on the floor. The water quickly forms a large puddle.

“Don’t block it. Watch where it flows!” Lakima shouts at everyone.

The water reaches a depth of a few inches and flows to the center of the room where it pools. In the center of the pool, they see a small whirlpool form. Fenris splashes into the water and examines the draining water. He tells everyone that there is a small hole in the floor. Lakima now tells Thistle to block the water pouring out of the stone face. Thistle takes an iron spike and wraps a rag about it. He then stuffs it in the hole blocking the flow of water. Soon the water drains through the floor and is gone. The group looks down at the hole in the floor. A single face on the floor painted with its mouth open in a scream is where the hole is located. They realize that if it was always present, they would have probably noticed it when they first searched the floor. Fenris examines the hole and uses a crowbar to lever out the entire flagstone. Underneath is a wet chamber about a foot square. Resting in the cavity is a glyph-shaped key made of platinum. Thistle asks to examine it and he tells everyone that it is formed in the shape of a glyph of opening. Taking the platinum key they press it against the keystone of the archway blocking the dungeon entrance and the stairs reappear along with the sunlight streaming in from above. The key is carefully put back into a sack.

“Well, now we know the key to getting out should the entrance close again,” Thistle says.

“We should leave,” Lakima states, “I can see no way forward.”

“Perhaps we should check the columns with the slots again?” Eathwund suggests.

This is enough to persuade the group to head back to the chamber with the guardian arch. There are three exits from this chamber that they have not been able to pass through. Two passages are blocked by an iron portcullis that defies their attempts to open, and the guardian archway that is blocked by a forcefield.

As they approach the gateway, the stone face above it again asks for a password. Eathwund suggests that they might need to enter 21 blades into the columns because of the 21 knights they read about in the other hall. They count the openings and find there are 24 scattered randomly about the columns. Eathwund asks for more blades from Fenris and he hands over one of his daggers. When it is inserted in the column in which the rusted sword already resides, the humming sound gets louder. A reluctant Fenris is persuaded to hand over the new dagger he found. When the third blade is inserted into the column there is a loud crack and a bolt of lightning discharges from the column striking the iron portcullis furthest from the guardian arch. The portcullis vanishes as if it was never there.

The group moves to investigate this new corridor. As they approach it Fenris notices that his new dagger (which he immediately removed from the column) is glowing blue. He calls attention to this. He finds that the closer he gets to the corridor leading to the tomb of the wraith Domago turned earlier in the day, the brighter the dagger becomes. The group continues down the corridor and opens a door into a tomb. A single, large stone coffin rests on the floor. A stone rose is carved onto the lid. Aldus tries to open the coffin but finds that it is held shut somehow. Fenris examines it and tells everyone that the rose engraving is a complex lock holding the lid closed. Lakima asks him to open it.

“When someone locks a coffin do we want to open it?” Fenris asks. Lakima tells him to do it.

The coffin is opened and inside they find an old corpse that has been arranged face down in a peculiar manner. Under one hand Eathwund finds a small wooden box. Inside the puzzle box that Fenris is able to open, they find a piece of glass covered in scratches. When the light of Thistles’ lantern passes through it words are projected on the nearby wall.

“Ars Piel Caron”.

The group immediately returns to the guardian archway. Lakima approaches and the archway shouts out its challenge. Lakima repeats the words they have just learned hoping it is a password. Suddenly, the magic mouth yells out another phrase that they have not heard before and a web of dripping green slime covers the archway. Tentacles dripping in green acid reach out toward the company.

“It is asking for the full password,” Domago says.

“Is it just me, or does it sound angry?” Eathwund says.

Eathwund takes the sword and dagger out of the right column and inserts them in the left column. Fenris provides a third blade and it is inserted. There is again a loud crack and a bolt of lightning streaks from the column to the nearby gate. The second portcullis disappears.

The group set out down this new corridor and find another chamber with a single stone coffin. The coffin again has a rose design on the lid. This chamber is different in that the walls are covered with bright patterns of color. The colors are bright and vibrant despite the age of the chamber. Fenris unlocks the stone coffin and Aldus slides it open. Inside is a skeleton dressed in ancient plate mail, holding a long sword and shield. On its head is a shiny, ornamental helm. Eathwund gently removes the helm and finds words inscribed on the back.

“Sug Argaoth”

“What does Sug Argaoth mean?” Lakima asks Domago. The priest replies that it might be a name. It has no meaning to him.

They return to the archway and Lakima answers the challenge of the stone face with all of the words they have recently learned. The eyes of the stone face close and the acidic tentacles vanish.

“Is it open?” Thistle asks.

Lakima cautiously moves forward and finds he can step through the archway into the room beyond. The chamber beyond is made of stone that is a deeper shade of red than they have encountered before. At the far end of the room is a ten-foot-square altar of dark stone. It is shaped with ramps leading up to its sides. Sinister-looking brown stains cover the top. Another stain of brown leads to an open corridor on their left. Thistle examines the stain and says it looks like three bodies were dragged in the direction of the corridor recently.

The group follows the trail down the corridor and opens a door. Before them is a stone chamber with a stone coffin in the center. Resting on the coffin is a skeleton dressed in ancient armor holding a shield and sword.

“Guys, my dagger is glowing again!” Fenris warns them.

The skeleton slowly levers itself up into a sitting position. They see that skin and hair still cling to the creature.

“I am the guardian of the temple. Who are you and what is your intention!” The creature asks in a raspy feminine voice.

Lakima questions the creature and demands that it put an end to the threat of undead in the area. The creature responds that it knows nothing of undead found in the area. Its duty is to protect the altar in the Low Temple from defilement. When asked what god the altar is dedicated to it answers that it is dedicated to Jahoor. Domago tells everyone that this is the ancient name the people of Mor gave to the Dark Lady.

“The god that Ashdoshan worshipped,” Domago states.

“Well, that’s not good,” Lakima says.

They decide to back slowly away from the skeleton guardian and return to the chamber with the altar. In the wall behind the altar, they can see another door.

“Don’t touch the altar,” Lakima warns everyone, “Let’s try that door.”

Lakima points at the door and Fenris moves to check it.

Dungeon 23 Hall of the Sea Demon

I am taking part in the Dungeon 23 challenge. I am writing it by hand in a journal with hand-drawn maps. For January and part of February I detailed the "rescue prisoners" plot a goblin lair, hobgoblin lair, and the entrance to the as-of-yet unnamed dungeon. I struggled through this. But in mid-February, I decided to rough out an entire dungeon level. Below are my rough notes that I later turned into full text in my journal. I also created a map of the level in Dungeondraft. I am not remembering to write a room every day. When I forget I make it up the next day.

I now wish that I had gone with a 12-level (1 level per month) dungeon. The dungeon level was much more fun to come up with every day.

LEVEL 2: Hall of the Sea Demon

Wandering Monsters (1-6)

1. Goblins (2d)

2. Giant Spiders (1d3)

3. Kobolds (2d4)

4. Escaped prisoner (1) Harald Hopson.

5. Zombies (1d4)

6. Ominous Shadow (1) event, see an ominous shadow moving along a wall.

Dungeon Key

1. Entry Hall: Statues have a mechanism that activates a blade trap. Tracks lead to area 6.

2. Mermen Hall: fresco on the walls shows mermen hunting. Spears deactivate the trap on the door to area 18.

3. Mermaid Hall: a fresco of mermaids

4. Chamber of Doors: dusty, empty.

5. Zombie Chamber: Zombies (2).

6. Holding Area: evidence prisoners were chained here. There is a trip wire on the door triggering a crossbow.

7. Zombie Chamber: Zombies (3)

8. Kobold Raiders: 12 kobolds with bags of loot. hp 5x4, 5x2, 2x3.

9. Shrine: Tall statue of a sea god. Once approached the door closes and a stone block closes the corridor. The eyes of the statue are sapphires (25 gp each).

10. Chamber of Pillars: dart trap. A skeleton on the floor has a pouch holding 20 gp, 30 sp, and 60 cp.

11. Statue Chamber: A statue is in the center of the room, and the doors lock behind players. Spin the statue to open a door.

12. Antechamber: fish images painted on walls. Lying on the floor are fish bones. Pushing the eye socket of a fish painted on the wall opens a secret door.

13. Chamber of Statues: statues of people with looks of horror on their faces.

14. Adventurers' End: skeletal remains behind some debris. It has a sack with 220 sp and a scroll of protection from the undead.

15. Food Hall: abandoned but 2 hobgoblins are searching it.

16. Waiting area: 4 hobgoblins hp 7,5,4,4 with the treasure of 65 sp.

17. Guardroom: 2 hobgoblins hp 8,8. Hobgoblin chief.

18. Trapped Slide: trapped slide down into iron spikes.

19. Spider Trap: black widow spider hp 18.

20. Changing Room: wood pegs, some rags.

21. Secret Room: three chests on stone platforms. Two untrapped, hold 150 and 165 cp. The trapped chest (blade trap) holds 180 gp.

22. Secret Room: Ancient tombs. But ransacked.

23. Guards: Human warriors hp 15,13,12. With a Treasure of 450 gp.

24. Pools of Repose: two long pools full of clear liquid - poison.

25. Sea God Shrine: statue resets for the trap in area 9.

Back to the dungeon

Now that the players had taken the numerous hints to get back into dungeon delving we had a lengthy dungeon session. First with some travel to find the dungeon and then a dungeon delve. The travel portion was for the most part created on the fly reacting to what the players were doing. The dungeon was from an adapted adventure. I adapted Advanced Adventures Module #2: The Red Mausoleum by James C. Boney published by Expeditious Retreat Press. The adventure was written for OSRIC so the conversion to Swords & Wizardry was straightforward. I created some maps in Dungeondraft and rewrote portions of the adventure to better fit my campaign. It was great to be back in a dungeon again where the player choices are constrained a little bit.

We also had a new player joining. He played the character Fenris who is usually an NPC.

Session 123: The Red Mausoleum

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Fenris the Filch (human thief), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC).

The members of the Company of the Black Dragon have spent more than a month resting at their Manor House in Edgerton having dealt with the White Worm. During that time increasingly ominous attacks by undead coming from the nearby moors have led the Castellan to request their aid.

Lakima continues to work on his plans to create a flying ship for the Merchant Adventurers Guild. Alrix requests that Clearwin create magical gloves to improve his dexterity. He leaves a deposit to pay for the research.

After a meeting of all members of the Company, the group agrees to take the commission to find the source of the undead coming from the moors. As the moors are a short distance away, they decide to ride to the village of Hamlin on horseback. The village seems to be at the center of the attacks, having been decimated a week earlier. They arrive in the village and find it deserted. There are only a few blood stains on the floor of the inn to suggest any trouble. Animals are still in their pens and the buildings are undamaged. The horses are placed in the Inn stables and they set out on foot for the moors.

Only Lakima and Eathwund have ever traveled in these moors before a few years earlier and this was further to the north. They find a maze of pathways possibly animal tracks and a lot of bogs and marshes. The deeper they go into the moors the more visibility is reduced by a low-lying mist. As the sun begins to set they have found no clues and seen no undead so they decide to return to the village. They arrive shortly before dark.

In the Inn, they find another traveler, Phillip Loxley, a halfling adventurer, is found in the inn near the fire enjoying the free ale. Loxley tells them that his party of adventurers was in the moors looking for undead for the bounty offered. They set up camp and were attacked in the middle of the night. He believes that all of his companions were killed. Loxley does tell them of meeting a spry, old man during the day in the moors who told them of a mausoleum made of red stone that is sinking into the moors. He shows them the location on a simple map of the area. Loxley tells them that he plans to spend the night in the Inn and head to Edgerton in the morning.

The members of the company set up watches in the Inn and barricade the doors. Fenris takes several lanterns, lights them, and places them around the outside of the Inn. The night is quiet until Eathwund and Alrix are on watch. Looking out the Inn’s window, Alrix sees a human jogging into the village along the road. The human male comes right up to the Inn and tries the door. Finding it barred shut he knocks on the door and yells to be let in. After some discussion, a suspicious Alrix finally lets the man inside. The commotion awakens the rest of the company (Loxley continues to sleep undisturbed). Lakima and Alrix question the man who tells them his name is Multen. He joined a group of adventurers in Edgerton a few weeks ago and they have been trading undead bounties (in the form of heads from zombies) for gold. This night they were camped in the moors and attacked by zombies and skeletons. The camp was disrupted and everyone ran in different directions. As the fallback plan was this Inn he headed for the village. On the way, he kept encountering wandering groups of zombies. In the confusion he was only able to grab his pack, he has lost all of his other possessions. Multen tells them he plans to stay at the Inn to see if any of his other companions make it out of the moors. The company then tries to grab some rest for the remaining hours of darkness.

Early in the morning, the company sets out again into the moors. This time with the notion to find the mausoleum Loxley told them about. Lakima asks the arrow of direction to show them the path to the undead and it swings about in a wide arc from the northeast to southeast. They decide to head directly east. After a few hours of following paths through the moors, they come to a slowly moving stream 20 feet across and 3-5 feet deep. Not seeing a place to cross, Lakima asks the arrow of direction for the nearest crossing. The arrow points north. They follow that direction and in the early afternoon, they come upon a rickety footpath bridge across the stream. Fenris easily makes it across and finds a boot print in the mud on the other side. A rope is tied to a tree to make the crossing easier and everyone crosses – Alrix crosses last after changing to his true form and flying across.

Everyone sets out east again. One more time Lakima uses the arrow of direction asking for the direction to the Red Mausoleum. The arrow points south-south-east. They head off in that direction. The mists become thicker as they head in this new direction and everyone has to be careful not to step into a bog. The sun begins to get low in the sky but they decide to continue onward. In the distance, Fenris spots an enormous being dressed in red peering at them from over some low trees and bushes. The being is motionless and the height of a hill giant. Fenris approaches stealthily and as he clears a thicket of bushes; he sees a platform of red stone sunk in the bogs. Atop the platform are four 12-foot-tall statues of human warriors. In the middle of the platform is what looks like a stone altar or tomb made of a different stone.

Fenris waits for the rest of the company to catch up to him. Once they have Lakima asks Fenris to investigate. Climbing up onto the platform Fenris approaches a statue and sees that it has runic writing on the handle of a weapon. He manages to decipher a word in the language of Mor. Possibly a name. He relates his findings and is sent back to investigate further. Each statue has a different name written on a weapon handle. In the center of the platform, he finds what is clearly a stone tomb with more writing on it. He is unable to decipher the writing on the tomb as it is slightly different from the other writing.

The members of the company all climb up onto the platform and Lakima casts the spell Comprehend Languages to read the writing on the tomb:

“My name is unknown.

My world was of the dim past. My people are

gone. Here I lie for want of a door, or I would

join my ancestors in the red depths.”

Lakima tries shouting out the words they found on the statues in the language of the kingdom of Mor in different orders. Finally, after one sequence a stairwell appears in the center of the platform leading down inside. There is no noise or movement in the stone, the stairs just appear as if they have always been there. Fenris is the first to descend into the platform and he lights a lantern to allow him to see.

Below they find a chamber with walls made of red stone blocks. The floor is painted with thousands of faces. Some in groups, some alone, some looking out at the viewer and some to the side. They can see no pattern in their faces. Stone pillars hold up the high ceiling. The entire group descends into the chamber. There are five doors leading from the chamber none of which appear to be locked. Fenris fashions a rope to hold the first door they find shut and they move to the next. It opens easily and they find a hallway. The hall leads to another strange chamber. Thick iron bars block two passages from this chamber and an archway with a stone head above it leads south.

Examining the pillars in this chamber Fenris finds they are pierced by numerous slots. They decide to move on and follow a passage to a small chamber with a stone tomb in it. The tomb lid is pushed back and a red mist rises and forms into a wraith-like figure that reaches out for Aldus. Aldus keeps it at bay and Domago brandishes his holy symbol driving the wraith away. The tomb is found to have a skeleton and a rusted sword. Returning to the chamber Fenris examines the slots again and sees a trigger at the back of them. He shoves the rusty sword they just found into the slot and the pillar begins to hum. But nothing else happens. He pulls the rusty sword out and sets it on the floor. The hum stops. As he circles, the pillar the stone face above the arch opens its eyes and a booming voice calls out in an unknown language. Domago, who is wearing the Helm of Comprehend Languages, says that it is asking for a password.

Aldus tries stepping through the archway but he finds his progress is blocked by an unseen force. He can see the room beyond but he cannot reach it. Lakima decides to cast Atanzibar’s Acrid Finger and melt the iron bars. But they find that the acid splashes off of the bars and falls burning to the stones below – not doing any damage to the stone or the metal that they had assumed was iron.

Puzzled, the group decides to return to the first chamber. Here they explore some more and find two huge faces carved into the south wall. One of a bearded man looking down at them and the other an angelic female with her head looking up to the heavens. The group decides to try the door they had tied off. The rope is removed and they find a hallway blocked by another set of iron bars – although much less sturdy than the other bars they found. Lakima casts Strength on Aldus, and Aldus is able to easily bend the metal bars out of the way. They step through the gap Aldus has created and open a door into a large room. The room has a large number of stone coffins on the floor and pillars hold up the ceiling. On the north wall, they find a brass plaque that Fenris translates as commemorating a pyrrhic victory by a group of men called “The Knights of AqHoor”. A door leads north to a stair headed down. At the bottom of the stair, they see a short hall blocked by a faded red tapestry. Fenris fires a crossbow bolt at the tapestry and sees it rip through the fabric and clatter into something beyond.

Aldus, Domago, Lakima, and Eathwund descend into the chamber. Fenris waits above with Ian the squire while Alrix waits on the stair. The curtain is pushed aside revealing a large chamber bare except for two very large stone coffins held shut with bands of thin silver. The group approaches the nearest coffin and Eathwund snaps the metal bands with his sword. Aldus shoves the stone lid to one side and they see a skeletal figure resting inside clothed in a tattered black robe. After a pause glowing light appears in the eye sockets and the creature sits up and speaks.

The creature tells them that it is Silandra, a creature cursed and held in this stone tomb for more than a thousand years. It claims no knowledge of the dungeon saying it was entombed somewhere else. It asks them to please release their lover who is in the other sealed stone tomb. Alrix and Lakima question the creature about its nature and it is elusive in its responses. Finally, Lakima loses patience and yells for Eathwund and Aldus to attack. The creature points at Domago and whispers, “begone”, and Domago vanishes.  Aldus and Eathwund attack with swords. Lakima strikes the skeletal creature with the staff of power. Alrix fires arrows from his bow. The creature touches Lakima and again whispers, “begone” but Lakima recognizes the teleportation spell and successfully resists. With a final volley of arrows, the creature is destroyed and turns to dust. In the stone tomb, the group finds a potion, a scroll, and a magical hammer.

They immediately move to the next stone tomb. Aldus breaks the bands of silver and shoves the stone lid aside. A similar black-robed, skeletal creature resides in this tomb, but this one is ready and leaps out at Aldus clawing through his armor and attempting to teleport him away. Aldus successfully resists the spell. Eathwund and Aldus strike the creature repeatedly and Alrix hits it was several arrows until it too is reduced to dust.

Once the fight has subsided, Fenris checks to see if the group is okay. He is startled to find that Domago is missing. The second tomb appears to be empty. The group spends a few minutes recovering. At this time, they see a light approaching the chamber of pillars and tombs and soon Domago appears. He tells them that he was teleported to a hallway filled with burial chambers. He followed it out into the entrance chamber and made his way back here.

After killing the antagonist

The previous session in my Swords & Wizardry campaign was the battle and victory over the primary antagonist of the campaign. After the battle, I asked the players if this was a fitting end point and they did not agree. They wanted to keep playing. At the level the players are now at (10-12) it is not easy to find compelling adventures to adapt. But the even bigger issue is that the players have become attached to the characters making it challenging to threaten them without them just backing away. I will keep running a little longer but at some point, I think I will be telling the players that it is time to wrap up the campaign. I am not going to introduce another antagonist but there still is the original antagonist I had for the campaign (the Ghoul King). His threat has been minimized as the player's characters have handed over artifacts he needs to gain full power (his missing body parts) to the Church. There is also the question of the Duke's brother in the realm wanting to grab the throne, but this would lead to a political campaign that neither I nor the players are interested in. This campaign began as a dungeon crawl OSR campaign and I want to keep it as close to that as possible.

That being said the first session after the epic victory was not great. The party leader wanted celebrations in their honor and he wanted to get right into building a mercantile empire based on his newly won ability to create flying ships (with much study and cost). This was not something the other players were interested in. In an online game, it is very easy for one player to take over the conversation since you cannot see whether other players are interested. I kept asking the other players for input on what they were doing and did not get much. There was a hook for a new adventure that I dropped into the session but the players all waited to see if the party leader took interest in it. By the end of the session, I had 2 of the 4 players AFK.

Session 122: Festival

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Domago (human cleric NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon has defeated the great menace to Valnwall – the White Worm. They begin the travel home on their flying ship.

The group is soon approaching Winterhaven, the city of the gnomes. They see no signs of damage to the city walls and assume that the Frost Giants never made it this far south. Arriving they settle the flying ship over the entrance as they did last time. The gnome customs official again charges them for bringing the flying ship into the city.

The adventurers leave the ship with only the crew left behind. Most of the group heads toward the wizard’s cottage. Fenris heads over to the Quiettop Inn to arrange rooms for the night. They tell Erwin Truecase the wizard about the death of the White Worm. He nervously checks his Ring of Charm protection a few times before being convinced that they have not fallen under the charm of the White Worm. He notices that Eathwund is no longer carrying Wormbane and learns of its destruction from Alrix. Alrix asks about weapon crafters in Winterhaven and Erwin directs him to a shop.

Lakima, Eathwund, and Domago head to the inn while Aldus and Alrix head over to the weapon shop. There Alrix commissions a magical low bow for 1,800 gold. He learns that it will take 2 weeks to make. Back at the Inn, the group settles in to eat a good meal. Dusig is anxious to return to Gundamark and promises them a warm welcome and a feast in their honor. Lakima is anxious to get home to Edgerton. Alrix decides to join them and return later to collect the bow he has commissioned.

They decide to set watches on the flying ship. They have been telling all who are in earshot in Winterhaven about their exploits and they figure the temptation of the gold hoard they have been talking about on board the ship may draw thieves. Everyone rotates watches. Late in the night Eathwund and Fenris are on watch on the flying ship. Fenris sitting by the fire in the tent and Eathwund patrolling the deck. Eathwund hears a thunk sound and sees a grappling hook sliding across the deck. The hook bites into the railing. Eathwund reaches the hook and tries to remove it but he finds it is held fast because of the weight on the other end. Looking over the guardrail he sees a man holding the rope 20 feet below and another man climbing the rope.

“Are you going to climb back down or do I need to cut this rope?” Eathwund loudly states.

He hears a gasp of surprise and then sees a second man holding the bottom of the rope runoff. The man climbing the rope slides down to the ground and follows his companion.

Fenris pops open the tent flap and asks Eathwund who he is talking to. Eathwund shrugs and asks Fenris if he wants a grappling hook. There are no further incidences.

The next day they set out for Gundamark. On the way, an enormous Roc shows some interest in the flying ship. It approaches but is warded off by an air elemental summoned by Lakima. They arrive in Gundamark after a day and a half of travel. Dusig immediately begins telling the assembled crowd about their triumph over the White Worm. The crowd of dwarves (and a few humans) cheers.

For the next two days, they are feted in Gundamark. The Company wants to get underway home but Dusig manages to convince them to stay for a feast in their honor. Finally, they are ready and say goodbye to Dusig and set a course for Edgerton. The trip to Edgerton is uneventful but long. It is a week before they spot Edgerton on the horizon. From the air, all appears normal. The bell of the Church of St. Johan rings out as they approach from the air settling down just over their Manor House. Inside Alayna rushes to greet her husband, Lakima.

“You said you would be gone for a few weeks!” Alayna says.

Lakima tells Alayna about the trip and the death of the White Worm. Alayna listens but seems more interested in telling them about the party she hosted a few nights ago.  The adventurers settle into their rooms in the Manor and relax for a day. The next day Eathwund heads across town to his tavern – the Sign of the Purple Bugbear. He finds business is doing well. Perhaps because of the reputation of the owner, or because of the stuffed bugbear in the common room, the tavern has become popular with adventurers. In fact, two groups of adventurers are currently staying at the tavern. Eathwund overhears one group talking about the 400 gold they made for a bounty on the heads of undead creatures. He learns that for the past month, there has been a bounty issued by the Castellan because of the danger of groups of undead wandering the farmlands southeast of Edgerton. To hear the adventurers tell it the undead are from a long-forgotten battlefield in the Sistermoors that has been recently disturbed. Others say that the infamous necromancer Mourn has risen again and is intent on sacking Edgerton (ed. Look guys this is an adventure hook!).

Lakima heads over to the Wizard’s Guildhall and speaks with Chancellor Rune Frost. He unloads several of the magic items and books found on the recent adventure to librarian Culon Krem. Rune Frost introduces the newest teacher to Lakima, telling him it is someone who insists he is a friend of the company. The new teacher turns out to be Deost who asks about Alrix (clearly the charm enchantment is still upon him). Rune also tells Lakima that one teacher and one student are missing. They were recruited by some adventurers to go into the Sistermoors looking for bounties on the undead. Lakima learns about the growing concerns over the undead coming from the moors. Lakima asks to meet the top student. Meeting Thorold he presents the surprised student with his Continual Flame staff. The student is surprised and says his thanks.

Lakima next heads over to the Apothecary to see Malyn. Malyn talks to Lakima about the rise of the undead in the moors. He discounts the tales of Mourn being the cause. Assuring Lakima that if Mourn rose he would be aware of it. Lakima uses the Medallion of ESP to check the truth of Malyn’s statement but finds Malyn protects his thoughts with a cacophony of horrifying and otherworldly surface thoughts. Malyn just smiles at him and warns Lakima from trying to check his thoughts again. Lakima asks Malyn to get to work on trying to understand and duplicate the flying ship as soon as possible.

Alrix says goodbye and flies back to Winterhaven. It is a long flight but he does it while invisible and encounters no issues. In Winterhaven, he picks up the commissioned magical longbow. A few weeks later he is back in Edgerton.

Lakima goes to visit Castellan Edmund and apprise him of the death of the White Worm. The Castellan reveals that he had heard the rumors of the danger posed by the White Worm and the Earl was aware of the machinations of the White Worm’s servant Ud Lux. He is glad to hear the threat has been dealt with and that Ud Lux is dead. He tells Lakima about the issue with the undead coming from the moors. He has put a bounty on the undead but the situation is worsening. Lakima asks the Castellan for permission to have a festival to celebrate the killing of the White Worm and honor the Company of the Black Dragon. The castellan agrees to the festival date and agrees to clear the town square. He will provide militia to keep the peace. He suggests Lakima work with the Church of St. Cuthbert to plan the festival. Lakima tells the castellan that the company will pay for the entertainment, food, and drink. For the next week, Lakima spends time arranging for singers, performers, and a staged re-enactment and pays a bard to compose a ballad about the White Worm’s defeat at the hands of the Company. A few days later the festival is held. The flying ship is even brought down close to the ground and rides are given to some children.

Eathwund hears that Norine Gayheart, the wizard they found trapped in a bottle, has been arrested and has been incarcerated for several weeks. He goes and tells Lakima. The two go to visit Norine in the jail. They lean that she confronted her former fiancé using sleep on his family and hold person on him. She was soon arrested. Norine seems at a loss as to what to do with her life. Everyone she knew 20 years ago when she was trapped in the bottle has moved on. Most of her friends have passed away. Her fiancé married and had children. Lakima offers her a job as a teacher at the Wizards’ Guild. After some thought on the matter Norine accepts. Lakima pays her fine and assures the guards that she will be under the rules of the Wizards’ Guild.

About a month goes by. Malyn and Lakima study, test, and research the flying ship almost every day. They learn that the magic used is a mix of cloud giant and Titan magic. It involves the spirit of an air elemental. Malyn constructs a box to contain the essence of an air elemental and uses it to contain an air elemental summoned by Lakima. Meanwhile, Lakima (with financial support from Eathwund) looks into the costs of buying a riverboat to use as a test for a new flying ship. The costs prove to be prohibitive so Lakima goes to Rasmus Orbin at the Merchant Adventurer’s Guild. He strikes a deal where Lakima will provide the enchantment to make a ship fly, and the merchants’ guild will provide a ship and pay for the costs (55,000 gold) to enchant it. In return, the Merchants Adventurer's Guild will take possession of the ship.

Castellan Edmund visits the manor and talks to Eathwund and Lakima (the only two members of the company currently home). He asks them to find the source of the undead coming from the moors and put a stop to it. After some negotiation, he agrees to pay them 15,000 gold if they can accomplish the task. Lakima tells the Castellan that he will have to check with the other members of the company to see if they wish to take on this mission.

Lair of the White Worm

This session was the big finish episode. The final fight against the big bad of the campaign. Now that the players' characters are in the 9-11 level range it gets a lot more difficult to set up challenging adventures. It is also a lot less fun for the gamemaster. So I decided that the showdown with the White Worm should be the campaign's end. The combat went well and felt like a suitable end. But the session was not fun for me as a game master. One player objected strongly to his character being temporarily stunned and logged off playing until his character recovered. This left me with an empty feeling like I had not handled it correctly and really made me want to take a break from running a game.

Session 121: In the Lair of the White Worm

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Domago (human cleric NPC), Dusig (dwarf fighter NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon has entered a Pillar of Ice in the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giants looking for the Lair of the White Worm. The White White is an otherworldly creature who threatens to freeze the world.

After the battle with four mages of the Twelve, the company searches through some of the nearby bed chambers. Fenris finds two locked chests. They find a treasure and a spellbook. They then find a stair leading down even further. On this lower level, the temperature drops below freezing. A wide corridor leads to a 4-way intersection. Lakima casts detect magic and spots a circular barrier of magic blocking further advance. He is not sure exactly what it does but it looks like mind magic. As the group stops to ponder this obstacle, Lakima suggests to Eathwund that he might have to go on to fight the White Worm alone. He can use his ethereal armor to get past the barrier. Ahead they can see a chamber with a dark pit.

As they are discussing this a male voice calls out mocking the plans they are making. He tells them that they cannot get past the barrier without a password. Lakima asks for the password and is rebuffed. The man then makes the Company an offer, if they leave the Glacial Rift and leave the “weapon” behind. the White Worm will agree to put its plans on hold until each member of the company is dead and buried. As proof of its sincerity, the man tells them that the White Worm has already recalled the war band of Frost Giants who were headed for the town of the Gnomes (clearly Winterhaven).

Lakima rejects the offer and threatens the man. The man then offers to fight a duel – mage against mage.  Lakima also rejects that offer. Alrix peers around the corner trying to see who is speaking but he is unable to see anyone. Dusig then says that he will try to break through the barrier claiming that dwarves have a resistance to magic. He rushes forward and breaks the barrier. He grimaces, and there is a flash of blue light but he makes it and continues down the corridor toward the pit. Lakima is next to try. He runs through the barrier and feels stunning magic being triggered but he manages to resist it. As he crosses the intersection of the halls, he sees a lightning bolt headed toward him. Lakima instantly brings up the Rod of Absorption and absorbs the spell. He looks to his right and sees the mage appear who cast the spell. Lakima casts feeblemind at the mage and sees the spell take effect. Lakima then joins Dusig on the other side.

Eathwund turns ethereal and moves through the walls. Passing by the chamber on the right he sees a cauldron full of dark liquid and a humanoid creature with sharp teeth and long claws. He makes it and joins Lakima and Dusig telling them what he saw. Lakima casts a powerful fireball into the chamber where Eathwund saw the creature and where the mage stands enchanted by the feeblemind.

Alrix is next to try dealing with the barrier, he swings his magical battle ax at the magic runes carved into the floor. But the spell is triggered anyway and he is stunned by the enchantment. Aldus then tries to leap through the barrier and he is also stunned. Fenris calls out for help on the other side.

“Stay there and protect Alrix and Aldus!” Lakima says. “We will go on without you.”

As he says this something invisible passes through the barrier causing a small flash. Fenris briefly sees an emaciated humanoid figure. A moment later, a gash caused by claws appears on Aldus’ chest. Fenris stabs at the area in front of Aldus and feels his sword strike something but he sees nothing is there. A moment later Aldus is hit again and Fenris calls out for help. Lakima, Eathwund, and Dusig shout out for him to fight, as they cannot help. Alrix is slashed by the invisible creature next but this time Fenris is ready and strikes it with his sword. He feels the creature fall to the floor.

“To heck with Aldus!” Fenris calls out for the rest of the company and he runs through the barrier only to be stunned. A short while later, Aldus comes to and tries the barrier again but is stunned again. Those members of the company who have made it to the chamber with the black pit decide to check the pit while they wait for their comrades to catch up to them. The chamber has a 20-foot in diameter opening full of darkness. Domago tries shining continual light into the darkness but it does not penetrate. Dusig drops a shard of ice and a few seconds later they hear it shatter.

“It is only a 30-foot drop,” Dusig says.

Climbing ropes are prepared and thrown into the pit. Dusig is the first to descend. He calls up that he is in a cavern with several tunnels. Eventually, Alrix, Aldus, and Fenris all recover and manage to pass through the magic barrier. One by one everyone climbs down into the chamber.

The ropes lead down to a cavern of ice. It is unclear if they are in tunnels through ice or if these are stone tunnels covered with ice. Dusig suggests that these tunnels are caved through the ice. The statue of a vaguely human form towers in one corner. It radiates extreme cold and everyone gives it room as they walk around it. Fenris takes the lead and suddenly stops still. He then comes running back.

“It's there ahead. It is enormous, horrifying, I felt my blood freeze!” he says.

Everyone moves forward slowly. In a large cavern of ice, they see an enormous pale grey worm easily 100 feet long, lying curled about itself. As they behold it for the first time everyone with the exception of Eathwund feels terror grip their heart. But they shake it off. Eathwund feels anger and excitement coming from his sword Wormbane. He feels a rush of energy and runs ahead of everyone else into the chamber. He spots the danger at the last moment and slides to a halt. A whirling barrier of sharp blades lies between him and the worm. Clearly a magical barrier.

“It’s a blade barrier!” Domago shouts out. “It will be deadly, stay back from it!”

Eathwund quickly turns ethereal and steps through the barrier. Returning to the material plane he strikes at the worm with Wormbane. He can feel the excitement and triumph of the sword as it cuts into the worm. Thick, black, blood pours out.

What happens next is the stuff of legend told in many different ways by various bards in taverns across Valnwall in the years to come. Eathwund fights against the worm which focuses its attacks on him. He narrowly misses being swallowed whole but then is crushed beneath the worm’s body. Domago blows the Silver Horn of Valhalla summoning berserkers to fight the worm inside the barrier. Alrix attacks with his Sword of Dancing. Dusig hurls his throwing axes at the worm. Lakima, summons a mighty Earth Elemental which pushes through the barrier and attacks. Aldus stands angrily unable to attack the worm with the barrier in the way. Seeing this, Lakima hands Fenris a potion that he gives it to Aldus. Aldus throws his sword and his shield through the barrier and drinks a potion of gaseous form. He emerges on the other side of the barrier naked and takes up his sword and his shield to attack. As he does, he sees Eathwund fall. Rushing to Eathwund, Aldus tries to wield Wormbane but the sword will only function for the chosen champion of the frost giant jarl. It becomes clear that Eathwund and wormbane must be the ones to strike the final blow. Gathering his courage, Domago leaps through the blade barrier and is hacked into by flying blades. He makes it through alive and grimly uses his staff of healing on Eathwund. The champion gets to his feet and delivers the killing blow deep into the worm. Black blood pours out of the wound and the worm falls down unmoving. Eathwund feels triumph and gratitude pouring from wormbane. He looks down and sees the sword dissolve away in his hands.

The black blood continues to pour from the worm’s corpse and soon begins to rise dangerously. Lakima calls for everyone to run for the exit. Domago takes the lead. Dusig shouts and points at a pile of treasure lying tossed like junk in a small alcove. Lakima casts a Wall of Iron which holds back the deluge of blood.

The adventurers hurry and begin grabbing swords, shields, scrolls, and gold and putting them in the bag of holding. After a minute Domago, who continued ahead, shouts a warning that the black blood is flooding into the tunnels from another exit from the cavern.

“Quickly!” Lakima yells.

Everyone grabs the last few items from the pile of treasure and the entire company runs from the cavern with the ropes. They climb up through the darkness and raise through the ice pillar. On the second level, they find the way forward blocked by an Ice Devil but Lakima uses his pendant of demon summoning and a Charm Monster spell to charm it. He then sends the Ice devil on ahead of them. This proves important as it is the ice devil that runs directly into an ancient White Dragon they encounter in the glacial rift. Lakima raises a Wall of Ice to protect the party while ice devil fights the Dragon. Domago also summons berserkers with the Horn. After a brief fight, the berserkers are all dispatched but the ice devil triumphs. They head out of the rift and into the breaking morning light. Alrix heads up to get the skyship and sets it back down to pick up the company. Soon they are all aboard the skyship and are headed south again.