The Red Sun

 I have not posted in a month but I have kept busy. I am still managing to keep Dungeon 23 going although it is not as fun as it first was. My Swords & Wizardry campaign is still going strong. Still four players and we have had four sessions in the last month.

The next session I need to write about was Session 128. This was the start of a new adventure. I actually had planned to let the players rest before springing this one but I sort of forgot and dropped the hook on them. Then they had two projects ongoing at once. The magic user wanted to use the ritual he has found to create a flying ship and they had some old friends come by looking for help.

The new adventure is based on Advanced Adventures module 4: The Prison of Meneptah by Alphonso Warden published by Expeditious Retreat Press. It takes place in another world or dimension. A desolate planet with a red sun. A little reminiscent of Dark Sun. I reminded me how much I love this type of setting.

Session 128: The Red Sun

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

The adventurers are back in Edgerton after putting an end to the undead creator in the Red Mausoleum. They find they have no time to rest as word reaches them that Windmaster Sturlaker has failed to return from a journey to another world. Meanwhile, Lakima has a flying ship contract to fulfill for the Merchant Adventurers Guild.

Lakima spends some time at the Mages’ Guild and asks Rune Frost to bring him his best student. A young man is presented to Lakima. Lakima tells the man, whose name is August,  that he is his new apprentice. With August in tow, they head over to the Merchant Adventurers’ Guild. Rasmus Orbin tells Lakima that a ship has been picked out and is ready. He introduces them to the ship’s captain. The small group heads over to the docks and views the ship. Lakima goes back to the Manor house and picks up the Ship's Helm he and Malyn have created. He also bids Aldus and Ian to follow. Arriving back at the ship, Lakima delivers instructions to August and Aldus on what to do and then he gets down to work on the enchantment ritual.

The enchantment ritual takes four days to complete. During this time Aldus tries to deal with some angry longshoremen who gather on the docks. Lakima gives August the pipes of the sewers to chase the longshoremen off of the docks with a horde of rats. In the end, the enchantment works and the fly spell is settled over the ship. Lakima takes Rasmus Orbin and the merchant captain on a short flight over the town eliciting much excitement in the local population.

With the ship safely back in its berth, the company members return to the Manor House. Nissa is anxious to get underway to find her mentor but Ezmeralden preaches caution. Lakima tells everyone he will rest and they can leave tomorrow. Ezmeralden warns that they will need to gather a large supply of water as the world they will be going to appears to be a dry wasteland. Domago shows him the Jug of Alchemy which should cover all of their needs.

The next day the group packs up on the flying longship and heads to the bridgeway. The ship is set down in the dry valley under the bridge and Ezmeralden casts invisibility upon it. Ezmeralden shows them the view of the red world where the explorers from Dolmvay disappeared. It is a desolate wasteland under a red sun. Lakima gives Ezmeralden a crystal ball with clairaudience to use so he can watch for their return. He tells Ezmeralden he will also watch him with another crystal ball. They also arrange for a method of exchanging messages using a slate and chalk.

Once everyone is ready, they step over the bridgeway and arrive in a strange, dry desolation. The bridge on this world spans a dry gulch. In all directions, they see mostly flat terrain with few landmarks. In the distance, they can make out some low mountains. Tracks lead from the bridge to a small campsite and then disappear off into the desert. They search about the campsite and discover tracks from two groups of people and some hoof prints from draft animals. Lakima uses the arrow of direction and asks for the location of the Windmaster. The arrow points roughly towards a twin peak in the distant mountains. They set out in that direction trying to maintain their bearings in the flat featureless desert. The group makes continuous use of the jug of alchemy for water.

They spot an oasis in the distance but not in the direction the arrow had indicated. They head for the oasis for an hour before it disappears, only a mirage. As it is getting late, they decide to set up camp and pitch the tents. Lakima tells everyone that he is going to try something risky. Lakima takes out the scroll with astral spell on it and explains what he is going to do. He will be gone for no more than 2 hours and during this time the other adventurers must protect his body. He also tells them a password word to ensure his body has not been possessed by something else. Casting the spell, Lakima’s astral spirit steps from his resting body. He quickly moves across the strange astral plane of the landscape. He comes upon a walled stone town and searches it but does not find the Windmaster. He then heads towards the mountains but finds nothing. Soon he has to return to his body which he does and quickly announces the password.

Lakima tells the other adventurers about the nearby town. It is inhabited and is roughly on the path the arrow pointed. The next morning the group makes for the town. As they draw near they see signs of life, birds, insects, and small plants. Then they come upon fields of grain crops. They hear a bell toiling and see the walled town on the horizon. Small groups of humans appear to be running for the town. When they arrive, they find that the town gates are closed. The town is encircled by sandstone walls twenty feet high built from enormous stone blocks. The gates are much simpler and made of wood. Once they are within thirty feet of the town, they are challenged in a language they do not understand. Domago puts on the Helm of comprehending languages and manages to respond to the calls telling those in the town that they are travelers and that they mean no harm.

The town gates open and guards cautiously come out to greet the adventurers. The guards appear frightened of them and curious of these strange-looking travelers. Domago uses the jug of alchemy to gift the guards with some weak wine. Eventually, won over the guards allow the adventurers to enter and they send for one of the town elders to greet them. They learn from the elder Jabari that this town is called Zentrium. It is the northernmost settlement on the edge of an area called the Muhatian desolation. Jabari treats them hospitably once he learns they are looking for Sturlaker. Jabari tells them that Sturlaker was himself following the trail of a group of foreign travelers and that he left 3 weeks ago. A companion of Sturlaker’s, a woman called Meika cured a local boy of an ailment and earned the trust of the town. Jabari invites them to stay at his home for the night.

That night the adventurers eat dinner with Jabari’s family. Lakima uses a cantrip to tell them stories of his homeland (with Domago acting as interpreter). They learn some of the legends of this land. Once it was said to be a paradise of forests and grasslands with plentiful rain. Now it rains 2-3 times a year and that rain brings destruction. Their ancestors were involved in many wars in which great and powerful magic was used. The destruction of the land is attributed to their ancestors turning away from the gods and being punished. Magic is now almost unknown. The travelers they follow asked about great magical artifacts and were told of the Muhati ruins to the north. They set out in that direction. They are warned of the dangers of undead in the ruins. Alrix follows the conversations intently and by the end of the night has worked out enough of the Muhati language to be able to follow the conversation of the locals.

The next day the adventurers say goodbye to Jabari and his family. His children follow them to the edges of the farmland and then wave goodbye. Jabari had told them they could follow an ancient road north to the ruins. The road is built of white limestone but in most places, it has long since been covered with sand. Stone obelisks about six feet high jut out from the sand every few hundred feet marking the road. They follow these for the better part of a watch before they see a pyramid rising up out of the sand. Although it is slightly off the road the adventurers detour to investigate the pyramid. As they get close, they find it is fairly small, only 150 feet tall – but in this flat wasteland it is a prominent landmark.

The Tomb of Zoser

Lakima uses his wand to find a secret door at the base of the pyramid. A message written in Muhati warns that this is the tomb of Zoser, the first king of the Muhati, and that a curse will befall any who enter. They find that the door trigger is the cartouche of Zoser’s name. Stone slides to one side and they find a crumbling stair leading down under the pyramid. August uses the continual flame staff to light the way and Fenris takes the lead, carefully checking the stair. At the bottom of the stair, the passage enters a chamber. A metal door on the far side of the chamber is flanked by two ten-foot-tall statues. The one to the left of the door is a statue of a man with the bearing of a king. The other statue is of a powerfully built man with the head of a camel.

“Look at that statue,” Alrix exclaims.

“I suspect that was one of their gods,” Domago replies.

Fenris takes a cautious step forward into the chamber and falls through the floor. The illusion of a stone floor extending before the stair vanishes. A few seconds later they hear a large splash.

“Fenris! Fenris are you okay?” Lakima shouts in the direction of the pit.

Lakima shines a light down the pit but he is unable to see the bottom.

Lakima asks Alrix to investigate. Alrix changes form and flies down into the pit. About sixty feet down he finds Fenris floating face down in brackish water. Alrix carefully flips Fenris over and sees the man’s head roll too far to one side. Alrix constricts his tail about the corpse and flies back up into the chamber, setting the corpse down on the floor.

“His neck is broken,” Alrix says.

Domago checks Fenris and sadly shakes his head to the rest of the group, “he is dead.”

Aldus immediately asks Domago if he can heal Fenris. Domago explains how the raising of the dead works. Fenris will need a week to recover. Domago wraps up Fenris in a white blanket like a funeral shroud and the corpse is stuffed into the bag of holding.

“One of you two will have to become our new trap-finder,” Lakima says while looking at Eathwund and Aldus. “Which of you has a 10-foot pole?” Eathwund glances at his quarterstaff.

“Check the door Eathwund.” Lakima says.

Eathwund checks the metal door but there is a clear lock on it. A keyhole just below a handle. Then Lakima suggests to Domago that he use the jug of alchemy to produce a gallon of acid and dissolve the lock. Domago produces the acid and pours some on the lock, the metal hisses and burns and begins to dissolve.

Immediately, the two statues stir to life and ponderously step down from their pedestals. Eathwund and Aldus attack. Followed shortly by Ian and Domago. Alrix fires arrows at the stone statues. Lakima casts disintegrate but the spell fails to affect one of the statues. During the battle, Aldus is struck twice and Eathwund once but eventually they destroy the statues. As each statue is battered apart it eventually crumbles to a pile of boulders. Domago searches through the debris but finds no hidden gems.

“That myth is shattered,” Domago mutters.

Domago finishes off the lock on the door with acid and pulls out the lever to open it. A stair headed down stands before them. Domago takes the time to use the staff of healing on the injured fighters. Lakima tells Eathwund to take the lead. Eathwund works his way down the stair carefully thumping each step before him with his staff. At the ninth step, the staff strikes the stone, and the step clicks and descends. Eathwund hears the sound of sliding stone on stone and freezes alert for any traps. Two 3-foot square stone blocks slide out from the walls. An Illusion had disguised the openings. Large metal blades on the stones strike Eathwund as he is unable to get out of the way in time. Eathwund and the stone blocks tumble down the remaining steps.

Domago walks down the steps and heals Eathwund again. They find that the stair ends in front of another metal door. This one does not appear to be locked. Eathwund opens it. Before them is a large octagonal chamber. There is a door directly across from them. Across the middle of the chamber stretches a 10-foot-wide pit filled nearly to the top with sand.

The group cautiously makes its way into the chamber, spreading out to face the pit. As Eathwund pokes the sand with his staff, the sand begins to stir and three human-sized creatures grow up out of the sand and move to attack. Two of them attack Aldus and Ian and one attacks Eathwund and Domago. The creatures appear to be constructs made of sand but their arrows and swords pierce the creatures and they leak sand. After a brief flurry of blows those fighting the constructs feel overcome with sleepiness. Eathwund fights it off but Ian, Aldus, and Domago lie down in the sand and fall asleep. Luckily a lot of damage has already been done to the constructs. Alrix finishes one off with arrows. Lakima casts dispel magic on Aldus and Ian and the pair shake their heads and start to get to their feet. At that moment two walls of stone slide to one side and four brown, troll-like creatures emerge and rush to attack. The creatures look vaguely like trolls but their eyes appear lifeless like they are constructs. August uses the wand of webs and Lakima’s urging and traps two of the creatures behind a wall of webbing.

Two of the creatures reach the adventurers and attack with clawed hands and attempt to bite the adventurers as well. Aldus is struck once. After a few sword blows are exchanged, Lakima uses a fireball spell casting it into the chamber and one of the trolls falls. The web is also burned away and two more trolls join the fight. Eventually, all of the strange constructs are destroyed. The sandmen crumble into piles of sand and the strange trolls collapse.

The group rests and gets some more healing from Domago once he has been shaken awake. They approach the metal door which appears to be unlocked.