Stay the Path

In this session of my Swords & Wizardry campaign, the players actually continued hunting for the two groups of missing explorers in a strange desolate world with a red sun. It was a near thing. The leader of the group was all for returning to their own dimension and leaving the explorers. He reasoned that they had done enough. Other players stepped in and argued to continue.

This is an ongoing issue in a long campaign like this. The players make almost no suggestions on where they would like to go next or things they would like to do next. They expect me to present them with multiple options. Which I would do if I had the time to write a dozen extra adventures. It makes a hexcrawl campaign seem ideal. But I wonder if the players would not take any action - instead waiting for something to come to them.

Session 130: King Zoser

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

The adventurers have traveled by the bridgeway to a strange world in another dimension where a red sun beams down about desolate wastelands. They are searching for the two previous groups of explorers sent here who have not returned. They are raiding the tomb of King Zoser looking for any trace of the missing explorers.

Having gained a key shaped something like a sprocket after defeating the Magma elemental the adventurers traverse the hallway to the door to the chamber full of sand. Entering their light illuminates a stone throne against the far wall. A dust devil of sand sprays up onto the throne.

“Looks like a sand elemental,” Alrix says.

Eathwund and Aldus take the lead walking cautiously into the chamber. They find that the sand covering the floor is deep and difficult to walk through. Soon, the rest of the company follows. Domago tries using the Helm of Comprehend languages to address the creature in the language of air elementals. It does not respond and takes no aggressive action.

“Do we attack it?” Aldus asks, puzzled.

“I hate when creatures do not respond,” says Lakima.

Then Lakima unleashes a volley of magic missiles into the vortex of sand. The missiles strike something, and the sand elemental immediately moves forward over the sandy floor. They see sand from the floor flying up into the elemental renewing its form. Aldus and Eathwund attack with swords and see sprays of sand fly from the shape where their swords hit. Alrix fires several arrows at it and Domago strikes with his mace. A blast of sand sprays out from the elemental striking Lakima hard in the chest and pushing him back. The battle continues with several exchanges as the elemental renews itself from the sandy floor. Eathwund is stuck by a blast of sand. The sand elemental starts to get smaller and smaller until it finally peters out and dies. A metal disc falls to the sandy floor.

Eathwund grabs it up and hands it to Lakima. It is another metal disc but this one has three teeth on its outer edge.

“Three teeth, this is the one!” Lakima says.

The group heads back to the chamber with the two statues holding spheres of stone over their heads. Lakima inserts the metal disc into the back of one statue and it fits perfectly. After a few tries he finds he can turn the disc to the right. As he does the arms of the statue descend holding the sphere until the stone ball rolls out of the statue’s hands and across the floor. Everyone waits expectantly but nothing happens. Lakima then removes the key and tries it with the same results in the back of the second statue.

Eathwund finds he can move the stone balls despite their enormous mass. He carefully rolls them near the round door.

“The stones block the hole, maybe?” Eathwund says.

“I think there is another room, behind the door mimic,” Alrix says.

The group decide to go back and question the mimic again. Eathwund dutifully drags another troll corpse over as another offering. The mimic asks for the corpse but they withhold it asking the mimic to reveal what is on the wall behind it. The creature claims that it is a blank wall and that it cannot move. The builders placed an enchantment on it preventing it from moving. The adventurers debate killing the mimic while the creature begs for its life claiming it is not hiding anything.

“I have an idea,” Lakima says.

He casts passwall behind the mimic revealing that nothing is behind it but solid stone.

“There might still be writing behind it or a portal,” Domago says. But the group decides to leave the mimic in peace. Eathwund pushes the troll corpse closer to the mimic and it eagerly eats the offering.

Returning to the chamber of the stone balls, everyone takes positions while Eathwund grabs the lever controlling the door. The lever is triggered and the door rolls open. A huge blast of wind roars through the chamber and the two stones roll through the doorway dragged into the hole in the center of the chamber beyond. As soon as they fall into the hole the wind drops to nothing. All is quiet and peaceful again.

“That’s it?” Lakima asks.

The adventurers walk into the wind-scoured chamber beyond. There is not much in the room only a metal door in the far wall with no hinges or handle. In the center of the door is a circular depression. Lakima tries fitting the sprocket key that has four teeth and finds it fits perfectly. Turning it to the left slowly slides open the metal door. Beyond is a dark chamber lit only by the light from Ian’s lantern. They see two, tall, red-clay statues standing to either side of a gold door. To their right and left are two similar gold doors etched with the images of a woman with bird wings.

“I think those are clay golems,” Lakima says uneasily pointing at the two enormous statues, “Let’s be careful – head for the door on the right.”

The group quietly and slowly walks over to the door on the right. It looks like it is covered in solid gold plates. Eathwund reaches out to open the door, and both Clay golems step down from their platforms and move slowly toward them. They shout out a challenge in an unrecognizable language.

“They said No!” Domago yells.

"I figured that!" Lakima shouts, “Quick, everyone to me!” 

Lakima then casts Protection from Evil. The golems continue to advance but then stop, unable to get through the magical barrier Lakima has created. Eathwund opens the door and looks into a small chamber with an enormous stone coffin resting in it. The coffin is decorated with engraved images of a mighty warhorse. Aldus enters the chamber and moves to the stone coffin. Eathwund spots an ancient leather saddle encrusted with jewels. He directs Ian to pick it up and carry it.

“Should I open it?” Aldus asks. Lakima nods and Aldus shoves open the stone lid. He feels an uncomfortable feeling deep in his chest but it quickly passes (he has in fact been cursed). Inside is the corpse of a mummified horse. Aldus does not spot any treasure so he slides the lid closed again.

Struggling with the large saddle, Ian follows Eathwund and Aldus out of the tomb. Aldus advises his squire to toss the saddle aside should they get in a fight or have to run.

Lakima continues to keep the clay golems at bay as they cross the chamber to the main door. Approaching it they see it is inscribed with the image of a king holding a staff in one hand and a sword in the other. Aldus opens the door and they see a small chamber before them, the floor is covered in a pile of gold coins and small gold statues. A single stone coffin rests in the center of the room covered in carved symbols. The stone coffin is open and a mummy holding a sword waits for them patiently.

The creature says something in a dry voice. Seeing their confusion it speaks again, this time in halting common.

“Begone from my tomb, foolish mortals!”

Lakima speaks to the mummy and learns that it is the undying King Zoser, the first king of the Muhati tribe. He threatens them with death or curses and claims to be constantly renewed by the magic of the pyramid. Lakima asks about the explorers from his home world and Zoser claims he has lain undisturbed for centuries. Lakima tells Zoser that his kingdom is gone and is now a desolate wasteland. This greatly angers Zoser.

“Lies lies!” Zoser shouts and moves forward striking Eathwund with his sword. Blood splatters from the wound he opens. The fight does not take very long before Zoser is brought down. As he is falling, he laughs at them calling them fools and primitives, and promises to rise again.

Domago uses his staff of healing on Eathwund again. Eathwund searches the chamber. The stone coffin appears to be empty. He does find a locked chest he cannot open. Lakima checks it and finds it is not trapped with magic. August opens the chest using the knock spell from his cursed helm. Inside they find several magical weapons and a mysterious metal flask that appears to be empty. Eathwund picks up the sword the mummy was wielding. They have to remove some gold from the bag of holding to get the weapons into the bag. Lakima checks the ceiling above and sees a pattern with a blue gem at the center. The gem glows with weak magic. Using his staff, he casts telekinesis and pulls the gem toward his hand. Lakima examines the gem and he uses the last charge of the arrow of direction asking for the source of the life force sustaining Zoser. The arrow points at the gem. Lakima then asks Domago to smash it. Domago does so with his mace. There is a burst of blue light as he breaks the gem. A disembodied spirit howls in anguish screaming, “No!”

They look and see Zoser’s mummified corpse turn to powder. Outside the range of the protection spell the two clay golems cease their movements. The adventurers congratulate each other. Lakima checks the chamber carefully with his wand of secret door detection but he finds nothing. 

“Well- I guess we leave, the explorers we are looking for are not here.”

Before leaving the group moves across the chamber to the second gold door. Aldus opens the door and inside they see a small chamber with two normal-sized stone coffins. Each coffin lid is carved with a relief of a different woman. Lakima checks for magic and he sees that each stone lid is enchanted to discharge a lightning trap should they be disturbed. He checks with Domago and then working together they dispel the magic on both coffins. Eathwund moves to one coffin and Aldus to another. Aldus pushes the lid aside first and a mummy rises out of the coffin to attack. In front of Eathwund the stone lid on the other coffin slides to one side and another mummy attacks. Domago presents his holy symbol and forces both mummies back into their stone tombs. The adventurers quickly leave the chamber and close the door again.

The group decides to leave the tomb. They have no encounters as they are leaving and they are soon outside again. Lakima suggests returning home via Zentrium but Eathwund suggests that the arrow pointed north to find the explorers so they should continue following the road. The road heads northwest toward the mountains but at least it is heading somewhat in the right direction.

The group decides to continue following the road setting out again with the sun high overhead. They walk through the wasteland for a few hours before spotting the ruins of a city on the horizon. Still uncovered by the sand are the remains of a palace. A stone staircase leads up to a pair of wooden double doors. A pair of camel-headed human statues stand at the base of the steps.

“Let’s get inside before the sun sets,” Lakima says.

Aldus and Eathwund lead the way up the steps and come under fire from arrows coming from arrow slits in the wall facing them. Eathwund continues running up the steps and he smashes the wood doors open with his shield. Inside he finds a large number of animated skeletons armed with bows and swords. Eathwund smashes two apart before matching blades with the leader of the skeletons who is wearing rusted armor. Aldus soon joins Eathwund and smashes several more skeletons. Domago tosses his shield down on the steps, says a command word, and it transforms into a large lion. He points at the skeletons and the lion roars and leaps on the skeletons. Domago then lifts his holy symbol presenting it to the skeletons and several of them are blasted to pieces. Aldus and Eathwund dispatch all of the skeletons with the exception of the skeleton general who keeps fighting. It takes a number of blows to destroy it.

The group searches through a few empty chambers including a throne room finding nothing of interest. They decide to set up camp in what was once a barracks. Watches are set and the summoned lion is left pacing the hall outside the door to their room. As soon as the sun sets the lion increases its pacing and lets out the occasional roar. Eventually, since no one can get to sleep they open the door and find several wights and wraiths surrounding the lion. Several wights fall quickly as Domago uses his holy symbol to destroy them. Two remain and Lakima drinks a potion of wight control to take over their actions. Domago yells a warning that he can see several wraiths and a spectre moving toward them from the throne chamber. Alrix casts a fireball destroying some of the wraiths and the controlled wights. Lakima then uses the Staff of Power to cast another fireball and the remaining wraiths are destroyed. Domago enters the throne room and uses his faith to banish the spectre that was waiting there on the throne.

The group returns to the room and sleeps the rest of the night with two of their number on watch at all times. In the morning they pack up and leave. As they head out on the road Eathwund asks if they should not search the ruins but Lakima reminds him that their packs are already full of treasure.

The group sets out following the road through the desert until they see a black obelisk rising out of the desert. As they get closer it continues to get bigger and bigger. The ruined obelisk is fully one hundred feet square. In the lee of the obelisk, they see tattered tents and supplies, their first possible evidence of the explorers they seek.

Find the Key

This next session, number 129 we were without the party leader. Lakima the mage has become the leader of the group over the 3 years of playing. His job times changed so it looked like we might be without him for a few months. I told him I would play his PC as an NPC to the end of the current adventure and then have his character take a break to study magic. As it turned out he only missed one session. He found a way to make it with us moving the time slot forward slightly.

This session was a classic "find the keys to move the plot forward" session. Without Lakima's player gone the other players had to step up and without a clear leader, there was a lot of back and forth without a clear decision. But we got there and no one's character died.

Session 129: Puzzles

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 have traveled by the bridgeway to a strange world in another dimension where a red sun beams down about desolate wastelands. They are searching for the two previous groups of explorers sent here who have not returned. Recently they have entered the tomb of King Zoser.

Eathwund opens the metal door at the far end of the chamber. It leads down a short hall to an intersection of two hallways. With his darkvision Alrix can see a chamber to the north where human-sized statues line the west and east walls. There are four doors down the west and east passages here. Eathwund heads to the left and notices that warm, dry air is blowing toward him from under the door at the end of the hallway.

“That door might lead back outside?” Alrix says.

Eathwund decides to open the door before him on the north wall but Alrix warns they should be cautious and suggests they use the periapt vs. poison that Fenris was wearing when he was killed. Lakima pulls Fenris partially out of the bag of holding and they remove the periapt. After some discussion, it is decided that Aldus should use it since he is bigger and stronger than Eathwund. Aldus puts on the periapt and opens the door. The door opens outward into the hallway and reveals a 20-foot-square room. Two large chests rest on the floor. Aldus steps across the threshold of the doorway and vanishes. The entrance also vanishes and is replaced with a stone wall. Eathwund examines the wall and realizes that the room was an illusion.

“Where has Master Aldus gone?” Ian the squire asks.

Since they have no idea where Aldus has gone the group decides to move on, figuring that Aldus is likely somewhere nearby and will soon find the group.

Meanwhile, Aldus finds that he steps through the doorway and then the room is instantly covered in darkness. His foot comes down on something that snaps and feels like wood. Reaching down he finds it is a human bone. Aldus calls out to his companions but they do not answer. Feeling behind himself for the doorway he finds only air. Aldus decides to carefully walk forward and after several steps, he encounters a stone wall. He follows the wall to the right until he comes to the corner of the room. Continuing on to the right Aldus traces out a 20-foot-square room with no exits. The floor is covered in piles of bones. He carefully searches the walls but cannot locate any doors or levers. Aldus decides to clear a space on the floor and get comfortable and wait.

Eathwund moves to the door from which warm air is blowing. Placing his hand on the door he finds that it is actually hot – like the other side is in direct sunlight. Eathwund opens the door and beholds a large, square chamber about 50 feet square. The near half of the chamber has a plain stone floor. The far half is a pool of bubbling magma almost to the height of the surrounding floor. Rising above the magma is a throne of black stone. Seated on the throne is a humanoid creature made of magma. Eathwund quickly closes the door again and tells his companions what he saw.

They decide to head down the eastern corridor instead. As they approach the door on the north wall, a large eye forms on the surface of the door. The eyelid lazily opens and peers at them. Then a large mouth forms on the surface of the door below the eye. The mouth speaks in a dry, loud voice. Only Domago (wearing the Helm of Comprehending Languages) can understand the words.

“It said, I am hungry, feed me one of your friends and I will move aside so you can get to the treasure I protect,” Domago says.

“We could feed it a dead troll,” Eathwund suggests.

Eathwund heads back to the large chamber with the sand pit and drags an eight-foot-tall troll carcass back to the hall. He tosses the carcass before the door. Two tentacles lash out from the door and the troll carcass is slowly eaten. Once the troll is gone the mouth says something else which Domago translates to “I am sleepy now.”

The eye and mouth close and then vanish from the surface of the door. Alrix yells at the door asking about the treasure but there is no response.

Eathwund moves to the door at the end of the hallway and opens it. He sees a chamber with a sand floor and not much else.

“We need to find Aldus!” Ian the squire asks.

“Okay, let me use the arrow,” Lakima says. He takes out the Arrow of direction and asks it to point to Aldus’ location. The arrow points back in the direction of the exit. Lakima tells everyone they must hurry; the arrow will only point for a few seconds. He rushes back toward where they entered. Eathwund closes the door to the sand chamber and follows everyone else as they head back up the stairs where the arrow points to one of the alcoves above the stair where the stone block trap came from.

Using the wand of secret door detection Lakima points at the back wall of the alcove and tells them there is a secret door there. Eathwund checks and is able to see the outline of a doorway but it does not budge when he pushes against it. Eathwund taps the wall with his shield and calls out to Aldus. There is no response (Aldus hears a tapping sound in the distance but it sounds far away).

Alrix then suggests the cursed Helm of Free Action. Lakima removes it from the bag of holding and hands it to his apprentice August. He instructs August to put it on. August questions what it is and Alrix explains how it works. Domago assures August that he can remove it from him with a spell. Reluctantly, August dons the helm and following directions casts a knock spell on the secret door. The door starts to move forward down the hallway and then slides into the north wall. They see an empty hallway now revealed. With the wand Lakima again is able to point out that there is a door ahead. August uses another knock spell from the helm on this doorway and it also opens. The light from Ian’s lantern falls open Aldus who is sitting on the edge of a pile of bones napping. Ian heads into the chamber and moves to awaken Aldus but Aldus immediately opens his eyes.

“About time,” Aldus says.

They cast their light about the chamber Aldus was in and find it full of bones, bits of broken metal, and rotted cloth. The group forms up again with Aldus in the lead and they head back to the intersection of passages. This time they decide to head north. The hallway leads to a large hallway with four statues of humans on the west and east walls, all facing inward. The statues are of different humans in different poses but all have looks of horror on their faces. The group all agree that this looks suspicious. Keeping a close eye on the statues, Eathwund carefully walks down the hallway to the far end where there is another grey metal door. Alrix then follows. Since nothing happens, the rest of the group follows but once they reach the mid-point of the chamber the floor is revealed to be a trapper that rolls up engulfing Aldus, Domago, Lakima, and Ian. Alrix and Ian who were on the edges of the trapper manage to leap clear. In the center of the room, a trapper had rolled up into a 10-square pile and is smothering their companions!

Eathwund attacks the outside of the trapper with his longsword slashing long gashes in its leathery hide. Alrix casts multiple magic missiles while August also casts magic missile. Inside the trapper the four victims struggle, unable to move. Domago is able to cast cause wounds, and Lakima manages to use his wand of shocking. But Eathwund and Alrix’s efforts are rewarded and the trapper dies releasing its victims onto the floor. The trapper lies in a pile of bleeding leathery skin. The area of the floor that was beneath it is revealed to be covered in gold and platinum coins. The group immediately starts scooping coins in the bag of holding.

“Get the platinum coins first!” Alrix tells them.

They also find a few items that Lakima detects as magical, a sword, a battered shield, a scroll, and a ring. There is also a copper flask with liquid in it that does not detect as magical. Everything is put into the bag of holding until the bag is full. Then they fill up the pouch of holding as well. With no more space to store treasure, they are forced to leave a lot of coins lying on the floor.

The door out of the room is opened and it leads into a square chamber containing a 20-foot-in diameter circular stone door and two statues. The statues are immense and each holds a stone sphere over its head. On the back of the statues, they find what appears to be the indentation for a clockwork key. Eathwund pulls a lever near the door and it rolls back revealing a large chamber beyond. Immediately, howling winds fill the chamber and everyone feels themselves buffeted and pulled toward the doorway. Eathwund sees that the source of the winds is a hole in the center of the chamber beyond. He quickly pulls the lever again closing the door and the winds subside.

The group spends time examining the statues but to Alrix it is clear they need to find a pair of keys.

“I know tombs like these,” Alrix says, “we need to find a pair of keys to operate these statues and block the wind tunnel.” Alrix goes on to say that he expects the keys will be in the two rooms they did not explore.

They decide to try the magma room first. Eathwund opens the door and tentatively advances into the chamber. Ian, Aldus, and Domago follow. Alrix and Lakima stand ready by the doorway. August is told to wait at the intersection of the halls. At first, the magma lord ignores them. Eathwund tries calling out to it but nothing happens. But as soon as Eathwund moves close to the magma the creature moves scooping up a fistful of magma and rearing back to throw it.

“Look out!” Eathwund yells.

Alrix fires magical arrows at the magma creature and Domago fires a pair of magical bullets from his sling. Lakima uses the Staff of Power to blast the creature with a cone of cold. One handful of magma strikes Eathwund in the chest burning him. But he is ready for the second throw and deflects it aside with his shield. By this time Alrix’s arrows finish off the creature. Its top half collapses into the pool of magma and a metal disc appears sitting precariously on the black stone throne.

“I have this,” Lakima says and uses the Staff of Power to cast telekinesis and bring the metal gear flying through the air to his hand.

Lakima examines the gear and notices that it has four sockets while the statues in the chamber of the door had three projections.

“This might not be the right key?” Lakima says.

The group head down the hallway toward the other door. The eye appears they pass on the north wall again and watches them. Then a mouth appears and says something. Domago translates that it is hungry again and will tell them a secret in return for food. Eathwund goes and grabs another troll corpse. Before feeding the corpse to the creature they demand the secret first. The creature tells them that a lord of fire and a lord of air hold the two keys they need to enter Zoser’s tomb.

“I knew that,” Alrix says.

Eathwund tosses the troll corpse to the door and it is consumed.

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.

Gaheris the Lich

 The first adventure after the big bad of the campaign world was killed by the players went pretty well. I used Advanced Adventures Module #2, The Red Mausoleum by James C. Boney published by Expeditious Retreat Press. I made some changes to the maps, and the descriptions to fit my campaign but for the most part, I ran it as written. The big finish was a Lich named Gaheris and it worked okay but was not quite as challenging as I had hoped. He did get away so there is an opportunity for a return.

The problem with any single antagonist is that he will be facing multiple player characters. Never underestimate how much damage a balanced party of adventurers can do to a single monster. He used monster-summoning and repulsion to good effect but he still got smacked pretty badly.

Singular boss monsters just feel right. Likely because that is how it is done in the movies, but I think multiple monsters work best. Maybe I need a group of evil adventurers.

After this adventure, the players are off on some world-hopping adventures. One thing I have learned is that with high-level adventuring you do need to expand their reach. Every bad guy cannot show up in the 40-mile radius around their home base.

Session 127: Gaheris

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

The adventurers are somewhere deep in the earth searching the Red Mausoleum for Lich Gaheris, the source of the undead hordes attacking Edgerton. After closing the portal to the negative material plane, they entered a hallway that should lead to the lich’s lair.

“Fenris check that door for traps,” Lakima tells the thief.

Before Fenris can comply, Eathwund notices a slight disturbance in the hallway and feels a chill in the hallway. He turns and shouts a warning to all in the hallway just as some invisible force clamps a mouth down on Aldus’ shield arm. Aldus cries out but manages to push it back. Immediately, Alrix casts faerie fire on the area and a faerie glow outlines the shape of a humanoid creature slightly taller than Eathwund. Eathwund strikes it with his sword and Alrix fires two arrows into its mid-section. The creature falls to the stone floor. Aldus stamps on it once to be sure it does not move.

“Are we sure it is clear now?” Fenris asks.

He then moves up and checks the door declaring it unlocked and not trapped. Fenris immediately drops back behind the fighters. Aldus looks to Eathwund and the latter shrugs and points at the door. At that moment the hallway is again flooded with the sound of the screaming, moaning undead in the pit. The door to the pit chamber flies inward. Two skeleton warriors stride into the hallway. They are clad in ancient metal armor and hold glowing longswords. They fall immediately upon Alrix and Lakima and attack. Lakima is slashed by one of the skeletons but Alrix leaps back and avoids the attack. Lakima grips his staff of power in bloodied hands and casts telekinesis on the skeleton that attacked him hurling it far off into the darkness of the pit chamber. The squire Ian and Thistle the ranger come to the aid of Lakima and Alrix and attacks the remaining skeleton. Alrix fires arrows into the skeleton. Then Domago races up and strikes it with his mace. Finally, it is Alrix who finishes the creature with a swarm of magic missiles. Lakima tells Thistle to close the door again and to emphasize the closure he casts a wall of ice over it blocking the corridor. Thistle picks up the glowing sword of the skeleton and immediately tosses it down. He tells everyone that it contains the essence of a vampire who tried to enforce its will over his mind.

Eathwund forces the door open and they find the hall goes only another ten feet before ending in a wall of magical darkness. A male human voice speaks loudly in a language they do not understand.

“It is the speech of Mor,” Domago says, “he says welcome my newest servants. Come in and join my army.”

Both Alrix and Lakima shout angry retorts and the disembodied voice. The voice chuckles and continues to taunt them. Lakima casts dispel magic and the globe of magical darkness vanishes. They see a chamber cluttered with tables and shelves, stools, and workbenches. A stone throne faces them from the far wall. Standing beside it is a jovial-looking man clad in the outdated finery of a merchant of the age of the Three Cities. He waves them forward. Eathwund charges toward the man and a 10-foot-square pit trap opens up under his feet. Just as he feels the ground beneath his feet begin to drop away, he leaps forward and grasps the far end of the pit, and pulls himself up.

Fenris fires a crossbow bolt striking the man in the shoulder. Immediately the illusion of his visage changes. They see a skeletal figure in tattered rags. Green glowing orbs shine from hollow eye-sockets. 

The Lich spits a curse at Fenris.

“Sorry about that,” Fenris mutters.

Aldus leaps across the pit and joins Eathwund followed by Domago. Alrix waits on the other side and fires a pair of arrows at the Lich striking him. The Lich casts another spell with no apparent effect until Aldus and Eathwund realize they can move but not toward the Lich. The Lich grins at their bewilderment.

“It’s a repulsion spell!” both Lakima and Alrix shout at the same time.

Lakima moves to the edge of the pit and casts a lightning bolt at the Lich. The lich dodges out of the main path of the lightning but is still injured. He moves back out of the chamber toward the entrance to another chamber. Unable to get closer, Eathwund hurls his javelin of piercing at the lich but it misses. Domago blows the Silver Horn of Valhalla and three berserk fighters appear near the Lich, but they also cannot approach

.

The Lich then summons a Red Wraith which appears near Aldus and Eathwund. The lich then moves further away out of sight of Lakima and Alrix. The berserkers immediately attack the wraith as do Eathwund and Aldus. Two of the berserkers are killed. Unable to see the lich anymore, Domago uses the Prayer Book of St. Waldan on the Wraith and destroys it. Lakima and Alrix leap over the pit and move until they gain sight of the lich. They cannot move any closer. Alrix transforms into his true form and uses his lightning breath blasting a bolt of lightning at the lich. The lich again proves surprisingly nimble but it cannot escape the full force of the blast.

“Let’s talk, parlay!” the lich tells them.

Lakima speaks to the Lich and it tells them it is Gaheris the architect of the crypt. It offers to bribe them with gold and leave the area. Lakima accepts on a few conditions and the lich immediately drops out of sight around a corner. They see a flash of light. Lakima, Eathwund, and Aldus advance into the chamber around the corner and find a few pieces of furniture, an iron lockbox, and a mystical circle inscribed into the stone floor easily 20 feet in diameter.

“We have to follow it”, Lakima says and motions everyone in the company into the circle. 

Nothing happens. Thistle examines the runes and tells everyone that he thinks it is a summoning circle. The group turns to examine the contents of the lich’s lair. Fenris checks the lockbox and tells them it is magically trapped. Lakima uses the Staff to cast telekinesis and lift the box into a bag of holding. They also take several books and scrolls from the bookcases.

Eathwund and then Lakima leap back across the pit. Just as they do the wall of ice at the end of the corridor shatters and the skeletal warrior that Lakima earlier tossed with telekinesis enters the hallway followed by a horde of zombies, skeletons, and mummies. Lakima motions Eathwund back and he immediately leaps the pit. Lakima takes out a potion of slipperiness and pours it across the floor in front of the pit. He then also leaps across the pit.

The skeleton warrior loses his balance and slides into the pit, this is followed by several zombies, skeletons, and a few skeletons. Looking down then see a 40-foot-deep pit with a pile of corpses at the bottom. More undead continue to join the pile for the next hour. Eventually, the undead stopped entering the hallway.

Since they are tired and out of spells, they decide to rest for eight hours to recover. During the first watch, a few more undead add to the pile in the pit. Then everything gets quieter. Even the noise from the cradle of unlife is quieter.

Once everyone has rested, they pass over the pit one by one. The oil of slipperiness has now evaporated. As they near the end of the hallway, four mummies step out from cover and move to attack but Domago presents his holy symbol and drives them back out of the hallway. The heroes enter the chamber with the pit of death and move along the ledge, Domago in the lead driving undead before him. They find a doorway leading to a crypt with two open stone coffins. One coffin contains a crown and a clay jug (which detects as magical) and the other holds a magical shield and a phylactery. The items go into the bag of holding.

They exit and also find an old armory. Domago continues to destroy undead hordes with the force of his god. The group finally leaves the chamber the way they originally came and they close and spike shut the double doors. They continue along to the sunken hallway. Domago uses the Book of Water breathing to cast the spell over the group. One by one they walk down into the water. Soon the water is over their heads. In the gloom, they spot three ghouls swimming toward them but Domago is able to destroy them with the force of his beliefs. The tunnel leads up to a cave and outside into the moors. They emerge a few hundred feet from the red platform in the moors. About them they see a few undead stumbling about aimlessly. The sun has just started to rise on a new day but the moors are still covered in mist.

“I will lead you to the village of Hamlin,” Thistle tells them. “Then we shall part ways.”

The ranger leads them unerringly across the moors to the wood path across the stream. He then leads them west. Around noon they see flashes of light in the distance and the bang of explosions. Running toward the sound and light they rescue four adventurers surrounded by zombies and skeletons. The adventurers are led by Kenrae one of the missing teachers from the School of Magic. The group gratefully accepts the protection of the group as they continue on to Hamlin. In Hamlin, they find the village deserted. There are signs of Loxley the halfling and Multen in the inn (half-eaten food and jugs of ale) but the pair of adventurers have apparently moved on. Thistle the ranger says goodbye to the group in Hamlin. He tells them he will continue patrolling the moors slaying undead and looking for any clues as to where Gaheris fled.

The group continues on to Edgerton arriving in the early afternoon. They say goodbye to the four adventurers they rescued. Kenrae pays the mercenaries he hired (Suten and Thora) and then he and Ludella return to the Mages Guild. Lakima leads the rest of the group over to the Church of St. Cuthbert. They find Abbot Marta conversing with a parishioner in the nave. Lakima tells Marta about their most recent adventure and Marta agrees to commune with St. Cuthbert on the location of Gaheris. After a long, silent prayer before the altar, Marta comes back to them and says that he had a vision that Gaheris has teleported to the former capital of Mor far to the east in Calwell. He is still a threat to Dolmvay but no longer to Edgerton. He counsels that they should go after the lich as there are no others powerful enough to face it. But for now, there is no immediate threat.

The group heads over to the Manor House. Shortly after entering the main hall, they are greeted by the excited shouts of Nissa (the wayward apprentice they met in Dolmvay). She rushes to Aldus and Eathwund and hugs them and tells them that she needs their help finding her teacher Windmaster Bryan Sturlaker. A moment later Alayna appears with Ezmeralden, the custodian of the bridgeway. In the private meeting area, Ezmeralden tells them of the few secret rods of the bridgeway device that open portals to bridges located on other worlds. Windmaster Sturlaker had gained Ezmeralden’s confidence enough to show him some of these realms. The Windmaster was intrigued by the thrill of exploration and would occasionally send wizards of the Council of Winds through these portals accompanied by mercenaries. One such party went through to a desolate dimension with a red sun. They never returned. After 2 months of waiting, the Windmaster went through himself accompanied by the second senior mage of the Council. He left Nissa in the company of Ezmeralden promising to return in a week. Two weeks passed with no news. Ezmeralden contacted the Council but they had no other mages with the skills needed to search for the Windmaster. Ezmeralden suggested he reach out to a company of adventurers.

He had arrived in Egerton earlier in the day. Ezmeralden asks if they would go through the portal and look for the Windmaster. He does not what dangers might exist in this strange desolate dimension. He has not observed any life other than scrub plants. Lakima tells Ezmeralden that he is busy with a commission for the Merchant Adventurers Guild that will take a few weeks. Ezmeralden tells them that he understands. They will have to wait. Nissa is not so understanding but Ezmeralden quiets her. Lakima does promise to see if he can expedite matters. To that end, he goes over to see Malyn and asks if he can complete the commission for the Merchants (to enchant a ship to fly). Malyn shakes his head and tells Lakima that he does not have that kind of power. Only Lakima is powerful enough to enchant the ship.

Lakima returns and tells Ezmeralden to stay as their guest and he will try to complete the commission for the Merchant Adventurer’s Guild as soon as possible. Rasmus Orbin of the guild is contacted and they learn that the guild has a ship ready for the enchantment.

The Cradle of Unlife

Last week my players continued through the Red Mausoleum. This is an adventure I adapted from Advanced Adventures Module #2 by James C. Boney published by Expeditious Retreat Press. The Cradle of Unlife in question is a portal to the negative material plane that is being used to create an army of the undead by a Lich.

I left the Cradle chamber more or less the same as written in the original Osric rules adventure and for once I think I managed to convey the magnitude of the chamber to my players. They seemed suitably impressed with the danger.

This chamber is one of the reasons I decided to run this adventure so it was gratifying that it had the impact I had envisioned. There is nothing worse than an anticipated encounter going flat.

Session 126: The Cradle of Unlife

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 Company of Adventurers are somewhere deep in the earth searching through the Red Mausoleum for the source of the undead hordes attacking Edgerton. With the portal back to the dungeon they entered from closed the group has been searching for a way forward or a way back.

The dungeon level is a confusing maze but Thistle Walker remembers which directions they have gone before so he and Lakima confer. As they talk the other adventurers hear moaning and the sound of many shuffling feet coming from a nearby hallway.

“Light!” Lakima shouts and casts light into the dark hallway.

Four shambling zombies can be seen moving toward the adventurers. Eathwund followed by Aldus moves to the front and blocks the zombies from entering the chamber. They make short work of the four undead.

Thistle Walker leads the group down one of two hallways leading from the room that they have not explored. But the hallway circles back and returns to the chamber. Lakima then points south. Walker tells him that the chamber barred by a portcullis is in that direction. They decide to head that way and Aldus with help from Eathwund manages to lift the portcullis. The chamber has a large iron grate set on the floor in an iron frame. Peering through the grate, Fenris announces that he can see a metal ladder headed down into another chamber below. The iron grate is hinged to be lifted open but Fenris says it must be incredibly heavy.

Still enchanted with Lakima’s Strength spell, Aldus grasps the edge of the grate and manages to swing it up and open. Ian helps to steady it open while Fenris descends. He goes down a short way so he can get a clear look and then cries out in surprise and rushes back up.

“There are two mummies down there!”

Lakima tries to get a view below to see the mummies but he is unable. He casts a fireball spell and tosses it down into the chamber below. The fireball explodes and smoke pours out of the chamber. Fenris goes down a short way again and announces that the mummies are burnt badly but still moving. Alrix finishes off the mummies with a few well-placed arrows shot from his longbow.

The entire group descends the ladder to the next level. Other than the burnt corpses of the mummies the chamber below is empty. A hallway leads off into the darkness. They notice that the strange vines and flowers do not cover the walls on this level. Also, the walls are not pockmarked with ossuaries for the dead.

Fenris leads the group to a locked door. The lock is complex and he is unable to open it. So, they continue on to the next door they find at the end of a hallway. Fenris takes the lead down hallways until he finds another door. This door has a small circle of glowing runes on the front of the door. Fenris says that it is locked but he is more concerned about the runes. Lakima casts dispel magic and the runes vanish. Fenris tries the lock and finds that it is fake. In fact, he realizes the door is unlocked but the lock and hinges are fake, the door swings on hidden hinges on its opposite side. He swings the door inward and looks into a strange chamber.

The walls, ceiling, and floor are made of the same red stone that they have found throughout this dungeon – but all of the stones are covered in painted eyes that seem to stare directly at them. On the far side of the room rests a stone coffin with a padlocked lid. Fenris moves forward cautiously to the stone coffin.

As Fenris traverses the chamber the eyes appear to follow his movements. Eathwund and Aldus move up to the edge of the doorway to cover him with Thistle Walker a short distance behind them.

Fenris unlocks the stone coffin and the lid flies off hitting the far wall. A brilliant white light shoots out of the coffin and before anyone can react – three enormous, scaly, demons climb out of the coffin. Fenris staggers backward toward a corner of the room. The three demons immediately attack Aldus and Eathwund with their enormous, clawed hands. Three more demons emerge from the coffin.

“Are there any more coming out?” Lakima shouts to Fenris.

Fenris does not answer as he is too busy trying to make himself hard to see in a corner of the brightly lit chamber. One of the demons easily spots the cowering thief and steps toward him clawing into his flesh. Aldus and Eathwund continue to hold off the remaining demons but things are getting desperate. Alrix fires a few arrows at the demons and Thistle Walker hurls bullets from his sling.

Lakima cast conjure elemental and an enormous air elemental appears and swiftly enters the fray blowing past Eathwund and Aldus it pulls three demons off of them and smashes one with a strike. Three of the demons turn to fight the air elemental. Fenris manages to use his longsword to slash at the demon attacking him. Domago blows the Silver Horn of Valhalla and 3 berserkers appear behind the demons in the chamber. Two of them immediately launch themselves on the demons and the third slides the stone lid of the coffin over the opening.

Fenris is soon clawed apart and he falls to the floor. The demon attacking him turns its attention to the berserkers and soon dispatches them as well. The air elemental keeps three demons busy but is mauled by the attacks of the demons. Eathwund takes a bad slash on his arm opening a large wound. Domago casts a healing spell on Eathwund. One of the demons falls to the air elemental. With the space created, Eathwund and Aldus push forward and Alrix is able to get his dancing sword into the fight. With all of the adventurers concentrating their attacks on one demon they are able to finally kill it.

There are still four demons fighting but the elemental kills two of them. Now with the space opening up, Thistle Walker is able to get into the action using his battleaxe. One of the two remaining demons opens a gate to the abyss and retreats. The last demon is killed and Alrix fires an arrow into the back of the demon stepping through the abyssal gate.

As the fight ends, Lakima sends the air elemental through the closing gate to the abyss.

The fight over, five dead demons cover the floor of the chamber. Domago makes his way to Fenris and finds he still has a pulse. He casts healing magic on Fenris until the thief is ready to get up again. Fenris thanks Domago and looks at the healing staff in wonder.

Lakima and Fenris walk over to the stone coffin. Aldus comes over and Lakima asks him to open it. The stone lid is pushed back again. Looking in they see a stone chamber 8 feet square. The walls and floor of the chamber glow with a bright white light like a powerful continual light spell. Only a few silver coins lying on the floor. They decide to close the stone lid again.

The group sets out again. Fenris finds another locked door and opens it. Inside they see a single, human, male prisoner chained to the wall. The prisoner looks emaciated and wears only a loin cloth. His head droops forward and he is actually suspended in the air by the chains on his wrists.

“Hello! Who are you?” Lakima shouts.

The man slowly raises his head and sees them. He cries out for help and tells them his sad tale. He is Talien, an adventurer who was in company with Kenrae the Black (a teacher missing from the Academy of Magic. Lakima questions Talien with suspicion but eventually tells Fenris to get the man down from the wall. Once freed Talien asks if they know the way out. When he learns they do not he asks to join them and asks for a weapon. Lakima hands him one of his magical daggers.

“I’ll just stay near the back and out of trouble until we find a way out,” Talien says.

Their number increased to nine, and the adventurers head onward. Their sense of smell is soon assaulted with a rotting smell. Rounding a corner in the hallway they come across a chamber full of dirt and debris. Dozens of capped mushrooms over a foot tall grow up out of the debris.

“Stay back!” Lakima yells expecting that the mushrooms are shriekers.

However, the light from Domago’s continual light spell illuminates the mushrooms and no noise is made. Not wanting to take risks, Lakima casts a fireball into the chamber, and the mushrooms and burnable debris all burst into flames. Soon all that remains is ash and dirt. Fenris carefully darts through the chamber followed by the less careful Domago and Aldus. Nothing happens so everyone follows. They follow a long hallway that ends in a stuck door. Fenris tells everyone that it is not trapped or locked but it is firmly stuck in its frame. Both Aldus and Eathwund find they cannot push it open.

“I’ll try,” Talien says and the thin man moves up and manages to shove the door open. He looks back at the group and shrugs apologetically.

The door has opened into a hallway perpendicular to the hall they came from. To the left, the hallway descends and is flooded with dirty green water. To the right, the hallway goes a short distance before entering a chamber. From the right, the entire group can hear a cacophony of voices shouting. They cannot make out the words or individual voices.

The large chamber is empty with two large iron doors at the far end. The noise of voices gets louder as they approach the doors. Fenris nervously moves up to the doors. He has to shout to make himself heard.

“The doors are unlocked. They are well-oiled and have been open recently. I don’t like this!”

Lakima yells for Fenris to move to the back of the group and asks for the fighters to move to the front. Talien and Ian move to stand near Lakima. Aldus, Eathwund, Domago, and Thistle Walker move up to the doors.

“Ready?” Aldus asks Eathwund. Eathwund nods.

The two fighters swing open the doors and both are hit with a wave of noise. Hundreds of voices calling out, screaming, and babbling. They cannot make any sense of it. Domago shines the continual light spell into the chamber beyond.

They see a huge chamber at least 100 feet across. The ceiling is 70 feet above and the floor drops away after a ledge deep into the darkness. A 10-foot-wide ledge circles the chamber. In the center, they see a square pillar 20 feet wide. On top of the square is a painted mandala from which a black vapor pours out. Above it hangs a hemispherical iron cap the same diameter as the mandala. The iron cap is suspended from a thick iron chain.

The incredible noise of voices comes from the pit. Fenris walks to the edge of the ledge and looks down. He staggers back in horror. Below are a thousand corpses. As the black vapor pours down into the pit the corpses stir and stand. Hundreds and corpses and skeletons are climbing up the walls of the pit.

“Can you understand them?” Lakima shouts at Fenris.

The thief, his face pale and drawn, shakes his head numbly.

Alrix follows the chain holding the cap upward with his eyes. He sees it go up into darkness passing through a pulley on the ceiling and then coming down where it meets a winch 100 feet away located on the wall perpendicular to the doors.

“Look! We have to get over there and lower the plug!” Alrix shouts. He points across the chamber.

The adventurers look at the path along the ledge and realize that some of the undead will soon climb up to the ledge and flood over them.

“We have to clear the path” Lakima shouts looking at Alrix.

Alrix casts an enormous fireball spell, detonating it over the pit. Dozens of skeletons and corpses are consumed in the blast and tumble back down into the pit. Lakima casts a wall of iron anchoring it on either end of the ledge in an attempt to block more undead from climbing upward. Quickly, Fenris leads Aldus, Eathwund, Domago, and Alrix along the wide ledge. They arrive at the winch.

“What would happen to that wall should you die?” Talien asks Lakima. Ian looks about at the man in surprise. Seemingly, unfazed Lakima answers.

“The wall would vanish. What a strange question.”

Talien then transforms into his true appearance. That of a cambion devil.

“Then die!” he says and he swings a clawed hand at Lakima cutting open his shoulder. 

Ian leaps at the devil swinging his long sword and stabbing the black-skinned creature in the stomach. The devil swears in anger its red eyes flashing. It turns to attack Ian.

Meanwhile, Fenris examines the winch and declares it safe. Looking over the chain he tells Aldus to turn it to the left. Aldus grunts and with his magic-infused strength he slowly turns the winch as instructed. Eathwund watches as the metal dome begins to close over the inscribed mandala.

Alrix looks back toward Lakima and Ian and sees the devil attacking them. He yells a warning at Eathwund and turns and fires two arrows. Both strike the surprised devil in the chest. Lakima casts a summoning spell and two wild-eyed harpies appear. He directs them to attack the devil. The talons of the harpies dig into the black flesh of the devil.

The devil staggers backward and put his arms up in surrender.

“Okay, let's talk, I have important secrets to share!”

Lakima waves the harpies back and dismissively tells the devil that he has little time. The devil refuses to give its name but it does tell Lakima that the architect of this mausoleum is a lich called Gaheris. Gaheris is one of the legendary demonologists of Mor. He built this mausoleum 1,500 years in the past. On further questioning the devil tells Lakima that Gaheris is in a chamber just past where Aldus stands by the winch. He asks if he is now free to go, but Lakima gestures to the harpies to finish him off. The devil is killed and the harpies soon vanish.

Lakima and Ian join the rest of the company. Domago comes over to heal Ian.

“That was bravely done,” Domago tells Ian.

Eathwund points to a nearby door in the wall. Fenris goes over and checks and then opens it. As soon as everyone has passed into the hallway Thistle Walker pulls the door shut. The noise of the screaming and babbling undead thankfully subsides to a lower level and the adventurers find they can speak without shouting and be heard.

Ahead Fenris spots a large iron door blocking the corridor. The adventurers know that likely the Lich Garheris waits for them beyond the door.

The Portal

Right now my players are working their way through a dungeon with a currently closed portal leading from the first level to the second level. Often this group of players gets frustrated with puzzles but this time they worked it out fairly quickly. But now that they have passed through the portal there is apparently no way back.

Session 125: The Portal

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 Company of the Black Dragon has passed through the Guardian gate and avoided a fight with a guardian skeleton protecting an altar dedicated to the Dark Lady.

A single door leads on from the temple. Aldus goes over to the door and with his enhanced strength he is able to force it open. They see a hallway and a stair leading down. This leads to another stair and another door. Aldus forces this second door open and the group finds themselves in a derelict chamber with a partially collapsed ceiling. Stone and wood debris litter the floor and there is a large cavity in the ceiling. Sitting amongst the rubble are three stone shelves with a few damaged books on them.

“There is no way out,” Domago says.

Alrix looks about and sees that there are no other exits from the chamber other than the one he is standing in. He rests a hand on the door to be certain it does not close.

Lakima casts a detect magic cantrip. A very large book, bound in red leather or reptilian skin, glows blue on a far bookcase. Lakima quickly goes over to the shelf and laboriously lifts the book down from the shelf and places it in the bag of holding. A few moments later, a non-corporeal human figure rises up through the floor in the center of the room. Everyone immediately spots it. The figure points at Lakima and floats across the room toward him. Lakima quickly pulls out the scroll of protection from possession and reads it. The scroll turns to dust as the ghost moves toward him. Aldus and Eathwund dash forward and swing their swords through the immaterial form. Domago raises his holy symbol and tries to banish the ghost. The ghost reaches Lakima and reaches out an incorporeal hand touching him. Lakima yells in pain as the ghost’s touch is freezing cold. The ghost pauses, turns, and reaches out a hand toward Aldus. The big cavalier freezes up and a strange blue glow comes from his eyes as the ghost seems to merge with his body.

“No!” Alrix yells.

Lakima raises his hand for silence.

“Return the book,” Aldus says in a low creepy voice.

“What is this book, why do you want it?” Lakima asks.

“Return the book, I am its guardian.”

Then the glow drops from Aldus’s eyes. He shouts in anger and whirls about swinging his sword. The ghost emerges from Aldus and floats near him. Eathwund slashes at it again. Alrix casts a magic missile, and bolts of magic smash into the ghost. Thistle Walker swings his axe at the immaterial form. Finally, the ghost vanishes, dissolving away.

“We should destroy that book,” Domago says. Alrix nods his head in agreement. Lakima looks at the disapproving faces of his companions. He argues that it is not necessarily evil, but he promises to destroy it if he finds it to be evil or dangerous.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Domago says. Aldus nods to Domago in agreement.

The adventurers set about checking the walls of the chamber looking for a secret door. Unable to find one, Lakima pulls out the Wand of Secret door detection and locates a door right near where he is standing. He activates a switch found in the wall and a section of the wall slides aside revealing a hallway. Lakima waves Fenris forward to take the lead.

Fenris leads them down several halls before he points ahead and tells them that he can see a large chamber. They approach cautiously toward the chamber. They see a large room with a 20-foot-high ceiling. Stone pillars, five feet in diameter, support the ceiling. The extent of the room is blocked by a large, red curtain stretching across the chamber on their right. Painted on the walls are numerous symbols. Immediately, they recognize the holy symbols of the Dark Lady and the White Worm. Other symbols are not recognized.

“That one is the symbol of the god Hool,” Domago states, pointing at a symbol that looks like the head of a dragon. He explains that Hool is a god of evil.

“Strange that anyone would worship a god of evil,” Alrix says.

Domago tells Alrix that Hool is also seen as a god of cold, winter, and sickness. Some pray to him in hopes of avoiding the cold or sickness.

Lakima waves at the curtain and tells Fenris to see if there is an opening. Fenris goes to the curtain and he finds it parts in the middle. Pulling the curtain back, Fenris sees that the chamber is even larger than suspected. In front of them is what looks to be a curtained-off temple. They see a large, red mandala painted on the floor, a raised pool of what might be water, an altar, and behind it a glowing red energy field.

Lakima suggests they check the two doors in the chamber first before venturing behind the curtain into the temple. Both entrances lead to small tombs holding a single, stone coffin each. Aldus opens the first coffin and they find a skeleton inside. Domago tells them it is not undead. They do not bother to open the second coffin, finding nothing interesting in the first. The adventurers pass through the curtain into the temple area. Everyone carefully avoids the mandala painted on the floor. Thistle Walker moves to his left behind more pillars and sees a faded painting of a beautiful woman painted on the wall. The woman's face is twisted in agony as she has been painted as if she is trapped behind the wall and desperately trying to get free.

Fenris spots a human body lying on the altar. He silently points it out to everyone. Alrix looks into the pool of what appears to be water and sees the sparkle of some small silver objects at the bottom. The pool appears to be only 3 feet deep. Fenris and Lakima move up toward the altar. A thin, male, human corpse rests on the altar, its throat slit open. A stain of dried blood lies on the stone about its neck. Less than one would expect. At the feet of the corpse rests a book made of metal. Three claw-like clasps hold it closed. Lakima grabs the book and places it in his bag of holding. He advances up toward the red disc of energy. Thistle Walker approaches as well and looks at the energy barrier.

“It’s a portal,” the ranger states.

Lakima looks over at the ranger in surprise. Thistle tells him that he has studied these things. He knows it is a portal but it could lead anywhere. Alrix comes over to examine the barrier as well. Lakima tosses a silver coin at the barrier and it bounces off. Alrix takes a short stick from his pack and presses it against the barrier but he finds the barrier to be solid like a wall. The adventurers walk over to stand near the mandala on the floor. Lakima tosses a silver coin into the pool. It strikes the surface which appears to be water and floats to the bottom.

Lakima takes out the book he found in the ruined library and opens it. The first page is covered in symbols in a language he does not recognize but which are not magical writing. He hands the open book to Domago. Using the Helm of comprehending languages, Domago is able to discern the meaning of the open page. He tells everyone that it is called the Book of Red Whispers. It was written by someone called Herbert the vivisectionist. The opening page says that this book will teach the reader about blood magic and making pacts with arch-devils of the abyss.

“It is evil, we should destroy it,” Domago says. Lakima takes the book back and places it in his bag. Lakima argues that it takes special preparations to destroy the book. Several of his companions do not seem pleased by this.

“I want to try something,” Lakima says, and he steps inside the mandala painted on the floor. After waiting a minute with nothing happening, Lakima takes out a silver coin and tosses it into the pool of water. Everyone watches the coin land right in the pool with a plop and sink. They then notice that Lakima is gone!

Thistle Walker runs over to the mandala where everyone else is standing, giving the symbol a respectful distance. He examines it and tells everyone that he thinks it is a one-way portal somewhere. The adventurers discuss what to do to find Lakima.

Meanwhile, Lakima finds he is standing in a small chamber an instant after the coin he tossed landed in the pool. The chamber is 10 feet square and lit only by the light of his staff of power. There are no exits. He takes out the wand of secret door detection and finds no secret exit from the chamber. The air already tastes a little stale. Doing some math in his head, Lakima guesses he has about 6 hours of air before he will pass out. He grasps the talisman of demon summoning and speaks the command word. Concentrating he makes a summons. He feels a being of immense power and evil hook onto his summons and suddenly an enormous demon arrives in the chamber. The demon has four arms, two ending in huge pincers. It has a horned head and hoofed feet. The demon regards Lakima with red glowing eyes.

“Little fly, why have you summoned me?” The demon speaks in a deep voice.

Confident in safety provided by the talisman, Lakima informs the demon that he needs it for a task. He then casts a charm monster on the demon. The demon regards Lakima for a moment and then laughs.

“You are not powerful enough to command the likes of me,” it states.

“What if I were to give you a soul?”

“Your soul?” the demon responds with eager interest.

Lakima shakes his head and produces the Soul Cage from his bag of holding. Offering the soul trapped inside. The demon complains that this soul is small and weak but eventually, he counters with an offer to aid Lakima in return for a favor to be performed within one year. Lakima amends this agreement to state as long as the favor does not harm him or those he loves. The demon agrees and produces a contract and a metal-tipped quill.

“To be signed in blood.”

Lakima takes the contract and carefully reads over the contents. Surprisingly, the demon does not appear to be trying to trick him. He signs the contract.

Lakima asks to be returned to his friends and the demon grabs Lakima in one scaly claw and transports them through a gate.

Back in the temple, the adventurers discuss how they can find Lakima. Lakima suddenly appears in a cloud of brimstone. Beside him is an enormous demon.

“Lakima, are you okay?” Aldus asks with concern drawing his sword.

Lakima waves him back and turns to the demon. The demon reminds Lakima of the promised favor and then vanishes through a gate.

“What have you done?” Domago says in horror. Alrix opens his mouth to admonish the foolish human mage and then just closes his mouth and shakes his head.

Lakima tells everyone that he was trapped in a small oubliette with only enough air for a few hours. He explains that he used his wits to escape in return for a tiny favor to a demon.

After some discussion with Lakima the group turned back to the problem of opening the portal. Lakima takes the book of metal out of the bag of holding and asks Fenris if he can get it open. Fenris does not want to touch the book so he asks Lakima to rest it on the floor. He then examines it. Fenris tells everyone that three metal clasps hold the books closed. They are hinged and could probably be levered open. However, Fenris says that there are magical glyphs on the clasps that would surely kill anyone trying to pry the clasps open.

Lakima then decides to cast dispel magic on the steel tome. The spell is cast and the clasps spring open. Lakima flips open the book cover and finds 21 pages of thin steel. The first page is covered in runes and symbols he does not recognize. Read magic reveals that the symbols are not magical. Domago is asked to examine the book. Using his helm, he finds he is able to read the book. Domago tells them that the book details a ritual needed to open the portal. The user needs to read a long incantation without error and there needs to be a sacrifice of human blood. Fenris drags the corpse off of the altar revealing a depression and several small drain holes. The adventurers argue about who should sacrifice some blood and how much. Domago tells them the instructions say it must be fresh human blood from a single sacrifice. Alrix then states that clearly, he cannot donate the blood as he is not human. Thistle suggests that as a dragon creature, his blood should be more magical. Alrix tells him that he is not related to dragons. Fenris suggests that he cut Ian the squire since he is not very useful to the group. Aldus growls at Fenris for this suggestion.

As the argument goes on Eathwund states quietly that he will do it. Everyone keeps arguing, having not heard him. Eathwund states that he will do it louder this time. Fenris hands a dagger to Eathwund. Domago tells Eathwund to wait so he can start the ritual. Domago starts speaking in a strange language and Eathwund cuts his arm with the dagger allowing the blood to drip into the depression on the altar. He allows it to bleed freely until Domago signals him to stop. As the ritual comes to a close, they hear a loud boom resound through the temple. The barrier of red energy clears to reveal a hazy sight. There is a second loud boom as Domago ends the ritual and the portal clears to reveal a dark chamber seemingly lit by their lantern light passing through the portal.

The portal is carefully checked to see if it is open. Once it is shown to be open Lakima and then Eathwund step through. Thistle steps through and then steps back to show that it functions in both directions. Soon everyone steps through.

“From what I read in the book,” Domago says, “I think it will only stay open an hour.”

Lakima tells everyone that they need to hurry. As they move into the chamber they are suddenly attacked by a horde of shadows. Lakima casts a fireball killing most of the creatures. The rest are hacked apart or peppered with arrows. The adventurers pick one of the many passages from the chamber and follow it. As they pass down the hallways, they see that the walls and ceiling are covered with a strange reddish vine. In some places, red flowers grow on the vines. Eathwund examines the vines and finds that they seem to move toward him and that the stalks of the flowers are covered in inch-long thorns. They continue along hallways careful to avoid the vines until they arrive at a chamber with an open door. Inside is a faded tapestry and a stone coffin. The tapestry depicts a mortician working on preparing the dead for burial. The mortician in the tapestry wears a gold circuit or crown on his head.

Aldus opens the stone coffin and they see a mummy lying inside. The mummy is strangely wrapped as if to provide movement and sight. The mummy's eyes slowly open and a dry, ancient voice asks who they are. Lakima questions the mummy and demands to know why it is releasing undead into the surrounding countryside. The mummy laughs or coughs and says that its master Gahernis is the one commanding him to raise the dead. He offers to take the adventurers to see his master.

Once the party agrees, the mummy slowly rises out of his coffin and steps on the stone floor. They noticed the gold circuit studded with gems about its head. The mummy reaches into the coffin and removes a longsword in a gilded scabbard which it belts to its waist. The mummy leads them down many passages and halls covered in vines and flowers. Soon everyone with the exception of Thistle Walker is completely lost. Then the mummy turns about and shouts.

“Rise my soldiers!”

As he waves his arms there is a rumbling and stone lids are pushed open on enumerable stone crypts hidden under the vines. Skeletons armed with swords and shields emerge from the walls all around the heroes. The adventurers find themselves attacked from all sides. But the skeletons prove to be fairly weak and soon they are being smashed to pieces by Aldus, Eathwund, and Thistle. Alrix ignores the skeletons and blasts the mummy with magic missiles. Lakima uses his staff to cast a cone of cold at the mummy. Once the skeletons have been dealt with, Aldus and Eathwund attack and kill the mummy. It collapses in a heap.

Not sure where to go, the adventurers wander through a maze of hallways. Now that they are aware of the tombs, they see rows of tombs hidden under the vines. In some places, the tombs have already been opened and emptied. They find a chamber with a locked door and inside lead-lined walls. Lakima is barred from entering by a glyph of fear but the others are able to enter. Fenris is able to open 2 of 4 chests he finds inside. One is full of junk but the other holds a pile of gold and silver. This is quickly scooped into the bag of holding. In another chamber, they encounter a stable for three nightmares - coal-black horses of the abyss. One of the nightmares threatens to attack so they flee the chamber and close the door.

Realizing that the hour Domago warned them about has passed, Thistle moves to the front and leads the group back to the entry chamber. But they are too late. The portal has closed.