Sidequest

As I mentioned in Session #134 one of the players went off on a world-hopping tangent courtesy of the teleport spell. On a trip to find some components for an enchantment, he visited the city where the character was born and discovered his mentor was imprisoned in a nearby city.

I figured it would not be long before he would want to break his mentor out of prison and I had a week to prepare so I came up with a prison map and a map of a secret entrance through a cistern. Then when the session occurred the party decided to use a completely different method to get the wizard out of prison. Not one that I had prepared for so I had to ad-lib a lot.

Session 136: The Hag of Ill Portents

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

The adventurers have put an end to the plans of the Twilight Coven and returned to their home in Edgerton. Everything appears to be peaceful and settled.

The next day Lakima heads over to the Red Leatherworks to collect the gloves he commissioned. Eathwund heads over to his tavern and enjoys sitting in the common room listening to the local gossip. The locals to a man are relieved to have finally gotten a good night’s rest. But they are unaware of the actions of the adventurers. Some still think that some evil fate awaits the town.

Lakima also heads over to the glass shop and picks up the special Lens he had commissioned. That afternoon Lakima successfully enchants the gloves to be magical Gloves of Dexterity. He also succeeds with the lens which he enchants with visual magic and christens Lakima’s Lens of Keen Sight.

Once everyone is together over dinner Eathwund tells the table that he would like to check in on the seer Tedeun to see if he still sees a grim fate for the town. The next day, Lakima, Eathwund, and Domago head to Edger’s Hold and ask to see the seer. They are led to the seer who resides in a prison cell beneath the Keep. Old Tedeun is just as crazy as the last time they met him. He rambles on about the dark fate of Edgerton. When he is told that the shadowstone was destroyed he decides that it was his doing through his disciples the adventurers. Growing tired of the ranting of the old man the group leaves.

Lakima asks if everyone is up for a trip to the magical Bridgeway. He wants to see if there is a portal to the towns of the Great Desert. The crew of the flying ship Cloudstealer are assembled and most of the group agree to go. Only Ian the squire stays behind to look after the manor. The group boards the flying ship and heads up and then south. On the way, they pass the flying ship that Lakima enchanted for the Merchant Adventurers’ Guild. Later in the day, they land in the forest gully near the Bridgeway.

Ezmeralden the custodian of the Bridgeway meets with them. When asked he does confirm that he has control rods for the Bridgeway that will open a portal to the three cities of the Great Desert. Lakima asks for a portal to the City of Glass and tells Ezmeralden to re-open the portal so they can return in an hour. The Bridgeway is set and the group travels through to a bridge over a dry channel passing through the City of Glass. Lakima has been here before in his youth and he leads the group to one of the markets. Here they purchase clothing that will disguise the group as merchants with mercenary guards. Lakima also asks the shopkeeper if there are any people from Turania in the City. For a fee, the shopkeeper tells them to go see the clothier, Dods Kory. On the way to the clothier’s shop street urchins beg the group for coins. Lakima stops and hands one brave boy a potion with promises that it will give him riches.

“Wait, is that what I think it is,” says Alrix, “you’re not going to…”

The boy drinks a potion of copper spewing and is soon racked with convulsions as he vomits up copper coins scattering them about. The children all run to pick up the coins. The distraction allows the group of foreigners to make their way across the city without attracting as much attention. They meet Dods who agrees to give them some information.

“Information has a cost,” Dods says.

Lakima tosses the merchant a bag of 100 gold coins. Sufficiently impressed by their wealth, Dods answers Lakima’s questions about Turania. He tells them about Emir Osman Al-Farouk the second. How his grandfather took control of the city from the old Council of Merchants. He tells them of his oppressive rule and about the Order of the Rose – a group of people in Turania trying to overthrow the tyrant. The Order helped to get Dods out of Turania alive after he ran afoul of the Emir. He offers to give them the name of a contact in the Order for another 100 gold. Lakima pays and Dods tells them to seek out the cloth merchant Azad Al-Hakir. He also shows him the secret hand signal of the Order.

With their time up the adventurers return to the bridge and step through the portal. They arrive back in the Kingswood. Lakima now asks Ezmeralden where the portal in Turania opens. Ezmeralden has never used it and does not know. But using the portal viewing mirror they see that it opens on a rooftop near a square. Lakima suggests they wait for dark before passing through. They can see that the sun is setting in Turania even though it is barely noon here in Kingswood.

Several hours later, Ezmeralden opens the gate, and the adventurers step through silently onto a rooftop in Turania. Strange stars light the night. The adventurers quickly make their way off the roof to a side street and then out into a square. Lakima successfully convinces a passing merchant that he is a merchant from the City of Veil. The merchant points them in the direction of a tavern. A guard stops to question them but Lakima convinces the guard that he and Alrix are merchants, and the rest of the company are mercenaries. The guard does question whether there are any magic users in the group. They learn that all magic users in Turania belong to the Order of the Eternal Flame and are beholden to the Emir. Foreign magic users are expected to turn their spellbooks over to the Order for safekeeping while they are in the city.

The adventurers spend a few hours in a tavern before asking about a place to sleep. The mistress running the tavern tells them that Ufa Baba across the street has a room they can use. The group pays for a room from Ufa and stays the night. The next day the group heads out to find their contact. They find Azad Al-Hakir at an outdoor stall near the Fountain of Dolphins. Azad is hesitant to speak with them at first but once Lakima gives him the secret hand signal, he whispers to them to meet him at his home at dusk. He tells them where it is located.

Lakima tells everyone to be on their guard when they head across the city at dusk. They arrive at a modest home and are let in by Azad. His wife serves them some food and drink. Lakima questions Azad about the Order and learns that they are not very successful. They have operated this network of confidents and spies for five years with little success. Lakima assures Azad that now that the Company of the Black Dragon has arrived things will change quickly. They learn that the Order of the Rose has an informant in the Palace of the Emir. They also learn about the location of the prison under the Palace. They ask to see the spy in the Palace. Azad agrees to let them meet him the next day.

The next day Alrix spends some time spying on the palace while invisible. He learns that there are about 40 guards and they change posts every hour. He watches the Palace for a few hours and then returns to their rented accommodations. Meanwhile, Lakima spends some time polymorphed into an old hag and tells children in the market about the Legend of the Princess and the Frog.

That night the adventurers meet Saajid Al-Salameh a servant in the palace. He tells them that he does not have access to the Royal Quarters. Lakima asks him a lot of questions about his access and his knowledge of the location of the Emir’s son (Prince Hamadi). He learns that Saajid enters the palace through a servant’s entrance and that there are no special passes.

“You might not like this,” Lakima states to the group. He pulls out a blue gem on a chain and concentrates on it. Suddenly, Lakima goes limp and collapses to the floor. Domago rushes to check on him. Meanwhile, a change comes over Saajid. Lakima has used Magic Jar to steal the servants’ body. A confused Azad watches as Saajid starts speaking like Lakima and then leaves the home.

“I had better watch over him,” Alrix says and turns invisible.

The pair make their way across the city to the palace. Lakima enters the servant’s entrance while Alrix waits outside. Lakima makes his way through the palace corridors until he arrives in a waiting room. Guards stand before a pair of doors. Several well-dressed men and women stand around waiting. Lakima takes the potion of human control out of his bag of holding and drinks it. One of the guards questions what Lakima is doing but then his eyes go blank as Lakima takes control of all of the men and women in the room.

“Take me to the prince’s chamber,” Lakima commands.

The guard nods in agreement and takes Lakima into a well-furnished hallway. Some guards stationed there give them puzzled looks but they make their way down another corridor and upstairs. Soon they stand before the door to the prince’s chamber. Lakima knocks and then enters. A young boy in noble clothing sits on a bed in the chamber

“Who are you?” the prince says. Before he can do anything, Lakima touches the Quill of Laiminae to the boy’s wrist and he turns to dust and is drawn into the Book of Monsters. The guards stand and look on without concern. Lakima then takes a frog out of his pocket and places it on the bed. This is the polymorphed giant carrion crawler encountered a few days earlier. His task done; Lakima makes his way back out of the Palace leaving the dominated guards behind. Lakima and Alrix make their way back to the home of Azad Al-Hakir.

Lakima immediately uses the Magic Jar to return to his own body. Saajid regains control of his body as well. He immediately shrieks and runs from the home. Alrix follows him for a short distance to make sure he does not run into any trouble. Lakima fills the adventurers in on what he has done. Domago is displeased and Azad appears to be frightened. The adventurers say their goodbyes and leave to return to their rented abode.

The next morning Lakima asks the servants for the latest news. Nothing out of the ordinary is reported. Once they head out into the market, they do notice a larger contingent of guards about and hear that the guards have offered a reward for the location of the servant Saajid Al-Salameh. Displeased with the results Lakima resolves to up the pressure on the Emir. Disguised as the old hag he spreads stories about the market about the frog prince first with children and then adults. He soon attracts the attention of guards who try to question him but he casts sleep on the guards. Alrix, who has been watching Lakima, casts control winds to raise a sandstorm in the town square. He also transforms to his couatl form crackling with lightning and in a booming voice threatens the god’s wrath should the Emir not be removed from power. The square is soon empty of people and the guards run away. Lakima turns one of the sleeping guards into a frog with the polymorph spell. Alrix changes back to his human form and the pair head back to meet their friends. The group heads back to Azad’s at dusk and speaks to him some more. When Lakima asks Azad who heads the most powerful merchant family in town he is told about Anwar Boutras. Lakima resolves to meet the merchant. Azad is confused as to why and expresses his concerns. 

The next day, Lakima polymorphs into an old hag again. He forcefully gains entrance to the Boutras family dwelling and gets a meeting with Anwar the head of the family. Lakima, disguised as a hag, suggests that Anwar will soon be Emir if he is a little patient. The gods are angry with Emir Osman. But once he is Emir, Lakima tells him he must perform an act of mercy to placate the gods. He must free all of the people held in Dar Al-Habs prison. That night Lakima writes out an ultimatum to the Emir on a parchment. Then he conjures a Glow Minion and sends it into the main market square holding up the parchment. Guards soon dispatch the sending and the parchment flutters to the ground. The parchment is picked up and read by the guards.

The next day Lakima again asks for any news and receives none. More than a little displeased Lakima goes to visit the merchant Anwar Boutras again disguised as a hag. He is received immediately and tells Anwar that he needs to prepare to take power. He tells him that the gods will shake down the Emir’s Palace tonight. Alrix who has secretly entered the chamber invisible hears the merchant planning with his underlings. He also learns that the polymorph spell on the carrion crawler was broken. They think that the prince has actually been turned into a giant worm. That night Lakima summons an Earth Elemental and sends it against the Emir’s Palace. The elemental bashes its way right through the wall. Out in the square, the adventurers hear rumbling noises and the explosion of a fireball spell. One of the minarets of the Palace topples into the square. After an hour he dispels the rampaging earth elemental. The group heads back to their apartments.

The next day no one comes with breakfast. The group heads out and finds that the city is a mass of confusion. Merchants talk openly that the Emir’s guards are either dead or have fled the city with the Emir and his retinue. Magistrate Boutras now claims to control the city government. Hired foreign mercenaries are attempting to keep order in the streets for the new regime.

Lakima asks a merchant if the prisoners below the palace have been freed. He is told that this did not happen. Lakima waits until dark and then summons a glow minion again. The glow minion is sent with another parchment to the market where it hammers the parchment into a post. Mercenaries quickly attack and dismiss the minion. But the parchment is found and taken. In the parchment’s message, Lakima has reminded the new leadership of their deal with the gods. The next morning, the adventurers learn that all of the prisoners have been freed. Some locals do not seem very happy about this. Some of the prisoners were dangerous criminals like the dreaded wizard Elken the Dark.

The Company looks for Elken and soon finds him surrounded by guards who are lying prone on the ground in a square. Elken has used a sleep spell on them. He also launches some magic missiles at fleeing mercenaries. Lakima comes forward addressing Elken. At first, Elken does not recognize Lakima confusing him with another apprentice. But he soon recalls Lakima the Grey. Lakima tells Elken that he is the one who secured Elken’s release. He is skeptical so Lakima brags to Elken about his powers and his magic items. This raises Elken’s interest and the magic-user demands that Lakima hand over his spellbook. Instead, Lakima gives Elken the spellbook he took from the Twilight Coven. Elken asks about his tower in the City of Veil and learns it is now occupied by squatters. Lakima suggests Elken come with his friends if he wants to get home.

The group heads to the rooftop and soon the portal opens. They step over an arched “bridge” between two rooftops and arrive back at the Bridgeway. Lakima introduces Elken to Ezmeralden. Then he asks the custodian to open a portal to the City of Veil. Before leaving Elken asks about the location of Lakima’s home. Lakima tells him about the manor in Edgerton. Elken nods and steps through the portal.

“I will be seeing you soon!”

Re-using Dungeons

In session 135 we finished out my Shadows over Edgerton adventure. A short adventure I wrote for which I re-used several previously visited locations. It never would have occurred to me before to re-use a dungeon but now this is the third time the adventurers have entered the Crypt of St. Bethesda. Originally they encountered this dungeon a few years ago when we played through an adventure I had rewritten from the AEG Booster adventure of the same name. Later, I used the now empty dungeon when they were investigating the murder of a maid at the one-player's tavern. A murder that had happened decades earlier. The murderer turned out to be an insane monk who later died and was entombed beneath the church - one of the reasons the church was abandoned.

This time I had antagonists of this adventure use the dungeon beneath the abandoned church as a handy location for their ritual to summon a Nightwalker from the Shadowfell. I also had the adventure come to a close in the cemetery outside of town. A cemetery that had featured slightly in some earlier adventures.

It has the advantage of cutting down on map-making time but that is not the real reason I re-used it. I felt it would make the world a little more real to the players. There is a big dungeon beneath their hometown - someone is going to make use of it.

Session 135: Shades and Shadows

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

For weeks the townsfolk of Edgerton have been plagued by nightmares and harassed by shadows at night. The Company of the Black Dragon has traced the source of these nightmares to the crypt beneath the Church of St. Bethesda.

Brovin descends the stairs to the crypt and examines the door while the rest of the company waits above under the looming glare of the statues of St. Bethesda. After a few minutes Brovin returns and says that he cannot get the door open. The group searches the church towers but does not find any other entrance.

“We will have to enter through the abandoned cottage,” Lakima says.

The group leaves the church and makes their way to the boarded-up cottage. Inside a large stone blocks the entrance in the floor to the crypt. Lakima casts passwall and the way is clear. The entire group descends into the familiar dungeon beneath the church. They find the dungeon empty and there is no sign it has been used by anyone since they last entered here the previous summer. Avoiding the garbage chamber at the center of the dungeon they eventually make their way to the Church crypt. The chamber is piled high with debris from the church and several wood coffins have been dumped on top of the piles.

Lakima directs Brovin to check the cellar library when they suddenly come under attack from black-robed and masked cultists. A melee occurs with the adventurers killing six cultists. The cultists fight to the death requesting no parlay even when things turn desperate for them. After the battle, a search of the former crypt of the monks reveals it has been turned into a barracks for the cultists. Unable to find even a hint of the shadowstone, Lakima suggests they open one of the old iron doors to the garbage room. Inside they see an enormous pile of garbage some of which pours out around the feet of Aldus who opened the door. Emerging from the pile of garbage is the biggest carrion crawler they have ever seen. A truly gigantic carrion crawler that is ten feet long. The creature slides down the garbage and attacks Aldus with its many tentacles. Aldus is paralyzed by its touch almost immediately. Eathwund pushes Aldus to one side and takes up the fight with his longsword.

Then Lakima uses a polymorph spell and turns the creature into a larger-than-average frog. He sends the glow minion into the trash to catch the frog and return it to him. Domago examines Aldus and says he thinks Aldus will be fine in about a quarter of a watch. While they wait the glow minion searches through the garbage for anything useful but finds nothing. Aldus finally regains movement.

“Where is that creature!” he shouts, “I want to crush it.”

Lakima tells him that the frog is in his pocket. Aldus demands to be allowed to crush it but Lakima dissuades him by telling him it is his new secret weapon. Now that the entire dungeon beneath the church has been searched Lakima remembers the secret chamber that led to the Abbots’ tomb. Returning to the room where the cultists were staying, he uses the wand of secret doors to reveal the entrance to the abbot’s tomb. The door is opened and three cultists immediately emerge and attack Eathwund. Behind this fight, they can see more cultists and one is summoning a creature from the Shadowfell.

There is a general melee in which the cultists are killed or in the case of one cultist captured by Eathwund. The creature from the shadowfell is also destroyed. Lakima questions the cultist about the location of the shadowstone but he refuses to talk. But with the aid of the medallion of ESP, Lakima sees the location in the cultist’s mind. Realizing what Lakima is doing the cultist tries to kill him but he is held firmly by Eathwund.

“The shadowstone is under a crypt in the cemetery south of town,” Lakima says. He also tells everyone that the Twilight Coven (the cultists) plans to summon the Nightwalker on the night of the new moon in two days.

They take their prisoner and climb the stairs to the church nave. Above six members of the watch are waiting for them and they turn over the prisoner to them. Lakima suggests they get some rest before heading for the cemetery. They have been up all night and they see that the sun is just starting to rise. Brovin suggests they go to the cemetery during the day.

After a long rest at their manor house, the company sets out for the cemetery just outside the town gates. They arrive a few hours after noon. They see that the stone ruins of their former Tower in a Book are being slowly taken away to be used as building material. The cemetery is built on a hill and they see two large mausoleums at the base of the hill. Brovin goes over and knocks on the door of the caretaker’s cottage.

The caretaker opens the door but becomes surly once he looks over the experienced adventurers. He accuses them of being grave robbers and demands they leave. When Lakima asks about a crypt with a large chamber beneath it, he tells them they are mistaken.

“I guess we should leave?” Brovin shrugs.

Lakima tells him that once you have saved a town a few times you have a license to dig up a few family crypts. The group heads to the nearest crypt. The name "Marren" is inscribed above the doorway and the crypt is locked and appears to have been undisturbed for a long time. They then head to the Vorloi family crypt. This one appears to have been entered recently. Brovin picks the locked gate and the group enters the large crypt. Inside are a half-dozen wood coffins resting on shelves. One coffin looks like a recent addition and there are a dozen flowers resting on its lid. Brovin reads out the name Lucia Vorloi and Lakima recalls the young noblewoman who was killed by the Veiled Society more than a year ago when they first came to Edgerton. He suggests opening the coffin but Brovin tells him that it is screwed shut. They decide not to open it. The group leaves the crypt and relocks it. They then wander about the graveyard until they arrive at an open grave with a coffin in it. Suspicious they raise the coffin. Inside is a man who appears to have been murdered recently. But there is only dirt in the grave. They replace the coffin.

“Well, we just will have to check the tomb over there again,” Lakima says and points across the field at the first tomb they checked. Brovin unlocks the gate to the tomb and opens the stone doors. Inside they find an empty room and a stone stair that descends into darkness. Lakima sends the glow minion down the steps first followed by Brovin.

The steps lead to a stone chamber with a statue of a guardian knight in the center. Three doors lead from the chamber. As Brovin tries the first door, shadows and shades from the shadowfell emerge from the walls and attack the group. Eathwund tears into the shades with his sword. Domago uses his mace ineffectively. Aldus attacks shadows with his longsword. Lakima throws darts and Alrix throws magic missiles. Even Brovin is forced to fight (with his sword) as the shadows come from all directions. The melee does not last long and the adventurers are victorious. But, Aldus, Domago, and Brovin are all weakened by the deadly touch of the shadows. After the battle, Domago casts Dispel Evil on Aldus returning his strength. He and Brovin will just have to continue on in their weakened state.

The three chambers leading from the room all turn out to be tombs with many burial slots and no exits. Lakima uses the wand of secret door detection and discovers a door hidden behind a fake tomb in the northern chamber. Eathwund opens the fake tomb and the entire door swings open revealing steps headed down another 20 feet. Below they can see flickering torchlight and hear voices.

Aldus suggests rushing them and Eathwund and he run down the steps followed by the rest of the party. They enter a large chamber with bizarre statues lining the walls. In the chamber are just four men. One man is scribing a summoning circle on the floor with a charcoal stick while the other men are scattered about the chamber. Eathwund immediately charges through the summoning circle and slashes the man at work there.

“Ahhh! Nightwalker protect me!” the man yells. Then a horrible creature steps out of the shadows beside him and levels a deathly glare at Eathwund. Eathwund swears he feels his soul lurch but he fights it off.

“It’s a Bodak!” yells Alrix, “avoid its gaze!”

The man retreats from Eathwund and several shadowy creatures step between him and the party. The creatures look like armed men made of shadow. They briefly lose sight of the man but Alrix casts Fairie Fire on him.

Lakima takes out a scroll and casts an anti-magic shield barrier around himself. At a distance of 30 feet, the barrier blocks all magic (in or out). All of the party with the exception of Aldus (off in the corner fighting a thief) and Brovin (hiding on the stairs) are within the barrier. Knowing that he cannot cast through the barrier, Alrix steps out of it just long enough to hurl a fireball at the human cultists and shadow creatures. The human mage opposing them goes down immediately in a blaze of fire. The human cult leader (who they assume is Nalazar Blackhand), survives the blaze and casts healing magic on himself.

Meanwhile, Domago is fighting a losing battle against a man with a flaming sword. Lakima tries to help him by hurling darts at the man who responds but shouting angry curses at Lakima. Lakima continues to throw darts and taunts him. He also hands his wand of lightning bolts to Alrix he uses it repeatedly to destroy shadow creatures. Eathwund keeps the bodak at bay just outside of the anti-magic shield so that it cannot use its death gaze on him or his friends. The bodak attacks instead with a sword but it is not as skilled as Eathwund with the sword and he lands several hits upon it.

First, the thief Aldus is fighting falls, and then Lakima manages to kill the man with the flaming sword with a well-placed dart into his eye. The bodak is killed by a lightning bolt from Alrix. The shadows form a defensive barrier around the human summoner holding the shadowstone. But one by one they go down until the human is killed by an arrow into his chest fired by Alrix. With his death, the remaining shadow creature vanishes.

The aftermath of the fight reveals only four human corpses. There is no trace of all of the shadow creatures. Brovin searches through the corpses and finds gold and silver coins, jewelry, and a spellbook.

“No one will know that we saved the town,” Domago says.

“We will know, and we will be sure to tell people what happened here,” Lakima says.

The adventurers climb the stairs out of the crypt and out into the sunshine.

Teleport

When Session 134 started not all of the players had arrived. So the mage who was trying to find a rare ingredient for an enchantment decided to teleport to his hometown on the other side of the globe. The City of Veil in the Great Desert is a place that until recently had only existed in the player character's back story.

Luckily, I had noticed "Gabriel Pickard's, Appetizer Platter" free maps in the Roll20 assets earlier in the day and noted the desert town map. I grabbed that map and dropped it on a blank page and tossed some Dark Sun tokens I had made onto it. Then I just had to decide how hard it would be for the magic-user character to find the component he needed. To come up with NPC names on the fly I used fantasynamegenerators.com. Once he purchased the component he decided to look up his old mentor. On a whim, I decided his mentor was imprisoned by the Emir of another town. Just like that another adventure hook is set.

The player then teleported back to the starting town and joined the other players in uncovering a mystery that I had hinted at in the past 3-4 sessions. Another short homebrew adventure I called, "Shadows over Edgerton."

Session 134: Shadows over Edgerton

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

The Company of the Black Dragon are back in Edgerton but disturbing dreams in their sleep disrupt their hopes of a peaceful rest.

Lakima in the City of Veil

After completing some research, Lakima decides what he needs is some Quickling hair to successfully create the magic item Alrix has requested. Since there is no place in Edgerton where he can purchase this spell component he decides to teleport to the Grand Market (Bazaar) in the City of Veil. In a flash of magic, Lakima arrives levitating in the air above the marketplace in the distant city. Settling to the flagstones he notes that he has attracted a lot of attention. Looking about he spots the sign to an apothecary and casually walks over and enters the shop. Inside, he bargains with the apothecary Ibrahaim Parsa. The apothecary says he can procure the Quickling hair in a few hours but he is skeptical of Lakima. Lakima hands him a 500-gold deposit to convince him. Leaving the shop, promising to return in a few hours, Lakima decides to do some sightseeing in the city of his youth. He is immediately accosted by two city guards. They tell Lakima that there is a tax on foreigners entering the city – they saw his entrance by teleport. Lakima tells them who he is (the son of Malkin the mighty) but at first, the soldiers do not believe him. Eventually, the soldiers are convinced to leave him alone. But one watches him from a distance. Lakima decides to look in on his former mentor, Elken the Dark. However, when Lakima arrives at Elken’s tower, he finds it broken and inhabited by the common folk. Asking about the whereabouts of the mage, none of the people living in the building know. Lakima heads back to the marketplace and looks about until he spots an aged beggar leaning over a short walking staff with his hand out.

“Beggar, do you recall the wizard who lived in that tower over there?” Lakima asks while holding out a gold coin. Before Lakima can react, the beggar grabs the coin.

“I don't know but I know who does. For another gold coin, I can tell you who to ask,” the beggar says.

Lakima hands him another coin and the beggar points across the market square at a cobbler working under an awning. Lakima approaches the cobbler who tells him his name is Haneed Hakimi. Haneed indeed tells Lakima that his mentor is rumored to have traveled to the city of Turania to the north where he sought to earn a reward offered by the Emir to anyone who could create a flying boat. He failed and was thrown in the dungeons beneath the palace.

“I find it hard to believe any prison could hold Elken?” Lakima says.

The cobbler tells him that the prisons under Turania are warded against magic. Lakima thanks the cobbler and gives him a few gold coins. Returning to the apothecary Lakima completes the purchase of a bag of Quickling hair.

Lakima stepped back out into the afternoon sun and decided to try and find Shani Essa his sweetheart from when he was an apprentice. Locating the corral that her father Jehan used to sell camels from Lakima finds a middle-aged woman working there. When he asks her about Shani he is surprised to discover he is speaking to his former sweetheart. Several years under the hot sun have aged her. Shani tells Lakima about her troubles. Her father is an invalid and needs daily medicine to calm him. She asks Lakima for some gold for old times' sake. Lakima gives her a small pouch containing 200 gold. Shani also tells Lakima a few more details about Elken’s downfall. He tried and failed on his first attempt to enchant Emir Osman’s reed boat. The Emir derided him and Elken did not hold back when letting the Emir know what he thought of him. He has been in prison for 15 years.

Lakima teleports to the marketplace of the City of Turania. Immediately he arrives floating in the air above the marketplace. Turania is similar to the City of Veils but with fewer towers and larger slums. The people seem more downtrodden. There are more slaves visible in the street and more armed guards. As Lakima descends to the stone pavement three guards call out and approach him.

“You are under arrest, foreign wizard!” a guard shouts.

Lakima tells them who he is and warns them not to anger him. The men approach with magic-negating manacles. Feeling he has warned them Lakima casts the Death spell and instantly kills all three guards and three locals who happen to be standing too close. Lakima settles to the ground and looks about. Local people are screaming and running from the marketplace in all directions. After a few minutes, a large group of guards approaches him (twenty men). The men keep a respectful distance.

“I wish to speak with the Emir,” Lakima shouts, “I have a gift for him!”

The guard leader approaches Lakima and tells him he is under arrest. He can meet the Emir after he is put in shackles. Then Lakima notices a man approaching who appears to be a mage or priest accompanied by two bodyguards. The man attempts to cast a spell but Lakima absorbs it with his Rod of Absorption. He notes that it was a clerical spell. Tired of dealing with the guards of Turania, Lakima teleports back to the Manor House in Edgerton arriving in the late evening hours and all the household is asleep.

Meanwhile in Edgerton

Earlier that same day, Eathwund decides to spend the day at the Sign of the Purple Bugbear. Business is doing well, though there are some fights in the neighborhood between ill-tempered locals who have not been getting much sleep. Alrix on the other hand does some investigating. He heads to a local bakery and buys some pastries and asks the dwarven baker if he is having trouble sleeping. The dwarf tells him that he is not but he has noticed a lot of his human servants are complaining of nightmares. Walking back to the manor through the main square, Alrix notices some local fortune tellers preaching that the end of the world is nigh. Those travelers from outside the town whom he speaks with tell him that they did not have nightmares until they entered the town. Back in the manor, he finds Lakima is not around. Alrix is not alarmed figuring that Lakima is either off somewhere or he is locked in his study in the attic.

Eathwund stays at the tavern until late in the evening. After midnight he heads home to the manor. While passing through the main square he hears a scream and decides to investigate. He comes upon a guard of the night watch desperately fighting a shadow. Another nearby guard lies on the pavement. With a few swift blows with his sword, Eathwund kills the shadow and it vanishes. The watch member thanks him for saving him, but it is too late for his compatriot. Eathwund stays long enough to speak with the night watch commander and then he continues home.

The next day, Lakima has returned and he speaks with the other members of the company over breakfast. He does not reveal where he has been, only that he has procured the needed Quickling hairs. Alrix tells him of what he has learned and Eathwund speaks of the shadow he encountered. Lakima, Eathwund, Alrix, Aldus, and Domago go over to the apothecary to speak with Malyn. The seemingly young mage seems uninterested in the nightmares plaguing the humans of Edgerton. He tells them that whatever it is the wards around the Temple of the Dark Lady protect him. Lakima asks Malyn to investigate but it takes a promise of a favour before Malyn agrees. The group then head to the nearby Church of St. Cuthbert and speak with Abbot Marta. Marta cannot add anything to what he told them previously about having a vision of something evil beneath the city. Eathwund tells Alrix that the city is built on ruins and graveyards. There are all manner of dungeons and tunnels beneath the streets. The group then goes to the Red Leatherworks and Alrix pays the owner 180 gold for a pair of gloves sewn with the Quickling hair. The leatherworker promises to have the work done in two days.

That evening Alayna informs everyone that she has created sleeping tinctures that should allow the user to get a good sleep free of nightmares. Only Aldus decides to use it. Lakima and Eathwund have nightmares that evening. The next morning breakfast is interrupted by Sergeant Frans of the Watch who tells them that shadow hounds chased townsfolk through the streets last night killing six. He asks for help. Lakima asks the sergeant where the attacks occurred.

“We will be waiting there tonight,” Lakima assures him.

Sergeant Frans also tells them about a fortune teller named Tedeun who has gained quite a following. He claims to know what is causing the nightmares and is prophesizing the end of the world. That day the company heads to the main square to see this prophet of doom for themselves. They see an old, but energetic man speaking from beneath an awning in the main square. A small crowd of townsfolk gathered around him. The people are kept in line by a pair of thugs who appear to be members of a local street gang. Nearby, four town guards are taking in the proceedings. Lakima tells Aldus and Eathwund to get them an audience. The two fighters advance and clear a path through the crowd. The thugs at first try to look intimidating but quickly scoop up their earnings and runoff. The fortune teller himself seems unaware of their approach. He offers to read Lakima’s fortune. The man appears to be crazy and has trouble staying on topic. He often veers off on a tangent or sees something that is not there. But he does tell them that the Twilight Coven has a shadowstone with which they will plunge Edgerton into the Shadowfell. He whispers in Lakima’s ear that the holder of the shadowstone is a man named Fulraid. He also tells them that they should seek out Zekar Fester. He warns Alrix that he foresees his death within the next week should events remain unchanged.

Lakima suggests they go to the Library of Antiquity to investigate some of the names they have been told by the madman. Tedeun becomes more agitated as he talks to them and begins shouting so the guards take him into custody. At the Library, one of the Librarians suggests they consult books in the Hall of Legends. The Head Librarian Dellik immediately recognizes the name Zekar Fester. He is the author of a book entitled The Tome of Shadows. The book is a treatise on the mythical realm of Shadow. Which is sometimes confused with limbo or the lands of the dead. Lakima asks to be allowed to take the book home for study.

That afternoon Lakima studies the book, while other members of the company take afternoon naps to prepare for a long evening. As night falls, they head over to the Marketplace, the scene of yesterday’s deaths. There are a lot fewer people on the streets than normal and several shops have closed up for the evening. A few members of the night watch come by to speak with the company. Nothing happens for hours. But about three hours after midnight they hear the shrill whistle of the watch coming from Mirdton.

Following two guards who are rushing to the Low market they continue on until they hear sounds of fighting and the baying of hounds. They arrive in Mirdton Square and see two guards fighting a pack of shadow hounds guided by two shadows. Eathwund and Aldus immediately plunge into the melee destroying hounds and shadows, while Lakima summons a glow minion. The bright light of the minion drives back the shadows. Lakima follows up with magic missiles. Alrix uses his longbow and then spots two figures dressed head to tow in black. The two men are watching from the shadows. As the shadow hounds and shadows begin to lose the fight the men turn and leave.

Alrix transforms to his true form and flies above the rooftops to get ahead of the two men as they are traversing an alley. Alrix calls for them to halt but the men immediately draw swords and move to attack. The fight is over quickly, Alrix bites one man killing him with poison and constricts the second man until he passes out. Back in Mirdton Square, the shadows have all been killed and all four guards have been saved. The company heads off in the direction Alrix went followed by two guards. They arrive just as Alrix has taken one guard prisoner and killed the other. Terrified of the flying serpent, the guards have to be calmed down to keep from running away.

Lakima puts on the Medallion of ESP and listens in on the man’s thoughts while they question him. When asked where the shadowstone is now he sees an image in the man’s mind of the crypts beneath the Church of St. Bethesda. When asked about the leader he sees a normal enough-looking man and hears the name Nalazar Blackhand. After the questioning is over they turn the man over to the guards.

“The Church of St. Bethesda again,” Lakima says in exasperation, “I need to find the owner and buy this ruin.” He waves at the looming ruins of a church rising up behind them.

Eathwund tells Alrix about some of their adventures beneath the church, fighting ghouls, a wormwraith, thieves, and the ghost of an evil abbot.

The church is securely boarded up and several entrances are bricked shut. They head around to the main entrance and Lakima tells Brovin to open the doors. Brovin looks about then shrugs and gets to work with his crowbar. During the loud dismantling of the boards over the door, two members of the night watch appear to ask what is going on but seeing who is demolishing the door they move along. After about a half hour Brovin gets one door open and the group steps inside the nave of the church. It has changed little from the last time they entered. Moonlight shines down through holes in the ceiling. The two enormous statues of St. Bethesda frown down upon them. The stair to the cellar appears clear of rubble.

It is time to descend to the crypt again.

Undead and drained levels

I am 4 weeks behind in my session write-ups because it is summer and I took a vacation. I prefer to write this up shortly after we played so topics are fresh in my mind. So today I will just talk about Undead in the campaign.

But first, a recap that the player characters are exploring my adventure The Hydra's Heart that is original although the suggestion or plot hook came from ChatGPT.

In this session, the player characters encountered and fairly easily dispatched some wraiths. Undead that can drain levels have been very rare in this three-year campaign. I have never felt comfortable draining experience from player characters. The few times it happened the reaction of the player was hard to predict. Remember that I run an online game with people I never knew before they joined the game. One former player lost a level to a Velya with aplomb. Did not bother them in the slightest. Other players have made it known that they would not accept being drained a level feeling it unfair. Since the whole point of gaming is entertainment I am not going to use a mechanic that angers the players.

I have settled on making a level drain temporary. The drained level can be regained through bed rest. I can rationalize this by thinking that a character losing abilities does not make a lot of sense. I forget where I picked up this concept. It was on a blog post somewhere.

Session 133: Winter Elves

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 Company of the Black Dragon has been asked to retrieve an artifact called the Heart of Radiance from a Hydra for the elves of Willowbrook. Accompanied by an elven guide named Elysia Silverwind they killed the Hydra but did not find the artifact. Clues led them to the Temple of Whispers deep in the Kingswood. In the Temple, they encountered the missing Loremaster Kaelin who attacked Elysia and appears to have gone mad.

“She’s gone mad – attack her!” Lakima shouts.

Eathwund and Aldus run into the altar chamber and approach Kaelin who stands on a raised platform. Kaelin chants a spell and flagstones on the floor are tossed aside as skeletons of the long dead drag themselves up from where they were buried beneath the church floor. A line of six skeletons stands between the adventurers and Kaelin.

Lakima casts Feeblemind at Kaelin but he feels a weakened version of the spell bounce back at him – he successfully withstands the enchantment and realizes that Kaelin has also withstood the spell. Eathwund quickly smashes three of the skeletons menacing him to bits. Aldus manages to knock down one. Domago chants a quick prayer to St. Aleena and attempts to cast Hold person on Kaelin but it also fails and he feels it reflected back upon himself – he successfully resists his own spell.

“Spells are reflecting off of her!” Domago warns.

Alrix fires two arrows striking the mad elf in the shoulder and arm. She backs away and tries to take cover behind the altar. Eathwund now moves forward following her. Before he can get closer – Kaelin summons a Lightning Bolt that strikes Domago, Ian, and Lakima. All three are badly injured. Then a mound of rotting vegetation near Aldus erupts and a humanoid form of weeds moves and attacks Aldus.

“It’s a Shambling Mound!” Alrix yells.

Domago knocks down one of the two remaining skeletons but Aldus is attacked by the mound and slashed at by the last skeleton. Eathwund advances grimly on the mad elven woman. Stepping up to her he stabs her in the side. She screams in anger and prepares another spell, just then an arrow launched by Alrix strikes her directly in the throat and she collapses in a dead heap.

The shambling mound and the skeleton continue to attack Aldus. Aldus dispatches the forest creature and Eathwund crushes the last skeleton.

“Check her body for the Heart,” Lakima shouts to Eathwund.

Eathwund checks the dead elf’s body but only finds a silver ring on her finger. She has no other possessions other than simple clothing. Lakima approaches and casts Detect Magic. The only magic item on the dead elf is the ring so he yanks it off of her hand and puts it in the pouch of holding.

“Looks’ like a wedding ring,” he says.

Elysia who is just getting to her feet aided by Domago tells the group that Kaelin was never married. Aldus walks over to Elysia and asks her if she is okay. Elysia tells the knight that she was just knocked out by whatever spell Kaelin cast upon her. Aldus sincerely pledges to protect Elysia from further harm and is rewarded with a smile from the elven ranger.

Unable to find the Heart of Radiance on Kaelin, Lakima asks for suggestions. He searches the altar but finds nothing. Brovin suggests searching some of the other rooms of the temple. They search through a small sleeping quarter that Kaelin was clearly using but find only clothes. The next room has a set of steps that must lead down into the crypt.

Elysia shivers and looks about at the adventurers. She claims to hear the whispers of the dead coming up from the crypt. No one else appears to be able to hear anything.

“It’s why we call this the Temple of Whispers,” Elysia says. She tells the group that she will stand watch above ground in the Temple. She does not wish to follow them below. Aldus assures her that she will be safe here.

With Elysia left above the group descends into a dark crypt. Lakima and August light the way with Light spells. They find some ancient wooden casks in the chamber and a door leading into more passages. Lakima tells Brovin to take the lead.

“It’s dark and I cannot see a thing,” Brovin complains.

Lakima casts light on Brovin’s longsword. Brovin waves the glowing weapon about and then reluctantly leads the way. Looking down at the floor Eathwund spots bootprints going back and forth across the chamber floor. Brovin leads them down a corridor and into a natural tunnel. He moves as quietly as he can but clearly does not come close to the skill of the previous trap finder. Brovin holds up his hand and motions to Eathwund. Telling the fighter that there are frogmen in the tunnel ahead. Eathwund notices how cold the tunnel has become as he sees his breath in the glowing light.

“Frogmen, Let’s attack!” Aldus says and readies his sword and shield. Alerted by the light and noise the frogmen look blankly toward the adventurers.

“Now hold on just a moment,” Alrix says just as Lakima hurls a fireball into the group of frogmen. There is a loud explosion and smoke and debris boil from the cave up the tunnel. As the smoke clears, they see one frogman limping away from them and several blackened corpses lying on the ground. Aldus and Eathwund rush in pursuit and are blocked by two more frogmen who ambush them from a side tunnel. Aldus gets bitten once by one of the frog creatures but he and Eathwund are able to dispatch both.

“Are we sure they were not friendly?” Alrix scolds.

Lakima shrugs and points out that they are not friendly now. He tells Brovin and Eathwund to follow the bloodstained tracks on the floor and hurry after the escaping creature before it warns others. Eathwund follows the prints to a small cave that has a deep spring pool of water. They decide to move on. Following natural tunnels to an intersection, Brovin leads them back into a dungeon chamber. In this chamber, there is a strange statue of a female god with wild hair and outstretched arms.

“That is Merriva, goddess of the west wind,” Domago tells them.

There are several doors from the chamber and they wait while Brovin carefully checks them for traps. Suddenly, a gust of almost hurricane-force winds blasts through the chamber – seemingly coming from the statue. They all brace themselves and soon the wind dies down and disappears.

“Clearly meant to blow out the torches and lanterns of tomb robbers,” Lakima says, “be on your guard.”

Aldus applies his shoulder to a wood door and forces it open revealing a long, dark chamber and four wooden coffins lying on the floor. The entire area appears undisturbed for years.

“It’s undisturbed so we won’t find the artifact here,” Lakima says and directs Brovin to another door.

“Wait, what about treasure,” Aldus says, “that’s part of our quest!”

Lakima shrugs and waves for Aldus to do as he likes. Eathwund also enters the chamber. Aldus moves the coffin nearest to him and pries up the lid. Inside is a skeleton wrapped in rotting green robes. There is no treasure but a wraith-like form rises up out of the coffin and swings a misty dark hand at Aldus and misses. Three more wraiths rise up from nearby coffins and Eathwund and Aldus duck and weave to miss their attacks. Domago says a quick prayer to St. Aleena and then presents his holy symbol. Divine light spills out over the wraiths and they move back cowering from the priest. Undeterred, Aldus attacks with his sword and dispatches two of the wraiths. Eathwund also dispatches two while avoiding their deadly touch.

“Facing wraiths in melee is not wise,” Alrix says to the pair of fighters.

Aldus searches all of the coffins but finds only skeletons wrapped in rotted clothing. Brovin finishes checking the other wooden door but finds it is stuck shut. Eathwund comes over and shoves it open. It swings into a dark corridor that ends in a dead end. Shining the light from his sword about Brovin reveals a small wooden chest with a scattering of gold coins lying on the floor about it. Lakima joins them.

“That is obviously a trap,” Lakima says and then turns to Brovin, “Open it.”

Brovin argues a little but then moves to check the chest. Once he is sure it is safe, he gets to work on the lock. With a loud click, he opens the chest and is flung backward. Lying on the floor with his arms and legs held tightly by invisible bonds, his mouth open but not making any sound – his eyes full of terror. Only Eathwund is able to see that ethereal bindings cover the thief’s hands, ankles, and mouth. He tells Lakima who casts Dispel Magic.

“Aaahhhh!” Brovin lets out a loud scream once the magic trap is dispelled.

The contents of the chest are disappointing. Only 23 gold coins which Brovin dutifully scoops up. The group decides to check the stone statue of the god Merriva. They find that it can be twisted at the middle which opens a secret panel in its back. Inside Aldus finds a fine steel and silver mace decorated with images of lightning and storm clouds. He offers it to Domago but the priest declines indicating that he carries a mace that once belonged to his patron saint.

The group moves on and heads back the way they came and heads down the natural tunnel once again until they reach a large cavern. Chilly air blows up from the cavern. A simple wood ladder leads down from the ledge they stand on six feet above the cavern floor. Patches of ice can be seen below. Aldus climbs down and moves forward. He is joined by Alrix who immediately spots a troop of hidden blue-skinned Elves perched on a far ledge twelve feet above the cavern floor. A pair of arrows are fired by the elves, one strikes the ground near Alrix, and another nicks Aldus on the forearm. But no further arrows are fired and Alrix has time to climb back up on the ledge with the others to let them know about the elves he calls winter elves.

“Parlay?” Lakima calls out in elvish.

The leader of the Winter elves responds asking them to leave their caves as they are trespassing. They realize that it was not intentional so they will allow the adventurers to go in peace. Lakima questions the leader about the Heart of Radiance. He claims to know nothing about it. When asked about Kaelin above in the temple he claims that they do not go above to the surface. Aldus angrily shouts out that he wishes to challenge the elf who fired the arrow that struck him. Alrix suggests they remain calm, there is no need to start a fight they will regret. But Lakima relays Aldus’ challenge in elvish. The elves are not amused and demand that they leave immediately or face death.

Just then Alrix spots a pack of winter wolves running toward Aldus on the cavern floor.

“Winter wolves, look out!” Alrix shouts and casts a fireball high in the air in the cavern near the ledge. An enormous ball of fire explodes in the cavern, blasting the elves on the ledge and the winter wolves. Several of the wolves fall and the remaining wolf retreats. The elves pull the ladder to their ledge up. Eathwund invokes the enchantment on his armor and steps into the ethereal. He flies across the chamber and materializes amongst the winter elves lashing out at them with his sword. Lakima shouts to Aldus and throws him a potion of levitation. Aldus drinks the potions and ascends into the air. He then drifts across the cavern and lands lightly on the far ledge to attack the winter elves. A tough melee ensues. Both Eathwund and Aldus are outnumbered and attacked on all sides.

The elven leader casts an ice storm spell enveloping Lakima and Ian on the ledge and Domago and Alrix who have climbed down into the cavern. The deadly ice pummels them for several seconds inflicting cuts and wounds. Alrix casts a magic missile hitting the elven leader. Lakima attempts to disintegrate the elven leader but the spell fails. More winter wolves emerge and attack Domago and Ian. Alrix then casts a magic missile again striking the leader a second time. The elven leader raises a fog cloud obscuring the far ledge so that Lakima and Alrix cannot hurl spells at him.

“You will have to do better than that!” Alrix shouts and with a mighty blow of hair from his lungs casts control winds blowing the fog away so they can see the fight again. The elven leader unleashes another ice storm. This one knocks down Ian unconscious and kills the remaining winter wolves.

Alrix shouts at Aldus to get away from the ledge and Aldus grabs Eathwund and the pair float away from the ledge. The elves sheath their swords and ready bows. Then Alrix waves his arms above his head until he has built up a swirling maelstrom of winds. With a single wave, the hurricane-force winds strike the elves on the ledge flinging them like rag dolls against the wall. All of the elves lie prone and unmoving. He also blows the ladder off of the ledge and down onto the floor.

Aldus climbs up the ladder onto the ledge to investigate and finds all of the elves but one is dead. The remaining live one angrily says a curse at him in elvish. Lakima climbs up and searches the body leader. When he removes the leader’s simple necklace of black stones an illusion is broken and he finds he is holding the necklace with the Heart of Radiance.

“Found it!” Lakima says excitedly.

Aldus takes the swords from the dead elves. Lakima casts detect magic and finds that none of the swords are magical but they are of fine quality and have a unique appearance. Lakima does take the time to tie up the elf. He pens a warning in elvish on a blank parchment and pins it to the elf’s chest. Eathwund searches a side chamber and finds what is clearly a magical portal with cold mist pouring from it. Lakima checks the portal and decides it must lead to the winter half of the feywild.

Deciding they have what they came for the group heads back to the surface and finds Elysia unguard and unharmed. Aldus tells her of his brave exploits. Elysia leads them back to the elven village. They arrive in the early evening having had to make a detour around a pack of wild boars. In the village, the Loremaster Alric greets them warmly and takes the Heart of Radiance to be returned to safekeeping. The village leader asks them to stay for a banquet in their honor. Lanterns full of fireflies are strung between the trees and large tables are brought out. Soon the tables are full of elven fare – vegetables, fruits, and even venison. Aldus sits next to Elysia and attempts to court her. When he gets her alone near her cottage, he asks her to join the Company and move to Edgerton. She smiles and declines telling him that her place is in the village. Then she says goodnight.

The following day the elves pack the company meals for their trip and say goodbye. Aldus leaves a jeweled necklace in a small sack at Elysia’s door for the elven woman is no where to be found. The group boards their flying ship and sets sail for Edgerton. The group arrives before noon. Landing they make their way into the Manor and everyone heads off to their rooms. Domago does take the time to heal Lakima and August. But he is out of healing spells and suggests Aldus go to the Church of St. Cuthbert. Lakima finds that his wife Alayna is in a particularly foul mood. She complains of a bad nightmare the night before. Other staff in the manor also complain of trouble sleeping.

Lakima tells Aldus he will join him on walking over to the Church of St. Cuthbert. They find the church busy with worshippers. Abbot Marta does make time for them and heals the wounds of Aldus and his squire Ian. Aldus makes a large donation to the coffers of the church. Lakima asks Marta about the nightmares townsfolk are having. Marta confirms that it is widespread in the human population of the town. He did commune with St. Cuthbert earlier in the day and had a vision of a gigantic shadow beneath the town reaching upward with clawed hands to threaten them.

Lakima and Marta discuss the nightmares and the prophecy that Marta has seen.

AI Assistance

With this latest session, we start into the 77th adventure of this Swords & Wizardry campaign. I just wanted to say a short word about how I find and prepare. At first, the campaign was about playing some classic dungeon. The first dungeon was In Search of the Unknown, and the second was the Ruined Abbey (Dungeon of the Fire Opal) from the 1st Edition DMG. In these cases, I re-wrote the adventures for the Swords & Wizardry rules and to account for my player's characters. Later I went through re-writes of a lot of Swords & Wizardry adventures published by Creations Edge Games. Recently, I have used the plot and bare bones of a number of Advanced Adventures from Expeditious Retreat Press. All were rewritten to fit our play style. A few adventures covered specific events in the campaign.

As the player characters get into higher levels (9-12) this has been a lot harder. I did run some adventures designed for high level and I modified some mid-level adventures to be high-level. Now I am running out of adventures that I think will work. For one thing, high-level adventures often have plots that involve "saving the world". I do not want to save the world to become blase for the players.

The latest adventure (and the next 2 I have written) were suggested by AI (ChatGPT). I do not mean that the AI wrote them. What I did is use a series of prompts like, "Suggest a plot for an adventure for my dungeons and dragons group involving a hydra". Then I refined the prompt until I had the basics of a plot in a few paragraphs. All that remains is to draw the maps and fill and write up the adventure. This is how "The Hydra's Heart" came into being.

Session 132: The Hydra’s Heart

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

The members of the Company of the Black Dragon are resting and recovering in the town of Edgerton their current home.

Lakima goes into the town’s artisan street looking for a skilled glassblower. He finds such an artisan in Marcel Kubik. Lakima explains that he needs ground and polished lenses of a certain size in a platinum setting. Marcel quotes a price of 1,200 gold which Lakima happily accepts. That night while sleeping in the manor Aldus, Eathwund, and Lakima have bad dreams. Eathwund awakens in the middle of the night from a dream in which he kept falling into a pit, Aldus dreams that a stone golem snaps his sword in two leaving him defenseless to its huge stone fists, and Lakima dreams he is in a room full of fine sand deep underground when he falls into a sandpit and is dragged under.

When the sun rises Lakima finds his wife Alayna in the water closet scrubbing her hands repeatedly. She complains of a bad dream in which she spilled acid on her hands. Lakima asks other companions over breakfast about their sleep and each tells him of troubling dreams. Only Alrix had an untroubled night. Even the staff at the manor tell their employers of troubling dreams.

Suspecting that the dreams might portent some evil threatening their home Lakima checks with some neighbors finding they also had bad dreams. He suggests going to the Dwarven or Elven embassies to check with them. Lakima, Eathwund, Alrix, Domago, and Brovin head over to the Elven Embassy. The elves tell them that they had just sent a messenger to the manor asking for a meeting. They immediately take them in to speak to Wynather, the elvish ambassador. Before Wynather can explain why he wanted to see them, Lakima asks if the elves were troubled by nightmares. Wynather is puzzled and professes to know nothing about troubled dreams.

Eventually, Wynather asks them if they would recover a magical artifact taken from a high elven village by a hydra. The village is in Haven (Kingswood) and is populated mainly by elves from the feywild who have come back to the area now that Princess Argenta has returned. The object stolen is called the Heart of Radiance. When questioned, Wynather explains some of the objects reported powers. These include warding from negative energy. Alrix wonders aloud if this artifact could have something to do with the nightmares people have reported.

Lakima tells Wynather that they will get back to him with an answer in a few days. He suggests checking with locals at a nearby village some miles from Edgerton. Aldus and Ian join them as they ride out to Easthollow. This is a small farming village. Arriving in the village they make their way toward what appears to be a tavern. The tavern keeper Clafin tells them no one has had bad dreams here.

“No bad dreams here – except for Bif” he says.

He points out the village drunk. But he admits Bif always has bad dreams. The company stops for some drinks and then rides back to Edgerton. Lakima and Alrix head over to see Wynather again and tell him they will try to recover the Heart of Radiance. Wynather re-introduces them to Sienna a wood elf ranger they had met a few times before. She will lead them to Willowbrook, the elven village that is difficult to find for non-elves.

The next day Sienna arrives with her horse ready to ride.

“We will be flying not riding,” Lakima tells Sienna, and then points out the flying ship hovering over the manor. Sienna’s horse is taken to a nearby stable. The entire company boards the flying ship and set out for the Kingswood. Sienna clearly enjoying the trip takes a position on the bow leaning out over the railings to direct them. At one point they see a golden eagle following them but when Alrix calls out to it in a few different languages it dives down out of sight. Soon they arrive in Willowbrook.

Sienna introduces the company to Alric, the village loremaster, and to Daemarin the town elder. They tell the company about the hydra attack two weeks earlier. The evidence is clear to see. One section of the wall of the village hall where the artifact was kept is torn open. There are large tracks leading into the woods and trees and undergrowth have been pushed aside or flattened. As her task is complete, Sienna says her goodbyes and leaves the village.

Lakima suggests Brovin (the party's new trap finder) lead the way following the tracks left by the hydra. Looking at the obvious trail Brovin states that anyone could follow this trail. They follow the trail for a mile until it reaches a swift-flowing wide stream. There is no indication of what direction the hydra went.

“Maybe it was a wizard that polymorphed or teleported away,” Alrix suggests.

Lakima says that Alrix’s suggestion might be the case but more likely it just headed into the stream to hide its tracks. Alrix suggests that all of this behavior does not sound like that of a hydra.

“Hydra are simple-minded beasts,” Alrix says.

Lakima uses the arrow of direction and asks for the location of the hydra they are tracking.

“We should have asked for the Heart of Radiance,” Alrix says.

The arrow points downstream so they follow the stream. After half a mile they see a clear, recent trail smashed through the underbrush on the other side of the stream. They cross the stream and pick up the new trail. After a few miles, they see a large circular cave mouth. The cave entrance has been recently widened and stones excavated from the cave are piled outside the opening.

Lakima waves at Brovin and tells him to lead the way. Brovin complains about the darkness so Lakima casts light on Brovin’s sword. He also casts light on the top of his staff. August has the continual flame staff that already casts light.

Brovin leads them down the wide tunnel checking the floor carefully. They pass three narrow side tunnels but decide to stick to the main tunnel. The tracks of the hydra clearly head down this central tunnel. As they near a bend in the tunnel Brovin signals for silence and hand signals a large cave ahead. The lights from the spells reveal the entrance to a cave full of animal bones and debris. Alrix whispers a warning that he can see an enormous hydra with many heads (he cannot tell how many) resting with some eyes open and some closed. It is far bigger than any hydra he has seen before.

“What do we do?” Alrix asks.

Lakima shrugs, and says “fireball?”

Alrix summons a ball of fire and directs it into the chamber to strike atop the surprised creature. There is an enormous blast of flame followed by a large cloud of smoke. They can see movement in the smoke and when it clears they see the hydra’s body thrashing about. They see a number of heads, perhaps all of them, have been burned off of the hydra. As they watch heads begin to grow out of the blackened stumps. This is all that Eathwund and Aldus need. They both rush forward to hack away at still-forming heads. Ian the squire joins them. Lakima throws some darts but they have little effect. Eathwund is bitten by a newly formed head, as is Lakima, and August. But the fighters manage to chop off the remaining heads and the creature finally ceases moving.

Domago casts healing on Lakima and August. Alrix tosses aside a bent shield he is standing near and discovers a cloth bag full of gems, and coins. Alrix suggests tipping the hydra over to look under it. The dead hydra is lying on a heap of animal bones. Brovin suggests looking in its stomach for the Heart of Radiance. He cuts open the hydra but finds only the remains of a deer in its stomach. After much effort, Eathwund and Aldus manage to move the enormous corpse of the hydra so that everyone can look underneath it but there is nothing to find.

“It's not here”, Lakima says. “Let me try the Arrow.”

Using the Arrow of Direction Lakima asks for the location of the Heart of Radiance. The arrow does not move. This has happened before when the thing they wanted to find either did not exist or was warded from detection. Lakima suggests checking another tunnel. Brovin leads that way down a narrow tunnel that circles back onto the main tunnel near the entrance. They try another tunnel that leads to a small cave where they find the remnants of a recent camp. Under an overturned empty crate, Eathwund stumbles upon a torn piece of parchment with part of a note written on it. He cannot make sense of the cursive script. Lakima examines it and sees it is written in Elvish. He reads it out to everyone:

“…retrieve the Heart of Radiance for me and then

we can be together my love. My heart cannot

rest until we are together again. I whisper

Kaelin the fair on the wind.”

Lakima asks if anyone knows a Kaelin. The name sounds elvish so they decide to return to Willowbrook to ask. As the sun begins to set, they arrive back in Willowbrook. Alric says that Kaelin was the former loremaster before him. She used to spend a lot of time in the forest for weeks at a time. Eventually, she wandered off and never returned. That was two years ago. He tells them that she used to spend a lot of time at the Temple of Whispers a few miles from the village. He suggests looking for clues there.

Since the night is approaching, the elves offer the company the hospitality of the village. They have a guest cottage well outside the center of the village. Inside is a small kitchen and plenty of beds for the company. Eathwund tells the crew of the flying ship that they are staying in a cottage for the night. The crew elects to stay on the ship.

The next day Alric introduces the company to a mature elven woman named Elysia Silverwind – the best ranger in the village. Elysia tells them that she can lead them quickly and safely to the temple. She tells them that it is a human-built temple that must have been raised during the years when the elves left Kingswood.

Elysia leads them quickly through the maze of animal trails in the woods. At one point they circle around an area when Elysia warns of an owlbear. After almost two hours they see the ruins of the temple rising above the trees. The temple is overgrown with vines and only the walls remain. The roofs have long since collapsed. Brovin carefully leads the way entering the temple. In the nave, they find a large statue of a woman with long, wild hair. Domago moves up to look at it more closely.

“I believe this is Merriva,” he says, “A goddess of the wind”.

As he is looking over the statue, a dead tree that appears to have grown up out of the stone floor suddenly shifts and lashes out at Domago. He is startled but gets his shield up in time to block the strike. Domago cries out in surprise. The other adventurers see what happened and run to help Domago. Eathwund and Aldus attack with their swords. Alrix uses the Sword of Dancing to chop off branches of the tree. The animated tree lashes out with multiple branches.

“It’s a Ygg!” Elysia shouts.

The adventurers hack away at the tree until Ian and Aldus coordinate their attacks and smash through the central trunk. The tree topples over in a heap on the stone floor.

“What did you call it, a Ygg?” Alrix asks Elysia. Elysia explains that a Ygg is a magical tree from the feywild. Usually encountered in the area controlled by Winter.

“I suspected that,” Lakima says.

Meanwhile, Brovin has been listening at a nearby wood door. He motions for silence and then whispers that he can hear a woman sobbing on the other side. Aldus shoves the door open and they look into a chapel. The roof is still intact over the altar. Kneeling before the altar is a white-haired elven woman.

“Kaelin!” Elysia exclaims and runs forward to the woman. The woman starts when the name is shouted and then stands up and turns towards them. Her eyes are red from crying. She reaches out and then chants a few words and there is a burst of light which strikes Elysia knocking her out cold.

“All is not lost,” she says, “Perhaps your death will win me his favor.” She looks over the company arrayed before her with a look of madness in her eyes.

Death of Fenris

 A beloved NPC thief who has been the party's trap finder for the past 46 adventures or 90 or so sessions died (permanently this time) in this session. Fenris (the filch) was meant to be a member of an opposing adventuring party but through circumstances ended up joining the player's party. Fenris tripped many traps over the years but the players had, in the past, been able to revive him. They also gave him every trap-avoiding magical item that they came across. In session 128 Fenris fell into a pit and was killed but his body was stuffed in a Bag of Holding until the party could find time to use Raise Dead upon him. Fenris had other plans (failed his raise dead roll) and his spirit did not return to his body.

In this session, the leader of the team once more showed incredible common sense and insisted the party leave the dungeon once the goal was accomplished. Leaving me with half a dungeon written up that never got explored. Once they returned home I had to wrap things up early because I had not expected this evening to end so quickly.

Session 131: Rescue

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)

In their search for the missing explorers from Valnwall, the trail has led to the ruins of Muhatia on a desolate plane. The adventurers approach a 100-foot square black monolith rising out of the sand. Near its base, they spot a pair of tattered tents.

The company approaches the black monolith and stands in its shadow. A giant red glowing rune lights the side of the black stone looming over them. They move about the two abandoned tents and find crates of spoiled rations and an empty barrel. It is clear that the camp was set up by the missing explorers. A few traces of footprints are still visible in the sand leading about the camp and up to the stone wall. Lakima uses the wand of secret door detection and finds the outline of a massive 10-foot square doorway on the side of the monolith. A trigger is also visible. He triggers the door and a stone block moves to one side grinding sand out of the way. A dark passage leads down steps inside the monolith. After a brief discussion with Lakima, Alrix instructs the woolly mammoth to follow them into the monolith.

Ian the squire lights a lantern and Aldus and Eathwund lead the way down into the stone vault. Domago pauses to cast detect traps. As they near the bottom of the debris-covered steps Domago shouts out a warning of a pit trap at the bottom. Aldus and Eathwund step around the area Domago warns is a trap. They find themselves in a chamber of grey stone. There is a metal door in the wall before them flanked by two tall stone statues. One is of some forgotten lord or king and the other depicts the familiar camel-headed human god they have seen before. The statues have shining gold adornments on their heads and each holds gold items in their stony grasps. The king holds a golden rod while the statue of the god holds a golden ankh. Eathwund examines the door and finds that there are no locks, handles, or hinges. The rest of the group makes their way into the chamber avoiding the trapped floor. Alrix uses hand signals and pushes the mammoth until it is convinced to step around the trapped floor. Lakima instructs August, who is still wearing the Cursed Helm of Free Action, to use a knock spell on the door. The spell works and the door slides to one side revealing a narrow hallway leading to another metal door. Domago checks using his magically enhanced perception and declares the hallway safe.

The door at the end of the hall also proves to be locked. August uses another knock spell to open it. The door slides open revealing an octagonal chamber with no other exits. The chamber is empty. Aldus steps inside the chamber and Ian shines the lantern inside. The walls are covered with painted murals that are only slightly faded. Footprints are visible in the dust and sand on the floor. The adventurers all move through the doorway into the chamber. Domago is intrigued by the murals and examines them. The murals chronicle a war between two peoples. One is depicted as wise and noble and one is shown as primitive and brutish. Clearly, the architects of the structure have depicted themselves in the best light. The murals show the enemy people praying and receiving aid from an avatar of a god who is shown as a giant human with the head of a hippopotamus. The builders of this structure are shown trapping the avatar in a metal coffin that leads to their victory.

Lakima uses the wand of secret door detection and finds that each of the walls has a secret door – seven in all. There is no sign of a trigger to open the doors. Lakima steps up to one of the walls that the footprints lead to and he places his hand on the stone. Immediately a glowing portal opens in the wall showing a stone passage. An elderly woman dressed in robes stands in the passage not 15 feet away. She looks up startled and starts to back away.

“Windmaster!” she yells.

Lakima tries to calm the woman telling her that they are here to rescue her. A few seconds later Windmaster Bryan Sturlaker comes running around a corner and enters the hall at the far end.

“Lakima?” he says, “Quick, Meika jump through the portal!”

The woman (Meika) and Bryan quickly run forward and leap through the opening into the chamber. They stand panting. Bryan looks about puzzled as he spots the mammoth towering in the chamber. He greets Eathwund and Aldus. Once he has caught his breath, he tells them he has been trapped in the hallway for 3 days. He asks about the other explorers from Valnwall but is told they have not been found.

Lakima explains to Bryan that Ezmeralden and Nissa asked them to find him. Now that they have found them, he wishes to leave this realm as quickly as possible. It takes some convincing from Bryan to get Lakima to agree to look for the other explorers. Bryan explains that the corridor he was in led to a chamber where he had to destroy clay constructs. There was a door in the chamber but he could not get it open. The structure they are in is warded against dimensional magic. A knock spell also did not work on the door. When they went back to try another secret door, they found that the passage had closed behind them. He suspects that each of the seven doors leads to another challenge that must be overcome but he has not divined the purpose of the structure.

Now that they have decided to continue the search, they pick another door. Lakima opens it and they see another stone passage. This one has a stair leading down. To avoid getting trapped on the other side of the portal, Meika is left behind in the chamber to open the door if it closes. The mammoth is left behind with instructions to protect her. Domago casts Detect traps again.

With Domago in the lead warning of any dangers, they move down the stone steps and enter a hall that enters from the left. They see a metal door that is partially ajar with a dim flickering light shining through the gap.

“Baris?” Bryan calls out.

The door soon swings completely open and they meet six of the missing explorers from Valnwall. They appear hungry and thirsty and three of their number are injured. Domago moves forward and begins to tend to the injured. Bryan walks over to Baris and grabs him by the shoulders for a hug.

Baris explains that the explorers made their way to this structure which he calls “the god prison”. They explored three of the secret doors and two of their number were killed and two injured. He points to a pit in the center of the chamber. A pillar in the middle of the pit has a crown upon it. Four pillars extend from floor to ceiling. Baris tells them that the pit is blocked by an invisible barrier. Once they found they could not get past it they headed back to the octagonal chamber but found the door had closed behind them. This had not happened in the other two chambers they checked previously. The doors stayed open for several days. They found they were trapped and Baris was unable to pass the door because the structure is warded to prevent spells like dimension door or passwall from working.

“Do you know what this is, Windmaster!” Baris tells Bryan excitedly.

Bryan indicates he has not discerned the purpose of the structure. Baris tells them that from the writings he has deciphered the mages of Muhatia imprisoned the god Menepta here or at least its avatar. They then used the god's power to destroy their enemies. Baris tells Bryan that the knowledge and power in the structure must be immeasurable. He is eager to explore it more now that Bryan has brought more mercenaries.

“Hold on!”, Lakima exclaims, “we are not hired mercenaries.”

Lakima explains the interest of the Company of the Black Dragon in being here. They have only come on a rescue mission and they feel that they have accomplished their mission.

“You are welcome to stay, but we,” Lakima points to the company, “are leaving.”

Baris and Bryan try arguing with Lakima about the merits of exploring, promising magic knowledge and treasure but their arguments are not persuasive enough. Eventually, even Bryan agrees that they should head back to the portal to Valnwall. The group heads back to the chamber where Meika waits. Some of the explorers are startled by the presence of the mammoth in the chamber but Alrix sets them at ease. The entire group makes their way back outside into the desert. Baris and his company pack up the tents and they set out following the stone markers of the ancient road.

They pass the palace of the undead a few hours later. Baris tells them that his team decided to avoid it as they had heard it was populated by many of the undead. Lakima tells them of some of the company's adventures in the ruins. Later that evening they set up their camp with the mercenaries providing a watch. Despite this, the adventurers decide to set their own watch. Overnight a sandstorm buffets the camp for several hours before subsiding. They find that the winds have transformed the desert landmarks but the road markers are still visible. It takes another day for them to reach the village of Zentrium.

In Zentrium they are greeted warmly and again Jabari offers them the hospitality of his home. Over a meager dinner, Lakima tells his hosts about the Tomb of Zoser. Jabari tells him that Zoser was a legendary king who united their tribes. Lakima suggests that the destruction of Zoser’s mummy might bring water back to the land. His hosts are skeptical.

The next day the group reaches the bridge in the desert. Lakima explains that they left a crystal ball with Ezmeralden. As he is explaining this the bridgeway hums to life revealing a portal back to their world. They cross and arrive back in the Kings’ wood.

Lakima is eager to get back to Edgerton so they say their goodbyes. Bryan thanks each member of the company and promises to repay them someday. Lakima suggests that he find a good keeper for Nissa. 

The rotting corpse of Fenris is removed from the bag of holding and placed on a grass-covered hill. Domago attempts to raise Fenris from the dead. After a few hours of praying Domago gives up and admits defeat.

“I could not reach him,” he says dejectedly.

A grave is dug and Fenris is buried on the hillside near the bridge. A simple wood marker over the grave. The adventurers lift their flying ship and fly back to Edgerton.

In Edgerton, the group settles in at the Manor. Alayna learns of Fenris’ death. Lakima pays for flyers to be sent out advertising a new trap finder for the Company of the Black Dragon. Potential recruits to inquire at the Sign of the Purple Bugbear tavern. He and Eathwund go to a locksmith and purchase his most secure lock. The locksmith proudly shows them a lock worth 150 gold which he proclaims cannot be opened without the key. Lakima purchases it. They bring the lock to the tavern and ask applicants to pick the lock to show their skills. Over a dozen “locksmiths” try without success. Old Pete, the owner of the Bronze Key tavern, is able to open it. He requests the 500-gold prize that was offered. Lakima pays him but also asks if Pete would like to join the Company of the Black Dragon. Pete, who is a portly man in his fifties declines the offer. But he does recommend a “specialist” called Brovin Laughingman. He tells them that he will inform the Laughingman of the offer of employment. Later that day Lakima uses magic to identify the items they found in Zoser’s tomb. The scimitar that Zoser is found to be a foul device that steals souls. It is given to Domago so he can arrange for its safekeeping in the church vaults.

Aldus finds that he cannot approach any horses. Any horse he comes near to try to move away from him. Some horses kick out at him or try to bite him. He realizes he is suffering from a curse from the tomb of Zoser. Once he tells the others, Lakima casts remove curse on him and the issue is solved.

The next day a hooded man appears in the manor house main hall having bypassed the locks on the front door.

“Are you Brovin Laughingman?” Lakima asks him.

The man answers in a flat voice that he is Brovin. He does not answer to Laughingman. He is a man of few words and a taciturn manner. Lakima offers him Fenris’ former room and all of the gear Fenris had on him when he died to join the company. Brovin takes a little convincing but he agrees.

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.