Meet 75, Adv 5, 2/9/19

The group got MUCH further along this time and have gone on to explore a bit beyond the 3rd entrance. The goal, according to them, is not to spend a few days down here, but to map out a bit and then leave before the 8 hour limit and then to the same for the other areas as well. THEN they'll go further in for a more defined foray.

Write up follows:

The base of the door had a layer at least half of foot of greenish filth corroding the bottom of it, and we know our torch light had driven some mice and rats in the hall ahead of us and under the door. The sweet stink of rot was pretty heady as we finally opened the door and took a look in.

The floor was pretty rank with a trough of some sort of decaying flesh shoved against both the left and right sides of the corridor, leaving about 5-6’ of clear walking space that was covered by a thin layer of ooze. The walls seemed damp and the smell of decay and rot was pretty strong. Looking ahead it was 15 or so feet of passage before it opened to a larger room. We could just make out a closed wooden box and the edge of a couch but little else. The far end of the room had a glow to it as if lit from a corridor nearby but we couldn’t tell for sure.

Brading fired up a light spell for us and with some tossing, we managed to send the stone with the spell upon it across the chamber. The room had 5 very large couches and 4 covered wet wooden boxes. Each couch had 3 or 4 dead naked bodies upon them. The bodies were placed on the couches in sitting positions and each one showed feeding from the knees down from the vermin that inhabit the area. There was another corridor all the way across the room that led to the east but we’d have to enter and no one was comfortable about it.

Plus, with the treacherous floor, we were going to be forced to move very slowly to avoid falling. If the room was all zombies, no one wanted to enter as we’d be slaughtered. So the decision was to have Negan ask Odin for a blessing and let us know if there were any undead in the area.

Four.

Four of the dead bodies, all on different couches, were tied to the negative plane. We all backed up into the hall and Darius let fly his sling, hitting the furthest Zombie and then hitting it again. The figure stood up and began to walk towards us, and then within 10 seconds, the other 3 did the same. Sybil shot off her own rock and the two of them took turns peppering the slow shambling undead with shot and stone. Brading was ready to turn them but we kept picking at them.

A strange thing, each time a zombie took some serious damage, it turned to one of the other dead bodies in the room and took a bite of the flesh, fixing the wounds they had taken from the group. We changed our tactics to finish off each zombie that was stopping to eat others to prevent them from healing. Two of the zombies were very close, each of them tearing a bit of couch apart to hold in front of them like a shield as they were almost at the door.

One made it through and the last one still moving in the room was killed. Brading, Negan, and Connal hit and struck the closest zombie who threw its couch cushion away and then grabbed Connal who was right in front of him. He lifted the monk off the ground and was staggering back into the room when Darius brained the zombie and tore the top of its head off with a well slung bullet.

Combat over we took stock of ourselves and after some light healing we entered the room. The couches, bodies, boxes, walls – everything was damp. The stink was growing on us as we no longer felt like retching. Sybil touched the boxes and assured us they were pretty rancid and water logged, but sound. After talking about it a bit and making sure the next corridor was clear (at least 20 paces, slow burn torch on the south wall, and it opened to some larger chamber beyond) the Halfling and monk made an attempt to open the closest box.

Pushing didn’t work, spear tips didn’t work, poles didn’t work. The top was pretty tight on and water logged swollen. Finally Connal moved Sybil aside and used a crowbar to force the top open. A blast of gritty dust spewed out, coating the monk and the surrounding area. He waited a moment for them to disperse before he was able to look inside. The cover and most of the top of the box had some sickly looking green mushrooms growing in it and the majority of the box had what seemed to be various body parts: arms, legs, hands, torsos, it was disgusting.

Gryg and Avulstein were concerned about the mushrooms and suggested they might be harmful. It was then that that all the exposed bits of cloth on Connal’s body started to rot, fast. Brading called forth a create water spell and the monk quickly took off his armor and washed himself and his backpack in the spring while the cover was replaced and the group moved away from the mess. Spore Rot Mushrooms if agitated release spores that devour cloth quickly and spread the fungus to new areas. Once he was sure he was cleaned, the straps on his backpack were repaired, he had to discard his worn out rotted clothing and put on new ones, and some of his other cloth items were now garbage.

We lit new torches and travelled off to the east, walking the corridor with care. The passage eventually opened to a 30’ square room with a table in the center about 10’ diameter, a door on the north wall, a tapestry on the south wall, and a passage continuing to the east. Sybil gave the group the green light but stopped us as she looked at the table.

Four candles were burning on it, melted upright and stuck on the surface. And the table was levitating in the air. Floating there without legs or support. We went in and looked around. The tapestry on the wall was 20’ wide, 5’ tall, and showed three women drinking wine and eating grapes in a room that looked like this one, sitting at a table. While we discussing what to do, we heard the distant sound of something moving from where we had come from and coming closer.

The group hid, weapons out, while some figures came closer and stopped just at the corner of the last room. We could faintly hear some noises and using Brading’s mirror on a stick, they were able to see two bugbear looking figures, only VERY thin and emaciated, looking down in our direction. One of them took a rock and tossed it and waited. We watched it hit the floor and bounce. Then they did it again. Again, we were quiet.

It was when we saw them bend down and go to pick up one of the wooden boxes that might have spore rot in it that Connal opened his mouth with a fake deep voice and yelled, “That’s enough!!” What followed was a conversation where the two coming thought we were Zakthar’s men and they were investigating possible “’Venturers” who came in the “Fucking Quillian’s didn’t do their job.” We made as if they never came this far and most likely left. Then the two of them volunteered to “reset the damned zombies if you don’t want to” and we said we’d take care of it.

Supposedly there’ll be a meeting in a few hours near the “old alchemy lab” to discuss what everyone found and then they left and we waited until we heard doors closing.

Brading and Avulstein confided in the group the figures seemed undead but were self-willed and aware – which could be ghouls, ghasts, wights, or the like. Fucking wonderful. Not wanting to go BACK that way now, we decided to finish investigating here and then moving on. The table, we tested it out. It could be moved and raised and lowered but required a bit of force to do so. And if the candle was extinguished, that side of the table fell to the ground.

Sybil was checking out the north door when she noted a strange odor, got light headed and passed out. Then Avulstein checked out the door and again, strange odor and knocked out. While all this was going on, Gryg had checked around the corner down the short corridor and it was a long hall, at least as long as his infravision, but there was a small stool some 20 odd feet down on the left side, with something hot and cooling sitting next to it.

Shit.

We were waking up Sybil and Avulstein and checked out the stool. It was a larger than normal 3 legged stool, and there was a hunk of what seemed to be well eaten cow bone there and a slightly larger than normal clay pipe still warm with a dying bit of halfling’s weed within. Something was here, not even 10 minutes ago, in this hall, guarding, and probably heard us screwing around in the table room.

Then we heard a distant door open up down the hall and we ran back to the table room, weapon at the ready and shaking as we heard 1, 2, 4, 5 LARGE figures coming down and muttering in a strange language that Negan and Brading identified as Ogre. 5 Ogres? Run. Run now.

We ran back to the zombie room just ahead of the approaching Ogres, raced to the other door, and filed in, pulling it shut and bracing it closed while Gryg and Sybil ran down the long hall to the other door and stopped to hear MORE voices in the “exit” chamber, male, deep, confident, and talking in a tongue no one could recognize. There were at least THREE of them in there. Shit shit shit.

We heard the ogres come into the zombie chamber and talk. One of them reported hearing adventurers to another ogre names Zakthar who was happy to hear about it and we’d “see who they were soon enough if they were still around”. They looked over the mess and spent ten minutes doing something in the room where they were “resetting the zombies, going to take 10 minutes.” The lone Ogre was to stay on guard, and report to Zakthar about the group if they came back.

We waited until all was quiet, had to light 2 more torches, and then another 10 minutes just to be sure. We then opened the door and looked in. The bodies were back on the couches and the room looked as it did before. Se we once again starting with Darius and Sybil, started slinging rocks into the room to see which dead bodies get up. And there were 4 of them again, different ones from before, and they shuffled towards us slowly while the three of them and Gryg’s blunt bolts and Brading’s hurled axes whittled the undead down until the last were killed again.

We took the bodies and put them BACK on the couches and made our way towards the table room again. It was here that a wind started blowing towards us, gathering in strength until it was whistling through the air for a bit before eventually slowing down and growing still again. Gryg was able to scent burning halfling’s weed on the breeze, leading us to suspect the pipe smoking ogre was back at the stool.

It was with great care that we inched forward and Sybil snuck up to look around the corner – one ogre, 9’ tall, sitting on a stool, smoking a pipe, and casually eating a large cow bone rib.

We discussed plans and settled on a Silence spell from Brading on a coin and then a Bless spell from Negan and then the party race around the corner and waste the bastard as fast as we can while Brading runs PAST the Ogre to make sure that no noise carried down the hall.

Three, Two, One.

Gryg hit the corner first and fired his crossbow, striking the Ogre who reared up followed by Negan and Connal charging up and Brading shooting past. Negan’s sword slammed 2’ of metal into the Ogre’s chest who was silently screaming while Connal delivered punishing blows and Brading sliced his battleaxe. Then Darius and Sybil shot bullets with devastating force. Total assault – 16 seconds.

Ogre dead.

He was dead long before he hit the floor and the group was thrilled. We checked him over, getting what we could off of him while Avulstein suspected we only had a few seconds of silence left down the hall. We all retreated as he placed his hands on the Ogre and cast Strip Flesh – covering the room in gore and leaving a skeletonized Ogre behind.

Darius, Connal, and Avulstein were discussing the merits of doing this now, possibly raising the Ogre, and getting the hell out of the hall when Sybil and Gryg checked out the closest door in the hall. Untrapped and open, it revealed itself to be a long trashed trophy room with signs of adventurer’s stay in the past. We decided it would do for now as we dragged the body in, we all entered, and then shut the door, pushing the iron shanks at the top and bottom of the door into the drilled holes and sealing the room closed for now.

Meet 74, Adv 5, 1/26/19

Finally! The group had the chance to enter the Terror Dungeon Twice. The first time they met with a decimated group emerging and then triggered the "wandering monster" summoner. Which resulted in three rolls. And to the groups point of view, it was 4 fire beetles, two giant toads, and beholder.

Again - to the group's point of view - I'm not saying anything about what I rolled.

Anyway they ran for it and had the shortest time in a dungeon I've ever had the pleasure to DM except for maybe a half hour on my daughter and wife's ill fated treck into the Caves of Chaos long ago.

They went back in some time later and so far it's much better

Write up follows:

After enjoying a meal, we were summoned to the central keep to meet with Lord Corface Bork, a 60’s year old human male with the shakes and some sort of musculature disease. With him were 5 others: His Chancellor Kent Ra’al, a 50’s year old squint eyed human male, His Herald Thester Clantik, an adult aged spindly simpering dwarven male, His Castellan a youngish half-elven cautious looking male named Helmut Thranglerod, the Keep’s Curate, a late adult dwarvish male with a kind face named Ampar Earthwise, and the Keep’s Runesmith, Rogar Giantbane a fatalistic adult male dwarf with a number of permanent inkstains on his finger tips.

We talked to the group for a while, presented our paperwork, talked about other adventurers, the sovereign kingdoms around Bork Keep, various rules in the dungeon and out, and finally how the runestones will work for us on getting in and out of the dungeon. It was almost an hour of deep conversation before we purchased a 7 count of Runestones and committed ourselves to entering the Terror Dungeon on the morrow.

We wanted to wait until after the exit steps had moved so timed our entrance for 11:40 or later. We presented ourselves to the official on duty who took our names and group and had the two guard dwarves open the heavy iron doors. The entrance a 10’ circular hole in the ground where we could see broken stone and dark runes surrounding the entrance where the steps descended into the gloom.

We entered and the 4th step down the runes on the rock lit up in time with our rune stone and each person who entered could feel a crackling run up their skin as they descended. The temperature was a mid 50’s or higher. The steps turned to the left, spiraling down at least three times before a glow from below showed some sort of light ahead. A faint vinegary smell was in the air as we finally came to the first room. A chiseled “2” was on the wall here and a torch was sitting in a sconce on the south wall.

Room was 40’ square and discarded torch stubs, bits of armor, busted shields, general garbage littered the floor, testament of past adventurers who had come through here. A number of chalk marks were on the wall outside the steps going up, many of them times settling around 11:00 to 11:35 and again from 7:10 to 7:40. Some had been crossed off, most of the outliers, leaving the group to understand other adventurers had marked the time IN and OUT at the steps in the past.

Two open passages on the north and south wall, east side of the room went off into the dark, and two archways on the same walls on the west side of the room. North archway looked like an ogre’s open mouth along with fangs, South arch looked like ragged spears and knives.

Some chalk writing about frostmen and another about having a torch available. Marking near the torch showed 23 crosshatchings as if someone was keeping count. While we were going through everything we heard heavy footsteps coming closer from the south passage. Retreating to the steps we drew weapons and drew ready – to see 2 human females in various stages of disrepair, one laden with three large sacks and the other carrying a 3rd person, human male, on her back in a fireman’s carry.

On seeing each other the two women gave a groan of satisfaction and identified themselves as Ketick and Abera. The 3rd was their leader, Nelborg, and they had fallen in something called “The Pit Room” on the 2nd level where they tumbled down to the 4th level and had to fight their way out. They lost 3 of their party (the paladin to holding off an invading giant ant army) and were hoping to get Nelborg raised from the dead and then debate on going back in again.

We gathered from their conversation that they were higher level than us and after they left we talked about our options.

The decision was to take the corridor they had come from first, map for a bit, and see what happens next. So with Sybil walking point, we went south, ignored the side passage that went off to the east and ended at a “T” and continued on to the a turn to the west and then a door with a pull handle. Giving it a once over for traps, we opened the door to see the skeletal remains of an ogre sized creature with 2 sets of arms, blood stains and smears everywhere.

We debated long about what to do as we inched in closer and closer until an unseen wind blossomed over the skeleton and then gale forces tore about the room and the bones began clacking and shifting. We turned to run as a peal of thunder sounded and a voice shouted “RUN! RUN FOOLS! YOUR DOOM IS UPON YOU!” as lighting shot through the figure and sparks flew. We slammed the door behind us and hit the stairs as the dungeon shook and quaked about and the noise echoed everywhere.

And then we heard it, buzzing loud, deep, and menacing coming closer. From the south passage 4 Fire Beetles came around the corner as two of our party stood in their way, the 4’ glowing large mandible bugs trying to get past. From the north passage under the Ogre’s Teeth arch came 2 ¾ ton 8’ tall giant toads hopping into the room and looking around. We were going to turn and run when coming behind the beetles was a 4’ diameter floating green and blue chitonous covered large mouthed levitating slavering beast with a huge central eye and almost a dozen tendrils on its head each with ANOTHER eye.

“BEHOLDER!!!” the group shouted and turned to run. The Fire beetles made a grab at us but we charged away, spiraling up and shouting above to “OPEN THE FUCKING DOORS!! NOW !!”

The two huge metal portals groaned under the weight and then were pulled aside as we scrambled out of the Terror Dungeon and the dwarves let the chains fall slack as the passage closed behind us. The officiate looked at his log and said, “41 minutes.”

What?

“You, your party. Was in the Terror Dungeon for a total of 41 minutes”. We had some words with him and he commented that we were “loitering” when Avulstein lost his patience and the group left to go to the messhall and get a drink and rethink what the hell they were going to do all the while muttering, “a Beholder! An Odin-damned fucking BEHOLDER?!”

First order, get drunk. Second order, do NOT go in that set of steps at all for the rest of the day.

At the messhall Ketick was there and surprised to see us (yes, even THEY were doing their own first order of getting a drink). We told her of what happened, she mentioned the Ogre skeleton room was designed to alert any wandering monsters in the area and the secret was to not dilly dally, just go through it.

We went to Castellan after some drink and purchased MORE oil and MORE torches. From there we went to the butcher who was working on some animals and had a pig strung up, and allowed us to fill a flask with its still warm blood. We then went back to the visitor’s hall and rested.

By 7 we were ready to try again. We reequipped, made sure we had all we needed , and made our way back to the entrance. This time a new officiate was there, a farm girl named Kara who was working here for Lord Bork because she had her letters. Darius and she struck up a conversation before the group went back to the steps and once more, made our way back to the Terror Dungeon.

This time the steps took us down and there was a haze to the air. An earthy smell hit us as emerged to a room with 4 doors, one on each wall. More detritus on the floor, more chalk times. A note about a pressure plate trap, another about healing potions from Nythis. Door on the east was marked “To the fountain” and below it someone wrote “better if you have the Horn”. Torch lit on east wall had runes of prayer to Loki and the Norns about it and a pyramid of stones was below it as if an offering. The door to the north had some faint humanoid voices, door to the south smelt faintly acrid.

Ok, different set up. We lit a few torches and went east to the fountain first. Sybil led the way as we went to the corner, turned north, and could see some light from an opening to the right in the hall. We checked out the rest of the hall that turned back to the west and ended at a door with a turn handle. Sybil gave it a solid once over and let us know the door was trapped for sure – probably multiple times. We opted to ignore it and go back to the opening which ended in a 30’x30’ room with two torches and a fountain.

Showed lizard like creatures happily playing and a stylized Yggdassil tree where water was trickling out of 9 openings. A silver cup on a small chain was attached to the fountain and along the base were older style runes carved into the surface. We made a rubbing of the runes and then spent some time deciphering them. “The Skein of the Norns have brought you here at this time to drink. May Loki bless you as you drink and may Helmut fudge the dice rolls in your favor.”

We opted NOT to drink at this time, assuming it was magical and there was a mention of a Horn, like a drinking Horn? That would be better.

So we went back to the main room and took the west door . The ceiling was just about 10’ tall and there were smears on the ceiling, finger tip smears running the long way south. The passage had a jog to the left as we went down and as we progressed , Sybil let us know the smell ahead of us was taking on a faint rotting odor. There was a door here, closed, and after Sybil let us know it was not trapped we readied our weapons and got set to open it.

Meet 73, Adv 5, 1/19/19

As I mentioned, I had to advance time a bit, and the party the chance to meet with the local sage, Julian, who was a font of information on the Terror Dungeon and its workings. This was tidbits the other group had picked up and what I considered to be "common" knowledge. Details would still have to be gotten by the group.

And they had a chance to pass through the first of the Stolen Kingdoms, Canaslan, Run by Seljack of Madar - a one time sellsword and mercenary who would spend most of his earnings on the finest drink, the bawdiest of wenches, and the most latest of fashions - only to run out of coin and have to go adventuring again.

The land literary stinks of beer, body odor, and sweat.

Write up follows:

The following morning we split into two groups, a “delving” group that was going to head to Bork Keep and make our first foray into the Terror Dungeon, and a “surface” group that was going to report to the Greater Rand Sellsword and Adventuring Guild to establish potential residence and see what work can be garnered to support half of us while we were local.

The Delving Group resulted in Sybil (Halfling thief), Negan (half ogre Fighter Cleric to Odin), Darius (human fighter (slinger), Grygmier (dwarvish ranger), Avulstein (half orc (now!) tested wizard (earth)), Connal  (human monk to Sif), and Brading (dwarvish cleric to Heimdal). After eating breakfast at the Flying Pegasus, we travelled off to the western section of town for the Records and Sage district where we managed to get to Julian the Sage’s Tower. 4 stories tall, 40’ diameter, short wall surrounding the property and an herb garden being tended by a gnome gardener.

We introduced ourselves, gave a copy of our charter and showed our silver pins from the GRSAG and then were escorted in. Shoes and weapons were removed as we came into the tower proper. There was a white carpet, crystal curtain, and rows of books near a low table. A small amount of wine was dispensed to each person and Julian (human, male, 50’s, thin, fading hair) took time welcoming the party and then asking them what they hoped to get out of the Terror Dungeon and why they were doing this.

We answered him with a variety of reasons and Julian seemed ok with them all. He then gave us his opinion of the Terror Dungeon and some of the history. Bork Keep was about 300 years old and built for the Randari Emperor at that time by Daroken Dwarves who were invited to do the job by Nightwood Gnomes. It took 4 years and the Gorokian Dwarves were upset about it and refused to supply any of the stone except at the very end of the construction.

The Keep was positioned at Bork Lake as a deterrent for raiding lizardmen from the Starlitzian lizard tribes across the river. During the Randari/Dwarven war the keep was sacked but in the interim years it has been helmed by most recently a Lord Corface Bork (most likely not descended from the original owners) who has had its compliment of people rise and acts as a training ground for up and coming knights and men at arms.

The Terror Dungeon opened up 15 years ago when they were digging a deeper base for the wine cellar and its presence appearing now is not normal. There are other deeper wells and locations dug in and around the Keep – but at the time of the Dungeon Appearing, there have been no deep shafts possibly dug since then.

Julian wants whatever original writings can be found in the Dungeon. There is a mention (7 times) of a being referred to as Dragodon in whatever documents he’s has the luxury of looking at. There are many reasons why the Dungeon is here now and lots of theories – but he believes something is coming, and the dungeon is acting as a crucible – want to be heroes are going in, and only the best of them come out alive and better equipped to defeat powerful foes. Why?

He also gave us a brief on the Stolen Kingdoms, the Dozen Kingdoms, the Sovereign Lands – those places that have become “flipped” by powerful adventurers who have plumbed some of the deepest depths and gotten into some of the secretive areas of the dungeon warded by glyphs that make entrance difficult at best. We would have to pass through Canaslan, the 2nd such kingdom and its principle city of Paxian on our way to the Keep.

We left the Sage and did some shopping in the south section of town where many general shops were located not too far from an orcish slum. Everyone loaded up on ropes, spikes, hammers, etc…getting themselves as ready as possible for the trip to Bork Keep. We rested that night excited and nervous and got a good rest for our last day at the Flying Pegasus.

The next morn on Spiritmonth the 7th we were off and took the 10+ hour walk from Erylond to Bork Keep. It was cool, mid 40’s, but clear. Around 2 PM we passed through some sort of disturbance in the air and found ourselves in the stolen kingdom of Canaslan. The air had a warmer feel to it, there was an odor of beer and sweat in the air. The road seemed in poorer condition and many of the farms we passed had poorly planted fields. Drunkenness seemed rampant, along with sloth and merriment. Although we didn’t go to Paxian, we could see it in the distance off the road to the north. Walled city, slummy looking homes, VERY NICE gleaming castle.

A company of riders came up in dirty tabards and drinking, welcoming us to Canaslan and their King, Seljack of Madar. The offered us safe passage and rode ahead, knocking peasants aside and making a nuisance of themselves as they rode away. When we caught up with them again in half a mile, they had already dismounted and were gathered in a drunken pile at the side of the road. We pressed on. We had heard something about a “Sellsword’s Haven” by some of the people we had passed and gathered that that was the “theme” to this kingdom and Seljack.

It was about 5 PM when we emerged from the other side of the kingdom and were back on the normal road. Bork Keep could be seen in the distance. The land rose here about 50’ with the Erylond (Enderlyn further upstream) River burbling into the wide lake (3 miles by 6 miles). The land around the keep to the north was regimented farmlands and demesnes, all in good shape and repair. The keep itself had a tall outer wall, four towers and a barbican, and then another inner wall also warded with 4 towers.

A group of armigers arrived on horseback, pennants flying, lanced held at parade rest. We were welcomed to Bork Keep and told to be on our best behavior. Bows and crossbows MUST be unstrung in the Keep and weapons SHOULD be sheathed. There are craftsman and resellers to be found and there are two barracks at the north end of the Keep near the Dungeon Entrance where adventurers stay. We were told NOT to fuck with the rules and theft was considered to be the height of folly.

Once inside we had a chance to go through the well thought out and regimented Keep. The place was clean, had to be a few hundred people living in the keep itself. The back end of the Keep where we were heading was in good repair and there were two barracks, we took the left one that had a hitching post with a cart laden and tarped down, and a few ponies and mules. Avulstein went to go look at the cart when Darius was all over him to leave well enough alone.

We went inside and were welcomed by a group of 12 or so people, 8 of which were part of an adventuring group called the Unseen Hand. They had just spent a week or so in the Dungeon, lost two of their members, but had gone in Cleric Heavy this time (around 3rd/4th level) and made a payday of at least 40-50 lbs of treasure based upon what they showed us as well as other gear they had strapped to the cart outside.

We talked a bit, he told us that we should find the Glyph Gate on the north side of the 1st level and get a Brass Chime – if you are at a set of stairs and it’s not the right time, the Chime will summon the exit for 2 minutes allowing the party to leave before it snaps back to its original location. Suggested it’s worth our time to do so because hanging out at an exit and hoping for the best was a good way to be eaten by a Grue.

We shared our drink and food, he did the same, and we were going to see Lord Bork to bid our hello and get a rune stone to allow us entrance to the Dungeon.