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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment