Meet 17, Adv 10, 4/30/22

The group threw rocks at the gelatinous cube for a while until it grew irritated enough to back up down the hall and then leave. Eventually we heard the rising sound of some moaning and a breeze blow through before it too ended (meaning the cube had moved on). We then waited some time for Thon to regain the full use of his senses. The thought of the party was to back up down the hall, pass the piercers, and then through the door that lead to the “hay room”. Identifiable subject about the chamber? The hay grew from the ceiling down.

“Isn’t there a shark in that room?” Asher asked.

“No. Just hay.”

“Pretty sure there was a shark in there as well.”

The Captain was going to be disappointed.

They navigated back to the hall, spacing the piercers out, and once there, Thon checked the door over fully before we opened it up. Sure enough, the room was about 15’ tall, maybe 30’ square. There was an 8’ish pile of cut hay in the northwest corner, and hay was growing straight down from the ceiling – to about 9’ in length! It moved, undulated and rippling from the gentle breeze that blew from east to west. There was also lots of chaff and cuttings of hay stalks on the floor.

Connal and Thon checked the room out, the thief crossing the chamber to the other side where he checked out that door as well – confident that it was without issue. We entered, one by one, Captain Asher watching the hay above our head for sharks.

“There aren’t any fucking sharks,” Connal said gruffly.

“Be thankful one of us is looking for them,” Asher replied. “I’ll be alert for them.”

At one point we had a rising breeze and a jump in temperature but Brading shut the opposite door and we all shuffled out the north door. Once there we moved on the “V”’s chamber and knocked. No answer. Heard…a cat? That’s new. We then wrote a note and shoved it under the door, Shim indicated that he and the group had come to visit and would like to meet soon.

We then heard the sound of the lock being thrown and a 2nd check of the door, had it open. We entered. It was set up like before, except there was a drink on the table, some bread, and most of a smoked fish. The cat was a Calico cat, and after it fixed each of us with a gaze, found an area to relax and rolled around, getting comfortable.

Shim went to the table and seeing the book he had written in earlier, skimmed it (some sort of a business deal he was going through) and then wrote to V. To our pleasure, he wrote back. We conversed by enchanted book for a bit, letting him know we did want to meet at some point. Hoped we would bring him something to drink from “outside” at some point. The feeling was that Shim might have dropped too many personal identifiers of the party, but we decided not to stay in “V”’s room and left a bit after 2:30.

We headed back to the Fish chamber, dropping another 7 brass bits within, and then made our way around the chamber with the skeleton in it and headed north back to the entrance “2” chamber. We discussed options and came up with the thought to check out other places around here. There was a door on the east wall that we checked out and opened. It was a kitchen at one point, a 10’ square oven taking up the largest section of the chamber, broken crockery and other garbage in the chamber. A door was on the far northeast wall.

A look in the oven (it was very cold) shoved old ash – and 2 human bodies. Reduced to ash and blackened bones, they had been placed in here and cooked at one point. Thon got ballsy and crawled inside, Connal and Brading holding the door open. The ash basin below showed smears of old grease and smaller bones – but nothing else. Darius was uncomfortable leaving the bones and bodies here so had them bagged up just in case, to take out of here.

We went through the north door to a dining room. It hadn’t been used for a bit, chairs and tables were about 20% larger that we’d feel comfortable sitting at. Set of shelves with wooden bowls and plates. Table had nothing under it, a few old well gnawed bones (dogs?). There was a door on the west wall but it smells of old fire and sat poorly in the hinges, as if forced at some point from the other side. Score and fire marks ran through the cracks and jambs.

We left here and went back to the main Entrance hall. Darius hid the bag of bones under the stairs and we looked over the north east door in here – which showed the same damage and smell and fire marks as the other door around the dining room did – feeling was it was the same chamber.

We entered and saw the room had been ground zero for a massive fire. Fireball? Maybe. 3 charred ogres in here as well.

We looked them over, finding a bit over a hundred silver nobles. Shim wanted an ogre arm bone to use as a walking staff so had one hacked free for now. A few searched for secret doors and came up nothing. It was a notch past 4 PM, and we had maybe 3 hours to go, so we decided to keep on looking around. We headed over to the pit with the Giant Sundew in it and the presence of flies had the group scratching their head. Flies? Here? Where were they coming from? We crossed the pit and from there came to the “T” intersection.

We looked north and the smell of garbage was getting strong and even though Darius was chomping for a fight we veered away from the door and instead headed south. From there we went south and then east to another door. Listening and looking let us know it was clear and safe. We entered, this room had in the past when we had come here was used as a last stand of some sort. A secret room was in the southeast corner. We swept some of the rocks on the floor aside, unhooked the gong on one chain from the north wall, and opened the secret door by pushing in the eye of Reorx on the carvings.

We took the gong with us and entered the secret room, sliding the shanks up in place to lock it behind us. There was a box here with supplies if need be: oil, torches, rope, and the like. We debated taking it and then opted not too – should be for emergencies and if not for us, than other parties that might come in here.

Through the secret door on the east, we could hear movement in the hall, something heavy and with a heavy tread. There might be a few of them. Yeah..not a good plan.

But before we could leave the secret door the original way, we could hear goblinoid voices. Bugbears? A number of them too. More than 4..maybe as much as 10? Too many for us now. They were walking around and thought the pit being locked open and the gong missing as signs that it was best if they moved on to find other things to attack. They eventually moved on and after waiting a bit, we left the secret room. We closed it behind us, and then after getting over the pit, Connal unlocked it again and then jumped free to our side.

We took the bag of the bones and at 5:35, we exited the Terror Dungeon and emerged back again in Bork Keep. Reporting to Mina, we left and then went to get cleaned up, swapping to other clothes and finding out the laundress would be open tomorrow morning. We decided to find something to eat and then re enter the dungeon some time after 7:30.

Meet 16, Adv 10, 4/23/22

And finally, after 2 years and 1 month, the group returned to the Terror Dungeon.

Follows:

Weeks had gone on where the party worked on leveling up, finishing up their responsibilities with the Ecclesiastic Council and the Sunrise Rabbits Orphanage, as well as attending to whatever jobs they were going to find themselves working on. Before we knew it, it was already past the middle of Restmonth and the temperatures had slowly climbed past single and teens to settle comfortably in the 20’s and even some 30 degree days. Winter was coming to an end.

We discussed at length what our next step was and we wanted to get a jump on a visit to Bork Keep and the Terror Dungeon before the other adventuring groups were going to get there. So it was after some long discussion that we settled on the following people to make the trip. Captain Asher, Brading, Darius and Rhygar, Shimlagesh, Connal, and finally Thon. We had a good mix of all types and the feeling was that we should make a decent accounting of ourselves.

We then spent the next few days gathering whatever supplies and eventually food stuffs we thought we might need. With Asher providing the party with a number of small vials of pig’s blood from his time working at the stockyards. We left early enough on the 20th and decided early on that we would pass through Canaslan (it was very difficult not to), but to avoid King Seljack and the Adventuring Band Streams of Mithril (where Dogsbody McGuin was from), we would not go to Paxian, staying instead at one of the smaller roadside taverns and Inns.

The winter sheep were in the fields, their fleece thick and wooly. In places we could see woodcutters and gatherers were already out in force. But as we put miles behind us we left Erylond behind and before long, the traffic on the highway petered out. The ancient trade roads were still whole and hale and we made good time in the pounded flat and melting snow. It was about 4ish when we arrived at the barrier for Canaslan and on passing through, the burst of warmth greeted us (the entire county is 15 degrees warmer than the outside), along with the faint aroma of body odor and beer.

It was as the sun was setting that we sighted a decent small village (8 buildings at most) and entered the common room of the local tavern. The place wasn’t very full and they had a few rooms to rent as well as a space on the common floor after 9:30 (for a common). The rooms were small (8’x5’) and a few of us took them while they were available. We drank with the locals and engaged in some punching contests (Connal won). Shimlagesh was a lightweight and in almost no time was passed out. The party all went to bed and slept well.

The next day we awoke and Shim, not thinking about the logistics of it, looked down at his fouled and puke covered garments and prestidigitated them clean. The room was small…and Brading was in it. So the dwarf got a line of spittle, foul, and vomit across his midsection just under his bards, and on his good shirt. Grumbling loudly, he went to the horse trough to clean it, muttering imprecations the entire time.

We ate up and were on the way by 8:30. We passed out of Canaslan without issue and in a few short miles, the Armigers and cavaliers of Bork keep rode up, 6 strong, and met us shy of the closer Demesne. They bid us welcome, reminded us of the rules (including no stealing), and wished us good hunting and fortune. By 11:30 we had arrived, set ourselves up in Hall One, and then discussed what we hoped. We figured a short foray would work out for us, with a longer one at 7:30 where we would come in around entrance 3.

So we went to the entrance, bid our hello to the girl and dwarves at the front, went through the steps and rules again, lit torch and lantern, and at 12:05, the Terror Dungeon had been opened again (first time in 10 weeks according to the log) and we went in. A breeze blew in, as if the dungeon was trading fresh air for foul. We descended slowly; the smell of rotting vegetation filled our nose. The main room down here had been scrubbed clean, no bric a brac or garbage could be seen and even the chalk marks on the wall were wiped free.

Four passages out, one door on the east wall. We discussed quickly and decided we would try to head to “V” the vivisectionists chambers. There was a room with a bone body on the floor and we would have to go through quickly or risk the wind cycle and screaming. Connal went first and the passage to the southeast had some dried stains on the floor from some liquid of sort. There was also a pit here (closed) down a short hall but we pressed on, frowning at the reek.

Around the corner was a pile of stones, grit, and dirt, just shy of the door. Maybe 5’ wide, a foot and a half across, and perhaps an inch or two deep. No one wanted to mess with it. Thon came down to check it out and he too suggested we don’t mess with it. There was another way to get to the chamber we wanted to, it involved the southwest corridor from the main room, so we opted to head back that way.

It was at that point that something slapped out and grabbed Connal by the ankle, twisted hard, and yanked him towards the now open pit. He managed to get one leg and a free arm in place to avoid dropping down, to what appeared to be a yellowy/orange huge plant in the hole with a pulsating center, and maybe 30 15’ long tarry ropy viney tentacles coming off of it.

The party ran back and forth, shuffling themselves around hoping to get a grip on Connal (Brading), as well as oil and fire if possible. The creature was moist, and the fire didn’t do much to it, but we did manage to pull the monk free and so well placed sling bullets drilled deep into the Giant Sundew’s flesh, sending gouts of ichor flying. Shim called out for a spell and a giggling gnoll armed with a two handed sword sprang into appearance just over the pit and fell down, ripping and shredding the sundew (critical hit!) doing terrible damage to it. It wrapped 4 or so tentacles around it and then pulled in different directions, ripping the gnoll apart, before shoving up at the pit’s cover and slamming it in place.

“So, it’s down there?” the group asked. On getting a nod, they all looked at one another and said, “Let’s get it!”

Connal ran deftly across the pit to the other side and threw the lever hard, opening the pit again, and this time we plied bolts, bullets, spears, and axes – until the sundew gave a last shudder and passed. Good job! A few of us decided to risk going down, getting the syrupy ichor on us as we cut through to the space below. There were 3 ogre skeletons in here, all prior victims of the plant monster. We also kept finding loose gold coins, piling up 35 of them. We also found a skin, like a cape or cloak, of a polar bear, complete with the head on it.

We got out and after verifying the cloak was big and cool, Connal took it from Shim (who was looking to wear it), and put it on. Realizing that there were some annoying things around him. Small, and annoying. Swat them!

Connal was a 2,000 pound polar bear. Brading took the brunt of his assault, slashed hard and bit as well before hurling him down the hall and whirling on the others (Cleric? Down 21 hp!!). We traded blows and tried to reason with him, before Brading was able to call out for a Remove Curse, and a lucky roll allowed it to succeed. Connal eventually dropped the cloak and was himself again. We decided it had some merit, but was also real dangerous. We would keep it for now and then eventually try and sell it off to the Church of Odin at some point.

We went on from here, heading to the southwest hall, ran through the door and through the room with the skeleton on the floor. At the next door we all entered and came into the room with an 8’ statue of a brass fish. It was even worse for the wear, beat and battered, hit and rent in places. We tossed some coins in the mouth (just to be safe), and moved on.

The hall led to the room with the Piercers, of which our infravision let us know there were 4 on the ceiling. Two of us need to be led through but others with infravision. The piercers moved on the ceiling a bit, but we were well prepared and crossed the room with little issue. Beyond here was a short hall and it led to a room that now had a 20’ pentagram and circle on it, drawn in blood and circled by various bits of bone. We didn’t want to mess with it but wanted to cross the room. Thon went first but the chamber seemed to sap his energy and he fell over, head pounding and weak. Connal went in to get him, and the monk too was affected (but to a lesser degree), dragging his friend out. The two of them sat there barely conscious.

No longer sure on how to get past, we cast a Detect Evil (yep!!) and tried knocking some of the bones away (nice sling hit…but they came back). Maybe something else? Asher had crossed back through the Piercer room to the hall there and waited for us.

Alone.

In the dark. (WMC)

And yep, it happened. He heard faintly something in the hall behind him move just as soon as something seemed to grab his right arm from his shoulder down his side, and to his waist and hips. It seemed to tingle hard..and pushed him forward a bit. He looked back and in the gloom could only see an almost solid wall of shimmery ooze or gel trying to engulf him!

He yelled for help and tried to pull free, torch getting thrown and even a piercer dropping and trying to kill him (failed). He did manage to get loose with a SCHLORP sound and ran back through the chamber, sobbing and saddened, to the rest of the group, a new torch lit and in place. Connal seemed to be doing better but Thon was still a mess. We were in a small hall between the Piercers and the Pentagram Room of Evil, and there was a Gelatinous Cube waiting in the wings to eat us if we strayed too far.

And it was 1:11 in the after noon – time in the Terror Dungeon? 1 hour, 6 minutes so far.

Welcome back all. It’s real nice to be back in the dungeon crawl. You guys are doing great – because no one is dead yet!

Meet 15, Adv 9, 4/2/22

The group backed out of the short adventure's midsection by not having the exploration and combat in the gnomish/kobold safe house, so total XP and time for this adventure was truncated. It means that this marked the end of the "getting to reknow the campaign world" again adventures and ramp things up from here on out.

We wandered around the town a bit as the weather continued to snow down, adding another 7” to the ground. The discussion was that we needed to talk to Virdrid tomorrow and instead of overwhelming him with the party, just 2 of us would talk with him. We opted for Connal and Dizzy as they were both members of the Sifian temple and could relate to him best.

The next day had us dealing with a windy day and then a trip around town, stopping at the Adventurer’s Guild for some talk with Pha-iyr before we figured it was time. We all went to the Ecclesiastic Guild, 2 of us heading to meeting room 5, the rest of us in the courtyard for the time being. The moderator was a stoic older man named Halod who was interested in the meeting being perfect…and smooth. He had concern with Connal moving chairs around, and we did swap the crystal ewer for a sturdier copper one, but eventually we learned that Halod was not a verbose person and we waited – nibbling on water and dry white rolls.

For hours.

Virdrid wanted to make the party wait and made it his business to show up at 3. He brought with him the Grymerian Envoy, Swanhild. They had stopped at the Sifian Outreach Temple earlier and arranged to have Hraetrek show up before 4.

The meet was rough. The gnome had his own opinion on the group and lambasted the group for being party to destabilizing the Prime Material Plane with their actions. It took some effort on our part to get them to understand that we were not on Granmund’s side and that we didn’t want him to bring whatever magic he was attempting to bring to Shadowthyrst and Merryn. Swanhild required further explanation of our actions and we covered up the opening of the vault by denying we ever did.

Eventually we got to a point where it was an enemy of my enemy sort of thing. Virdrid was unhappy with the group for infiltrating his safe house. He was going to be gone in 2 weeks, along with his K’Morat kobold friends. Hreatrek did arrive and gave the key over to Swanhild who declared the contract fulfilled. Virdrid still wanted the 60 nobles for taking out the rest of the crèche but we compromised if he would let the “Halfling” live (Olo) and that was good enough for everyone. Compromise – halfway happy.

Halod said the meeting was perfect and continued having a stellar record for moderating these difficult situations. The party’s all left and we went on our way.

Over the next few days, there were some changes for the group. Dizzy got promoted at the prison reclaimed warehouse and the person in charge was now reduced to counting pallets. Connal and Gryg returned to work, with a better understanding of why the work was important and the trust the temple had in them. Thon was working with Hibuela as a clerk and gofer for now, and Asher ended up no longer having to work outside the prison in construction but instead got a job at the provisioners, cleaning up pig guts and entrails. As he said, it was inside and better.

In addition, Odie went to visit her brother when she could, keeping his spirits up. There were a few unexplained deaths (the other members of the crèche) but Olo escaped any danger or issues. It was around Restmonth the 4th, after having a long day, the 5 of us had gone to sleep and one by one, each of us were having our own dreams, when it felt like something was pulling everyone together. We each met each other while sleeping, and the background changed to a night scene.

We were on a barge, floating slowly down the Enderlyn River. It felt a bit foggy to us, like we were there, but also weren’t. But a figure was here and he wanted to talk with us. Older male, wizard type, had a glowing orb that he was running his hand over constantly, keeping some of his attention focused on it. Yes, it was Granmund. He was dismayed that this was the 2nd time the party had stuck their noses in his affairs and he once again, had nothing to show thanks to them. He also seemed to know a few things about us, nothing deep, but a few surface things that had us concerned.

We bantered a bit, not giving anything up or making any deals until he gave each of us a small bag. 50 gold crowns. For them. And all they had to do was stay at whatever jobs they were doing and stop adventuring or getting in his way. Catalog the pallets, clean the guts, write the missives – I know the pay is poor, but he would supplement each of us to the tune of 50 crowns. Every month. Just…stop.

Thon palmed a few coins and we really discussed it, but the group didn’t trust Granmund and as had been explained – his plan and actions would destabilize this area of Midgard and strike divine influence from everyone. Sorry, but no.

It didn’t go well and the party had time for a fast round of attacks. Thrown daggers and other quick assaults, interrupt the crystal gem thing, before he ended the enchantment and we all wound up back at home. We got out of bed, compared notes, and Thon even had the 2 gold coins for his efforts. Gryg was a bit sad about not taking the offer but we all knew that Granmund did not have the party’s interests anywhere at heart.