Coldeven 4, 576 CY – Late Afternoon
Weather Conditions:
- Description: Freezing
- Temperature: 14.8°F to 32.2°F
- Wind: Gentle breeze, southwest, 8-12 mph
- Precipitation: None
- Clouds: A few scattered
Players:
- Dog the Ranger of the Gnarley (Forest)
- Irving the Reluctant (Paladin of St. Cuthbert)
- TerryOr the Cleric of St. Cuthbert
- Dixon the Dwarven fighter
- Oleg the half elf magic-user / thief
- Slash the Bard
NPCs:
- Zert the Fighter
- Spugnior the Conjuror
A Bitter Cold and a Heated Pursuit
The chill of the late afternoon bit through cloaks and armor as the party pressed onward, their breath fogging in the frosty air of the moathouse's damp, stone passages. Shadows flickered across the walls, cast by the party's flickering torchlight, as they moved cautiously past false doors and blind corners. The Dwarven fighter, Dixon, muttered grimly about the uncanny resemblance of these passages to a mine they’d explored weeks before—a grim omen of the dangers ahead.
With Oleg and Dixon using their infravision to guide the group, they descended deeper into the twisting passages. Suddenly, as they rounded a corner, two gnoll archers sprang from the darkness, their arrows slicing through the air. The party fell back, hastily forming a plan.
Oleg, summoning courage and a bit of reckless bravado, stepped forward. Brandishing his wand, he unleashed a fireball down the passage. The explosion was deafening, and the acrid stench of charred fur filled the corridor. When the smoke cleared, the archers were no more, their twisted forms silhouetted in the faint glow of smoldering embers.
A Grim Confrontation
The chamber beyond the fallen gnolls was a hive of activity—eight more gnolls, armed and ready, rushed to meet the party. The ensuing melee was fierce. Irving the Reluctant, weakened from previous battles, charged valiantly but fell once again under the gnolls' relentless assault. Slash the Bard, quick with his hands and wit, managed to feed Irving a handful of enchanted goodberries, pulling him back from the brink.
In the aftermath, the group gathered a modest haul of treasure: 200 silver coins, a glittering gem worth 10 gold, and 11 gold pieces. But their focus remained fixed on the path ahead.
The Hallway of Deception
Further exploration revealed several false doors, each a dead end, until at last, the third door opened to a lit hallway. Following a side passage, they encountered a locked door. Always the performer, Slash rapped on the wood, and when the door creaked open, the startled guard behind it froze for only a moment. He bore the unmistakable sigil of the Elemental Eye on his tunic, and as realization struck, he turned and bolted, shouting for reinforcements.
The party surged forward in pursuit but were quickly met by crossbowmen and additional guards. Then, from the shadows of the hallway, a menacing figure emerged—a towering man clad in black plate mail, his presence radiating malice and power. Lareth the Beautiful.
The Battle with Lareth
The fight that followed was desperate and chaotic. Lareth wielded both steel and spell, plunging the corridor into darkness and blanketing the area in silence to stifle the bard's songs. His hold person spell left Dixon frozen mid-swing, a statue of dwarven fury. Meanwhile, the guards pressed their advantage, fighting with brutal efficiency.
But the party was not without its own champions. TerryOr, with the blessings of St. Cuthbert, managed to resist the chaos. His hold person spell struck true, freezing Lareth in place, his imposing form rendered helpless. Zert, the enigmatic fighter, dispatched the remaining guards with deadly precision, while a lieutenant wisely surrendered, knowing the fight was lost.
Spoils of Victory
The chamber of the "New Master," as Lareth was known to his followers, was filled with riches and secrets. Among the treasures recovered were:
- A Staff of Striking with 20 charges.
- A topaz necklace valued at 1,000 GP.
- 29 gemstones, each worth 100 GP.
- A magnificent gem worth 1,000 GP.
- A necklace glittering with jewels, appraised at a staggering 15,000 GP, which Lareth had worn himself.
- Two fire opals, each worth 5,000 GP.
The spoils included mundane weapons and armor, along with stolen supplies from countless caravans. Two light warhorses, fully equipped, were also found among the goods.
The End of a Quest
As night began to creep in, the adventurers tied up their captives, including the immobilized Lareth. Their victory was hard-won, and the cost had been high, but the rewards were undeniable. Exhausted but triumphant, they prepared to return to Hommlet, their hearts heavy with the weight of their discoveries and the lingering chill of the moathouse's dark secrets.
Ahead lay the promise of answers—and the dawning realization that this was but the beginning of something far greater and far more dangerous.
XP Earned: 3,718 each.
Excellent!
ReplyDeleteDamn did we bring enough pack animals to haul all this loot out?
ReplyDeleteYou managed to get it back to Hommlet.
Delete