Monday, August 23, 2010

Descent into the Depths of the Gold Star Anime Part I

Cast of Characters
Bob – The Wizard, 3rd level Human Thothian Mage
Seth – Dunnigan, 4th level Dwarven FighterJohn – Hazar, 6th level Human Thug
John (“the other John”)– Alaghazar, 3rd level Human Thothian Mage
Jerry (“big Jerry”) – Janus, 4th level Elven Cleric (female)
Jerry (“little Jerry”) – Hunter, 4th Level Halfling Fighter

Ted and two sons could not make but we picked up two new players Bob and Seth. We spend a few minutes rolling up their characters and we were ready to go. Little Jerry and the Other John returned as well providing much need manpower.

Note: Some portion of the maps below have been eliminated as not to reveal unexplored areas.

The game picked up where last left it, the part staring down a flight of stairs leading into darkness. After lighting some lanterns the descent began. First they ran into a short hallway with six doors, three on either side.

Janus immediately cast a Find Traps which revealed that the entire roof of Room #4 was unstable. The players poked around each room and finding in most nothing more than molded remains of casks, and crate. In Room 2 there were various frescoes of the god Silvanus in his healing aspect and a 20 foot by 10 foot spring fed pool filled the back. After careful examination Janus determined that the pool was slightly magical and was able to draw 4 bottles of healing potions from it. While poking around in Room #6 Dunnigan, the dwarf fighter, uncovered a dug out passaway leading deeper into the dungeon.

They passed through a large room 40' by 40' that was dug out and before them they saw the magnificence of a temple of Silvanus. At the temple's nave the party saw an altar. Caring little for the glories around him Dunnigan immediately made for the altar however a unstable pillar fell over nearly crushing him. After that the party proceeded much more cautiously with Hunter carefully checking each pillar.

Alagazar wandered the room looking at the various frescos including a series depicting Silvanus marrying one of the four handmaiden of Dannu, goddess of healing, crops, and the hearth, each season. He was heard saying, "He is a lucky guy."
While Janus and other party member examined the altar, the Wizard (Bob) decides to open the door to the southwest and take a look around. After finding a four way intersection he came back. Bored with looking at Janus praying at the altar, Hazar, Janus, and Dunnigan decide to look beyond the Southeast door.

There they found the remains of the Vestry but the over powering stench of thousands of rat droppings nearly caused them keel over in nausea. Before they could leave the room they heard the chittering of rats coming from the tunnels. Reacting instantly Hunter and Hazar exited the room and slammed the door.

Only to realize a minute later that Dunnigan was still on the other side of the door. When ten Giant Rats emerged Dunnigan bellowed and attack. However even his vaunted fighting skill could not defend against so many and he took many wounds. The party hearing the commotion came down and rushed in to help Dunnigan. However the next wave of Giant Rats emerged from the tunnels and after hacking them down still more came including some Rats of Unusual Size (Monstrously Huge Rats). The party thought discretion was the better part of valor and retreated spiking the door shut.

After regrouping and some healing the party headed out the southwest door and went to the intersection that the Wizard discovered.

The party tried the door to room #9 first and after opening they found the remains of the high priest's bedroom. After a careful search all they could find was a chest filled with the high priest's vestments and ritual items used in the ceremonies in the temple. While the rest of the party groused at the lack of treasure, Janus was very happy with the find.

Meanwhile the Wizard gets bored and wandered over to Room #10 and opens the door. In there he finds the remains of the Wizards Bedroom. Spying an intact cabinet he rushes over and opens it, while looking through it's content two Giant Ticks attack him both scoring at hit. Staggering to the door the Wizard manages to kill one with an iron spike but the other one continued suck his life blood causing to fall at the doorway. The rest of the party rushes over and kills the last Giant Tick before he dies.

After Janus' heals the Wizard with some rituals (and no encounters as they take ten minutes each). The cleric searches the room. In a pile of broken bottles he finds an intact potion of polymorph self, and under an over turned table he finds a single bottle with Vis infused water in it. Vis is magic in a pure form and allows a caster to use one of his memorized spells without losing it.

While the searching and healing is going on, Alagazar, the other mage in the party, decides to search to the south. He finds a strange circular hallway and a door in front of him.

He opens the door and see before him a circle with unique arcane symbols. After careful examination Alagazar realizes that this is a teleport circle. A mage memorizing this could use this as a target of the 4th level spell Limited Teleport. Every teleport circle has a unique design to allow the use of this spell.

Excited he calls over the party and shows the circle to the Wizard and Janus. The rest of the party decided not hang around. Dunnigan and Hunter circle counter clockwise to check the door to the west, while Hazar goes clockwise to check the door to the east.

Hunter and Dunnigan open the door after checking for traps and finds a short hallway that ends in the back of a secret door. Before they can do anything they hears the screams of terror from Hazar.

Hazar likewise checks his door and when he opened it he saw a tableau of horror, a pack of ten ghoul gnawing on the remains of humans and humanoids. He quickly shuts the door and attempts to spike it closed. But the pack of ghouls rip the door to shreds in their hunger. Alagazar quickly orders the door to Room 11 shut as Hazar come barreling in with seven Ghouls behind him.

The other three ghouls go in the opposite direction only to run into Dunnigan and Hunter leaving their hallway. Despite a valiant fight the two were brought down by the ghouls paralyzing touch. Over in Room #11, Janus order the door opened and Alagazar quickly complies. Janus presents the symbol of Silvanus and orders the Ghouls to begone. They howled and started to rush in. Dumbfounded Janus stood there slack jawed as Hazar quickly reacted to shut the door.

After a few minutes of "What the hell were you doing." and some "But, but, it should have worked." The foursome came up with a new plan. The door opened again and the Alagazar cast web binding the ghouls in the hallway. Some oil and a torch caused a small inferno the killed several of the ghouls. Maddened the remainder rushed into the room.

Even burned the remaining Ghouls nearly proved the party's undoing. After several rounds only Hazar was left standing and his agility and deftness with a dagger kept him away from the Ghoul's paralyzing touch. The last ghouls fell under his blades. Hazar retrieved Dunnigan and Hunter from where the Ghoul took them to feasted on them and shut the door.

Continued in Part II.

4 comments:

JeraldSr said...

As always - Rob has done a fantastic job of recording our parties recent adventures!
Still, there are a "few" small additions that Janus (from her superior Elven perspective!) wishes to interject into the historical record of these events!

Since the majority of those who read this will likely be of human stock, I will try to keep it simple!

Firstly I should add, I am not here for simply base reasons, such as the greed that motivates my filthy male companions-of-the-quest! Lest some see my remarks as biased, I will allow that both Hunter (a Halfing Fighter), and Alaghazar (a Human Mage of Thoth) have shown acceptable skill and are of some courage. Dunnigan (a Dwarven Fighter) and "Bob" - (another Human Mage) have hardly been with us long enough to be worth mentioning - but the fact that I have done so shows once again what an extremely gracious soul I can be! Would that this were the end of our small roster, but there be one more yet to be mentioned, and that I have not yet slain him surprises even me! Surely this "Hazar", a Human ruffian who fancies himself a Thug, and even seems to think that he has some small skills, must have been sent to test the limits of my tolerance towards idiots in general! But enough about my motley travel companions! it is I - Janus, the daughter of a noble Elf, whom has been sent here by the Blessings of Silvanus, to insure that His most Holy Relics should not be left in profane hands!

The once magnificent Temple still holds some memory of it's former glory! Despite the desecration done by the enemies of our people, and the ravages of time, I can still see clearly in my mind, the memory of it's proud past! I had better stop here for now. The others have scattered like rats in a pantry in their mindless search for "treasure"! I must needs hurry and keep an eye on them, lest some items of more import should appear before them!

* In the Alter Room - Alsgazar shows remarkable insight for a Human, and makes some small praises of Silvanus.

* Silvanus grants me strength so that I can continue to do whatever I may - to destroy at least of the evil that inhabits His Temple! Granting me his Blessing for the next 24 hours while I kneel and pray in front of His alter!

* There are rats everywhere! Hunter and Dunnigan followed Hazar into a stinking midden of giant rats! Perhaps they did not at first notice the stench since they were already near to Hazar?

* Stupidity! Hazar & Hunter have spiked the door shut - but have left the Dwarf inside!

* Fortunately we were able to get Dunnigan out, and I used rituals and spells to heal the most badly bitten.

* Great Praise be to Silvanus! We have found the vestments of a great and holy elf in one of the side rooms! Though heavy, we cannot leave such wonders behind!

* The Thothian Bob nearly gets ticked off. Fortunately, I am again there to do healing! I must charge for the ingredients I use, but prefer to consider such material payments as being tithes made to Silvanus!

--- Continued in next comment!

JeraldSr said...

--Continued from previous Comment-

* In the Alter Room - Alagazar shows remarkable insight for a Human, and makes some small praises of Silvanus.

* Silvanus grants me strength so that I can continue to do whatever I may - to destroy at least of the evil that inhabits His Temple! Granting me his Blessing for the next 24 hours while I kneel and pray in front of His alter!

* There are rats everywhere! Hunter and Dunnigan followed Hazar into a stinking midden of giant rats! Perhaps they did not at first notice the stench since they were already near to Hazar?

* Stupidity! Hazar & Hunter have spiked the door shut - but have left the Dwarf inside!

* Fortunately we were able to get Dunnigan out, and I used rituals and spells to heal the most badly bitten.

* Great Praise be to Silvanus! We have found the vestments of a great and holy elf in one of the side rooms! Though heavy, we cannot leave such wonders behind!

* The Thothian Bob nearly gets ticked off. Fortunately, I am again there to do healing! I must charge for the ingredients I use, but prefer to consider such material payments as being tithes made to Silvanus!

* Alagazar has made an important discovery! If we memorize the pattern he has found, and study enough, we should be able to return here in the future via teleportation in order to further clear the evil out of the temple!

* Hazar continues to demonstrate his affinity for finding traps by triggering them, and he also leads a large number of ghouls back to the rest of our party

(Not sure if Hunter discovered the Magic Sword before this?)

JeraldSr said...

- Continued from previous Comment-

* I bravely faced the ghastly ghouls in the hallway, to dispell them with my silver medallion of Silvanus! However, either Silvanus was napping, or the presence of so may non-believers nearby caused the spell to fail!
Even Hazar tried to comfort me - by showing how easily he was able to roll successful attacks using the mystic stone of 20. Yet, for some reason I felt not at all pleased? I attempted to redeem myself by hurling a bottle filled with holy water among the fiends, but Hazar must have jostled my arm or some-such happened, as instead of dousing the ghouls, most of the water ended up splashing over Hazar! To my surprise, the Holy water did not harm him! I managed to destroy one ghoul with a second bottle, and destroyed another with a well-placed crossbow bolt. I then had the amazing idea of putting Hazar to some use! Since he was already dripping with Holy water - why couldn't he 'hug' one of the fiends as if it were one of the women he must find in dark holes near the ports where he's from? The thick-headed oaf took my advice, and his sloppy embrace granted eternal release to one among the remaining ghouls!

* Though we all fought desperately after that, one by one we succumbed to the paralyzing claws - till only Hazar remained to fight for all of us! Somehow he managed to not only survive - but even to save those others of our party who were about to be devoured! I could scarce believe it - could Hazar be turning toward the light?

* This is where events stood at the end of the battle. Hazar could have been a hero - but as you will no doubt read when the creator of this tale chooses to continue - Hazar didn't think that doing the "smart" thing was "fun" enough!

This then ends my addendum's for today's scroll. Although I have done a quite wonderful job of describing our party, and have cast a spell of clarity over all of the days events, I will allow that some others may hold some trifling disagreements to these words as they are written.

I hope that each of the others who were lucky enough to have accompanied me on this quest, will also set quill to vellum, and post their own insignificant versions of this days events!

Blessing be upon ye
-{ JANUS }-

Anonymous said...

As a Thothian mage, it is my responsibility to explore and record the events that transpired. Sure, I stayed behind at the "golden house" after our incursion with the Demon Wolf, but it was to further my thesis on the practical uses of magic in law enforcement. Hunter decided to stay with me, and we recruited Bob and Dunnigan on our way to rendevous with Janus and Hazar. How the Baron could let that danger Hazar off a leash is beyond me. Good thing I learned the Web spell from my fellows.

As we continued, I found myself more and more intrigued with Silvanus. Perhaps, if Janus doesn't mind, I'll convert this run down temple into my own laboratory/library, if she is offered the upper recesses for her own purposes. As of now, I am beginning to think I need more than a pathetic Magic Missile to defend myself....

But, that is for Rob's next blog post....