The day in the life of a bodyguard

Here is the write-up from the fifth session of our Known World campaign. This one is from Bridgett who is playing Moe. When we started playing the one-shot that turned into this (potentially mini, potentially not mini) campaign, Bridgett said that Moe was working (apparently for free) as Erica’s bodyguard. Thus the post title.

When we last left the party, they had snuck into the “palace” and had begun exploring it. They had made it through a couple of wings before narrowly escaping being caught between two sets of opponents while the players had violated the number one rule, never split the party. After rejoining and fearing the reinforcements of their opponents, they hurried to the location of the hidden entrance to the catacombs following Demenus’ lead. After finding the entrance and opening it, they had started heading down as orcs began battering on the door.

Although I’ve made a number of modifications, there are certainly spoilers for N4 Treasure Hunt below the break. As always, my GM comments are in [brackets and italics].

So there I was protecting Erica…again. As she went down the shaft Demenus had led us to, I was trying to hold the door shut while a bunch of orcs tried to get in. Once Erica and the others had cleared the top of the shaft, I made a leap for the ladder leading down. As I started to climb down, something hard rang my bell. I looked up and saw the one of the orcs, the creature had just hit me with the flat of his scimitar. At least I assume it was the flat of the blade, if it wasn’t, I’d be a bit shorter and lot more dead.

[The orcs had come with reinforcements and, due to the noise the party had made ripping down the bookshelf hiding the entrance shaft, had come right for this room. As the others started down, Mick and Moe put their shoulders to the door and tried to hold it shut. The orcs, however, were both stronger, larger, and more numerous and had pushed their way in. I believe one orc was slain and Moe and Mick ran for the shaft. Moe went in first and Mick was close behind but one of the orcs reached it before he could get too far down. Fortunately for Mick, the orc never really connected with his attacks and Mick was able to drop down before suffering any damage].

I decided to let go of the ladder and dropped the rest of the way down the shaft, hoping that it was not that far down. When I hit the bottom, a lot farther down than I hoped, I started to hear rumbling. Peering up, it looked like the shaft was starting to collapse. Before I could scramble out, someone grabbed me and pulled me out of the shaft as rocks showered down all around. Both the fall and rocks had taken a toll on me but Erica came over and, with the holy touch of the Twelve, restored my health. Looking around, I could see that we had all made it down but there was no sign of Demenus.

Erica explained that Demenus had pulled a lever on the wall and that brought the shaft down. The old man claimed he was doing it to stop the orcs from getting in and didn’t seem to care that I was still in the shaft! Once we found him, he and I were going to have a long talk and I might just use a big stick to emphasize the importance of patience.

[Demenus had climbed down the shaft first with Erica next and Niccolo having turned into a bat and flown down. Demenus had immediately rushed over to the lever, yelling that he had to collapse the shaft to keep the orcs out. Erica’s and Niccolo’s (once he resumed human form) pleas to wait until Mick and Moe had made it down fell on rather deaf ears. After he pulled the lever to trigger the collapse, Demenus ran off into the darkness. Strange, ain’t it, that Demenus had no problem moving around in the pitch black of the catacombs? I guess he just knew his way around so well it didn’t bother him…maybe…].

Looking around, I saw that we were in a cave that had been worked and expanded. Erica had conjured forth some light for us to see by. Three brick walls created three separate areas in this first chamber. The first had bins in it that looked that they may have once stored grain but had gone bad. [Actually, the bins were empty]. The second had fabric in it that was moldy and tattered. The third had stacks of boxes and barrels from wall to wall. As Erica looked at some of the crates, they suddenly fell all around her and rocks and dirt fly out as they shattered on the floor. She was struck by some smaller rocks but fortunately no one was seriously hurt.

[Demenus had drawn a rough sketch of the catacombs for the PCs while they had been in the temple a couple of sessions ago. Someone, I think Niccolo, recalled that Demenus had made a note on that sketch indicating that there were good weapons and armors in the area with the crates. There was, however, nothing of value. Hmmm…I wonder why.]

Farther on, there was a curtain blocking a tunnel. We went thru and there was another curtain a short distance away, also blocking the tunnel. Mick cautiously led the way, looking for any traps, but found none. We came to another room with barrels and crates stacked up again. This time they did not extend all the way to each side. It looked like there was a small path leading thru the stacks. Mick investigated after Erica blessed his dagger with holy light to lead his way. Everyone moved back just in case the stacks fell over again.

It was a tight squeeze but Mick slipped thru. After a couple of minutes we heard a twang and a grunt, probably from Mick. Then there was a crash and we rush over just after the first wall of crates and barrels were pushed over. Mick was kneeling over; he had a bolt sticking out from his back. Erica rushed over and, gently pulling the bolt out, laid her hands upon Mick’s wound. As usual, her healing touch helps and Mick looks a lot less pale as he stands up.

Mick told us that he had triggered a trap he had not spotted in one of the boxes. Niccolo said he’d finish checking things out, murmured something, and a cat was then standing in his place. The cat headed into the stacks after staring down the hallway for a second or two as of he had heard something. Niccolo came back shortly and said that he hadn’t found anything else but crates and barrels.

[While in cat form, Niccolo heard the chittering and chattering of rats in the next chamber but he chose to ignore that for now. Niccolo reached the end of the path through the crates and only found a wall.]

We moved on to the next room which had barrels scattered about it. We started to head in to explore but spotted a bunch of beady red eyes staring at us. They looked to be a lot larger that average rats so we decided not to search in there and moved on.

The third room in this chamber held a well but when we looked we couldn’t tell if there was any water or not. [Actually, running water could be heard from the well. The bucket, rope, and mechanism for pulling water up, however, had aged and decayed beyond use. Demenus’ sketch had indicated that there was, indeed, good water in this area. One for two so far.]

Another hallway led away from the well so we headed that way with Mick carefully scanning the floor. A short distance in, he stopped at one section where the flagstone floor looked to sag a bit. Erica remembered the map saying that we should go very quickly at this part. Mick tested the floor with his foot and it gave way but Mick stepped back and did not fall in.

Erica also recalled that Demenus’ map showed that the tunnel leading to the boat should be in the next chamber. However, either she didn’t remember it exactly or Demenus had lied to us. The next chamber looked nothing like what any of us remembered from the map. Instead of resembling the other chambers, this one looked to have a number of cells. Mick and I start to investigate them but were interrupted but a scream from Erica. As I turned to aid her, the light went out. [Erica suffered damage and failed the disruption check so all her maintained spells, including the light, ended, leaving the party in utter darkness.]

Erica stumbled back in the dark and I could feel blood pouring from her neck. She was able to maintain her concentration and composure enough to call forth light again to illuminate a startling scene. Another of the ghouls, like those we had fought in the temple the night prior, stood there and was chewing on what I assumed was a piece of Erica’s flesh, her blood staining its face.

We engaged the ghoul, as if we had a choice. As we battled it, a bat flew over me, I hoped that it was Niccolo and another thing I would have to kill to protect this priestess. We finished off the ghoul and although it was difficult given her wound, Erica was able to use her magics to heal herself. She had to drop the light again to focus completely on healing herself and let out a little shriek in the dark but said everything was fine and brought back the light.

[I don’t remember for sure but I think this might have been when Erica suffered her first Corruption from spellcasting.]

We checked out the rest of the cells and Niccolo said that there was nothing around the corner and that it’s a dead end. We decided to head back to the room with the path through the crates and look back there again. As we approached the barrels, we could hear a rhythmic sound coming back from where the shaft is…it sounded like the orcs were trying to dig their way in.

[I believe that the party also saw some light coming from the direction of the shaft.]

Mick headed back through the path and we moved out of the way as he started to push all the barrels/crates down so the rest of us can get into the room. Mick noticed an outline in the dust like something has been swept in the back into the room. After a few minutes he found a hidden door and the mechanism to open it. We hustled in, closing the door behind us.

[A corridor led away, curving into the darkness. There was a clear path in the dust of the corridor that indicated that this tunnel had been traveled on a pretty regular basis. After some sixty or seventy feet, it ended at a stout wooden door. The door was locked but Mick was able to pick the lock with his improvised tools.]

We came to a little room. As we entered, six skeletons come from around some crates and attacked. I charged in thinking to end it quickly, with Mick at my back but as I attacked the light went out. [Erica followed into the room and, again, had her maintained spells…including light…disrupted. Most of the party was surrounded by the skeletons who were getting the full +4 bonus for Gang Up. Mick has also drunk the potion they had found in the Temple but didn’t get much benefit from it since he fell soon after. The potion boosted Strength, Agility, and Fighting by a die each.] Good thing their bones rattled and let me know where they were so I swung blindly. Fortunately, we took the skeletons down despite the darkness. I looked for Erica and she was hurt again and pretty exhausted as well. She tried to conjure some light but the Twelve didn’t her her prayers and she passed out. Niccolo and I are left in the dark. Last I saw Mick was alive, but unconscious from a blow he took. I felt around for him and did my best to bandage his wound. Stuck in the dark, Niccolo and I decided to rest in the room we’re in so I lay in front of one door and Niccolo lays down in front of the other.

[I think that Erica exhausted herself while attempting to heal Mick. Mick had taken another incapacitating blow to his head. In our first session, Mick suffered a permanent injury and the loss of one eye. Rachel rolled for the incapacitation and guess what? She rolled an injury to Mick’s remaining good eye! This time, at least, the injury is only temporary.

The others were pretty tired from their exposure, lack of food, and the normal strain and stress of adventuring.]

We woke up several hours later; it seemed that we are in better shape…the main clue was that Erica was able to call forth some light again. She was looking better and although Mick was still out, he looked to have more color in his face. Niccolo was looking for something as I tried the door I was near. It was not locked so I pulled it open.

[They don’t really know how long they were asleep. Given that some of the fatigue from spellcasting was gone, the players know that it was at least three hours but may have been more. Hmm…I wonder exactly what time it really is and how much time they have left to get off of the island.]

Beyond was a room with what looks like a torture device, a rack on the left side of the room. There was a desk on the other side and Demenus jumped out from behind it, his glowing with purple energy that he threw at me. He held the dagger and wand we had found earlier as well. [When Demenus jumped up, he was screaming about how no one could take the treasures of Himself and how the PCs weren’t worthy of Himself. He had snuck into the other room while everyone was out cold and stole back those two treasures.] I was stunned but we regrouped. A shot rang out from behind me, missing both me and Demenus both. I stabbed at him with my rapier and it sunk deep into his shoulder, surprising the old man. One of Niccolo’s rocky darts shot out at Demenus but missed. Suddenly, I am pulled to the side and Erica yelled something about the Twelve but nothing happened. I moved back into the fray and got in two more blows that brought Demenus down.

[Demenus also used magic to temporarily blind Moe. I don’t quite remember who got the killing blow.]

We were exhausted and tired but did our best to search around the room. Then we open another door and see what appears to be the front of a boat…

[There wasn’t really much to salvage in the room. There was the torture table, a work table littered with various debris, the desk with nothing of value, a bookshelf filled with rotted books and papers, and a fairly large pile of bones sitting next to the desk.

That’s where we stopped.]