We (Rachel and I) are moving soon and so much of my time has been devoted to purging and packing. After being in the same place for twenty-five years, we’ve accumulated too much stuff. What time I have for gaming is devoted to doing some prep for both campaigns I’m running. So this is a rushed recap of the last two sessions–most likely missing a bunch of stuff–which includes finishing up Ragged Hollow and the players’ choice to move on and investigate something from what had been a random encounter in the Gloam Wood. Details are below the break.
Everyone was in attendance for session 20, but RJ was missing for session 21. There will, obviously, be spoilers for Nightmare Over Ragged Hollow from The Merry Mushmen along with our mangling of this very fine adventure. Other published adventures referenced here include Ruins of the Immortal Warlord by Pakkanen, Dorgotar Dungeon by Daniel Whitehall, and Bottomless Pit of Zorth by G. Hawkins. Yep, I’m mangling some more fine adventures by fine authors for our campaign. My GM comments, as always, are in italics.
5th of Fall
- The lights had just gone out. Liesl could feel ooze surging over her feet while Dieter was about to run into the Brother Seth abomination.
- Lights were lit and…phew…Tobias was dead and just oozing out of the chamber. The abomination was also dead and oozing apart.
- The party had “won” even if it didn’t quite feel like they had.
- They explore a bit more in the cellar and the rooms are as they remember them from when they visited them previously throughout their childhoods.
- Heading back up, they encounter Flutine, another survivor, coming in from the gardens. They head out the main doors and the dome is gone.
- They take a well deserved rest after letting the villagers know that threat and evil has been mostly dealt with.
6th of Fall
- The group visits Beatrix and she gives Liam a cookie that removes his magically infatuation with Brigit in Hendenburgh (from the locket found a few sessions ago).
- She also shares that the shadow in the temple vault is that of Samson Windler…Old Man Windler. He had grown bitter in his old age, tried to achieve immortality, and turned himself into a shade. Sister Ruth trapped him. As long as the candle in the vault is not extinguished, he will remain trapped.
- The area beyond the new masonry in the cellar are crypts for four honored members of the temple from a long time ago.
- The party heads back to the temple and heads to said crypts.
- The old masonry is suspect. Dirt trickles through cracks in the ceiling of the crypt. The group only sends a couple of folks forward to explore.
- Four individual crypts are found. In each is skeleton (or robes) and each has a single item of interest.
- Hoping these items might assist with dealing with the Crown of Dreams still in the Tobias ooze, the group carefully recovers each (three rings and a staff).
- The group spends time debating whether or not they should take the items with them.
- (Too much time if you ask me.) As they continue discussing, the crypt loses its structural integrity and collapses. (Yes, it was heavy-handed on my part, but they needed the kick in the you know what.)
- Four individual crypts are found. In each is skeleton (or robes) and each has a single item of interest.
- The old masonry is suspect. Dirt trickles through cracks in the ceiling of the crypt. The group only sends a couple of folks forward to explore.
- Returning to where the remains of Tobias still “hold” the Crown of Dreams, the group carefully recovers it as well.
- Although the vault door has been destroyed, the group places the crown within. A talisman is obtained from Beatrix which will help to encourage folks to stay out of the vault.
- The acolyte, Justin, how had been out of the temple when the dome went up is sent off to find someone in a larger settlement who can assist with repairing and restaffing the temple.
- The entrance to the crypts is plastered over by the group.
- Much of the day is spent burying the dead from the temple and consoling villagers.
- Except for Liam…
- Liam tries to visit Radomir. He receives a message when he knocks that Radomir is currently on a cruise with his wife.
- Severine and her little gang accost Liam. This results in him having a date with Betty later that night, midnight to be exact, in the temple graveyard.
- Liam attends, dressed all in black as Betty had requested. She is waiting with a blanket spread out over a grave with a bottle of wine and glasses. Liam is asked to tell her a love poem as they drink wine.
- She kisses him and says that with the poison in the wine, they can remain in their embrace for eternity.
- After Liam freaks out enough, Betty laughs. Severine laughs from nearby. The headstone laughs (wait…that’s not right)…Lyla laugns.
- Liam realizes he is the butt of a cruel joke.
- Liam attends, dressed all in black as Betty had requested. She is waiting with a blanket spread out over a grave with a bottle of wine and glasses. Liam is asked to tell her a love poem as they drink wine.
- Severine and her little gang accost Liam. This results in him having a date with Betty later that night, midnight to be exact, in the temple graveyard.
- Liam tries to visit Radomir. He receives a message when he knocks that Radomir is currently on a cruise with his wife.
- After spending a number of days recuperating, consoling, celebrating, and helping to get Ragged Hollow back on its feet, the group decides that they should investigate the ooze thing that had left a trail of death and corruption through the Gloam Wood.
12th of Fall
- Ready to set out, the group gets a message that Radomir would like to see them before they depart.
- When Liam knocks on Radomir’s door, he gets the same magical method about Radomir’s absence.
- When Liesl knocks, Radomir says to come in.
- Radomir sends Liam off to get him some cookies from Beatrix (to deal with RJ’s absence).
- Radomir shares that the path they will be following will take them to a town called Longfelt before continuing into a swamp.
- There is a bay along the way with an island that periodically appears for a short time. A fortress, belonging to some immortal warlord or the like, occupies the island.
- In the dungeon beneath, there is a secret room that holds a collection of writings and images that will help complete Radomir’s collection…collection of Playwizard magazine which he only gets for the articles.
- If the group can obtain this issue of Playwizard for him, he’ll happily compensate them for their troubles. No rush getting it to him.
- The group spends the next few days traveling with little of interest happening. (Without RJ to insist on always having something interesting happening every day and every night, the group decided to go ahead and get straight to the adventure itself…shocking!)
16th of Fall
- The group arrives at the bay in the early afternoon. There is an island with a fortress covering nearly all of it. It has consists of multiple stories. Atop the highest level is a large nest with large eggs within. A reptilian cry is heard and some sort of drake is spotted flying up into the clouds.
- There are various methods for entering the fortress…two doors at the lower levels, windows in some of the upper levels, and another hole in the roof of one level.
- Marlena spots some smoke coming up from the beach at the base of the cliff upon which the party is currently looking at from. They head down and find a campfire. Next to it is a grizzled old fisherman with multiple lines out in the surf.
- His name is Ernie and he’s from Longfelt, which is about a day’s walk away. He comes out here to fish regularly.
- The island showed up a couple of days ago. It usually doesn’t stay for more than a week. When it is here, it usually ruins his fishing. Fish people, Sahuagin, show up when the island does and Ernie thinks they eat the fish.
- He saw them climb up on the island and into the fortress.
- Some pirates have also come by and were dropped off at the fortress…the opposite wing of the fortress from the sahuagin.
- Ernie will gladly row the party out to the island in his small boat. If they could bring him back a sahuagin, he’d be quite happy. It’ll be quite the attraction back in Longfelt.
- The island showed up a couple of days ago. It usually doesn’t stay for more than a week. When it is here, it usually ruins his fishing. Fish people, Sahuagin, show up when the island does and Ernie thinks they eat the fish.
- His name is Ernie and he’s from Longfelt, which is about a day’s walk away. He comes out here to fish regularly.
- The group heads to the dock where the pirates had been dropped off and head into the fortress. They quickly encounter the pirates who speak oddly. The group learns a bit of information.
- The pirates are from a place called Caribdus (that on one has heard of before).
- The captain, Sweetbeard, drops them off here every year. Sweetbeard then takes the rest of the crew, usually newer crew, off in some search before coming back empty-handed every single time.
- Rashek, the first mate, will agree to let the party pass through if they agree to help him take out Sweetbeard when he returns. Rashek and the handful of pirates here just want to go home and not come back to this place. It is agreed.
- Rashek leads the group through some rooms.
- One has a group of pirates playing cards.
- Next, upstairs from the pirates, has a dragon statue with three dragon-headed statues praying to it.
- Then a room (in the central tower) with three jails cells. One holds a shriveled looking sahuagin, lying unmoving. Another has a wooden chest in it. The third has a broken wall leading to the outside. There are stairs leading up and two dragon-headed statues here. One is standing by the stairs waving at the other that appears to be leaving.
- Rashek takes his leave here, noting that the stairs down in the next room leads to the fish people.
- The next room has a large table in it with old maps atop it. A handful of golden chess pieces are on the map. Three dragon-headed statues stand around the table looking down at the map.
- The stairs in this room lead down to a room with bunks and a snoring creature…some sort of large lobster bug thing. Worried about waking this thing, the group does not come down.
- Instead, they take the stairs up from the jail room to the next level of the tower.
- This is a room with large windows. An odd contraption sits in front of each window. It is a large metal tube which sits upon a wooden frame with wheels. (Yes, they are cannons.)
- Looking at one of the windows, Marlena spots a few sahuagin on a roof of a lower level (two levels lower), sitting in puddles and eating fish.
- The group ties a rope to one of the contraptions and climbs down to the next level. They then sneak up to the edge which overlooks the level upon which the sahuagin are snacking.
- Liesl slowly stands, with no weapons, and attracts the attention of the sahuagin. Two move start to move aggressively, but the largest of the three stops them. He speaks broken Common.
- The party learns that the sahuagin consider this a holy site and make a pilgrimage each year that the island appears. They pray at the dragon statue.
- The pirates have attacked them with magic wands that make a loud noise and cause wounds from a distance.
- The pilgrimage is now limited to just warriors, but they would like to make the pirates go away and never come back.
- The party seems inclined to side with the sahuagin. They go and get the shriveled sahuagin from the jail cell and bring it to these sahuagin. He will survive after being in the water for some time.
- The pilgrimage is now limited to just warriors, but they would like to make the pirates go away and never come back.
- The pirates have attacked them with magic wands that make a loud noise and cause wounds from a distance.
- The party learns that the sahuagin consider this a holy site and make a pilgrimage each year that the island appears. They pray at the dragon statue.
- Liesl slowly stands, with no weapons, and attracts the attention of the sahuagin. Two move start to move aggressively, but the largest of the three stops them. He speaks broken Common.
- The group ties a rope to one of the contraptions and climbs down to the next level. They then sneak up to the edge which overlooks the level upon which the sahuagin are snacking.
- The group heads back to the tower and goes back to the “cannon” room. There is also a circle with a pentagram etched into the center of the floor here. Within stand two statues. One is a large skeleton with arms raised and jaw set as though yelling. The other is a cloaked woman who holds a blade that has struck up and into the skeleton. They are frozen in conflict.
- It is clear at this point that all of these various statues may not be statues but petrified individuals.
- At each point of the pentagram is a rune. Marlena is able to read each as she is wearing the Librarian’s Ring (from the temple crypts back in Ragged Hollow) which allows her to read any language. Each is a letter, starting at the top and going clockwise: B – E – I – L – S.
- Still trying to find an entrance to the dungeon of this place (where the issue of Playwizard that Radomir wants is supposed to be), the party starts looking for secret passages or entrances as there have been no obvious ones yet.
- They end up back in the room with the dragon statue. It sits on a pedestal upon which is a gold plaque. Again, only Marlena can read it. It reads, ““Zuldra, the Scorching God of Hagada. Present your flame and pray for forgiveness!”
- Liesl approaches with a torch and begs forgiveness (for something that I don’t quite recall). A section of nearby wall slides to the side and reveals a ladder leading down.
- The group heads down. The ladder leads to some stairs which lead to a corridor. Some initial exploration is done. A few rooms beyond stone doors are found.
- One seems empty with just cobwebs and debris in the corners.
- Another has blood spattered in one corner with bloody footsteps leading to an opposite corner. A small humanoid, about the size of a halfling but a bit stouter, with gray skin and orange hair lies there. It’s throat has been sliced open.
- Another room has an altar of some sort that has no identifying marks or symbols that the characters can see.
- A fourth room is very dusty and has clearly not be traveled in a very long time. There is a set of old footprints that lead from the door to one corner of the room.
- Intrigued, the group examines the wall where that the footsteps lead to. One print is cut off by the wall. A loose stone is found and it is pressed, followed by a clicking noise.
And that is where the session ended. No time for additional comments this time around.
