Session 79 - Campaign Day 876 - 12/11/2022

 No One Left Behind

Deciding What To Do

As usual, the players had a wide range of potential activity. The Stormbringers had been attacked and roughly handled by invading fishmen in Oriskavia. Aewdil returned after several weeks of travel in search of a pegasus to train as a flying mount broke and without a horse. And Kel's household was recently cleansed of demonic charms. But the common cause of woe was a lack of money. Every month each players deducts 100gpx lvl per PC. And we use the training rules as laid out in the DMG. This constantly drains money from the PCs, and they are usually in need of cash. So the players wanted to delve in search of treasure.

Back to Gorem Kyxalim

The ruins of Gorem Kyxalim (aka "GK") are a half-day's walk from Burmstone. The players had been there many times, including several forays into the Tower of Sorcery and it's insane interior layout. This time they wanted to head back to the first level and explore. The elf-assassin Israfel, the half-elf cleric/ranger Aewdil, the gnome illusionist Flick and his henchman, the fighter Laertes, and the magic user Marinia, plus a few heavy infantry hirelings.

While making their way to the site, the players encountered an elephant-sized mammal grazing. They decided to stay focused on GK and leave the animal alone. Once at the top of some low hills south of GK the players observed the burnt briars and buildings in the area to the north. They also saw the strange tower further to the northwest.

The players decided to head straight to the "Cockatrice entrance" - since that was at one point the entrance closes to a pair of cockatrices that once terrorized the first level. After entering the first room, the players headed south, rediscovering an observatory with a mechanism that controlled the "show" displayed on the ceiling above. Did they want to try and mess with it?

Look familiar?

I presented the above image as a mini-game, courtesy of Gamma World 1e.  I offered additional die rolls per hour since another PC had previously interacted with the control device.  The players saw the possibility of the "skull" outcome and again opted for other activities.

Another room appears empty, half submerged with a thin layer of water. Then the players pushed south again and came to a stuck door, which they bashed open. The room beyond was circular with exits left and right. The exit to the left ended after 20' in a huge brass door with abyssal inscriptions. Israfel recognizes the scent near the door as the perfume worn by Mackenna, who seemed to have a strange power to beguile men and women. The players head in the other direction.

The room at the end of the corridor has a staircase going down, square with landings. There are 3 doors leading out. There are also 9 gnomes here! (Wandering monster check indicated, with the monster level being 1 and the Fiend Folio telling me the d100 was a clutch of gnomes.)

I asked the players what they do and they want to speak to the gnomes. I roll reaction, adding +5 for alignment of the gnomes (LG). It comes up with a 05, which is an immediate and violent hostile action, modified to just plain hostile. The gnomes I decide, are a lost patrol from a gnome underkingdom. They are pissed off, confused, and not about to suffer any bullshit from these punks. The gnomes demand the PCs freeze, drop their weapons, and surrender so the gnomes can determine if they are a threat. The PCs refuse this and Flick starts to cast a spell, which I take as the start of combat. The initiative is rolled and the players win and hit the gnomes with effective missile fire. The gnomes suffer casualties quickly and their morale fails, surrendering. The players allow the gnomes to head off and out, directed to Fort Weskfen. Meanwhile, some paltry coins are taken off the dead gnomes left behind.

Down the Stairs

The players now go down the stairs. The descent is about 10 flights down. There is a brief discussion about what this means and the players guess they are on the 2nd level. The stairs end in a long, wide hallway 30' across and running hundreds of feet left and right. The air is slightly smoky and there is a low, red light coming from the left. 

Israfel scouts the red glow. After 120' he comes to a large circular chamber with a octagonal chute in the floor. 20' wide passages lead out from his left and right. Peering down the chute Israfel can see the chute extends about 40' then there is empty space, and perhaps 80' down there is a red hot pool of magma with redskins using it as a heat source for smithy operations.

The players backtrack down the other direction but again run into some redskins directing a workgroup of dogmen and other 3' greenish/tan humanoids in a chamber with 4 exits, like a 4-way intersection. The players have surprise! They decide to attack. The 2 segments of surprise allow for the start of a spell and some volleys of arrows. The illusionist aborts his spells as the spell description indicates a range of 0", meaning it's "centered" on the caster, which would envelop most of the party! 

Nonetheless, the redskins are routed after the illusionist casts another phantasmal force in the next full round, marching a large unit of illusionary skeletons into the room. The remaining redskins give up, begging for their lives, while the slaves either flee or remain with their "new masters". One slave, identified as "Gurblin" clings to Israfel's boots like a sad puppy. Israfel "adopts" the slave.

Things Fall Apart

The players press the redskins for where the "good stuff" is. They learn the redskins are charged with picking through the area, collecting scrap metal, and building materials for their king. The players want to know where the "other" good stuff is. The redskins are not sure but guess the players are asking for whatever geegaws or pretty stones can be found. They tell the players about a room beyond, which is taboo for them. "A guy died trying to fetch the gems from this skeletal man there." This news is like crack to the players and they want a hit. They head off to this room, forcing the redskins to march ahead of them.

They enter a very large chamber with pillars and a throne of sorts at one end. There is a skeleton in chainmail sitting on the throne, and it's eyes are 2 sapphires that sparkle in the torchlight.

Completely safe. What could go wrong?

Not being fools, the players tell one of the hapless redskins to put a lasso around the skeletons, which they can use to drag the body off the throne. The redskin tells them he really doesn't want to do this, but the PCs tell him to do it or die. Harsh!

The redskin resigns its miserable self to this job and approaches the skeleton. No sooner than he places the rope on the skeleton that it animates and tries to choke the life out of the redskin.

The players have a supply of holy water and a couple of magic weapons. They are confident they can end this nightmare in short order. They win the initiative but only manage a splash hit with the holy water. They also learn that anybody within 10' of the thing suffers a fear effect. Aewdil, Israfel, and Laertes must make saves vs spells, which they all fail!

What happens next is that Aewdil, Israfel, and Laertes flee to different exists in uncontrolled and unreasoning terror. Flick and the hirelings run back out with Israfel. A couple of rounds later Israfel and Flick are back at the four way intersection and recover. But where is Aewdil and where is Laertes?

Aewdil, being a ranger, backtracks by following her own tracks, and hustles through the big room to rejoin the group.

The group waits a short period of time. I indicate that Laertes does not appear. We are nearing the end of the real-time slot we have to play and now the pressure is building to get out and back to safety. The players tell me later they think I said Leartes did show up. In the confusion, they leave him behind (presumably lost)!

Where is Laertes?

Once all the way back to the surface the players now understand Leartes is missing. Flick is very distressed, as that was his favorite meat-shield!

The game ends there with only a paltry amount of XP (for killing redskins and defeating the gnomes) plus a smattering of looted coins.

The players decide to camp out there and attempt to head back in to find Laertes, but we are out of time.

Async Chat Play

Against my better judgment, I indicate that we can do the rescue attempt by chat. I really don't like to do this, because it's potentially a very long and delayed way to resolve play. Simple interactions can last days as people drop in and out of the thread on Discord.

Nonetheless, everyone but Marinia and "Gurblin" heads back in, though the hirelings have to be given an extra bonus wage for the 2nd attempt.

The players re-trace their steps back down the stairs. Heading back down the corridor the players do encounter dozens and dozens of giant rats. A judicious use of firebombs ends that threat. At the  four-way intersection, Laertes trots into view, happy to see his friends again.

On the way out the players do have 1 final encounter, a hideous "living stalactite", which they stun with a spell and a volley of missile fire. 

While they didn't grab the big loot score, they now think they can convince Kel, the high-level LE cleric, to provide them with clerical firepower to take on the skeleton in the throne room.