The Greyhawk Expedition - Death and Dying

Many things happened to and for our adventurers during this gaming session, and indeed, the danger level is rising in the deeps of the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk.  To remind the one reader out there:

Brent: G'leric, a gnome wizard, and G'at the bat

Spencer: Urick, a human paladin, and his mount, Zeeb 

Emily: Ember the Executioner, a human fighter

Elliot: Lance Dallas, an elf druid, and his familiar, Lionel 

Dan: Fayt Vaanil, a elf rogue

Particular thanks to certain OOG folks for particularly clever parts of this game.  You know who you are.

Our valiant party awoke to a new day…in a dreary, lightless, dungeon room containing an upward-ascending elevator.  It was here the party decided to camp for the night after a rather tiring day of fighting, dying, and setting hill giants on fire.

After general inquiries to the paladin about his health after yesterday’s crushing near-death experience (How’s your back, Mr. Squishy?), discussion ensues about today’s course of action.  Reminders abound that two hill giants remain in the main temple room, and thus, G’at is sent out on reconnaissance. He reports back with information that yes, the two giants remain, along with random straw beds, a crevasse that spans the length of the entire room, and a headless statue that spans the width of said crevasse.  There is little enthusiasm for taking the giants on, especially when Lance’s Knowledge: Nature check reminds our players that hill giants are exceptionally skilled at stone-throwing.

Another day, perhaps. 

Eventually, the group decides to take the elevator upstairs to investigate a way out of the castle.  The beefy paladin is unable to find the Strength to turn the hand-crank (still weak from yesterday, maybe), yet the lady fighter jumps on and cranks away with no problem. As it turns out, the elevator lands near the secret door our party came through just after defeating the swordwraiths the day previous. 

No super-duper discoveries here, so the fighter and the rogue head back down to join the rest of the party.  In a moment of slight awkwardness, Fayt then reveals the location of another, secret elevator just beyond the room where the entire party had spent the night in.  The plan now?  Exploration down the new elevator (which DESCENDS…into madness? Probably.). 

Things gets hairy within minutes of the group’s descent to the first ‘vator landing.  There are more crates, boxes, bags in the corner of the small room, and most of the party goes to investigate them.  Fayt meanders about the room, and is promptly attacked by a FLESH GOLEM!  Frankenstein!  It’s ALIIIIIIIIIIVE!

The golem is getting down and dirty as its main goal to pin the rogue down with its huge claw hand whilst stabbing him repeatedly with its sword.  A Grapple check victory for the golem makes this whole scenario very real and scary for Fayt; fortunately, his party hears the ruckus and comes to his aid:

1.     Lance misfires two arrows.

2.     G’leric lands two Scorching Rays.

3.     Fayt takes massive claw-at-throat and swordblade damage.  He hurts. To the point of dead.

4.     Urick whiffs his longsword.

5.     Ember spectacularly separates the golem’s head from its body.

6.     The paladin shouts out “Medic!” upon seeing Fayt’s still form…and then realizes “Wait! I’m the Medic!”  Two healing spells and a Laying on of Hands brings the rogue back to life. 

The fighter checks the golem’s body for a brand or sign of creatorship, and the rogue weakly tells her, “he’s not Abercrombie & Fitch”.  Also, golem earwax is taken for later candle-making…although someone’s gonna have to take ranks in Craft: Earwax Candles.

It’s quiet time now for a nicely-recovering Fayt, and Lionel is assigned to keep watch over the rogue while the rest of the party skips out and runs really fast through the hill giant room to the eastern set of doors, which open into a corridor that contains two more sets of doors that oppose each other.  Cautious as always, the room Searches turn up the following:

1.     0 bad guys

2.     4 rooms, 4 sets of bunk beds, 4 treasure chests

3.     2 pouches containing 200 gp each (prompting the young, worldly paladin to exclaim, “Make it rain!” while doing the appropriate youthful hand gesture)

4.     1 plain-looking stained bag, which the gnome identifies as a Type I Bag of Holding.

5.     2 flasks inside leather pouches.  Both paladin and wizard recognize it as Holy Water.

6.     1 Tanglefoot bag (to Ember)

7.     2 Thunderstones (to Urick and G’leric)

Fayt, feeling much, much better, has departed from Lionel’s watch and comes across the other adventurers in the midst of their plunderings...but just minutes before that, he:

1.     Moves incredibly Silently passing through the hill giant room.

2.     Discovers huge nets cover the crevasse.

3.     Attempts to cross the crevasse by creeping across the headless statue.

4.     The rogue hears a voice in his head say, “Deal my vengeance, reap my rewards”…whilst feeling a burning curiosity to replace the statue’s head.

5.     The hill giants are oblivious to the rogue elf roaming about their domain.  Stupid hill giants.

Fayt rejoins the party, just as they make their way down the hall to the set of double doors.  Below the oddly smiling face of Zagig the Mage are nine metal figurines lined up, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 from left to right.  Below the figures is a strange poem:

A race between the noble dames
is more than just mere games.
They start, of course, from one to nine
But where did they stand at the finishing line?

If this door you wish to pass,
Last is First and First is Last
Secondus and Septimus stumble back one pace
Octus cut in twixt, Quartus speeds up two in the race.
Quintus, obstinate, stands her ground
Tertius reverses, her name well set,
Leaving just one spot for Madame Sextet.

It doesn’t take the party’s smarter, more clever members long to figure out the correct order of the figurines, and the door into the room swings open easily.  Two suits or armor stand on both sides of a fireplace, and a wooden table is strewn with papers in the middle of the room.  Everyone, examining various elements of the room, manage to find themselves facing away from the door they all came through…and it’s poor G’leric that first feels the bite of a blade in his back on a Sneak Attack.  The gnome will spend the next three rounds paralyzed due to some kind of poison on the blade.

As the other players turn and hear the wizard’s gurgled cry for help, a slight, horned figure comes into view.  The creature, a tiefling, has become visible and now appears to be ready for battle.  Ember moves in and deals 10 points of damage, and at that moment the two suits of armor become animated and begin attacking the party as well.  Fayt sprints over to administer a Potion of Lesser Restoration to G’leric, and the gnome is no longer paralyzed.

So, it turns out “Derek” the Tiefling’s game is attacking quick before scurrying around to use the suits of armor in a flanking maneuver.  That, however, only lasts so long, and in a matter of minutes, the evildoer is fleeing for his life out the door.  Fayt gets in one last parting shot just as the tiefling is at the exit, and it’s enough to kill Derek.  Fayt licks the blade once he removes it from the tiefling’s body…ewww.  Must be a rogue thing.

The party continues to kill the suits of armor, and Fayt loots the tiefling’s body, handing over potential magical items to the wizard.  The party exits through the other door in the room…where a few steps down the way is a dead albino rat with a weird marking around its eye.  Ember chucks a pebble at it, to no avail.  Fayt picks it up and stuffs it his backpack…against the advice of the party, it should be said here.  Talk of dead rats and such reminds the paladin that he’s supposed to be collecting ears for the dwarves, and a tiefling’s ear surely has to count for something.

OOG, Emily is drinking a “Dead Guy” beer by Rogue.  Hahaha.

The corridor continues on, before coming to a stop at a wooden door.  It is unlocked, and upon entering, G’leric (in the lead, which seems unusual, but whatever) sees a half-naked woman atop a bed, in tattered clothing, and she cries out for help from the party.  G’leric wonders briefly about her race, as he really is partial to bedding gnomes.  There’s not time for contemplation though as the huge orc at the table in the room stands and shouts, “Intruders!” Then, he draws out his sword and it, like, starts on fire.  G’leric is rough and ready and rushes further in the room…only to disappear from the other players’ view.  It’s a Pit Trap!  Not only does the gnome take fall damage, but also spike damage (at the bottom of the pit as well).  Fayt, ever the quick-thinker, Disables the Device and, chucks some jerky down to G’leric in the pit.

Ember fails a Will save and spends a turn extremely confused by the woman, who claims that she’s the victim in this whole scenario.  She’s just lucky the woman doesn’t try to make out with her.
And oh yeah, G’leric has not been idle.  He casts Summon Monster, and before long, a giant praying mantis materializes out of nowhere.  Party time.  Before long, though:

1.     Urick is rendered unconscious by the flaming-sword-wielding orc blackguard, who’s obviously fighting to the death.

2.     The woman suddenly sprouts FREAKING WINGS out of her back and flees the room.  Had the paladin been more aware, he could have probably told his friends she was a succubus.

3.     The orc dies.

4.     Ember searches the Orc and finds two Serious Wounds potions and an odd-stick looking thingy (which G’leric identifies a Wand of Cure Light Wounds).

5.     The praying mantis airlifts G’leric out of the pit.

6.     Fayt takes the +1 flaming longsword.  It appears to have Corrupt Weapon cast on it, and that means neither Ember nor Urick can handle the weapon in its current state.

7.     Ember searches the table and finds a very interesting report from one Atolamyr to one “The General”…including information about “more troops”.  There is particular sense of unease as the report mentions recent plundering raids being thwarted by “random adventurers”

8.     The party realizes the report is referring to them.

9.     Fayt suggests tampering with the report to create false information.

10. G’leric suggests just putting “I SEE YOU” on the letter.

11. Neither suggestion is taken.  Ember pockets the letter and the party barricades the door.

It’s nighty-night time for the party as they feel mighty wiped out.  After all, two of the group died today…and that’s enough to exhaust anyone.

While everyone’s resting, Fayt looks through the papers he swiped from the tiefling’s desk.  As it turns out, the tiefling was the resident Quartermaster and the papers contain lists of supplies, goods, and other such mundane details.  Nothing juicy at all…

Upon awakening, the group decides to forge on and push through the room’s other entrance on the north wall.  This large space is filled with shelves and is obviously a main storage space.  Able Carter Coaching Company-marked barrels, crates, boxes fill just about every available space.  There’s a chest there as well, and Fayt (naturally) wants to open it and keep every good thing that might be inside…and the good-aligned fighter and paladin have issues issues with that (after all, they have been hired to return these goods).  G’leric sides with the rogue on this issue, and a fierce battle of Rock Paper Scissors then ensues to determine the winner.

G’leric wins, and mercenary behavior wins the day.  The small chest is plundered and a bottle of brandy is added to the rogue’s inventory.

Beyond another door on the far wall of the storage space is a corridor that contains two cell-like rooms.  One is empty and one holds a young man, wearing a heavy cloak.  He sits, staring off vapidly into space while a skeleton holds a bucket near his head.  The young man does not respond when spoken to, nor does the skeleton move to attack when the rogue picks the cell lock and enters...and when the druid readies his bow, still the skeleton does nothing.  The wizard discerns that it is the cloak that somehow has a hold over the man (a robe of powerlessness, actually).  The robe delivers a -10 to Strength and Intelligence, which explains the young man’s comatose-like state. A Heal check by the paladin is useless, as the magic of the robe is more powerful than any of the party members.  Thus, the young man will need to be taken somewhere for further healing.  Ember attempts to identify the man, to no avail, and she finally resorts to searching through his things…finding holy symbols, scale mail, a light mace, and a signet ring, which Lance the druid determines in the symbol of the Temple of Boccob in Greyhawk.

There are no further exits and now seems like a good time as any to return to Greyhawk, to a.) return goods and b.) return the catatonic cleric to his temple.  Much discussion ensues about how to cart everything upstairs, and eventually, G’leric’s Bag of Holding comes into play, as do the chariots from the War Wagon room.  The young cleric is taken to his appropriate temple, and the priests there are extremely glad to see him again.  But hey, some other quick highlights:

1.     Lance the druid straps the emaciated cleric onto his back…and away he goes!

2.     Urick the Lawful Good feels the dwarven doorwardens should be given something…everyone else disagrees, and finally, the dwarves are immensely satisfied with the necklace of orc ears plus the one tiefling ear.

3.     Dwarves give the party permission to come and go as they please.

4.     Urick is reunited with Zeeb.

5.     Thalivar at the Able Carter Coaching Company is simply thrilled at the return of all the goods and awards the party 1,120 gold pieces, each. Jackpot.

6.     The clerics at the Boccobite temple say the young man had been missing for three weeks and the main cleric, “Roger” informs the party they will be in contact soon.

Back then at the Drunken Dog Inn, the party rests and plans on meeting for mimosas and brunch the next morning.   And before that happens, “wish lists” are made by the players, now that they have coin in their purse and dreams in their heads.  The DM promises to research these wish lists and report back on the likelihood of them, soon.  The rogue, in particular, is looking to unload some expensive loot and regain some his basic wealth back.

As they enjoy their Eggs Benedict the next day, a messenger from the Boccobite temple enters and asks that the party come to the temple as soon as they are finished…the young man they rescued yesterday is feeling better and would like to speak with them.

1.     The young man, introducing himself as Altamaic, expresses his immense appreciation as being rescued.  He asks that the party recount their adventures for him, which Ember then does.

2.     Altamaic then informs the party of a secret door that leads to a secret elevator (which the party already knows about).  He goes on to tell of being abducted outside the gates of Greyhawk and questioned on levels far below the surface of the Castle Greyhawk’s ruins by a man referred to as “The General”.

3.     He lasts remembers a soft robe and a bony-faced man feeding him a few times a day.

4.     He reiterates his appreciation and gifts the entire party with a metal token…that players can trade in at any time for a 5^th level or lower spell to be cast upon them (a permanent spell).  Huzzah, Boccob!

The good feeling continues outside the temple as the party departs…suddenly all players feel very strong and capable…as if they’ve just leveled up!