Adzeer Mattiu, Hunter of the First Circle (Half Orc, 2 Lvl Hunter): Tim (Gothridge Manor)
Duncan Kern (Gnome, 2 Lvl Wizard/Thief): Dan
Dante Rathburn (Human, 2 Lvl Warlock): Chris (The Clash of Spear on Shield)
Luven Lightfinger (Human, 1 Lvl Thief): Rob (Bat in the Attic)
Larramore “Little Larry” (Kobold, 2 Lvl Marksman): NPC
Ansarkhan ("Mushroom Man"): NPC
Diana (Human, Torch Bearer, Goat Driver): NPC
3 cave goats
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| Map A |
At the end of the last session, the brave adventurers had descended a spiral staircase and found themselves on a very small island in the middle of a small pond, with a narrow wooden bridge to shore. Giant mushrooms in profusion were growing all around the room and the mushrooms were being tended by 7' tall mushroom men who, inexplicably, spoke elvish. The session ended with the characters being to led to Area 1 (on Map A above) where they were introduced to an elf who was the master and friend of the mushroom men.
The ancient-looking elf introduced himself as Allindrihl. He welcomed them to his humble abode, apologized for his lack of hospitality ("...it has been centuries since I have entertained guests..."), and he led them to Room 2 (on Map A above). Along the way, the party walked through Room 2, which featured a number of sylvan forest plants growing under artificial "sunlight" from the ceiling (a bansai garden). Room 3 was similarly illuminated. Room 3 also had a number of comfortable chairs. A mushroom man brought a flagon and small chalices. Allindrihl offered the group wine, which he explained, was made from mushrooms and was not so bad, considering the source.
Allindrihl appreciated the presence of Duncan, a gnome, and he offered to answer any questions they might have. He had lived in the Montporte Dungeon for about a millennium, having discovered it with a fellow elf while seeking refuge from a war raging in the area. Even then the dungeon complex had long since been abandoned by its original inhabitants and its existence was unknown to the locals.
Eventually, Allindrihl and his companion parted ways, with Allindrihl dabbling in magic while he companion decided to explore deeper into the complex and perhaps beyond. Allindrihl had not seen his companion since and Allindrihl admitted that he had not left the little area he had created in "about century, as humans count their days."
Perhaps it was the lack of company that made Allindrihl chatty. He spoke non-stop for quite a while. From him, the party learned:
- The location of the dungeon was not an accident. It lies in the foothills of an ancient mountain range. When mountains form, they stretch the fabric of the world and powerful magic becomes less difficult and rare. More importantly, the barriers between the five planes become thinner and travel between them becomes a more of a possibility.
- The complex started out as a monastery of sorts. The inhabitants were human and had a religion or way of life that was based on the four elements. Parts of the dungeon predate the arrival of the elementalists.
- The elementalists developed a mastery over elemental magic and brought in dwarves and gnomes to assist them as miners, engineers, machinists, and alchemists.
- Eventually, the elementalists developed the ability to split the four elements and three powers and recombine them in ways that defy description. Allindrihl believed that had help from outside of our plane (and maybe outside the five planes) to gain this ability.
- The elementalists then suffered a series of very nasty civil wars. Allindrihl believed that they had split into at least three factions and this led to their demise as a community.
- One faction, called "Breeders" by Allindrihl, lived in the original elementalist complex. They retained at least some of knowledge of elemental magic and had turned to cannibalism. They had enslaved some of their fellow elementalists and started breeding and herding them like cattle. Some of these slaves were eaten, others traded to groups deeper in the dungeon.
- Another elementalist faction had gone a bit deeper into the complex and turned to demon worship. They had occasional conflicts with the breeders but had developed trade with them, based on slaves and foodstuffs.
Having been filled with dungeon knowledge and mushroom wine, Luven asked the most consequential question of the session: "Do you know where we could find lots of treasure?"
Allindrihl then told them of a secret room on the east side of the first level, beyond where they had explored. They would have to go through a small dwarven temple area to access it. The dwarves had hidden some of their prized belongings there. Allindrihl could not promise it was still there, given the recent activity of the orcs and kobolds, but it just might still be there. Allindrihil then asked a favor of them...would it be possible for one of his younger mushroom men, Ansarkhan, to accompany them? He wasn't much for finding his way around, but Ansarkhan was handy with a weapon.
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| Map B |
They were able to take out one skeleton. However, the red-tinted skeleton moved in and toasted Dante and Ansarkhan with a Burning Hands spell. Adzeer decided that he had to act and he successfully turned the main force of the skeletons, leaving the red-tinted one left alone on the battlefield. He was quickly reduced to an inanimate pile of broken bones.
The party then continued to move east to the statue (Area 6 on Map B), then north. They arrived in Room 7 (on Map B) to discovered the freshly killed Ian and his three dwarven companions. Ian had been a henchman of the party during their first few sessions and they had encountered Ian, the three dwarves, and Spensol, another former henchman, during the last session.
Each of the four corpses had numerous small black arrows sticking out from them. Death by kobold, was the conclusion. The party searched the bodies but they had already been picked clean.
In the meantime, Duncan decided to wander off and explore. He first checked out the corridor to the northeast and found that it just went off into the darkness. He then backtracked into Room 8, which had not been explored in their previous foray into this area of the dungeon (Session 3). He found a gnome bath, a true sign of civilization (Duncan being a gnome). Sadly, the only water in the bath was a water elemental of significant size, albeit slightly dehydrated. It smacked Duncan, almost to the gates of the life to come.
Duncan backed out of the room and called for help. He found that the water elemental could not leave the bath and so the party attacked it from a distance. This effort was hampered by narrow corridor leading into the room (only 5' wide). Luven delivered the telling blow by tossing an open wineskin into the bath. The water elemental, being dehydrated, sucked up the newly delivered source of moisture. The next round, it settled calmly into the bottom of the bath, which allowed Duncan to finish it off with the Dancing Dagger.
The party then moved into another previously bypassed area, Room 9 (Map B). This room turned out to have rusted cooking utensils and a lot of soot on the ceiling. In the middle of the soot was a black circle, about 2' across. Adzeer and Duncan guessed that it was a portable hole, much like the one they had found in Session 5. Like the other portable hole, this one was filled with smoky air.
The party then went to Room 10 (Map B) and found it filled with mining tools and rope. Most of the picks and shovels were in bad shape, but one pick was still in pristine condition. Adzeer swung it at the wall and it took out a big chunk of granite. Usually, granite is very difficult to break and, when it does, it tends to be almost explosive. Not with this pick.
The last room explored was Room 11 (Map B), which had the remains of wooden bunks strewn across the floor. There was enough of the bunks remaining that the party decided that this was a dwarven bunk room. There was a door in very good condition in the northernmost section of the east wall. It had dwarven writing on it, which no one in the party could read.
This is where the session ended for the night.
