The Cast
Adzeer Mattiu, Hunter of the First Circle (Half Orc, Hunter): Tim (Gothridge Manor)
Duncan Kern (Gnome, Wizard/Thief): Dan
Dante Rathburn (Human, Warlock): Chris (The Clash of Spear on Shield)
Luven Lightfinger (Human, Thief): Rob (Bat in the Attic)
Larramore “Little Larry” (Kobold, Marksman): NPC
Ansarkhan ("Mushroom Man", Fighter): NPC
Diana (Human, Torch Bearer, Goat Driver): NPC
Crystal Golem
5 cave goat
Map A (1 Square = 5 Feet) |
Session 16 ended with the brave adventurers finding another stairwell down from the first level and also encountering some small crystal golems, created by gnomes. At the beginning of Session 17, Duncan explored Room 2 (Map A above). The door was locked and spiked, so it took a bit of doing to open it. Inside were two gnome skeletons, lying on the floor, with hammers nearby. There were two piles of silver necklaces, which a crystal attached to each one. There were nine necklaces but only one crystal was undamaged [as a point of reference, there were nine crystal golems in Room 1 and the room to the east of it]. Duncan put on the necklace and found that he could command one of the crystal golems in Room 1. Having added another oddball member to their party, the group headed down the spiral staircase in Room 3.
Map B (1 Square = 5 Feet) |
The two parties met in combat in Area 5, with the flaming sword guy staying in the corridor and one crabman going into the rooms to the east and west. The battle was particularly nasty, with the threat of the flaming sword, and the two attacks each of the crabmen creating a bit of uncertainty. However, the brave adventurers gained momentum early and prevailed, thanks in part to some poor tactics on the party of their opponents.
After the battle, Adzeer picked up the flaming broad sword and found himself connected to Elias the One, the leader of the "Breeders." It was not a telepathic link, but there was enough of a connection that Adzeer knew the general location of Elias the One: Almost a quarter mile northwest and 200 feet down. In turn, Elias the One knew Adzeer's location.
This second bit of information created the session's next encounter as 2 groups of breeders moved into Rooms 4 & 7 (Map B above); the move into Room 4 involved a secret door that the party hadn't discovered. Each of the two breeder groups were made up of a guy in a red cloak/hood with a flaming broadsword and two crabmen.
The southern portion of the adventurers' party was the more powerful group, but Dante, who was in the northern group, cast a sleep spell that took out the two crabmen. Having thus tilted the battlefield in their direction, the party again prevailed against a tough foe.
The rest of the session involved exploration, with the party following the secret door in Room 4, which led to find a couple more secret doors. They then moved west in Room 8, which was a large room, harshly illuminated by magical lighting near the ceiling. The party had previously found a similar area to the west (Session 14 and Session 15). The picture below gives a general idea of what Room 8 looks like:
The party felt vulnerable in the large, illuminated space and moved north in Room 9 (Map B above). There they found four semi-intelligent "meats" (human slaves bred to be food for the Breeders). The meats were tending to rows of mushrooms, so the party left them to their work.
The party moved into Area 10, which looked like the start of a mining area. There was a lot of rock dust on the floor and there were piles of tailings in the rooms of Area 10. Duncan thought this was evidence of silver mining. Adzeer, who was carrying all three flaming broad swords, decided to ditch them in one of the piles. He could tell that, as long as he had at least one of the swords, Elias the One would know his general location.
This is where the session ended for the evening.
The Dungeon So Far
Level 1 |
Level 2 |