I think this is the most consistent gaming I have experienced in years. NOT having alcohol during the game actually makes it better, at least for me. Who knew?
Earlier logs are here: one, two, three, four.
Summary: no deaths, no treasure (beyond a mundane spear), stairs up discovered
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We picked up where we left off, in the crypts. Dave slipped the ring onto his finger, finding that it slipped onto it easily, but then he felt it tighten around the base of his finger. He has no idea what it yet does, but his gut tells him its magic.
After a brief debate, they checked the crypt across the hall and found it differed substantially from the first three. Mounted upon the door was a metal plaque (made of orichalcum), with swirling letters that, when they finished swirling, read in a language each could understand (the literate ones and those tall enough to see it, at least):
It would be best
To let them rest
Heed this request
Or become Death's guest
(DM note - I promise my next rhyming riddle will be better.)
After comments about how the lich they suspect is an incarnation of Shel Silverstein, the group opted to skip the remaining three crypts and try the chamber at the end of the hall, so Dave and Daffyd investigated. (Note that TruggleDave's player is convinced a lich-king is behind all of it).
Approaching the opening, Dave could feel a slight caustic bite in the air. At the entrance, the light from Daffyd's eyebeams revealed a short flight of stairs leading into a large chamber with a high ceiling, a set of stairs leading to dark openings in the other three walls, what looked to be a large pool in the center of the room, and a pair of large skeletal legs attached to large humanoid skeleton holding a large nasty-looking club.
From HERE - looks like it's sold out...
Said large skeleton (with horns on its skull!) started approaching him as the light panned across it, so Dave retreated, guessing correctly that it was too large to fit through the entrance.
Sharing the news about what he saw, the party discussed several plans, ranging from Roro being sneaky, to throwing Daffyd's head as a distraction (Daffyd was not amused at this plan). In the end, they decided to tie Daffyd's head to Dack the Boar-Thief's arse, facing backwards, and have the skeleton chase Dack in a circle, while the others raced to the nearest set of stairs.
The plan worked, but to their chagrin (and the DM's joy) the hazard die came up a 1, so the skeletons in the alcoves in the new hallway stepped down and advanced upon the PCs.
Seeing the mail-clad, spear-wielding skeletons, initiative was rolled and the teams tied. Brother Frank announced his actions first, holding aloft the fuzzy dice of his deity and calling upon Avrae to turn the walking dead.
It worked! Three of the four skeletons stepped back into their alcoves, while the fourth lunged at Dave, missing him. Roro stepped through the legs of the front line and swung the cutlass Sierra, missing. Varda also swung and connected, learning that skeletons only take half-damage from edged weapons in this world. Brother Frank then stepped up and rolled a natural 20 with his mace, crushing its skull and ending the threat.
The party hesitated, knowing there were skeletons along the hall and a giant one behind them. Dave picked up the fallen spear before everyone opted to leave well enough alone and move down the hallway into a rectangular chamber notable for having a pillar in each corner, and an open passageway in each wall.
Studying the pillars, the party saw that they were covered with carvings of people in combat and that - after the entire group failed saves - the carvings began moving faster and closer until suddenly, a plate-armored shade with glowing red eyes stepped out of each pillar!
(DM note: PCs may have evacuated bowels and voided bladders, but players made comments about Ringwraiths and minions of the Lich-King were made. As a veteran DM, I am not one to let such comments go unheeded... - but just not this session.)
The sudden appearance terrified the party, resulting in all of them backing together in the center of the chamber. Circumstances allowed for Daffyd's light to shine directly upon one, causing it to momentarily disappear!
Bolstered by the result of Daffyd's light making one shade briefly blink out of existence, Dave's player forgot the game's genre, suggesting that the armored shades were merely holograms, and tested his theory by trying to walk past them. While they moved menacingly closer, they did not engage, so he was able to use Daffyd to make cursory examinations of the other openings, revealing other passages, to include one that appeared to end in a statue - so the group headed that direction, unmolested by the illusions of shades.
With Daffyd harnessed to his torso, Allistar took the lead and off they went to the statue, crossing another passage in the process. Shining Daffyd's eyes to the north revealed a set of stairs heading up and to the south revealed more corridor.
Thus we ended, around a statue in a dead-end chamber.
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Brother Frank was voted MVP for his successful turning of most of the skeletons AND the natural 20 that crushed the skull of the one that didn't turn.
No treasure was discovered (beyond a mundane short-spear), but stairs up were, so escape is now theoretically possible within the next few sessions.
Overall, the group being effectively stuck on the second level means the potential for exploration XP is high - even if they find the shortest route back to the main entrance on level one (and the tax collectors at the top of it). Presuming they make it back to Skara Brae, some might actually level up.
Roro's player has been mapping the entire time and it is glorious! Several sheets of notebook paper with nothing to scale - I know the plan is to sell it to Ebeneezer Hardbottle, but until then, it is being used in game and is awesome. I'm hoping they'll make use of it to determine potential hidden areas.
As an added bonus, if the mapper's PC falls, that map becomes an excellent treasure for the next explorer! Add a mapper to your games - you won't be sorry!
I definitely need to incorporate encumbrance with all the running and carrying heavy things they are up to - and warned the players as much.
At one point, the session became focused on my and Varda's character jointly reciting Jabberwocky, after a rambling story about White Rabbit and drugs (brought on by the pillar-shades appearance being compared to an acid trip), so I am thinking a vorpal blade that goes snicker-snack is kicking around in the dungeon.
Somewhere.
Probably some custom monsters too: the Manxome Foe, the Bandersnatch, the Jub-Jub Bird, and the Jabberwock itself. Luckily, most of these, if not all, already exist in one form or another, so my homebrewing is limited to merely cherry-picking what I like best from the Google.
Note that the Chesire Cat is more NPC than actual monster and will also be making an appearance - multiples, probably, because recurring NPCs are fun.
As an aside, I'm excited for Andrew Kolb's take on Wonderland, so I can loot it of ideas. His Oz and Neverland books are excellent, so I have high expectations. It should be available in November, just in time for Christmas!
Speaking of Jabberwocky, here is the Muppets version - which is awesome, and here is a telling (with music) by Omnia, which is also awesome.
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