Ironguard Keep: Session 2

Our second session, still a bullet list, but more complete. 

4/26/20 - Session #2

PCs -
Klayton Mueller Human Warlock 1
Yelrah, Half-Orc Barbarian 1
Albrecht Schulze, Human Sorcerer 1
Maria, Half-Elf Druid 1

Another player, Ben, joined us on Discord to listen in and kibbutz (and decide if he wanted to join the game (spoiler: he did!).

Wherein the party continues exploring/looting the Tower of Gargamel (yes, I missed the opportunity for Smurf references) and is reminded that adventuring is a deadly business.

The study contained more stairs, which the party followed up into a damp ruin of a bedroom. Aside from obviously wet and leafy stairs heading to roof, the room also included a large four-poster bed with golden yellow blankets, a bedstand holding a metallic rack and orb, a dresser, a wardrobe, a full length mirror, and a purplish chest.

Yelrah made a bee-line for the bed, and after urine and pee jokes were made, Yelrah discovered the golden yellow blanket was actually Yellow Mold. Ben pointed out that Yellow Mold doesn't exist officially in 5e (poor choice by 5e designers), but it does now, so a Con save later saw Yelrah suffering a nonfatal coughing fit. After recovering, he checked under the bed and found dust bunnies piled up against something he could not otherwise see. Reaching under the bed, Yelrah found what felt like a box. An invisible box. Jokes were made about the DM and invisible boxes under beds (they had encountered such a box in another campaign of mine). Forcing it open, they discovered a book, nay, a tome!

Being smart enough to not read strange books in strange locations, they closed the lid and put the box and bag into a backpack.

Albrecht investigated the dresser, which collapsed in a pile of damp wood, rotted clothing, and rat shit. Moving to the mirror, he found it simple and cracked and nonmagical.

Klayton opted to check the wardrobe. It also contained rotted clothing, but also some fine hard boots. Torchlight sparkled on some gems in the bottom of the wardrobe (presumably fallen from clothes). As Klayton pocketed the shinies, he decided to claim the boots as well. A large spider crawled out of one to contest the ownership, but was promptly smashed into a spidery paste.

Maria primarily observed the looting and watched the stairs. Still, she took the time to investigate the metallic globe and rack on the bedstand. She saw that Elvish words were inscribed along the rack: Follow, Stay, Bright, Dim, and Dark. No one said any of the words, nor did anyone claim the rack and orb.

All that remained was that purplish chest. Through artful use of a crowbar and brute force, the chest was opened, and the band was surprised to see stairs run down into darkness, and the distant, but nearing, sound of pipes and drumming greeted them as they stared. They closed the lid and decided to leave it for later.

from Dungeons and Dragons cartoon Episode 11 "The Box"

The group ascended to the uppermost chamber and found it missing part of the roof. They also found evidence of several lairs over the years: a blue dragon (skull and dull scales found), harpies (feathers everywhere), wyverns (keep stories and some scales), and most recently the manticore.  While searching the mess, a buzzing heralded hungry Stirges flying in to attack! (now THESE are monsters!).

Alas, Maria fell to the Stirges.  In response, the survivors reverently looted her body and left it behind. (DM Note - Sometimes future events just write themselves.)

Stirges slain, the party grabbed a scroll tube and a variety of coins from the filth and detritus.  If there is more there, they didn't find it. (no one made search checks, just visuals).

The band decided to return to Ironguard Keep, richer, but sadder. Along the way, they were ambushed by Goblins, but made short work of them. Further on, the intrepid band then encountered a Keep patrol led by Dame Annaliese Falkenrath, who approved of slaughtering goblins and manticore, but was irritated at the team leaving their dead behind.  The patrol rode off.

Arriving at Ironguard Keep, the survivors met with the Captain of the Watch to offer the map and hopefully collect a bounty on the manticore spikes and goblin ears.