I'm not normally a fan of watching YouTube videos about DnD and DnD-related things, but this particular video by Ben at Questing Beast was recommended - and short - so I watched it.
While listening to it, I had a bit of an epiphany regarding tracking time and restarting the Ironguard campaign this summer. Looking at my notes, the last session was 12/31/20 - so a good 18 months will have passed since the intrepid members of THE GROUP (they aren't keen on naming things) had cast down B2's Temple of Chaos.
Determining what has gone on since that day will be fun. Several of the players have voiced an interest in playing new PCs, so that makes some things easier. 18 months is a long time for Chaos to fester and grow.
This has me more excited than I initially realized.
For those who are curious, here is the final session log I have recorded. It makes me want to post all the sessions, and perhaps I yet will.
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12/31/20 - PCs in attendance - Yelrah, Klayton, Albrecht
NPCs in attendance - Kirsten, Morgan, pseudodragon, Ori, Ulster,
THE
DM note: Our final session of the year. If nothing else,
2020 brought more gaming, so I consider that a success for me.
Tonight is what should be the last foray into this Temple of Chaos. With a handwave to avoid the grind, the party finished off the remaining zombies and skeletons and began the serious job of looting and destroying the Temple. Albrecht and Kirsten busied themselves prying gemstones out of a throne (10 black, 10 red, 1 big red - none of which radiated magic) and the bell tolled.
While this went on, Klayton and Yelrah investigated the
walls behind the draperies, discovering a short passage that led to a sitting
area, and from there a bedroom. The sitting room contained a matched set
of nine golden cups and a flagon that could serve them all. Klayton
claimed these. Searching the bedroom, Albrecht triggered a trap! A foul
idol pitched forward, narrowly missing Albrecht (made his save) to fall onto
the bed. In response, it was sprinkled with holy water and began smoking
and melting, again causing the bell to toll. (You’d think they would douse that
bell with holy water and knock it down, but nooooo).
As the statue smoked, the room was searched further and a secret
door was discovered. Rightly surmised to be an escape hatch for the high
priest, the door also revealed a jumbled mess of golden coins (500) and gems
(50). Yelrah sacked these.
At this point, THE GROUP realized that the cursed door was the only
one they had not tried, so Kirsten volunteered to open it, suffering the curse
to “never feel the wind of day” (paraphrased). This door led to stairs
leading down to some enlarged caves. Exploring these caves (seeking the
missing mithral ingots) would take the rest of the session.
Following the caves, THE GROUP heard the distant clink of metal on
metal, followed by moaning. Readying bows and spells, they advanced
cautiously to find a torturer, complete with black leather armor and
executioner’s hood, practicing his craft on some poor elf. Winning
initiative and surprise, the executioner died as he lived - with metal sticking
out of him. Albrecht miserably failed a medicine
check to help the elf, so decided that a dagger through the eye would be an
equally logical (merciful) choice. Klayton and Yelrah disagreed, and THE
healed the elf enough to bring him around. While the PCs searched, the
weirded-out NPCs offered to escort the elf out of the caves and to the surface,
promising to wait for the rest of the party there.
The PCs agreed, and continued their explorations. Before long, the noble heroes dispatched a gelatinous cube (losing the pseudodragon in the process - sluuuuuuuuuuuurp!), but recovered a battered silver statue of a lion rampant in exchange. A few mending spells later (outsmarting the DM with 5e's unlimited cantrips), and the statue was as good as new. From there, they found a crypt of sorts.
Systematically opening the sarchophagi eventually revealed an angry wight that
attacked Yelrah, and then leapt 30’ from its sarcophagus to attack Albrecht!
All of its attacks were to no avail, as our heroes quickly put the foul thing to the
sword, grinning as the unholy light in its eyes winked out.
Investigating the wight’s sarcophagus, it was found to have been
laying on a wooden plank, instead of the expected stone. Removing the
plank revealed a cavity containing a helmet, a scabbarded sword, a scroll tube,
and a dagger. Albrecht’s sight revealed all but the dagger to be magical
in nature, so he claimed the dagger. Klayton, in turn, claimed the scroll
while Kirsten donned the helmet. She felt a change of heart, as the Helm
of Alignment Change worked its magic, changing her from NG to NE in
outlook. At which point, Albrecht saw the helmet cease glowing.
Now a NE fighter, Kirsten drew forth the sword from its scabbard
and felt it start to burn in her grasp! To her chagrin, she made her Con save
to keep hold of it as it began to twist and burn for 1d6 in her hand! At
this point, exploding damage dice made their appearance, and Kirsten was almost killed
by the 19 damage the sword inflicted. All the while, the sword was
audibly screaming for her to put it down. She eventually did.
Being curious adventurers keen to the DM’s thinking, they began
passing the sword around. It politely asked Yelrah to let it go, and
asked the same of Albrecht, adding that he needed to repent - the other players
agreed and began highlighting why. THE did not touch the sword because we (player and DM) lacked knowledge of his alignment. In the end, the sword was scabbarded
and strapped to the pack of Yelrah and the group continued.
With only one known location left to explore, they headed there and
found a wooden cell door, complete with barred window at the top. Upon
sighting the door, the sword started mumbling, so Albrecht drew it from its
scabbard, and the sword said, “I’m getting some seriously bad vibes from beyond
that door. Be careful. Maybe put me down, too.” Questioning
of the sword resulted in the following additional information: “I’ll be fine,
because if you haven’t noticed, I’m a sword. The rest of you,
though….”
Plans were discussed and a sexy sultry feminine voice called out
from beyond the door, “I can hear you, you know. I am so glad you’re here
to save me!” She continued, “I am the Lady Marmalade! Cultists and foul
undead ambushed my wagon train, carrying me and my dowry away to these dank caves. They slew my servants and guards, but I promise a great reward
for my rescue.”
Being Good people, Yelrah and Albrecht forced the door and
Albrecht noticed several empty sets of manacles, and then a shapely woman in
another set, chained provocatively to the wall. He and Yelrah also heard
snakes hissing. At this point, Albrecht felt himself starting to get hard
as he checked the prisoner out, but he made his save and did not turn to
stone. Realizing their predicament, the two hastily closed the door and
the party retreated to the surface, their NPCs joining them.
In the end, the DM realized that converting old versions on the
fly is dangerous, because some monsters are scarier in 5E, and the treasures are
DUMB (if not charging for training). Still, this is the DM’s fault, and
the PCs cleaned up. I’m looking forward to the next session where
treasure is divvied up and levels are made. I also owe you a better
accounting of the various magic items the party has been accumulating.
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Just reading that log makes me smile and now I am looking forward to summer for reasons other than humidity, yard work, a slightly more empty house (one kid in Basic Training, one in Ohio), and office work.
It occurs to me that either the medusa escaped or is now an angry undead medusa - starved and still hanging on the wall in that cave. Also, if the big red gem is an Eye of Arik (from B3), that explains a bit and can be fun in its own right.
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