Stone-Hell on the Borderlands Session #4, 5 JUNE 2023

 

   After the Battle of Near the Fens last sessions I have seemed to have lost one of my players for an indeterminate amount of time leaving the party with no Thief. We are old school so a bit more adaptable and the party has a pair of Dwarf ( 2 in 6 Large Stone Trap Detection ) & it got me thinking about allowing Boosts to natural innate ability rather than regular Fighter Options for Dwarf Fighter. Which I will prolly do honestly with either a 3 in 6 Detect Stone Tricks or 1 in 6 Disable Large Stone Trap option instead of combat stuff. But anyway, lets recap the session.

   Party is picking up a few days after the Battle with the bandits and have a Quest {50 GP, 150 XP Bonus to remove or eliminate the Checkered 'eaded Bastiges} and so opt for heading straight to Stone-Hell. No encounters to the half-way point where they debate the advantages of a bush-craft camping area. I rule more tools are needed for something to accommodate four rather than a single individual bush-craft set-up. I inform they feel as if they are being watched by unseen forces but no encounters, no one investigates so any clues are lost to the party. Jeri the Druid makes a bark bowl, I am prepared for #punny bowl jokes, none come, only slightly disappointed.

[ I rolled an encounter and since it was "near" the fens its Lizardmen who are primarily nocturnal & therefore primarily unknown as a general threat in the region but have a very sordid bad history with the Keep which has been revealed in a few rumors. Monster Reaction is 7 which is Indifferent so they observe. The party's hidden hideaway is known to local humanoids now and they are unaware. Well at least in game someone will read this I am sure lol but its just a game and I do not take it too seriously but will call out obvious meta gaming ]

  Another day of journey on foot and they camp about 3/4 mile from the main eastern road near the foot hills. No encounters in the evening and a quick search reveals animal and humanoid tracks but those tracks all seem to be heading TOWARDS Stone-Hell and not in any particular repeat travel in the immediate vicinity. A good nights rest.

   The old Military Road through the swamps that separate the Stone-Hell dungeon and Trollscrag Mountains from the Eastern Borderlands Road is very misty and foggy but no encounters are rolled so it is just a creepy stroll in he shadows of the many gibbets. Jeri collects Spanish Moss/loam. I figure I need to make a fantasy style name for the stuff. Evidently has a plan for something so lets see how it pans out. Dwarf players are itching for a fight, Elf is eerily quiet but weirdly that works.

[Upon entering an adventuring area I roll a Wandering Monster Check and then on the time table designed for that area, so enter Eastern Valley a Roll is made and then once per hour. When the Western Valley is entered a Check is made immediately and then once per hour as i will reset they Check time. It makes sense to me so that's how I do it exe.shrug]

   They return to the Valley housing the dungeon they seek and again, no encounters so the Druid kit-bashes a smoke pot out of the Bark and loam, Druid then casts Speak with Animals and they enter the Ruined Gate House. They engage the hornet room to gain the satchel they saw last time and I have the Druid roll a reaction roll on the hornets as he talks them into leaving because the building is on fire. a 12 is rolled, plenty of time for the party to gather up the large Satchel and they take the Cask it is sitting on as well. Jeri tried to get the hornets to relocate their nest to trees but they refuse and eventually return to their 'lair'. 

   The still unnamed party investigates their newly acquired Satchel and I say it is made of oil cloth and it stamped with a Ship & Anchor smelling of the Sea. It is filled with tools such as Saws, a Bar Saw for Metal bars, Mallets, Files ( Complete set up to the 2 foot long kind that gather dust in work shops and garages ) as well as spikes. The Cask is full of good tasting wine so they are excited on their find. Hopefully the tools will inspire OD&D style trap detection and solutions since they have lost their thief. But it's heavier stuff, rule the Satchel is a Backpack so 80 cn weight for whomever is packing it but it distributes the weight of the smaller items which individually would be heavier only making the encumbrance of the metal saw an issue.

   The decide to explore the valley's ruined buildings and discover them to be abandoned run down ruins as well as an old temple to an armored kneeling human figure, they stash the the cask in a ruined building. I go ahead and add it to the map. Hearing a waterfall they approach the western section of the Valley and discover a cascade into a large pool, investigate the pool and its larger flora & fauna as well as that the water is warm and not a cool mountain pool common to the mountains. They skirt the large copses of trees and make note of the caves in the valley walls and noticed a switch back trail heading up the southern face of the valley but head towards the large arch at the end of the Valley. An inspection is made for stone work traps and the bit of doggerel above the archway read ...

  The smell coming from inside is of mildew and foul like lots of body odor and general foulness. The Dwarfs mention it is because of bad air flow and as they enter they notice lots of graffito which no one reads at all but upon spying a large circular stair that descends into darkness they grin, then descend using the battered rusty lantern purloined from the skeletal adventuring party in the ruined gatehouse for light.

[ They have no entered Stone-Hell Dungeon proper, I make a note for Bonus XP as I am giving 150 XP for each entrance to a level or exit from Stone-Hell as a recurring Quest Bonus. I roll a Wandering monster check on their descent as stair fights are fun and note to myself to check once per two turns now that they are in the dungeon ]

  AN empty room below is discovered and the various exits discussed, some minor exploration and the eventually explore a room with skeletal remains and less kept than these main halls as I describe them as someone is obviously taking care to clean but; Bless their Heart, they might be very terrible at it but it looks likes someone is trying to maintain it albeit poorly. Here is where the party spaces themselves as one Dwarf goes towards the portcullis (Stonus) on the far wall and one begins to inspect for Stone Tricks and Traps (Gottri). A weird effect is triggered and a voice speaks from nothingness as a swirling air stirs the bones and debris to life ― "Fools! Flee before your bones rest here evermore!" Sinister laughter follows. Stonus runs towards the North door which they surmise goes to the alcove in the main area and Gottri steps out of the Chamber.

[ Now this is where I know there is some memory in actions as i have run this before and used a Save v Spells here but honestly the encounter never required that I do not think and so I did not require one but everyone scatters. It triggers a Wandering Monster Roll as I figure something may come to investigate. A player rolls a "lore Ability Check" I gave all Magic-Users & Clerics similar to the Bard ability but I make clear on the ruling that it takes a Turn and requires a Laboratory or Library between sessions, it is just to make magical item identification easier on the small group I have atm. But prepare a missive on what he may surmise it is as he figures it is a magical trap and is possibly recurring. Prolly not requiring Rolls for that honestly. I allow Dwarf to identify Magical Dwarf Items of Note, Clerics stuff in their Deity's Portfolio or Druids nature stuff, animal vegetable but Dwarf gets Mineral. If they have a Detect Magic Active and a turn to spend I may allow magical item identification on the fly, undecided atm. ]

DM Stuff

   After falling back from this room they inspect a series of doors off of the main chamber and discover a room full of soot and charred furniture as well as a very stuck door which results in the party having various amounts of soot upon them. Beyond that door a large feast hall with earthenware dish and mugs as well as wooden flatware, the room is searched but nothing taken and as yet another door breached with some issue. A foul smelling old kitchen with rusting utensils and rotted food, they backtrack and avoid the stinky room. They have made good time and decide to explore to the North through the Ogre Mouth Archways which beyond reveal cavorting imps murals adorning a 3o' long passage, some time is taken in these inspections and a wandering Monster Check is made as they have been in this area several turns... Bingo. GOod time to have anyone who needs take a bio then introduce the ORcs that see their light and have now come to investigate.

   I allowed the turn of inspection and searching in the Hall to have passed before describing the approach of a group of four barefoot orcs. I roll a Monster Reaction ad score a 10 so the Orcs stand there, no one is surprised. Something is said in Orcish, actions and reactions are requested and hte Dwarfs start banging on their shields. The Orcs look at each other speaking Orc and start banging on their shields too. 

[A reaction Roll is made and I get a 7 indifferent]

Two rounds in a Hall yelling at each in other languages that the others do not understand and then the pair of Dwarf and Elf rush forward under the arching Sling Rock of the Druid. Now this battle is kind of sad as it goes on for several rounds with no one hitting nothing but air. Eventually the unnamed party of adventurers fell an orc and they begin to fall back as their morale failed but not terribly enough to have been a route so they begin to withdraw and thee party presses their attack, then the orcs flee ! The party quickly searches and decides to pursue a possible blood trail passing up a door and following them down a corridor where they discover a large group of 10 gnomish sized figures in another chamber that the Orcs had fled through. I describe them as gnome sized with large noses, scraggly greasy hair, jaundiced yellowish skin pointy fang like teeth and pitch black souless eyes, the Kobolds of Stone-Hell

 Both groups are Surprised, after a round the Dwarf asks what they are saying to each other and the Dwarf Fighters understand Kobold. The creatures have their arms in the many carved faces of the room which have open mouths, various wrenches and tools hang from their belts. Several wooden tool boxes sit up on the floor as well as unusual looking  A few have daggers which are not drawn. "Where did the Orcs go !" and as in unison the Kobolds all point towards the passage on the opposite side of the room. One of the Dwarf players wants to search but the others want to pursue the orcs before more come so they rush across the room and I have all other players roll a d6.

   The party triggers the Trap the Kobolds are repairing/reloading and as the loud click can be heard various Kobolds yell out " Oh Shit ! or Ruttin Clumsys !" as they roll and scatter and the room is filled with darts being fired from every open mouth decorating the wall. I roll for the Kobolds too ... two of the party fail and half of the Kobolds fail! d4 damage and I allow the players to roll their own damage as I am a bit of a sadist. a 1 and a 4, it nearly kills the Elf. Half of the Kobolds are dead or dying and I describe some stumbling around with multiple darts in them or in their hand where they had their arms in the traps as it went off who eventually stumble and fall muttering curses at the party while the rest miserably fail their morale and flee. A single round of missile weapons and one player rushing at at and trying to club a fleeing Kobold. This is close to our end time and they are worried they are gonna be flanked by Orcs so they loot the Kobolds gaining various copper coins and if anyone wants them wrenches of poor quality but usable. 

   I find it all rather hilarious, but now the unnamed party really dislikes distrustful kobolds. THe group falls back to the Ruined Gatehouse and decide to camp out in the ruins and pick up on next session, next day after the Druid makes a Healing Draught for the Elf Balmortis, White Magus & Catcher of Darts ! 

  The above spell is purloined from someone's blog years ago then added to my campaigns. My memory is terrible though but its what DMs do we purloin, modify and apply. Ill roll wandering monster encounters between sessions but they are indoors with only one real entrance to the chamber. I only allow a single hit point for rest in the wild mush like LotFP but if a Party claims or Conquers an area of Dungeon or Wilderness I'll allow my House Rules for Healing to Apply. It was a fun session but I think I was a bit tired so I tend to repeat my descriptions to players when drowsy. Allot of ground was covered in the Valley but the party decided not to investigate the caverns and dungeon environs of the surface region but noted it upon their maps, I think they have parchment ? The various tools found will be a bonus to not having a Thief if they use their noggins OD&D style and I got mostly older players so hopefully it kicks in. 

   I applied several clues that may or may not be remembered late on in the campaign but it is what it is... I hope whomever reads this enjoys it half as much as me and my players did in creating the game. Game Well, Game Often

#OSR #VintageGaming