Dwarf OSE+ Dark Citadel Session #20 (APRIL 2024)

    SO, after a long hiatus partially due to local severe weather and scheduling conflicts we finally returned to the OSE Advanced Dwarf themed exploration of the Dark Citadel. Still had a missing PC this week but it is Baseball season for the kid and this is gonna happen. We dived right in and Ye' Brotherhood of Expendable Strangers sought to recruit more Retainers to no avail although a group of Thaneduhr Dwarf Pilgrims arrived at the Restored Temple of Thaneduhr and began restoring it to it's former glory. These NPC can in the future however be recruited by the PCs as Followers when Cleric attain Name Level. I will take time today or morrow and roll up some of these as Retainer Options to be recruited but the miserly hiring habits of the PCs results in a consistent -2 or more to recruiting efforts.

   A minimal recap of the previous session and we decide only 6 days since the week travel time of the precious session has passed. I do not follow 1:1 time much at all preferring a 1:2 or simply declaring 6 days between sessions. This allows plenty of time for resupply or other activities. I sense this will stretch out as the ability to craft scrolls and the funds to do so are at their fingertips. Being Dwarf this will have minimal effect on PC aging as well. Then we dive in...

   There is some minor disagreement on dealing with the Orc tribe that stole their large river boat but decide to let the Tanila Glynra's Elfin Raiders deal with it since the Brotherhood are skittish of dealing with the multiple Magic-Users. Even a stout Dwarf cannae resist the magical slumber the vile wizards can induce is a decent RP summation of the situation so they paddle past and note the additional entrance to the Orc lair them put ashore where the collapsed section they explored to in a precious session to devote more time to searching the shore. They discover how the Orcs flanked them using driftwood to swim and find a 1' cube of wood buried in the sand of the beach. Examination and deciphering the magical script, a vary useful power of Loremasters Gremmin & Geoff . Using Mages ad Acolytes gains access to not often memorized spells; Detect Magic & Read Magic,  reveal that  they have come into possession of a Folding Boat. Aside from a few locations where there are bridges the large option is also usable on the Dark River. They continue into the depths.

   The module is not clear how distant the individual partitions of the Dark Citadel are from each other and as a result I have not been very consistent either. This irritates me and I should have made notation when reading over while making changes to adjust this and did not so now I am paying the piper so to speak. Ill retcon a bit I guess as we flesh out conquered areas.

   The Brotherhood comes upon another section of the fallen Dwarf environs and find a bridge ahead as well as a supply area of sorts as they see barrel s and casks from the river. Putting a shore they investigate and find Mead, Ale and salted meat provisions stored here as well as a few doors leading into a complex. They enter and find a pair of Elf hanging from their heels in a state of rot, evidently the Elfin Raiders have explored further deep since their return. The Elf corpses are looted and  he party ventures on wards and opt for a door rather than crossing the bridge and startle and surprise a pair of DeathFist Orc guards. a quick battle ensues with the Orc being defeated and upon discovering the DeathFist carry old Dark Citadel coinage and platinum at that the Brotherhood tastes wealth just around the corner and press on upwards to the stairwell leading up ! Thus setting off an old Dwarf defensive trap that soundly slides them back into this guard chamber and moderate damage upon All. 

   Searching for secret panels they do indeed find a hidden control panel but it does not rearm the trap as that would take engineers to reset, its primary usage was to disable but setting off the trap prevents ascent. They return to the bridge after reviving their ally Gremmin. Across which they find a defiled room full of Dwarf Frescoes defaced by vandalism and dung but a door leads to stairs leading upwards so up they go which is unusual for my party. They tend to be completionist lot and do not explore the rest of this level, this will leave me with restocking and DeathFist Orc reactions which are most likely reinforcement but onward with the recap.

   Heading up they Listen at Doors but the doors are thick and they yet again startle some DeathFist Orcs in a barracks of some sort. This leads to a protracted battle with 3 Hit Die Orc clad in Half-Plate which is touch and go but he Dwarf are Rolling very well for a change and have shed their Bad News Bears mentality for this engagement. They triumph ! Quick cursory examination of the Hall beyond yields it ends in a door and Gremmin carefully slides a mirror under the door revealing more DeathFist Orc Guards beyond in some sort of antechamber so they fall back for the evening vowing to return next session.

  It's a very good session and in the encounter areas I choose to use the lowest number of occupants of the random number as it is a party of four but these are still very large battles. Instead of out regular bi-weekly schedule we are doing back o back weekly sessions before returning to our bi-weekly routine. We had over a month gap this time and this week allowed to knock off some dust and cobwebs to playing the all Dwarf option. Elf NPCs will be available next session as well as Cleric and Acolyte from the pilgrims as they have become settled in and wish to return the ruins along the Dark River to their former glory. I figure I will roll some generic rolls to see if the Elf Raiders triumph and divide up among those NPCs any usable or tradeable loot the PCs could in theory barter for as well. AN enjoyable session even though I seem to be constantly tired as of late.

  Game Well, Game Often Y'all