Stone-Hell on the Borderlands Session #24 (29 APRIL 2024)

    SO it took awhile f or me to get back to writing this recap up and I may be a bit fuzzy and it will more than likely be short. We had three players instead of four and they had a high roll for possible retainers so none were available. There is some minor stuff in Kendell Keep were taken care of and then they head straight back to Stone-Hell.

   The journey there is uneventful and zero encounters so they drop off their donkeys AND their war dogs with the Dwarf Cohort that protect Snorri Broadshoulders. There is some minor exploration but they decide to attempt to open the Danse Macabre Stone Doors, opening it with fair ease after reminding me that they had indeed leveled since failing their Open Doors from a pervious section. I had nudged that opening it was difficult and had failed last time. They succeed in opening the doors and are greeted by the Smell of Old Death the cold air of the tomb and a hellish red glow beyond. Seeing a large number of Fire Beetles they distract them with rations and edge to the northern corridor as there are several leaving this pillared chamber. I note that this section of Stone-Hell is eerily quiet unlike the previous sections whose halls are littered and the air smells of musky sweet, smoke and noises are heard in the distance at all times. Here it is dusty and quiet.

   This northern corridor turns after thirty feet but on the left they find a room with scraps of linen and empty oil jars. Wooden shelves line the walls as well and those seem large enough for a human sized body with more old rolls of old rotting perfumed linen.  A morgue of some sorts so they search and then leave heading eastward finding a section of bricked up wall collapsed into the hall from a cavity holding old manacles attached to the wall. Chains broken and a damaged manacle hanging loosely at the end of one chain. They inspect it noting that something broke out of it then continue east.

  This next chamber gave the party some pause as it had hundreds of clay death masks upon the walls affixed to wooden pegs. These are searched for hidden items and several tossed to the floor and broken but without ill effects they search longer for possible hidden treasure or doors. Finding none they return to the Pillared Fire Beetle Chamber and sneak past those large insects again. Exploring cautiously eastward it is at this point they find a four way intersection an again choose to go North. After a turn in the corridor to the East gain they find a long hall of Crypt Doors with many appearing to be unopened. They pick the northern first one and kick it open, I am sensing a search pattern ..

   Niches are filled with skeletal remains with linen wrapping similar to the accoutrements found in the morgue room. Several clay urns line the walls below the niches. As the pa Party enters they begin tipping the jars and hear the faint rattle of coinage and tip one over shattering it Link-Style and revealing Copper Coinage. The party enters and begins to start a 2 turn search as they wish to check every niche and I use the rules purloined from Barrowmaze for search things and roll a Wandering Monster Check after asking whom is searching and where. There is no guard posted at the door...

  I roll and it is indeed a Wandering Monster Check which results in a trio of ghouls. I allow a Roll f or Surprise as they approach silently in the hall and peer inside seeing adventurers digging through niches and one scooping up coins whom they do indeed Surprise so they rush in and Stonus is Paralyzed in the surprise round. This is down hill from here and eventually the entire party succumbs to ghoulish attacks and join the bones in the crypt. Daagun Halfling Tomb Robber and Estarion the Elf are devoured alongside their adventuring companion. 

   Wandering Monsters Kill in the OSR

   My guys are getting real sick of ghouls but oddly enough this is one of the few locations where you can actually encounter Ghouls in Stone-Hell. I thought i had put up enough foreshadowed clues that these were crypts not unlike Barrowmaze with its quiet halls and smell of the crypt or graveyards but they persisted without a Cleric. I honestly thought they would go to the region where they knew Goblins laired and had been taking ab eating from the Orcish Open Sore Tribe  but they chose this path that lead to Doom.

   A missing player that evening may not have actually helped much but the failed Retainer Roll was prolly the deciding factor in the outcome this evening. TPKs are simply opportunities to learn and start anew imo. Characters are rolled for Highfell but I think we are simply going to go weekly on the Restenford Journals for a bit while I merge my Dark Citadel Dwarf Campaign into the same ROll20 server. I am stretched quite a bit during the week currently for gaming as it is honestly. 

  This draws to close the current iteration of the Borderlands for me for awhile I think but maybe not, who knows what tomorrow brings but I can flush out this setting on my discord and roll20 for the next group who wish to brave the depths of Stone-Hell. Maybe I'll rework the Valley to be more like the Caves of Chaos as well with former Gaolers quarters expanded before PCs delve into the old prison

Anyway, 

    Game Well and Game Often Y'all