Dwarf OSE+ Dark Citadel Session #31 (9 OCTOBER 2024)

     Whoa boy, this one was a doozy.

    We picked up in the various strongholds and residences of the Brotherhood of Expendable Strangers and finishing up the general items they had planned to do between sessions but due to schedules and other stuff we decided to deal with them at beginning of session. I roll for Domain Growth for each of the Fighter Strongholds and apply coinage/supplies value to treasury. This takes but a few minutes and go over the expansion planned by Geoff Warrior Loremaster to his Emerald Keep. The followers under his banner have white washed the upper Keep-Tower and his banner flies in the Trollscrag Mountains as well off of the walls bordering the Dark River. I roll for the Temple Guard of Namman Fighter Cleric of Thaneduhr as well and make the necessary notations and then Redrum Fighter Cleric of Thaneduhr as well in Axios Landing. Runestones are crafted by Gremmin & Geoff as part of their Loremaster (Mage) ability in this month long period of downtime from their last adventure.

    The books of genealogy taken from the Spa of the Healing Goddess are pursued and the locked tome that detected of unbridled chaos separated. Gremmin & Redrum plan to take it to the Wizard Godfrey Malster in DragonSpire Hold. Inspection of the Thaneduhr Treatise on metal working by Geoff reveals lost knowledge of crafting the Dwarven War Club; a two handed war maul for d8 damage wieldable by Dwarf, as well as the lost secrets of crafting the Dwarven War-Axe; a Bastard Sword Axe for Dwarf, and this item is then transported from the library in Axios Landing to the forges of Emerald Keep. Gremmin & Redrum's dealings in DragonSpire Hold have them leaving the unlocked magical book with Godfrey Malster and the payment of 500PP in non standard coinage (Drow Coins an oddity for sure), something that is illegal in DragonSpire Hold. They return after visiting Craftsman Alchemical and purchasing a few potions from the Alchemist Solomon.

    The Brotherhood interviews several applicants to join their adventuring company at Skald in Ergol's Landing. Gor a Dwarf Fighter and Gert a Dwarf Thief, these two are hired on as well as Poffin an Elfin Magic-User from Tanila Glenya's Elf-Hold in the Dark Citadel. A modest 1/2 share of treasure and the promise of magical items to the wizard. They agree to join upon these terms under Gremmin for Gert & Poffin and Gor following Namman.

    They depart the following day towards the Dark Lake. This journey takes a couple days where they pass other vessels and note the increased trade between elf and dwarf on the Dark River and the refortification of the Dwarf Keep on the edge of the Dark Lake. The old banners of the Dark Citadel hang proudly from the bridge and keep walls again. The Brotherhood opts to return to the Spa of the Healing Goddess and upon arrival note the increased amount of webbing and return of it to area they had burned it away. They inspect the beach, burn away the returned webbing and scale the cliff face to the more darkly webbed areas.

    Delving into the caverns overlooking the beach they find an overlook and old boxes but also that the cavern walls are unstable and in the retreatment from the area trigger a collapse. Damage is spread out amongst the entire party and several followers as well as the retainer Poffin are nearly killed. They hastily follow a passage deeper and further back into the webbed caverns instead of retreating to he beach and in a large cavern encounter ' long spiders amongst a room filled with bones of past victims. Rather large bones of DeathFist Orcs, Bugbears and even Minotaur. The PCs are not Surprised.

    Deciding to hold the line just inside the cavern the party forms a series of ranks and meet the large spiders in combat. Unknown to them they are observed from a higher ledge and a much larger, a huge 16' long black giant spider with greying hair along its ancient frame climbs over them and blocks their only route of escape. After the first round of combat they discover they are fighting Phase Spiders. They are only able to hit or damage the creatures on rounds that they Win Initiative and I rule as well on rounds they Tie Initiative. They have stumbled into the lair of Xecid the Queen of Dimension Spiders ! It is a long and arduous melee encounter. I will not bore anyone with round by round melee but the Cleric Ryxxor is disrupted on casting Striking, The party must make at least 14 Saving Throws versus Poison at -2 and mostly pass them. Redrum is forced to use ALL of his Acolyte Healing Touch abilities to reroll Failed Saving Throws Versus Poison. It is tense and miraculously not a single fatality on the Brotherhood and all four Dimension Spiders and the Queen of them slain. Its actually a big high point in the campaign. I really thought it would have been more of a slaughterhouse on the party but in the end they are triumphant, good on them !

    We conclude this week's session pilfering through Xecid's treasure and a large Black Iron Spear is found clutched in the hands of a slain very large DeathFist Orc Skeleton. They believe they have recovered the Black Iron Spear of the One-Eye ! Fell weapon of Gruumsh used to rally the humanoid hordes that sacked the Dark Citadel ! I plan on laying out the loot between session and preparing for the inevitable treasure division that will take up the first 30 minutes of our next session. They are planning on dislodging the Zuul Cult before descending deeper in to the deeper realms in order to destroy the fell Orcish Artifact ! This takes are getting higher and the risk greater with every session. Booyah thats how we like it right ?


Game Well,

    Game Often Y'all

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