Session date: Monday, September 26, 2016
Game date: Saturday, March 15, 209
PCs:
Gulleck Stonefoot, Dwarf 4, hp 23, xp 10899/17000
Caryatid, Magic-user 4, hp 19, xp 12538/20000
Simon Sackwell, Halfling 1, hp 4, xp 1188/2000
Adrien, Fighter 1, hp 4, xp 0/2000
Retainers:
Manley "Meat" Smythe, Fighter 2, hp 13, xp 3833/4000
Brother Chase Pike, Cleric 1, hp 6, xp 544/1500
Remus Thynerius, Thief 1, hp 2, xp 6/1250
We had a new player join us this session, and some time was taken at the beginning to walk her through rolling up a character, buying equipment, etc., as well as delivering the campaign "elevator pitch" and explaining the basic premise. And so a fighter named Adrien joined the party.
Their first order of business was to do some shopping in the city, in preparation for their intended "heist" of the dazzlingly gilded idol guarded by demonic shadow beings. They purchased a wheeled hand cart, a block and tackle system for lifting the idol out of the chamber, and picked up their specially-commissioned leather harness that they intended to use to lift the idol. They returned to the Rusty Lantern tavern with all this stuff and stashed it in their secure storage closet in the basement, before changing into their adventuring gear and descending into the dungeon.
In the Temple of Hedonism, on their way to the stairs to the second level, they encountered a single giant bee, buzzing around the benches surrounding the eerily rotating statue. Gulleck smirked and, donning his magical ring of animal control, sent the bee headlong into the animated crystal statue that guarded the stairs. The statue's fist shot forward, crushing the bee's thorax. Smiling with satisfaction, Gulleck led the way downstairs.
Since Adrien was new to the party, they brought her to the Temple of Fate and invited her to test her luck on the "Wheel of Fortune". She was strapped to the wheel and spun, and when she climbed back off the wheel nothing seemed to be different, but the very next day she would receive a letter informing her that a relative (who she had never heard of until now) had passed away and left her a house (albeit in poor condition and in one of the most rundown neighborhoods of the city).
The party proceeded with a clear mission in mind. They made their way along the hallway until they came to the door that led into a room drenched in magical pitch blackness. Beyond the room was the frightening shrine with the idol and associated ceremonial items, all of which gleamed of gold and jewels. The adventurers wanted to test a few theories about the shadowy guards. Some stayed watch at the door, while Gulleck and Caryatide carefully made their way through the dark room, following the wall until they found the opening to the shrine.
Gulleck borrowed Caryatid's ring of invisibility and slipped it on. Caryatid cast a Shield spell upon herself for additional protection, and then an Invisibility spell. They wanted to see if the shadows would be able to detect them while invisible. They stepped cautiously into the room. Everything was as it was before: sickly green flames flickered from torch sconces on the walls. Along the south wall, the disturbing demonic idol squatted on a bloodstained stone altar. In front of it were various ceremonial gilded and jeweled objects: a chalice, a curved dagger, etc. Next to the altar was a wooden stand on which was draped a ceremonial robe, embroidered with silver and gold and studded with gemstones, and a matching headdress. The green flames cast eerie shadows that flickered and twitched anxiously, and Gulleck could feel his heart leap to his throat as an unnerving fear settled within him. But so far, all was still. He moved further into the room, and still there was no response.
Satisfied with this experiment, Gulleck decided to make the day a profitable one, and quickly snatched the robe and headdress from the stand. As he did so, the shadows on the walls began to coalesce and converge into several man-shaped forms, lengthening and drifting forward off of the walls...
Gulleck bolted for the exit, pursued by the shadows. He yelled as he ran, and the other party members guarding the door called back to him to guide him to the exit. As Gulleck ran, he ran the chilling touch of a shadow, draining the energy from his body and leaving him feeling tangibly weaker. But then he was back in the hall, in the light of Simon's glowing magical sword. The shadows did not follow him into the hall.
Meanwhile, Caryatid had a brainstorm and theorized that the green flames were the source of the shadows and if they could be doused, the shadows would disappear. She drew forth a vial of holy water, borrowed from Brother Chase, opened it, and attempted to douse the flames with the sanctified water. Unfortunately, the water poured through the flames as if they didn't exist, making a puddle on the floor. This action drew the attention of more shadows, although Caryatid had an advantage of still being invisible. She quietly slipped through the room and followed Gulleck back into the hall.
They made it out of the dungeon without further incident, and stowed the robe and headdress in their vault. They intended to sell them at the semi-annual magic auction, once they completed the heist and obtained the idol and the other ceremonial items. I gave them experience points for a "base value" of the robe and headdress now, with the understanding that they would not receive further XP when they sold the items at the auction, regardless of what the actual final bid was.
Not a bad first delve for Adrien: an unexpected inheritance plus almost 500 XP from the treasure they recovered!
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