The Holidays of Sanctuary

Sanctuary is a bubbling stew pot of culture and traditions, a rich mélange of exiled cults, ancient religions and beliefs brought from the mainland. Recently this heady mixture has been abundantly spiced with the esoteric rituals and observances of the native Shulimites. On any given day, some group in the city is celebrating something. From Yebish mummification rituals, to decadent Adian sacrifices, to debased Green Men ritually tattooing their young, the daily life of the city is one of imported tradition and ceremony.

Now home to its third generation of inhabitants and a significant population of native born Sanctuarians, a distinct culture is emerging in the city separate from the immigrant cultures that birthed it. The touchstone of native Sanctuary culture are shared holidays that transcend the native beliefs of its immigrant population. Some of the traditions are the result of the environment; others were ordained by past rulers and have persisted.

Major Holidays of Sanctuary in correspondence with the Adian Calendar

Day of Mask  

Encha 46

The major landmark of Sanctuary is an enormous ziggurat. Its origins are unknown, accounts from Imperial  Adian explores make note of it as “An abandoned temple similar in visage to those found in Adia, at the base of which liveth a tribe of hostile purple men.”  Early pirates who used the harbor, and founded the present day city quickly learned that once a year a spacecraft visited the temple during which all of those near the grounds where struck into a “frenzy of fornication and bloodlust”. Shortly after news of the extra-terrestrial visitor reached the mainland, clergy of Erroneous godf of error came from the city of Jeb Shun and inhabited the temple grounds, consecrating the ziggurat as the Temple of Error. They discovered that the space within the temple was extra dimensional in nature, and contained among other things a labyrinthine library of ancient science and pornography. The Priest of Erroneous began presiding over the annual arrival of the spacecraft, and the tradition of the Day of Mask was born.

Every year on the forty sixth day of Encha the spacecraft arrives, briefly docks with the top of the Ziggurat and then departs. On the day of the arrival a festival is held, participants don mask and flock to the gardens around the ziggurat. Anyone that is not inside a building during the spacecraft's docking procedure is subjected a wave of psychic force that puts them into a frenzy of either sexual excitement or violence. (Hard / DC 20 Spell/WIS save, 50/50 chance of either affliction) For the duration of the spacecrafts presence (approximately one hour)the city becomes a madhouse of killing and sex. Rather than shelter from the frenzy, the people of Sanctuary embrace the opportunity to misbehave and wear ornate mask to absolve themselves of responsibility.

Night of the Screaming Eels

Around the second spell of Evoc

In the second spell of Evoc, the eels of the Tamtum river begin their breeding season by shifting their bodies into a semi-corporal state and flying through the air. As they fly they emit a high pitched wail believed to be a form of multi-frequency echolocation that allows them to find a mate that simultaneously exists in multiple dimensions.

As they eels can pass through walls, anyone near the river (including the entire city of Sanctuary) is exposed to the screaming creatures. The eels fill the night sky constantly shifting between corporeal and incorporeal form. For around ten hours, anyone in the vicinity must make an impossible / DC 25 Breath Weapon/DEX save every hour or be struck by a screaming eel. When struck there is a 2 in 6 chance the eel will be corporeal and deliver 1 point of damage to unarmored targets before dying. If the eel is incorporeal, it passes through a person. This is considered extremely lucky, and in fact has a 1% chance of granting a wish.

The people of Sanctuary make a holiday of this. Shops close early, and specially made leather yurts are erected in the squares to shelter those who cannot afford to be struck by an eel. The well to do will don ornate eel themed costumes and brazenly tempt the creatures to pass through them in the hopes of being granted a wish. The extremely well off will prepare for the event by buying live eels before the spawning night in order to increase their chances of being struck. The morning after the night of the screaming eels, it is traditional to prepare the creatures that have died by frying them with butter, garlic, and lemon. They are then freely shared amongst the populace.

Blobfish Festival

Around the first spell of Illu

Blobfish are enormous sea creatures that normally keep to the ocean depths. Around the beginning of the month of Illu, the Bay of Teeth is filled with the giant fish who mate near the surface. The flesh of the Blobfish is succulent and flakey; its scales makes scintillating clothing and armor, and its sacs are full of flammable oil that has myriad uses.  In the ancient days native Shulimites would harvest the beast from reed canoes using heirloom beam lances. Today, the wealthy of Sanctuary sponsor specially prepared Blobfish Barges to slay and harvest the creatures. The teams that crew the ships prepare all year for a great costumed parade through the streets that culminates with the launching of the barge and the hunting of the Blobfish. Competition is fierce, and violence between teams is expected, although it is traditional for the bloodshed to only occur at sea.

Taking the Blobfish is no simple matter as they can be over one hundred feet long and have a nasty temperament. The swollen white underbelly of the Blobfish is covered in a writhing mass of poisonous tentacles that must be hacked off before the rest of the animal can be harvested. This is typically done at sea, and the barges employ increasingly sophisticated designs for capturing and cleaning the fish as well as fending off the attacks of other festival crews.

The Crew that returns with the largest Blobfish is entitled to a number of slaves equal to the weight of the creatures’ liver (or the equivalent in gold) and the barge sponsor is crowned as the Reigning Blob-Duke. Merchants and mongers gather at the docks and an auction is held for the fish, with the tongues of the creatures being exempt from sale and given to the general populace for a great feast.

The Opening of the Arena

Varies

On the south bank of the Tamtum river, just across from the city sits a silent silver tower. Adjacent to the tower is a domed fortress, impregnable and abandoned for most of the year.  Plunderers and the curious are kept at bay by automated laser turrets and other sophisticated defensive counter measures. Once a year at a seemingly random time the dome opens with great fanfare, revealing an arena. Undead thralls with electronic announcement systems integrated into their bodies spill into the streets of sanctuary, announcing the opening of the Arena of Hexemetrious. All are welcome to fight, pledging to the lich Hexemtrious three fights or death. The rewards in both gold and glory are great, and for the five to ten days that the arena is open the city shuts down, as all attend the bloodletting. It has been observed that those who fall in the arena often return, telling tales of spacecraft, and computer code.  

Tribute Day

1st of Divi

On Tribute day, taxes are paid to the Pasha. In the weeks leading up to the day, armies of militant accountants’ descend on Sanctuary from the free city of Shekmul, hired by the Pasha in order to assist the peoples of the city in calculating the tribute. Everyone must pay 1/10th of earnings from trade, pirating, looting, and theft. (Wages are exempt) A militant accountant will deliver the tax bill one spell (10 days) before Tribute day, and on tribute day the taxes are taken to the Red Alcazar where they are collected under the watchful eye of the Thunderbots. Those that cannot pay can make a supplication to a council of the Brown Widows, who may decide to forgive the debt or name an alternate form of payment (indentured servitude at a sugar plantation is common).

The day after the tribute is collected; the Pasha distributes alms to those who have requested it. Throughout the year request are reviewed by the Brown Widows, and beneficiaries’ lineup early in the morning to receive their handout. The area around the Red Alcazar becomes a carnival with merchants and peddlers offering food, drink, and entertainment to those receiving alms.

Radbugmas

23rd of Abju

In honor of Radbug Gladomain, the hero of the Battle of Sanctuary and the brother of the Pasha, a great tournament is held every year on the anniversary of his death in the battle.  The Pasha offers large purses for the winners of joust, melee, and archery competitions. Feast are held every night, and the privileged are invited to the yurts of the Pasha himself. The grand prize of the joust is a suit of ancient power armor fashioned after the suit famously worn by Radbug himself.

Santicore

Conju 45

Scholars generally agree that the celebration of Santicore predates the Adian empire, and some evidence suggest that it may have even been observed by humanity in the days before the reign of the Iron Maiden. The specific practices vary between cultures, but all include ritual wrestling and a special meal of some kind.

In Sanctuary, the meal is made up of pacha, which is mummified orux fetus. A mixture of pacha and a dollop of a black pudding is required to perform the ritual to open the gates to Ijuxxa where the Santicore itself resides and bestows gifts to those who seek it.  

Gangs of Sanctuary

I am preparing for a new campaign that will take place on the planet Abbith, a setting we created in our last big D&D game. It will be play test of the Damsels and Demons rules, with the players beginning the game trying to survive the streets of a seedy free port on the edge of civilization. This is the player facing introduction.

Introduction

You were raised in the Vat Guild School for Special Children, an orphanage funded by Pasha Belgratore and administered by Senior Guildsman Dr. Mephisto. You were isolated in the clean white facility and your needs were attended to by rubbery skinned Guild Scientist. You were well fed and had the company of other orphans of your own age. At night you slept in a cold metal pod and you never had any dreams. One day after you had reached pubescence the Guildsmen told your class that there would be test while you slept. You have no memory of the test, but when you emerged the next morning the liquefied remains of most of your classmates were being drained from their pods. Dr. Mephisto took precise measurements of your “body and soul” while the Guild med-bots inserted a device into your brain. Something had definitely changed, you felt more experienced, confident and skillful. With teary eyes and love in his voice Dr. Mephisto thanked you for your time in the School for Special Children and released you to the streets of Sanctuary.

You share a deep bond with the other survivors of the Vat Guild orphanage, a bond that kept you alive through the first few days in the dangerous alleys of the city. With nothing more to your names than a talent for violence your misfit band quickly seized a shack belonging to a petty criminal gang and set about making a mark on the city of Sanctuary.  

https://www.artstation.com/artist/tianhuaxu

The Alleys of Error

The local neighborhood sits just to the west of the Ziggurat of Bishma, formally the Temple of Erroneous. It was once the home of merchants and citizens of middling means. During the reign of Jabba the area was overtaken by Deep Ones who found its proximity to the cities underground sewer network to be conducive to their semi-aquatic lifestyle. The area was further degraded during the Battle of Sanctuary when an errant laser blast from the giant robot Cerebus demolished many of the buildings. Since the liberation of the city, the neighborhood has never really recovered, becoming a haven for refugees and the dispossessed. Its location just north of the Bazaar has made it a favorite haunt of criminal gangs who ply their trade at the market and docks and can flee to the Alleys for refuge.

Known Local Gangs

The Alleys of Error are home to several criminal gangs, most of whom are engaged in vicious turf wars.

The Mistaken Men: A gang led by the disposed priests of Erroneous, they claim the rights to all gambling operations in the Alleys of Error.

The Crosses and The Naught’s: Two gangs of urchin thieves distinguishable by “X” or “O” tattoos.  

The Dead Crakes: Formed from a load of Yarapolkan slaves that did not sell at the bazaar, The Dead Crakes are thugs who specialize in armed robbery and murder for hire. They use a dead crake on a pike as a banner. Their leader is a mighty warrior known as The Spatchcocker.

The True Bloods: Former Thugee troops of the last Pasha and their descendants. The True Bloods are arrogant nativists who believe that the enterprise of any gang that didn’t exist before the rise of Jabba is illegitimate. They have a particularly vicious feud with the Dead Crakes.

The Shoggoth Mob: A band of extremely territorial native Shulimites. These colored men often graft protoplasmic tentacles to their bodies and are rumored to actually possess a Shoggoth. They run prostitution rings, and deal in lotus powders.

The Ghouls: A Yebish gang who control the disposal of the dead. They are sometimes hard to distinguish from actual undead. Their leader Lord Touchwick is widely suspected to be a Lich.

Beam Boys: A cultish group who fetishize the Pasha’s Thunder Bot’s. They claim the rights to any ancient technology in the Alley and sometimes carry lasers. They specialize in protection rackets and blackmail.

The Murgatroyds: Beneath Sanctuary is a maze of sewers and tunnels, many of the buildings in the Alleys of Error are connected to this underground. The Murgatroyds are Sea bloods and Deep Ones who live in this dank world and charge tolls for anyone trying to pass.

https://www.artstation.com/artist/imdependent

Other Criminal Forces of the City

The Welts: A mercenary band turned bodyguards; the Welts are loyal to Nantoo the Rakka Man and provide security in the Bazaar.

The Cats: Five fierce she warriors and their pet cats. They ostensibly serve Mistress Jangaiva and provide protection at the brothel known as the Jade House but the cats tend to pursue their own agendas

The Black Fingers: An organization of highly skilled assassins led by a charming killer named Toadvine. The Blackfingers have a global reach and their base is in the city of Sanctuary.

Belit the Pirate Queen: Master of the largest pirate fleet to sail the Western Sea. Belit and her captains mostly pay their dues to the Pasha in exchange for the use of Sanctuary’s harbor and the protection of the Thunder Bots.

Azax the Flayed: A Mad wizard who lives in the Pasha’s palace. Azax controls the trade in alchemical products and employs invisible familiars to spy on rivals. It is common for mothers in Sanctuary to warn their children to behave by telling them that “The Flayed Wizard is watching you!”

The Pasha: The true crime lord of the city. Pasha Belgrator’s power comes from 20 foot tall war machines called the Thunderbots, and the loyalty of a highly skilled band of dinosaur mounted cavalry called The Red Lancers. The Pasha levies a 1/10 tax on all goods sold for over 1 GP, and takes 1/10 of all booty brought back by the pirates. Protection contracts are also offered on an individual basis.  It is not unknown for the Pasha to use the gangs of the city to encourage the purchase of protection contracts.

The games alright

“The D&D rules help you and the other players have a good time, but the rules aren’t in charge. You’re the DM, and you are in charge of the game.”

-Dungeons and Dragons 5e Dungeon Masters Guide (Mike Mearls maybe?)

I’ve finally decided that 5e just ain’t my bag. It’s a fine game, and I am extremely glad that many people seem to be digging it. It seems to have brought a lot of new blood into the hobby (or old blood back). WOTC opening the garden with the SRD is super cool and I look forward to a lot of sweet hacks and homebrews.  I am not going to judge someone else for their idea of fun, especially within the small world of RPG-dom but the system just doesn’t do it for me. It’s fine for a lark, (and as my group hits session 13 of 5e we have perhaps surpassed a lark) but I have realized 5e is not something I want to do for the long term.

A map I drew for the hex crawl part of our 5e campaign. 

My experience with D&D 5 has caused me to recoil in horror at the prospect of combat. Well maybe not recoil, but I have grown bored watching the multitudinous powers and abilities play out in ever longer combat sessions. Even with the adoption of initiative by side and simplified movement and positioning the game is just too much for me. Too many mechanical bits, too many moving parts, too many hit points! The game seems bloated with rules and modifiers. By providing long detailed list of powers and effects the system seems to present options but what it tends to bring to my table is a slog. Perhaps it’s just me but even a list of a thousand different skills and powers doesn’t compare to the possibilities of you know, just using the imagination to come up with something novel?  In addition, when your characters have a list of things they can do what happens in combat? When it’s their turn they take several minutes trying to decide what is the optimal skill to use, rather than mentally inhabiting the scene and quickly acting in a way that intuitively makes sense in the fiction, or just doing something because it’s cool.

A piece of a puzzle from our game. 

The best combat actions of our 5e campaign have been the actions that were improvised. Nobody remembers the rangers numerous multi-attacks, the warlocks umpteenth eldritch blast, or the hundredth smite from the paladin, but we all recall when the bard jumped onto a shambling mounds head, or when the gnome plucked a cursed arrow from the Boar Dukes flank.

Unless it is some kind of mass battle with armies facing off, I want a combat encounter to be decided and over with in ten minutes or less. I want to be able to explore an entire dungeon level in an evening. I want time to pass in a game, for characters to grow and make their mark in the world in some way other than gaining narrowly defined superpowers.

I want to play D&D where every combat encounter is quick and always offers the very real possibility of death. Where a player must use their imagination rather than be presented with a heap of mechanics that tell them what they can do. 0e and b/x do a very good job of both of these things, and I should probably just run either of them. Alas, I must tinker.

My take on Tolbert the Paladin 

In an effort to make 5e more what I want,  I cooked up an old school-5e hybrid that basically just reduced all hit dice and damage dice to d6’s and made the death save a do or die rather than the 5e threes strikes you’re out business. I also, simplified class powers, backgrounds, races, and spell list. It’s not bad, but I feel like it could but cut more. I want to get down to the essential salts of D&D, Simplify! Simplify! I got to thinking about what makes D&D the game it is, what can you take away and still have D&D? I came up with the following list of things:

1. A character that is mechanically defined by six ability scores, a class archetype, hit points, experience level, and equipment.

2. Task resolution (combat, skill checks, and saving throws) resolved by generating a random number on a d20, modifying it by the abilities of the character making the roll and comparing the result to a target number to determine success or failure.

With this as the core, I will try and build an adventure game. The idea is to meet three goals:  

1. Simple and quick resolution of all tasks (including combat)

2. Simple classes that allow room for characters to improvise and the DM to make rulings rather than master a system.

3. A system that is still recognizably D&D, and easily convertible with older editions.

I'm probably headed down the hole of fantasy heartbreaker... wish me luck.

A Gimble In The Wabe Session 8

Anointment 

The Adventures began with Tolbert the Paladin and Theolis the Ranger catching up with the party as they charged into the tomb of a long dead Club Noblewoman. As the door to the crypt slammed shut behind them the wizard Mysterios IX was separated and Bata the Druid disappeared in a flash of light to be replaced by Rolfitz Hair-Gatherer a Gnomish Rogue.

Rolfitz is a Gnome of Flintbarrow who was exiled after he contracted Burrow-Rot. He has spent the past ten years as a hired assassin in the service of the snakes, practicing his trade in the long war against the stoats. Rolfitz is an acquaintance of Bata, who spent time while training to be a Druid acting as an observer in the snake-weasel war. After his contract ended, he wandered the Faery wood as a diseased vagabond, one particularly morose afternoon while eating a tele-plum he happened to be thinking of Bata and magically swapped places with him.

The appalling, blood soaked apparition that faced them was a Banshee and after it became clear that she wasn’t going to offer them tea, the party braced for battle. As Theolis and Rolfitz advanced to bring peace to the dead through the judicious application of blades, the Banshee emitted a deadly wail that laid Pasco the Bard and Tolbert the Paladin low and wrought significant psychic damage on the rest of the party. With no place to hide Tekka began to unleash her magic, attempting to Hex the Banshee only to discover the dead are immune to necrotic damage. The situation looked grim but Theolis who was himself reeling from the wail, bravely turned his back on the Banshee in order to heal Pasco with his Ranger magic. Once restored, Pasco in turn revived Tolbert the Paladin and with renewed hope the hero’s attacked their adversary. The Banshee seemed somewhat impervious to the heroes blades, but she was being terribly wounded by Tekka’s Eldritch Blast and was finally brought to ruin by Tolbert’s holy smite delivered at the end of his massive maul.

After defeating the Banshee, the party found themselves trapped in her tomb. Two closed doors could not be opened, but each had a small hole going through the center of it. After examining the Club Woman’s sarcophagus they found an iron rod that seemed to fit the holes in the doors. The rod was charred at both ends, and the holes seemed to have carbon residue as well. After inserting the rod to no effect they finally determined it needed to be heated. Theolis and Tolbert used up all their torches heating the rod and then had to choose which door to open, the one they came through that would lead back to the surface or the other door behind which they knew not what lay. They chose the unknown and opened the stone door to reveal a chest containing the grave offerings of the Banshee, including a gold bird cage with electrum filigree and a large well made tapestry.

Now they faced another door that required the heating of the iron rod and had no remaining torches. While the party contemplated what personal belongings they might burn for fuel, Tolbert again saved the day. Casting Ensnaring Strike on the sarcophagus causing vines to sprout up, he set them on fire and cooked the rod. The way back to surface was opened. Slingoon the snake expressed his gratitude for the destruction of the man bones that drove him from his lair and vowed to make restitution to Nguru the Fox by providing her food for the rest of winter.

The heroes returned to the crannog to let Nguru know that Slingoon had left her den, and then made their way back to the Utari village. The village matron, Husiak expressed her gratitude by giving gifts of woven tunics and hide blankets. She offered to perform the ritual to allow Pasco and Bata to give their crocodile hearts to the Reed Witch. The Utari males agreed, and drank of a potent brew that transported them to a dream swamp where they found themselves confronting a gigantic crocodile. Bata charged the beast with Pasco just behind him. The Druid bludgeoned the creature with his shillelagh and the Bard pummeled it with the Shatter spell. The combat raged back and forth until Bata was swallowed by the beast. Facing the monster alone, Pasco tried a Sleep spell and the giant crocodile fell into slumber, disgorging Bata as it burst into flames that faded to reveal the Reed Witch herself. The two prostrated themselves before the Matron of Matrons who bid them rise as men of the Utari. She commanded them to defend her peoples and multiply. She then perceived a light inside the heroes and told them of the Utari’s long flight from darkness in the East, commanding that they kindle their inner flame to drive back the shadow.

While Pasco and Bata completed their rites of manhood, Huisak sensing the inner turmoil of Tekka asked the Warlock to follow her to the swamp. Tekka agreed and they led a goat to a sacred cypress grove. As the moon rose, Huisak sacrificed the goat and with its blood conjured a vision of the future. She asked if Tekka would share the vision and after some hesitation, she did so. The augury showed two futures, one where Tekka accepted her role as an Utari Matron growing wise and strong surrounded by daughters, and another where she followed a different path that culminated in an ultimate struggle with the Jabberwock itself. After the vision passed, Huisak told Tekka to choose, explaining that not all Utari women become Matrons, and that there was no shame in embracing a different fate. Tekka chose not to become a Matron, and gave her bear cub to Huisak to be returned to the Bear Mother, absolving her of the bargain. Huisak embraced her and extended a welcome to their crannog whenever she might need shelter.

The next morning, Lady Haldora the Thorn Knight arrived on the back of a Griffon.  The heroes gathered around her as she spoke; “Well well, you are all still alive. Odolotino has told me of your deeds and much else besides. You have proven to be both clever and resilient. And your decision to let the ogre go free proves that you have kind hearts and independent minds.”  She drew her sword which transformed into a giant thorn, “this is a bramble sword symbol of the Knights of the Thorn, the servants of the Faerie Queen and sacred protectors of the Tulgeywood. If it is your desire, I will now accept your oaths as initiates’ into the holy knighthood, come forward to swear fealty to the Faerie Queen and kiss the blade! “

Everyone agreed to do so and kissed the blade, then made the initiates vow of Knighthood.

“I swear to honor and obey Monalee the Faerie Queen, to forsake tribe, pack, and family for a place at her side, to make no home of my own but to accept her grace and shelter. From this day unto the end of days let her enemies be my enemies and her will my command. By the light of the queen and the power of the wood I swear this.”

After making their oaths, Lady Haldora explained that on the next Queen’s day in the season of Grillib they would be called to the Glade for the coronation of Knighthood. Until then, the Elf maiden Nicnevin, commander of the River Wardens has asked for assistance patrolling the Sweetail and protecting the Western Wood from the goblins of the east. Lady Haldora commanded that they offer their swords to Nicnevin, who would judge if they had sufficient prowess as battle captains to become Knights.  The party agreed, and after saying goodbye to Huisak and her clan stated north for Highhold, fortress of the River Wardens.

As they left the Maze Marsh and entered the Tulgeywood, they were greeted by Billwix and his band of Satyrs. Billwix had tracked them down to thank them for saving him from the Hag, and gave each member of the party a skin of potent Satyr wine. He also gave them set of pipes to be blown if they ever needed the aid of the Satyrs. Pacso graciously took the pipes and they continued their journey north. When they reached the western bank of the Sweetail near Highhold, the River Warden Clemmo met them with spruce canoes to take them to the fortress.

Satyr Wine restores 1d6+1 HP when drunk. If drunk more than once between short rest the imbiber becomes wildly intoxicated until their next long rest.

At the island fortress of Highhold, the party was brought before the Elf Maiden Nicnevin, who stopped the Jabberwock’s horde after the Battle of The Wabe. The party bowed before her, in awe of her might and beauty. Nicnevin explained that the evil druids known as Wickerlings had been increasingly seen leading bands of goblins across the river and raising the ancient Club dead that lay in the ruins throughout the wood. She asked that the party assist the Wardens and patrol from Highhold north to the Boars-run a stream that feeds the Sweetail. Instructing them to slay any goblins they find, and explore the ruins along the way to ensure they posed no threat to the people of the Faerie Wood. At the end of the audience, to everyone’s bewilderment Pasco stepped forward, he improvised a song in praise of the Elf maiden and the brave River Wardens and much to the relief of the rest of the party, Nicnevin seemed pleased. Her daughter Neohain was also in attendance, and she told Pasco to come and visit her when he returned from the patrol so they could share songs.

As they crossed the courtyard of Highhold, they found the Ogre with no heart in a cage. Clemmo explained that he had been caught crossing the river and claimed that he only wished to return to the Goblin Wood and live in peace. The heroes vouched for the ogre, corroborating his story. Clemmo agreed to tell the Maiden so she could pass judgment. They next day the again crossed the Sweetail and set off on their patrol.

With a chill in the air, and snow on the branches of the fir trees the party started north. On the second day of the patrol they heard screams; Tolbert rushed to investigate and led the party into the perfect position to ambush a group of bugbears who were in the process of flaying a dryad. Bata explained that if a bugbear eats the heart of a fey it will transform into a troll and the party wasted no time in bringing the fight to the goblins.  Tekka gained magical control of one with Crown of Madness, and Pasco put the dryad out of her misery and destroyed her heart with a Shatter spell.  The bugbears proved to be vicious but after a sharp fight they were destroyed.

The Knight Initiates now face a long patrol in woods now made treacherous with goblins. Several ancient ruins must be explored and secured. Will they make it through the winter season of Brillig and prove themselves to be worthy Knights of the Thorn?

A Gimble In The Wabe Session 7

The Trouble with Dens

Tolbert the Paladin, Theolis the Ranger, and Bata the Druid where lost in the woods (away from the table) as the adventure commenced and the party was reduced to a Bard, a Wizard and a Warlock.

Acting on the impetus of the dreams of the wise witch Huisak, the party agreed to help her tribe drive a sacred fox off the site of their unfinished crannog so that it could be completed. They crossed to the crannog in the center of a pond and confronted Nguru the Fox. She explained that a giant snake had unlawfully eaten one of her kits and taken over her home. She would leave the crannog site if the snake was made to leave her den. The Party agreed and followed her directions to her former den site, travelling up a stream that fed the pond. Tekka noticed something stalking them in the woods as they looked for the fox den but couldn’t quite make it out, and no one else noticed it so they shrugged it off. Pasco through blind luck stumbled across snake tracks and they followed them to their destination, a small hole in a hillock between two branches of the stream.

Peering from the shadows in the hole were two enormous snake eyes. As they were only three, the party decided that parlay was perhaps the best course of action. Mysterios IX made introductions, and the snake informed them that his name was Slingoon. The wizard questioned why the snake had taken Nguru's den, and Slingoon explained that man-bones had arisen and scared him out of his own lair; he fled to the fox den and in his fear and hunger ate a kit. Slingoon knew it was wrong to eat the fox, as his lawful prey is deer, musk ox, man flesh, and lizard folk. Tekka , with characteristic hot headedness admonished the snake and threatened to bring the Queen's justice which nearly caused a confrontation until Mysterios IX mediated the situation, asking if they could help Slingoon. The snake requested that the party drive the man-bones from his home and in return he would make restitution to Nguru and leave her den. The heroes agreed and followed his directions to the lair.

They trudged through the muck of the Maze Marsh to Slingoon’s lair and arrived as the sun was setting. The snake’s lair was an ancient Club tomb, and in the twilight they could see a ghostly female form brooding at the entrance.  Mysterios IX decided that invading a decrepit tomb full of man-bones and guarded by some spirit was probably better done in the morning and suggested they retrace their steps and spend the night at the fox den. The rest of the party agreed and they made camp with Slingoon. As they warily rested, Slingoon could be heard quietly weeping. The snake refused Tekka’s inquiries, but when Mysterios IX sought to comfort him he opened up to the wizard, revealing that he was afraid, ashamed, and hungry. Mysterios IX convinced him to redeem himself by joining them in driving the man-bones from his home, and the next morning the party set off with a new giant snake ally.

When they again approached the tomb, the apparition was still haunting the entrance. Slingoon revealed that he knew of another way in and the party followed the snake. As they came near to the structure, the figure in the entrance retreated into the darkness of the tomb and zombies emerged from the swamp. Facing foul peat preserved bog zombies with questionable intentions the hero’s sprang to action. Pasco drew the Sword of the Night Mother and summoned the ghost of the Priestess that dwells within. Tekka and Mysterios IX assumed their normal fighting withdraw, putting space between themselves and their foes and filling that space with magic missiles, firebolts, and eldritch blasts. Slingoon proved to be a valuable ally, fighting alongside Pasco in the melee and biting several zombies in half. More swamp zombies emerged near Tekka and Mysterios IX position, but they too were blown to nasty little bits.

After the battle, Slingoon was emboldened. I can bite these man-bones! and he triumphantly led the party straight into the main entrance. Once inside, he curled around the crumbling pillar that he was accustomed to, and sighed contentedly. Just as the party was about to convince him to continue with the job, Bata came wandering out of the woods accompanied by a Finch that had fallen in love with him. Trusting in the might of the Druids shillelagh the hero’s explored the tomb. Immediately they confronted and destroyed a Wight that had wandered up from below. Peering down the stairs from whence the Wight came, they could hear metal shod footsteps. Bata decided to send his new found finch paramour to draw out whatever was lurking in the darkness, and the party arrayed themselves to ambush whoever might come calling. The finch did not return, but another Wight came charging up the stairs, the heroes plan worked and the Wight was sent back to its resting place. After defeating the undead Club warrior, they could hear the finch calling for help and as they moved forward they found themselves in a crypt with two more Wights, one of which was biting the head off the bird. The party followed an outraged Bata into battle and smote the undead to ruin.

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At the top of the stairs was a magically locked door with the impression of a mace in its stone face. In the crypt where four sarcophagi, three of which were open and one that was still sealed. Mysterios IX cast Detect Magic and learned that the closed coffin contained magic. After some debate, all four of them lifted the lid and were exposed to poison gas. Pasco and Mysterios IX suffered blistering  burns, but a mace was found in the sarcophagus. The party decided a rest was in order, and convinced Slingoon to watch the door while they took a break to recover from their exertions and wounds.

Figuring they could come back to the magic door later, they proceeded to explore the tomb. The crypt had one door that opened to a stairwell. They descended and came to a long hall, bones were strewn about the stone floor which was scarred from some type of impact, and a gaping pit blocked the far side of the corridor. Suspecting traps, Bata cast Spider Climb and skittered up the walls and onto the ceiling only to accidentally trigger a swinging blade trap. He did notice an arrow slit in the wall as he extricated himself from the blades, but there seemed to be no way to access the slit without risking exposure to the trap. Mysterios IX sent his hawk familiar to fly by the slit and investigate, and the hawk revealed a archery target on the other side. Tekka then used her familiar Dustbelly to move in front of the slit while avoiding the blades, and she then used her magical connection with the Sprite to see through his eyes and direct a mage hand to activate the target and stop the trap.

Once past the blade trap the party confronted the open pit. Two pressure plates were on either side of it and the bottom could not be seen. Bata Spider Climbed to the other side and stood on a plate while Pasco stood on the other. Stone doors swung from below to close the pit and provide passage across. Everyone crossed but Pasco who was standing on the plate. He then activated his Ring of Jumping and made a mighty leap across the pit, which opened up again when he left the plate.

They passed through the door at the end of the trap filled hallway into a tight spiral stairway leading further down. With only enough room to travel single file around the blind turns, Bata led the way and quickly bumped into another Wight. This ancient Club warrior drained life from the Druid, but Bata was sustained by a Heroism spell cast by Pasco who was directly behind him. With the help of unerring Magic Missiles from Mysterios IX, and the clever use of Dustbelly’s eyes to deliver a Hex spell by Tekka, the Wight was defeated.

Emboldened and full of élan from the Heroism spell and an enjoyable afternoon of Wight bashing, Bata rushed forward and threw open the door at the bottom of the stairs. On the other side was a large pillared burial chamber, with an ornate sarcophagus on a raised dais in the center of the room. Floating above the sarcophagus was the female apparition they had seen near the tomb entrance. She slowly turned in the air to face the heroes, who prepared to face her as we called it a night…

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