A Dungeon of Unfortunate Events: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:06, 2 March 2023

Summary

GM: Dean
Season: Summer 823 WK
Night: Thursday, 19th Jan start
Location: Dean's
Level: ~~Med~~ High Dungeon Bash

Party

Henric Dwarf(m), Mind - Chris
Thaeuss Elven(m), Binder - Stephen MilSci Scribe
Raseri Human(m), Celestial Dark - Ciaran
Quentin Orc(m), Namer - Sean
Merco - Halfling(m) Helper - Jono
Lila Human(f) Celestial/Air - Kelsie PL
Lyric Dwarf(f) E&E - Michelle

Employer: Lorto
Mission: The target of an unfortunate event is hiding out of reach in the dungeon of Castle Greyhawk, invite him out to meet his fate.
Payment: 10k each in cash or services

Scribe Notes

Lorto wants us to find someone who he believes is hiding in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk. Given the magical nature of this location, Lorto is unable to hunt in the correct part of the dungeons, and believes a party of our stature will be able to look for them in the right areas. He is to be returned, dead or alive, along with a couple of artefacts likely to be in their possession. Anything else we find during the hunt is ours.

The dungeons of Castle Greyhawk are just plain weird. While there are maps of the first 25 levels, these are the more simplistic levels, and therefore unlikely to fit your competency. I should mention that while there is only one entry point, you will enter on a level appropriate to your own abilities. That is why I cannot chase down the quarry I am paying you to hunt, he is almost certainly on a level that I would never be taken to and have almost no way of getting to. I am hoping that your level will put you at least in the right zone. I should also mention that when I go in, there is often nothing dungeon-like about the terrain. Apparently the 25ish mapped levels are actual dungeons, but I think it gets weirder the deeper you delve. It is after all the master work of a deranged but apparently genius arch mage (Zargyg), plus there have been up to 9 evil demi gods imprisoned in there at one time or other, which has also likely warped things a bunch. When I go in, which is not that often to be honest, the terrain is close and confined, but can be things like thorn mazes, cavern complexes, thick jungle, underwater caverns with denizens that are very testing, even for me, including some I have quietly tiptoed around and headed for the exit. Good loot to be found at times, but a hard slog which is not my kinda work. Oh, and its different every time, I have not repeated a single room/area, so basically impossible to map. You always know where the 'exit' is, like a ranger north bump, and often a feel for where the 'boundaries' are, though sometimes instead of physical they magical or elemental in nature, so be careful when looking to test the 'edges' (absent mindedly rubs at a couple of burn scars). When you go to an exit, you can then decide to leave the dungeon, or go to the next area, which feels like it is deeper in. Not always harder, just further in. By the way, I am unable to teleport out in any way. I can use my movement abilities within an area, but cannot even go back into an area previously entered/known.

Anyway, I am sure you will have questions, so hit me with anything and I will see if I can help. Otherwise I can put you in touch with some acquaintances on Greyhawk that have delved, and survived, more than most, so might have more info if you think is needed.

The target, Lord Limon is minor nobility. Being a 4th child he explored drugs and adventure, apparently becoming quite good at both. Fighter mage (mind) with decent social skills (all of them). He is also quite skilled in herbalism and alchemy so he is known to use powders and explosive liquids in creative ways.

Lorto gives us locate level descriptive information though he highly doubts Limon would be stupid enough to still look like that. If you catch him you can easily check certain identifiers.

State of the quarry is unimportant, though identifiable would be good.

The artefacts are:

a circlet
a ring
a rod

Descriptions are available but almost no info on what exactly they do. Apparently they are holy relics and considered heirlooms of the previous owner. Apparently the mark stole them and scarpered about 18 months ago. A bounty came out early on, but has more recently (last 6 months) gone up enough to draw the attention of people like Lorto. Lorto has made investigations through his channels and is fairly certain he somehow is hiding in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk. He does not believe anyone else has come to this conclusion, yet.

Lorto has a lot of suspicions around the whole scenario.

Dungeon One: Ship Cargo Deck

A week of preparations.

Duesday 8th Meadow 823

Lorto (known as Shadowspawn on Greyhawk - his appearance also changes; less himbo, more night blade) opens a door to the entrance to Greyhawk Dungeon, he has tokens for us that he acquired earlier.

We gather on the doorstep, opening the dungeon door, we find ourselves in the hold of a ship at sea, 2 sailors trying to hide among the cargo behind us, 4 hungry were-wolves ahead and chewed bodies. We have a sense of the exit, somewhere to starboard.

We engage the wolves (GTN Werewolf Stripling) and take them down, 2 reinforcements are also quickly taken down. We can hear a fight above with lots more. They regenerate so we ensure all downed wolves are killed.

The sailors tell us it is Captain Fang attacking. DA shows the sailors and wolves have only existed since we portalled in though they have manifested with full history, they don't have souls.

ESP & Wizard's Eye show us about 40 wolves, 20ish striplings, 10 full wolves, a couple of pack-leaders, and Fang. The wolf-pirate ship is to starboard, grapples, planks, swinging ropes, etc.

The remains of the crew of this ship are holed up in the captain's cabin fighting a losing battle.

Dungeon One: Captain Fang

We throw indirect spells via Wizard's Eye and Telepathy at the leaders, they deflect them onto their minions and bounce them back at us via moon beams. We disrupt their attack on the survivors of this ship by disintegrating the floor from under them. Minions sent down the stairs hit the frictionless floor, get feared by blackfire, damaged by thunder, lightning, Raseri & Quentin.

Captain Fang and his best people teleport down to attack us. Raseri hits them with a grenado, crippling some of them and himself, then gets hit by a Lycanthropy curse. He knocks himself out with Mental Attack before he finishes turning and potentially attacks the party.

The command wolves have the ability to transfer some damage to their minions. Some of them are adepts, Celestial - Lunar. Moonfire (equivalent to Blackfire); Moonlight Dance (Group Teleport); Curse of Lycanthropy; Wall of Moonlight; Command Moon (Full moon effect over an area).

Several seconds of brutal damage is dealt by both front lines. The minions at the bottom of the stairs are all killed (Blackfire, Thunder, Lightning).

Amira calls for their surrender, we're a little surprised when Captain Fang lustfully yields to her command.

Looking around further, we see a small maelstrom on the far side of the Wolf ship that is the exit.

Dungeon Two: Pitch Black Horrors

We strip Fang and minions of magical things of use to us.
Gratuity from the Merchant Captain.

After 10 minutes we notice the calm effect is degrading and we have 10 minutes or less before it is gone, we figure we should be gone before then.

Henric to Lila: Do you have a preferred male physical type.

Lila: No, I like them all.

Henric: Me too.

We jump overboard, exiting through the maelstrom which gently takes us to the bottom of the sea where we portal to...

A small cavern with lots of exits, fetid odour, an urchin - female, human, and young - is concerned we are out near sunset and urges us into hiding before 'they' come out at night.

Debris on the ground, formerly living, Greater Cave Shrike, Lesser Shrike, various rodents, etc.

The urchin is human, long-lived sentient, magical ability of survival, called Newt. She has existed for about 30 years.

She leads us through several twists and turns into a smaller cave concealed behind a wall of moss. She offers us some dried mushrooms, nightcap, effect: quieten the mind, conceals from Telepathy.

Preserved sample of fresh Nightcap with viable spores.

Things in here have existed for decades, she has existed about 3 decades but is still an immature human (10).

The swarm that stirs with dusk screams, exudes a pressure on our minds, reading their minds is a hazard to Telepaths.

18 hours of Major Curse Removal on Raseri while others rest and watch.

The swarm returns before dawn.

W'nsday 9th Meadow 823

About midday local time we head out into the caverns towards the old mining town.

Organic layers over most of the walls, some fresh. Bodies in the town are generally smashed, not just cleanly killed. All died about 20 years ago.

Beyond town, up switchback stairs towards both the mine exit and dungeon exit, about 200' up, gale force deathly-corrosive dust storm outside, 10' Air protection/calm like effect around ruins of the doors.

We return to Newt's shelter, Wizard's Eye spying on the swarm as they emerge and looking outside. Outside the storm is gone, calm, clear, moonlit night. The swarm is comprised of dozens to hundreds of 9' tall many-limbed spikey horrors that swarm across the ground about 3 times as fast as a human, some slime creatures that move with them and leave coatings on the floor and walls.

Once they're gone, we head down towards where they came from (one of the exits), a few hundred feet beyond where we first arrived. There is a 'picket line' of animal-like things in slime balls. A large (covering a big area) mind - hive? A sharp protective, intelligent mind - Queen? The exit is somewhere beyond all that, looks messy, the outside exit seems the better option.

We head back to the bunker, set watches and get some sleep.

Th'rsday 10th Meadow 823

Last scout through town for interesting plants, fungi, belongings.

We spend 6 hours setting traps and walls between the town and the exit.

Outside there is acid rain.

At dusk, the rain stops, we fly out, heading towards the exit.

Things crawl out of holes in the ground, hunting other things that crawl out, we fly on.

We pass other mining settlements with similar bunker doors, some broken open, some still intact.

About 40 miles to another hillside with closed intact doors, the exit is beyond them somewhere.

Dungeon Two: Undead Hosts

Landing at the doors, lit lantern on hook, doorbell chain, volume of controlled air around door.

We ring the bell, talk the guards into letting us in, down the switchback stairs very similar to the original mining town - without the destruction and layers of hardened slime.

They lead us down to the town and into an empty house for us to spend the night

Merco casts Telepathy with enormous (1,890') range:

A dozen Animal level minds hiding somewhere below us.

A few 700' away a couple of sentient minds, planning and waiting.

Outside to the right of the mine entrance a couple of minds communicating and coordinating with each other.

Another mind further away, towards the exit, thinking, yummy, another 'trade delegation'.

Merco is sure they are waiting for us to go to sleep before attacking.

We start preparing for combat, they respond to us preparing, the durability on the floor is turned off and the 4 standing on it fall through to the 20 waiting Ghasts and their Greater Undead (Greater Ghast) despair inducing commander. We kill all of the Ghasts, the commander teleports away, the others that were charging towards us now change to move rapidly down the mine, closing the doors.

We heal up, fully prepare with short duration magics then follow.

Mine doors are warded with Necrosis and have magic on, counter the ward, disintegrate the wall next to the doors to drop them.

Following, we come to a mine shaft with a winched platform that is down, we sense something insubstantial within the wall. Preparing I disintegrate sections of the shaft until it is revealed, the rest of the party blast it, the Spectre throws a stream of corruption at us then flees, the Phantasms chase it down and kill it.

Merco gets a Death Curse (32 MA) - Spectre Killer - makes him more vulnerable to them.

Down the shaft and further on, a projected image is waiting for us, he is a Greater Undead, Wraith Lord. He apologises for underestimating us and would prefer to negotiate. We seek adequate recompense to accept their suit for peace. He tells us that someone matching the description of Lord Limon, came through here about 3 months ago. And offers the following which we accept.

Hand & a Half - Flamebrand
Shortsword -
Amulet -
Brooch -
Ring -
Brotherhood Priest Sphere of Mind Speech: Hide from ESP

We pass through magical silver doors into a crypt and climb into a sarcophagus which is the exit.

We are spoken to in transit, we are required to face a test of combat to advance.

We manifest on small platforms in a lake without any of our equipment, there are other platforms that have weapons and armour.

Interlude: Murder Games

We charge for the equipment, trying to inconvenience and block others with TK Rage, Walls, etc.

The Humans and Drow congregate in species groups, Giant is forced back to land where it summons a special kind of Earth Elemental to return with. We take out the Orcs. Gnomes ally with Henric, make walls and spider mechanical creatures. Ogres hit us with some spells then get engaged by the humans, we help against the Ogres, the Giant joins that melee, the Ogres go down.

We gain significant advantage by controlling the Stuff platform: healing, investeds, jewellery, and anything else that's not a weapon or armour.

The Orc and Ogre platforms become exits, we use one to go deeper into the dungeons.

Puzzle Maze 3: Perspective

The voice (Zargyg?) speaks to us "Eight Puzzles lead to 8 objects to open the gate. And one extra puzzle just for us."

We emerge on a moonlit grassy slope leading down to a small lake, empty camp site above the beach. Greyhawk stars in the sky above.

The light of a fire reflecting off some trees across the lake.

Lila flies up to have look around and concusses herself on the unseen cavern roof. We patch her up then sneak around the lake to the other camp site.

It is Lord Limon, he is waiting for us - having pre-cog'd many options and decided this gave him the best chance of surviving. He wishes to negotiate. He was privately (outside of guild) engaged to steal the items then they were going to kill him at hand-off so he ran, is still running, and would like a way out.

The evil items (major arcana artefacts) he stole are ours to return:

Crown of Nerull (God of Death) -
Rod of Incabulos (God of Madness) - Madness from Divining it.
Ring of Erythnul (God of Chaos/Havok)

As payment, he offers:

Limited Precog tied to Danger Sense.
Some special Alchemy & Herbalist
Spy skill of eavesdropping into other's Mind Speech.
Mind Special Knowledge magic

We agree in principle.

He tells us we're in a large cavern, at dawn there are 4 exits which each lead into a maze, the maze has 8 areas, each has a puzzle. He has solved two puzzles and has two of the objects.

Another puzzle is a door, above is written "Life is all about perspective", he found a key that doesn't fit. Merco says he knows that one, you need to stand at the right distance for the key to be the right size.

There's a room filled with riches, things turn to dust when taken from the room.

Frysday 11th Meadow 823

We head to the dawn gate that will lead to the door. 30' wide by high stone corridor.

About 45 minutes in we sense an ambush. A large (20' wide, 20'tall, 40' long) mechanical wagon with too many whirling blades - taken out by a couple of TK Rages. Half a dozen scorpion golems, closing, poison, heavily armoured, susceptible to lightning, TK Rage, and extreme brutality. Most damage done to the party by Lila when she explodes a golem with a tripled lightning ball.

We then continue through the maze and eventually get to the door a couple of hours later.

There Merco uses the key at range to open the door and get the object we need, another piece of a broken tablet.

Murder Hornet Swarm

We head back out carefully, the maze changes and repairs itself very quickly.

Spend the night back in the cavern.

Reapsday 12th Meadow 823

Back into the maze at the gate where Limon has already found one tablet section and the other room appears full of treasure.

After a couple of hours we come to a room full of decaying and broken furniture and half a dozen ghosts that are hungry for souls. Sense danger indicates it would be very bad to be seen by them.

We decide to come back another time when they're not in our way, we leave and head to another gate, to a maze Limon says has bugs.

A couple of hours in, we branch towards one of the puzzles and come to a 100' orb-like room full of flying insects - Greater Murder Hornets. We try bottling them up with walls and hitting them with TK rage, the rage is less effective than we expected and they counter attack, destroying one of the walls. As some of them are killed the rest of the swarms get angry, grow in size and ferocity. Their attacks become more accurate and they destroy active spells. Acid spit. We kills thousands, they wear us down, then Raseri hits them with Windstorm which leaves them grounded and vulnerable for us to mop up. 4 Queens in holes dug into the walls are immobile and easily killed once the swarms are dead.

Puzzle Maze: Puzzles 4 to 8

Loot Room: Filled with precious metals, gems, jewellery, a mimic. A statue sits in a thinker like pose looking at a circle on the ground, inscribed around the edge: "Show Me Only Wealth"

We cover the first three words, the statue gives us the tablet fragment.

We try various means of getting the loot out of the room without it turning to dust, a possessed loot golem eventually gets some out (about 20,000sp worth), at that point the statue sighs and the rest of the loot in the room vanishes.

Room with a Drunk, Stoned Sphinx. Many empty barrels of alcohol and narcotics. After some prodding, it awakes and introduces himself as Bakani The Magnificent, he requires a riddle duel for us to earn the tablet fragment.

Bakani is about to ask his first riddle, Raseri correctly answers 'A river'.

We ask several riddles which he answers incorrectly but insisting they are correct. We answer his riddles correctly but we seem to be getting nowhere.

Then I ask: What can we ask to acquire the puzzle piece? A question he can't possibly get wrong. Then he vomits all over me, including the puzzle piece.

We leave and head to the other puzzle room in this quarter of the maze.

An octagonal room, a door opposite has a face imbedded in it, full length standing mirror in the centre, other 6 walls have paintings of landscapes, vistas, a portrait.

The door with the mouth speaks "My master knew a good haiku, blow me down if I can remember it though, I would like to hear it again."

We find words in the reflections of the paintings and on the backs of them. We arrange those into a haiku:

The dry leaves whisper, Telling stories to themselves, In a gust of wind.

He says "I remember it now." Quentin blows on the door and it opens, revealing the tablet piece.

Reapsday 12th Meadow 823

We come to a Doorway, writing above it states "All must enter" Once we all enter, the door seals behind us. Seven buttons:

Reset Count - 3) Lila
Bad Button, Do Not Press - 6) Raseri, no apparent effect, virile, boils, gold coins,
Good Button, Press Me - 1) Thaeuss, a good feeling of strength, good will, shower of copper coins
Reverse All Buttons - 4) Merco
Speed Up Count - 7) Lyric
Really Dangerous Button, Do Not Press - 5) Henrik, invigorated, lost something, pale, hair loss, lush hair
Best Button Ever, What Could Possibly Go Wrong - 2) Quentin, shower of coins

We try all sorts of combinations, press & release, press & hold, then we arrange for all of us to press the 4 buttons when in 'good' mode, eventually we let the count drop to 0.

A door then opens and reveals a tablet piece.

In the last room, the puzzle asks we enlightenment, we light it up and get the last piece.

Sunday 13th Meadow 823

Outside in the cavern, we politely kill Limon, I capture his spirit, we preserve and itemise his body.

We Itemise one of the cairns of food creation, the others are intrinsic to the place.

Putting together the tablet, it enlarges into a portal, we exit about midday.

Lila contacts Lorto, he arrives outside the gates a few minutes later, we exit.

Lorto opens a gate to Camdindel's vale, with permission we take the artefacts inside to a 'safe' area - the basement, behind a fortified door.

Tedious delay for halfling meals.

In the clean room, the items are isolated from their gods and can be safely studied. Camdindel Divines them.

Lorto considers what to do with the artefacts, he will stall for a year or so while he considers options.

Lorto considers our contract with him successfully fulfilled, we arrange payment.

We get Limon resurrected so he can pay his debts.

Camdindel gives Merco a potion to remove the Death Curse.

9

Moonday 14th Meadow 823
Duesday 15th Meadow 823
W'nsday 16th Meadow 823
Th'rsday 17th Meadow 823
Frysday 18th Meadow 823

Loot

Buffs & Mil Sci

Long Term (assumed always on)

Magic (caster)	Rk	Effects	Duration	He	Th	Rs	Qu	Me	Li	Ly
Greater Ench. (Ly)	20	+21% to Res, Mag, Com, or S&S.	6 days	-	-	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Witchsight (Li)	7	See Invis	4 hrs	Y	-	Y	-	-	Y	-
Shadowform (Li)	15	+32% Def but 16% in close	8 hrs	Y	-	-	-	Y	Y	Y
Str of Stone (He)	12	+12 EN	13 hrs	Y	14	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Fire Armour (Li)	10	44 Ablative Protection from Magical Fire Damage	11 hrs	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Fire Proof (Li)	10	Protection from Non-magical Fire Damage	11 hrs	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Modify Aura (Th)	10	+/- 4 Levels: SLS=>Plant, LLS=>Animal, Golem=>NoAura	11 hrs
Linking Lifeforce Sketch (Th)	20	Reflect health within 2,100 miles. 20 dmg. 1 day each to make.	Perm	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Linked R&S Golems (Th)	15	May hold your spirit on death	Season	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Self Only
Mind Shield (rk)	v	+10+2/rk% vs M.Att.	1+2/rk hrs	16	9		15	10
Herbal Lore (rk)		+10+2/rk% to Find Herbs	1+rk hrs		10
Armour Spells	v	% Def, AP			24,5	26,5	24,5
Wizardsight (Me)	6	See Invis	n/a	-	-	-	-	Y	-	-
Senses and other stuff
Sense Danger (%)		Mind Talent (or equivalent)		62 %	48 %*	44 %*		58 %
Detect Ambush (%)		Ranger (-5/rank of opposition)		50+ %	124 %	44 %*		78 %
See Invis (Rk)		Effective rank for seeing invisible		7	14	7	15	12	7+	6
Detect Spell Prep. (%)	20	If a target or in target area of a spell being prepared			101 %
Stealth (%)				96 %	156 %	129 %	131 %	121 %	134 %	109 %

* Thaeuss' Danger Sense from Ladybird brooch, 7 hr downtime and re-cast to recharge after use.
* Raseri's 'Danger Sense/Detect Ambush' is a constant situational awareness from cloak detecting Ambush/Surprise/Traps. Not modified by opposing ranks.

Enhance Enchantment (Ly) rank 11: 60 seconds

Raseri Battle Axe of Awe: +5% +1 Dmg for any allies who speak Elven (any rank)
Quentin's Allies: +1 Damage, +4% SC, +1 Damage Reduction, +4% Defence, +8% vs Fear & to Reaction Rolls
Mil Sci Raise Morale: Rk 6: +3 WP
Herbalist Meal/Broth: Rk 6: recover 4 FT from Meal or Broth.

Short Term

Magic (caster)	Rk	Effects	Duration	He	Th	Rs	Qu	Me	Li	Ly
Enchant Weapon (Ly)	16	+17 BC%, +6 Dam.	22 min
Weapon of Flames (Li+)	10	+11 SC, +6 Dam, +11 dam vs undead, cold, water	22 min
Strength of Darkness (Rs)	14	+8 PS	150 min	-	-	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Quickness (Ly)	10	+20 En IV, +D10 Un IV, +2 TMR, Double movement rate	15 min

Watch Order

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Quentin		Raseri				Lila				Quentin
Thaeuss			Henric			Lyric			Merco & Guard IV

Marching Order

Skirmish Formations (Front)
Default Henric Quentin Thaeuss Lyric Merco Raseri Lila	Double File Henric Quentin Thaeuss Merco Raseri Lila Lyric	Single File Henric Quentin Thaeuss Merco Raseri Lila Lyric

Astrology

Lucky Numbers (Rahne/Seren)
Henric	Thaeuss	Raseri	Quentin	Merco	Lila	Lyric
17	94	56	05	39	98	78

Immune to one Fear Effect
Henric	Thaeuss	Raseri	Quentin	Merco	Lila	Lyric
Wary	Panic	Catatonic	Panic	Panic	Panic	Panic

Calendar

Summer: Meadow 823 WK
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday	Th'rsday	Frysday	Reapsday		Sunday
		Beltane Full Moon	1	Guild Meeting	2	3	4	5	White Lotus	6
	7		8		9	10	11	12		13
	14		15		16	17	18	19		20
	21		22		23	24	25	26		27
	28	Full Moon	29		30	1	2	3		4
Summer: Heat 823 WK
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday	Th'rsday	Frysday	Reapsday		Sunday
	5		6		7	8	9	10		11
	12		13		14	15	16	17		18
	19		20		21	22	23	24		25
	26	Full Moon	27		28	29	30	1		2
Summer: Breeze 823 WK
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday	Th'rsday	Frysday	Reapsday		Sunday
	3	Day of Death	4		5	6	7	8		9
	10		11		12	13	14	15		16
	17		18		19	20	21	22		23
	24	Full Moon	25		26	27	28	29		30