Session 4: 5/9/14

The Party:

Brother Burkey (C:1), Arwen (E:1), Valor (T:1),  Thief Who's Name Escapes Me (T:1), Brickle (H:1), Fallos (M:1)

The Summary

Having heard from the previous expedition about their exploits, and gathering the map and one of the keys recovered, a different band of adventurers set out for the dungeon beneath Trelleborg. After spiking all of the doors in the tower, they reviewed the map and, led by Brother Burkey, developed a tactical plan for securing the 1st level: check each room already explored, then wedge it shut. 

They descended the stairs and took a SWAT approach, hurling flaming oil into the room and unleashing an arrow. Satisfied that the lack of response indicated the absence of a goblinoid ambush, they made their way down. Unfortunately, a pair of fairly tough, giant geckos had taken up residence there. The party might have been a bit too confident in their ability to deal with the reptilian menaces, who initially had tried to avoid the party. Angered, wounded and more or less cornered, they dropped down to attack. 

And things did not go well.

The hits that landed on their thick scaly hides did little to slow the geckos down and both Brickle and Valor were sent to the great dungeon in the sky. Things seemed desperate, so Fallos burned his spell, Sleep, and brought down the geckos, who were then dispatched easily by a vengeful Arwen.

What happened next will be a thing of legend: the party brought the bodies of the fallen out of the dungeon, up into the secured tower, before looting them and redistributing their gear.

Back down into the dungeon, joined by Braggle (H:1) and Valor the 2nd (T:1), the party headed East towards the portcullis. As they approached, they came under fire from beyond the edge of their torch light - the goblinoids had setup a defensive position in the hall using furniture, stones and yari, like quills on a porcupine. As one might easily predict, the hero of the gecko battle, Fallos, was struck and died immediately.

(Fallos was replaced by Dolm the Fighting Man (F:1) )

Utilizing one of the great equalizers in the dungeon crawler's arsenal, they lobbed flaming oil at the goblinoids and unleashed their own arrows. The goblins, casualties sustained, fell back and closed the portcullis. The party heard a strange clanging that grew fainter and when they crossed the barrier, found the goblins were gone. 

From this, they surmised the pit in the room beyond the portcullis was, in fact, an elevator shaft. After waiting out the fire they had started, they dropped a torch into the pit which showed it to be quite deep, at least 150 or 200 feet. Before moving on, the two thieves rigged a trap over it, to cause havoc for anyone coming up.

The goblin escape was not a setback, because the party had a plan to execute anyway. Methodically they went from door to door of each previously mapped room, forced it open to make sure nothing was inside worth dealing with, and then spiked it shut. 

Upon finding two empty cisterns on a wooden wheeled cart, an idea was born. A few turns later, Braggle and Arwen, bows at the ready, were each in a cistern on the cart, which was being pushed along by the remainder of the party.

Yes, they made a tank!

Torches were mounted to the cart but not lit - navigation was handled by the two demi-humans. Although slow, it proved effective.

Unlike the previous expedition, the party braved the latrines this time.

As they peered down into the darkness, they discovered gems and coins in the shit heaps 20' down, not to mention sewer tunnels. Retrieving the treasure, using fire to burn away the waste - a process affectionately now known as "shit mining" - netted a hefty reward for their labors.

Other highlights:

• Bandits, affiliated with the Red Right Hand Thieve's Guild, came upon the party
• Said bandits were burned to a crisp, although their leader was shot in the eye with an arrow (natural 20) and then a second arrow followed the same path, split the shaft and pierced even further into his brain (another natural 20), dropping him where he stood. 
• In a bit of irony, it was the two thieves who showed such archery aplomb and killed this representative of a guild from the largest city on Nattefrost.
• Some traders who had somehow wandered into the dungeon were bartered/intimidated (same thing, right?) out of their goods - a very nice haul of bolts of fabric - before being ordered out.
• Another gecko was dispatched. Oddly, human remains on a plate were on the floor of that room, as if someone was feeding it.
• A note scrawled on one door indicated that they shouldn't enter unless they really liked little furry forest creatures. Of course the party had to enter. Dolm, attacking the pulsating blue shapes on the floor, triggered a trap, failed his save, and is now an anthropomorphic rabbit 

• To my recollection, at least 2 characters are 2nd level now, and the rest are close. Except the elf and halfling, who have a long way to go.

I almost forgot, there were two in-town events:

• Brother Burkey, who had been absent since his first delve, had secured the services of Gar Draka to translate the dwarven runes that appeared on the mural of the golden-spired underground city.
• Valor the 2nd, negotiating on behalf of the party, made an arrangement with Sister Ingrid for the production of two cure light wounds potions.