We started with the fact that Oakwood and Xeelie were already wounded from the game previous. It was successfully argued that when the rest of the group healed up last game, the non-existing two would have been healed as well. This allowed us to get going. As usual, we had a myriad of options but the main two were to go down the mold infested stairway or into the room with the animating bones. It was decided to stay on this level rather than go down although with all the twists and turns, no one was sure what “level” we were even at. However, a discussion was had on the mold problem regardless. TerStegan argued that since it absorbed heat, attacking it with cold would be good and heat would be bad. Several made Survival rolls and Xeelie was “fairly certain” she knew what to do. I think that was GM speak for “hazard avoided.” However, Paul and BTO demanded details (that Brian didn’t have) and guarantees (that Brian wouldn’t give). They were still thinking in terms of avoiding an encounter. And they could be right. But again, we decided to table that discussion until our mold talking Druid showed up and go the other way. To the Giant Skeleton.
The door was reopened and the bones started to pull together again. Initiative was rolled but until it was rebuilt by whatever background evil was present, there wasn’t really anything to do. Xeelie moved to the other side of the small room and opened the exit to give us more options. Clarisa hit the skull with a Telekinetic Object but at this point, it was only a thing and not a monster so it did nothing. TerStegan ran in and tried to stand on the large glaive but didn’t roll high enough on his Athletics check. Oakwood readied an attack. When it did form, giant-sized, he missed with both flurry attacks. TerStegan got into his Stance after two tries but we quickly found that it was too mindless to be affected by fear. (As are most undead.) It did a lot of damage with its sweeping glaive. We did a lot of missing. TerStegan did the lion’s share of damage and after a few rounds, it was over. Oakwood did some Treat Wounds for 2d8 while the others searched. Xeelie’s Detect Magic detected magic but again, that spell is not specific about the location. So, we had to play 20 questions as she moved about the dungeon, trying to zero in on what new thing was magical. Eventually, Brian gave him an Investigation roll and said that it seemed to be background magic and nothing specific. She determined the glaive had no value and that moving the bones would not be necessary. Moving along.
The next “room” was a large corridor with more doors than TerStegan could count. After some debate, we decided to defer the door that was glowing greenish and open the double doors to the north since they were closest. That was another hallway with little dioramas in alcoves along the way. Each depicted a great city being destroyed by some catastrophe. Closer examination revealed that each had a tiny Gauntlight in the scene. Xeelie was quickly convinced it was Absolom, the biggest city on the island, but they weren’t really detailed enough to confirm that. She and Brisco tried to triangulate the position of the Gauntlight with their knowledge of Absolom using their various skills. But were told, repeatedly, that it was not to scale, only representative, move along. At the end were another set of double doors. It was a large dining room or meeting room filled with webs. In there was a Web Lurker. It was commanding us in a language none of us understood. A good Society roll from Oakwood thought it was some sort of Underdark language. TerStegan planned to research that language in his downtime. We faced the usual murder-hobo dilemma. We knew it was evil but couldn’t attack it until it did something evil. TerStegan decided to Demoralize it with a growl. That succeeded and it cowered in a corner.
However, that worked. Its two Dream Spiders and two Giant Spiders attacked from the shadows. They moved up, attacked with immobilizing webs and poison stings and then moved back out of range. Oakwood and TerStegan, at the bottom of the initiative again, just stood there and took it. Although they both got 1 reaction attack at least. They were both immobilized and poisoned but thankfully, the poison was Stupefy (i.e. mental) so it didn’t bother them much. The rest fired into the room and Xeelie tried to do her Recall Knowledge to get her extra 1d6. Oakwood managed to rip free and choose to step into the room to lessen their hit and run tactics. It was a fight and we took some damage. About the time we had them on the ropes, both the frontline guys got caught in web traps. But the spiders were finished off soon afterwards and they were assumed cut down.
What followed was over an hour of downtime. Oakwood Treated the barely wounded while Brisco Treated the badly wounded. Meanwhile Xeelie and the rest searched. They found a web pouch full of shiny bits and bobbles. However, in there was a necklace with 3 Fireballs (1 use) that went to Clarisa. Some glowing sling bullets that would continue to glow if they hit their target. Again, one use. Brisco took those since he didn’t have any enhanced sight. Lastly was an opal that when placed on clothing, it would bump up a Deception roll one level. We were going to sell it, not thinking of a reason we’d ever use such a thing, but the eventual Bard ended up taking it. One Treat Wounds was not enough to get TerStegan back to battle ready so we waited an hour for that clock to reset. During that time, everyone was topped off and we were good to go.
The glowing room turned out to be a wash room with glowing green slime within. That slime moved and spelled out the following message, one letter at a time. “I am Otari. Save me, below.” Or some such. And then proceeded to move across the floor. We followed it and it led us back to the mold infested stairway down at which point, it disappeared. This reopened the mold debate, with our Druid. TerStegan asked if Brisco could use his Ray of Frost cantrip to clear away the mold. (Sneak peek at the answer: It was no. He could not.) This sparked a bunch of questions from Dave. Why do you think that’ll work? Why do we have to go this way? Why are we here at all? Why should we attack innocent mold? The bottom line was that Plant Druid Brisco would not attack a plant without cause. By sticking to his character concept at the expense of the group and all of our time, he earned a hero point. But again, we came back to the same conclusion. We’d like to finish this level before going down. So, we went back to the washroom.
That’s a problem with these modules. They are full of details but they are also full of “useless fluff” that don’t advance the main plot. But we, as players, don’t know what room is pointless and what room has an important clue, a valuable item, a secret door, etc. So, we have to grind through each room, one at a time. What’s in here? What’s it for? Is it important? Is it dangerous? Is it trapped? Everyone wants to use their skills. Each room takes time. I guess each is its own encounter to be overcome. So, the next room had a small demon who, we think, was conjured to do the cleaning down here. He “seemed” evil but wasn’t doing anything evil. He talked but had nothing useful to say. The fact that it had been a hundred years since anyone was down here didn’t seem to faze him. Eventually, we just left him behind. The next room had two large constructs and seemed to be in storage. Is this area a storage warehouse or living quarters for minions or what? I went to bed at this point, unable to face another pointless room. I assume nothing happened. Hopefully they grinded through some more and dare I hope, stopped at something significant? Not much learned, not much gained, no character advancement, no closer to any campaign goal. Until next time…
