1st Session – Part 1 (4 hrs)
All of the PCs were given the option of keeping their prior PCs or rolling up new ones. Only one PC choose to retire their character – a cowardly, but effective mage. He re-rolled an assassin – Bravo. I allowed the Player to start with 2,000 XP (from a total of 3500 GP). The PCs are as follows:
Tariq the Harvester – Lvl 2 Mage-Necromancer – Spells – Choking Grasp (skeletal hand) & Summon Berserkers (4 undead minions, leaving a skull shaped smoke cloud as they disappear)
Eduardo – Lvl 3 Thief-Cat Burglar (Note: 5 CON) Wears leather
Dave Carrin – Lvl 3 Cleric-Hermit of Hera – Wears plate + large shield (+2 AC and enc.) (Note: 7 DEX and CHA)
Jace – Lvl 2 Mage-Elementalist – Spells – Burning Hands (Breathes fire), Magic Missile (Shoots Flames), Detect Magic – has wand of magic missiles
Illyrio Sicarus – Lvl 2 Assassin-Bravo – Wears leather
The campaign restarted 5 weeks after the last foray into the dungeon. Here is a quick list of the changes:
- Castellan Thevenin Verodart of Muntburg now requires that every person must buy an annual license to enter Dwimmermount at a cost of 100 GP.
- NPC Isaac Stocker had built a warehouse and has obtained from Castellan Verodart the sole right to draw water out of the moon pool. He offered the party a deal. He gave them a map to the 1st level (from the scroll case recovered by the Raiders) and promised 1000 GP if the party could rid the 1st level of the Spawn of Arach-Nacha.
- The treasure map from the vault of spoils was replaced with a treasure map to the secret treasure room on lvl 4. I had decided that the Vault of Spoils, the secret treasury on lvl 2A and the secret treasury on lvl 4 were the spoils of the IXth Thulian Legion. The general killed by Turms in the secret history, was the general of this legion, headquartered in Dwimmermount. As most of the Imperial command joined the Termaxians in hope of becoming immortal, the IXth Legion sought to sneak the spoils out bit by bit and leave. The map also provides a clue to a secret treasury in the armory on lvl 2A. It was written by Primus Centurian Cheron, the Great-Great Grandfather of Despot Cheron of Adamas, who left for ‘Fort Adamas’ before Dwimmermount was sealed.
After a brief refresher on what was going on, the party quickly adjusted to the spirit of ACKs play:
- Dave spent 2500 GP to build for a temple to Hera in Muntburg. He had permission from Revered Mother Hanna of the Adamas Temple of Hera (the highest level cleric of Hera around). He also purchased a donkey.
- Eduardo bought a war dog and hired Ukla the Quick, a spear and net using 1st lvl Barbarian-Pit Fighter as a henchman. He also bought one of the townhouses in town for 1000 GP.
- Tariq hired Barnabus Bannon, a 1st lvl Fighter-Corsair, as a henchman.
Both Eduardo and Illyrio were given the chance to start as a member of one of the area criminal syndicates:
- The “Dock Boys” – Organized Crime family based in Adamas, Muntburg, and Gloris – Muntburg crew is run by Boss Drake Horner.
- The Adamas Theives Guild – Largest syndicate in and around Adamas, (not in Muntburg or Gloris).
- The Scarlet Brotherhood – Assassin’s guild out of Adamas. Looking to expand to Muntburg.
- The Nightblades are a small guild of elven assassins based in Adamas, so although the PCs are aware of it’s existence, they are not eligible for membership.
Eduardo and Illyrio decided to remain free agents.
The party decided the easiest way to reach the area of the caverns with the Spawn of Arach-Nacha was to go through the front door. They stopped to ask the face a few questions, but since all of the questions were about the Spawn the only answer was ’I don’t know. Go away; I shall not answer you again today’. They entered a few rooms and avoided a strange dark cylinder and ghost soldiers playing Zatriko. They entered the main western hallway. They saw the blood stains from prior combats between the Raiders and the orcs. They opened a circular room with skeletal remains being picked over by giant centipedes. There was also a 5’ roughly carved corridor leading north from the room. Unfortunately, they had rolled a wandering monster check the turn before and a group of eldritch bones had been following them.
Ukla’s pit training and sharpened reflexes paid off; he was the only one not to be surprised. The front line of bones tried to overrun instead of attacking. They were unsuccessful. Ukla used his net to ensnare one, allowing him to control it. The next round, the party managed to shut the door to the centipede room and focus on the eldritch bones (EBs). Dave was unable to turn them but the combination of cleaving and poor initiative rolls by the bones provided for a quick recovery and they started to grind down the EBs.
Unfortunately the centipedes started coming out from under the door. The sound from the combat resulted in a wandering monster check which resulted in not one but two encounters: fire beetles (which had killed two characters previously) and NPC party the ‘Fist of Zeus’. A quick truce was made and the two partys made short work of the monsters. However Jace ended up ill from a centipede bite. Illyrio, tripped and fell during combat with the fire beetles (after rolling a 1 and failing a save vs. paralysis)A fire beetle swarmed on top of him. His arm was severely injured, becoming useless (Dave the hermit’s laying on hands and a roll on the mortality table later).
While they were tending to the wounds, another wandering monster roll resulted in a gelatinous cube coming from the east, forcing them away from it. Both parties decided that discretion was the greater part of valor. They went through a separate set of rooms. That led them right into 2 squads of goblins that had been watching them warily (from the warband that had moved into these rooms of the dungeon – the creators of the passageways). A series of bad rolls by the goblins resulted in a one-sided fight where Tariq’s undead berserkers and cleaving by the wardog, henchman, and multiple fighters proved too much. They broke morale and ran.
Three goblins, unable to run, surrendered. Yurain the dwarven vaultguard from the Fists killed one of the goblins. A second goblin promised it would lead the parties to safety if released. Once he was released, he ran as fast as he could, escaping into the darkness.
The last surviving goblin, Redfang, led the group out of the dungeon. Jehan of Zeus, the leader of the Fists rightfully accused Tariq of necromancy. Tariq was able to convince him otherwise, stating that it was just a trick to make his summoned berserkers more frightening. It helped that Genovese of the Fists supported him.
The party returned to Muntburg to lick their wounds, allowing Illyrio to become healthy enough for the trip to Adamas to find someone to cast Restore Life and Limb. During this time Dave the Hermit provided miracles for the peasants in Muntburg.