Expedition: Ablesforth: The Demon Hole: Part 2 - 30 Aug 2021

[Zhym]

"Oh, right," says Pendleton. "I misread my own map. Maybe we should check north wall of the trash room for secret doors."

[Rusty Tincanne]

Able takes a look at the stone work, looking for miscolored or mislayed stones, even tapping a few for good measure. Masonry ain't really my thing, actually. More of a timbered barn man, m'self. He moves to inspect the other door as well, checking it for a pressure plate, scything blades, poisoned needles, etc. He uses any lengthy spear/halberd shafts from the corpses to prod it.

Marullus, how did the door we entered through latch, out of curiosity? Was there a key hole on the outside? And just a plate on the inside?

[Marullus]

You carefully inspect the north wall but find nothing of interest beyond the scrapings of feverish fingernails of all those trapped here to die before your arrival.

Ablesforth also inspect the opposite door. He finds no signs of traps, though its not usually his forte. The does note that both doors are extra thick, reinforced with iron, and have a solid face on the inside while on the outside of the door you entered through is a key hole.

Dolph's torch burns low.

Date: 02 September 2021, 12:50pm
Light: Torch (until 12:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (All); Invisibility (Pendleton)
Injuries: Ablesforth (moderately injured); Dolph (moderately injured); Jacques (moderately injured)

[Zhym]

"East gate out of the magic circle room next?" asks Pendleton. "Or shall we abandon all pretense of stealth and try blasting one of the trapped doors in the north room with magic?"

[Marullus]

*bump*

[Rusty Tincanne]

Let's give that East gate a go, and see if'n it shows promise. After that, we can start blastin' doors.

[Zhym]

From the OOC thread:

You may never finish the demon hole if you keep exploring every room and running away every two or three. You are on your fourth (or fifth) foray, you've explored about ten rooms. It is a maze and you've covered less than 10% of it. You have a magic device that leads you directly to your objective - it will go faster if you use it.

That magic device doesn't care if the route to our objective leads us through a bunch of monsters or past traps we have no way to disable.

I don't think there's any way we get through the Big Damn Demon maze unless someone else takes over DMing it.

Maybe Ablesforth and Pendleton should look at ways of sealing the whole damned* cave shut and solving the problem that way?

*Literally.

[Marullus]

To be fair... it's an OSR dungeon. EVERY route is past monsters and/or traps you can't disable. That's the point.

Also, your objective is to close the hell gate with the scroll. As soon as you do so, the Archduke pays to cap the hole with a Guild Tower for Baxtaw and Pendleton's wizard guild, so they can control the entrance. (It is too dangerous to cap it with the gate open and an endless supply of demon-spawn within.) At that point, it can be further explored by wizards of the guild at a more liesurely pace - I'm talking to Starbeard about letting him take it over for you to canvas the other 90% of the rooms.

If Ablesforth and Pendleton honestly want to quit IC, I would consider turning it over to Starbeard early (so your PCs can still participate).

[Zhym]

Sure, monsters and traps are the point. But they also sort of get in the way of the whole, "why don't you just go straight to the place where you need to read the scroll?" criticism. We're trying to, but the dungeon keeps dungeoning all around us.

If someone can run this dungeon, I'm fine playing on—although we really should hire a thief. I just don't want Pendleton to end up stuck in expedition limbo.

[Marullus]

While commenting OOC... it likely occurs to your characters that dawdling is working against you. A well-prepared, hard push to your objective might succeed. (Excepting the hard time you had with those lizards) most of your encounters have been wandering-monster generated, which directly correlate with how many turns you spend doing other things.

I'm discussing options with Starbeard.

[Zhym]

I think our most obvious current obstacles are those deadly traps in the way of where we want to go. We don't have anyone in the party who can deal with them other than by setting them off. Which maybe is what you mean by "hard push," but that's sort of OOC for Pendleton.

Maybe Able could ask one of the templars to open the booby trapped portcullis, with a promise that he'll totally heal him after he's done.

[Rusty Tincanne]

...most of your encounters have been wandering-monster generated...

Not entirely true. Our first foray was fraught with those screaming mushrooms which drew in a giant insects, goblins and sniffers. Which is why our characters (and this player) are so gun-shy. And for the record, Idriss has been down in this hole four times and had his ass handed to him each time. It's him that's keeping group morale so low. Dude is spooked!

That said, if we could retcon that Templar recruiting some more folks when he went to town, I think Able is fine with a hard push. It's more his style. Basically, we need a thief, maybe a second cleric, and if any fighters wanted to come along, that wouldn't be turned down. If not, we can still try for a push.

[Zhym]

Yeah. We really, really need a thief. Another cleric and some fighters wouldn't be amiss, but the thief is key with all these traps. I didn't even realize that there was a place we could recruit thieves until a recent discussion.

I know you aren't a fan of retconning things like that, Marullus, but it would really speed things up if we could boost party membership to make a push viable.

[Marullus]

I'll allow the retcon to hire more mercs. You got three more - one warrior and two thieves. There are now nine of you for the "hard push."

Finishing with the burned chamber and considering your options, you review your retinue. You brought three new brave souls with you who wished to help the Templar cause: Sigmund, a blessed warrior protected by Eruanna's grace, and both Rhe and Kerr, who have found forgiveness for their ways in Eruanna's mercy and now seek to aid the Templars in their quest to close this infernal gate.

Three warriors.jpg (64.26 KiB) Viewed 488 times

This brings your total retinue to two wizards, a cleric of Eruanna, four blessed warriors, and two former thieves. You consider your map, the incense, and the best route ahead...


Date: 02 September 2021, 12:50pm
Light: Torch (until 12:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (Able, Pendleton, Idriss, Dolph, Jacques, Molay); Invisibility (Pendleton)
Injuries: Ablesforth (moderately injured); Dolph (moderately injured); Jacques (moderately injured)

* Ablesforth = max 4 retainers (CHA 12)
* Pendleton = max 5 retainers (CHA 15, -1 reaction bonus)

Currently have four retainers, all Templars, so all with Ablesforth. Make five rolls for Pendleton.
Pendleton Recruiting [2d6] = 3[2d6] = 5[2d6] = 8[2d6] = 7[2d6] = 5
Pendleton recruiting [2d6] = 7[2d6] = 11[2d6] = 8[2d6] = 11[2d6] = 9

Three new retainers. He's level4 4.
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 4
Level [1d10] = 9[1d10] = 6[1d10] = 6

Sigmund, 3rd level fighter
Stats: INT:7, STR:13, WIS:10, DEX:7, CON:14, CHR:11
[3d8] = 19
Longsword [1d8+1] (Thaco 17)
Chainmail and Shield (AC 5)
HP: 19 / 19

Rhe, 2nd level Thief
Stats: STR:9, INT:9, WIS:8, DEX:9, CON:11, CHR:11
[1d4] = 3[1d4] = 4
Longsword [1d8] (Thac0 19)
Studded Leather (AC 7)
Find/Remove Traps (17%)
Pick Locks (23%)
HP: 7 / 7

Kerr, 2nd level Thief
Stats: STR:14, INT:8, WIS:11, DEX:10, CON:13, CHR:13
HP: [1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4[1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5
Longsword [1d8+1] (Thac0 18)
Studded Leather (AC 7)
Find/Remove Traps (17%)
Pick Locks (23%)
HP: 9 / 9

[Marullus]

I'll allow the retcon to hire more mercs. You got three more - one warrior and two thieves. There are now nine of you for the "hard push."

Finishing with the burned chamber and considering your options, you review your retinue. You brought three new brave souls with you who wished to help the Templar cause: Sigmund, a blessed warrior protected by Eruanna's grace, and both Rhe and Kerr, who have found forgiveness for their ways in Eruanna's mercy and now seek to aid the Templars in their quest to close this infernal gate.

Three warriors.jpg (64.26 KiB) Viewed 488 times

This brings your total retinue to two wizards, a cleric of Eruanna, four blessed warriors, and two former thieves. You consider your map, the incense, and the best route ahead...


Date: 02 September 2021, 12:50pm
Light: Torch (until 12:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (Able, Pendleton, Idriss, Dolph, Jacques, Molay); Invisibility (Pendleton)
Injuries: Ablesforth (moderately injured); Dolph (moderately injured); Jacques (moderately injured)

* Ablesforth = max 4 retainers (CHA 12)
* Pendleton = max 5 retainers (CHA 15, -1 reaction bonus)

Currently have four retainers, all Templars, so all with Ablesforth. Make five rolls for Pendleton.
Pendleton Recruiting [2d6] = 3[2d6] = 5[2d6] = 8[2d6] = 7[2d6] = 5
Pendleton recruiting [2d6] = 7[2d6] = 11[2d6] = 8[2d6] = 11[2d6] = 9

Three new retainers. He's level4 4.
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 4
Level [1d10] = 9[1d10] = 6[1d10] = 6

Sigmund, 3rd level fighter
Stats: INT:7, STR:13, WIS:10, DEX:7, CON:14, CHR:11
[3d8] = 19
Longsword [1d8+1] (Thaco 17)
Chainmail and Shield (AC 5)
HP: 19 / 19

Rhe, 2nd level Thief
Stats: STR:9, INT:9, WIS:8, DEX:9, CON:11, CHR:11
[1d4] = 3[1d4] = 4
Longsword [1d8] (Thac0 19)
Studded Leather (AC 7)
Find/Remove Traps (17%)
Pick Locks (23%)
HP: 7 / 7

Kerr, 2nd level Thief
Stats: STR:14, INT:8, WIS:11, DEX:10, CON:13, CHR:13
HP: [1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4[1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5
Longsword [1d8+1] (Thac0 18)
Studded Leather (AC 7)
Find/Remove Traps (17%)
Pick Locks (23%)
HP: 9 / 9

[Zhym]

Pendleton suggests returning to the room with all the trapped doors. If they make it there without being accosted, he asks the former thieves if they think they can do something about at least one of the traps without getting squashed or otherwise killed.

[Marullus]

The group nods, traversing the four rooms unscathed - the bunk room, the statue room, the knotwork room, and the lizard bones room - to reach the place that Pendleton specified. The congealed blood on the floor amids the shifting piles of bone fragments reveal where the lizards died, but their bodies are now gone.

You point out the traps to Rhe and Kerr: the scything blade on the way to the far door (who's pressure plate can be circumvented) and the collapsing ceiling above the right-hand secret door hidden within the bone mural. The two former footpads consider their options. They walk around the scythe trap and try the lock on the far door first, but neither is able to get the lock open. Next, they try the locked door at the far end of the left wall - Rhe is able to pop open the lock and the door can be opened now into the room beyond. Meanwhile, Kerr tries to disable the traps on the secret mural door while all others step back. He fails as the mechanism slips from his fingers, the blocks falling from the ceiling! Only by the grace of Eruanna is he able to leap out of the way just in time to avoid critical injury.

The far door remains locked, but both the door on the left and the mural door on the right are now options.

(Actions?)


Date: 02 September 2021, 1:30pm
Light: Rhe's Torch (until 1:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (Able, Pendleton, Idriss, Dolph, Jacques, Molay); Invisibility (Pendleton)
Injuries: Ablesforth (moderately injured); Dolph (moderately injured); Jacques (moderately injured)

Open Lock [1d100] = 38[1d100] = 55
Open Lock [1d100] = 20[1d100] = 38
disarm [1d100] = 51 trigger [1d6] = 4 disarm [1d100] = 48 trigger [1d6] = 1
Kerr Save vs Petrify [1d20] = 12 Damage [2d6] = 8

[Zhym]

Pendleton thanks the men for their efforts and ponders which direction to go.

Do we know how long the candle that tells us which way to go will last? It attracts demonspawn, right? We can't light it, put it out, then light it again, etc., to avoid drawing enemies towards us, can we?

[Marullus]

Correct - the incense is lit once, burns eight hours, and can't be extinguished. It shows you the way to the nearest/largest extraplanar source of power (i.e. the Gate). It is incense, and can be followed as a scent trail by sniffers, so after you light it, all random encounters are with sniffers instead of mixed results.

[Zhym]

"This is no time to start guessing," declares Pendleton. "Light the candle, and let's start following it."