Keep on the Borderlands – Game Session – 016

Game summary for December 29, 2011, In Search of Adventure campaign, Keep on the Borderlands adventure; present characters included Dinendel Telemnar (elf swordmaster-conjurer), Meriwen Arnatule (elf swordmaster-conjurer), Nicholae Dragos (cleric priest), and Theobald Goblinbane (dwarf swordmaster).

After defeating the gnolls, the party opened the door and sent an invisible Dinendel and Meriwen down the hallway to scout.  The pair made too much noise, attracting half a dozen gnolls to investigate.  A battle broke out with four of the gnolls slain but two getting reinforcements.  Soon the sounds of many laughing gnolls rolling something heavy echoed down the hallway prompting the team to secure the door and retreat back through the secret door.  A few minutes later, an explosion rocked the complex but the secret escape route seemed undamaged and undiscovered.

The team then investigated a large, slightly rusted, iron door that was engraved with symbols of Chaos and bolted shut.  Theobald and Nicholae hammered out the bolts and opened the passage once Elasha detected magic on the other side.  The group carefully inched down into the tomb and discovered the source of the magic to be from one of the back sarcophagi.  When opened, it crumbed into rumble and a fearsome shrieking wight screamed up out of the grave!  It reached out and sucked away part of Nicholae’s soul before it could be put down with magic spells.

Among the rubble, the group found a jeweled dagger, a protective scroll, a powerful sword, and a magical helm.  Dinendel claimed the sword, Nicholae the scroll, and Meriwen took the dagger and donned the helm.  She then searched another coffin to make sure no more valuables were within.

The group then returned into a main hallway and advanced deeper into the caves.  Within, they found an unholy domed chapel with a checkerboard floor and a frightening altar.  The palpable evil disturbed several of the clerics who decided to destroy the altar and the bloodstained bronze items on it.  Before they started, Meriwen scooped up the bronze items which released a surge of magic that stunned Elasha, who was using detect magic at the time.  Nicholae then slammed his warhammer into the altar, which caused the toning of a massive bell.  Behind, marching feet resounded down the hallway.  The team scattered into the hallway to take defensive positions.  However, they discovered dozens of undead falling upon them and fled.

The group ran toward the orc caves, except for Meriwen who fled into the forest with the bronze items.  Nicholae and Dinendel bought the services of the orcs to fight against the advancing undead and clerics from the temple.  With the orcs by their side, the party stood ready.  The high priest, his writhing snake staff in hand, demanded the bronze items.  Unfortunately, the group did not have them.  They tried to start a war, but they discovered the orcs were in league with the clerics!

The high priest sent Nicholae and Theobald (and Dinendel, who slipped away invisibility) to find Meriwen and recover the bronze items.  They have six days or the clerics and orcs will kill all the party’s retainers!

The above summary is for a game session of Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC edition played by the Phoenix Gaming Club.

Keep on the Borderlands – Game Session – 015

Game summary for December 22, 2011, In Search of Adventure campaign, Keep on the Borderlands adventure; present characters included Darius (cleric priest), Dinendel Telemnar (elf swordmaster-conjurer), Meriwen Arnatule (elf swordmaster-conjurer), Nicholae Dragos (cleric priest), and Theobald Goblinbane (dwarf swordmaster).

Down in the dungeons, the team was joined by a traveling priest named Darius and the son of an elven lord named Dinendel “Legend” Telemnar.  The team attracted the attention of the torturer, and a battle erupted.  The group closed in, but not before he could put his axe to vicious use.  None of the party died, but blood was spilled.  Fortunately, the team overpowered him easily and took his keys.

The group then returned to the cell where Theobald unlocked the door.  Looking in, he found a medusa!  He was nearly turned to stone but was able to shake off the effects.  The party closed in to cut her down, and Nicholae met her gaze!  He struggled to break free and shook off the effect but found himself on the receiving end of one of her snake bites.  The group took down the medusa, and Nicholae was fortunate in not succumbing to the deadly poison.

Meriwen and Legend used invisibility to scout ahead and found a large storeroom swept clean of debris.  Within, they discovered several piles of bones.  Elasha used detect magic and discovered a wand of enemy detection.  Moments later, a gelatinous cube approached from the rear!  Legend jumped upon a crate, still cloaked in invisibility, while the rest of the team cleared the hallway.  Darius and Wuldric marched straight up to engage the ooze, and the team brought it down quickly with a death blow from Legend’s arrow.

The elves searched the room and discovered a secret door in the back.  Moving through, the team found the body of a human with a broken leg.  Legend found several gemstones in his crumbling purse as well as a pair of elven boots!  When Legend put them on, his footsteps were as silent as a mouse.  Next, the group found a dead end and searched to locate an additional secret door.  They triggered the latch and found a room filled to bursting with a gnoll chieftain and his entourage.  The snarling dog men eagerly sprang forward to attack!

A terrific battle ensued, with heavy blows landing on both sides.  Borislav proved again the might of his sword, as did the dwarf maid, Thyra.  The archers showed the value of ranged attacks, and the healers were sore pressed to keep the combatants on their toes.  The fight was nasty and short, ending with Wuldric knocking one of the female gnolls unconscious.  The group tied her and searched the room.  Next, they plan to ask her questions about where they are and what to expect.

The above summary is for a game session of Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC edition played by the Phoenix Gaming Club.

Keep on the Borderlands – Game Session – 014

Game summary for December 13, 2011, In Search of Adventure campaign, Keep on the Borderlands adventure; present characters included Meriwen Arnatule (elf swordmaster-conjurer) and Theobald Goblinbane (dwarf swordmaster).

Having defeated a group of zombies, the team moved further into the cavern complex to discover a massive chamber filled with a dozen skeletons.  On a raised dais across the room sat a sturdy throne embedded with gleaming garnet gems.  Theobald cautiously moved across the floor and jumped up into the seat.  As soon as his dwarven rump touched the throne, the skeletons sprung to life and attacked!  The resulting melee was brutal but short, with Wuldric taking a hard blow from a charging skeleton and Theobald suffering a flesh wound.  An attempt was made to provide Wuldric with aid, but it resulted in deepening the wound.  The party then turned to magic cure light wounds spells to heal him.

The group moved back up the corridor to find a sloping passage and two doors.  Theobald nudged one open to discover four acolytes moving to attack.  The team wiped them out in moments and locked the bodies in the room.  They then proceeded through the other doorway and down a set of stairs into darkness.

At the bottom of the steps, Meriwen used invisibility to cloak herself and do some spying.  She found a locked cell with several skeletal remains and an occupant singing in boredom.  All she could see of the cell’s inmate were a pair of shapely human legs.  Meriwen also discovered a torture chamber occupied by a massive man with a large axe.  The group decided to go to the cell but found the iron door locked.

The group suspects the torturer has the cell key.  They are now formulating plans to get his attention and ambush him.

The above summary is for a game session of Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC edition played by the Phoenix Gaming Club.

Keep on the Borderlands – Game Session 013

Game summary for December 8, 2011, In Search of Adventure campaign, Keep on the Borderlands adventure; present characters included Nicholae Dragos (cleric priest) and Theobald Goblinbane (dwarf swordmaster).

Once back in the Keep, the party released the halfling retainer Archibald Baker from his contract.  They decided to hire on some more experience help from the tavern.  Inside, they negotiated with Florencia Sekula, a young and attractive Thyatian woman with skill using the long bow.  After haggling over her retainer fees, she agreed to join the team.  Next, they spoke with a mountain of a Traladaran, Borislav Petrovic.  At 6-foot-4, 273 pounds, and thick accent, Borislav seemed just the type of intimidation and muscle the team needed.  Encouraged by his enthusiasm to break goblins and other creatures, they hired him on.  Finally, they negotiated terms with Symeon Xenakis, a male Thyatian cleric with military experience.  They were particularly intrigued by his spellcasting talent and skill with the mace.

Thus equipped, the new team included Nicholae Dragos (cleric), Theobald Goblinbane (dwarf), Borislav Petrovic (fighter), Elasha (elf), Florencia Sekula (fighter), Ma’Kala (cleric), Symeon Xenakis (cleric), Thyra Delvewalker (dwarf), and Wuldric Mineshield (dwarf).  The team set out back toward the Caves of Chaos to explore a mysterious entrance on the third tier.

The team found the entrance surrounded by twisted and blighted trees.  The hewn rock walls were of red and black veined stone.  From within, they could hear moaning and shrill piping sounds.  Cautiously, the dwarves examined the entrance for stonework traps and found nothing.  Ma’Kala ignited a torch, and the team began their delve.  As they walked along, their footsteps and creaking armor echoed all about.  They came to a halt but could still hear echoing footsteps.  Moments later, eight cleaver-wielding zombies in red and black uniforms shuffled into the light!

The zombies and the party both reacted at once, with the undead closing in around a tight formation of warriors.  Arrows and sling stones sank into putrid flesh while Borislav gleefully diced dead men to pieces.  Symeon and Wuldric took an injury or two, but overall the fight was fast and effective.  The group searched the bodies, recovering several amulets and then said of few words of prayer over the remains.  Confronting a decision to go left or right, they flipped a coin and proceeded to the left.  Soon, they came upon a strange intersection of corridors and flipped another coin.

Following this systematic method of exploration, the team found themselves in a side chamber filled with another eight zombies!  Again, the team brought the fight to the undead, with Borislav leading the charge.  The massive man laid waste to the creatures bolstered by some fine work from Symeon’s mace, Wuldric’s axe, Nicholae’s hammer, and Theobald’s magical spear.  Ma’Kala and Florencia kept a steady barrage of ranged attacks while Elasha hurled her spear and darted around the battle attacking with her short sword.  Again the party proved victorious.

Now, over a hundred feet into the winding corridors, what will the team discover next?

The above summary is for a game session of Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC edition played by the Phoenix Gaming Club.

Keep on the Borderlands – Game Session 012

Game summary for December 1, 2011, In Search of Adventure campaign, Keep on the Borderlands adventure; present characters included Nicholae Dragos (cleric priest) and Theobald Goblinbane (dwarf swordmaster).

Once back at the castellan’s keep, the team hired on a new retainer, Thyra Delvewalker (dwarf).  So, the retainers now also included Archibald Baker (halfling), Ma’Kala (cleric), and Wuldric Mineshield (dwarf).  The party asked to speak with Castellan Horvath, but he would not grant them audience for several days.  However, they ran into Captain Miklos who told them of some missing caravans from the south.  They started asking around at the keep and went to the pickle merchant, Vasile Goral, whom they had rescued from the Caves of Chaos.  He told them he was missing an entire shipment of cucumbers from the south.  The group went and hired a guide, a logger and woodsman named Vlad Bodnar, a talkative but ugly man with a single large united eyebrow.

The group bought supplies, as directed by Vlad, and set off to the south.  They crossed over a bridge and down into the swamp.  The found evidence of the trade skiff route and started following it.  As darkness fell, they encamped on a hill of dry ground.  In the middle of the night, sentries Thyra and Theobald noticed eyes approaching erratically.  As the creatures entered the ring of firelight, the dwarves realized they were under attack from giant toads!  One of the amphibians snatched Thyra with its tongue and began gnawing on her.  In moments, the entire team was up and rushing to battle.  In seconds one toad was driven off into the swamp while the other was slain.

The following morning, Vlad led the team deeper into the bogs until he found where a skiff had veered off course.  Tracking this new trail, they came upon skiff wreckage and crates.  Within, they discovered some textiles and others filled with cucumbers!  The team made note of several reptilian tracks heading further off alongside a set of humanoid prints.  Seeking survivors, the party dashed through the swamp.

After a bit, they tracked the footprints to a gruesome scene.  Half a dozen lizard men held a stripped and bound female elf in a metal cage over a growing fire.  Seeing the woman still alive, Nicholae charged forward as quickly as he could in the muck and attempted to bargain with the creatures.  The lizard men seemed uncertain what he was saying but decided the party would make a nice addition to the cooking cage.  Battle ensued as the elf worked herself out of the gag and began to scream.

The brawl was fierce and violent, with the fast moving lizard men falling upon the party in a mad dash.  Theobald tried setting his spear against the charge but was unsuccessful.  Ma’Kala and Archibald set up a barrage of arrows and sling stones while the three dwarves created a wall of stubborn resistance.  Nicholae waded in hammer first and held his ground as well.  Both sides scored telling blows, but Ma’Kala and Nicholae used their divine magic to keep their team strong.  Before long, the lizard men were all dead.

Nicholae, desperate to save the lovely naked elven female from a fiery death, plunged through the muck, mud flying.  He burst the lock and dragged the woman from a gruesome fate.  The elven maid, Elasha, had been one of the caravan guards on the doomed skiff.  In appreciation for saving her life, she agreed to travel with the party as a retainer free of charge for a period of one month.

With the rescued elf in tow, the lizard men slain, and an answer to the fate of the lost trade goods, the party returned to the keep to seek additional adventures.

The above summary is for a game session of Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC edition played by the Phoenix Gaming Club.