Game summary for March 29, 2012, In Search of Adventure campaign, X8: Drums on Fire Mountain adventure; present characters included Dinendel “Legend” Telemnar (elf swashbuckler-enchanter), Meriwen Arnatule (elf swashbuckler-enchanter), Nicholae Dragos (cleric elder), and Theobald Goblinbane (dwarf myrmidon).
The team moved down the stairs following the trail of the pig-man to find a massive fungi-filled chamber with two pools of water. Meriwen crept forward seeking treasure and was attacked by a pair of giant leeches that attached to her draining blood. The team engaged the vermin but the creatures continued draining away. Meriwen pulled forth a dagger and sliced one of the leeches away while a pair of giant toads charged up from the fungus!
The toads attacked Ma’Kala, mauling her leg, and moved against Nicholae but failed to harm him. The mighty cleric flattened a toad with a deadly charge! Legend cut down another leech and spun about to attack the last toad, killing it. The team healed Meriwen, and the elf then moved about invisibly and lead the group past several more toads.
The Conquerors of Chaos found a long half mile tunnel leading to a large room blocked by two iron gates. They explored a bit and opened a far door revealing another long corridor. Nicholae took out an iron spike and tried to hammer the hinges of the gates, and the barriers sprung to life! The flailing bars whacked several team members, sending them scattering into the hallways. The group tried to get the gates to move past the doors, but the mobile metal barriers stayed put.
Meriwen tried to clamber through the bars invisibly and was suddenly trapped by the crushing metal! She let out a scream as ribs shattered. The team listened in horror as the invisible elf was squeezed to death by the constricting bars!
The team decided to attack the gates full force and rushed into the hallway. The team battered against the iron as it animated and attacked again. Ma’Kala and blind Maerie stayed down the hallway out of harm’s way. So the team thought. Maerie, no longer faking blindness, stepped forward yelling “advance!” and revealing a magic dagger as she backstabbed Ma’Kala. The iron bars shove the rest of the team backward past the exits while Ma’Kala tried to run from Maerie.
Maerie moved into the room, opened a door and yelled a warning, “Father, they have a scroll of fireball!” She then moved through the door and locked it. The group smashed one of the juggernauts to pieces, but Legend was crushed between the last gate and the wall! He pulled out Myth, the folding horse, to try and make space. However, the horse was crushed back into cloth form. Nicholae and Ma’Kala frantically dropped cure light wounds on the pinned elf while the team pounded away on the bars. Just as the last life was about to spew out of Legend, the team smashed the second juggernaut!
The team licked its wounds and said a prayer over the invisible corpse of Meriwen. They then prepared to move on through the door and try to face off with the pig-man and traitorous Maerie!
The above summary is for a game session of Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC edition played by the Phoenix Gaming Club.