Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for February 22, 2022, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Arminious Ironkeep (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Katarina Magdanov (Human Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), and Valor Eagleclaw (Human Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team discussed options with the Hutaakans and amongst themselves.  The priestess allowed them to examine the key to the tomb of the elders, and Koehan was able to determine it is merely a fancy metal scroll with the spells knock and continual light.  They realized Katarina already has the means to enter the tomb without the key but they still likely need the priestess to perform a holy ritual to Pflarr, so there is little to gain by getting the Knowledge of the Elders without her.  They debated the Traldar’s theory of needing the water from the Singing Pool, but they decided to believe the Hutaakans’ claim that it would not work.  They also considered if they can access the elders’ vault without the key using their arcane magic, so too could Golthar.  After much debate and discussion, they decided it is in the best interest of everyone to work with the Hutaakans and retrieve the book. 

The group burned the bodies of the dead to prevent them from rising up again (all but the Traldar slain by the Hutaakan whom they instead buried).  The team set out across the valley and narrowly avoided a Traldar patrol.  They crossed the road leading to Ronkan, the city currently occupied by the Traldar and hid themselves in the tall grass to await evening.  They plan to approach the tomb under the cover of darkness so as to avoid the Traldar, even though there is increased risk of running into the undead. 

Game summary for February 15, 2022, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Arminious Ironkeep (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Katarina Magdanov (Human Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), and Valor Eagleclaw (Human Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The undead closed in as the party spun about.  Garadal fell back and unleashed a volley of arrows.  Katarina and Koehan began firing magic missiles and Arminious attempted to turn the undead!  It staggered several for a moment, but then they fell back in step with the rest.  Stephan step in to help protect Katarina, and Valor brought the fight to the dead.  The Hutaakans began trying to turn the undead and swung their maces.  The terrified Traldar ran into the middle of the group and cowered.  One of the Hutaakan priestesses stepped up and killed the Traldar with her mace!  Katarina rushed in and muscled her to the ground. 

The undead killed several Hutaakans, but as the battle wore on, more undead fell than the living.  After a while, despite many grievous wounds, the living began to overcome the undead horde.  The Hutaakans held their own against the dead fairly well as well.  In the aftermath, the two sides stood facing one another with the slain lying all around.  The high priestess asked the team to help them put an end to the undead hordes by retrieving the tome and enacting the ritual within.   

Game summary for February 1, 2022, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Arminious Ironkeep (Human Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Katarina Magdanov (Human Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), and Valor Eagleclaw (Human Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team traveled on and found a dead human by a copse of trees.  While investigating, more humans emerged from the trees astride giant lizards!  The men immediately assumed the party had killed their friend.  They began talking in archaic Traladaran, which several in the party could speak.  After a few tense moments, they convinced them they had not killed him.  They learned these are the Traldar and they are at war with the Hutaakans.  They told the party the Hutaakans are raising armies of the dead to kill them and they undead attack their villages every night.  They agreed to take the party to speak to their chief, Guri-Ben-Kaal.  The party was amazed to learn some Traldar have an astounding vocal ability to scream out and send some kind of coded signals across the valley. 

The party set out into the woods with the Traldar as night approached.  They made camp in a fortified shrine.  The Traldar were visibly terrified of the falling darkness and said the dead approached at night.  Shortly after dark, they heard chanting like nothing any of them had ever heard.  The vocal Traldar yelled out across the valley, and they received orders to stop this group of chanting Hutaakans from doing whatever rituals they were doing.  Going out into the night was too much though, and the Traldar shamefully decided not to go.  The party tried to convince them to come with but only succeeded in getting two to agree. 

They all got astride the lizards and shot out into the woods in a wild ride through the dark.  The lizards could see, but most of the party could night!  The harrowing ride was fast and brief but certainly exhilarating.  After a short while following the chanting they found torches burning and over a dozen Hutaakan priests performing some kind of ceremony.  They team charged in and disrupted things.  The Hutaakans were shocked and didn’t know what to think about these strange humans.

The high priestess, Kforedz, told them the Traldar were causing the undead to rise because they had sacked the temple and angered The One.  The Hutaakans were desperately trying to a ritual to appease it and their angered deity Pflarr.  She told them she believes they need the Knowledge of the Elders, an ancient tome, from the Vault of the Elders to return things to normal.  The Traldar scoffed and said only filling the altar bowl with water from the Singing Pool would appease the entity.  Kforedz said they never actually needed the water from the pool and just told the Traldar that to keep them busy.

Before a huge argument could erupt, a spear burst through the back of one of the Traldar!  A horde of undead had closed in around them in the darkness!  The Hutaakans fell back in fear shouting, “They are upon us!” as the party drew their weapons!