Charles Plemons' Blog

After three hours of excitement, game session 28 of Age of Worms came to a close. Present characters included Eol Seregon (half-elf hexblade), Grot Bloodtunneler (shield dwarf warmain), Lyrin Sinbal (simian warmage), Valgen (human fighter), and one of the Character Pool characters, Carn Fodelfex (whisper gnome cleric).

Carn opened the night by casting water breathing, allowing the party to descend down the water-filled barrel shaft. Approximately 75 feet down (35 feet down the shaft to the water surface, 40 feet of water), the party discovered a passageway leading into a large room. Within they battled a giant octopus who was eventually slain by vicious stabbing and a number of magic missiles. The group found a lever to raise and lower the water level in the room, along with a platform accessible when the water and central lever-pillar were at their highest level. Carn and Valgen remained on the platform trying to get through a door, while the rest of the party drained the water and searched the room below. After busting down the door with a portable ram, Valgen found himself bull rushed by a doppelganger. He flew backward and tripped over Carn, plummeting 40 feet to the floor below. Fortunately, he just missed landing on Eol. The casters made short work of the doppelganger, and the group raised the water level back up to get to the platform.

The group moved into a hallway lined with numerous iron doors, including double iron doors on each end. They tried the doors, finding them locked except for the bathroom and a planning room behind the first set of double doors. Within a pair of doppelgangers attacked the front line, but Lyrin blasted them with a fireball, which also destroyed the paper contents of the room. The group found a secret door, but it only held a scattering of cloaks within. The team moved toward the other double doors, but Grot discovered (by plunging into it) that a large pit trap lay before the door. Carn used fly to investigate, while Eol attempted to climb down and Valgen feather fell in. Grot was not a the bottom of the 30-ft.-deep pit, but Valgen quickly discovered the floor was false, and he fell on through. After some doing, they found that the false floor hid another 30-ft. of pit, lined with spikes and a silence effect. As most of the party tried to climb ropes out, Lyrin stood looking over the edge. He was caught completely unaware and nearly bushwhacked by a pair of doppelgangers. He spun about as the second doppelganger untied the rope holding up Eol. As the half-elf skewered on a spike, Lyrin defensively cast his second fireball and turned his two adversaries into crispy critters. Unfazed, he turned back and helped his allies out of the pit.

The party busted open the other doors to find sleeping quarters for the doppelgangers. They then discovered a strange black-mirrored room filled with chairs. Manacled to the chairs were the members of the entire party screaming against their gags for freedom! They ungagged the bound Valgen who began swearing up and down that the Valgen with the party was an imposter and that he was the real Valgen. So, Valgen gagged him back. Riddled with doubt and suspicion, the group further tied up the manacled people and eyed one another warily. They discovered a secret door and decided to move on and deal with sorting out who is who later on. They then found a mirror maze whose reflections make the maze appear to go on endlessly.

The party now stands at the entrance of the maze looking back at their own reflections. Running through each of their minds is the thought that any number of their allies could actually be tied to a chair and ruthless doppelgangers walk with them waiting the right opportunity to plunge a dagger into their backs!

Game session 27 of the Age of Worms is in the books. Present party members included Aker Cruven (litorian ritual warrior), Eol Seregon (half-elf hexblade), Grot Bloodtunneler (shield dwarf warmain), Lyrin Sinbal (simian warmage), and Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric).

The game began with the party finding Sodden Hold in the Dock Ward. After examining the building for a few minutes, they tried their key in the front door and found it unlocked the entry. The group discovered a room full of barrels, crates and chests piled about. Three closed doors appeared to lead from the room, and a catwalk overlooked the far wall. Once inside, the party was attacked by a trio of mimics disguised as crates and barrels. The gang quickly discovered that mimic glue is impossible to resist and several of the team was stuck fast. Grot remained mobile and laboriously hammered away at the shapeshifters, peeling his hammer free after each blow. Aker tore into the creatures with his razor fangs while Eol cursed two of them with his hexblade vexings. Enraged by the audacity of the mimics to grapple him, Morak went into a rage and struggled furiously in an effort to free himself. From the doorway, spellslinging Lyrin peppered the monsters with magic missiles. Despite taking a beating, the team eventually killed all of the mimics. There was some concern at the amount of resources Sodden Hold had already depleted when Morak burned charge after charge from his healing wands in order to revitalize his allies and self.

Once the mimics were slain, the group examined two small rooms, including a cluttered office and a room with a rickety ladder up to the catwalk. The group quickly found the ladder would not hold weight and collapsed part of the catwalk and the ladder on their heads. Grot then moved to the last door, and the party gathered close around for a quick entry. He bashed the door with his hammer and triggered a trap which dumped the entire party except Morak into a 40-ft.-deep spiked-filled pit. Using a rope, Morak helped extract his impaled and bleeding comrades.

Eol and Morak stacked crates and went up to the catwalk and found footprints leading right up into a wall. They could find no secret door, so using finesse, they knocked the wall down. Eol led the way down a flight of stairs behind the newly exposed secret door. He found a locked door and a hallway with a couple of closed chests. He bashed one open and found a blue cloak, so he opened the next to find a bag of holding full of gold and a periapt of health.

The group then proceeded through the door and found a dungeon with several cells. One held an elven woman who would not come out of the cell for fear of being beaten. She indicated hundreds of people had come through this hallway and she was through with their games of giving her false hope of escape. Another cell held a pair of male humans who accused the party of being part of whatever group was holding them captive. The last cell held what they thought was a corpse but turned out to be a badly injured man. Morak healed him, and the man proved to be stark raving mad. The party offered to let the prisoners go free and indicated they could either flee or sit there, they didn’t care. Part of the group then opened the next doors while Lyrin and Grot remained behind, keeping an eye on the prisoners.

The next room was in shambles. Most of the floor had rotted away and fallen into the harbor, exposing a webwork of slippery timbers and supports up 10 ft. above the water. Within the water were numerous corpses as well as rusting blades and spears jutting out at all angles. Eol and Aker walked out on the timbers and were soon both bleeding in the water. Aker climbed a support post and got back on the timbers, while Eol threw a grapple up and pulled himself to a section of flooring. As Aker arrived on the same landing, something unseen attacked him viciously. Soon, Aker and Eol were engaged with unseen enemies in a fight for their lives. Morak cast godspeed and hurtled out across the beams, slipping and sliding, but at great speed. He balanced on the beams and cast healing spells on the injured half-elf and litorian. Then, in an amazing display of strength (and odd display of grace, for a dwarf), he lept across a five-foot span over the water and spears to land behind his allies and engage the invisible enemies.

Soon, the three battered and killed the two invisible stalkers and claimed the landing as a “safe” area. Using ropes, they assisted Grot and Lyrin in getting across. Once there, the went through a door into another room. Within, they found a strange situation. An opening in the floor led into a 10 ft. by 10 ft. shaft that plunged down 35 ft. to water. Bobbing in the water was a large, man-sized open barrel. A crude rope ladder descended along the side to the barrel. Using a rope, Eol was lowered into the barrel, which did nothing but bob about. After raising him back out of the shaft, the party realized they are now presented with a puzzle.

How will the heroes navigate the shaft and barrel conundrum? Check back next week.

It was game session 26 of the Age of Worms campaign. While moving through the streets of Waterdeep, the party encountered a strange street prophet who spouted off about the Age of Worms. They also encountered a parade of entertainers and caged animals, including a blue chimera that broke free of its restraints! The party’s new litorian ritual warrior proved his bravery by charging headlong at the beast and attacking it with just his biting jaws! The group made short work of the creature and then proceeded to locate the home of Dagsumn the sage.

Dagsumn was eager to research the items they brought but warned the group it could take a week or so to gather the necessary information. In the meantime, he encouraged them to stay at the Crooked House inn located in the Trade Ward. The party hit it off well with the proprietor, Tarquin Shortstone XXIV. As evening wore on, they were entertained by traveling comedian, Barty the Buffoon. During his act, a pair of courtesans went upstairs with party member Grot Bloodtunneler. Shortly thereafter, Grot walked back downstairs and stabbed Tarquin through the chest with a dagger. He then ran back upstairs.

The inn erupted into commotion and panic with people calling for the guards and patrons accosting the party. Another courtesan ran down the stairs yelling at the party and urging the crowd to detain or attack the group. After feigning being attacked by Evo, she drew forth a hidden short sword and stabbed him viciously. Aker quickly disarmed her, while Lyrin used magical wind to keep the crowd back. Valgen was detained as he tried to make his way upstairs, but Evo used his tumbling skills to evade the wench and the crowd and run to the third floor. Meanwhile, the disarmed woman began striking Lyrin, Aker and Valgen with hammering barehanded blows, dealing far more damage than anyone expected.

Evo found Grot upstairs enjoying the company of the two courtesans, completely oblivious to the events transpiring below. Both of them ran downstairs back to the commotion. The party fought against the woman and she died beneath the crushing hammer of Morak Beardfist. As she died, she resumed her true form, that of a doppelganger! The crowd realized they had been duped, and Morak was allowed to use his healing prayers on Tarquin.

The Watch soon arrived and took a report on the entire incident. They also charged a fine of 100 gp to Grot for engaging in lascivious activity with known ladies of the evening. No arrests were made. The party also discovered a key on the doppelganger’s corpse that matches the markings on an old warehouse in the Dock Ward called Sodden Hold. The party then retired for the evening with plans of seeking out Sodden Hold at their first opportunity.

It was game session 25 of Age of Worms. The heroes quickly disposed of the spawn-turned Cam, dropping it with a nasty lightning bolt from Lyrin. They then set out immediately north toward the City of Splendors, Waterdeep.

On the road, they were attacked while camping at night by a pair of trolls. After beating the trolls unconscious, they realized they kept healing all the damage dealt. Zebaum and Lyrin found that fire seemed to do some lasting damage, and they burned up both trolls.

A few days later, the gang arrived at the gates of Waterdeep. After a two-hour wait, they are inspected by the gate guards. A kind 400 gp donation to the guards’ favorite charity kept them moving right along through. Once within, the majesty and tragedy that combines to make Waterdeep swept over the party as they realized they now stand in a whole new world.

It was game session 24 of Age of Worms and my 200th game as Dungeon Master for this group. After consulting with Yellowknife in Daggerford, the party made haste back to Cromm’s Hold. They found the undead contained and debated strategy for a long time. Eventually, Lyrin used unseen servant to clear debris from the stairwell and grant access to the basement. As the party moved into the basement, things fell apart.

Finding the spawn of Kyuss, in their full glory, was a mind-shattering event of terrifying proportions. Several of the party members could not handle the supernatural fear and ran screaming about the basement in blind panic. While they ran about, the spawn covered them in worms which began eating into their brains. Evo had made an effective use of a necklace of fireballs (hitting the enemy and allies, however) and tried to follow it with a melee attack with a flask of alchemist’s fire (the first time that tactic has been used, anywhere, to my knowledge). Sadly, he succumbed to the fear and dropped the flask on himself.

Grot, despite the worm in his body, managed to injure the spawn and bring one down. Lyrin came in with spells a-blazin’ and laid out the other two. The party regrouped on the main floor, and Camthalion (who had numerous worms in him) fell face first onto the floor. Morak extracted a worm from Grot’s skull with his dagger. After a short while, Evo went over to dig the worms out of Cam with his dagger and found the great elf had died!

The entire party looked on in horror as Cam’s eyes burst and worms boiled up from within his brain, pouring out of his empty sockets, mouth and nose. Hands flew to weapons as his corpse sat upright in their midst…

Game session 23 of Age of Worms is complete. After slaying the lizard king, Redeye, the party followed Hishka through a submerged tunnel and attacked a group of kobolds loyal to Ilthane. They then waded into a pool filled with hundreds of lizardfolk eggs in order to examine the black dragon egg also present. When Lyrin touched the egg, it cracked and fell apart, spilling hundreds of short green worms into the water. Hishka went hysterical and began grabbing up eggs and carrying them out of the water. The party dove in with him, snatching eggs as quickly as they could move.

The worms churned the water as they moved about, and as the group watched, worms burrowed into the lizardfolk eggs near them. Within a few moments, the eggs began hatching and half-formed lizardfolk spawn swam forth with worms bursting from the flesh, nostrils and eye sockets. Lyrin succeeded in destroying many of the worms with a fireball but also destroyed several lizardfolk eggs. Valgen recovered a submerged chest and drug it to shore, and then he and Zebaum entered the pool and snatched up several of the half-formed spawn. They took the creatures and had Grot bash them to bits.

The lizardfolk were overjoyed that the group saved so many of their eggs; Hishka even ran about kissing party members. The group opened the chest to find some magical items and a small fortune in coins. They then gathered up Marzena and the other refugees and headed back to Cromm’s Hold.

At the Hold, the party found that some kind of undead creature was trapped in the basement and it had claimed two others to join it. Undaunted, Grot and Valgen began pulling the barrier out of the way. One of the creatures slipped its arm through and tossed some small green worms onto Grot, which quickly disappeared under his armor. The group began putting the barrier back in place as Grot began thrashing about in pain and desperately ripping at his armor. The dwarf screamed and clutched his head in agony as the worms burrowed through his flesh and into his brain. Zebaum and Morak drew daggers and performed a crude extraction. Although badly injured, Grot survived with the aid of Beardfist’s divine prayers and Camthalion’s use of the perpetual talisman.

The team helped further barricade the area and told the residents of the Hold they would return in two days after traveling to Daggerford to consult Yellowknife for a solution. Once there, they find that Yellowknife knew little more than they but recommended they seek out an old ally of his in Waterdeep. However, he asked that they first return to Cromm’s Hold and deal with the menace in the basement.