[DM Commentary: We've made it to five sessions!🎉🎉🎉while this may not sound like a lot, it's already set to exceed the usual modern campaign "average" and the halfway point to beating my personal best (a pathetic 9 sessions, just shy of becoming a real campaign and a real DM. This one was solid-- More use of Age of Conan's Alternate Combat System, and solid discussion afterwards weighing the advantages of it vs. Chainmail (the main takeaway being that Chainmail has more strategic depth, of course, something typically lacking in games run with OD&D's Alternate Combat, at least early on. There is an undeniable appeal to the AoC's Alternate Combat rules however, for when the collective energy of the game is starting to flag, and for those little encounters where it's not really worth it to get all procedural-- unless you're fighting an absurdly downright comically large number of rats in a tactically rich location more befitting of a dragon, it's just not worth it to troop-type that shit.)
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| like this but way less cool |
But enough about the nitty gritty, you're here to read about unlikely allies plumbing the depths of a dusty temple, winning hard fought gold with flashing steel and Stygian sorcery!]
As sumac and Ihterahm plot their next move into the temple before dawn, a bright flash and a puff smoke appears before them, revealing Shak-Amen the sorcerer. His heavy footmen, listlessly guarding the the front are eager to see his return.
A plan is drawn up. Probe the second floor once again, investigate to see if there is further serpent-man activity, and of course, get more treasure. They drop down once more into the corridor beneath the loose stone, dropping down into the corridor from which they were stalked from the shadows previously. After the small army is lowered one by one into the space below (miraculously not drawing suspicion from the denizens of the place), they move northwest, discovering a a five way cross-section of different corridors, as well as a chamber to the north. Heading into the chamber revealed a door to the north, and a stairwell that led back up to the surface.
Going into the chamber revealed a nasty sight-- Several giant rats feasting upon the corpse of a foolhardy bandit who sought to purloin the place alone. These rats did what cornered animals are known to do in such a circumstance (that is to say, fight like hell!) Which, while it ultimately went as you would've expected, the rats did the unthinkable. In what is possibly one of the shittier strokes of misfortune for an NPC, he was bested by the rodents. The heavy footmen under him were shaken but remained steadfast as they remembered the generosity of their fat-pocketed sorcerer patron.
The corpses of two men and seven rats filled in the chamber. The sack held by the original (holding a lump some of 2000 gold coins) and a bottle containing a runny liquid the color of swamp water was greedily snatched from his rigor mortise beset hands. Sensing magic, Shak-Amen sampled the liquid, surprised to find a pungent aroma and the taste of garum upon his tongue. Then, after the sorcerer reorganized his regiment of troops to account for the loss of his lieutenant, the party decides to head south, finding a peculiar door which could not be opened from their side. Sumac, decides it would be remiss not to make use of his trusty pry bar, manages to craftily thwart the stubborn door. Upon doing this, he discovers two things:
1.The door was, in fact, designed to be a one-way door.
2. Another undead creature was facing him and the rest of the party down in the corridor (a wight specifically).
They figure it would fall much like the one they encountered on the first floor. However, I remembered that they can only be harmed by silver or magic weapons, making it much more appropriately terrifying. Alexander Ma- I mean Ihterahm the Borderer gets an involuntary level liposuction procedure, and after one too many rounds of futile jabbing against the creature, they decide to book it.
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| This is basically how it went down. |
They then decide to forge ahead to the northeast in a corridor that runs parallel to the one they entered through, discovering a closed door that opens to the south. strangely it is slightly ajar, and they notice a trail of blood and purple powder covered footprints on the floor leading back to the way they came-- likewise, a large clump of the stuff in the jamb too.
Sumac jostles the door slightly and shines a light through the crack. An eruption of the the purple stuff comes flying through the gap, along with an ear splitting screech... Shriekers.
The party leaders and a few heavy foot funnel in, doing the best they can to kill the remaining two (whoever was here prior fortunately managed to kill one) before attracting too much attention. Three rounds and a temporary case of tinnitus later, they exit through a door to the east, discovering a grizzly sight: an unlit cresset, a pool of blood (now dry and coagulated), and a razor blade. No doubt the site of a murder, or perhaps a grizzly sacrifice. Any thought about the details of this scene (including a joking inquiry on whether or not the straight razor is cursed or not) are interrupted as three degenerated serpent-men come to face them. Shak-Amen attempts to use his sorcerous ventriloquism to intimidate them. This plan proceeds to go over like a lead balloon, as the scaly monsters heckle him for not being as powerful as their master who lives below in his lair, untouched by lowly and foolish humans who dared to build a temple dedicated to the priest of a lawful god above them.
Shak-Amen then does the thing any human would do in this situation-- call them slurs and send in his men to fight for him. The enemies are once again outnumbered, though they did get one parting shot-- Taking out the Himelean Ihterander Bordercris, and making him the third character for this player to be killed in this campaign.
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| R .I. P |
Still high on the adrenaline of combat and bloodshed, Shak-Amen briefly considers declaring war on serpent-mankind before realizing he would be immediately K.O.S'ed by Thoth-Amon for making such a public declaration with three decapitated serpent-man heads.
The party now remains in the dungeon, frozen in time waiting to be brought to greatness or doom... and the time is almost at hand once again.
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