The Unexpected in the Caves of Chaos.
Session #024: Still Hate Xvarts.
PCs (in alphabetical order)
Krago of the Mountains (Pete) Male Mountain Dwarf Ranger (Folk Hero) Level 3.
Lappoy the Unexpected (Rob) Male High Elf Wizard (Sage) Level 3.
Mohag the Wanderer (Pete) Male Human Barbarian (Outlander) Level 3.
Sho-Rembo (Dave) Female Stout Halfling Druid (Hermit) Level 3.
Sir Glen (Dave) Male Human Paladin of Lathander (Noble) Level 3.
Sosspan (Dave) Male Dragonborn Wizard (Spy) Level 3.
Trebbelos (Pete) Male Tiefling Sorcerer (Charlatan) Level 3.
Sidekicks (played mostly by the DM).
Corbis Male Human Sidekick Warrior (Soldier) Level 2.
Scrubs Male Human Sidekick Expert (Soldier) Level 2.
Tribbits Male Human Sidekick Warrior (Soldier) Level 2.
Dead PCs (in alphabetical order)
Afton Barr (Dave) Male Half-Elf Bard (Entertainer) Level 1.
Estra Zo (Pete) Female Wood Gnome Rogue (Urchin) Level 1.
Farned of the Leaf Lord (Dave) Male Wild Elf Cleric of Rillifane Rallithil (Acolyte) Level 1.
Tassit (Dave) Female Human Monk (Hermit) Level 1.
The Mystical One (Pete) Female Human Warlock (Outlander) Level 1.
Yor (Pete) Male Dragonborn Fighter (Folk Hero) Level 2.
Dead NPCs (in alphabetical order)
Wormwood Male Human Guard.
QUESTS (and stuff to do).*
- Find Zelligar and Rogahn's former base, explore it and steal its treasures.
- Get all 20 rumours, just missing #18, keep chatting and drinking at the Keep.
- Find Tolpuddle, the 'mad druid' of the Whispering Woods, he may know where Z&R's base is (see #1 above), also say 'hi' from his brother Bumble.
- Tell Darvon, Priest of Oghma, about the Unexpected's adventures. ONGOING.
- Track down and kill/capture the former bandit leader- Dee Dee Raven (see Mebros, Captain of the Watch).
- Help the water sprites of the Goblinwater River, for Bumble.
- Clear a bunch of spiders out of the Spiderwood, for Bumble.
- Stop the undead attacks in the Whispering Woods, for Bumble.
- Clear the Caves of Chaos for the Castellan of the Keep on the Borderlands, reward 2,500gp plus.
*I've been asked to put this here because the players keep forgetting some of this stuff, also they have lots of quests on the go right now.
Note, we now read this list at the start of each new session, that's what it's like to get old- your memory just stops working.
Note, you can click on the pictures here to make them bigger (if you didn't know this already).
Day 37: Being the 7th Day of Kythorn, in the year 1493 by Dale Reckoning, known as the Year of the Purple Dragons, just after 10, after the two minutes (in game) & nearly two hours (real time) of pandemonium last session.
Xvarts!
Nobody likes them, can we just go home now?
The answer- of course, is 'NO'.
The xvarts are going to die- all of them, I have been informed by the players, and so...
Here we go again.
So, the PCs have swigged a few potions of healing, and are back and ready for action- the big discussion before this session was about calling the NPCs (sidekicks) down, or at least some of them. Remember Corbis, Scrubs and Tribbits got forgotten about in the fracas last session, they're still up top, on the surface, holding the ropes.
But that plan is put on hold, temporarily (or so I am assured), while Krago and Sho-Rembo head forward to see what lies in store.
The pair sneak around a corner or two and spy a large chamber ahead, and there are more gibbering and grouching xvarts in there.
Yet more xvarts, a high (in comparison to the tunnel) ceilinged chamber ahead- good for fighting, or so the Unexpected think, the plan is to move up and ambush the xvarts in there.
Let's see how well that works...
But Krago and Sho-Rembo suddenly want to get back to their friends, particularly as the kindly DM has just pointed out that the halfling druid still doesn't have Darkvision, and has still got a Light spell cast upon her, so she's glowing.
There follows a scramble to retreat.
WHUMP!
That's when the ceiling collapses.
Just to note this was another xvart trap, with three trip wires- and then Sho rolls a '1' on a D6 to trigger it.
You can see the extent of the collapse, although the tunnel is still navigable- but only by creatures that are small. All others- Krago, for instance, will have to dig their way out through the collapse.
The players really hate xvarts.
Krago is also back to being bloodied, and has already spent his inspiration point to try the Dex save again to avoid the collapse- nope, two failures.
Oh, but note Sho-Rembo has managed to scramble clear, that's what a '20' will do for you on the Dex save.
It all goes semi-crazy again.
Simply put- the xvarts are coming.
Krago digs himself free of the dirt (he was also Restrained) and then scurries towards the light, which in this instance is coming from Sho-Rembo.
However seconds later the dwarf ranger feels his feet being tickled by the whiskers of an osquip.
Oh Bugger!
Then, as it turns out, there's another secret passage in the eastern guardroom- actually just a mangy tarp the same colour as the muddy walls, this chamber is home atm to just Trebbelos.
Brace for xvarts!
The players are getting frantic (too soon), they're about to be fighting in the tunnels again- not ideal, and yet...
Do you remember me reminding the players about their sidekicks still stuck up top, on the surface, just marking time- having a fag and generally tossing it off.
Well... not quite.
Just minding their own business.
Suddenly, a small (three foot high) big-headed drooling savage steps out of the foliage and stabs Corbis in the back.
A xvart, but this is the first time any of the sidekicks have seen one of these guys.
Then a second of the little buggers scurries forward and slams into the back of Corbis' legs, both of the little bastards shove and... the sidekick warrior only just avoids being pushed down the hole.
DM's note- xvarts get advantage (Overbearing Pack) on a roll (strength check) to shove a PC, if an ally is within five feet= xvart strength check = 11, Corbis = '1', inspiration point = 12.
Phew.
Seconds later a sling stone flies out of the nearby trees and clonks Scrubs on the head, and then a moment later a third xvart dashes out of the foliage and stabs Corbis again.
As previously, Corbis is being played by Dave, Scrubs by Pete and Tribbits by Rob.
A nice change of scene.
I'm going to try and kill me some NPCs.
Get out of this one.
Scrubs grabs out his crossbow and shoots the nearest xvart, it staggers back- almost dead, the sidekick expert then encourages Corbis to fight back (with Helpful).
But that doesn't help at all- a xvart cuts Corbis down, and yet another rushes over to menace Scrubs, while the slinging xvart in the foliage climbs into the clearing and beans Tribbits with a stone.
And then suddenly there are many more xvarts in the fight.
Tribbits gets his Second Wind and then stabs the badly wounded xvart dead, and then badly wounds another with an inspiration point gifted second attack.
One of the xvarts is stood on the dying Corbis, that's why you can't see him.
Note, there was a big discussion at the start of this encounter, remember the players are playing the NPCs here. The discussion is- should Corbis, Scrubs & Tribbits stay and fight, or should they just get down the hole. As with their PCs below, the players are all for making a stand. So, they're going to fight to the bitter end.
So they say.
They're only my sidekick NPCs after all, and I'm happy with that.
Then however another two xvarts appear out of the foliage and stab Scrubs some more, and then Corbis fails a Death Save.
It's getting serious.
Particularly so when Tribbits gets stabbed and then moments later struck with another sling stone.
Bloody hell, these little bastards are tough, and swarming us.
Tribbits breaks ranks and attempts to flee down the hole, thanks to Scrubs' Helpful he rolls a great athletics check to barge his way through the xvarts, grab a rope and then zoop into the dark. All he needs to do is to survive the four opportunity attacks the xvarts get to make en route.
And... just one hit- but it's a Crit.
Tribbits survives, and he's down the hole and into the muddy passage and out of sight- like a rat out of an aqueduct.
He is of course screaming for the PCs, which is when they get to learn about the fracas above.
Which just leaves Scrubs facing seven xvarts.
Oh, and Corbis bleeding to death.
But forget about Scrubs, the sidekick expert follows Tribbits' lead- and is through the xvarts, to the rope, and then down the hole at speed- and with a '20' on his athletics check.
The xvarts are on their own.
Well, except for Corbis.
Waste not want not, the seven xvarts do two things- five of them head down into their lair, and after their prey. The other two- they carve up Corbis, the pair set about cutting the warrior up into smaller and more manageable pieces.
Corbis is dead.
[The sidekick's get their arses kicked by xvarts 50 XP]
And now, we're all at the same place in initiative- two fights become one, it's about to get noisy/nasty.
So, back to the muddy passages beyond the pits...
Trebbelos, the tiefling sorcerer, reacts as soon as the ragged concealing curtain is drawn aside and the xvarts waddle forward.
He screams long and hard- “XVARTZ!”
Then Shocking Grasps the xvart threatening him and runs back out of the chamber and to his friends, with another xvart chasing him all the way.
However...
Back at the start of the narrow muddy passage Scrubs and a badly wounded Tribbits are attempting to clamber over the spiked and open pits (all three of them). Scrubs goes ahead a little way, Tribbits watching to see how it's done.
But then one of the xvarts from above swings in and stabs Tribbits down, the sidekick is unconscious and bleeding to death.
The newly arrived xvart is, however, not hanging around, it comes racing after Scrubs, who is now screaming like a little girl. The pair are scrambling across the pits, although the xvart is doing much better because it's using the vines and roots on the ceiling of the passage.
Which the PCs spotted earlier but soon after dismissed, because the roots wouldn't hold the weight of nearly all of them.
The second sidekick falls, top left- and that's Scrubs (brave fellow) being chased by a xvart.
Tribbits first Death Save is a '1', that's two failures- he's about to join the choir.
A second xvart swings into the narrow passage, spots the recumbent Tribbits, and... stabs him.
Tribbits' place in the choir is claimed.
That was quick.
It's all gone very very wrong. Corbis & Tribbits are dead, Scrubs is being chased (over the spiked pits) by a bunch of xvarts. A pair of osquips and a duo of xvarts are after Krago and Sho-Rembo, while a bunch more xvarts have made use of a secret door to mix it with the other PCs.
The Unexpected are about to fighting on three fronts, it's a good job there are lots of them, although, just to rub it in- two dead so far.
Busy.
Lappoy rushes forward and lets loose his last spell- a second level Thunderwave, a pair of xvarts are blown apart, while around the corner an osquip suffers, but only slightly.
Then the High Magicker hot foots it back up the tunnel and towards the sounds of Scrubs (screaming), and with an inspiration point (his only one) hits the xvart chasing his sidekick with a Fire Bolt. It survives.
Sho-Rembo meantime gets to Krago with a Cure Wounds, she's got just one spell left now.
Mohag is back to raging (his last one for the day) and into the osquip, the creature (already wounded) is bloodied in seconds, the barbarian is now making use of his magical handaxe. Sosspan blasts the osquip with a Fire Bolt, but still it blocks the way.
Sir Glen meantime rushes all the way back to try and save Scrubs, firing up his Sacred Weapon on the way (with his inspiration point).
Krago, at last, manages to scramble out of the collapse, but not before the osquip in the tunnel with him has bitten one his feet to shreds.
Seconds later the fur-less six-legged rodent makes it clear of the collapse too, Krago is ready for the beast, but rolls a '2'. The osquip bites the dwarf ranger some more, and now Krago is back down to five hit points.
Mohag gets hit with a sling stone, there are more xvarts coming through the concealed door and passage.
The barbarian takes another hit.
There are three fights on the go- #1 a bunch of xvarts trying to get back into their lair, through Scrubs, Sir Glen and Lappoy. #2 A bunch of xvarts and osquips making their way through the collapse to Sho-Rembo and a critically wounded Krago, and... #3 Mohag, Trebbelos and Sosspan who are defending the centre of the company and trying to push the xvarts (and another osquip) back the way they came.
Trebbelos Fire Bolts the osquip attacking Mohag, and still it survives.
Scrubs scampers across the last pit, turns and fires his crossbow at the nearest xvart chasing him ('1') and then scrambles further down the muddy passage, as far away as he can get.
Lappoy Fire Bolts a xvart.
Sho-Rembo uses her last spell slot to cast a second level Cure Wounds on Krago- and rolls high, phew. The druid then wildshapes into Sho-Wolf and tears into the xvart menacing her (with an inspiration point spent in there).
Mohag enters a frenzy (with rage and reckless), but then repeatedly fails to land a hit ((with advantage) = '2' & '3' and '2' & '4').
Sir Glen cuts a xvart down.
Sosspan hits a xvart with a Fire Bolt, as does Trebbelos- and still it stands.
Just to say the xvarts have approx. 10 hit points each, tough little buggers, particularly when the PCs keep rolling one more than minimum damage.
Krago smashes a xvart down, and then for good measure smashes the osquip menacing him too.
The fight-back has...
Probably too soon for that.
Mohag gets hit by a sling stone.
Scrubs shoots a xvart.
Mohag gets stabbed.
Lappoy blasts a xvart dead with a Fire Bolt.
The Unexpected are holding their own here.
And then more than holding their own- Mohag cuts down two xvarts in a row and presses on into the eastern guard chamber, there's one more badly wounded xvart in here, but also the passage into the xvart's lair proper.
Mohag breaks through.
Another xvart crawls through the collapse to support the osquip keeping Krago and Sho-Wolf at bay, but then immediately gets brained by the dwarven ranger- dead.
Sosspan gets stabbed by a badly wounded xvart, Trebbelos blasts it with a Fire Bolt, and still the little bugger survives.
Scrubs scurries to Lappoy's side, shoots a xvart beyond Sir Glen and then scoots off back into hiding.
One of the xvarts back in the tribal lair chamber spots Mohag's approach- it rushes to meet the invaders, and stabs the barbarian, calling others to the cause, seconds later and the barbarian stops another sling shot with his face.
A second osquip joins the fight to keep Krago and Sho-Wolf at bay.
Lappoy Fire Bolts another xvart, but for minimum damage.
Mohag, with his magical handaxe, slaughters two more xvarts, the barbarian is really getting into the swing of things.
As you can see there's a lot going on, the Unexpected are more than holding their own, only they're (some of them) taking a few hits here and there.
Sir Glen rolls his third to hit roll under '5' in a row, only this time he also gets stabbed by a xvart.
Trebbelos steps in and blasts the xvart that was blocking Mohag's progress, once again the Unexpected are unleashed.
Sir Glen is still holding the line, same for Sho-Wolf & Krago, but now Mohag, Sosspan and Trebbelos are about to bust through.
Scrubs moves forward, shoots- Crits, and kills a xvart, and then grinning heads back to safety. There's only one xvart left in the pit passage, still forlornly battering at Sir Glen's shield with its rusty sword.
Lappoy Fire Bolts the little bugger, it survives.
Sho-Wolf gets bitten by an osquip.
Sho-Wolf has not landed a single attack so far, in five turns.
Mohag rushes into the tribal chamber- it's a muddy filthy mess, the place is empty of enemies- there are a bunch of crates and stuff over to the north, and a hole in the ground in the same direction, the barbarian races over- there's a sloping passage down into the hole.
From it the sound of gibbering xvarts in retreat.
Mohag, still enraged and in a frenzy heads in there... and rushes into the back of a fleeing xvart, the little bastard doesn't last long with the barbarian.
Still screaming the maniac rushes on- deeper into the lair.
Just to say Pete, playing Mohag, has had enough.
He's going for it, Mohag- we have been informed, is going to kill them all, or else die trying.
Sir Glen, meantime, cuts the last xvart down in the pit corridor, and then urges his comrades onwards (actually backwards)- deeper into the lair, to where the action is.
Sosspan and Trebbelos rush into the hole and after Mohag, the pair catch up with the barbarian, the tiefling sorcerer manages to hit another fleeing xvart with his Fire Bolt.
Krago smashes down an osquip with his black mace and then goes to work on the other.
Note Sosspan, Trebbelos & Mohag are rushing ahead- the passage bottom left, accessed via a hole in the xvart tribal chamber (unseen, to the far north of Krago & Sho-Wolf).
The last remaining osquip savages Krago, for twelve damage, the dwarf is back to being bloodied and broken, however he's still on his feet. Sho-Wolf manages, at last, to bite the thing and drag the hairless six-legged rat off its feet.
Mohag rushes on down the passage and flings a dagger into a fleeing xvart's back.
Sosspan dodges ahead of the barbarian and into another chamber, a throne room- of sorts; there are six more xvarts in here, one that the trio has been chasing, four more tough-looking guards (although they're still only three feet tall). The last xvart is taller, and bigger, than the rest even reclined upon its ghastly (skeleton & flesh) throne.
There are no exits from this chamber, this is the end of the road- and that's the xvart king, of sorts, sitting on his horrible chair.
Also present is a much larger osquip which darts out and savages Sosspan even as he enters the chamber, the dragonborn wizard is swiftly down to six hit points.
Sosspan unleashes his poisoned breath, choking to death the fleeing xvart that lead them here, moments later the wizard lets loose his last spell- a Thunderwave (for only just above minimum damage, 2d8 = '3' damage, save for half). The shame-faced dragonborn retreats behind the barbarian.
Krago, meantime cuts the last osquip down- the dwarf immediately starts to hustle his way back around to his comrades, although in a second he will bump into Lappoy and discover that his friends have all moved on. It's now a chase to find, and join, Trebbelos, Sosspan and Mohag in the throne room.
So, here's the thing- in the book the xvart boss has 4D6 hit points and a clutch of (1st level) spells, so I've replaced him with xvart warlock of Raxivort, and here he comes- here comes Kung Pow.
The xvart king fires three Scorching Rays at Mohag, and bugger me it's the only round the barbarian has failed (forgotten) to use his reckless, and so three attacks and the highest I roll is an '8', that's three misses. Kung Pow is not happy at all, he orders his guards to attack, while gibbering and gesticulating wildly.
Kung Pow's throne room, note Sosspan has retreated to hide behind Mohag.
But then Trebbelos arrives on the scene and throws a Shatter spell into the centre of the chamber, the ceiling partially collapses, and only two of the four xvart guards survive the shock, and the big tough osquip is looking beyond battered.
Mohag steps in to the chamber, and gets stabbed by a xvart guard, the barbarian keeps swinging but the osquip and the xvart guard keep him at bay, and the corridor behind him is plugged.
Note the other PCs can't get passed Mohag into the throne room.
Sir Glen gets to the fight, and casts a Shield of Faith on Mohag, ordering the barbarian in the name of the Morning Lord to push on into the throne room.
He's trying...
Sosspan fires three Magic Missiles into the osquip blocking the way, the thing is blasted to heck and yet it survives, and that's the dragonborn wizard out of spells.
Kung Pow grabs out his wand of Magic Missiles and doesn't stop firing until Mohag drops, it takes five missiles, and three charges of the device, but the barbarian sprawls unconscious.
The xvart chief capers and dances, and then hides behind his fleshy throne.
Trebbelos launches his second Shatter spell into the mix, and that should just about do it- the two remaining xvart guards and the tough looking osquip and blown apart.
There's just Kung Pow to chase down, oh and Mohag to get back to the land of the living.
Scrubs gets to Mohag with a healing potion.
Sho-Wolf catches up, at last, with the action.
Mohag staggers to his feet and immediately goes off after Kung Pow, just for info the barbarian is on eight hit points and exhaustion level three atm.
Then Sir Glen arrives and Kung Pow is surrounded, or else the xvart chief has his back to the wall- the barbarian and paladin to either side of him, and his splendid throne in front of him.
The little bastard therefore fires three more Magic Missiles at point-blank range into Mohag- and the barbarian falls again. Then the xvart maniac fires another two Magic Missiles into Sir Glen, the wand has just one charge left. Kung Pow runs, stamping as hard as he can on the fallen Mohag as he departs.
The paladin slices the xvart boss, but for not very much damage, which is the paladin's signature tune.
Kung Pow attempts to flee the chamber but Trebbelos cuts him off, and then bathes the little guy in his Burning Hands.
Lappoy rushes into the chamber, Kung Pow slices the High Magicker, and the elf wizard is suddenly down to seven hit points.
Mohag fails a Death Save, Sir Glen rushes over and delivers a Cure Wounds. The barbarian lives...
Sosspan Shocking Grasps Kung Pow, the xvart chief is surrounded but refuses to give up the fight, he's going out in a blaze of glory, or rather, blaze of gory.
Kung Pow fires off the last charge of his wand of Magic Missiles (into Scrubs), the device- according to the module handbook when depleted, explodes. The wand's destructive blast delivers five points of necrotic damage to all within ten feet.
So, Scrubs collapses unconscious. Mohag is atm on four hit points (and exhaustion level three). Lappoy, Sosspan, Sho-Wolf, Krago and Sir Glen are all on either one or two hit points each. Trebbelos isn't even bloodied.
What's more when the wand exploded it triggered Trebbelos' Hellish Rebuke, and now Kung Pow is bloodied too, actually the little bugger is on about ten hit points.
But that doesn't last long...
Sho-Wolf snarls, leaps and bites, and seconds later manages to wrestle the big floppy head off the xvart chief (she rolled max damage, so why not)- Kung Pow is dead.
That was fairly titanic.
When the fight ends, and believe me there had been some glorious swearing going on for the last hour or so, then... silence, a few nervous giggles before we get to the whooping and backslapping.
[Lots of xvarts and osquips 1525 XP]
Lappoy gets to Scrubs with a potion of healing.
And we even had time for a tidy up, after a short rest for a little light healing, the rest of the lair is incrementally searched, as are the bodies of the fallen.
There are a bunch of coins down in the bone pile chamber in which the osquips were first encountered, amidst the debris. Also, a bunch of silver and copper coins on the xvarts, with a few gold distributed between the Kung Pow's elite guard (these guys all had max hit points = 12).
The chief had a few nice items on him, but then there's a hefty chest- which Scrubs gets to work on, and duly gets open about ten minutes later.
Alas, the chest, like lots of other stuff down here proves to be a trap- a viper springs out as soon as the container is opened, and bites Scrubs in the hand, eventually Lappoy with a Fire Bolt blows the angry hissing reptile apart.
[Snake in the chest 25 XP]
The chest, soon after, it is discovered contains nothing but sacks of rocks.
The Unexpected are more than a little pissed off.
That is until Krago, using his stonecunning, finds a secret compartment hidden behind a large flat rock situated in the northern wall of the chamber, behind which are a trio of sacks with all sorts of treasures within, although nothing that detects as magical. But still, more than a few items of value.
Tribbits is also stripped of anything worth while- particularly his money and one remaining healing potion.
Note Corbis' body has already been dismembered and taken away by the two xvarts that were assigned to this task, note this pair take a brief look around their former lair- spot all of their dead friends and decide to try life on the road.
So, just two xvarts survived the visit by the Unexpected.
Then... a long rest, the PCs are as close to broken as they have ever been, and the xvart lair, is an excellent place to hide-out. They think.
A watch however is maintained.
But no untoward encounters, and that's all we had time for this session.
After an extended rest Lappoy will arise a 4th level wizard, and Scrubs a 3rd level sidekick expert.
The pot is up to £106.
Stay safe and well you lovely people.
Toodles for a bit.
Cheers the Unexpected and goonalan.