Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh
Session #032 Vinnie, Corner Stone of the Dark Squad.
Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).
Buggles (played by Stu) Male Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 2/Rogue Lvl 3
New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 5
Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 5
Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 5
NPCs
Daktari Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 5
*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.
Buggles’ undead servitor
Gwen Female Duergar Skeleton, in full-face helm and armour
This is session 32, and it was a cooker- hot, hot, hot.
I called time on the game at just after 11 PM but the players were still yabbering on, “do you remember when…”, nearly thirty minutes later. So, it kinda very mostly worked.
Here goes…
Last we left the Dark Squad they were in an ancient ruined temple of Abbathor (evil dwarven god of greed) and down in watery, ancient and zombie-infested crypt. The PCs are working for Bang & Olafsson, a pair of dwarven engineers wanted back ‘as soon as’ to Farhill mine. The deal is a 50/50 split on all that the Dark Squad find here, and then B&O will gladly accompany the fellers back to Farhill and Manistrad Copperlocks.
Vinnie however, had just picked up a (terrible &) magical holy symbol of Abbathor, and after being charmed/confused by the device had also swiftly come to the conclusion that his (former) companions were trying to take his new ‘preshus/precious” from him.
The druid therefore departed the central chamber of the crypt- wading through the foul water and making for the exit, and at speed- snarling at his former comrades as he went. Alas at this point about a dozen or so skeletons rose up from the water- and the associated debris that dots the dungeon hereabouts, it seems the undead are less keen that the artifact should be allowed to leave.
So, let’s roll initiative.
Guess what, Vinnie’s first, but the Abbathor holy symbol is still messing with his head- the druid is going nowhere this turn- he’s subject to a confusion spell atm. That said, the druid then throws off the device’s effect, he’s cured, and so end his turn shouting at his friends.
“I am back mes amis, the strange symbol scrambled my brain… but I ‘av overcome itz evil magique.”
But then the skeletons get into it- Newt gets sliced, but Daktari gets stabbed and shot with alarming regularity- I mean just lotz and lotz.
Daktari wins the popularity contest, note the door to the north of him is only one of two in the entire complex that is still stuck shut. Which proves to be very handy for the Dark Squad.
My zombie/skeleton dice have just been on fire in this one, I appreciate they’re only cuts and bruises but I’m doing it…
Note, Buggles’ first attack rolls of the session are- ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘3’- alas not in that order, spoil sport. For a short while the wood elf’s to hit dice are broken (and therefore a subject of great mirth for his fellow players). A very short while later he manages to roll three ‘2’s in a row, and one of those required an inspiration point to conjure.
Stu, playing Buggles, briefly goes swearnova.
But the skeletons are just skeletons- nothing to be feared. Vinnie is smushing them with his shillelagh, Daktari is raging- and smashing the undead bastards down (but alas the barbarian is also very quickly bloodied), while Newt is blasting, and Ramshambow (armed with Deadend, his undead bane rapier) is also accounting for the forlorn skellies.
The PCs manoeuvre to set up a killing zone, but the skeletons just keep on coming.
Note there are actually twenty something skeletons scattered throughout the crypt complex, the trap has been sprung and they’re now all heading at speed towards the PCs. Their progress has been made real easy because the Dark Squad have opened up more or less every door in this place. If they hadn’t have done this then the skeletons would have had to do it for themselves (and remember the portals were hard to shift), so- thanks again guys for splitting up the party.
Daktari takes lots more hits- the raging barbarian is soon after down to maybe 15 hit points, and fleeing to take cover behind his friends- that hasn’t happened before, his rage however is spent- and now he’s also exhausted.
At which point a ghostly spectral dwarf suddenly materialises in the middle of the central chamber and attempts to throttle Newt (but fails with a ‘1’), and all the while its screaming-
“I am Ratchit Goldfinger- too late, this will be your TOMB!” Only in dwarven, which only Vinnie understands.
Note the Dark Squad found Ratchit’s tomb back upstairs, they disarmed the traps on it and robbed the ancient dead priest of Abbathor of all of his treasure.
So, Goldfinger isn’t happy.
The spectral creature swipes ineffectively at Newt and then floats off through the nearest wall, still screaming its threats.
Newt settles himself again and then flings a fireball into the largest concentration of skeletons, destroying eight of the undead warriors in an instant, and also singeing Daktari a little.
After the Fireball, a mixed media (although predominantly flame-based) art installation by Newt.
The tabaxi starts screaming and caterwauling-
“I pledge the departed souls of these foes to Lord Far-Fer-Nar!” He yowls.
“They’re undead- they don’t have souls.” Buggles is quick with the riposte.
“Oh! Yeah, I guess…”, is about the best that Newt has by way of a counter.
Then a second spectral dwarf appears and attempts to throttle Daktari, alas it fails to do so- and so heads for the nearest wall- keen to get away, the barbarian however cuts it as it departs.
The second dwarven spectre is also shouting-
“I am Klug Finderskeepers- this is your END!” And again, in dwarven.
Note Klug’s tomb was also located up above, and also emptied of its treasure by the PCs.
So, here’s a thing- only Vinnie can understand the dwarven tongue, and so only he gets a translation in Fantasy Grounds of Klug’s (and Ratchit’s) ravings.
Likewise the spectres’ tokens on Fantasy Grounds are simply titled- “Unidentified Creature”, that’s all the players can see.
Therefore the PCs, including Vinnie, believe (for ages) that there is only one dwarven spectre present, although they don’t actually identify the undead monstrosity- they think the spectral dwarf is a wraith.
Vinnie just didn’t notice that there were two different names being yelled.
And keep in mind, the spectres float through the walls- swipe at an adventurer, and then… depart the same way- taking a few AoO’s as they go, but I’m fine with that- my job is to frustrate the heck out of ‘em.
It worked- big time.
Although, some point soon after Vinnie fills the central chamber with his spike growth spell.
Tough on the skellies trying to make their way through the spike growth.
So, more skeletons are turning up all the while, but only in ones and twos, but the PCs have bought themselves a little time. There’s a lot of shouting this session-
“WE SHOULD FLEE THIS PLACE- TO THE STAIRS!” Buggles yells, and then as good as his word heads for the exit, with Ram in his shadow.
However Newt and Vinnie are much less certain.
“WE SHUD HOLD ZEM ERE!” Or some such, the druid screams.
So, the rogues are heading for out, while the others are trying to hold the line.
The skeletons keep showing up, but they’re really not the problem- the problem is the spectres that keep appearing through random walls and attacking with surprise.
Newt gets clawed by one of the ghostly dwarves, and the fiend’s necrotic energies also reduce the tabaxi’s hit point maximum, so he suddenly goes from more or less full, to just 8 HP left in an instant.
The tabaxi changes his votes to flee, it’s not a consensus but we have a majority.
More skeletons get slaughtered- courtesy of the spike growth and Newt’s continued fiery blasts.
Daktari meantime is swigging healing potions.
“I am, how you say- cream-crackered.” Rhyming slang for knackered, only the barbarian delivers the line in his thick cod-Russian accent.
The rogues meantime, after wading again through the foul water, have just made it to the exit and are about to announce their discovery, when…
Vinnie’s sending stone starts bleeping- he’s got a text message from Bang & Olafsson back up top-
“Lots of moving stone sounds- both entrances sealed. Statues have disappeared into ground- coming your way? Will work on opening entrances. You okay down there?”
Vinnie shares some (but for some reason not all) of B&Os message with his comrades, which also leads to a little more confusion later on.
While Ram and Buggles let their fellows know that indeed- the way up and out of the crypt is sealed.
F**k!
I believe quite a few folk shouted this at the time.
Then, right on cue, a stone cursed dwarf (one of the Abbathor style masked dwarf statues from up above) steps out of the wall (they have stone glide) and tears Vinnie a new one. He’s bloodied in an instant, and restrained- big time, the druid’s feet are now encased in solid stone.
A stone cursed dwarf prevents the druid's progress.
The word above- the one with the two stars (like this **) well, that gets repeated quite a lot, and not just here and now- throughout much of that which follows.
Oh, and Vinnie is way beyond bloodied already.
Oh, and his spike growth has just stopped working- seems his concentration is dashed.
What a terrible shame.
Then a second stone cursed dwarf steps out of a wall and fails to repeat the trick with Newt, the tabaxi however is on form- two Belphegor’s fiery blasts later (the first a crit) and the second walking statue is no more- reduced to a heap of rubble on the floor.
Note, like the spectres the stone cursed dwarves have one tactic- step out of the wall, claw and restrain, then step back into the stone’s embrace.
It is most annoying- just ask any of the players.
More skeletons are coming (although not many) but there’s no more spike growth to be had, and so Daktari has to keep the undead at bay.
Newt gets clawed by a dwarven spectre, remarkably he survives the ordeal- the tabaxi is however almost unconscious. Moments later the same can be said for Ram (who like Newt has now got a much reduced HP maximum- spectres man, they’re nothing but trouble).
I think pretty much everyone was panicking a little at this point. I mean the players, not I.
Vinnie drops a third level cure wounds on himself, just so he can survive another turn- his words.
Ram and Buggles kill the very last of the dwarven skeletons, while Newt does the best he can to run somewhere that is safe… he doesn’t get far as yet another stone cursed dwarf steps out of a nearby wall and claws the tabaxi into oblivion.
[Well, at least the skeletons have been destroyed 1000 XP]
Newt falls unconscious- he’s dying, and drowning, as he’s now submerged in three feet of mirky water, however Daktari accounts for the spot and seconds later strides over and drags the warlock back onto dry land. Moments later Ram gets to Newt with a healing potion- but only after the tabaxi has failed his first death save.
The immobilised Vinnie manages to bludgeon an attacking stone cursed dwarf to death (actually to rubble) with his shillelagh.
That’s the secret- the statues are vulnerable to bludgeoning, but resistant to all other forms of weapon damage.
If only one of the PCs had spotted that at the time, no matter- Vinnie is the only PC with a bludgeoning weapon.
Buggles who has so far lead a charmed life in this fight, he’s the only member of the Dark Squad not bloodied (atm)- too soon, yet another stone cursed dwarf steps out of a wall and crits the wood elf (for 25 damage) and now he’s possibly the most badly injured.
Note, there are only two spectres and three stone cursed dwarves in the fight atm.
If the PCs had taken a moment to remember, or just looked on the map of the upper level of this dungeon they would have noted that there are seven stone dwarf statues, and as Bang & Olafsson said- they have all disappeared into the stone.
So, there’s still a couple more to get into the fight, I unleashed them one by one into the combat- which I thought was pretty nice of me.
To be honest at this point the PCs/players had no idea how many of the stone cursed dwarves they had defeated, and therefore no idea how many more are left to come. At this point they still hadn’t worked out that there are actually two spectres.
Note the stone cursed dwarves have great ACs- 18, resistance to slashing and piercing, but vulnerability to bludgeoning and only 25 or so HP each.
Also note all of the enemies always disappear back the way they came- i.e. back into the stone walls on every turn. Thus leaving the PCs with just two options, they can move- of course, but then the only other choice they have is whether to ready an action, or else to swig down another healing potion (or similar).
Vinnie gets slashed horribly by a spectre, and now he’s back to being very bloodied again. The druid therefore wildshapes into… actually he runs through a list of suggestions before finally settling on a crab.
Not a giant crab you understand- the druid turns into a very small crustacean, the plan is to hide for as long as he can, in three feet of murky water. Alas he can’t sidle away from the spot he’s presently in because his stone encased little legs prevent movement.
Vincen T(iny) Crab.
I don’t think that plan went quite as well as Vinnie intended.
[Vincen T(iny) Crab, just because it was so funny/daft 250 XP]
Newt, Ram and Buggles snaffle down potions of healing while watching the walls.
A stone cursed dwarf briefly appears and turns its attentions to Gwen, Buggles’ skeleton friend- and seconds later she too is destroyed.
The rogues making for the exit, Gwen has just been totalled by another stone cursed dwarf.
Then Vinnie is suddenly Vinnie again, the crab thing just wasn’t working out- he’s still restrained of course, and there are still no enemies to be seen.
Therefore after delivering a long speech attempting to explain his crab mis-shape, and after then reaffirming his desire to face the enemy like a man- the druid has his shillelagh back in hand. He then manages to do two marvellous things.
One- to smash down another of the stone cursed dwarves when it lurches out of a nearby wall and at the restrained druid.
Bludgeoning damage FTW.
Two- to throw the Abbathor holy symbol (that started all of this) back into the central chamber of the crypt, and all the way to Newt’s feet. Then to scream at the tabaxi to put the cursed thing back in the spot they first saw it.
[Vinnie saves the day 500 XP]
However, mere seconds later Vinnie fails another saving throw and his rictus grin is etched on his fizzog forever, permanent-like, he’s turned to stone.
James, formerly playing Vinnie, now takes on the mantle of Daktari.
Damn his eyes, he’s even better at the cod-Russian accent than me.
Newt blasts and kills a spectre as it steps from the wall before him- there is much cheering.
You’ll note that’s the first ‘cheer’ of the session.
A turn later and the bloody tabaxi repeats the trick, blasting the second spectre into oblivion.
[Dwarven spectres despatched 400 XP]
Note the rogues are hitting plenty but their weapon attacks are doing much reduced damage, they’re also taking hits here and there- but miraculously passing all of their saves.
Then the sudden realisation, the stone cursed dwarves are no-longer attacking.
Cautiously, still creeping around a bit- Newt drops the holy symbol of Abbathor back on the floor (using a mage hand), and then with his comrades, and now lugging a 400 lb statue of a grinning portly druid the group (eventually) head back up the stairs and out of the crypt. This after they hear Bang & Olafsson shouting down from above- the way out is open again.
[Retreat, retreat 250 XP]
That was… I honestly don’t think I know the word.
Sometimes you kinda think as a DM, I sure am glad I’m not a player- can you imagine the terror these poor fools go through, all in the name of what… adventure?
I send the players on a ten minute break, to let them empty their bladders and to consider what has come to pass.
Actually my brother paid me/us (the game) a great compliment after this session was done, he said- “when you sent us on the break, I realised that I didn’t even mind if Ram died, as long as we could just keep on playing.”
I heart my bro, as it turns out.
Unexpected.
Then with statue Vinnie parked in the corner and out the way Newt fires up his Leomund’s Tiny Hut and the Dark Squad scuttle inside for a short rest, and to discuss with Bang & Olafsson the events of the morning.
Actually, I think the discussion was entitled “WTF is going on here?”
So, much chatter (and the spending of healing HD), the talk encompasses the following facts-
1) The stone cursed dwarves are something Newt knows about, stories of his parents from their time back in Chult. They are in fact living dwarves that have been cursed to occupy their present state. A state, the tabaxi makes clear, that they wish to share with others. The members of the Dark Squad turn, as one, to look at statue Vinnie.
2) Next up, the stone cursed dwarves- Newt is certain, now that he has wracked his big brain, and also made a great monster knowledge check (‘20’), are vulnerable to bludgeoning damage etc.- see above.
3) Next a brief examination of the treasure they’ve found in the crypt down below, so far- which is worth pretty much nada. However the Dark Squad reason- if they don’t touch/move the Abbathor holy symbol they can head back below and search the rest of the dungeon thoroughly.
4) Last bit of the discussion- do we want to head back below? Furthermore, do the Dark Squad want to steal the Abbathor holy symbol- but again, they’re smart people, the answer is obviously to head back down and examine the piece, without touching it. Now that they’re healed to mostly max.
[More chatter and at last a method to the madness 500 XP]
This time however they’re taking Bang & Olafsson with them, and they’re scouring the forest beyond the ruins for club-shaped fallen branches.
Then… we go again, and once they have the answer then it’s an anti-climax, but y’know- the players bloody loved it because they won (damn them to heck) and smushed all of my bad guys- dead.
So, the Dark Squad head back through the crypt searching as they go- everything, everywhere- and thoroughly. There’s a little treasure to be found- coins, a few gems and other valuable items, even a couple of potions of healing.
But the real treasure is the holy symbol of Abbathor- B&O take a good look at it and the little dagger is most likely platinum and studded with very well-cut precious gems, the dwarves are certain that it’s worth at least 1,000gp.
Newt also takes the time to employ a few of his divination style ritual magics- the thing is indeed an evil trap-triggering holy symbol of Abbathor, but beyond that he doesn’t have a clue. B&O are cautious however, if they’re taking the thing then they’ll be extracting the value from it.
The dwarven engineers are not for selling evil artifacts.
So, decision made- we’re having this.
Newt uses his mage hand to grab the holy symbol up and to move it out of the chamber- smart move, only the Dark Squad and B&O have also positioned themselves in such a way as to prevent the stone cursed dwarves just being able to step in and out of the walls to get at them.
[Evil holy symbol of Abbathor taken 500 XP]
Dark Squad in position- stay away from the walls!
Besides, there are only four enemies left, although the last to arrive is the much larger version of a stone cursed dwarf- the brutish eight foot tall (and wide) statue that was previously clutching the fiery gem back up above.
This guy has a big bag of hit points and a terrifying claw attack.
Daktari however with his newly improvised great club bloodies the thing in a turn, with a Crit- hit combo, the enemies don’t last long, and miraculously the PCs emerge from the fight unscathed.
Then they start cheering.
Gah!
[Stone cursed dwarves destroyed 1650 XP]
But with that the session comes to an end, more of this kind of thing next time- I would imagine.
Until then stay safe and well you lovely people.
Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.
Oh, and they still just need that extended rest for level 6, although Vinnie…