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The Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh #138 Into the Mere of the Dead Men Part 3.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8242325" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #042 The Dark Squad Get The Flip-Dickings Out Of The Underdark. </strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).</strong></p><p><strong>Buggles (played by Stu) Male Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 3/Rogue Lvl 3</strong></p><p><strong>New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 6</strong></p><p><strong>Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 6</strong></p><p><strong>Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 6</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>NPCs</strong></p><p><strong>Daktari Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 6</strong></p><p><strong><s>Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 </s>RIP*</strong></p><p><strong>*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Buggles’ undead servitor</strong></p><p><strong>Gwen Female Duergar Skeleton, in full-face helm and armour </strong></p><p></p><p>This is session 42, and it’s all coming up Dark Squad (as they say)- Old Gorm’s treasure has been found, the duergar deep-fort base has likewise been located (while in Hgraam/Stone Giant assisted Dreamtime) and successfully explored. Woo hoo!</p><p></p><p>And so 3-2-1, and we’re back in the room.</p><p></p><p>The room in this instance being a watery sealed (save for the river going in/out) cavern, home to plenty of treasure including a chest (of holding) crammed with coin and who knows what else. But the place is strewn with skeletal corpses- it all kicked off in here, and some time ago… or so the PCs think.</p><p></p><p>But here’s the thing- the Dark Squad have given up, at last, on trying to figure out what’s going on with all of the skeletal remains in here.</p><p></p><p>It’s time to go home, to get out of the Underdark… at bloody last.</p><p></p><p>Being towed, once again, by Vincen G Octopod the adventurers therefore depart the dangerous place, and once outside the watery cave, Vinnie turns back into himself- shifter-shape.</p><p></p><p>But the Dark Squad don’t get far.</p><p></p><p>So, the skeletons on the floor of the watery chamber were waiting for just one thing- for the chest that the adventurers found to be taken from its final resting place (note the guy’s figured this out after the fight), and so- here they come.</p><p></p><p>And just to remind you the Dark Squad had to crawl through a tight tunnel, nearly sixty feet long and half-filled with water to get into the treasure chamber- made all the more easier because Vincen G Octopod just dragged his compatriots through. So, on the way out- and for the undead following, it’s a flume-ride to exit the place.</p><p></p><p>We’re very quickly to the fighting, and just to say- the undead are in a rush to get at the PCs- they come spewing out the watery flume. And there are, from memory, eighteen skeletons (all with max HP) and the last to the fracas, a greater zombie knight (a greater zombie combined with a knight stat block with a few ‘extras’), and this last guy is a bad ass.</p><p></p><p>But he doesn’t get into action right away.</p><p></p><p>Just to say ahead of time, this fight took nearly two hours to play through, so hold on to your headgear, rest-assured- I’ll precis the action.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and while we’re telling tales, during the fight three PCs (Ram, Buggles and Vinnie) all alluded to the fact that they had an escape plan plotted for their guys. As in they were ready to cut and run- needless to say the fight was going particularly badly at the time that this conversation got played out.</p><p></p><p>Newt was the only member of the Dark Squad (PC) that remained steadfast and committed throughout the fracas that follows, or else he was unconscious and making death saves when the above conversation happened. For completion sake- as was Daktari, at the time.</p><p></p><p>Point of fact the other three PCs weren’t particularly healthy at this point either.</p><p></p><p>But, we’ll get to this.</p><p></p><p>Enough build up, the skeletons come tumbling out the river tunnel and rush into melee, and en masse, there are ten of them in the first wave.</p><p></p><p>Daktari rages and cuts one down (Crit- Hit combo), Buggles rolls his first ‘1’ of the evening- there are plenty more of these from the PCs, he uses an inspiration point to re-roll and Crits second time around.</p><p></p><p>It all started so well- there’s cheering already as another skeleton dies.</p><p></p><p>But then the skeletons wail on the raging Daktari, and the barbarian is taking hits- my dice are good to great for me this evening.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie conjures his Moonbeam and scorches a swathe of the undead- who nevertheless keep on coming, I’m getting all of the bad guys out of their watery cavern lair as quickly as possible here- and into the PCs grills.</p><p></p><p>Ramshambow (with Deadend- undead bane rapier) cuts another skeleton down, another of the undead gets to Newt and the warlock is stabbed- he doesn’t like that, he therefore drops the bomb- Fireball!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135308[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Newt manages to get all of the enemies inside his Fireball, but hang on! Isn't that Daktari in there too.</strong></p><p></p><p>Seven skeletons are destroyed in an instant as the fiery explosion rips through the pack- alas positioned in the middle of the aforementioned pack is Daktari, who fails his save and… is bloodied in an instant. The raging barbarian however fights on, although screaming every now and then in his cod-Russian accent (now transitioning to Scottish, he’s being played by Bear/Newt tonight) “I HURT, BAD!”</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135309[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>After the Fireball. Note, I made Daktari make a saving throw for his hair- the barbarian loves his hair, nearly as much as he does Vinnie.</strong></p><p></p><p>But there are still eight or so skeletons in action- Vinnie gets mobbed and stabbed repeatedly, that’s nice.</p><p></p><p>Also the zombie greater knight has at last made his appearance, Daktari- the tough guy heads over to face-off against this feller, and then starts cutting, but the undead knight is hard to pin down- and heavily armoured in rusty plate.</p><p></p><p>Note the greater zombie knight is also missing his head- Buggles kicked it off remember, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing the fellow any.</p><p></p><p>Buggles cuts another skeleton down.</p><p></p><p>Come on… this is easy!</p><p></p><p>Vincenzo however has to disengage, as the undead just keep on shuffling forward, pushing their way deeper into the ranks of the Dark Squad.</p><p></p><p>The druid drops back, and… is instantly engulfed in a swarm of bats, the PCs look up and about them- this after hearing Vinnie’s yells. The ceiling of this great cavern chamber is swarming with bats who have been riled into action by the Fireball et al.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135310[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Vinnie: "Sacre bleu! I hatez ze Batz!" Buggles: "Come on Vinnie, can't you just talk to them, tell them your busy?"</strong></p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad encountered the bats here earlier, and had to sneak through the place, but- they had forgotten about that.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie keeps his Moonbeam burning, and keeps moving it about, using it like a radiant spotlight to scorch more of the undead buggers.</p><p></p><p>Daktari keeps on taking hits, soon after the swamped barbarian is down to maybe 15 or so HP (from approx. 70), and looking back on it that happened pretty quickly, and if the barbarian falls…</p><p></p><p>Ram takes another skeleton down, and then stabs the greater zombie knight, Newt fiery blasts this bugger too.</p><p></p><p>But the creature’s HP Bar, on its token in Fantasy Grounds, hardly drops at all- causing mutterings around the VTT. Mostly, “Oh, crap!”, but also ‘fresher’ variants.</p><p></p><p>Daktari keeps on taking hits (I think I’ve said that before), but he’s raging, and so he’s soaking up the damage, but… it’s not looking good.</p><p></p><p>Seconds later and the barbarian is put down by the greater zombie knight, note this undead terror attacks by flailing wildly with its fists which also deliver a hefty necrotic punch.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135311[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>The turning of the token- Daktari gets to dirt-napping. </strong></p><p></p><p>Buggles slices another skeleton down.</p><p></p><p>But there are now also three bat swarms swooping and swirling around- attempting to find a PC to feed on.</p><p></p><p>It also doesn’t help that Vinnie (Jim) is rolling really low for his Moonbeam damage every turn.</p><p></p><p>Note, it’s probs worth mentioning at this point that Buggles has also been screaming (at Vinnie) for some time to get some healing into Daktari- this, of course, prior to the barbarian’s fall.</p><p></p><p>The following appears in the chat window-</p><p></p><p>Buggles: WANTED! Are you a healer? Fancy adventuring with a group with no healer? Contact Newt at Newt Towers now</p><p>Vincenzo: I am much more than an ealerr mon ami</p><p></p><p>Personally, I like it for the fact that Jim/Vinnie spells like he sounds, he is ‘ an ealerr’.</p><p></p><p>Ram gets to the greater zombie knight with Deadend, and Crits it- there’s a wild cheer, but the thing is still not even close to bloodied.</p><p></p><p>Then Newt misses the beast with three Belphegor Fiery Blasts in a row (the third attempt courtesy of an inspiration point).</p><p></p><p>Then the warlock gets stabbed-up by a skeleton.</p><p></p><p>As does Buggles, repeatedly.</p><p></p><p>It’s about now, with the laughter all gone, that play really slows down- PCs are, I can tell, working out what to do for the best. Is it time to cut and run yet?</p><p></p><p>Ramshambow suddenly finds himself one-on-one versus the greater zombie knight, that doesn’t go well- and now he’s down to maybe 12-15 HP.</p><p></p><p>Buggles fights his way through to Daktari, and then gets a healing potion (with his action surge) down the big lad’s gullet.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie’s Moonbeam continues to have very little effect, this is not his fault you understand, when it works this spell can be devastating. But, the bad guys keep making their saves and his damage rolls are real bad- 2d10 radiant = 6, save for 3 damage; that kind of thing. Repeatedly.</p><p></p><p>Therefore the huge constrictor Vincen G Squeezy Snake makes his appearance, but let me just pre-empt this- Squeezy has a bad reputation already, and it’s about to get worse.</p><p></p><p>The huge constrictor fails to hit… anything (at least for a while), and repeatedly- even when Vinnie spends an inspiration point to try again, and this guy is +8 to hit with the druid’s insignia of claws.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135312[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Vincen G Squeezy Snake, a titan amongst tokens, but otherwise... a bit meh!</strong></p><p></p><p>Oh, Buggles gets sliced again.</p><p></p><p>Ram fails to land a hit on the greater zombie knight.</p><p></p><p>It’s getting bad…</p><p></p><p>Then worse…</p><p></p><p>Newt decides to get another potion of (greater) healing into Daktari, and takes three opportunity attacks (all hits) to get the job done, the warlock is bloodied and beyond.</p><p></p><p>But let’s just take a moment to admire the life-changing effects of that healing balm, copied and pasted directly from Fantasy Grounds chat-</p><p></p><p>Newt: [HEAL] Potion of Greater Healing [4d4+4 = 8]</p><p>Heal [8] -> [to Daktari]</p><p>Newt: Potion of Greater Healing</p><p></p><p>That’s right- 4d4, and in FG it rolls the dice, and they all came up ‘1’s.</p><p></p><p>As Buggles said/screamed at the time= “Quadruple Cabbage!”</p><p></p><p>There’s a lot of talk about the expiry date of the potion just consumed, followed by a short discussion as the players try to figure out how much they paid for the underperforming magic, and who was it that sold it to them?</p><p></p><p>A lot of humour, quite a bit of it of the gallows variety.</p><p></p><p>Newt, by the way, is down to maybe 10 HP.</p><p></p><p>Buggles gets sliced (I’ve read that before somewhere), as does Vincen G Squeezy.</p><p></p><p>Ram however still has the greater zombie knight on him- and this bastard has three attacks (and is also approx. +7 to hit). The headless undead monstrosity connects just once, and thanks to Ram’s uncanny dodge, well… he lives.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and just to say that the greater zombie knight hits with his first attack, for the second and third of his to hit rolls you could have heard a pin drop.</p><p></p><p>Ram is on 1 HP.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135313[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Daktari's back in action- "Guyz! Guyz! Vot did I miss!"</strong></p><p></p><p>Daktari, at last, gets back up again- and rages again, his last rage for the day- and then he adds a little extra frenzy to his attacks.</p><p></p><p>The barbarian smashes another skeleton down but then misses repeatedly with his other attacks. There are only three or so skeletons left in action, and the greater zombie knight (still not bloodied), oh… and a trio of bat swarms.</p><p></p><p>Squeezy still hasn’t hit anything.</p><p></p><p>Ram, can’t keep it up- the rogue disengages from the greater zombie knight and then gets the hell away, and then swigs down a potion of greater healing- he’s blowing hard.</p><p></p><p>Newt drops the bomb- the second Fireball, but this time it’s Vincen G Squeezy Snake’s turn to be in middle of the conflagration.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135314[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Fireball the Redux! Squeezy gets toasty!</strong></p><p></p><p>The flash fire clears and several bat swarms have been destroyed- or else are fleeing the scene, only one skeleton survives, and the great zombie knight is, at bloody last, bloodied.</p><p></p><p>But Squeezy is also wrecked, the huge snake-shaped-druid is down to less than 10 HP.</p><p></p><p>The last skeleton left standing slices Newt, and then another bat swarm swoops down and swathes the tabaxi warlock in claws and bites.</p><p></p><p>Newt’s on 1 HP.</p><p></p><p>The greater zombie knight is now bereft of enemies- Ram ran away last turn remember, therefore the headless killing machine shambles over and flails at Daktari, and connects- although just once.</p><p></p><p>The barbarian hits the deck- unconscious, again- rage over.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135315[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>"Guyz! Guyz! I am fading fast- I vunt all uff my hair products and gels to go to Vinnie! Vinnnnnnniiiiieeeeee! Quick turn my token to da side- Dah! Eeeeeeeeeeeee!"</strong></p><p></p><p>Buggles dances in and cuts the zombie knight, and then as swiftly spirals away and out of danger.</p><p></p><p>Then, at last, Squeezy comes good- the huge constrictor grabs up the greater zombie knight and crushes the undead terror in its coils.</p><p></p><p>Ram rushes in and stabs furiously at the zombie knight, and suddenly my big bad guy is also on less than 10 HP.</p><p></p><p>This is going to get close, to the wire.</p><p></p><p>But Newt, the warlock, while his comrades scream for him to put the undead abomination down, well… he has a better plan. He Belphegor blasts the last skeleton to flinders (to get his 10 HP temporary hit points- Dark Ones Blessing), and then follows up by blasting the bat swarm that is buzzing him.</p><p></p><p>The bats however hang around- and bite and claw at the tabaxi some more.</p><p></p><p>Then yet another swarm of bats flutter in and gets in Ram’s grill.</p><p></p><p>But here’s the thing- my greater zombie knight is still up and rolling, of course he is at present being grappled and restrained by Squeezy.</p><p></p><p>Let’s fix that, the zombie knight slams the huge constrictor, and that’s the end of Squeezy, and my guy is on the loose again.</p><p></p><p>First stop Buggles- flailing fists and… BAM! A Crit and the wood elf is on 3 HP.</p><p></p><p>Then BAM! Again, and this time it’s Newt that hits the deck.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135316[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>BAM! BAM! BAM! The ol' triple BAM! Bedtime for bozo's.</strong></p><p></p><p>Recap- Vinnie is back in shifter form and very bloodied, Ram is on maybe 8 HP, Buggles only 3 HP- the other two (I forget their names), bleeding out.</p><p></p><p>But that’s the end of my hot streak- Buggles cuts down the greater zombie knight, and then gets his second wind, and all that’s left are the bats.</p><p></p><p>Although it takes another three or so turns for the pesky flutter-some bastards to finally give up the fight, at which point Daktari has failed two death saves and Newt, just the one.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie gets to Daktari with the cure, while Ram gets to Newt with a potion, and- at bloody last, it’s over and the DM can go and pee.</p><p></p><p>[Undead and bats 2900 XP]</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad ‘find’ a Leomund’s Tiny Hut (LTH) as quickly as they can, or else Newt gets on with the ritual while the rest of the gang stand statue, weapons still drawn, waiting for something else bad to happen.</p><p></p><p>It doesn’t.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad crawl inside the LTH, and rest.</p><p></p><p>That was close.</p><p></p><p>And for the next hour- a short rest, and there’s a hell of a lot of healing going on.</p><p></p><p>Also Newt goes off on one for a while, etching the symbol of his (original) master into the floor of the LTH, the tabaxi doesn’t rise to the various jibes and jokes that his colleagues make regarding exactly what Belphegor’s symbol depicts.</p><p></p><p>Decide for yourself.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135317[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Whatever it is, I don't like it.</strong></p><p></p><p>At the end of the hour all of the PCs save for Vinnie have spent all of their healing HD, and all of them (save Vinnie & Buggles) are still wounded when they’re done.</p><p></p><p>But, and there’s been an extended chat about this, they want to get the hell out of the Underdark.</p><p></p><p>See the title of this session.</p><p></p><p>The first job, once rested- and with help from a little Pass Without Trace, is to sneak past myriad millions of bats in here, again- success.</p><p></p><p>Then the Dark Squad push themselves, and they’re starting to really work out how this should be done- co-ordinating their efforts to get as much help as they can with the necessary checks they need to follow the path all the way back to the massive fungi cavern.</p><p></p><p>Just to note from a DMs POV, up until this point the PCs perhaps co-ordinated their efforts on maybe one in four skill checks, at most, from hereon in- every check is considered, and aided et al.</p><p></p><p>Once back to the massive fungus cavern, and after a very long day (13 hours walking plus fights et al)- although not as long as tomorrow will prove to be. The Dark Squad rest up for the night, and again- in the LTH, which has proved to be worth its weight in gold.</p><p></p><p>[Back to the fungus cavern 250 XP]</p><p></p><p>There follows much more in the way of discussion, although it’s mostly Buggles and Ram shining a light on the madness that is Newt. The rogues always seem to have lots of questions for the warlock. The flip-side of this coin is that Newt always has plenty to say back, all in character- of course.</p><p></p><p>You have to keep in mind that apropos nothing much Newt can (and does) every now and then just say really odd stuff-</p><p></p><p>“Yes! I will crush them and kill them, send their souls to my lord Belphegor, and then caper and prance on their blasted bodies.” Newt gibbers.</p><p></p><p>“I said, did you want a cup of tea?” Ram sighs as the tabaxi giggles and mwa-ha-ha’s to himself for a while longer.</p><p></p><p>He’s bonkers.</p><p></p><p>[Newt, more oddness 300 XP]</p><p></p><p>Then rest, and recuperation- and remarkably all of the PCs make their exhaustion checks, and in the morning there’s an addition to the party- Owly.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135318[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Owly!</strong></p><p></p><p>Vinnie (now that I have bought Tasha’s for Fantasy Grounds) can use one of his wildshape usages to summon a familiar.</p><p></p><p>Owly is an owl, just a regular owl- nothing monstrous or terrifying.</p><p></p><p>It’s all a bit normal for the Dark Squad.</p><p></p><p>[Rest and recuperation, & Owly 200 XP]</p><p></p><p>Then, we go on- or at least the Dark Squad do, and they’re not stopping now until they get back to Farhill Mine, although that’s a thirteen hour journey if they make all of their various skill checks today.</p><p></p><p>It all starts well, safely through the massive fungi cavern, and then a long passage which ascends (for three or so hours) into the bridge cavern.</p><p></p><p>The massive cavern in which the Dark Squad sat and watched as a horde of gnolls, hyenas and (maw) demons chased after a horde of kobolds.</p><p></p><p>Well, there’s a whole lot of noise coming from the bridge cavern- again, and it sounds like fighting.</p><p></p><p>Ram is sent sneaking forward to take a look, the rogue eventually locates the fracas- there are two large four-armed demons (good monster knowledge check- Glabrezu) battering the hell out of each other near the bridge in here.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135319[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Bloody hell! Will this sodding day never end?</strong></p><p></p><p>Then, for seemingly no reason, the pair stop what they’re doing, take a few steps back to stare intently at each other, and… well, that’s all they do- at least for a short while. Until the fighting starts up again.</p><p></p><p>Very odd.</p><p></p><p>Note, I hadn’t prepped another encounter down here in the Underdark, so I just decided to throw in something really nasty on the spur of the moment.</p><p></p><p>The problem being the fight is in the PCs path- they need to get safely around the demons, or else take them on. Note, this later course of action is not even discussed- just no, we’re done with this- let’s get out of here.</p><p></p><p>Ram and Buggles get situated and the pair are using thieves cant to signal back and forth- what’s going on with the demons, or else conveying suggestions from other folk about how to get past/around this confrontation.</p><p></p><p>Minds are concentrated further when the hefty pair of demons break from fighting again, and then both fiends start chanting and/or making threats (maybe) aloud, and in a language that none of the Dark Squad can understand. However, Vinnie is fairly certain that the pair are both attempting some sort of summoning spell/ritual.</p><p></p><p>The decision the is swiftly made, Vinnie spreads a little more Pass Without Trace around, and then the adventurers start creeping their way towards the exit.</p><p></p><p>Heading over the ledge they bunked down on earlier, on their first pass through this cavern, however this stealthy journey involves a close call as the demons summon… well, yet more demons.</p><p></p><p>The final checks involve the Dark Squad stealthing around and behind one of the Glabrezu, while overhead two pairs of Vrocks take it in turns to try to tear each other apart.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135320[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>At this point I'm just screwing with them- "Go on, I double dare you- let's see how this fight goes..." You've got to do it, every now and then, keeps 'em on their toes.</strong></p><p></p><p>The guy’s make it past, the demons it seems are far too wrapped up with their own plight.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad head away from the great cavern at a rush, and don’t stop hustling until they make it all the way back to the mine- that’s a fourteen hour journey from the fungus cavern.</p><p></p><p>[Sneak past the demons 500 XP]</p><p></p><p>They’re out of the Underdark, and they’re knackered.</p><p></p><p>[Survive the Underdark 500 XP]</p><p></p><p>Both rogues are exhausted, they need rest- but as it turns out, not quite yet.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]135321[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Buggles: "I've never been so glad to see a bunch of grubby dwarves."</strong></p><p></p><p>It’s nine in the evening, but the Dark Squad are swiftly ushered into an empty guardroom, a while later- after food and drinks are supplied; Manistrad Copperlocks, Golf Kindle, and Old Gorm have gathered and are ready for their report.</p><p></p><p>As usual Vinnie mostly leads the chatter, but all contribute, the story of the Dark Squad’s adventures gets told, although all mention of Old Gorm’s treasure run is left out from the telling. The explanation is- the adventurers took a while to get back here because they got lost for a couple of days, or so they tell Manistrad et al.</p><p></p><p>The PCs also leave out the fact that explored the duergar deep fort courtesy of an out-of-body experience (Dreamtime) and thanks to Hgraam the Stone Giant.</p><p></p><p>But Manistrad digs and digs, and eventually the whole story gets told (except for Old Gorm’s treasure run), and the PCs are able to convince Manistrad, and also to provide drawings and directions. Eventually Copperlocks is assuaged. Mission accomplished- the Dark Squad are paid, and thanked for their sterling efforts.</p><p></p><p>[Manistrad is happy- mission accomplished 500 XP]</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad have also, at last, accomplished everything they need to at the mine- they’re ready to be unleashed upon the world/region, but more of this next session.</p><p></p><p>There’s still time this evening however for the Dark Squad to retire to their bunkroom and share the treasure that they found with Old Gorm, the chest turns out to contain over 50,000 coins. The issue being that 99% of them are copper coins, still- it’s quite a haul.</p><p></p><p>Old Gorm is more than happy with his cut, particularly as there’s plenty of other minor valuables to be sold (gems, jewellery etc.), and therefore still more money to be made.</p><p></p><p>But that’s not all that’s in the chest, and keep in mind Vinnie and Newt are using a variety of spells and rituals to examine the horde (mostly Detect Magic & Identify).</p><p></p><p>Two quivers full of magical arrows (+1 & walloping) are gathered, as is a jar of keoghtom’s ointment, and an immovable rod, and… a well-worn, scuffed, marked and sodden book.</p><p></p><p>The text within the book, at least the small amount of it that is legible, is however written in a complex code, the PCs eventually conclude.</p><p></p><p>The DM has a hangman (word puzzle) for the PCs, it’s the title of the book they’ve just found, and the more incorrect guesses it takes the PCs to get the title, then the harder the DC to decipher the rest of the text within the tome.</p><p></p><p>It takes a good long while to work out the book’s title, and so all future checks (Wis or Int) will be DC 14 to continue to crack the code. This activity can be completed during downtime or moments of rest (without distractions).</p><p></p><p>See next session guys for a discussion of the rules for this activity.</p><p></p><p>The title of the book-</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 26px"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'">VH Campaign Diary</span></span></p><p></p><p>We may get to what the book contains later on in this series, but for now- we’re done, that’s the end of the session, and we were thirty minutes over time.</p><p></p><p>[Treasure & VH Campaign Diary 250 XP]</p><p></p><p>Next session- Saltmarsh!</p><p></p><p>Although just a heads up Vinnie will be away for the next one, still- I have plenty to keep the other three players amused.</p><p></p><p>Jim/Vinnie send me a list of anything downtime you want to get done, and I’ll incorporate it into the next write up, or else bodge your story in later- somehow.</p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well you lovely people.</p><p></p><p>Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 8242325, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #042 The Dark Squad Get The Flip-Dickings Out Of The Underdark. Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here). Buggles (played by Stu) Male Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 3/Rogue Lvl 3 New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 6 Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 6 Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 6 NPCs Daktari Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 6 [S]Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 [/S]RIP* *Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors. Buggles’ undead servitor Gwen Female Duergar Skeleton, in full-face helm and armour [/B] This is session 42, and it’s all coming up Dark Squad (as they say)- Old Gorm’s treasure has been found, the duergar deep-fort base has likewise been located (while in Hgraam/Stone Giant assisted Dreamtime) and successfully explored. Woo hoo! And so 3-2-1, and we’re back in the room. The room in this instance being a watery sealed (save for the river going in/out) cavern, home to plenty of treasure including a chest (of holding) crammed with coin and who knows what else. But the place is strewn with skeletal corpses- it all kicked off in here, and some time ago… or so the PCs think. But here’s the thing- the Dark Squad have given up, at last, on trying to figure out what’s going on with all of the skeletal remains in here. It’s time to go home, to get out of the Underdark… at bloody last. Being towed, once again, by Vincen G Octopod the adventurers therefore depart the dangerous place, and once outside the watery cave, Vinnie turns back into himself- shifter-shape. But the Dark Squad don’t get far. So, the skeletons on the floor of the watery chamber were waiting for just one thing- for the chest that the adventurers found to be taken from its final resting place (note the guy’s figured this out after the fight), and so- here they come. And just to remind you the Dark Squad had to crawl through a tight tunnel, nearly sixty feet long and half-filled with water to get into the treasure chamber- made all the more easier because Vincen G Octopod just dragged his compatriots through. So, on the way out- and for the undead following, it’s a flume-ride to exit the place. We’re very quickly to the fighting, and just to say- the undead are in a rush to get at the PCs- they come spewing out the watery flume. And there are, from memory, eighteen skeletons (all with max HP) and the last to the fracas, a greater zombie knight (a greater zombie combined with a knight stat block with a few ‘extras’), and this last guy is a bad ass. But he doesn’t get into action right away. Just to say ahead of time, this fight took nearly two hours to play through, so hold on to your headgear, rest-assured- I’ll precis the action. Oh, and while we’re telling tales, during the fight three PCs (Ram, Buggles and Vinnie) all alluded to the fact that they had an escape plan plotted for their guys. As in they were ready to cut and run- needless to say the fight was going particularly badly at the time that this conversation got played out. Newt was the only member of the Dark Squad (PC) that remained steadfast and committed throughout the fracas that follows, or else he was unconscious and making death saves when the above conversation happened. For completion sake- as was Daktari, at the time. Point of fact the other three PCs weren’t particularly healthy at this point either. But, we’ll get to this. Enough build up, the skeletons come tumbling out the river tunnel and rush into melee, and en masse, there are ten of them in the first wave. Daktari rages and cuts one down (Crit- Hit combo), Buggles rolls his first ‘1’ of the evening- there are plenty more of these from the PCs, he uses an inspiration point to re-roll and Crits second time around. It all started so well- there’s cheering already as another skeleton dies. But then the skeletons wail on the raging Daktari, and the barbarian is taking hits- my dice are good to great for me this evening. Vinnie conjures his Moonbeam and scorches a swathe of the undead- who nevertheless keep on coming, I’m getting all of the bad guys out of their watery cavern lair as quickly as possible here- and into the PCs grills. Ramshambow (with Deadend- undead bane rapier) cuts another skeleton down, another of the undead gets to Newt and the warlock is stabbed- he doesn’t like that, he therefore drops the bomb- Fireball! [ATTACH type="full"]135308[/ATTACH] [B]Newt manages to get all of the enemies inside his Fireball, but hang on! Isn't that Daktari in there too.[/B] Seven skeletons are destroyed in an instant as the fiery explosion rips through the pack- alas positioned in the middle of the aforementioned pack is Daktari, who fails his save and… is bloodied in an instant. The raging barbarian however fights on, although screaming every now and then in his cod-Russian accent (now transitioning to Scottish, he’s being played by Bear/Newt tonight) “I HURT, BAD!” [ATTACH type="full"]135309[/ATTACH] [B]After the Fireball. Note, I made Daktari make a saving throw for his hair- the barbarian loves his hair, nearly as much as he does Vinnie.[/B] But there are still eight or so skeletons in action- Vinnie gets mobbed and stabbed repeatedly, that’s nice. Also the zombie greater knight has at last made his appearance, Daktari- the tough guy heads over to face-off against this feller, and then starts cutting, but the undead knight is hard to pin down- and heavily armoured in rusty plate. Note the greater zombie knight is also missing his head- Buggles kicked it off remember, but that doesn’t seem to be slowing the fellow any. Buggles cuts another skeleton down. Come on… this is easy! Vincenzo however has to disengage, as the undead just keep on shuffling forward, pushing their way deeper into the ranks of the Dark Squad. The druid drops back, and… is instantly engulfed in a swarm of bats, the PCs look up and about them- this after hearing Vinnie’s yells. The ceiling of this great cavern chamber is swarming with bats who have been riled into action by the Fireball et al. [ATTACH type="full"]135310[/ATTACH] [B]Vinnie: "Sacre bleu! I hatez ze Batz!" Buggles: "Come on Vinnie, can't you just talk to them, tell them your busy?"[/B] The Dark Squad encountered the bats here earlier, and had to sneak through the place, but- they had forgotten about that. Vinnie keeps his Moonbeam burning, and keeps moving it about, using it like a radiant spotlight to scorch more of the undead buggers. Daktari keeps on taking hits, soon after the swamped barbarian is down to maybe 15 or so HP (from approx. 70), and looking back on it that happened pretty quickly, and if the barbarian falls… Ram takes another skeleton down, and then stabs the greater zombie knight, Newt fiery blasts this bugger too. But the creature’s HP Bar, on its token in Fantasy Grounds, hardly drops at all- causing mutterings around the VTT. Mostly, “Oh, crap!”, but also ‘fresher’ variants. Daktari keeps on taking hits (I think I’ve said that before), but he’s raging, and so he’s soaking up the damage, but… it’s not looking good. Seconds later and the barbarian is put down by the greater zombie knight, note this undead terror attacks by flailing wildly with its fists which also deliver a hefty necrotic punch. [ATTACH type="full"]135311[/ATTACH] [B]The turning of the token- Daktari gets to dirt-napping. [/B] Buggles slices another skeleton down. But there are now also three bat swarms swooping and swirling around- attempting to find a PC to feed on. It also doesn’t help that Vinnie (Jim) is rolling really low for his Moonbeam damage every turn. Note, it’s probs worth mentioning at this point that Buggles has also been screaming (at Vinnie) for some time to get some healing into Daktari- this, of course, prior to the barbarian’s fall. The following appears in the chat window- Buggles: WANTED! Are you a healer? Fancy adventuring with a group with no healer? Contact Newt at Newt Towers now Vincenzo: I am much more than an ealerr mon ami Personally, I like it for the fact that Jim/Vinnie spells like he sounds, he is ‘ an ealerr’. Ram gets to the greater zombie knight with Deadend, and Crits it- there’s a wild cheer, but the thing is still not even close to bloodied. Then Newt misses the beast with three Belphegor Fiery Blasts in a row (the third attempt courtesy of an inspiration point). Then the warlock gets stabbed-up by a skeleton. As does Buggles, repeatedly. It’s about now, with the laughter all gone, that play really slows down- PCs are, I can tell, working out what to do for the best. Is it time to cut and run yet? Ramshambow suddenly finds himself one-on-one versus the greater zombie knight, that doesn’t go well- and now he’s down to maybe 12-15 HP. Buggles fights his way through to Daktari, and then gets a healing potion (with his action surge) down the big lad’s gullet. Vinnie’s Moonbeam continues to have very little effect, this is not his fault you understand, when it works this spell can be devastating. But, the bad guys keep making their saves and his damage rolls are real bad- 2d10 radiant = 6, save for 3 damage; that kind of thing. Repeatedly. Therefore the huge constrictor Vincen G Squeezy Snake makes his appearance, but let me just pre-empt this- Squeezy has a bad reputation already, and it’s about to get worse. The huge constrictor fails to hit… anything (at least for a while), and repeatedly- even when Vinnie spends an inspiration point to try again, and this guy is +8 to hit with the druid’s insignia of claws. [ATTACH type="full"]135312[/ATTACH] [B]Vincen G Squeezy Snake, a titan amongst tokens, but otherwise... a bit meh![/B] Oh, Buggles gets sliced again. Ram fails to land a hit on the greater zombie knight. It’s getting bad… Then worse… Newt decides to get another potion of (greater) healing into Daktari, and takes three opportunity attacks (all hits) to get the job done, the warlock is bloodied and beyond. But let’s just take a moment to admire the life-changing effects of that healing balm, copied and pasted directly from Fantasy Grounds chat- Newt: [HEAL] Potion of Greater Healing [4d4+4 = 8] Heal [8] -> [to Daktari] Newt: Potion of Greater Healing That’s right- 4d4, and in FG it rolls the dice, and they all came up ‘1’s. As Buggles said/screamed at the time= “Quadruple Cabbage!” There’s a lot of talk about the expiry date of the potion just consumed, followed by a short discussion as the players try to figure out how much they paid for the underperforming magic, and who was it that sold it to them? A lot of humour, quite a bit of it of the gallows variety. Newt, by the way, is down to maybe 10 HP. Buggles gets sliced (I’ve read that before somewhere), as does Vincen G Squeezy. Ram however still has the greater zombie knight on him- and this bastard has three attacks (and is also approx. +7 to hit). The headless undead monstrosity connects just once, and thanks to Ram’s uncanny dodge, well… he lives. Oh, and just to say that the greater zombie knight hits with his first attack, for the second and third of his to hit rolls you could have heard a pin drop. Ram is on 1 HP. [ATTACH type="full"]135313[/ATTACH] [B]Daktari's back in action- "Guyz! Guyz! Vot did I miss!"[/B] Daktari, at last, gets back up again- and rages again, his last rage for the day- and then he adds a little extra frenzy to his attacks. The barbarian smashes another skeleton down but then misses repeatedly with his other attacks. There are only three or so skeletons left in action, and the greater zombie knight (still not bloodied), oh… and a trio of bat swarms. Squeezy still hasn’t hit anything. Ram, can’t keep it up- the rogue disengages from the greater zombie knight and then gets the hell away, and then swigs down a potion of greater healing- he’s blowing hard. Newt drops the bomb- the second Fireball, but this time it’s Vincen G Squeezy Snake’s turn to be in middle of the conflagration. [ATTACH type="full"]135314[/ATTACH] [B]Fireball the Redux! Squeezy gets toasty![/B] The flash fire clears and several bat swarms have been destroyed- or else are fleeing the scene, only one skeleton survives, and the great zombie knight is, at bloody last, bloodied. But Squeezy is also wrecked, the huge snake-shaped-druid is down to less than 10 HP. The last skeleton left standing slices Newt, and then another bat swarm swoops down and swathes the tabaxi warlock in claws and bites. Newt’s on 1 HP. The greater zombie knight is now bereft of enemies- Ram ran away last turn remember, therefore the headless killing machine shambles over and flails at Daktari, and connects- although just once. The barbarian hits the deck- unconscious, again- rage over. [ATTACH type="full"]135315[/ATTACH] [B]"Guyz! Guyz! I am fading fast- I vunt all uff my hair products and gels to go to Vinnie! Vinnnnnnniiiiieeeeee! Quick turn my token to da side- Dah! Eeeeeeeeeeeee!"[/B] Buggles dances in and cuts the zombie knight, and then as swiftly spirals away and out of danger. Then, at last, Squeezy comes good- the huge constrictor grabs up the greater zombie knight and crushes the undead terror in its coils. Ram rushes in and stabs furiously at the zombie knight, and suddenly my big bad guy is also on less than 10 HP. This is going to get close, to the wire. But Newt, the warlock, while his comrades scream for him to put the undead abomination down, well… he has a better plan. He Belphegor blasts the last skeleton to flinders (to get his 10 HP temporary hit points- Dark Ones Blessing), and then follows up by blasting the bat swarm that is buzzing him. The bats however hang around- and bite and claw at the tabaxi some more. Then yet another swarm of bats flutter in and gets in Ram’s grill. But here’s the thing- my greater zombie knight is still up and rolling, of course he is at present being grappled and restrained by Squeezy. Let’s fix that, the zombie knight slams the huge constrictor, and that’s the end of Squeezy, and my guy is on the loose again. First stop Buggles- flailing fists and… BAM! A Crit and the wood elf is on 3 HP. Then BAM! Again, and this time it’s Newt that hits the deck. [ATTACH type="full"]135316[/ATTACH] [B]BAM! BAM! BAM! The ol' triple BAM! Bedtime for bozo's.[/B] Recap- Vinnie is back in shifter form and very bloodied, Ram is on maybe 8 HP, Buggles only 3 HP- the other two (I forget their names), bleeding out. But that’s the end of my hot streak- Buggles cuts down the greater zombie knight, and then gets his second wind, and all that’s left are the bats. Although it takes another three or so turns for the pesky flutter-some bastards to finally give up the fight, at which point Daktari has failed two death saves and Newt, just the one. Vinnie gets to Daktari with the cure, while Ram gets to Newt with a potion, and- at bloody last, it’s over and the DM can go and pee. [Undead and bats 2900 XP] The Dark Squad ‘find’ a Leomund’s Tiny Hut (LTH) as quickly as they can, or else Newt gets on with the ritual while the rest of the gang stand statue, weapons still drawn, waiting for something else bad to happen. It doesn’t. The Dark Squad crawl inside the LTH, and rest. That was close. And for the next hour- a short rest, and there’s a hell of a lot of healing going on. Also Newt goes off on one for a while, etching the symbol of his (original) master into the floor of the LTH, the tabaxi doesn’t rise to the various jibes and jokes that his colleagues make regarding exactly what Belphegor’s symbol depicts. Decide for yourself. [ATTACH type="full"]135317[/ATTACH] [B]Whatever it is, I don't like it.[/B] At the end of the hour all of the PCs save for Vinnie have spent all of their healing HD, and all of them (save Vinnie & Buggles) are still wounded when they’re done. But, and there’s been an extended chat about this, they want to get the hell out of the Underdark. See the title of this session. The first job, once rested- and with help from a little Pass Without Trace, is to sneak past myriad millions of bats in here, again- success. Then the Dark Squad push themselves, and they’re starting to really work out how this should be done- co-ordinating their efforts to get as much help as they can with the necessary checks they need to follow the path all the way back to the massive fungi cavern. Just to note from a DMs POV, up until this point the PCs perhaps co-ordinated their efforts on maybe one in four skill checks, at most, from hereon in- every check is considered, and aided et al. Once back to the massive fungus cavern, and after a very long day (13 hours walking plus fights et al)- although not as long as tomorrow will prove to be. The Dark Squad rest up for the night, and again- in the LTH, which has proved to be worth its weight in gold. [Back to the fungus cavern 250 XP] There follows much more in the way of discussion, although it’s mostly Buggles and Ram shining a light on the madness that is Newt. The rogues always seem to have lots of questions for the warlock. The flip-side of this coin is that Newt always has plenty to say back, all in character- of course. You have to keep in mind that apropos nothing much Newt can (and does) every now and then just say really odd stuff- “Yes! I will crush them and kill them, send their souls to my lord Belphegor, and then caper and prance on their blasted bodies.” Newt gibbers. “I said, did you want a cup of tea?” Ram sighs as the tabaxi giggles and mwa-ha-ha’s to himself for a while longer. He’s bonkers. [Newt, more oddness 300 XP] Then rest, and recuperation- and remarkably all of the PCs make their exhaustion checks, and in the morning there’s an addition to the party- Owly. [ATTACH type="full"]135318[/ATTACH] [B]Owly![/B] Vinnie (now that I have bought Tasha’s for Fantasy Grounds) can use one of his wildshape usages to summon a familiar. Owly is an owl, just a regular owl- nothing monstrous or terrifying. It’s all a bit normal for the Dark Squad. [Rest and recuperation, & Owly 200 XP] Then, we go on- or at least the Dark Squad do, and they’re not stopping now until they get back to Farhill Mine, although that’s a thirteen hour journey if they make all of their various skill checks today. It all starts well, safely through the massive fungi cavern, and then a long passage which ascends (for three or so hours) into the bridge cavern. The massive cavern in which the Dark Squad sat and watched as a horde of gnolls, hyenas and (maw) demons chased after a horde of kobolds. Well, there’s a whole lot of noise coming from the bridge cavern- again, and it sounds like fighting. Ram is sent sneaking forward to take a look, the rogue eventually locates the fracas- there are two large four-armed demons (good monster knowledge check- Glabrezu) battering the hell out of each other near the bridge in here. [ATTACH type="full"]135319[/ATTACH] [B]Bloody hell! Will this sodding day never end?[/B] Then, for seemingly no reason, the pair stop what they’re doing, take a few steps back to stare intently at each other, and… well, that’s all they do- at least for a short while. Until the fighting starts up again. Very odd. Note, I hadn’t prepped another encounter down here in the Underdark, so I just decided to throw in something really nasty on the spur of the moment. The problem being the fight is in the PCs path- they need to get safely around the demons, or else take them on. Note, this later course of action is not even discussed- just no, we’re done with this- let’s get out of here. Ram and Buggles get situated and the pair are using thieves cant to signal back and forth- what’s going on with the demons, or else conveying suggestions from other folk about how to get past/around this confrontation. Minds are concentrated further when the hefty pair of demons break from fighting again, and then both fiends start chanting and/or making threats (maybe) aloud, and in a language that none of the Dark Squad can understand. However, Vinnie is fairly certain that the pair are both attempting some sort of summoning spell/ritual. The decision the is swiftly made, Vinnie spreads a little more Pass Without Trace around, and then the adventurers start creeping their way towards the exit. Heading over the ledge they bunked down on earlier, on their first pass through this cavern, however this stealthy journey involves a close call as the demons summon… well, yet more demons. The final checks involve the Dark Squad stealthing around and behind one of the Glabrezu, while overhead two pairs of Vrocks take it in turns to try to tear each other apart. [ATTACH type="full"]135320[/ATTACH] [B]At this point I'm just screwing with them- "Go on, I double dare you- let's see how this fight goes..." You've got to do it, every now and then, keeps 'em on their toes.[/B] The guy’s make it past, the demons it seems are far too wrapped up with their own plight. The Dark Squad head away from the great cavern at a rush, and don’t stop hustling until they make it all the way back to the mine- that’s a fourteen hour journey from the fungus cavern. [Sneak past the demons 500 XP] They’re out of the Underdark, and they’re knackered. [Survive the Underdark 500 XP] Both rogues are exhausted, they need rest- but as it turns out, not quite yet. [ATTACH type="full"]135321[/ATTACH] [B]Buggles: "I've never been so glad to see a bunch of grubby dwarves."[/B] It’s nine in the evening, but the Dark Squad are swiftly ushered into an empty guardroom, a while later- after food and drinks are supplied; Manistrad Copperlocks, Golf Kindle, and Old Gorm have gathered and are ready for their report. As usual Vinnie mostly leads the chatter, but all contribute, the story of the Dark Squad’s adventures gets told, although all mention of Old Gorm’s treasure run is left out from the telling. The explanation is- the adventurers took a while to get back here because they got lost for a couple of days, or so they tell Manistrad et al. The PCs also leave out the fact that explored the duergar deep fort courtesy of an out-of-body experience (Dreamtime) and thanks to Hgraam the Stone Giant. But Manistrad digs and digs, and eventually the whole story gets told (except for Old Gorm’s treasure run), and the PCs are able to convince Manistrad, and also to provide drawings and directions. Eventually Copperlocks is assuaged. Mission accomplished- the Dark Squad are paid, and thanked for their sterling efforts. [Manistrad is happy- mission accomplished 500 XP] The Dark Squad have also, at last, accomplished everything they need to at the mine- they’re ready to be unleashed upon the world/region, but more of this next session. There’s still time this evening however for the Dark Squad to retire to their bunkroom and share the treasure that they found with Old Gorm, the chest turns out to contain over 50,000 coins. The issue being that 99% of them are copper coins, still- it’s quite a haul. Old Gorm is more than happy with his cut, particularly as there’s plenty of other minor valuables to be sold (gems, jewellery etc.), and therefore still more money to be made. But that’s not all that’s in the chest, and keep in mind Vinnie and Newt are using a variety of spells and rituals to examine the horde (mostly Detect Magic & Identify). Two quivers full of magical arrows (+1 & walloping) are gathered, as is a jar of keoghtom’s ointment, and an immovable rod, and… a well-worn, scuffed, marked and sodden book. The text within the book, at least the small amount of it that is legible, is however written in a complex code, the PCs eventually conclude. The DM has a hangman (word puzzle) for the PCs, it’s the title of the book they’ve just found, and the more incorrect guesses it takes the PCs to get the title, then the harder the DC to decipher the rest of the text within the tome. It takes a good long while to work out the book’s title, and so all future checks (Wis or Int) will be DC 14 to continue to crack the code. This activity can be completed during downtime or moments of rest (without distractions). See next session guys for a discussion of the rules for this activity. The title of the book- [CENTER][SIZE=7][FONT=times new roman]VH Campaign Diary[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER] We may get to what the book contains later on in this series, but for now- we’re done, that’s the end of the session, and we were thirty minutes over time. [Treasure & VH Campaign Diary 250 XP] Next session- Saltmarsh! Although just a heads up Vinnie will be away for the next one, still- I have plenty to keep the other three players amused. Jim/Vinnie send me a list of anything downtime you want to get done, and I’ll incorporate it into the next write up, or else bodge your story in later- somehow. Stay safe and well you lovely people. Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan. [/QUOTE]
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The Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh #138 Into the Mere of the Dead Men Part 3.
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