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The Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh #137 Into the Mere of the Dead Men Part 2.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8406520" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #064: The Oldest Gnome in the Burrow.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).</strong></p><p><strong>Daktari (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 7</strong></p><p><strong>New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 7</strong></p><p><strong>Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 7</strong></p><p><strong>Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 7</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>NPCs</strong></p><p><strong>Inverna Nightbreeze (played by Goonalan) Female Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 7 (Sidekick)</strong></p><p><strong><s><strong>Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 </strong></s>RIP*</strong></p><p><strong><s><strong>Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard</strong></s> RETIRED</strong></p><p><strong>*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Servants/Familiars</strong></p><p><strong>Gerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New Tricks</strong></p><p><strong>Owly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiar</strong></p><p></p><p>This is session 64, yet another cracker.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad are in the process of trying to save Arty Swell, he's a murderer dontchya know, or at least he remembers stabbing Kali Brightsong. Vinnie has signed up to be Arty's Speaker (Lawyer) at the gnome alchemist's trial here in Squabblepot. The trial will take place in 72 hours, although that's down to 68 hours now.</p><p></p><p>The PCs however have chosen to go for the 5,000 gp reward (see session 62b) and so they're trying to get this mystery solved in just 24 hours (they have 20 hours left).</p><p></p><p>Last we left the Dark Squad they were in a sulphurous passage deep beneath Arty's labs, ahead a pool of steaming liquid which Ian with one 'I' - a nothic the adventurers think, and the cause of all of this misery, has somehow climbed across/around.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad are of the opinion that Ian with one 'I' has infected (or else dominated) the mind of Arty Swell, controlling the gnome during the slaying of Kali Brightsong. They just need to be able to prove this... for which they figure they need to get hold of the nothic, dead or alive.</p><p></p><p>However, they are also aware that once they get beyond the sulphurous pool ahead, well... the way back up to Squabblepot will get much longer, and much tougher. The DM pointed this out to the players in the write up at the end of the last session.</p><p></p><p>He's a nice guy that way- the DM.</p><p></p><p>The question therefore is- do the Dark Squad retreat to Squabblepot now and play out the rest of the investigation there, keep in mind that they have not yet examined the murder scene, and they've not spoken to any of the witnesses, also- they have a few follow-up questions to put to Arty.</p><p></p><p>Particularly Ram who particularly suffered from the traps in the lab.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie is all for zis (the retreat), I mean... this.</p><p></p><p>Newt, however...</p><p></p><p>“Back up there, to those lying little grublings, with their perfectly wholesome society... NEVER! NEVER! Let's get on Vinnie- we have a Nothic to BURN!”</p><p></p><p>Is pretty much in precis the tabaxi's views on the matter, a little later Newt concedes that burning the nothic would not be the best outcome, but... he wants to get on.</p><p></p><p>The difference of opinion continues for a good ten minutes until, a miracle...</p><p></p><p>Ram has an opinion.</p><p></p><p>Just to note, Ram isn't one for small talk, or indeed talk. Quite often when a decision needs to be taken the Dark Squad stop for a disassemble and it plays out thusly-</p><p></p><p>Vinnie offers his opinion, it usually takes the form of a (long) speech.</p><p></p><p>Newt replies in his whispering death hush, everything he says- no matter how innocent the language, sounds like a threat.</p><p></p><p>The pair verbally spar for a while until one of them remembers Ram is present, at which point that individual calls upon the rogue to offer an opinion.</p><p></p><p>Ram's reply?</p><p></p><p>So, if Vinnie and Newt have already played out everything that Ram thinks or knows about the subject up for discussion then, his reply is often a simple, “yeah...”, leaving neither of the arguers sure who he has agreed with.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, if Ram just doesn't care, well... then he's much less wordy.</p><p></p><p>So, for Ram to have an opinion, that doesn't happen often, and to volunteer it... Newt and Vinnie listen, and the rogue's opinion is this- “let's get the rest of the interviews done- quickly, have a word with Arty, and then get back down here and hunt this bastard down.”</p><p></p><p>[Upwards or onwards 100 XP]</p><p></p><p>And so it comes to pass, it only takes fifteen minutes from where the PCs stand in the caverns and the stink to get all the way back to the cool calm corridors of Squabblepot.</p><p></p><p>Oh, but back up a moment- Newt, before he departed the ruins below Arty's labs has left Gerald his pet/companion bat, hidden outside of the metal doors through which are the sulphurous passages.</p><p></p><p>Gerald's job- watch and wait, Newt will be back.</p><p></p><p>So, Squabblepot again.</p><p></p><p>First up, the murder scene is investigated- thoroughly, but there's little to find, the area has been sealed after the violence, and from the look of the blood splatters and footprints the action played out exactly as Arty told Vinnie.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]144319[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Interviewing Andrea Palmpilot.</strong></p><p></p><p>So, time to interview the witnesses to the crime, the three other gnomes present at the murder were- Wayne Fortunecookie, Herbert Balmstick & Andrea Palmpilot. The trio are interviewed separately, they pretty much all tell the same story, but the PCs are honing in on the moment it all happened. In conclusion they piece together the following-</p><p></p><p>Arty was drifting, he looked asleep, Kali- on her way out walked behind where he sat, heading for the exit. Arty suddenly blinked his eyes open, he looked terrified- a second later he was on his feet and his knife was in Kali's back.</p><p></p><p>At which point Wayne and Herbert leapt into action. The pair both make mention of the fact that Arty was hyperventilating by the time they had dragged him down to the ground, and then... he feinted, which caused a little confusion at the time as initially they thought Arty was dead too.</p><p></p><p>Very strange.</p><p></p><p>Note, the interviews are beautiful to behold- Vinnie, obviously, holds court- several of his questions are at least five yards too long with addenda, subclauses, and a little space left for some speechifying and grandstanding. Quite often the interviewee has to listen intently for a minute in order to answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.</p><p></p><p>“Zo, on ze evenin' in kwestion, yew- and yure com-pat-ree-ots whur in zis rheum! Zir rheum wiz itz tell tale zigns of zer murder of ze beautiful yung gnome- Kali Brightsong. Tell me monsieur Balmstick, iz zis not ze case?” Vinnie eventually asks.</p><p></p><p>“Er... Yes, I was here.” Herbert Balmstick answers with a shrug.</p><p></p><p>Newt on the other hand is playing the bad cop (but you probably guessed this), and again (and as commented upon at the time by Ram) everything he says has sharp edges. There's a lot of threat-</p><p></p><p>“You're a young gnome Balmstick, full of a young gnome's urges, tell me about your relationship with Kali Brightsong? Did you harbour feelings for her? Did Arty? Do you get jealous Herbert? Do you have 'a bit of a temper'?”</p><p></p><p>The above sentence starts real slow, and then just gets faster and faster (and louder), eventually racing to the end, leaving Herbert Balmstick fumbling...</p><p></p><p>“I... that is. NO! I... What are you implying?”</p><p></p><p>That kind of thing.</p><p></p><p>Great work.</p><p></p><p>[Interviewing the eye-witnesses 500 XP]</p><p></p><p>Next up, after the interviews, a break in proceedings for the adventurers to summarise where they are at, and for a collective effort by the PCs to remember as much as they can about nothics- cue monster knowledge checks. Newt (of course) rolls a '19' plus bonuses- he knows plenty. He shares everything he remembers about the one-eyed, clawed, mind-reading/controlling aberrants with his friends. Including the fact that the terrible beasts are the end result of failed arcanists that dug too deep into the dark and perilous world of magic.</p><p></p><p>Keep this last nugget in mind for a little bit.</p><p></p><p>So, by the end of the discussion the Dark Squad are convinced- Ian with one 'I', a nothic, has been infecting Arty's head- possibly for a while now. Eventually learning how to control the gnome, to either plant suggestions, or else to dominate Arty, in order to commit violence.</p><p></p><p>The solution is far too simple for Newt, that is until Vinnie points out that if it wasn't for the Dark Squad then none of the above would likely have been discovered by the gnomes of Squabblepot. Furthermore, the druid makes clear, if they don't get the nothic then the creature would be free to infect another gnome minds, possibly leading to more murders.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad have their story prepared, as previous- now they just to find the proof.</p><p></p><p>[A discussion about nothics 150 XP]</p><p></p><p>But then things take a turn for the strange...</p><p></p><p>“Are you the ones?” Lisl Blackthorn, the oldest gnome in the burrow- this fact she makes clear, repeatedly. Lisl is 372 years young, another fact she shares freely.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]144320[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>The oldest gnome in the burrow- Lisl Blackthorn.</strong></p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad, as it turns out, are the ones- the ones investigating the murder of Kali Brightsong, well- sit back, because Lisl has a story to tell.</p><p></p><p>In summary- Lisl's husband Randall, a quiet and gentle-gnome, was accused of murdering a young gnome of the burrow 185 years ago, he was sentenced to be hanged, although that didn't happen. Randall somehow escaped the burrow before the sentence was carried out.</p><p></p><p>So far so similar, here's the first kicker- Randall & Lisl lived in the rooms now occupied by Arty.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad get to digging and picking at this new nugget of information.</p><p></p><p>Vinnie with his speechifying is polite and caring, Newt is as pleasant as he can be, but still more than a little spiky.</p><p></p><p>As it turns out there's more to Lisl's story.</p><p></p><p>The first crack in the ancient female gnome's narrative occurs when Lisl lets slip that Randall wasn't always such a gentle-gnome.</p><p></p><p>Newt patiently (and repeatedly) explains that there is nothing that Lisl can tell him that would offend his sensibilities, there is no amount of depravity, or violence, or... basically- let it all out. All delivered, of course, with more than a hint of menace and threat.</p><p></p><p>The 372 year old Lisl therefore cries throughout the following confession-</p><p></p><p>“Randall could be... despicable, he lead another life- he would grow angry, moody, constantly on edge- when he was here. He was away often... adventuring, with his odd companions.”</p><p></p><p>The 'despicable', translated from the sentence above, turns out to refer to the fact that Randall was (and as revealed in hushed tones) a warlock, or else he summoned terrors and monsters to serve his purpose.</p><p></p><p>“Can you believe that? A Warlock!” Lisl implores Newt, seeking comfort from the gaze of the cute cat-like tabaxi.</p><p></p><p>“Despicable...” Newt purrs back.</p><p></p><p>Although, after further questioning, much of this information Lisl only discovered after Randall had escaped the burrow, and his fate. When she ventured down into his rooms (now Arty's labs).</p><p></p><p>As to Randall being an adventurer, after further enquiry and questioning Lisl remembers-</p><p></p><p>“Randall's companions, I never met them you understand, but he spoke about a crazy elf, a fearsome dwarf, a clever druid and a mischievous rogue. They called themselves...</p><p></p><p>“The Eyes in the Night?” Vinnie finishes.</p><p></p><p>“Oh, then you have heard of them...” Lisl nods.</p><p></p><p>There's not much else to tell, or else that's all Lisl knows.</p><p></p><p>But, of course, the new information is bundled into the old- is the nothic, Ian with one 'I', actually Randall- the warlock. Certainly the summoning chamber downstairs is Randall's, also in the lowest cellar Ram managed to find a trio of 'dodgy' ancient books (duly passed to Newt for examination). Books about dark magic written in the infernal tongue, as it turns out after further investigation the initials RB are discovered on each of these old tomes.</p><p></p><p>[Lisl & Randall Blackthorn 400 XP]</p><p></p><p>Next up, and with a spring in their step, the Dark Squad head over to Arty's cell- they chat with Sgt. Ecky Thump a while, and then reconvene with the accused for interview number two.</p><p></p><p>Which goes pretty much as you'd expect- Arty has been keeping secrets from the Dark Squad- the summoning chamber in his lab below, he insists that he has never made use of it, which the PCs have already worked out.</p><p></p><p>And... Arty has been having problems sleeping, someone (or some thing) called Ian with one 'I' has been infecting his dreams, manipulating his memories of Shalli his long dead wife to, well... to scare him.</p><p></p><p>For a while Arty thought he was going mad.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad press the subject, Newt leans hard on Arty but it seems that is really all the gnome alchemist knows. Therefore the adventurers take a moment to catch Arty (and Sgt. Ecky Thump) up with what they have discovered, the telling of the tale brings tears and hope to Arty.</p><p></p><p>The gnome is incredibly sorry for his various traps and the harm they caused to Ram, and also glad to be able to tell the truth at last- and not thought to be mad.</p><p></p><p>Sgt. Ecky is both impressed and concerned. Impressed with all the Dark Squad have discovered, but as concerned about the fact that there is some sort of aberrant on the loose- infecting people's minds.</p><p></p><p>The interview concludes with another Vinnie speech, in precis-</p><p></p><p>“You shud be 'ope-full yung Arty. We will find zis beast- Ian, wiz zer one eye, and we will bring zis ter-ree-ble cree-chure to Squabblepot to ann-sur fur 'iz crimes!”</p><p></p><p>There's an excellent moment during the above conversation, at the beginning when Arty is in denial- he remembers killing Kali, he can't believe that another creature was controlling him, had corrupted his mind.</p><p></p><p>It's at this point that Newt patiently explains that he used magic, in this case a Suggestion spell earlier on Newt in order to get the gnome to tell his story again. As the tabaxi points out, mind control is not only possible, it is very probable, or as Newt puts it-</p><p></p><p>“I could have persuaded you to murder all of your fiddling companions here in Squiggleport, and then have you dance on their bloody remains... if I had wanted to.”</p><p></p><p>Reassuring.</p><p></p><p>[Interview with Arty Swell number two 500 XP]</p><p></p><p>Then... back into the dark, although the first stop is to grab Sgt. Ecky Thump and take her below- into Arty's rooms- to see the million times scribbled Ian with one 'I' on Arty's bedroom walls, the summoning chamber of Randall Blackthorn (untouched) and the illusion-screened passage that leads into the deep below.</p><p></p><p>Sgt. Ecky is pretty much convinced, she will go and get Magistrate Halfberk et al and show them the evidence gathered here.</p><p></p><p>[Building a case 200 XP]</p><p></p><p>So, back down and through the ruined passages and to the metal doors, the sulphurous way ahead- to Gerald, and- as it turns out, Gerald spotted a creature at the doors. The bat describes a clawed biped/quadruped, with one great eye... in short, a nothic.</p><p></p><p>The creature, Ian with one 'I', looked directly at Gerald hidden on the ceiling, hung around for a minute or two, and then retreated back into the sulphurous passages. The creatures' tracks, now much easier to see- muddy footprints, head back to the sulphurous pool and then up the wall and across.</p><p></p><p>The nothic it seems is capable of spider climbing, or else is very athletic.</p><p></p><p>[Gerald and the nothic 100 XP]</p><p></p><p>And so we're all the way back to the beginning, back to the edge of the sulphurous pool.</p><p></p><p>There follows an extended discussion entitled 'how do we get across the pool?' A dozen or more options are discussed- involving spider climbing scrolls (Newt has two), climbing potions (several PCs have these) and Vinnie's slippers of spider climbing.</p><p></p><p>The DM at this point lets the players know that before fitting out this adventure he had a good look at their PC's spell lists and inventories.</p><p></p><p>The resolution to the pool problem finally latched onto is by far the simplest- Newt casts Spider Climb on Daktari, the strongest member of the Dark Squad, the barbarian- after getting used to being able to walk on the ceiling-</p><p></p><p>“How does my hair look from down there?”</p><p></p><p>Ferries his companions across the steaming pool, Ram first- the rogue goes straight into hiding, watching the stepped exit to the pool cavern.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]144322[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Ferrying the Dark Squad across a pool of sulphuric acid.</strong></p><p></p><p>Vinnie, of course, spider climbs himself across.</p><p></p><p>[Get across the sulphur pool 300 XP]</p><p></p><p>Then onwards, and keep in mind the ground here is all angled broken sulphurous rock, and it gets worse- a little ahead the passage drops quickly between cantered twisted crumbling yellow ledges to screes of broken rock, it's a climb.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad, lead by Ram- as usual, descend into the smoke, loose stone and stink.</p><p></p><p>About halfway down the scree/stair slope there's a rumble and the ground beneath the adventurer's feet shifts and shakes.</p><p></p><p>Inverna, very briefly- as if in slow motion, slips and slides a little way down the slope, Daktari grabs her before she slides too far down the gradient.</p><p></p><p>Then it gets worse, a clutch of incredibly well camouflaged stirges detach themselves from the stone ceilings and get into the Dark Squad.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]144323[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>Sulphur stirges...</strong></p><p></p><p>We've not had a combat for a while...</p><p></p><p>Perhaps that's why the Dark Squad's collective dice are broken, there are ten stirges- they're a little tougher then the usual version, and do a little more damage (they inject sulphuric acid into their victims).</p><p></p><p>Ram misses repeatedly, although he eventually takes a pair of stirges down, Vinnie with his Birdcall Staff (Shillelagh enhanced) connects only once with a quartet of attacks. Daktari manages to miss with advantage (rolling '1' and '4'- nice), but then starts connecting. While Inverna is also mostly off-target, only Newt is getting the hits in.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]144324[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>The stirges hang around...</strong></p><p></p><p>This last fact however is curtailed when a stirge skewers (and crits) the tabaxi. I roll 4d4 (a mix of piercing and acid damage) and all four die come up '4'. The warlock further suffers when the second shudder rocks the cavern, he skitters the last twenty feet down the slope on his backside.</p><p></p><p>Eventually the Dark Squad kill the stirges and get themselves down and off the trembling slope...</p><p></p><p>Safe.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]144325[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>To the bottom of the stair.</strong></p><p></p><p>[Down the sulphur stair with stirges 500 XP]</p><p></p><p>They enter a larger cavern with a high ceiling, and with a stepped passage climbing up and out of the chamber just a little ahead.</p><p></p><p>Just in time... the rumbling sound and associated tremor comes again, although... it seems much more localised this time.</p><p></p><p>A great yellow insect-like creature, a locust/mantis mix, suddenly rears up bursting through the tumbling rubble of the cavern floor- an ankheg (of sorts). The beast strikes with lightning speed (and advantage) and yet fails to impale Newt with its mandibles (my turn to roll a '1' and a '4').</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]144326[/ATTACH]</p><p><strong>It doesn't get any easier...</strong></p><p></p><p>But that's all for this week, it was a short session, we didn't get going until 20:30 because of real world considerations.</p><p></p><p>Just a head's up- no game next week, Kev (Ram) is again off-grid in the wilds.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad are seven-and-a-half hours into their journey to save Arty Swell.</p><p></p><p>The Dark Squad’s to-do list reads a little like this-</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"> Find Ian with one 'I'<br /> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><p style="text-align: left"> Save Arty Swell.</p> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><p style="text-align: left"> To the Moon Pool.</p> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><p style="text-align: left"> Goblins in the Dreadwood.</p> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><p style="text-align: left"> Nightshade in the Dreadwood.</p> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><p style="text-align: left"> To Blackedge, find the Goblin Stair.</p> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><p style="text-align: left"> Return to Fallowstone Holy for answers- the Witch’s Tor & the Pact of the Flame.</p> </li> </ol><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: 8406520, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #064: The Oldest Gnome in the Burrow. Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here). Daktari (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 7 New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 7 Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 7 Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 7 NPCs Inverna Nightbreeze (played by Goonalan) Female Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 7 (Sidekick) [S][B]Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5 [/B][/S]RIP* [S][B]Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard[/B][/S] RETIRED *Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors. Servants/Familiars Gerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New Tricks Owly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiar[/B] This is session 64, yet another cracker. The Dark Squad are in the process of trying to save Arty Swell, he's a murderer dontchya know, or at least he remembers stabbing Kali Brightsong. Vinnie has signed up to be Arty's Speaker (Lawyer) at the gnome alchemist's trial here in Squabblepot. The trial will take place in 72 hours, although that's down to 68 hours now. The PCs however have chosen to go for the 5,000 gp reward (see session 62b) and so they're trying to get this mystery solved in just 24 hours (they have 20 hours left). Last we left the Dark Squad they were in a sulphurous passage deep beneath Arty's labs, ahead a pool of steaming liquid which Ian with one 'I' - a nothic the adventurers think, and the cause of all of this misery, has somehow climbed across/around. The Dark Squad are of the opinion that Ian with one 'I' has infected (or else dominated) the mind of Arty Swell, controlling the gnome during the slaying of Kali Brightsong. They just need to be able to prove this... for which they figure they need to get hold of the nothic, dead or alive. However, they are also aware that once they get beyond the sulphurous pool ahead, well... the way back up to Squabblepot will get much longer, and much tougher. The DM pointed this out to the players in the write up at the end of the last session. He's a nice guy that way- the DM. The question therefore is- do the Dark Squad retreat to Squabblepot now and play out the rest of the investigation there, keep in mind that they have not yet examined the murder scene, and they've not spoken to any of the witnesses, also- they have a few follow-up questions to put to Arty. Particularly Ram who particularly suffered from the traps in the lab. Vinnie is all for zis (the retreat), I mean... this. Newt, however... “Back up there, to those lying little grublings, with their perfectly wholesome society... NEVER! NEVER! Let's get on Vinnie- we have a Nothic to BURN!” Is pretty much in precis the tabaxi's views on the matter, a little later Newt concedes that burning the nothic would not be the best outcome, but... he wants to get on. The difference of opinion continues for a good ten minutes until, a miracle... Ram has an opinion. Just to note, Ram isn't one for small talk, or indeed talk. Quite often when a decision needs to be taken the Dark Squad stop for a disassemble and it plays out thusly- Vinnie offers his opinion, it usually takes the form of a (long) speech. Newt replies in his whispering death hush, everything he says- no matter how innocent the language, sounds like a threat. The pair verbally spar for a while until one of them remembers Ram is present, at which point that individual calls upon the rogue to offer an opinion. Ram's reply? So, if Vinnie and Newt have already played out everything that Ram thinks or knows about the subject up for discussion then, his reply is often a simple, “yeah...”, leaving neither of the arguers sure who he has agreed with. On the other hand, if Ram just doesn't care, well... then he's much less wordy. So, for Ram to have an opinion, that doesn't happen often, and to volunteer it... Newt and Vinnie listen, and the rogue's opinion is this- “let's get the rest of the interviews done- quickly, have a word with Arty, and then get back down here and hunt this bastard down.” [Upwards or onwards 100 XP] And so it comes to pass, it only takes fifteen minutes from where the PCs stand in the caverns and the stink to get all the way back to the cool calm corridors of Squabblepot. Oh, but back up a moment- Newt, before he departed the ruins below Arty's labs has left Gerald his pet/companion bat, hidden outside of the metal doors through which are the sulphurous passages. Gerald's job- watch and wait, Newt will be back. So, Squabblepot again. First up, the murder scene is investigated- thoroughly, but there's little to find, the area has been sealed after the violence, and from the look of the blood splatters and footprints the action played out exactly as Arty told Vinnie. [ATTACH type="full" alt="6401.jpg"]144319[/ATTACH] [B]Interviewing Andrea Palmpilot.[/B] So, time to interview the witnesses to the crime, the three other gnomes present at the murder were- Wayne Fortunecookie, Herbert Balmstick & Andrea Palmpilot. The trio are interviewed separately, they pretty much all tell the same story, but the PCs are honing in on the moment it all happened. In conclusion they piece together the following- Arty was drifting, he looked asleep, Kali- on her way out walked behind where he sat, heading for the exit. Arty suddenly blinked his eyes open, he looked terrified- a second later he was on his feet and his knife was in Kali's back. At which point Wayne and Herbert leapt into action. The pair both make mention of the fact that Arty was hyperventilating by the time they had dragged him down to the ground, and then... he feinted, which caused a little confusion at the time as initially they thought Arty was dead too. Very strange. Note, the interviews are beautiful to behold- Vinnie, obviously, holds court- several of his questions are at least five yards too long with addenda, subclauses, and a little space left for some speechifying and grandstanding. Quite often the interviewee has to listen intently for a minute in order to answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. “Zo, on ze evenin' in kwestion, yew- and yure com-pat-ree-ots whur in zis rheum! Zir rheum wiz itz tell tale zigns of zer murder of ze beautiful yung gnome- Kali Brightsong. Tell me monsieur Balmstick, iz zis not ze case?” Vinnie eventually asks. “Er... Yes, I was here.” Herbert Balmstick answers with a shrug. Newt on the other hand is playing the bad cop (but you probably guessed this), and again (and as commented upon at the time by Ram) everything he says has sharp edges. There's a lot of threat- “You're a young gnome Balmstick, full of a young gnome's urges, tell me about your relationship with Kali Brightsong? Did you harbour feelings for her? Did Arty? Do you get jealous Herbert? Do you have 'a bit of a temper'?” The above sentence starts real slow, and then just gets faster and faster (and louder), eventually racing to the end, leaving Herbert Balmstick fumbling... “I... that is. NO! I... What are you implying?” That kind of thing. Great work. [Interviewing the eye-witnesses 500 XP] Next up, after the interviews, a break in proceedings for the adventurers to summarise where they are at, and for a collective effort by the PCs to remember as much as they can about nothics- cue monster knowledge checks. Newt (of course) rolls a '19' plus bonuses- he knows plenty. He shares everything he remembers about the one-eyed, clawed, mind-reading/controlling aberrants with his friends. Including the fact that the terrible beasts are the end result of failed arcanists that dug too deep into the dark and perilous world of magic. Keep this last nugget in mind for a little bit. So, by the end of the discussion the Dark Squad are convinced- Ian with one 'I', a nothic, has been infecting Arty's head- possibly for a while now. Eventually learning how to control the gnome, to either plant suggestions, or else to dominate Arty, in order to commit violence. The solution is far too simple for Newt, that is until Vinnie points out that if it wasn't for the Dark Squad then none of the above would likely have been discovered by the gnomes of Squabblepot. Furthermore, the druid makes clear, if they don't get the nothic then the creature would be free to infect another gnome minds, possibly leading to more murders. The Dark Squad have their story prepared, as previous- now they just to find the proof. [A discussion about nothics 150 XP] But then things take a turn for the strange... “Are you the ones?” Lisl Blackthorn, the oldest gnome in the burrow- this fact she makes clear, repeatedly. Lisl is 372 years young, another fact she shares freely. [ATTACH type="full" alt="6402.jpg"]144320[/ATTACH] [B]The oldest gnome in the burrow- Lisl Blackthorn.[/B] The Dark Squad, as it turns out, are the ones- the ones investigating the murder of Kali Brightsong, well- sit back, because Lisl has a story to tell. In summary- Lisl's husband Randall, a quiet and gentle-gnome, was accused of murdering a young gnome of the burrow 185 years ago, he was sentenced to be hanged, although that didn't happen. Randall somehow escaped the burrow before the sentence was carried out. So far so similar, here's the first kicker- Randall & Lisl lived in the rooms now occupied by Arty. The Dark Squad get to digging and picking at this new nugget of information. Vinnie with his speechifying is polite and caring, Newt is as pleasant as he can be, but still more than a little spiky. As it turns out there's more to Lisl's story. The first crack in the ancient female gnome's narrative occurs when Lisl lets slip that Randall wasn't always such a gentle-gnome. Newt patiently (and repeatedly) explains that there is nothing that Lisl can tell him that would offend his sensibilities, there is no amount of depravity, or violence, or... basically- let it all out. All delivered, of course, with more than a hint of menace and threat. The 372 year old Lisl therefore cries throughout the following confession- “Randall could be... despicable, he lead another life- he would grow angry, moody, constantly on edge- when he was here. He was away often... adventuring, with his odd companions.” The 'despicable', translated from the sentence above, turns out to refer to the fact that Randall was (and as revealed in hushed tones) a warlock, or else he summoned terrors and monsters to serve his purpose. “Can you believe that? A Warlock!” Lisl implores Newt, seeking comfort from the gaze of the cute cat-like tabaxi. “Despicable...” Newt purrs back. Although, after further questioning, much of this information Lisl only discovered after Randall had escaped the burrow, and his fate. When she ventured down into his rooms (now Arty's labs). As to Randall being an adventurer, after further enquiry and questioning Lisl remembers- “Randall's companions, I never met them you understand, but he spoke about a crazy elf, a fearsome dwarf, a clever druid and a mischievous rogue. They called themselves... “The Eyes in the Night?” Vinnie finishes. “Oh, then you have heard of them...” Lisl nods. There's not much else to tell, or else that's all Lisl knows. But, of course, the new information is bundled into the old- is the nothic, Ian with one 'I', actually Randall- the warlock. Certainly the summoning chamber downstairs is Randall's, also in the lowest cellar Ram managed to find a trio of 'dodgy' ancient books (duly passed to Newt for examination). Books about dark magic written in the infernal tongue, as it turns out after further investigation the initials RB are discovered on each of these old tomes. [Lisl & Randall Blackthorn 400 XP] Next up, and with a spring in their step, the Dark Squad head over to Arty's cell- they chat with Sgt. Ecky Thump a while, and then reconvene with the accused for interview number two. Which goes pretty much as you'd expect- Arty has been keeping secrets from the Dark Squad- the summoning chamber in his lab below, he insists that he has never made use of it, which the PCs have already worked out. And... Arty has been having problems sleeping, someone (or some thing) called Ian with one 'I' has been infecting his dreams, manipulating his memories of Shalli his long dead wife to, well... to scare him. For a while Arty thought he was going mad. The Dark Squad press the subject, Newt leans hard on Arty but it seems that is really all the gnome alchemist knows. Therefore the adventurers take a moment to catch Arty (and Sgt. Ecky Thump) up with what they have discovered, the telling of the tale brings tears and hope to Arty. The gnome is incredibly sorry for his various traps and the harm they caused to Ram, and also glad to be able to tell the truth at last- and not thought to be mad. Sgt. Ecky is both impressed and concerned. Impressed with all the Dark Squad have discovered, but as concerned about the fact that there is some sort of aberrant on the loose- infecting people's minds. The interview concludes with another Vinnie speech, in precis- “You shud be 'ope-full yung Arty. We will find zis beast- Ian, wiz zer one eye, and we will bring zis ter-ree-ble cree-chure to Squabblepot to ann-sur fur 'iz crimes!” There's an excellent moment during the above conversation, at the beginning when Arty is in denial- he remembers killing Kali, he can't believe that another creature was controlling him, had corrupted his mind. It's at this point that Newt patiently explains that he used magic, in this case a Suggestion spell earlier on Newt in order to get the gnome to tell his story again. As the tabaxi points out, mind control is not only possible, it is very probable, or as Newt puts it- “I could have persuaded you to murder all of your fiddling companions here in Squiggleport, and then have you dance on their bloody remains... if I had wanted to.” Reassuring. [Interview with Arty Swell number two 500 XP] Then... back into the dark, although the first stop is to grab Sgt. Ecky Thump and take her below- into Arty's rooms- to see the million times scribbled Ian with one 'I' on Arty's bedroom walls, the summoning chamber of Randall Blackthorn (untouched) and the illusion-screened passage that leads into the deep below. Sgt. Ecky is pretty much convinced, she will go and get Magistrate Halfberk et al and show them the evidence gathered here. [Building a case 200 XP] So, back down and through the ruined passages and to the metal doors, the sulphurous way ahead- to Gerald, and- as it turns out, Gerald spotted a creature at the doors. The bat describes a clawed biped/quadruped, with one great eye... in short, a nothic. The creature, Ian with one 'I', looked directly at Gerald hidden on the ceiling, hung around for a minute or two, and then retreated back into the sulphurous passages. The creatures' tracks, now much easier to see- muddy footprints, head back to the sulphurous pool and then up the wall and across. The nothic it seems is capable of spider climbing, or else is very athletic. [Gerald and the nothic 100 XP] And so we're all the way back to the beginning, back to the edge of the sulphurous pool. There follows an extended discussion entitled 'how do we get across the pool?' A dozen or more options are discussed- involving spider climbing scrolls (Newt has two), climbing potions (several PCs have these) and Vinnie's slippers of spider climbing. The DM at this point lets the players know that before fitting out this adventure he had a good look at their PC's spell lists and inventories. The resolution to the pool problem finally latched onto is by far the simplest- Newt casts Spider Climb on Daktari, the strongest member of the Dark Squad, the barbarian- after getting used to being able to walk on the ceiling- “How does my hair look from down there?” Ferries his companions across the steaming pool, Ram first- the rogue goes straight into hiding, watching the stepped exit to the pool cavern. [ATTACH type="full" alt="6403.jpg"]144322[/ATTACH] [B]Ferrying the Dark Squad across a pool of sulphuric acid.[/B] Vinnie, of course, spider climbs himself across. [Get across the sulphur pool 300 XP] Then onwards, and keep in mind the ground here is all angled broken sulphurous rock, and it gets worse- a little ahead the passage drops quickly between cantered twisted crumbling yellow ledges to screes of broken rock, it's a climb. The Dark Squad, lead by Ram- as usual, descend into the smoke, loose stone and stink. About halfway down the scree/stair slope there's a rumble and the ground beneath the adventurer's feet shifts and shakes. Inverna, very briefly- as if in slow motion, slips and slides a little way down the slope, Daktari grabs her before she slides too far down the gradient. Then it gets worse, a clutch of incredibly well camouflaged stirges detach themselves from the stone ceilings and get into the Dark Squad. [ATTACH type="full" alt="6404.jpg"]144323[/ATTACH] [B]Sulphur stirges...[/B] We've not had a combat for a while... Perhaps that's why the Dark Squad's collective dice are broken, there are ten stirges- they're a little tougher then the usual version, and do a little more damage (they inject sulphuric acid into their victims). Ram misses repeatedly, although he eventually takes a pair of stirges down, Vinnie with his Birdcall Staff (Shillelagh enhanced) connects only once with a quartet of attacks. Daktari manages to miss with advantage (rolling '1' and '4'- nice), but then starts connecting. While Inverna is also mostly off-target, only Newt is getting the hits in. [ATTACH type="full" alt="6405.jpg"]144324[/ATTACH] [B]The stirges hang around...[/B] This last fact however is curtailed when a stirge skewers (and crits) the tabaxi. I roll 4d4 (a mix of piercing and acid damage) and all four die come up '4'. The warlock further suffers when the second shudder rocks the cavern, he skitters the last twenty feet down the slope on his backside. Eventually the Dark Squad kill the stirges and get themselves down and off the trembling slope... Safe. [ATTACH type="full" alt="6406.jpg"]144325[/ATTACH] [B]To the bottom of the stair.[/B] [Down the sulphur stair with stirges 500 XP] They enter a larger cavern with a high ceiling, and with a stepped passage climbing up and out of the chamber just a little ahead. Just in time... the rumbling sound and associated tremor comes again, although... it seems much more localised this time. A great yellow insect-like creature, a locust/mantis mix, suddenly rears up bursting through the tumbling rubble of the cavern floor- an ankheg (of sorts). The beast strikes with lightning speed (and advantage) and yet fails to impale Newt with its mandibles (my turn to roll a '1' and a '4'). [ATTACH type="full" alt="6407.jpg"]144326[/ATTACH] [B]It doesn't get any easier...[/B] But that's all for this week, it was a short session, we didn't get going until 20:30 because of real world considerations. Just a head's up- no game next week, Kev (Ram) is again off-grid in the wilds. The Dark Squad are seven-and-a-half hours into their journey to save Arty Swell. The Dark Squad’s to-do list reads a little like this- [LIST=1] [*] Find Ian with one 'I' [*][LEFT] Save Arty Swell.[/LEFT] [*][LEFT] To the Moon Pool.[/LEFT] [*][LEFT] Goblins in the Dreadwood.[/LEFT] [*][LEFT] Nightshade in the Dreadwood.[/LEFT] [*][LEFT] To Blackedge, find the Goblin Stair.[/LEFT] [*][LEFT] Return to Fallowstone Holy for answers- the Witch’s Tor & the Pact of the Flame.[/LEFT] [/LIST] 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 #137 Into the Mere of the Dead Men Part 2.
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