DM: Jerry McCoy
Players: Ben Longman, Demian Kendall, Mark Phagan, Laura Quinn, Sean Nittner
System: AD&D 1st Edition
In the seemingly pleasant village of Hommlet, sinister forces were at work.
Malachite and Smyth
Malachite worked the bellows and kept a steady rhythm, keeping the fires hot for Smyth, the village Smith.
The older man took an immediate liking to Malachite. “I can tell you’re a good one. Salt of the earth. Why did you come here?”
Malachite kept the bellows pumping “I came to you looking for metal armor.” When he could see Smyth was asking a broader question he expanded “My companions and I came here seeking adventure.”
Smyth shook his head. “Adventure? That’s a fast way to a short grave. You’d be better off staying here, working for me. Why are you really here?” When Malachite couldn’t give a more satisfactory answer Smyth continued his warning. “There used to be a great Evil in this place. It nearly took over the realm before being defeated.”
Malachite pressed hard on the bellows, stoking the fire and fanning the flames “What kind of evil? When was it here? Who stopped the evil?”
Smyth had little to say, despite his ear wound he did not have first hand knowledge of the source. “Evil evil. Two generations ago. It was defeated by brave people. Adventurers. Heroes. But I don’t believe it went away completely. Something in my bones tells me it is returning.”
Malachite worked the bellows for the rest of the day. He learned that Smyth could make weapons, helms, and shields provided he has the materials. Smyth however became quiet when questions of his family came up. There was something else on Smyth’s mind, but he wasn’t ready to share it. At least not yet.
A haunted path
Niv continued along the eastern road out of Hommlet, past the worked camp, and past a long row of trees, till he came to a small, overgrown trail.
His keen elf eyes spotted faint boot prints and wagon tracks on the path, but they had been washed out by several rains. As he peered down the path, he thought he saw a horned creature further down. Was it on two legs or four, he could not tell. Perhaps it was just a trick of shadows across the branches.
Niv wisely decided to return to his companions rather than traverse the foreboding path alone.
Gruff Wizard, unnamed
Wisp approached the tower on the east side of Hommlet. It had stairs leading up to an old but solid oaken door. Further up the towers were arrow slits but no windows. It was clearly built for defense.
Wisp crept up the steps and listened at the door. He head a cough, but nothing more. The door had a gap Wisp tried to slide a mirror under but something blocked it.
Eventually he relented and knocked on the door. The shark wraps. He waited. 10 seconds. 20. 30. Just as he might have knocked again, a man in his 40s with a wizard hat and gruff demeanor opened it. “Well?”
Wisp tried to make conversation but this curmudgeonly man wasn’t even willing to share his name. So much for making friends and neighbors.
Wisp, at a loss for how to learn more from this taciturn man, caught back up with Niv and headed back to town.
Jaroo’s Grove
This is a bit of a retcon from the end of last session Dorf and Underbrush walked down a long wooded path and Underbrush could sense this grove was maintained by a Druid of Gnarly Tree, an arboreal sect of Druid’s who fostered verdant growth among plants and tended to ancient groves.
Underbrush’s upbringing was focused on cultivation and conservation. His people were hunters who saw themselves as part of the natural ecology, not outside it. The tradition has a history of lycanthropy, but they don’t see it as an ailment, but rather their first ties to the natural world.
He could tell this grove belonged to a different order of Druids, and hoped they would each have mutual respect for each other.
As they progressed down the winding path, Dorf was struck by the smell of fresh rain on limestone which recalled to him an happy childhood memory before he was burdened with the duties of adulthood. He could not sense the source of the smell and though it was a pleasant memory, he grew suspicious.
Further in we spotted a peculiar rabbit that featured a horn on its head with a gem at its base. Underbrush had never seen such a creature but from stories believed it was all an al-miraj, animals know to have mythical powers. He called out it in Druidic and when it did not reply, he crouched down and cast Speak with Animals and tried again. T
he creature twitched its nose, scratched the surface, accepted his offering of dried hops, and spoke “Welcome brother, my name is Quinten. She is waiting for you in the grove.”
Underbrush pet him and introduced him to Dorf, who quickly befriended the playful creature.
Understanding a Druid only let select guests into their grove, Underbrush proceeded alone. He could tell this grove was an ancient one, and despite what Ostler said when they arrived in town, this grove almost certainly predated the village of Hommlet itself.
When he entered he heard a woman’s voice echoing through the trees. “Welcome brother, I did not expect to be visited by a Druid from a different order. I am an Initiate or the 5th Circle, sent from the Gnarly Woods to protect and nourish this grove.”
Still not seeing the Druid herself, Underbrush placed his hand appreciatively on one of the great oaks, as though he could sense though the tree’s roots down into the land.
“Oh, I can see you’re a handsy one!”
Underbrush flinched back, realizing Jaroo might be a dryad, a treant, or some other arboreal entity that he just placed his hands on!
Jaroo laughed and stepped out from behind the trees “I’m only joking, though it’s good to you act with such reverence.” Jaroo was a middle aged woman dressed in a dark woodland clock and carrying an oaken staff.
Jaroo was pleased to meet Underbrush but his presence also raised a concern. “I wonder what forces brought two druids together. I am investigating an old evil that was present year long ago. An infernal evil that I do not think can ever die. There is said to be an unholy place, a Temple of Elemental Evil where this evil spawns from. If only you had some companions I’d advise that you look for this place as well.”
Underbrush smiled “It just so happens that I have four brave companions in my party that I believe would be up for the challenge. Where should we start our investigation?”
Landpreys
Just then they heard Dorf’s war bellow indicating he was under attack in the woods. Jaroo looked surprised that something could venture into her grove without her notice. Underwood ran to aid Dorf, followed by Malachite who heard the call from the smithy and Niv and Wisp who were returning to the inn down Old Duke’s Road.
A three foot long grey worm with a face that was nothing but teeth burst from the ground, launched itself at Dorf’s leg and began burrowing into him.
Dork hacks at it with his sword and Undebrush tried to pull it off, but the creature was too slippery to get a hold off.
Malachite arrived just as Dorf and Underbrush used their twin blades to bisect the vicious worm. We could see the ground shift as two more burrowed towards us.
Once assembled we dispatched the beasts with speed and grace, but not before one of them seized onto Malachites leg to burrow into it as well.
One part lamprey, one part earthworm these landpreys (as we called them) were not part of the natural order.
Underbrush brought one of the corpses to Jaroo to see if she could identify them. She asked UB to hold the jaw open while she cut into it, and dug out a triangular blue stone. She warned him not to touch it “Be careful, that is the symbol of elemental earth, but it has been tainted by some dark magic.”
They returns to the party and discussed what to do next. Malachite and Niv wanted to harvest the teeth to use as caltrops or adornment for their weapons. Underbrush wanted to know if the triangular stones inside them were magical. He cast a divination and was struck by just how much magic was present.
- The trees themselves bore an ancient subtle magic. It was as if they were breathing creatures inhaled a hundred years ago and were still yet to exhale.
- The staff Jaroo carried twisted and turns like living oak growing around her.
- The ring she wore glowed like the sun through an autumn mist.
- Her clock shrouded her as a starless night.
- And the stone themselves, put a suffocating pressure on Underbrush’s chest. As if he was deep beneath the earth, being compressed into a diamond.
When the spell ended, Underbrush took a breath, like the trees he had been holding one in. “These stones are not magical, but the remnants of dark magic used to summon and control these creatures”. He nodded as Jaroo smashed them with her staff.
“I’ll send one of my agents to let you know what I’ve found at the Inn.”
The moment Jaroo left, Wisp threw up his lunch. Yeah, those things were pretty gross.
Inn of the Unwelcome Tentacle
That night, we gathered to sup at Ostler’s table and witnessed as patrons a plenty filed in. As newcomers we were quickly sized up, but once they realized we were not merchants, they quickly lost interest.
One however, a man dressed in garb that bespoke of the arcane arts, caught Niv’s eye. He warned Niv of the tentacles that would leap from the stew if one was not prepared with magical protection. And the man just so happened to have a charm that he would sell Niv for five gold, no wait, five silver.
Niv called his bluff and ordered the stew “unprotected” but the “magician” assured him that he was protecting everyone in the inn at no charge from the goodness of his heart. He introduced himself as Spugnor, magician extraordinaire, master of the seven celestial arts. And while he could not tell Niv where to find rare spell components, he did say that there was a place he lacked the courage, no the resources to investigate himself. An old ruined keep east of Hommlet. Probably more deceptions.
25 SP spent for the dinner fare.
Bear delivery service
In the morning Underbrush woke up to the sounds of grunts outside. Looking out the window he saw a large black bear sitting on his haunches waiting patiently.
The Druid wiped the sleep out of his half-elven eyes and confirmed that yes, that was a bear sitting in the road outside.
Underbrush went downstairs to greet the bear and saw it had a collar with a bit of parchment attached. So this was what Jaroo meant by one of her “agents”.
The bear, having delivered a message, expected his reward. Jasper went back into the inn to ask Ostler for a fish, but he said “Oh you don’t need a fish. Just give him a leaf. That is Jasper, Jaroo’s friend. He won’t harm a fly, and he takes leaves as payments.” Underbrush looked unconvinced a bear would value such a thing. “Don’t believe me? Here I’ll show you.” Ostler took a leaf from a branch, placed it in Jasper’s open paw, and sure enough the bear looked appeased and loped away.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Underbrush thought it was high time he found an animal combating of his own. He asked Jaroo about finding one when they talked the day before and she said they were all about. So he case Locate Animal and concentrated on a huge wolf spider, the kind that could hunt beside him. The spell only lasted a few minutes, but he got the sense of one off to the east.
That was fortunate because the missive he retrieved from Jasper said that Jaroo believed the source of the evil that assailed us the day before was coming from an old ruined keep down Old Dukes Road to the east.
Wait, did that actually mean the charlatan Spugnor said something that was true?!?
Old Duke’s or old Dukes’
Unsure if the quantity of dukes that claimed the road, our party prepared ourselves for adventure and headed out east. On the outskirts of town we spotted the overgrown trail Niv discovered the day before and decided that it was worth investigating together, even if it took us off course.
After an hour or so of walking though the foliage we found the spider nest where the wolf spider Underbrush was trying to locate was, but it was still development and had not yet hatched from its web. He would have go return later.
The party continued down the path, till it came to a low river we had to ford and they eventually to the very keep we sought. Battered from violence and age, it looked to be hardly standing, but a keep it still was!
The old drawbridge had fallen down, granting passage over the “moat” around it. There was also a crumbled wall that looked climbable.
We discussed some options for entry and decided that Underbrush, Malachite, and Dorf would approach the drawbridge in the open, offering services to the bandits if they were present
Meanwhile Niv and Wisp would sneak their way to the crumbled part of the wall.
Ribbit, Ribbit
As we approached, it wasn’t bandits that took notice, but giant frogs. Large enough to eat Wisp whole! Which they tried to do!
Battle ensued:
- Niv saved us all by putting half of them to sleep.
- Wisp dispatched the sleeping frogs, and the vomited again.
- Underbrush began casting the spell Animal Friendship to win one of them over as a companion. The spell takes an hour to cast, so he was not able to help otherwise.
- Malachite slew the biggest of them with his bastard sword, though his shield was shattered in the fray.
- Dorf harried one with his blade and collected darts in his help that Niv threw, though one did strike the frog, before Malachite came in to finish it off again.
We ended the session there, Underbrush still casting his spell, and enchanted frog mimicking his movements. The others began collecting frog meat.
