GM: Sean Nittner
Players: Demian Kendall, Eric Fattig, Adrian Vazquez
System: Shadowdark
A lot of exposition
I knew that I’d eventually be in a situation where none of the players present were in the previous session so I’d be filling in the details. That along side the normal opening procedures (thanks for playing, safety talk, open game rules, player driven focus, setting info, Shadowdark info), and the new mechanics I was adding this session (Character sheet page 2 including updated Death’s Second Chances, and the campfire rules) meant a lot of me talking. I think it was okay and the players still had fun, but next time I need to do a recap, I’m going to use the campaign notes I’ve made to help me get through the quicker.
The players selected Zzadrix, Hrovic, and Tirolas to play. Here were their adventures…
Play is the thing.
Zzadrix, Hrovic, and Triolas rest by the campfire near the entrance to the sea caves. Outside, the sounds of the swamp echo…
The group elects to rest over the objections of Triolas, who is ready to continue, even with an empty stomach. Triolas and Zzadrix take the first watch while Hrovic nurses his wounds.
Hrovic tells a story of his time working at the prison Grix, there were rumors of long dead prisoners that still roam, undead in the depths for mines there.
While on watch, Zzadrix hears a rat digging through their pack. They snatch it out, it bites them and scurries into the dark.
Camp ends, everyone refreshed. The group lights a torch….
They enter the Hall of the Honored Dead and continue through to the Hall of Pillars. The pillars are carved with images of the Dverg, adorned with runes in the common tongue.
“Here rests the sons betrayers of Skorgald.”
Triolas creaks the door open and enters the foul crypt.
Within, two coffins lie, covered in cobwebs.
Zzadrix inspects the pillars. One of them depicts the Axe of Nine Eyes. They recall a rumor.
Old folk wisdom holds that one should never touch the body of a dead woman, lest she rise as an angry spirit.
Notably, this has already happened twice (the sea nymph zombie and the ghost of Gala).
Hrovic notes that someone has damaged the faces of the funerary statues. He sends fire to the webs, causing the alarmed giant spider within to come scuttling out. Hrovic intimidates it into fleeing to a corner of the room, where it crouches, fangs bared.
Zzadrix invokes a holy blessing to enchant their blades, while Triolas plunders one of the coffins. Triolas notes that someone has robbed the corpse of all valuables and taken the skull. [A most dishonorable way to be put to rest]
The spider flees at last, vanishing into the dark. The party looks the other coffins, finds a signet ring of Skorgald, but little else.
OMEN: The river rises, flowing higher and faster than by some strange force.
The party quibbles about whether they’re a “family” or an “alliance of convenience” but agrees to table the argument for now.
Finding nothing further to explore this way, the party crosses the river. Triolas crosses alone and Hrovic clings to Zzadrix’s back. The two bond, awkwardly as they cross. [But Zzadrick’s flask of oil slips out of their backpack. The rat did more damage that expected].
Returning to the long boat room, the party lets down a natural cavern hallway that connects to an ancient mess hall. Bas, the first leader of the goblin gang gorges himself on an apparent feast with an unnatural hunger.
Hrovic, unheeding jois his former leader in their insatiable feasting. Tirolas, sensing a trap, vanishes into the shadows, prepared to strike.
Ziadrax attempts to light a new torch with one of the ghostly candles, but it exudes no heat…
Using flint and steel, Zzadrix gets the torch lit. Reflecting on Memnon’s teaching Zzadrix determines this so called “feast” is a curse and whoever eats it will die of deprivation.
While Tirolas proves for secret doors, Zzadrix wrests Hrovic away forcefully and with supreme effort Hrovic resists the curse.
Overcome with concern for his former mentor, Hrovic tries to persuade Bas to leave the cursed feast behind, but to no avail.
RANDOM ENCOUNTER DRAWN
A torrent of water floods the room! The party is barely able to stay on their feet. Even Bas is able to hold fast, continuing to gorge himself.
Tirolas gives up in searching for secret doors as Hrovic tries to save Bas by physically dragging the table Bas is eating at out of the room.
The party continues beyond finding the room connects to [natural caves with] rotted docks they found before.
Bas is irked that the food at his table vanishing when the table is dragged outside the room. Hrovic tackles him and ties him up so he can’t go.
THE TORCH GOES OUT
Fumbling in the dark, Tirolos wrests a plank free from the table, reflecting on the stories of goblins springing up like mushrooms and having no concept of family. Based on Hrovic’s love for his mentor and his “new family” she has it all wrong.
WARHORNS SOUND
The hobgoblin prison guards have found the cave entrance, and find evidence of our heroes having come this way.
Frantically, Tirolas sets the plank ablaze giving the party a light source.
Zzadrix finds a ring with, the symbol of a Ramlaat, which they give to Hrovic, who puts it on immediately. [Hrovic feels warmth from the ring and its two eyes glow faintly red. He feels confident and capable of destruction and mayhem. This is the Ring of Ramlaat].
The party explores the cave, it is filled with tattered piles of cloth and dirftwood. Our intrepid adventurers dig through the detritus and find a chipped longsword.
The party hears the shouts of human voices ahead, echoing from beyond the next chamber. Zzadrix peeks ahead and sees an unruly mess of seaweed piled against the wall, almost like a nest.
Hrovic seeing Trolas, wrest treasure from one of the piles, tries to do the same… only for the pile to come crashing down on top of him, rendering him unconscious [and bleeding to death]. Baz and Trolas wrench Hrovic’s body free and Zzadrix importunes Memnon to make him whole once more. Stirring, Hrovi holds aloft a damp, unlit torch, his hard-won prize.
Hrovic: ‘we should check that other pile.’
T: ‘we’ve already checked it while you were out.’
H: ‘it doesn’t feel like I was out that long.’
T: ‘well, it doesn’t seem long when you’re our.’
H: ‘yeah, that’s true.’
T: ‘…wait, how often do you get knocked out?’
The party moves forward, uncovering sea nymph nests.
Tirolas approaches, they see the sea nymph statues come out to party, suspiciously.
Sashir the eldest reports that human despoilers have slain her sister in their quest for the tomb’s treasure.
They go back and forth for a while, as Trolas tries and fails to win this trust without promising to kill Garatha.
Eventually Zzadrix the local is able to win their grudging trust by vouching for the others. As a goodwill gesture, Hrovic goes to leave a gold coin in the crowd, unwittingly causing one of the “puddles” actually a grey ooze to surge forward, drawn by Hrovic’s body heat.
The party flees down a hallway into a room with a strange shrine, but no other exit. The party is trapped, pursued by the ooze.
Zzadrix, bringing up the rear, tries to attack the beast, but misses. Hrovic, channeling his new ring’s magic power, flies into a rage and attacks the ooze with a club, damaging it. Tirolas pierces the ooze with an arrow, sending its scummy remnants fleeing in different directions.
Safe at last, Zzadrix investigates the statue…unwittingly [by removing the fine seaweed cloak on it’s back] they trigger a lighting trap! Miraculously they roll away unscathed, taking the seaweed cloak – a cloak of [sea]elvenkind. A miraculous treasure!
The party, unable to return to the entrance sets up a new camp in the flotsam cave.
END OF SESSION
Records of Play
Thanks to our notetaker Eric, cartographer Adrian, and timekeeper Damian!
What’s Next?
The Hobgoblin jailers have arrived and they are now hunting the companions inside the cave. What will the next group of adventurers do?!?! [Note for next game, Zzadrix, Tirolas, and Hrovic are unavailable and camping is impossible if the jailers are present] .
I have to do a bit of prep for the game:
- Stats for the named goblins of Grix (Voice of Ramlaat, Lieutenant Talix, Quartermaster Deloitte, Taskmaster Kralk.
- Prep overland travel rules (just in case folks make it out of the caves).
- Prep cosmology (gods, mortals, and our little guys)
- Share condensed version of session summaries at the start.
