LFG Session 17: The Descent

 Run Date: November 18th, 2022

Note to self: learn how to run a dungeon crawl.

PCs

Rebel: Lv3 Monk

Baldur: Lv2 Barbarian

The Descent

Last week, the players successfully defended the gates of the Oldtown Graveyard with a slew of henchmen, militia, and guardsmen. The blow they dealt was heavy enough to allow a respite, and the session opened with the players going over the letters they received during their downtime. Richard was absent today, but received a promotion to Lieutenant. Some of Baldur's buddies from the gate guard pooled their savings and purchased a barrel of Redmead from the Sunwood. Rebel, meanwhile, brought in the next hook: the Laurenian Priest in Oldtown has a plan to sanctify the graveyard.

With the hook set, Rebel and Baldur hit up some of their henches and headed out to see what Henri (the priest) had in mind. When the party arrived at the graveyard, they found the gates wide open and a small crew building a burial site. Rebel stepped in and greeted Henri; then introduced Baldur and asked about the plan. Henri explained that her fallen friend, the Khairnite James, was going to be used as a cornerstone. Enter Agatha, clad in shining plate befitting a holy warrior. Rebel recognized the old lady and complimented her on her gear, to which the old lady joked about it being heavier than she remembers. Baldur, meanwhile, stumbled in his introductions and wandered around the area while the others talked.

The plan: James's body would be interred just inside the gate, and Agatha would use her lantern and cairn to consecrate the area. With the base laid out and the guards armed with the donated Ghosteel from the players, they would guard that ground and slowly spread it toward the other mausoleums. The aim was to both consecrate and stave off any attempts made by Lazarus to raise another army. As for the PCs, their task was to try and find the source of Lazarus's power, or Lazarus himself, and destroy it. Baldur was itching for a fight and started rushing toward the central mausoleum the moment it was mentioned.

The graveyard was safer than it had been in some time, and the party suffered no delays. Moreover, the battering ram's damage and subsequent raid of the central mausoleum left no obstacles to the inner tunnel. When Baldur and Rebel arrived, they did a quick sweep to confirm there was nothing that would flank them. Afterward they headed down the unexplored tunnel. The group set their battle ranks, gave a torch to one of the henches in the middle, and descended down a spiraling tunnel.

The party's descent was quick, ending at a hewn stone room with stairs on each side. They headed down into the room proper and discovered two exit tunnels; one south and one east. They chose the southern path through what seemed like a decorative hallway and found themselves staring at an underground stream and bridge. The players took the opportunity to check the bridge for hidden trolls and to see if they were being stalked by goats. Rebel got brave and waded into the water to see what may have gotten caught in the bridge's grates, but bounced the second her hand touched a fish.

The bridge room had 3 new exits, and the group went right. This hall was not unlike the last; a stone ceiling reminiscent of a covered bridge. As they reached the end, however, they found their eyes greeted with a splash of violet. Across the floor was a carpet of violet moss. One side of the room appeared to be a pond, and the torchlight showed the existence of silver and gold shimmers. Baldur braved this room first; testing the moss with an arrow before stepping in proper. As Dura, the torch-bearing hench, followed, it revealed the variety of fish and metal flecks at the bottom of the pond. It also revealed old stone pillars, benches, and a table still set with a knocked over mug covered in purple carpet. Rebel considered diving into the pond to see what the shimmering metal was, but decided against it after Baldur mentioned some of his previous adventures into dark caves. Baldur meanwhile shaved the moss off the mug and found it was made of brass. After pocketing it he pointed out the exit leading east and everyone fell back into formation.

The hallway was not unlike the others, and after a short walk the party found another sitting area. This one was much closer to a stone gazebo with niches cut into the walls housing violet bulbs and vines. These plants had overgrown and filled much of the space, but Baldur spotted a decanter on the table. Rebel warned him against it, not liking the look of the bulbs and vines. He shrugged and they pressed on until they found another room and crossroad of sorts.

This next room was worse off than the others, with a vaulted ceiling that had collapsed at certain points. It gave off the vibe of a Great Hall or decorative avenue. The piece that caught the player's eyes, however, was the sign of Lazarus around the tops of the still-complete pillars. Instead of following the nearby tunnels, they chose to brave the Hall's pillars toward another exit that looped right back to the bridge room.

Now's a good time to say that my players nor myself have never run a true dungeon crawl, let alone one where we didn't just plop down a premade map. Rebel was sketching out how she thought things looked while trying to avoid any potential traps or getting overzealous and having to quickly retreat into who knows where. Meanwhile, I don't have a real methodology and was just tossing a d6 to see if any encounters/interesting occurrences popped up. To that end, remember that moss? Miner's Woe from LFG Deluxe's subterranean table. 30 minutes before it set in, and how convenient that it happened to trigger as they completed their loop.

The party, now realizing they made a circle, starts to realize they're having some trouble breathing. I describe it not unlike asthma, and suggest that perhaps the humidity, passages, and lack of airflow might have started wearing on them. There is some discussion about going above ground for some fresh air, but those that failed their save (both high Constitution characters, by the way) shrugged it off. So it was the party moved eastward: another decorative tunnel, this time with niches lined with purple bulbs and vines. Rebel offered the theory that perhaps that's the reason the others are having issues breathing.

This next room was much larger than the rest. The party notices the stream on their left, and spot several small bridges and walkways that connect where they're standing to other sections. In front of them are some old, open homes made of stone. At this point, the party realizes they've discovered some old town or city, and begins planning a method of exploration. While they're talking, a slopping noise approaches. The group readies themselves for whatever is coming from the darkness, and as they're ready to pounce a trio of humanoid mushroom things walk out of the darkness: one with a fluted head with flopping tongue, a bulging round one with a wide toadstool colored cap, and a morel-themed one that looked like swiss cheese.

Baldur, being the main man on the front line, attempted to communicate with them. For a moment, it seemed things were not as expected. The fluted tongue flapped and spit, as if trying to communicate back, but its temperament quickly soured. It leaned its head over, dripping sap-like ooze, and launched its tendril at Baldur, but Baldur's reflexes deflected the blow.

The fight with the mushrooms ended quickly: Rebel fired supporting shots from the back row while Baldur and his shoulder-buddy Pax held the swiss charger and toadstool stomper. At some point, however, the fluted tongue hit Baldur and wrangled his throat. He flew into a rage, and with Rebel's help, they both ripped the tongue, and nucleus, from the creature. After that, Pax popped more holes in Mr Swiss and Baldur shattered the stone that was Toad's heart. With the fight over, and no lasting wounds, the group decided to search some of the nearby buildings.

The first house they came across was akin to a hovel with a stone platform for a bed and a pair of stools and counter for eating. Baldur found some viscous ooze on the floor and decided to grab a sample for Arken, the Artificer that provided potions to the party from time to time. As the party moved back outside, they followed one of the roads further inward. They noticed that the town had a radial formation: spokes for roads and curved alleyways. They also spotted the buildings getting taller, not unlike townhouses or warehouses. At the end of the road they spotted a glimmering object just beyond their torch's light. At the same time, they saw a bunch of... somethings scatter.

Pax was the only one that spotted any details, and he described the creatures as absolute monstrosities. The man's voice was shakey, and as the clacking of the creatures surrounded the party, he started to lean into paranoia. Baldur shook him out of his panic and the party prepared for an assault. They wanted to make their stand where they spotted the glimmer, but quickly found themselves stuck with enemies on all sides.

Everyone stood at the ready with flecks of white appearing in windows, just at the edge of their light, and above them. The attack began soon after as six clattering things of bone dove down. Rebel and Baldur managed to pick off a few before they hit the battle lines proper, but the remaining chipped, bit, and slashed at the group's ranks. The party managed to drop the first wave just as the second came. Pax had moved toward the back while Baldur was tasked with holding the front, and more monstrosities chipped and clattered as the battle continued.

These creatures, despite having the numbers, were also extremely fragile. There was a bit of a sigh from Rebel and Baldur when they realized how quickly they could drop these things. That relief quickly shifted when they learned that these monstrous constructs could do other things. While the party was trying to finish off wave 2, wave 3 combined into a large bull-sized tank-thing with whirling drills and blades. The group braced for impact as they heard the thing tear into the stone and charge. While the rear line held it back from overrunning the entire party, Pax dropped to the floor. Rebel quickly retaliated, using her channel spirit to obliterate the bits and pieces while the others chipped at what was left.

One more wave (21 "units" total). The party wasn't sure what to expect, and spotted the remaining monstrosities combining into a spiraling spear. It launched itself directly at Baldur and Rebel attempted a Rescue. Then came the question: "Does that count as a projectile?" I ruled that if she could react in time (part 1 of rescue) then she could use her deflect missiles to negate the hit on Baldur. A Great Success saw her appearing in a flash, crescent kicking the spear aside, and sending the bony drill into a shattered mess against the stone road.

The party took a quick breather while Baldur checked Pax. He was alive, but coughing up blood. He came to shortly before the party pressed onward and Baldur offered his shoulder for support. The next goal was to find out just what the shimmering thing was.

At the center of town was a series of bridges over a pond. They all lead to a pavilion with enough space for a gather or public announcement. At its center, instead of a fountain, was a smokey quartz crystal. The outside was white and glassy and faded into an inky black shadow at its center. As the party examined it with their torch, it started to shift into warmer tones. The refracting light revealed a manor across the northern bridge: marked by Lazarus's seal. The group considered if the crystal was an unlocking mechanism or puzzle of some sort, but Baldur ignored it and did the usual: "I'm going to smash it."

In hindsight, this would have been the perfect opportunity to trigger DDM on everyone. Alas, I settled for the classic energy explosion shockwave. Pax, the poor man, was knocked out and sent into the water and the torchlights were snuffed. The party fought the collapsing rock and bridges to find their footing. Once they settled, Rebel lit a new torch and the group took stock of what they could. One hench had fallen in the water, but managed to fish up Pax. The others looked over the crystal and saw the pocket that was now shadowless.

As Baldur decided to start heading over to check on Pax, a tendril of ink burst from the pond and grabbed at Pax's rescuer. Baldur dove in after it and a desperate struggle began. Baldur's lungs were still agitated from earlier, but he was able to push through and find the hench's hand. Meanwhile, topside, Rebel was preparing a grappling hook and lining up the others on what was left of the crumbling platform. She tossed the hook into the water and hoped for a bite. Underneath the splashing waves, Baldur was struggling to pull against the entity. He began to feel a chill running up his arm and start digging in before he forced one last burst of strength. It was enough to find the grapple and with his party's help he broke the surface. The shadows quickly burst up around him and the hench and Rebel tried the only thing she could think of: holy water.

While the aim was true, Rebel quickly found herself being flanked by Pax. His eyes were flush with shadowy tendrils and his attacks were wild and inaccurate. She pummeled its face in before turning to help the others finish fishing Baldur up. Once everyone was on something solid, the party split.

Luckily, it didn't seem the shadow was intent on hunting them further than the pond. The party, despite being out of breath, had no desire to stick round. As they navigated their way back to the entrance room, a young boy came into view. Atop the stairs, kicking his feet and hanging out, was a Nüra. He gave them a friendly greeting and asked what they were doing. The group gave the quick and dirty version and the child's head swung down for a moment before his voice changed.

Lazarus shook his head and told them that he defeated death, but their meddling resulted in its release. After the shortest exposition ever, the boy came to his senses and introduced himself: Neeka. He asked if Rebel received the letter he delivered for Thorin. He told her that his training was going well and that Thorin is a great teacher, among other things. After a little more back and forth, the party headed out. Neeka wished them a safe trip and said he needed to get his practice done before morning.

With that, the party made their way back to the gate. Rebel prayed at James's grave while the others roused the gate guards. Once the party found themselves back in civilization, they headed back to the Tankard to plan out their next moves.

Rewards

5 XP

Downtime

Rebel: She got just enough experience to begin training for Lv4. The highest level character of this game so far. She will be out for two weeks.

Baldur: He still hasn't hit a jackpot so he's continuing his work with the graveyard guards to pay off his room and board until next week.

Arken: He decided to take a break and go carousing. 50gp and some rolls later, and he found himself with a 2 year old boy named Jonny and a letter saying, "He's your problem now."