Four of our heroes set out to kill or drive off a sacred crocodile, onlt to find a monstrous serpent, the midbegotten child of a celestial serpent slain by a deity. They succeeded, but are soaked though and poisoned.
This was planned as a one off Hakllowe’en adventure, it did not finish, partly because of other things needed sorted, partly through bits of life, but there will be some commentary on it throughout.
This is me converting and adapting the D&D 5e adventure “Don’t say Vecna“, if you are going to be run through that, do not read on.
Our cast
- Farshad – Merchant of the Rule of Ishtir, musician and Agent of the Rule of Haraxa
- Utana – Noble of the Rule of Haraxa, Agent and Acting-Databdara (Magistrate) of the nation
- José Juan – Foreigner from the far west, warrior, healer and Agent of the Rule
- Smersh – Larcenous Priest from long time ago, and a nation long gone, Databdara (Magistrate) and agent of the Rule
- Jalabu – Noble of Dilmun, Merchant-Adventurer and agent of the Rule.
- Fetnah – Shaman from a long time ago, and a forgotten and lost land, and agent of the Rule
- Smersh – Larcenous Priest from long time ago, and a nation long gone, Databdara (Magistrate) and agent of the Rule
Absent
- Arpaesis – From the far western land of Ta-Khemet, student of Arcane Lore, and agent of the Rule, currently studying books of Lore
- Dhran the White – of humble origin in Ishtir, warrior, agent of the Rule, currently studying in the capital and trying to unionise
Our heroes, drenched and poisoned as they are.do not question why their missing companions are suddenly with them. Last they were seen, Fetnah and Smersh were still in the Kurrim town close to the coast, not out here in the swamp.
At least this meant that there were two folk not sickened by poisoning and risking hypothermia. With their help, the rest made it to higher ground, fires wete made and such treatment given as was possible. Unfortunately this meant the use of strong purgatives, which made the already miserable foursome noisome and possessed of a vicious stench for a couple of days before their strength returned, their clothes cleaned and dried as best as they could.
Still grimy. but now somewhat dry, thegroup proceeded, planning to return by the route Utana had navigated here, although, to Farshad’s regret, the singing frogs sang one last harmony with Frashad thenhopped ogg, now their pool was free of the River Dragon. They did not stay whole dry for long, as a nist rose and the sun became invisible through the diffusing clouds, and directioned became uncertain.
A path leading up seemed to lead into a clearing above the ists, and there, some thirty or so times tallewr than the height of a Shevam was a tower, smoth surfaced with a light grey stone, almost like the mist made solid. There was a dounle door at the bottom and high up, open windows.
Carefully opening the doors, the area within was pitch black, not dark, but pitch black, not ewven the magica lantern shiels of Jalabu could penetrate the darkness. Attempts to climb the walls proved futile, te stone being so smooth and the gaps between blocks being so thin.
(With there beng a Climb skill, and certain common sense, I am not going to penalise a character for the player not saying reasonable and obvious things the character might try in a climbing attempt. There are things characters *could* have tried, but the players did not suggest them, e.g finding trees to make ladders,.)
Tests proved that the blackness was merely a negation of light, no magic barrier or gateway to another dimension that would cut off anything put through. All sticks, body parts, beings put through could be returned.
Fetnah manage to gain a rough idea of the inside using spirit sight, but she was unable to gain a detailed view or ascertain the origin of the darkness, only that there was a circle of table and boxes with another table in between, with tablets, books and small boxes stacked on and aound them.
(There were other things within the area the group could have tried, both to bypass and to dismiss the darkness, but it never occurred to any of the players. Maybe I could have offered some more pointed hints)
Eventually, having looked at the sketch in the dirt that Fetnah had med, Smersh strode in, seeking the centre of the circle and to find what he could. He went a little astray, but his problems were more to do with the thing that fell upon him from a height. From the feel of the body wrapped around him, Smersh felt a fleshless thing, spiky and skeletal, against whom Smersh felt his dagger, though quick, was useless. He resisted being picked up and dashed to the ground, spiky body falling on him. Jalabu went in to help out, attracted by the noise.
There was some fumbling and bashing until Farshad, using the spirit eyes of his wooden bird, Aribu, spotted an egg like object on the central table. He inched over and smashed it, dispersing the dark, revealing the thing to be horned, with blade like shoulder blades resembling stubby wings and a bony tail ending in a stinger.
In the ensuing fight, Smersh was flung at Jalabu, Jalabu punched the thing, obly to hurt his hand on the bony creature, and in return was stabbed by the tail, but was able to resist the psychic poison of the stinger.
Wanting no part of this, Farhad had a look at the door his actions had revealed, seeing a lock whose indetations suggested a hand, Placing his hand into the spaces, he was painfully and damingly ejected away from it.
Now it could be seen, the rest battered it with melee weaponry, managing to cut off the tail, and survive spiky claws and its sharp beak like mouth, until eventually it was destroyed . The limbs, including the tail, shrank and coalesced, until what was left was a sculpted hand, covered in an unknown script.
Smersh tried, but he has been illiterate most of his 1500 years of his life.
After what first aid and salves could be applied to ease hurts, Farshad, staggering uncertainly, applied it to the door, and it was successful, the door opened.
And there we left it.
So, the Hallowe’en one shot is going to continue a bit longer than planned, but hopefully as Spooktober gives way to Novemberrrrrrrrrrrr, no-one minds.