Delve 11 – A Shot In The Dark

"Be bold, be bold, but not too bold"

Gimwort remains in town, recovering from the wound he received in battle with orcs on the previous expedition. Trigg leaves Emelda and joins the party on the road – he needs to make some money soon to cover his taxes and farm repairs. Their plan is to continue where they left off, exploring the side passages off of the Room of Pools.

As a reminder, I’m rolling on this wandering monster chart.

I filled in the Haunted Halls’ many un-keyed rooms with rooms from the first level of B1: In Search of the Unknown, with a 50% chance each for a monster and treasure from the relevant tables in that module.

Rooms marked “A” are keyed in The Haunted Halls of Eveningstar. Rooms marked “B” are from In Search of the Unknown.

OUR HEROES

Trigg Sunbold, Fighter 3

Tansybell of Merry Meadow, Halfling 3

Old Dolf, Thief 3

Eldred the Enchanter, Illusionist 2

Mell of the Moonwood, Fighter 1

The party's route

THE LOG

TURN 1 – A8: Welcoming Trap

The party heads to bronze doors that guard the inner halls and the now-routine dash past their blocked lightning trap.

TURN 2 – The Room of Pools

The party turns south to explore more of the side passages of the mysterious Room of Pools.

TURN 3 – B19: Access Room: “In the northeast corner of the room and along the north wall are log sections of various sizes… The room is otherwise empty.”

The party decides to dig through the logs.

TURN 4 – B19: Access Room

A turn of searching uncovers a gold circlet! They give it to Mell to carry as her first treasure, and move on.

TURN 5 – B18: Smithy: “In the center of the room is a gigantic forging anvil. A hand bellows hangs on the wall to the west”

Four orcs are working the smithy, repairing their gear. Mothclaw, the orc that the party let free last session, is not among them. Upon seeing the party the orcs grab weapons and prepare to defend themselves. One speaks halting Common: “You Mothclaw?” Trigg is about to draw steel when Tansybell pipes up “Yes, we know him!” The orcs hesitate, and she continues: “We told him to clear out of here! You should do the same. But if you won’t fight us, we won’t fight you.” The orcs either don’t understand this or don’t believe it. They maintain their menacing postures but do not attack. At Tansy’s direction the party backs out of the room.

A morale check indicates that the orcs will pursue the party, hoping to ambush them.

TURN 6 – B13: Implement Room: “This elongated room is used primarily for storage of tools, equipment, and implements of various types.”

As the PCs enter this room a portcullis crashes down behind them, locking them inside! Dolf spots a lever on the far wall, but the sound of flapping feet out in the corridor signals that the orcs are coming to investigate.

TURN 7 – Combat

R1 – Trigg and Mell struggle to pull the lever, but it won’t budge. Tansy draws her kobold hand-crossbow and loads one of her few remaining darts, preparing to cover them. Eldred takes cover behind some of the piled crates, and Dolf begins a frantic search of the room looking for a way out of this apparent dead-end. The orcs arrive at the portcullis, carrying crossbows and laughing.

R2 – Tansy, shield raised and crossbow ready, calls out to the orcs for help. Grating laughter answers her, like stones falling. “Mothclaw say you kill Lokug and Skraglurk.” They raise their crossbows. “Kill you now, maybe!”

Mell is quicker on the draw, and shoots her heavy crossbow. A natural 20! Her bolt punches through orcish mail and an orc falls, dead as if he’d been struck by lightning. The others return fire – Dolf and Mell are each struck and badly wounded. Tansybell wings another orc with hand-crossbow, but he does not succumb to the sleep venom coating the tiny dart.

R3 – Mell ducks into cover, turning the crank to reload her arbalest. Tansy shoots, wounding another orc. This one collapses, asleep. The two remaining orcs also duck out of sight, reloading. 

R4 – The orcs pop back around and loose two more bolts. One thunks into Tansy’s shield, a near miss. Mell shoots back, but her bolt goes wild. The wounded Dolf bellycrawls over to a second lever and pulls it, opening a secret door. “This way!” he shouts, crawling inside.

R5 – The orcs duck back out of the doorway to reload. The party follows Dolf into the tunnel.

TURN 8 – A30: Battle Chamber: “This room reeks of death. A large scorched area covers the east wall. A dead orc wearing silk robes and a leather belt adorned with gems lies face-down on the floor. An axe is buried in the back of his head.”

A dead end. The party discovers a grim scene, but what treasure! Six bluish-white, faintly glowing moonstones, a hand-axe of throwing +2, and a wand of some silvery-blue metal. The hand-axe is as good as a battle axe to a hobbit and Tansy takes it, thrilled to finally have a magic weapon to match Trigg’s and Dolf’s. Eldred gingerly pockets the as-yet unidentified wand.

The party debates what to do. There is no way out of this chamber except back the way they came, so Dolf volunteers to creep back up the tunnel and see if the orcs are still there. If they’ve gone, he spotted some tools that they might be able to use to cut the portcullis bars and escape. Lacking any better plan, Trigg agrees.

TURN 9 – A30: Battle Chamber

Dolf slinks up the tunnel, lantern hooded. He hears the orcs muttering to each other, just out of sight, and returns. Mell reloads her crossbow.

TURN 10 – Combat

Trigg and Tansy lock shields and advance, with Mell behind them. Dolf and Eldred bring up the rear with their lanterns.

R1 – The orcs hear the party coming and shoots. Trigg is struck for 8 points of damage, losing nearly half his HP. Mell returns fire, killing the orc that Tansy had previously wounded. Tansy shoots and misses.

R2 – The remaining orc runs for it. Mell reloads. Trigg turns Scalebane, his magic sword, on the bars in frustration while Dolf unpacks chisels and saws from one of the shelves.

TURN 11 – B13: Implement Room

The enchanted sword shears through the bars while Dolf is still distributing the mundane tools. The work makes a great deal of noise, but they can still hear the terrified wailing of the fleeing orc. They can hear too when it is suddenly cut off. Stepping out into the corridor, Trigg sees a hulking reptilian shape looming at the end of the corridor to the North. An orc leg dangles from its long jaws, but the creature still sniffs the air hungrily. 

The basilisk has come.

"Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"

TURN 12 – Combat

R1 – The basilisk has cut off their line of retreat, and the party is already badly wounded. They can try to fight the creature, or to flee South into the unknown. Trigg steps forward. The red runes on Scalebane’s blade blaze hungrily. 

“Dolf, leave the lantern and lead them out. Eldred, you’ll have to light their way. If I don’t make it back, tell Emelda I’m sorry”.

Dolf laughs. “Reckon I’ve lived long enough. I aim ter be a knight, an’ that looks like a dragon ter me,” he says. Tansybell nods, gripping her new magic axe.

Wordlessly, Mell aims her crossbow and shoots. The moment is only very slightly ruined as the bolt goes wide, missing the basilisk completely.

R2 – The basilisk charges. Mell frantically reloads. Eldred aims his new wand down the corridor and activates it blindly, hoping for the best. Unbeknownst to him, this is a Wand of Cold with 7 charges remaining, and a blast of bitter cold engulfs the charging monster. The basilisk takes 21 damage!

The others are braced to meet the charge, but must first save to resist the deadly stare. Trigg freezes in place (Scalebane howls with frustration, a keening just on the edge of hearing), but Tansy and Dolf can still move. Tansy’s axe rebounds off the scaly hide, and Dolf’s magic spear Shimmer glances harmlessly off the basilisk’s snout. Trigg is knocked prone, taking 5 damage.

R3 – “Basilisk!” Eldred shouts. “Don’t look it in the eye!” He activates the wand again, eyes tightly shut. The basilisk is grazed by the jet of frost but still takes 10 damage. Tansy and Dolf meet the creature’s eye and freeze in place. Mell resists the creature’s gaze and shoots. Her bolt barely penetrates the creature’s thick hide, dealing 2 damage. Trigg, underneath the basilisk and momentarily safe from its gaze, strikes upward with two hands. Scalebane sinks deep into the monster’s belly, runes burning with grim delight.

The basilisk thrashes wildly as it scrambles around, trying to escape. Trigg and Tansy take 5 damage, and Tansy is bowled over. Dolf is struck by the lashing tail for 3 damage.

R4 – The basilisk flees to the end of the hall. Mell reloads. Eldred looses a third blast from the wand at the retreating monster, dealing 19 damage. The basilisk collapses, dead. The rest of the party gets painfully to their feet.

TURN 13 – Corridor

The PCs examine the fallen creature, its deadly eyes now filmed over. After a moment, Trigg hacks the creature’s head off. They lash Dolf’s rope around the great jaws and haul it after them.

TURN 14-15 – Corridors

TURN 16 – A8: Welcoming Trap

A mote of some ancient spell drifts past in an almost imperceptible shimmer of color. Trigg accidentally inhales some of it and is suddenly seized with the compulsion to shut the great bronze doors. Tansy is unable to stop him, but does manage to drag him clear as the doors slam shut – the now-active lightning trap crackles through the air above them, but nobody is injured. “Enchanted,” explains Eldred after Trigg comes to his senses.

TURN 17-18 – Escape!

THE TALLY

• 4 orcs – 40xp

• gold circlet – 250 xp

• 6 moonstones – 450 xp

• 1 basilisk – 950 xp

• Hand-Axe of Throwing +2

• Wand of Cold (4 charges)

The party receives 338 XP each. Dolf reaches level 4! He receives +3 HP and +1 Dexterity, bringing it up to 12.

Downtime in Eveningstar

July 28 – August 3

The heroes are feted by the regulars in the Golden Unicorn as they tell the story of slaying the mighty basilisk. They make a gift of the basilisk’s severed head to the proprietor of the Golden Unicorn, who intends to have it stuffed and mounted over the fireplace. Such a wonder is sure to draw the punters in.

Eldred sells the circlet and moonstones for 560 gp, and the party splits the proceeds. Trigg pays his 200 gp in taxes and 38 gp in farm expenses for the month. He’s left poorer than when he started, but is still too badly wounded to join the rest of the party when they return to the Haunted Halls for their next adventure.

The Eveningstar Gazetteer

I have a bad tendency to tinker with systems and settings so long that I never end up actually running/playing the game. To combat this, I started my solo D&D game with a deliberately zero-prep approach, relying on a module and my own particular sense of vernacular fantasy to fill in the gaps on a strictly as-needed basis. Nevertheless, lore accumulates fast, and as the game has progressed I’ve steadily built up a picture of the world (or at least this part of it). It's all Vanilla Fantasy of course, but I happen to think vanilla is a fine flavor and everyone's fantasy vernacular is a little bit different. Hopefully mine is a nice vanilla bean (it makes better rootbeer floats than french vanilla, in my opinion).

Eveningstar

A small valley province on the border of the Realm, just south of the inhospitable Stonelands. In ages past Eveningstar was a petty kingdom ruled by a line of bandit kings who used the black star as their sigil.

Eveningstar’s current ruler, Lady Winter, is the king’s former lover and was installed here as a form of soft exile from court. Fortunately for the people of Eveningstar, she is also a powerful wizard and has transformed her domain into a garden on the edge of the wild waste. 

Aided by her spells, the valley is full of flowers, fruit trees, and magical animals. The most notable of these are Eveningstar’s famous winged cats, but most of Lady Winter’s designs are less ostentatious, such as helpful bees, livestock that rarely sickens, and cold-resistant fruit trees that graft easily.

Eveningstar Abbey

The monks of Lathander own a fair proportion of the land around Eveningstar. Relations between the abbey and the town are generally good, as Lady Winter is careful to honor the abbey’s rights and privileges. The abbey’s beer is famous.

The Two Rivers

A stream of clear water, the Starwater, flows through Eveningstar from its source in Lostar Lake in the Stonelands, forming a picturesque waterfall along the way. A second stream of foul, sulfurous water, known as the Goblinwater, runs out of Eveningstar Gorge and into the Briarwood. The two eventually meet by the town of Toadmarket, where they join the mighty Realmstream River.

Eveningstar Gorge

The old heathen kings of Eveningstar were laid to rest in tombs carved into the gorge walls. Monsters from the Stonelands have moved in or dug new caves in the years since then. Collectively this network of dungeons is known as the Caves of Chaos.

    The Haunted Halls

The last redoubt of the old kings of Eveningstar. The last king’s army fell to starvation and foul magic in a war with a witch-queen out of the stonelands. Old spells and cursed, immortal soldiers of that barbarous era still haunt the halls.

The Killing Keep

An old ruin that overlooks Eveningstar Gorge. A mad vampire and his small army of kobolds occupy it now, and have protected it with traps and the severed, animated hands of intruders. The keep is connected to the Haunted Halls in several places, most of which are guarded or trapped.

The Stonelands

Rocky highlands to the north of Eveningstar. A haunt of orcs, goblins, stone-trolls, mad wizards, and mud-brown dragons. Lady Winter and her knights often ride the borders, repelling goblin raiders or going dragon-hunting.

The Briarwood

A patch of old forest that has resisted all attempts to tame it, whether by axe or orchard-spell. It is home to colonies of giant spiders of both the hunting and web-spinning varieties, and great flocks of stirges nest by the banks of the Goblinwater where it runs beneath the Briarwood’s tangled boughs. Despite these dangers, Lady Winter often hunts here, as the pigs of the Briarwood are famous for their ferocity and excellent flavor.

It is rumored that the heart tree at the center of the wood was grown from an archmage’s magic wand.

Nearby

Molehill is basically a Scoured Shire...

Molehill

A halfling mining town that supplies iron ore and pipeweed to Eveningstar. The halflings of Molehill are unusually sober and unfriendly. They dress in dark colors, smoke heavily, and have a reputation for covetousness and industry.

...while Merry Meadow is like if the Shire were one little village

Merry Meadow

A halfling village noted for its rich fields of wildflowers. Dandelion wine and strawberry cordial from Merry Meadow are sought after throughout the Realm.

Greydelve

A “new” dwarfhold, only settled ~200 years ago. Greydelve’s mines produce mostly rock crystals, and the hold has been forced to become more self-sufficient than some older and richer settlements. Many Greydelve dwarves are forced to work in food production rather than in mining or crafts. 

The deeper tunnels, crystal caves, and mushroom groves are plagued by subterranean pests, such as slimes and fire beetles. 

Toadmarket is the sort of place you could get a quest from a hooded stranger at an inn

Toadmarket

A crossroads trading town on the border of the Great Swamp. There is a thriving community of Exile dwarves here, and Toadmarket is a popular location for dwarf-made goods. Lizardmen out of Great Swamp are a fairly common sight as well, trading monster hides and swamp plants for dwarf-made pots and halfling wines.

Further Afield

Great Swamp

A vast, miserable expanse of muck and mire. While the local lizardfolk are peaceable enough, the bog serpents, swamp harpies, fire-toads, basilisks, and flocks of stirges make the region all but impassable. If the monsters don’t eat you, then some sprite’s fairy lights are liable to lead you astray or a bog-wraith will panic your horses. The only semi-reliable passage is by riverboat, but even then you have to stay sharp to keep from running aground on a dragon-turtle’s shell. Best to avoid it if you can.

Bogrest

A small village on the outskirts of Great Swamp. Primarily a stopover point for riverboats and caravans, Bogrest is sometimes known as “the last dry house east of the river”.

Farbog

An even smaller village in the depths of Great Swamp. The inhabitants build their huts on stilts above the water, fish out of their windows, and paddle between them in little coracles. Nobody knows why they bother to live there.

The Listing Tower

A crooked stone tower rises out of the waters of the Great Swamp. Weirdly-colored lights are sometimes seen in its windows (or through gaps in the crumbling stone), and passing riverboats are sometimes struck by lightning bolts. Just one more reason for avoiding the place.

Deep Den

The largest lizardfolk burrow whose location is known to outsiders. Large parts of Deep Den run under the surface, and many sections are off-limits to foreigners, but when the lantern poles are lit and the log drums sound, travelers can be assured of a warm welcome and a feast of good (if strange) food.

Imagine this guy, but way more chilled out

Otterhall

The home of minor country nobles who control one of the crossings of the Realmstream River. The lord of Otterhall has seven daughters (three from his first wife, three from his second, and one bastard), and even with a wealth founded on timber, furs, and crossing-tolls he despairs of ever finding matches for all of them.

Misthollow

A hidden halfling village. Troubled by griffins, river merfolk, and rotten-hearted treants. Recently a sorcerer and his band of ruffians have been seeking for the hidden paths that lead to the village.

Ninemoons

A large port town on the far side of Great Swamp, where the marsh water turns to salt. Travelers’ tales report that Ninemoons is full of ghosts, green-cloaked moon-priests, and the scent of frying snails. 

Firedeep

An old dwarfhold, continually inhabited since before this age of the world. Its folk stick to the Old Ways, and many do not know the common tongue. Firedeep’s mines produce the rare firedim jewels, tame salamanders roar in its forges, and mischievous imps play ball games with flawed or discarded gemstones.

The North

Inhabited by grey-clad elves, talking owls, and ogres with long shaggy white hair. The ogres like to hide in deep snowdrifts until travelers pass by and can throw snowballs hard enough to knock a man off his horse. There are also fairy frosts — enchanted snowfields whose shimmering rainbow colors can lull the unwary to sleep — and sinuous crystal-scaled ice dragons whose songs fill the mountain passes when the moon is high.

Delve 10 – Hobnobbing With Orcs

A reduced party sets out for the Haunted Halls: Gimwort, Tansybell, Eldred, and Old Dolf. Sassaran has left on her journey with Taravol, and Trigg is on his brief honeymoon with Emelda.

THE LOG

TURN 1 – A8: Welcoming Trap

The party heads to bronze doors that guard the inner halls and the now-routine dash past their blocked lightning trap.

TURN 2 – B31: The Room of Pools

The party turns south to explore some of the side passages of the mysterious Room of Pools.

TURN 3 – B23: Storage Chamber. “This room is used primarily for furniture storage, although it is mostly empty. There are three large oaken tables, a number of chairs, and fourteen wooden stools stacked against the walls.”

A search of the room fails to turn up anything interesting.

TURN 5 – SP31: Gaming Room. “This small, quaint little room has a game table in the center. A chess set, with a game apparently in progress (or never finished), sits upon it. A large map of a world unknown to the adventurers has been painted on the floor.”

Some of the orc survivors of Ivy’s party’s attack on the Caves of Chaos fled to the Haunted Halls. Three of them were holed up in here, gambling on chess matches and debating about what to do. They heard the PCs approaching and ambush them.

TURN 6 – Combat!

Gimwort takes a nasty sword wound in the initial ambush. On the following round Gimwort repays the wound with interest, and Tansy kills another orc. The third orc scurries behind the gaming table and begins speaking rapidly in harshly accented Common. He’ll fight for them if they don’t kill him! Or maybe they’ll just let him go? They can have all of the stuff, he just doesn’t want to end up like Lokug and Skraglurk.

While Dolf is mistrustful, the others agree to let the orc (Mothclaw) go. Gimwort tells him that the Halls are no place for orcs, and he should head for the Stonelands. Mothclaw lopes off down the tunnel. Will the party live to regret their mercy, or will they be rewarded for their good deed?

The PCs loot the room of the chess set, a bottle of fine brandy, a carved pipe, and 8 silver pennies.

TURN 7 – B31: The Room of Pools

With Gimwort wounded and enough loot to get Eldred to level 2, the party heads for the exits.

TURN 8-9: Escape!

THE TALLY

• 2 orcs: 20xp

• Gold chess set: 250 xp

• Anterian Brandy: 200 xp

• Carved pipe: 30 xp

The party receives 125 xp each.

Eldred achieves level 2! He rolls extremely well on his stat increases, earning +1 Constitution and +1 Strength, and now has 3 whole HP.

He also learns the spell Spook.

Downtime in Eveningstar – Mell Joins Up!

July 25–27

Gimwort sells the chess set, but keeps the carved pipe as a souvenir. They split the proceeds (43 gp and 77 sp each), then split the bottle of brandy at the Golden Unicorn. Over drinks they discuss their adventures to date and their plans for future delves. 

With Sassaran gone and Trigg a married man now, they need another fighter. They decide to recruit Mell of the Moonwood, a huntress and adventurer who has recently arrived in town.

Mell of the Moonwood

Fighter 1 HP: 7 AC: 15 XP: 200/2,000

Str 13, Dex 16, Con 6, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8

Gear: crossbow, 20 bolts, shortsword, leather armor, coat of mail