(Originally published on Thursday, December 28, 2017 as "OD&D: Ravensburg Session 10").
Characters:
Boneswa (Elf-F2/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC
The Rumor Mill:
With the Bugbear menace gone, the market for Grim Forest wolf pelts has picked up again.
Karl Nobbins and his band of adventurers, regulars at the Surly Dragon Inn, went into the Black Tower three days ago. They haven't come back yet.
A green dragon was spotted flying westward from Dankmarsh, over the Sundered Hills, toward the sea. Boneswa the elf and his band were the first to spot the dragon outside of Dankmarsh. A merchant caravan from Mudport spotted it again just days later, confirming Boneswa's observation.
Creighton (recently entered into Boneswa's service) reports that Durston Lowell has been doing business with gnomes -- greedy, unscrupulous, unprincipled gnomes.
The Action:
Boneswa and his henchmen head once more for the Black Tower, this time in the hopes of finding Karl and his company. This is their first return since hearing the rumor of rumblings and tremors ("as if stone and earth were being moved") and since hearing the rumors of Simon of Bellamy's return.
Climbing to the top of the hill, Boneswa immediately notices two things:
1. The tower ruin has changed – what once was a round tower ruin no more than knee to waist high is now an octagonal tower ruin, roughly chest to head high.
2. A set of boot prints makes a beeline for a patch of trees and brush just north of the tower proper.
Boneswa follows the trail and comes to the remains of an old cistern, once overgrown, but now cleared away. The trail seems to end here. Corder and he lift the lid, revealing a completely dry cistern with ladder leading down to an iron maintenance hatch. They climb down, open the hatch and find themself inside the dungeons once more.
The dungeons themselves are different. The halls here are dimly illuminated by phosphorescent moss, and the walls are smoother than they had been on Boneswa's previous visits.
The band's exploration leads them mostly eastward.
Encounters of note:
1. A run-in with two known NPC adventurers of ill-repute: Orthelm and Rathilda (and their seven henchmen). This involved an uncomfortable parley and a rapid parting of ways.
2. The discovery of Karl Nobbins' body along with his henchmen and a host of dead goblins. Examination of the bodies indicates the henchmen and the goblins killed each other off in a fight, while Karl survived with cuts and bruises – but was subsequently killed with his throat slit from behind. The bodies of the adventurers and the goblins had been picked clean. Boneswa picks up Karl's broken shield to take back to Ravensburg.
3. The discovery and liberation of some sort of "creature of light" apparently imprisoned within the masonry of the dungeon itself.
4. The discovery of an area to the east where the phosphorescent mold disappears, only to be replaced by an uncanny green witch-light.
5. A fight in the latter area with an animated statue of Vecna (perhaps a vestige of the dungeon's original builders defeated long ago by Simon of Bellamy and his allies?) resulting in victory and loot in the form of a 500 gp ruby.
Returning to Ravensburg, Boneswa heads to the Surly Dragon and tells the innkeeper, Big Willie, of Karl's demise. He also mentions his suspicion about Orthelm and Rathilda. Big Willie vows to find out ("I know people in this town, people who will talk to me") and, in short, wring Orthelm's and Rathilda's necks if Boneswa's suspicion turns out to be true. Boneswa also hands over Karl's broken shield. Big Willie, an ex-adventurer himself, keeps a "wall of honor" in his place, where he hangs momentos of lost comrades. Willie gently places the shield on the wall, and Bonewsa buys a round for the house before leading a toast to Karl's lost band.
Boneswa then goes to Natalia Stoynich's shop to cash in his ruby, and to let her know of the changes to the Tower. Natalia fears she was wrong and that Simon may well have returned. She says she'll keep buying items from Boneswa but will have to examine them extra carefully to ensure they're not cursed.
And here we ended the session.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Ravensburg Session 9
(Originally published on Thursday, December 21, 2017 as part of "OD&D: Ravensburg Session 9 [with rough sketch of Sessions 7 & 8]")
Characters:
Boneswa (Elf-F1/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC
The Action:
Boneswa returned to Ravensburg. The rumor mill was abuzz with news. During his absence...
A green dragon had been spotted flying over the edges of Dankmarsh; people traveling south and east were increasingly nervous.
For a period of three nights, loud rumblings had been heard from the ruins of the Black Tower, as if stone and earth were being moved. The ground in Ravensburg itself could be felt to tremble.
Meanwhile the goblin raids north of the town continue.
A large cat of some type, with reddish fur, had been seen on moonlit nights prowling around the west edges of the Briars; dead goblins had been found mauled and half-eaten in the same area.
Halfling Durston Lowell had become the talk of the town, regaining his family fortune rapidly after Boneswa had returned his family ring to him; some folk talk of his investments being more lucky than smart.
Susan Fellgood, a major shipper in Ravensburg, was once again interested in hiring on guards to escort a caravan west to Mudport.
Boneswa took some time to get his bearings and gather further information on these matters.
Speaking to Big Willie in the Surly Dragon Inn, he got confirmation regarding the green dragon of Dankmarsh and Durston Lowell's fortune. He learned the rumblings in the Tower had frightened many folk, and that none of Willie's adventuring clientele had had the nerve to delve the dungeons since that had occurred.
Boneswa then visited Durston Lowell. The Lowell home appeared from the outside to be restored to its former glory. Two new doormen blocked then entry. When Boneswa asked to speak to Durston, he was informed that he was not on Mister Lowell's (ahem) appointment list, and that he could be scheduled a week hence. Boneswa took the appointment and left.
He went to Cosmo's Curiosities, to see if Cosmo had any potions to sell. The prices were a bit too high for Boneswa's meager savings, but he managed to work out a deal, trading ten gold pieces plus one of the "candlestones" he had acquired inside the meteorite for a healing potion. Cosmo also showed him a new sword in his inventory – a dragon slayer. Cosmo understood that Boneswa obviously didn't have the coin now (3,500 gold), but thought Boneswa might be interested at some later date.
Finally the elf visited Susan Fellgood and signed on to escort the next morning's caravan west to Mudport.
The journey to Mudport was uneventful. Once in town, Boneswa took a room in The Rusty Anchor. On the menu was boiled fish, fried fish, baked fish, and mudsnake kebabs. The latter were a local specialty from the nearby mud flats. He washed the kebab down with snakeskin ale, a local brew that nauseated him but didn't make him vomit.
On the return trip to Ravensburg, Boneswa spotted a green dragon flying over the Sundered Hills, heading directly toward him from the direction of Dankmarsh beyond. Boneswa quickly directed the caravan to cover in a copse and the dragon passed over them without noticing.
A day later, crossing the bridge over the Mist River, the caravan spied a large, hairy many hip deep in the river fishing with his hands in a very bear-like manner. Boneswa kept the group moving without drawing the fisherman's attention.
Back in Ravensburg, the elf kept his appointment with Durston Lowell. The now-wealthy halfling greeted him warmly, thanked him again for the return of his ring (a magic item granting luck in investment, but only for those of Lowell blood – which is why it had not helped the adopted brother who had "borrowed" it without his knowledge), and made a gift of a fine necklace to Boneswa.
After the interview, Boneswa noticed that Lowell's former manservant, the elderly dwarf Creighton, had been nowhere to be seen. A younger and rather unpleasant human, Quagmire, seemed to have taken his place.
On returning to The Surly Dragon, Boneswa was drawn into the alley by a whispered "pssst!" Going to investigate, Boneswa was addressed by none other than the dwarf, Creighton. Creighton was concerned for his (former) master, Durston Lowell. Durston had been making deals with "unsavory" individuals. Concerned for his master's safety, Creighton had eavesdropped on several conversations. One name in particular had come up multiple times. That name was Simon of Bellamy. Boneswa knew the name, but only as a vague figure of legend. Still, if true, this was likely bad news. Durston had dismissed Creighton, who had been his faithful, and indeed only, manservant for decades. Creighton was now almost out of money and living on the street, so Boneswa hired him on as a servant himself.
Lastly, Boneswa went to visit Natalia Stoynich, the widowed antiques vendor. He mostly wanted information from her, as she had previously seemed to have some knowledge of the history of both items and people of Ravensburg. Boneswa asked her about Simon of Bellamy, and the rumors that Simon had returned to the Black Tower.
Natalia was surprised by the question, and shocked by the possibility of his return. She was quite certain this was impossible.
In a nutshell Natalia told Boneswa this:
Boneswa took in this information. Before leaving, he sold Lowell's necklace to Natalia for 600 gold.
And there ended the session.
Characters:
Boneswa (Elf-F1/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC
The Action:
Boneswa returned to Ravensburg. The rumor mill was abuzz with news. During his absence...
A green dragon had been spotted flying over the edges of Dankmarsh; people traveling south and east were increasingly nervous.
For a period of three nights, loud rumblings had been heard from the ruins of the Black Tower, as if stone and earth were being moved. The ground in Ravensburg itself could be felt to tremble.
Meanwhile the goblin raids north of the town continue.
A large cat of some type, with reddish fur, had been seen on moonlit nights prowling around the west edges of the Briars; dead goblins had been found mauled and half-eaten in the same area.
Halfling Durston Lowell had become the talk of the town, regaining his family fortune rapidly after Boneswa had returned his family ring to him; some folk talk of his investments being more lucky than smart.
Susan Fellgood, a major shipper in Ravensburg, was once again interested in hiring on guards to escort a caravan west to Mudport.
Boneswa took some time to get his bearings and gather further information on these matters.
Speaking to Big Willie in the Surly Dragon Inn, he got confirmation regarding the green dragon of Dankmarsh and Durston Lowell's fortune. He learned the rumblings in the Tower had frightened many folk, and that none of Willie's adventuring clientele had had the nerve to delve the dungeons since that had occurred.
Boneswa then visited Durston Lowell. The Lowell home appeared from the outside to be restored to its former glory. Two new doormen blocked then entry. When Boneswa asked to speak to Durston, he was informed that he was not on Mister Lowell's (ahem) appointment list, and that he could be scheduled a week hence. Boneswa took the appointment and left.
He went to Cosmo's Curiosities, to see if Cosmo had any potions to sell. The prices were a bit too high for Boneswa's meager savings, but he managed to work out a deal, trading ten gold pieces plus one of the "candlestones" he had acquired inside the meteorite for a healing potion. Cosmo also showed him a new sword in his inventory – a dragon slayer. Cosmo understood that Boneswa obviously didn't have the coin now (3,500 gold), but thought Boneswa might be interested at some later date.
Finally the elf visited Susan Fellgood and signed on to escort the next morning's caravan west to Mudport.
The journey to Mudport was uneventful. Once in town, Boneswa took a room in The Rusty Anchor. On the menu was boiled fish, fried fish, baked fish, and mudsnake kebabs. The latter were a local specialty from the nearby mud flats. He washed the kebab down with snakeskin ale, a local brew that nauseated him but didn't make him vomit.
On the return trip to Ravensburg, Boneswa spotted a green dragon flying over the Sundered Hills, heading directly toward him from the direction of Dankmarsh beyond. Boneswa quickly directed the caravan to cover in a copse and the dragon passed over them without noticing.
A day later, crossing the bridge over the Mist River, the caravan spied a large, hairy many hip deep in the river fishing with his hands in a very bear-like manner. Boneswa kept the group moving without drawing the fisherman's attention.
Back in Ravensburg, the elf kept his appointment with Durston Lowell. The now-wealthy halfling greeted him warmly, thanked him again for the return of his ring (a magic item granting luck in investment, but only for those of Lowell blood – which is why it had not helped the adopted brother who had "borrowed" it without his knowledge), and made a gift of a fine necklace to Boneswa.
After the interview, Boneswa noticed that Lowell's former manservant, the elderly dwarf Creighton, had been nowhere to be seen. A younger and rather unpleasant human, Quagmire, seemed to have taken his place.
On returning to The Surly Dragon, Boneswa was drawn into the alley by a whispered "pssst!" Going to investigate, Boneswa was addressed by none other than the dwarf, Creighton. Creighton was concerned for his (former) master, Durston Lowell. Durston had been making deals with "unsavory" individuals. Concerned for his master's safety, Creighton had eavesdropped on several conversations. One name in particular had come up multiple times. That name was Simon of Bellamy. Boneswa knew the name, but only as a vague figure of legend. Still, if true, this was likely bad news. Durston had dismissed Creighton, who had been his faithful, and indeed only, manservant for decades. Creighton was now almost out of money and living on the street, so Boneswa hired him on as a servant himself.
Lastly, Boneswa went to visit Natalia Stoynich, the widowed antiques vendor. He mostly wanted information from her, as she had previously seemed to have some knowledge of the history of both items and people of Ravensburg. Boneswa asked her about Simon of Bellamy, and the rumors that Simon had returned to the Black Tower.
Natalia was surprised by the question, and shocked by the possibility of his return. She was quite certain this was impossible.
In a nutshell Natalia told Boneswa this:
- Two hundred years ago, there was a cult who worshipped Vecna, believing that he was actually a god. The cult grew in power. They built the Black Tower, not far from Ravensburg. As their power grew, they became more and more a threat to the town and the land seemed cursed.
- A group of wizards banded together to put down the cult. These included Gustav of Briarwood, Grimling of Dankmarsh, Tosa-Noa – a mysterious wizard from the distant southern jungles of Zoth, and Simon of Bellamy – then resident in Ravensburg. These four mages defeated the cult and killed the cult leader, Dargol.
- In the wake of the final battle, Grimling and Gustav returned to their homes. Tosa-Noa and Simon, who had become fast friends, decided they would cleanse the Black Tower and make it their own shared residence.
- The friendship did not last long. Some people think that the residual evil of the cult corrupted the two men.
- Simon and Tosa-Noa had a falling out; Tosa-Noa left the tower to build his own stronghold in the Sundered hills. Simon remained alone in the tower.
- One night, about one hundred years ago, there was a terrific storm. Lightning and and thunder crashed down on the tower, destroying the upper works. No one knows what caused the storm, but some surmise it was summoned by Tosa-Noa.
- Rumor held, however, that Simon survived and fled east to the distant desert land of Zandistan to study powerful dark magic.
Boneswa took in this information. Before leaving, he sold Lowell's necklace to Natalia for 600 gold.
And there ended the session.
Ravensburg Sessions 7 & 8 (Rough Sketch)
(Originally published on Thursday, December 21, 2017 as part of "OD&D: Ravensburg Session 9 [with rough sketch of Sessions 7 & 8]")
Characters:
Boneswa (Elf-F1/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC
Roghan (Fighter-2): Rob (+Rob Conley)
Presto (Elf-F1/MU1): NPC
Lena (Magic-User-2): NPC
The Action:
Bonewsa, Roghan and their henchmen tracked the goblins harassing Goodwater. The found the goblin lair, plumbed its depths, and slew the goblins' leader, a Bugbear. They cut off the Bugbear's head, and brought it back to Goodwater. There they found that Helena had been cured of her kaprothopy by the ministrations of Diana Foxglove.
The party returned to Ravensburg. There they learned that Susan Fellgood's caravan never made it back from Hamm's Fork. So they went off in search of her and her people.
Examining the area around the meteorite strike previously encountered, they found indications that the caravan had veered off the road in the direction of the meteorite. They made their way to the meteor, discovered it was hollow, and entered it. Inside they found the dead body of one of the ogres they had previously charmed and sent north to "investigate." There were also the bones of five elves (possibly the ones they had encountered earlier).
The place turned out to be the lair of some lizard-like creature, and its eggs. The party killed the creature, its young and its eggs. They found Susan Fellgood (still alive) and one of her drivers (dead and half-eaten). They pried some platinum deposits out of the meteorite's inner walls, and picked up three glowing green stones (coined "candlestones" since they give off light equivalent to a candle). Then they made their way back to civilization.
And there the sessions ended for several months.
Characters:
Boneswa (Elf-F1/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC
Roghan (Fighter-2): Rob (+Rob Conley)
Presto (Elf-F1/MU1): NPC
Lena (Magic-User-2): NPC
The Action:
Bonewsa, Roghan and their henchmen tracked the goblins harassing Goodwater. The found the goblin lair, plumbed its depths, and slew the goblins' leader, a Bugbear. They cut off the Bugbear's head, and brought it back to Goodwater. There they found that Helena had been cured of her kaprothopy by the ministrations of Diana Foxglove.
The party returned to Ravensburg. There they learned that Susan Fellgood's caravan never made it back from Hamm's Fork. So they went off in search of her and her people.
Examining the area around the meteorite strike previously encountered, they found indications that the caravan had veered off the road in the direction of the meteorite. They made their way to the meteor, discovered it was hollow, and entered it. Inside they found the dead body of one of the ogres they had previously charmed and sent north to "investigate." There were also the bones of five elves (possibly the ones they had encountered earlier).
The place turned out to be the lair of some lizard-like creature, and its eggs. The party killed the creature, its young and its eggs. They found Susan Fellgood (still alive) and one of her drivers (dead and half-eaten). They pried some platinum deposits out of the meteorite's inner walls, and picked up three glowing green stones (coined "candlestones" since they give off light equivalent to a candle). Then they made their way back to civilization.
And there the sessions ended for several months.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Ravensburg Session 6
(Originally published on Thursday, April 20, 2017 as part of "OD&D: Ravensburg Sessions 5 and 6")
Last night, +Rob Conley was back in action playing Roghan, the fighting-man.
Not looking to head back into the tower again so soon, Boneswa and Rhogan checked with Lieutenant Argus about caravan work. Argus came through and put them in contact with an agricultural exporter named Susan Fellgood. The adventurers and the businesswoman haggled a bit and agreed on a fee. Two days later they set off.
Over the course of the two-day journey south along the Ham's Fork road, the party encountered a massive ditch blocking the road (carved out by a recently fallen meteorite), and with the help of some elven hunters (for which the party traded some of the goods they were transporting), they built a makeshift log bridge over the ditch and continued on.
Camping for the night near a broken down church, the party set out trip wires. During the pre-dawn watch, two ogres stumbled over it. Spells were cast, and soon one ogre was sound asleep, and the other charmed. The party ditched the ogres by telling the charmed one to head north and check out the meteorite for them once his companion woke up.
Reaching the Ham River, the group encountered a young woman about to commit suicide by throwing herself off the bridge into the water with a rock tied to her ankle. Boneswa talked her out of it, and convinced her to accompany the party the rest of the way to Ham's Fork. On the way, the young woman, Helena, admitted she had recently been afflicted with kaprothropy, and was now a were-boar. On two separate occasions she had lost control of herself and killed people from her village. Unable to bear what she had become, she wanted to end her life. The party promised to find a priest or a healer to help her.
Once in Ham's Fork, the party settled their accounts with Susan Fellgood and went in search of the priest of Saint Lillian's church. Father Michael took the party in for the night, but admitted Helena's condition was beyond his own knowledge and abilities. He sent some parish members out in search of Diana Foxglove, a halfling healer who wandered the environs of Ham's Fork.
The next morning at breakfast, Father Michael was able to give the party news of Diana Foxglove's whereabouts. She was in a hamlet known as Goodwater, about a day's march to the west. The hamlet was engaged in a minor war with a local band of goblins, and Diana was serving them as medic.
The party made their way to Goodwater and made the acquaintance of Diana and the hamlet's makeshift militia. The group offered to put an end to the local goblin scourge, and Diana agreed to cure Helena's kaprothropy.
And here the session ended.
Last night, +Rob Conley was back in action playing Roghan, the fighting-man.
Not looking to head back into the tower again so soon, Boneswa and Rhogan checked with Lieutenant Argus about caravan work. Argus came through and put them in contact with an agricultural exporter named Susan Fellgood. The adventurers and the businesswoman haggled a bit and agreed on a fee. Two days later they set off.
Over the course of the two-day journey south along the Ham's Fork road, the party encountered a massive ditch blocking the road (carved out by a recently fallen meteorite), and with the help of some elven hunters (for which the party traded some of the goods they were transporting), they built a makeshift log bridge over the ditch and continued on.
Camping for the night near a broken down church, the party set out trip wires. During the pre-dawn watch, two ogres stumbled over it. Spells were cast, and soon one ogre was sound asleep, and the other charmed. The party ditched the ogres by telling the charmed one to head north and check out the meteorite for them once his companion woke up.
Reaching the Ham River, the group encountered a young woman about to commit suicide by throwing herself off the bridge into the water with a rock tied to her ankle. Boneswa talked her out of it, and convinced her to accompany the party the rest of the way to Ham's Fork. On the way, the young woman, Helena, admitted she had recently been afflicted with kaprothropy, and was now a were-boar. On two separate occasions she had lost control of herself and killed people from her village. Unable to bear what she had become, she wanted to end her life. The party promised to find a priest or a healer to help her.
Once in Ham's Fork, the party settled their accounts with Susan Fellgood and went in search of the priest of Saint Lillian's church. Father Michael took the party in for the night, but admitted Helena's condition was beyond his own knowledge and abilities. He sent some parish members out in search of Diana Foxglove, a halfling healer who wandered the environs of Ham's Fork.
The next morning at breakfast, Father Michael was able to give the party news of Diana Foxglove's whereabouts. She was in a hamlet known as Goodwater, about a day's march to the west. The hamlet was engaged in a minor war with a local band of goblins, and Diana was serving them as medic.
The party made their way to Goodwater and made the acquaintance of Diana and the hamlet's makeshift militia. The group offered to put an end to the local goblin scourge, and Diana agreed to cure Helena's kaprothropy.
And here the session ended.
Ravensburg Session 5
(Originally published on Thursday, April 20, 2017 as part of "OD&D: Ravensburg Sessions 5 and 6")
Boneswa the elf and his sidekicks sought out information regarding the ornate ring he and Roghan had found in the Black Tower the previous week. Boneswa found an old widowed antiquities vendor, Natalia Stoynich, who offered to look into it, but it would take a few days.
While waiting, Boneswa decided to head north on the Willowgrove Road to hunt for goblins, since he had so far found none on the first level of the Black Tower's dungeons. After a few hours march he was attacked by a fairly large band, and barely managed to drive them off. The surviving goblins fled toward...the Black Tower. Boneswa headed back to Ravensburg to collect the goblin bounty. A lieutenant of the Ravensburg's Black Guard paid the bounty and said he could hook up Boneswa with some caravan guard work in the future.
Boneswa then headed back to Natalia's antique shop. She had the name of the family whose crest appeared on the ring, and gave Boneswa the address of Durston Lowell, last heir of a family of halfling bankers in Hightower.
Boneswa paid master Lowell a visit, discovering he was an impoverished last heir, living in a mansion that was falling apart. The ring had belonged to Lowell's brother, who had disappeared in the Black Tower in a bid to regenerate the family fortune. In exchange for the ring, Lowell gave Boneswa three items which a comrade of his brother's had brought back from the dungeon – a potion of healing, a ring of spell storing, and a magic sword (exact nature as yet unknown to Boneswa).
Here the session ended.
Boneswa the elf and his sidekicks sought out information regarding the ornate ring he and Roghan had found in the Black Tower the previous week. Boneswa found an old widowed antiquities vendor, Natalia Stoynich, who offered to look into it, but it would take a few days.
While waiting, Boneswa decided to head north on the Willowgrove Road to hunt for goblins, since he had so far found none on the first level of the Black Tower's dungeons. After a few hours march he was attacked by a fairly large band, and barely managed to drive them off. The surviving goblins fled toward...the Black Tower. Boneswa headed back to Ravensburg to collect the goblin bounty. A lieutenant of the Ravensburg's Black Guard paid the bounty and said he could hook up Boneswa with some caravan guard work in the future.
Boneswa then headed back to Natalia's antique shop. She had the name of the family whose crest appeared on the ring, and gave Boneswa the address of Durston Lowell, last heir of a family of halfling bankers in Hightower.
Boneswa paid master Lowell a visit, discovering he was an impoverished last heir, living in a mansion that was falling apart. The ring had belonged to Lowell's brother, who had disappeared in the Black Tower in a bid to regenerate the family fortune. In exchange for the ring, Lowell gave Boneswa three items which a comrade of his brother's had brought back from the dungeon – a potion of healing, a ring of spell storing, and a magic sword (exact nature as yet unknown to Boneswa).
Here the session ended.
Ravensburg Session 4
(Originally published on Thursday, March 30, 2017 as "OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower Session 4")
Last night Roghan the Fighting-Man joined up with Boneswa the Elf to plumb the depths of the Black Tower once more.
Player Characters
- Boneswa the Elf ( +Tim Shorts )
- Roghan, the Fighting-Man ( +Rob Conley )
Sidekicks
- Sister Regina, a Cleric (Boneswa)
- Corder, a Fighting-Man (Boneswa)
- Presto, an Elf (Roghan)
- Lena, a Magic-User (Roghan)
New Rumors
In Ravensburg's Surly Dragon Inn, Roghan and Boneswa picked up two new rumors:
- A large cat – perhaps a mountain lion? tiger? – has been spotted on the edges of the briars.
- Goblins are based in the southwest of the dungeon's first level.
Exploration
The party entered the tower and headed east with the plan of exploring how far the dungeon extended in that direction (the dungeon is relatively large but it's not a megadungeon, so the party knows there are definite edges to it). Once they could go no farther east, they turned north, pushing for the edge of the dungeon that way. In the course of their exploration, they found a spiral staircase leading down to a lower level (or levels), but they did not follow it down.
Enemies
The party had three encounters with zombies who seem to have infested the northeast section of the dungeon. One cloaked zombie turned out to be a spellcaster who blasted Corder (one of Boneswa's sidekicks) with a magic missile, before being taken down.
Oddities
- The party discovered a secret wall compartment that contained a tiny silver orb, about 1" across. The orb responds to questions with beeps and whistles (think R2-D2).
- The party passed through a previously explored room where they had found a child's ragdoll and a finger-painted parchment depicting a happy family (mom, dad, little girl, all smiling on a sunny day). In an adjacent room, the party discovered a zombie devouring the remains of a man and a woman, non-adventurers in "civilian" traveling clothes.
- In another room the party encountered a fist-sized gem floating in mid air. Roghan's sidekick Lena approached it with a 10' pole and prodded it. A hail of arrows shot from the walls, but Lena's use of the 10' pole made it easy for her to dodge them (+4 to her save). The gem however disappeared. It turned out to be a projection of some sort. The party drove an iron spike into the hole from which the projection originated.
Loot
- Ornate, finely crafted gold ring with a gem chip (worth 300 gp, but the party wants to see if it is perhaps a family heirloom to anyone in Ravensburg, who might be willing to pay more for its return).
- 50 gold coins in a pouch
- A wooden unholy symbol (from the zombie mage's neck)
- A bundle of silverware hidden up a kitchen chimney (worth 40 gold)
Ravensburg Session 3
(Originally published on Monday, March 27, 2017 as "OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower Game Report 3 [Brother Reginald goes to the hereafter]")
Two Wednesdays ago our group was again reduced to just +Tim Shorts and me. So another casual session of Ravensburg it was, with Tim's elf, Boneswa, heading into the Black Tower alone with his two sidekicks, Brother Reginald the Cleric and Corder the Fighting-Man. Joining the small party this time was Kenny, the Torchbearer.
On their way to the tower, Boneswa and company met the same man they had encountered last time, with orange-reddish hair and beard, streaked with black, sitting on a log at the edge of the briars, relaxing and smoking a pipe.
Boneswa spoke a bit more at length with the fellow, whose name was Tom. From him Boneswa learned that goblins and other things had been entering the tower, at the beckoning of a new master. As for Tom himself, he merely watched the comings and goings of people and creatures to and from the dungeon. Tom wished the party luck as they headed on.
Entering the dungeon and heading south, Boneswa and company encountered more of the hairy, bearded, leather-armored warriors they had encountered in their last expedition. These turned out to be furious berserkers, and in the ensuing fight Brother Reginald was slain.
Returning to Ravensburg, Boneswa and his companions delivered Brother Reginald's body to the Church of Saint Baldric. There Reginald's sister, also a cleric of Saint Baldric, joined the party to take up the work of her brother, smiting chaos with the party.
After some healing, a funeral, and the gift of a healing potion, the party returned to the tower. This time they found Tom's log on the edge of the Briars unoccupied. Examining it, they found tufts of what looked like his hair – but found it was feline in nature.
Proceeding to the dungeon, Boneswa and his followers defeated more berserkers. They also found a room with several iron cages. One cage had its door ripped off, with bits of blood and animal fur on the bars that looked very much like the hairs found on Tom's log.
Lootwise, the highlight of the expedition was the acquisition of a 400 gp gem.
Two Wednesdays ago our group was again reduced to just +Tim Shorts and me. So another casual session of Ravensburg it was, with Tim's elf, Boneswa, heading into the Black Tower alone with his two sidekicks, Brother Reginald the Cleric and Corder the Fighting-Man. Joining the small party this time was Kenny, the Torchbearer.
On their way to the tower, Boneswa and company met the same man they had encountered last time, with orange-reddish hair and beard, streaked with black, sitting on a log at the edge of the briars, relaxing and smoking a pipe.
Boneswa spoke a bit more at length with the fellow, whose name was Tom. From him Boneswa learned that goblins and other things had been entering the tower, at the beckoning of a new master. As for Tom himself, he merely watched the comings and goings of people and creatures to and from the dungeon. Tom wished the party luck as they headed on.
Entering the dungeon and heading south, Boneswa and company encountered more of the hairy, bearded, leather-armored warriors they had encountered in their last expedition. These turned out to be furious berserkers, and in the ensuing fight Brother Reginald was slain.
Returning to Ravensburg, Boneswa and his companions delivered Brother Reginald's body to the Church of Saint Baldric. There Reginald's sister, also a cleric of Saint Baldric, joined the party to take up the work of her brother, smiting chaos with the party.
After some healing, a funeral, and the gift of a healing potion, the party returned to the tower. This time they found Tom's log on the edge of the Briars unoccupied. Examining it, they found tufts of what looked like his hair – but found it was feline in nature.
Proceeding to the dungeon, Boneswa and his followers defeated more berserkers. They also found a room with several iron cages. One cage had its door ripped off, with bits of blood and animal fur on the bars that looked very much like the hairs found on Tom's log.
Lootwise, the highlight of the expedition was the acquisition of a 400 gp gem.
Ravensburg Session 2
(Originally published on Thursday, March 16, 2017 as "OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower Game Report 2")
Boneswa the Elf (+Tim Shorts) was joined by the Fighting-Man Rhogan (+Rob Connelly). Counting their sidekicks (elf, fighting-man, cleric, magic-user), this brought total party strength up to 6 members.
The adventurers encountered more rats and, more importantly found conclusive evidence that there were in fact zombies in the northeast of the dungeon's first level – keeping the head of one zombie as evidence. The party also encountered three rather hairy, bearded warriors in leather armor. Rhogan's sidekick, Lena, charmed them, and sent them off to the north to hunt giant rats.
Numerous rooms were explored. The most curious was one with unusual triangular ceiling tiles in a complex pattern. Some of the tiles had a slightly different color. Rhogan used a 10-foot pole to press on one. It glowed. It also pointed to the next discolored one. Rhogan proceeded to that one and again pressed it, and it glowed, pointing to the next one and so on. This process was repeated until Rhogan had made his way along a tortuous path across the room to the exit on the opposite side. Rhogan warned the rest of the party to follow the path of the ceiling tiles as they must have been put there for a reason. The rest of the party did so, and nothing calamitous happened (evil grin).
Also of note, the party found dropped on the floor in one room a child's rag doll and parchment with a finger painted image of a happy family. Both looked very new. This elicited expressions of puzzlement and concern.
In another room the group found an altar once belonging to the recently defeated cult of Vecna. This particular altar appeared old and not used in ages, however.
Otherwise the adventurers picked up a reasonable amount of treasure and headed back to Ravensburg. On their return trip, they encountered a man with orange-reddish hair and beard streaked with black, sitting on a log at the edge of The Briars, relaxing and smoking a pipe. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group returned to the city and turned in their zombie head to Lieutenant Argus of the Black Guard for a hefty reward.
Boneswa the Elf (+Tim Shorts) was joined by the Fighting-Man Rhogan (+Rob Connelly). Counting their sidekicks (elf, fighting-man, cleric, magic-user), this brought total party strength up to 6 members.
The adventurers encountered more rats and, more importantly found conclusive evidence that there were in fact zombies in the northeast of the dungeon's first level – keeping the head of one zombie as evidence. The party also encountered three rather hairy, bearded warriors in leather armor. Rhogan's sidekick, Lena, charmed them, and sent them off to the north to hunt giant rats.
Numerous rooms were explored. The most curious was one with unusual triangular ceiling tiles in a complex pattern. Some of the tiles had a slightly different color. Rhogan used a 10-foot pole to press on one. It glowed. It also pointed to the next discolored one. Rhogan proceeded to that one and again pressed it, and it glowed, pointing to the next one and so on. This process was repeated until Rhogan had made his way along a tortuous path across the room to the exit on the opposite side. Rhogan warned the rest of the party to follow the path of the ceiling tiles as they must have been put there for a reason. The rest of the party did so, and nothing calamitous happened (evil grin).
Also of note, the party found dropped on the floor in one room a child's rag doll and parchment with a finger painted image of a happy family. Both looked very new. This elicited expressions of puzzlement and concern.
In another room the group found an altar once belonging to the recently defeated cult of Vecna. This particular altar appeared old and not used in ages, however.
Otherwise the adventurers picked up a reasonable amount of treasure and headed back to Ravensburg. On their return trip, they encountered a man with orange-reddish hair and beard streaked with black, sitting on a log at the edge of The Briars, relaxing and smoking a pipe. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group returned to the city and turned in their zombie head to Lieutenant Argus of the Black Guard for a hefty reward.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Ravensburg Session 1
(Originally published Friday, March 3, 2017 as "OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower, Session 1")
Since the Wednesday Night Group couldn't all get together this week (for something like the third or fourth week in a row), +Tim Shorts and I decided to play a one-on-one D&D game in my Ravensburg setting.
Tim's Characters:
Personal Character: Boneswa, the elf (F/M-U 1)
Sidekick 1: Brother Reginald (Cleric 1)
Sidekick 2: Corder (Fighting Man 1)
Boneswa and company began the session breakfasting in the Surly Dragon Inn on their last handful of silver pieces. A clerk from the Ravensburg City Council strode in and nailed an official-looking poster to the wall. Due to increased goblin activity on the road near the Black Tower northeast of the city, a bounty of 10 gp was being offered on every goblin's right hand brought in to the city guard. Additionally, because of recent unconfirmed claims of zombie, ogre and troll sightings in the vicinity, any proof of such creatures' presence would also be rewarded.
In the preceding days, Boneswa and his companions had also heard a few scattered rumors about the Black Tower:
"Many folk don't know it, but giant rats is good eatin'!"
"The northeastern part of level one is infested with zombies."
"There is a tunnel in the dungeons of the Black Tower that will take you all the way to hell."
Armed with lots of courage, a few rumors, and little cash, Boneswa led his sidekicks north of town, skirting the Briars (reputed to be haunted), and then hooked back east again to climb Tower Hill.
The tower itself appeared menacing, but was harmless, and the intrepid party made their way down a stair to the first level. Boneswa directed them westward from the entrance. The band very quickly encountered a pack of giant rats – this was to set the tone for the whole delve. In all, the group would have three separate, and sometimes harrowing, rat encounters.
Boneswa held his own in these combats, slashing away with a dagger in each hand.
Corder, the fighting-man sidekick, had issues however, and at one point had two rats climbing up his body, one with its teeth plunged into his throat between helmet and armor, the other covering up the view slit in Corder's helmet, effectively blinding him, as it tried to find some area of exposed flesh to sink its teeth into.
The cleric, Brother Reginald, really shone in these fights. He waded into the rats swinging his war hammer left and right and driving limp rat corpses deep into the cheap seats with almost every blow.
The group encountered two traps as well. The first involved a dose of sleeping gas – to which only Brother Reginald succumbed (probably tired to begin with after hammering all those rats). The second was baited with a coffer atop a pedestal. Grooves in the floor and slits in the ceiling revealed the presence of a dual "pit and pendulum" trap. Corder, the fighting-man sidekick, drew the short straw and moved to flank the pedestal and approach it from between the lines of cut marks in the floor. He managed to step on a pressure plate triggering the two, blade-edged pendulums, which blew past him on either side. But no harm was done, and the fighter came back to the others with over 400 silver pieces and an empty bladder to show for it.
The only other event of note was the approach of tramping feet at one point, which Boneswa thought it best to avoid. The elf led the group on a maneuver to scoot out of the way of the approaching marchers down various side corridors. The maneuver eventually succeeded, as the unidentified marching group strode past down another corridor.
Since the Wednesday Night Group couldn't all get together this week (for something like the third or fourth week in a row), +Tim Shorts and I decided to play a one-on-one D&D game in my Ravensburg setting.
Tim's Characters:
Personal Character: Boneswa, the elf (F/M-U 1)
Sidekick 1: Brother Reginald (Cleric 1)
Sidekick 2: Corder (Fighting Man 1)
Boneswa and company began the session breakfasting in the Surly Dragon Inn on their last handful of silver pieces. A clerk from the Ravensburg City Council strode in and nailed an official-looking poster to the wall. Due to increased goblin activity on the road near the Black Tower northeast of the city, a bounty of 10 gp was being offered on every goblin's right hand brought in to the city guard. Additionally, because of recent unconfirmed claims of zombie, ogre and troll sightings in the vicinity, any proof of such creatures' presence would also be rewarded.
In the preceding days, Boneswa and his companions had also heard a few scattered rumors about the Black Tower:
"Many folk don't know it, but giant rats is good eatin'!"
"The northeastern part of level one is infested with zombies."
"There is a tunnel in the dungeons of the Black Tower that will take you all the way to hell."
Armed with lots of courage, a few rumors, and little cash, Boneswa led his sidekicks north of town, skirting the Briars (reputed to be haunted), and then hooked back east again to climb Tower Hill.
The tower itself appeared menacing, but was harmless, and the intrepid party made their way down a stair to the first level. Boneswa directed them westward from the entrance. The band very quickly encountered a pack of giant rats – this was to set the tone for the whole delve. In all, the group would have three separate, and sometimes harrowing, rat encounters.
Boneswa held his own in these combats, slashing away with a dagger in each hand.
Corder, the fighting-man sidekick, had issues however, and at one point had two rats climbing up his body, one with its teeth plunged into his throat between helmet and armor, the other covering up the view slit in Corder's helmet, effectively blinding him, as it tried to find some area of exposed flesh to sink its teeth into.
The cleric, Brother Reginald, really shone in these fights. He waded into the rats swinging his war hammer left and right and driving limp rat corpses deep into the cheap seats with almost every blow.
The group encountered two traps as well. The first involved a dose of sleeping gas – to which only Brother Reginald succumbed (probably tired to begin with after hammering all those rats). The second was baited with a coffer atop a pedestal. Grooves in the floor and slits in the ceiling revealed the presence of a dual "pit and pendulum" trap. Corder, the fighting-man sidekick, drew the short straw and moved to flank the pedestal and approach it from between the lines of cut marks in the floor. He managed to step on a pressure plate triggering the two, blade-edged pendulums, which blew past him on either side. But no harm was done, and the fighter came back to the others with over 400 silver pieces and an empty bladder to show for it.
The only other event of note was the approach of tramping feet at one point, which Boneswa thought it best to avoid. The elf led the group on a maneuver to scoot out of the way of the approaching marchers down various side corridors. The maneuver eventually succeeded, as the unidentified marching group strode past down another corridor.
Ravensburg Session 0
(originally published Sunday, December 4, 2016 as part of "One Campaign Ends, Another Begins")
My wife and I finally wrapped up our White Box campaign. It took her from first to fifth level and ran almost a year.
The cult of Vecna were hunting for their namesake's remains to raise him from the dead* and bring him back. Olivia (my wife's character) hunted down cult leaders one by one, extracted information them, and eventually pursued the head of the whole operation to (a modified version of) the Isle of Dread, where she polished off the leader and her minions, found the dusty, powdered remains of the evil Wizard (all but the hand and eye of course), and destroyed them with acid. Along the way she solved the mystery of an elvish ambassador's assassination, stopped a bugbear invasion of the region, took out a small but up-and-coming assassin's guild, saved a childhood friend from slow poisoning, and rescued her mentor from imprisonment, torture and impending death. For her first campaign I think she did OK.
*I took an intentional liberty here. Officially, if I recall correctly, Vecna was destroyed and only his hand and eye survived; I decided the rest of him was not destroyed but lay hidden for years in a long forgotten temple on the Isle of Dread.
My wife and I finally wrapped up our White Box campaign. It took her from first to fifth level and ran almost a year.
The cult of Vecna were hunting for their namesake's remains to raise him from the dead* and bring him back. Olivia (my wife's character) hunted down cult leaders one by one, extracted information them, and eventually pursued the head of the whole operation to (a modified version of) the Isle of Dread, where she polished off the leader and her minions, found the dusty, powdered remains of the evil Wizard (all but the hand and eye of course), and destroyed them with acid. Along the way she solved the mystery of an elvish ambassador's assassination, stopped a bugbear invasion of the region, took out a small but up-and-coming assassin's guild, saved a childhood friend from slow poisoning, and rescued her mentor from imprisonment, torture and impending death. For her first campaign I think she did OK.
*I took an intentional liberty here. Officially, if I recall correctly, Vecna was destroyed and only his hand and eye survived; I decided the rest of him was not destroyed but lay hidden for years in a long forgotten temple on the Isle of Dread.
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