Solo FTR Crawl 2; Part 1

Solo FTR Crawl 2; Part 1 

    The party spend 30gp each for a week in town, living and eating in the best fashion.  Figuring they were lucky with the conditions last time, the party hired Vela Wilverham as a torch bearer for 5gp. She was quite excited at the thought of the adventure!

    One night while relaxing in the tavern, the party hears a bard telling a tale of treasure and woe.  This treasure has never been seen again, but the story seems to contain some good leads. 

    Setting out, the party follow the song clues through the wilderness to a secret door in a rock face.  Knowing that it’s there, Ny is able to find it without much trouble. The rock face opens to reveal stairs descending into TheDeep

    The air is sultry, hot, and humid, like the depths of a summer jungle.  According to the song, and signs in the area, this is the layer of a hopefully long dead dragon.

    Ny found no traps on the first door, but it was stuck.  Ummork stepped up and bashed it in, then moved through the short hall and into the next room.

The room is lined with holding cells, and what appears to be a small library.  Four lizardman warriors are in the room in obvious guard positions.

            (Are the cells empty? Yes, but...) The cells previous occupants remain as bones and cloth scattered on the cell floors.

            (Did forcing the door alert the Lizardmen?  No, But...)  They heard or smelled the party coming anyway, so they aren’t surprised.

    Cazio comes around the corner and seeing the obviously hostile lizards, storms forward to attack. He deals no wounds.  Mordvey follows, and as he rounds the corner a fifth lizardman enters the room, this one an archer.  Without pause, the wizard moves forward, unleashing a magical bolt that struck down the newly arrived archer.  Ergon came in last, charging across the room to wound one of the guards.

Initiative; Evil-3 Party-6

Watch Check- 1 Damn. Add one.

    Both Ny and Cazio attack, but the lizard warrior deftly blocks the blows.  Ergon strikes down the lizard he's fighting, but can't step far enough to reach another.  Striding forward Ummork engages a guard in a pretty spectacular duel, ending with the end of the lizardman.

    Mordvey moves slightly, intending to entangle a lizard guard to keep it from moving, but instead does absolutely nothing.  Vela moves cautiously into the room, but only just.

            A lizard attacks Cazio, but the cleric parries in an expert manner.  A second blow, aimed at the thief, would have connected squarely if he hadn't dodged at the last moment.  The second lizardman turns to run, but ran directly into Ergon.  He ineffectually flailed his mace at the barbarian.

Initiative: Evil – 5, Party – 6

Deep Watch: 3, no token added

    Cazio finally lands a blow the lizardman couldn't stop, his Mace of Bashing living up to its name crushed the lizard in one mighty blow.  Ergon struck at the lizard, only causing slight wounds.  Ny rushed to help, his sword also drawing blood, but not enough.  Ummork stepped up from behind and ran the guard through, finally ending him.

XP: 75  Loot: 100gp, and an hourglass worth 25gp

Deep Watch Roll- 4, no token added

    Cazio decides to look through the book case and tables for anything of value. He finds a flute, a signet ring, and a tigereye gem.  All told worth 13gp.  Mordvey takes the opportunity to review his spell book, successfully relearning the two spells he had cast.  Ny and Ergon search the cells and guard table.  Ny found nothing, but Ergon found an apple.  It looked fresh, so he ate it.  It was delicious, and fortunately for him, just an apple.

    Vela moved into the room to keep up, when suddenly another lizardman archer entered the room. It fired an arrow into Ergon's back, wounding him.  The second arrow missed, clanging off the cell bars.  Howling in rage, Ergon turned and cut the lizard dead.

TheWatch – 1.  add a Token.

    Ummork steps forward, but before he gets too far the torch light shows movement, swift, disjointed movement.  A Bone Blade emerges from the shadows of the unexplored hall.  Despite the Oppressive Darkness slowing him, he manages to reach the Bone Blade with a charge. The creature twists away in unnatural and gruesome contortions, but can't avoid the knights blade a second time.  Even with his magic sword being so weak against un-living targets, the Bone Blade is cut down.

    Nysbustah slips around the knight and pile of bones, reaching the end of the hall, finding himself looking into another room.  Well lit, but it smells awful.  It's has cells holding animals, presumably for that thing that looks like a sacrificial alter.  The treasure piled up around it suggests it as well.

    The room isn't empty, three lizardmen are here.  Two rough looking lizards wielding tridents, and one looking awfully magical.  Ny's no coward, but he's not a fool either.  He moves to cover behind some barrels and waits for the others.

    Ergon rushes into the room, full bore, colliding with one of the extremely surprised lizardmen.  His slashing blades cut the creature down before it could react.  Moving across the room he struck the second lizardman, wounding it deeply.

            I check Initiative, since the lizards are obviously aware of the Party now. Evil-1, Party-6

    Mordvey moves into the room.

(I check to see if the lizard wizard can borrow to react. Knowledge, 1 Hit, so he can.  I check to see if he actually does; Yes he does).

    The Lizard Wizard points his staff and unleashes a Lighting Bolt at Mordvey, but the wizard deftly steps aside.  Mordvey responds in kind, firing his own magics back, but they too fail to hit.

    Cazio runs past Mordvey, but as he steps out the lizard lets loose another lightning bolt.  It strikes the Cleric fully, but does nothing other than arc impressively from his armor. He charges into the lizard wizard, but it’s too fast for him to land a blow.

            TheWatch – 2, no addition

            Initiative; Evil-6, Party-4

           

    The Lizard Mage glanced at Cazio and blew a venomous cloud into his face!  The Cleric couldn't move fast enough to get away from the stinking gas. He was reduced to half health, and poisoned.  Ummork entered the room, moving to help Ergon with the warrior.

    At that moment, a Predacious Arthropod burst through the floor, showering the room with debris!  No doubt the creature was drawn by the sounds of fighting.

See, this is why TheDeep sucks... 

    The creature first struck at Ergon, it’s attacks defecting off the barbarians shields.  It then lunged at the lizardman, biting into it and letting out a terrific Screeching that knocked Mordvey, the lizard warrior, and Cazio to their knees (prone).

    Ergon attacks the creature, his claws cutting deep, but not enough to fell the beast.  Mordvey pushed himself to his feet and blasted a magic bolt at the lizard mage, striking it fully.  He wounded it, but it did not fall.  Ny struck the creature, but couldn't penetrate its thick plates.

    The poison in Cazio's veins struck him for 2 more wounds, reducing him to only 1!  With his only Action Die, he gulped down the Healing Potion he had from the previous dungeon, it removed the poison and restored his wounds. He then stood, and struck the lizard wizard dead with a mighty blow from his Mace of Bashing!

(doing 12 Wounds, enough to flat out kill the lizard man even if it hadn't been already wounded)

TheWatch – rolled 1, add a point.

Initiative; Evil-6, creature-2, Party-5

    The lizardman has the initiative but failed his roll, so he's still Paralyzed.

Mordvey summoned all of his focus and touched Ergon, giving his Melee skill +4D.  Ergon put everything he had, including his arcane boost into the attack, and failed to even strike the creature. 

    Ummork and Cazio attack but can't seem to land a blow at all. Ny again hits, but the creatures plates simply turn his blade away.

            The creature lashed out at the Paralyzed lizardman (rolled for the target randomly), it's mandibles cutting the lizard in half.  His second strike was against Cazio, but didn't penetrate his Armor.

TheWatch – rolled 6, add a point.

Initiative; Evil-6,  Party-1

    The creature attacks Cazio, landing a huge bite, but again the clerics armor does its job admirably.

Next the creature lunges at Ergon.  Mordvey lashes out with arcane energies, increasing Ergon's Armor. The barbarian dodges and parries but is eventually struck, wounded, and Paralyzed.

    The Party, except for Ergon who's Paralyzed, strike against the creature, but do nothing.

TheWatch – rolled 6, add a point.

Initiative; Evil-4,  Party-6

    Again Ergon and Ummork were unable to even wound the creature.  But they did distract it, allowing Cazio to land an upwards blow with his mighty mace, finally ending the creature.

95XP

I have decided the “encounter” treasure level should be the average levels of the bad guys.  I this case, 6. (5+5+8/3) The creature was incidental, and doesn't count. I use: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/treasure.htm

The encounter is also “in the lair”. Bad guys outside of their area don't carry treasure. Really, what are they going to buy in a hallway anyway?

6,000sp (600gp)

2 x gems (a Black Pearl 600gp, and a Tiger Eye 12gp)

magic item (The Armor of St. Haylon)

End part 1.  I'm just breaking them up so the posts aren't gigantic.