Game Log: Hell and back

Tonight's game was pretty nifty. Imperial dungeoneers team is 3rd of 4 parties in last 18 months. The dungeoneers, following an ongoing theme of late, explored an already sacked dungeon. Found one of those special little gems several other parties and a thousand years of inhabitants didn't find. Carolina back next session. Possibly a gaming club using ground floor in my house Sunday as Merdian Closed. Owner looked really tired last Sunday was a bit of surprise to community. Oddly enough new name of club is Exiles. Which is odd coincidence in my campaign setting  name. I dont do things by half.

This adventure story lifted from a early DCC DnD module.

The 32nd Imperial Dungeoneers Scout Corp

Humblezorg Sorcerer of Pure Law (Mark) Gung ho spell and shuriken slinger. Played as gung ho and a bit greedy. Has old farmer and loyal bull terrier. Agent of the Empire.

Forest the drunk monk (Matt) and his loyal goat named Tree. Stick fighter martial arts master (a secret hit man against evil human cultists). Has recently adopted the Schädel Port trick of keeping a kobold in a bag. Keeps it and himself dead drunk if not on mission.

Lynden Arrowthorne, adventuring pimp extraordinaire and his girl, Bambi. As bad as he talks he gives her a third cut making him kindest bastard in kingdom. Has turned into rogue more and more.

The party met in the Tavern having split and come to different routes to cover more land. Talked to the Sorcerer Pug, survivor of last party who killed all the dungeon bugbears and dungeon next doors goblins. Area needs a name change as Goblin mountain is no more (awww).

Pug drew them a map and instructed them to visit the friendly dwarfs first. Said he may aid them if they live. So party walked up hills and behind waterfall to see evidence of 3ft high dwarf barricades vs zombies. Entered and of course peeked in every door they could. A few minor traps and treasure they found where the dwarves had imprisoned a woman for teasing and tricking them by bricking her head and hands in a wall - dwarf version of stocks. Forest pulled out his kobold and set it to work. Party gasped. Freed woman and let her outside with some coins.

Avoided some traps, and found dwarf guards. Lynden spoke dwarf and impressed them with song. They asked if he knew any dwarf songs and he made two worst rolls he could in row and sung insulting ballad about their ancestor. They still liked him but shut him up and let the party in. Tiny shanty town of dwarf crafters, a priest, some warriors and a merchant. Party got a bit boasty and got into drinking contest. Humblezorg passed out from one pint of over proof grog before he finished. Got weapons silvered and recruited a 120 year old teen dwarf to come along.

Went looking for lizard men in the wet dungeon corner and only found a komodo dragon eating a zombie and a little reptile shrine. Party found a secret tomb entrance form the era the old dwarfs here went mad and evil.Opened into a round room with a dead end and a door. Found a plaster lid hiding well and went around to door. Found crypt with mashed in thief corpse and another corpse laying on the ground. Humblezorg splashed oil on it and it was a hecuva, a super zombie that fakes being dead to cause terror. The party all held true but the bull terrier Cuddles and Forest the goat fled and fell through the plaster lid into a 40ft deep well.

Humblezorg got a smack in the chops but loyal lamp bearer Gary and BorBor the dwarf got some good hits. While some were healing, the undead was mashed into grey mummy dust. Fool me once...

Found silver dwarf ancestral votive figure the Borbor said priest would love.

Art depicting dwarf king enslaving men and dwarves and eating gold on walls, not vandalized like much of dungeon. Found back of another secret door into Orc Shaman's bedroom, totally surprising him. Humblezorg hit him with a sleep spell and it was over. His six men out looking for treasure. Released him with a promise to leave. Back for a nap with dwarves

Lynden left bambi to ply her craft with the dwarfs and whole party got silver weapons or silver staff and stick tips. Recruited 3rd level dwarf priest and got very confident that way a party vs undead with a priest can feel. Forest negotiated cost of plate barding for his goat (dreams of getting druids to awaken as sentient). Then the party went off to undead zone in dungeon. A creepy place with soft haunted sounds where every shadow seems worse. Checked out a sealed iron door. Opened to find silver dust in around door as a seal. A huge 40lb black cat freaked at them then calmed down. Stared at Humblezorg. He gave it a biscuit and it liked him Sure it looked pleadingly to carry him over silver dust but it purred happily. "Cats love me".

Suspicious of new friend marched on and had a quick zombie fight before stopping to see if they could get though some bars. While spending half an hour and a few aid cantrips the party removed and bent the bars so dwarves could fit. Also found secret chamber untouched for a thousand hears before Dwarves turned mad with greed here. Entered a dark tomb chamber with murals of good dwarf king and two iron doors. Also two dead end passages leading to false perspective paintings. Humblezorg found a big metal lever and tried it. Bear trap clamped his foot still (he has only 7 strength...). Doors open in came 4 Dwarf zombies with chain and shield.

Lynden cried for priest to turn the dead. "What do you mean, I only influence earth elemental beings?"

Party mostly swarmed two dead and performed well. Gary the lamp bearer and Cuddles the dog defended their trapped master and both took blows for him while he magic missiled one of the zombies. The other two zombies almost killed Gary and the priest saved him. The cat jumped up and down fiercely spitting in front of Humblezorg. Party finished the ancient dwarf off and piled their armour in a heap for later. Next Humblezorg went to see painting with healed Gary, two dwarfs and the cat.

Whole corridor tilted int a slide. Dwarves and Gary held on. Humblezorg slid into distant depths of darkness. Nooooooooo! Cat went after him. While party spiked the corridor in place and started a decent with rope and pitons. Meanwhile in darkness with no light, Humblezorg heard a sultry female voice. "I can help you, just spill some blood and say these magic words of thanks to your benefactor"

"No Ill be fine thanks all the same"

Rest of party came down and helped the sorcerer out. All those wet cave stones he felt were skulls.

Party found stash of gold and the priest recovered a relic axe lost in history. Loaded up goat with gold and went on.

Found an Adamantium door with a dwarf face, Indestructible with no visible lock. As the bard got close with his now lockpicks the face opened its eyes. "What do you want". The priest had a dwarvish theological dispute and convinced door to open mouth and let bard pick lock. Priest explained the arcane door was a divine relic and needed a wish to open without doors consent. Now the area had a spooky aura. Humblezorg used his powers to determine the area was highly magical and had some ambient almost evil. The cat rated very evil. Opened into a huge cave with a glass like black subterranean lake. A pier made of bone with a bell and a cauldron of silver coin was on the shore. Forest rang the bell and a 8ft high skeletal ferry man came on a raft. The Dwarf priest was a little bit zealous here and decreed the party would get their just deserts and take the greatest journey ever and jumped in boat. Party shrugged and followed and ferry set off. Priest went on a bit about the great release and the end of all sorrow and meeting our ancestors. Now some players got it. Maybe this was dumb. Barbar the young dwarf most reluctant eventually joined party. I put dungeon map away. They have entered campaign feature not necessarily meant to be used.

Taken to a temple of basalt with hundreds of columns supporting a breast like dome. Climbed towards it and a phalanx of spearmen skeletons charged in ancient bronze empire armour.  The sorcerer scorched half with fire and twin ranks of spears struck the party. Tree the goat, Gary and the priest were hit hardest before another burning hands halved the skeletons in tight formation. Cuddles killed two, monk tried some fancy moves and failed. Party hit again, but priest soaked up the most. Finally finished them off. Healing all round to save the party goat and patch up the rest. Priest was unimpressed at this place not what he expected.

In the temple a great jet black titan sat eyes shut in his throne. Party skulked up and heard his breath. 60 foot high. As they went near the doors in the base of his throne he moved a bit. Went inside to find human scale titan bed, clothes, writing desk, cloak rack and more. Concluded he could shrink.

Lynden found death records of the empire that the last names coincided with the cursed Duke on the surface proving the mysterious white lady was not true heir. Forest tried on a cloak that rated most magical which poisoned him before he could get it off. Ignored the black fruit. Lynden played with a full length mirror and saw visions of his girlfriend entertaining a bunch of dwarfs (failed wisdom test). Garry saw his crops dying of neglect and his turnip fields a mess. Forest ignored it - too enlightened to be curious. Dwarfs saw signs the trip here doomed mistake. Humblezorg with his clarity of pure law (and a successful wisdom save) saw swarms of modrons and the great eye of law looking at him. Cat wasn't too pleased. Found a trunk with silver runes. Forest refused to use kobold as bomb disposal robot.

Out of options part hid while forest went to deal with the Titan. The quasi god was displeased at parties presence and the monk implored him to repair all the harm to the surface and need to get the Dukes relics to lift the curse. The Titan aided them in return for Forest sacrificing a strength point. Impressed by mortals piety, titan let them have the relics and sent them home through the mirror. Warned them to never return and the Adamantium door was replaced with blank stone. Undead all disappear the land is disconnected to the underworld.

Party returned to dwarf hq and rested and drunk and trained for a week. Leveled up. Bard learned read dwarf and trap lore. His lady is now a 1st level Rogue and earned enough to make up for that silver dagger he got earlier and gave her her cut. The dwarf lad is now a 1st level dwarf and keen to follow the party. Humblezorg now mastered spell to throw fire shuriken and improved his staff skills to expert +1. Gary is now a warrior-1st and has a halberd instead of a pole now. Cuddles the dog doesn't like the hell cat looking to pervert master to evil. Somebody gonna have to go. Forest improved his stick fighting and basic hit chance got now a total +3 to hit with stick and two d6 attacks. Also learned listen as Lynden a good spotter and Forest is a spy. Not goat in plate yet but substantial barding and gained HP. 

Next time Carolina back from Adelaide. Party off to expose sham heir and save Duke. Have players all working faster like Olympic dungeoneer team now. m being very trap heavy as never before. Deeper levels more about fighting. Years of mythic style RQ RPG games has rubbed off on my modern DMing. Will happily go full Pendragon on this game.

Party want to use area as a base and clear out snake cult. Being instrumental in shaping the new island will be great. Every victory will change character and even name of places. Heroes will get territorial early on. Barron and Empire are going on colonizing spree of the grasslands. Forest monsters and mountain monsters that divide up land being effected by players. Goblins moving away from goblin mountain, probably beating up some other race for new turf now. Now undead stopped by underworld powers closing gate filthy undead battling grave robbers - eg prospectors or mountain men will be no longer be tolerated. Horrible guys. Empire to ship in refugees and outcasts from civil war on the great continent. Dwarves also offer party friendship and gratitude if they help Finish dungeon. Perhaps even spare dungeon rooms section.