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We D&D- Tyranny of Dragons Part 2: The Rise of Tiamat #24b Strike Team 1 Part 2 A Ton of Undead.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7966932" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #56 The Rise of Tiamat #15b Slaughter at Boltus Pit Part 2. </strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Brothers of the First Light.</strong></p><p><strong>Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>&</strong></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Secondary PCs.</strong></p><p><strong>Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on.</strong></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8</strong></p><p></p><p>This is session #56 of our game, but only session #15b of The Rise of Tiamat scenario.</p><p></p><p>The attack on Boltus Pit continues, remember the Brothers are here to rescue Argonite Brawnanvil, brother of Ambassador Connerad, and by doing so secure the Dwarven leaders vote and support in the Council of Waterdeep.</p><p></p><p>So, we’re nearly there…</p><p></p><p>There follows another hour or so of the PCs tramping through the mine (a few rolls each time we do this but I’m working to a schedule)- heading deeper and following the trail of destruction (DC 10) which is very easy to find.</p><p></p><p>Just one encounter left here- the finale, as it were.</p><p></p><p>And it’s 5.30 AM, or thereabouts (remember, the Brothers need to be back in Waterdeep for 9 AM for the third Council meeting).</p><p></p><p>The Brothers eventually arrive at the third (and final) bunch of Cultists, who are engaged (it seems) in combat with the remnants of the mine- the Dwarves they were sent to rescue, and hopefully amongst the survivors is Argonite Brawnanvil.</p><p></p><p>The last stand is taking place in a series of Dwarven living chambers just beyond Deep Forge Nine, which has clearly been over-run. Again, the trail of destruction is easy to follow, and the noise of an active engagement clearly audible.</p><p></p><p>The situation is, the last remaining Dwarven inhabitants of Boltus Pit have barricaded themselves into a variety of chambers- the Cultists are trying to break into these- and will do so, as the turns progress (dependent, of course, on what the PCs get up to).</p><p></p><p>Note there are 12 Dwarf survivors- numbered 1-12, when we get to the end of the encounter the (kindly) DM will roll a D12- whatever number comes up is Argonite, if he’s dead already… well, close- but no cigar.</p><p></p><p>So, it’s in the PCs best interest to keep all, or as many, Dwarves as they can alive.</p><p></p><p>Obviously, I let the Players know the situation, a bit gamist, but there you go.</p><p></p><p>More obviously, I allow the PCs (as always in here) to get the jump on my bad guys- an invitation to destruction, the Players therefore unleash their various furies.</p><p></p><p>Oh, but just to say I packed the halls with Cultists (and others) here- all with MAX HP of course, there are- six Dragonclaws, five Ogres, four Cultists, three Guard Drakes, two Cult Fanatics, two Dragonwings & a Dragonsoul, a Half-Red Dragon Veteran (the leader type), and the wounded Red Wizard of Thay (from the previous encounter).</p><p></p><p>Oh, and if you hadn’t worked it out by now, this is a version of Captive Cultists from the Additional Encounters, right at the start of the module book.</p><p></p><p>So, the Cultists know that the PCs/Brothers are about, but… I wanted the guys to get surprise on the enemies, so they’re just not observant enough.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]121164[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>It starts with Hotlips, and an Assassination attempt- and a Crit, a Dragonwing expires- crumples, silently, and none of the bad guys even spot the first of them has fallen. The Rogue is so cock-a-hoop she spends her Inspiration Point and shoots an Ogre in the back- then the roaring fury begins.</p><p></p><p>Watt (the clever bastard) conjures a Confusion spell into the densest bunch of enemies he can spy- all but one of them (including the Red Wizard of Thay) fail their saves.</p><p></p><p>Lux (the even bigger bastard) then plonks a Hunger of Hadar inky-badness over a larger mass of the bad guys- oh crap, this encounter has fallen apart very quickly, let’s see how I get through this. Oh, and keep in mind that many of the inhabitants of the Hunger of Hadar’s black void are also Confused, so that doesn’t help.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby rushes forward and cuts down a Dragonclaw, there’s only one other enemy visible this side of the black shimmering bubble that is Lux’ sHunger of Hadar spell- an Ogre, “You’re next”, the good Sgt offers the shocked giant.</p><p></p><p>Lummins settles for getting his Bless spell up and running, and now we’re out of the surprise round and into the meat of it.</p><p></p><p>Within the Hunger of Hadar the Red Wizard of Thay, the Dragonsoul, and a forlorn Dragonclaw all stand statue, Confused, and thus allow the cold burn and acid tentacle probing’s of Lux’s power to hurt them. Worse still, a very Confused Guard Drake starts biting and chewing on the Red Wizard of Thay, while a second such beast (similarly Confused) moments later comes charging in and tramples the Red Wizard- Prone, the beast thenn ploughs into a pile of crates and boxes, injuring itself further.</p><p></p><p>The stuff that’s going on within the Hunger of Hadar is so funny, I let the Players in on the secret. I narrate events within the black.</p><p></p><p>Meantime Hotlips fires a crossbow bolt into the back of the Ogre facing down Sgt Bobby, the only enemy the Brothers have in sight, it’s bloodied in an instant- a moment later Watt fires two arrows into the giant and then Lux hits it with an Eldritch Blast (Crit) and it sways and falls- dead.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby isn’t happy- he stands statue frowning furiously, waiting for another enemy to emerge from the compass of Lux’s deadly spell.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, away from the action a second group of Cultists have just broken into one of the barricaded Dwarven bedchambers. These guys can’t see (or hear) the slaughter that’s going on with the PCs and their comrades.</p><p></p><p>Back at the action, inside the Hunger of Hadar- the Confused Dragonsoul starts lashing out with his blade, and… cuts the Red Wizard of Thay’s head clean-off. A similarly Confused Dragonclaw starts slicing too and cuts up an Ogre, also hidden in the cold- dark void. Another Dragonclaw succumbs to the acid tentacles and cold burn, moments later and yet another Dragonclaw goes the same way. So, that helps.</p><p></p><p>The Players are actually starting to root for the bad guys here- screaming at them to “Get out of there!”</p><p></p><p>Lux (Sandy) is grinning like a loon.</p><p></p><p>Back outside of the terrifying black bubble and the Brothers are killing time- and readying actions, Watt for kicks, fires a Shatter spell into the middle of the black void- more moans, screams, and yells of pain emerge from the enemies still trapped within.</p><p></p><p>Meantime the off-screen (as it were) Cultists slay their first Dwarven miner- there are two more Dwarves left in the room they have just broken into. The Dwarves, unbeknownst to the PCs, are now fighting for their lives.</p><p></p><p>Seconds later a second Dwarf miner dies.</p><p></p><p>The last survivor in the bust-open chamber is trying to hold off a Dragonclaw, a Cult Fanatic, a Guard Drake and an Ogre- there’s not much hope of that happening.</p><p></p><p>Obviously, the PCs/Players have no idea the above is going on, as far as they’re concerned, I’m just rolling dice (and grinning) behind my DMs screen.</p><p></p><p>Back to the black- and at last one of the Dragonwings manages to make it out of the compass of the spell- and is swiftly shot twice by Watt and then finished off by Lux’s Eldritch Blasts.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby continues to grouse (and swear) he’s desperate to get into action.</p><p></p><p>Then, at last, a badly wounded staggering Cult Fanatic emerges from the black- and is swiftly shot by Watt again, Sgt Bobby rushes over and cuts the foul fellow down dead (with Hazirawn).</p><p></p><p>Sgt B (Pete) grins like a chimp- he’s easily pleased.</p><p></p><p>Within the inky black itself a Confused (and panicked) Ogre rushes headlong into a wall, and then moments later succumbs to the acid tentacles in the ebon mist, while yet another still Confused Dragonclaw also ends its days the very same way.</p><p></p><p>Then, elsewhere, the third Dwarven miner- the last in the just-broken-open chamber is cut down. Three out of twelve of these guys are dead.</p><p></p><p>The PCs/Players still don’t know this of course.</p><p></p><p>Next to emerge from the black semi-sphere is a badly injured Ogre, the brute rushes Sgt Bobby, big mistake- the Fighter cuts the creature twice and then, when it doesn’t fall, Hotlips fires a crossbow bolt into its brain pan- now it falls- dead.</p><p></p><p>Then, at last, the Half-Red Dragon Veteran emerges from Lux’s Hunger (and this guy’s only slightly wounded) and quickly sizes up the situation, the Cult leader bathes Lux, Lummins and Sgt Bobby in his fiery breath- at bloody last.</p><p></p><p>The ferocious Cultist also starts making threats, mainly because I (your friendly DM) haven’t had a decent speaking part for ages.</p><p></p><p>The grinning and general hilarity around the gaming table is curtailed, at least for a bit.</p><p></p><p>A very short bit.</p><p></p><p>To increase the tension Hotlips fires high and wide of the latest bad guy (the leader of the Cultists here) and then scurries into cover.</p><p></p><p>My joy however is very (very) short-lived, Watt Polymorphs my Half-Red Dragon Veteran into… you guessed it, another bloody frog.</p><p></p><p>The giggling and whooping around the gaming table strives for epic.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby scrabbles on the floor for a short while and then grabs up the frog (Half-Red Dragon Veteran) and shoves the creature in a sack.</p><p></p><p>Just for info, at this point within the Hunger of Hadar there are only two enemies left alive, both wounded- the Dragonsoul and a lone Guard Drake.</p><p></p><p>A second Guard Drake cowers, trapped in the far corner of the chamber- caught between stone walls and the inky black shell of Lux’s terror spell- it’s already badly wounded.</p><p></p><p>While just emerging from a bedchamber full of freshly slaughtered Dwarves are a bunch more bad guys, who are just this minute starting to take in the scene- note all they can see is a great half-bubble of inky black, they cannot see the PCs beyond the void.</p><p></p><p>They also don’t much know what the black bubble is, the sextet take to shouting and yelling, mostly forlorn enquiries of their comrades, and thus they also let the Brothers know that the reinforcements have arrived.</p><p></p><p>However, the only way out for my bad guys is through the black sphere, or else wait it out- the favoured option, and then (alas) through the PCs- although (as stated previously) they’ve not spied the Brothers as of yet.</p><p></p><p>The Guard Drake within the inky black eventually succumbs to its wounds.</p><p></p><p>There’s just the Dragonsoul left in there- and this guy has been taking damage and failing to escape the black for the last eight turns, and also failing to save against Watt’s Confusion spell.</p><p></p><p>At last the Hunger of Hadar spell comes to an end.</p><p></p><p>The last remaining Cultists, including a bloodied (but now no longer Confused, he saved a second before the spell ended- ain’t it always the way) Dragonsoul try desperately to fight their way out of their predicament.</p><p></p><p>Watt puts an arrow in the Dragonsoul, Lux fires three Eldritch Blasts into the poor bastard (the last one a Crit), then Sgt Bobby charges over and finishes the bugger off.</p><p></p><p>That was a waste of time- for me.</p><p></p><p>At which point the Brothers also catch sight (or rather Sgt B does) of the other six Cultists that were formerly smashing their way into the Dwarven bedchambers.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby tells his friends- “There’s a EXPLETIVE load more of the EXPLETIVE bastards”, is how he actually puts it.</p><p></p><p>Then the remaining Cultists attempt to break-out- there are two Dragonwings, two Ogres, two Guard Drakes and a Cult Fanatic- all (except one of the Drakes, which is badly wounded) at full HP. The first Dragonwing charges screaming its allegiance all the way, straight at the PCs- and takes a crossbow bolt to the skull- dead in an instant, thanks Hotlips.</p><p></p><p>The next to make the run is a Guard Drake, which stops an arrow from Watt before charging into the Brothers (but out of actions) an Ogre follows after, and throws a javelin at the Bard, Lummins’ Warding Flare ensures the giant is way off-target.</p><p></p><p>Lux meantime fires a pair of Eldritch Blasts into a snarling Guard Drake shuffling forward to join the clash.</p><p></p><p>The Cult Fanatic makes it to the action, with his Shield of Faith switched on, and his Spiritual Weapon in flight- Sgt Bobby dodges the Cultist’s attack and then cuts the Fanatic repeatedly- it lives, but only just.</p><p></p><p>Next comes the last Dragonclaw standing, the bastard slices Watt repeatedly, while the previously cornered (and now very badly wounded) Guard Drake rushes forward and slams its tail into Sgt Bobby- oof!</p><p></p><p>At bloody last, the PCs are taking hits.</p><p></p><p>Lummins gets to the action and lays down a carpet of flames, a much-enhanced Burning Hands the enemies suffer.</p><p></p><p>The second Ogre heads into action and flails wildly with its greatclub at Sgt Bobby.</p><p></p><p>Now we’re in a stand-up fight.</p><p></p><p>Hotlips abandons her crossbow and grabs out her magical rapier, seconds later the Cult Fanatic is skewered through the head, and then dead.</p><p></p><p>Watt Thunderwaves the enemies before him, but the bad guys are only shaken (oh for low damage rolls).</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby is bitten by the Guard Drake menacing him.</p><p></p><p>One of the Ogres skirts past the Brother’s front line, but en route is skewered by a previously hidden Hotlips, the giant flails forlornly at Lummins. Lux Shocking Grasps it, and its bloodied.</p><p></p><p>The Dragonclaw Crits Watt (with Fanatic Advantage) and the Bard is swiftly down to approx. 10 HP.</p><p></p><p>That hurt.</p><p></p><p>At last- go me!</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby slices the Guard Drake menacing him twice more- and yet still it lives- oh, the joys of enemies with MAX HP.</p><p></p><p>Around the table the Players are confident but sweating it a little, there’s a lot of “Come ON! Come ON!” with extended dice shaking times in evidence. A study of ritualistic behaviour.</p><p></p><p>Lummins, tiring of the scramble, unleashes his Radiance of the Dawn- the Dragonclaw cutting up Watt, and the Guard Drake biting Sgt Bobby both succumb to the Light of Lathander.</p><p></p><p>Hotlips sneak attacks the badly wounded Ogre- dead, and then flings a dagger into the last (already very badly wounded) Guard Drake standing- it too shuffles off this mortal coil.</p><p></p><p>There’s just one Ogre left in the fight.</p><p></p><p>Watt grabs his bow back up and sinks two arrows into it, the Ogre however is not for surrendering- my What Happens Next D20 says so, the creature however is bloodied, at last.</p><p></p><p>Lux puts an end to that, the Warlock fires three Eldritch Blasts into the giant, who instantly flings down his greatclub in despair, curls up prostrate, and surrenders to the Brothers of the First Light.</p><p></p><p>The encounter is over- it only took 17 turns and nearly two hours to play through, although keep in mind we’re a very relaxed bunch, the two hours included a tea break and the best part of a packet of biscuits.</p><p></p><p>There’s not much more left of this session.</p><p></p><p>However, there’s enough time for the PCs to quickly discover that Argonite is… [Sound of D12 rolling] Alive!</p><p></p><p>Actually, that was a fudged roll- and the Players never spotted the move, they were always going to get their reward- I’m about making them feel good about themselves in this session. A bunch of fighting, rescue the Princess/hairy Dwarf etc. They’re the good guys- they’re winners.</p><p></p><p>So, brief introductions to the Dwarves (including Argonite)- a short chat, and none of the surviving Dwarves know why they were attacked.</p><p></p><p>Just to make clear (to you, and to the PCs/Players at the time), the rescued Dwarves are convinced that Boltus Pit contains nothing that the Dragon Cultists could want or else desire.</p><p></p><p>There follows a short bit of banter with the Ogre- the beast knows nothing, Gonk is not the brightest of his kind, and that’s saying something. After a short squabble amongst the PCs/Players the giant is allowed to depart the mine with his life- but if the Dwarves catch up with him, he’s dead meat.</p><p></p><p>So, run along.</p><p></p><p>Gonk, the Ogre, flees.</p><p></p><p>Then the guys let the frog out of the bag, and Watt ends his Polymorph spell- at which point several of the other PCs (but principally Sgt Bobby) are pinning the ex-frog now after the transformation- fully formed and functioning Half-Red Dragon Veteran down.</p><p></p><p>The enemy leader is wrestled into submission, and threatened repeatedly with destruction, eventually the Dragon Cultist calms down a little.</p><p></p><p>However, the Half-Red Dragon Vet resists the PCs questioning (basically, I’m holding out with this guy), the PCs are going to have to get creative (for which read brutal) to get any info here. There follows a short (but sometimes heated) debate.</p><p></p><p>The PCs/Players are running out of time (in-game and real-world), it’s approaching 6 AM- it took the Brothers three hours to get from Stone Circle West (the Teleporter) to their present location, they’re going to have to move fast to get back (only just) in time for the next Council of Waterdeep.</p><p></p><p>Lummins, during a moment of clear-headedness, uses a Sending spell to message Leosin Erlanthar (Harper agent back in Waterdeep) and ask him to try to delay the next Council meeting.</p><p></p><p>The PCs, and the Players, put aside their temporary differences- they’re against the clock here, and also, we need to finish early this session.</p><p></p><p>So, it’s a race to get back out of the mine, back to the surface, and then to Waterdeep- at which point the PCs finally remember (after like a million hints) that they have nine Dwarvern miners, including Argonite, in their midst. As it turns out there’s a much quicker route to the surface.</p><p></p><p>That changes everything.</p><p></p><p>So, this is what goes down-</p><p></p><p>The Brothers take a short rest, they’re all (except for Watt) bloodied, or thereabouts- the Bard is badly wounded, on approx. 10 HP.</p><p></p><p>Leosin messages back, the Council of Waterdeep meeting is delayed by an hour, that’ll do it.</p><p></p><p>Ferrix, the Half-Red Dragon Veteran is given a working over by Sgt Bobby, it gets nasty- and Lummins argues briefly against some of the violence but mostly the Priest of Lathander says nothing. Note, we’re all grown ups around the table, there are no atrocities to be had in our game (at least not from the PCs (so far)). An interrogation with violence generally mimics the good cop/bad cop routine- with Sgt Bobby beating the victim with his fists and making anatomically impossible threats, while Lux (more often than not) whispers sweet nothings (and questions that need answers) into the torture victim’s ear.</p><p></p><p>That said the procedure goes badly- over the course of thirty minutes Sgt Bobby gets to make three checks, Ferrix is making Con Saves to resist. Sgt B’s dice fail him, he rolls (unadjusted)- ‘2’, followed by ‘1’, then a ‘9’; Ferrix resists all of the Fighter’s efforts easily, his last roll is a ‘20’.</p><p></p><p>They’re going to have to take this thing to the next level.</p><p></p><p>But now we’re really running out of time (real world), so- change of plan.</p><p></p><p>Ferrix is scooped up, tied and bagged, hefted aboard (Sgt Bobby) and the Brothers and the Dwarves get the hell out of dodge (Boltus Pit). All the way to the surface, and then on to… well, eventually to Waterdeep.</p><p></p><p>But that’s for next time…</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well you lovely people, these are very strange times.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7966932, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #56 The Rise of Tiamat #15b Slaughter at Boltus Pit Part 2. Brothers of the First Light. Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 11 Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 11 Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 11 Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 11 & Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 11 Secondary PCs. Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on. Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8 Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8 Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8[/B] This is session #56 of our game, but only session #15b of The Rise of Tiamat scenario. The attack on Boltus Pit continues, remember the Brothers are here to rescue Argonite Brawnanvil, brother of Ambassador Connerad, and by doing so secure the Dwarven leaders vote and support in the Council of Waterdeep. So, we’re nearly there… There follows another hour or so of the PCs tramping through the mine (a few rolls each time we do this but I’m working to a schedule)- heading deeper and following the trail of destruction (DC 10) which is very easy to find. Just one encounter left here- the finale, as it were. And it’s 5.30 AM, or thereabouts (remember, the Brothers need to be back in Waterdeep for 9 AM for the third Council meeting). The Brothers eventually arrive at the third (and final) bunch of Cultists, who are engaged (it seems) in combat with the remnants of the mine- the Dwarves they were sent to rescue, and hopefully amongst the survivors is Argonite Brawnanvil. The last stand is taking place in a series of Dwarven living chambers just beyond Deep Forge Nine, which has clearly been over-run. Again, the trail of destruction is easy to follow, and the noise of an active engagement clearly audible. The situation is, the last remaining Dwarven inhabitants of Boltus Pit have barricaded themselves into a variety of chambers- the Cultists are trying to break into these- and will do so, as the turns progress (dependent, of course, on what the PCs get up to). Note there are 12 Dwarf survivors- numbered 1-12, when we get to the end of the encounter the (kindly) DM will roll a D12- whatever number comes up is Argonite, if he’s dead already… well, close- but no cigar. So, it’s in the PCs best interest to keep all, or as many, Dwarves as they can alive. Obviously, I let the Players know the situation, a bit gamist, but there you go. More obviously, I allow the PCs (as always in here) to get the jump on my bad guys- an invitation to destruction, the Players therefore unleash their various furies. Oh, but just to say I packed the halls with Cultists (and others) here- all with MAX HP of course, there are- six Dragonclaws, five Ogres, four Cultists, three Guard Drakes, two Cult Fanatics, two Dragonwings & a Dragonsoul, a Half-Red Dragon Veteran (the leader type), and the wounded Red Wizard of Thay (from the previous encounter). Oh, and if you hadn’t worked it out by now, this is a version of Captive Cultists from the Additional Encounters, right at the start of the module book. So, the Cultists know that the PCs/Brothers are about, but… I wanted the guys to get surprise on the enemies, so they’re just not observant enough. [ATTACH type="full"]121164[/ATTACH] It starts with Hotlips, and an Assassination attempt- and a Crit, a Dragonwing expires- crumples, silently, and none of the bad guys even spot the first of them has fallen. The Rogue is so cock-a-hoop she spends her Inspiration Point and shoots an Ogre in the back- then the roaring fury begins. Watt (the clever bastard) conjures a Confusion spell into the densest bunch of enemies he can spy- all but one of them (including the Red Wizard of Thay) fail their saves. Lux (the even bigger bastard) then plonks a Hunger of Hadar inky-badness over a larger mass of the bad guys- oh crap, this encounter has fallen apart very quickly, let’s see how I get through this. Oh, and keep in mind that many of the inhabitants of the Hunger of Hadar’s black void are also Confused, so that doesn’t help. Sgt Bobby rushes forward and cuts down a Dragonclaw, there’s only one other enemy visible this side of the black shimmering bubble that is Lux’ sHunger of Hadar spell- an Ogre, “You’re next”, the good Sgt offers the shocked giant. Lummins settles for getting his Bless spell up and running, and now we’re out of the surprise round and into the meat of it. Within the Hunger of Hadar the Red Wizard of Thay, the Dragonsoul, and a forlorn Dragonclaw all stand statue, Confused, and thus allow the cold burn and acid tentacle probing’s of Lux’s power to hurt them. Worse still, a very Confused Guard Drake starts biting and chewing on the Red Wizard of Thay, while a second such beast (similarly Confused) moments later comes charging in and tramples the Red Wizard- Prone, the beast thenn ploughs into a pile of crates and boxes, injuring itself further. The stuff that’s going on within the Hunger of Hadar is so funny, I let the Players in on the secret. I narrate events within the black. Meantime Hotlips fires a crossbow bolt into the back of the Ogre facing down Sgt Bobby, the only enemy the Brothers have in sight, it’s bloodied in an instant- a moment later Watt fires two arrows into the giant and then Lux hits it with an Eldritch Blast (Crit) and it sways and falls- dead. Sgt Bobby isn’t happy- he stands statue frowning furiously, waiting for another enemy to emerge from the compass of Lux’s deadly spell. Meanwhile, away from the action a second group of Cultists have just broken into one of the barricaded Dwarven bedchambers. These guys can’t see (or hear) the slaughter that’s going on with the PCs and their comrades. Back at the action, inside the Hunger of Hadar- the Confused Dragonsoul starts lashing out with his blade, and… cuts the Red Wizard of Thay’s head clean-off. A similarly Confused Dragonclaw starts slicing too and cuts up an Ogre, also hidden in the cold- dark void. Another Dragonclaw succumbs to the acid tentacles and cold burn, moments later and yet another Dragonclaw goes the same way. So, that helps. The Players are actually starting to root for the bad guys here- screaming at them to “Get out of there!” Lux (Sandy) is grinning like a loon. Back outside of the terrifying black bubble and the Brothers are killing time- and readying actions, Watt for kicks, fires a Shatter spell into the middle of the black void- more moans, screams, and yells of pain emerge from the enemies still trapped within. Meantime the off-screen (as it were) Cultists slay their first Dwarven miner- there are two more Dwarves left in the room they have just broken into. The Dwarves, unbeknownst to the PCs, are now fighting for their lives. Seconds later a second Dwarf miner dies. The last survivor in the bust-open chamber is trying to hold off a Dragonclaw, a Cult Fanatic, a Guard Drake and an Ogre- there’s not much hope of that happening. Obviously, the PCs/Players have no idea the above is going on, as far as they’re concerned, I’m just rolling dice (and grinning) behind my DMs screen. Back to the black- and at last one of the Dragonwings manages to make it out of the compass of the spell- and is swiftly shot twice by Watt and then finished off by Lux’s Eldritch Blasts. Sgt Bobby continues to grouse (and swear) he’s desperate to get into action. Then, at last, a badly wounded staggering Cult Fanatic emerges from the black- and is swiftly shot by Watt again, Sgt Bobby rushes over and cuts the foul fellow down dead (with Hazirawn). Sgt B (Pete) grins like a chimp- he’s easily pleased. Within the inky black itself a Confused (and panicked) Ogre rushes headlong into a wall, and then moments later succumbs to the acid tentacles in the ebon mist, while yet another still Confused Dragonclaw also ends its days the very same way. Then, elsewhere, the third Dwarven miner- the last in the just-broken-open chamber is cut down. Three out of twelve of these guys are dead. The PCs/Players still don’t know this of course. Next to emerge from the black semi-sphere is a badly injured Ogre, the brute rushes Sgt Bobby, big mistake- the Fighter cuts the creature twice and then, when it doesn’t fall, Hotlips fires a crossbow bolt into its brain pan- now it falls- dead. Then, at last, the Half-Red Dragon Veteran emerges from Lux’s Hunger (and this guy’s only slightly wounded) and quickly sizes up the situation, the Cult leader bathes Lux, Lummins and Sgt Bobby in his fiery breath- at bloody last. The ferocious Cultist also starts making threats, mainly because I (your friendly DM) haven’t had a decent speaking part for ages. The grinning and general hilarity around the gaming table is curtailed, at least for a bit. A very short bit. To increase the tension Hotlips fires high and wide of the latest bad guy (the leader of the Cultists here) and then scurries into cover. My joy however is very (very) short-lived, Watt Polymorphs my Half-Red Dragon Veteran into… you guessed it, another bloody frog. The giggling and whooping around the gaming table strives for epic. Sgt Bobby scrabbles on the floor for a short while and then grabs up the frog (Half-Red Dragon Veteran) and shoves the creature in a sack. Just for info, at this point within the Hunger of Hadar there are only two enemies left alive, both wounded- the Dragonsoul and a lone Guard Drake. A second Guard Drake cowers, trapped in the far corner of the chamber- caught between stone walls and the inky black shell of Lux’s terror spell- it’s already badly wounded. While just emerging from a bedchamber full of freshly slaughtered Dwarves are a bunch more bad guys, who are just this minute starting to take in the scene- note all they can see is a great half-bubble of inky black, they cannot see the PCs beyond the void. They also don’t much know what the black bubble is, the sextet take to shouting and yelling, mostly forlorn enquiries of their comrades, and thus they also let the Brothers know that the reinforcements have arrived. However, the only way out for my bad guys is through the black sphere, or else wait it out- the favoured option, and then (alas) through the PCs- although (as stated previously) they’ve not spied the Brothers as of yet. The Guard Drake within the inky black eventually succumbs to its wounds. There’s just the Dragonsoul left in there- and this guy has been taking damage and failing to escape the black for the last eight turns, and also failing to save against Watt’s Confusion spell. At last the Hunger of Hadar spell comes to an end. The last remaining Cultists, including a bloodied (but now no longer Confused, he saved a second before the spell ended- ain’t it always the way) Dragonsoul try desperately to fight their way out of their predicament. Watt puts an arrow in the Dragonsoul, Lux fires three Eldritch Blasts into the poor bastard (the last one a Crit), then Sgt Bobby charges over and finishes the bugger off. That was a waste of time- for me. At which point the Brothers also catch sight (or rather Sgt B does) of the other six Cultists that were formerly smashing their way into the Dwarven bedchambers. Sgt Bobby tells his friends- “There’s a EXPLETIVE load more of the EXPLETIVE bastards”, is how he actually puts it. Then the remaining Cultists attempt to break-out- there are two Dragonwings, two Ogres, two Guard Drakes and a Cult Fanatic- all (except one of the Drakes, which is badly wounded) at full HP. The first Dragonwing charges screaming its allegiance all the way, straight at the PCs- and takes a crossbow bolt to the skull- dead in an instant, thanks Hotlips. The next to make the run is a Guard Drake, which stops an arrow from Watt before charging into the Brothers (but out of actions) an Ogre follows after, and throws a javelin at the Bard, Lummins’ Warding Flare ensures the giant is way off-target. Lux meantime fires a pair of Eldritch Blasts into a snarling Guard Drake shuffling forward to join the clash. The Cult Fanatic makes it to the action, with his Shield of Faith switched on, and his Spiritual Weapon in flight- Sgt Bobby dodges the Cultist’s attack and then cuts the Fanatic repeatedly- it lives, but only just. Next comes the last Dragonclaw standing, the bastard slices Watt repeatedly, while the previously cornered (and now very badly wounded) Guard Drake rushes forward and slams its tail into Sgt Bobby- oof! At bloody last, the PCs are taking hits. Lummins gets to the action and lays down a carpet of flames, a much-enhanced Burning Hands the enemies suffer. The second Ogre heads into action and flails wildly with its greatclub at Sgt Bobby. Now we’re in a stand-up fight. Hotlips abandons her crossbow and grabs out her magical rapier, seconds later the Cult Fanatic is skewered through the head, and then dead. Watt Thunderwaves the enemies before him, but the bad guys are only shaken (oh for low damage rolls). Sgt Bobby is bitten by the Guard Drake menacing him. One of the Ogres skirts past the Brother’s front line, but en route is skewered by a previously hidden Hotlips, the giant flails forlornly at Lummins. Lux Shocking Grasps it, and its bloodied. The Dragonclaw Crits Watt (with Fanatic Advantage) and the Bard is swiftly down to approx. 10 HP. That hurt. At last- go me! Sgt Bobby slices the Guard Drake menacing him twice more- and yet still it lives- oh, the joys of enemies with MAX HP. Around the table the Players are confident but sweating it a little, there’s a lot of “Come ON! Come ON!” with extended dice shaking times in evidence. A study of ritualistic behaviour. Lummins, tiring of the scramble, unleashes his Radiance of the Dawn- the Dragonclaw cutting up Watt, and the Guard Drake biting Sgt Bobby both succumb to the Light of Lathander. Hotlips sneak attacks the badly wounded Ogre- dead, and then flings a dagger into the last (already very badly wounded) Guard Drake standing- it too shuffles off this mortal coil. There’s just one Ogre left in the fight. Watt grabs his bow back up and sinks two arrows into it, the Ogre however is not for surrendering- my What Happens Next D20 says so, the creature however is bloodied, at last. Lux puts an end to that, the Warlock fires three Eldritch Blasts into the giant, who instantly flings down his greatclub in despair, curls up prostrate, and surrenders to the Brothers of the First Light. The encounter is over- it only took 17 turns and nearly two hours to play through, although keep in mind we’re a very relaxed bunch, the two hours included a tea break and the best part of a packet of biscuits. There’s not much more left of this session. However, there’s enough time for the PCs to quickly discover that Argonite is… [Sound of D12 rolling] Alive! Actually, that was a fudged roll- and the Players never spotted the move, they were always going to get their reward- I’m about making them feel good about themselves in this session. A bunch of fighting, rescue the Princess/hairy Dwarf etc. They’re the good guys- they’re winners. So, brief introductions to the Dwarves (including Argonite)- a short chat, and none of the surviving Dwarves know why they were attacked. Just to make clear (to you, and to the PCs/Players at the time), the rescued Dwarves are convinced that Boltus Pit contains nothing that the Dragon Cultists could want or else desire. There follows a short bit of banter with the Ogre- the beast knows nothing, Gonk is not the brightest of his kind, and that’s saying something. After a short squabble amongst the PCs/Players the giant is allowed to depart the mine with his life- but if the Dwarves catch up with him, he’s dead meat. So, run along. Gonk, the Ogre, flees. Then the guys let the frog out of the bag, and Watt ends his Polymorph spell- at which point several of the other PCs (but principally Sgt Bobby) are pinning the ex-frog now after the transformation- fully formed and functioning Half-Red Dragon Veteran down. The enemy leader is wrestled into submission, and threatened repeatedly with destruction, eventually the Dragon Cultist calms down a little. However, the Half-Red Dragon Vet resists the PCs questioning (basically, I’m holding out with this guy), the PCs are going to have to get creative (for which read brutal) to get any info here. There follows a short (but sometimes heated) debate. The PCs/Players are running out of time (in-game and real-world), it’s approaching 6 AM- it took the Brothers three hours to get from Stone Circle West (the Teleporter) to their present location, they’re going to have to move fast to get back (only just) in time for the next Council of Waterdeep. Lummins, during a moment of clear-headedness, uses a Sending spell to message Leosin Erlanthar (Harper agent back in Waterdeep) and ask him to try to delay the next Council meeting. The PCs, and the Players, put aside their temporary differences- they’re against the clock here, and also, we need to finish early this session. So, it’s a race to get back out of the mine, back to the surface, and then to Waterdeep- at which point the PCs finally remember (after like a million hints) that they have nine Dwarvern miners, including Argonite, in their midst. As it turns out there’s a much quicker route to the surface. That changes everything. So, this is what goes down- The Brothers take a short rest, they’re all (except for Watt) bloodied, or thereabouts- the Bard is badly wounded, on approx. 10 HP. Leosin messages back, the Council of Waterdeep meeting is delayed by an hour, that’ll do it. Ferrix, the Half-Red Dragon Veteran is given a working over by Sgt Bobby, it gets nasty- and Lummins argues briefly against some of the violence but mostly the Priest of Lathander says nothing. Note, we’re all grown ups around the table, there are no atrocities to be had in our game (at least not from the PCs (so far)). An interrogation with violence generally mimics the good cop/bad cop routine- with Sgt Bobby beating the victim with his fists and making anatomically impossible threats, while Lux (more often than not) whispers sweet nothings (and questions that need answers) into the torture victim’s ear. That said the procedure goes badly- over the course of thirty minutes Sgt Bobby gets to make three checks, Ferrix is making Con Saves to resist. Sgt B’s dice fail him, he rolls (unadjusted)- ‘2’, followed by ‘1’, then a ‘9’; Ferrix resists all of the Fighter’s efforts easily, his last roll is a ‘20’. They’re going to have to take this thing to the next level. But now we’re really running out of time (real world), so- change of plan. Ferrix is scooped up, tied and bagged, hefted aboard (Sgt Bobby) and the Brothers and the Dwarves get the hell out of dodge (Boltus Pit). All the way to the surface, and then on to… well, eventually to Waterdeep. But that’s for next time… Stay safe and well you lovely people, these are very strange times. [/QUOTE]
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