FalsKrag Session 9 – Attack of the Killer fountain

The players realised this session that they were moving into new areas too quickly. Their rogue was 1 point of damage away from death in one combat where their main fighter was also knocked unconscious. They went back to their maps and worked out what they couldn’t access, or bypassed. They are starting to rely heavily on some of the magical items that they have found in the dungeon, but in one sense that’s something I don’t mind. They are keeping nearly every magical item they have found and most are seeing use. Money-wise they are better off than before, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s going to have a heap of coin. They keep investing it in things that will serve the group well, particularly working to ensure that most characters have a magical weapon. They did achieve 3rd level in this session too, and now have a wizard who can craft wondrous items!

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6th Harvester:  The group moves to the next chamber which has a bowl atop a short pedestal. Merxif again uses create water and they observe a change. Seldrel states the “water” is now magical and Lanliss samples it – he is blessed! Hardaz drinks, but is disheartened by the bane effect that he suffers. Further up the passage towards stairs Lanliss locates a magical trap which he tries to disarm. He also finds a secret door. Two small earth elementals appear and attack. Bacon and Hardaz move up to assist and they are quickly destroyed. Behind the secret door is a small room with magical lights, fine quality swords and many banners on the walls. Everything but for the lights and an engraving on one wall turns out to be a good quality illusion.

The stairs go up to another secret door – beyond which is a wide hall with engraved panels – each with a different creature. Large rooms appear at each end of the hall and the group moves west. A section of the ceiling has fallen in with many holes in the roof , wall and floor amid chunks of rock. As the group look around, eight stirges fly down attacking Lanliss and Bacon. Some of the creatures manage to attach themselves, but only one drains any blood (from Lanliss) before being killed. A lizard-like creature darts out of a hole near the floor and grabs a downed stirge, pulling it back into the hole. No-one gets a clear look at the creature, and little is visible in the hole except for the body of the stirge, while hisses are heard.

A long hall leads north, but the party continues the short distance west into another large room. An old fountain dominates the tiled floor of the room. There are a fair number of coins (mostly copper) in the dry fountain. Two large stone doors are in the western wall and there is writing on the north wall. While examining the writing (and finding a secret door), Lanliss is attacked by the fountain. The sticky surface of what they realise is a mimic holds Lanliss, and then Summer. Hardaz gets his axe stuck to the monster, and it then grabs him too. The mimic batters Lanliss into unconsciousness, almost killing him, then starts on the dwarf. Seldrel fires the last lightning bolt in his wand and then starts using magic missiles. Winter fires arrow after arrow. Merxif moves up cautiously and stabilises Lanliss. As Hardaz passes out from damage, the gnome recalls one of the new wands from the Hall of the Gods, and launches a beam of searing light into the flailing mimic. Thankfully it dies and they spend a long time healing, and picking up coins and some gems. Seldrel can read the Flan script on the wall, that speaks of five heroes from the Sheldomar and their blades. The stone doors cannot be moved. Lanliss thinks that a square hole in both the stone doors and the secret door is a lock, but they don’t have the correct “key”.

They take the north passage and turn off along a narrower passage towards some scratching or digging sounds. A broken door leads into a chamber with broken statues, and a rift in one wall. This opens into a dual cave with many broken rocks, bits of wood and a giant beetle. Lanliss moves forward striking it, but it’s mandibles badly injure him in return. Seldrel enters and casts grease – tripping the beetle and the rest of the group pile in to attack. There are no other exits, so they return to the main hall and continue to the north. Another damaged chamber is scattered with rubble. As Lanliss and Bacon enter a creature drops from the ceiling. It looks like a great brain with many tentacles. Bacon is paralysed by its attacks, while Lanliss resists. Hardaz moves up to fight, while a dreadful howl echoes along the hall from behind the group. While most of the group shrug of momentary fear and drop the monster before them, the sound panics Seldrel and he flees past the others to a corner of the room. A great black hound surrounded by shadows charges up the hall, biting Merxif and knocking him down. As the others emerge to attack it, it runs back down the hall and around a corner, evading almost all the blows directed at it. Hardaz runs after it, but it has vanished into the darkness.

They decide that a return to town is a good idea – this new area is proving more dangerous than they expected. At the secret door, another howl comes out of the dark and once again Seldrel tries to flee. Winter reacts quickly, grabbing him and dragging him out. They move up to the surface quickly and cautiously leave the keep. Stopping in the graveyard, they take another look at the Falshandren vault. Seldrel is able to dispel the illusion over the door, and also negates a magical barring spell. Even with this done, Lanliss still can’t overcome the mechanical lock, but at least he feels that his skill level is almost sufficient.

7^th-8^th In Falsford they rest, buy and sell equipment and Seldrel begins some magical crafting. He creates a minor belt of strength for Lanliss and scribes some scrolls for himself. (3^rd Level)

9^th The party heads back to the keep and head straight down to the Hall of the Gods. They are able to activate the statue of Beory (Flan deity of Oerth, nature and rain) which gains them a wand of water breathing. They spend some time considering the secret door of one chamber. Lanliss thinks something needs to be pushed into the depression in the door. Since Merxif sees it differently from the rest of them, and they decide that maybe a Cleric can open the door. He places his holy symbol (a tarnished wavy-bladed dagger) into the gap and the door swings open. Within, a room holds candles, candle-sticks, a healing potion and some useful divine scrolls. Next they try the locked door behind another secret door on the other side of the Hall. This time Lanliss opens it without trouble, but is struck by a large blade that scythes out of the wall behind. He disarms the trap and all move forward into slightly dusty passages. A door leads into a storeroom where the group spends some time sorting through food, drink, weapons, armour, and bags of coins. From behind another door, Lanliss hears a voice call out in goblin – “there’s someone in the storeroom”. He flings the door open to sight three hobgoblins!