Old School Essentials: The Forsaken Shrine of Ningudu the Sorceror (Session 2)

 

Introduction

When we left our six surviving dwarves they had decided to retreat from the dungeon, picking up their locked iron chest on the way. They'll go back to the closest human settlement, rest up and hire a cleric to act as their healer on their next trip. Unfortunately I've since learnt that in OSE, clerics don't even get any spells until they're second level, at which point they only get one per day. Hirelings have to be the same level or lower than PCs, which makes it pointless hiring a cleric for healing. The only way the dwarves can heal is by resting at an inn which will heal 3 HP per day.

The Adventure

Bardi, Bomli, Bomrek, Borri, Frodu and Urist need to backtrack through the dungeon to the exit, rolling for wandering monsters every two turns and taking the crowbar back from where they had wedged open a portcullis with it. Soon after starting their journey a pair of giant shrews approach them in the corridor. The mole-like animals seem quite friendly and begin following the dwarves. They encounter nothing else until they leave the dungeon, at which point the animals scurry away into the undergrowth. They take turns carrying the iron chest all the way back to the village.

The blacksmith, a stout human woman agrees to break open the chest in exchance for 10% of its contents. "I 'ope it's rotten fish 'eads." mutters Borri. After a while she manages to wrench it open with her tools revealing 600 silver pieces! She takes 60 and gives the rest to the dwarves (54 XP). They rest at the inn, eating, drinking ale and sleeping until the wounded are feeling better two days later. They spend 36 silver pieces on this.

The following day they head back to the dungeon. The journey is uneventful. They go back to the room with the pit trap where they are confronted with the sight of Kharkal's dead body. They swear to pull him out of there the next time they leave, and give him a decent burial. Bomli crowbars open the wooden door in the east wall and they go through into a room of the same size and shape. There is a high wooden scaffold in the centre of this room with steps leading up to it, and a large crater has been blasted into the floor near the north wall, perhaps by a spell gone wrong.

Bardi points at the ceiling where a black stone stalactite hangs inexplicably from the ceiling tiles. "There's something not right about that. We're in a man-made room, not a cave." he says. He takes aim at it with his crossbow and shoots but misses, the bolt bouncing off the ceiling next to it. Immediately the thing opens up like a large leathery umbrella and swoops down at the dwarves. "Darkmantle!" one of them yells, and they all draw their weapons.

They have the initiative so while Bardi puts his crossbow away and draws his battleaxe the others attack the weird monster. It zigzags through the air, dodging all of them and lashing out at Urist but he bats it away.

Borri whacks it hard with his battleaxe and black blood gushes out but it fights on, weaving about in the air until Borri gets another chance to hit it, sending it crashing to the ground. It twitches briefly then lies still (50 XP).

There are three more doors in this room. They take one in the northeast corner and go through into another room of the same size. There is an archway in the north wall and three doors in the south wall. A figure dressed in black chainmail stands facing the three doors, apparently choosing which one to try. It whips around to face the dwarves - it's a drow warrior!

I'm going to roll his reaction at -3 because the drow are supposed to be naturally evil and would probably hate dwarves who tunnel into their underground homes in search of gold. He's hostile! The dwarves have the initiative. He shouts something at them in Drow and raises a small hand crossbow but he's too slow: Bardi, Bomli and Borri shoot their crossbows at him. Bomli's bolt hits him in the arm and he clutches it, howling in pain.

The other dwarves raise their weapons and yell at him: "Drop the crossbow! Drop it!". They don't know the Drow language, so some of them speak in Dwarven and some in Common, but the message is clear. I roll a morale check for the drow. He succeeds!

The man looks at the bolt sticking out of him, then to the dwarves, then to his hand crossbow. The look of pain on his face turns to one of hatred and he shoots Bomrek in the face (Critical hit! Double damage and a free attack!), killing him instantly. Bomrek falls flat on his back with a look of surprise on his punctured face. The drow reloads the hand crossbow quickly.

The dwarves are shocked. Bardi lets out a warcry, "For Bomrek!" and they all charge the drow. Bardi, Bomli and Borri have to switch to their melee weapons this round but Frodu and Urist already have theirs out. They swing for the drow but he expertly dodges both of them, putting his hand crossbow away and drawing a wickedly sharp rapier from its scabbard.

Bardi hits him hard with his battleaxe, cutting a massive gash (Critical hit! Double damage and enemy fumbles). The drow loses his grip on his sword and drops it on the ground. The dwarves have no interest in forcing his surrender since he killed their brother though. He reaches for the rapier and then realises he's done for. He looks up just in time to see Bomli's warhammer crash into his face, putting him down for good (19 XP). They find a pouch on his corpse containing 6GP, not much consolation for losing Bomrek. They also take Bomrek's equipment and money, including his last javelin.

They search the three southern doors for traps. Finding none, they try them. The first two are locked but the third is only stuck. Bomli kicks it open angrily and they follow a corridor in an L-shape to a smaller circular room. This room is featureless and empty, and after a thorough search the dwarves open one of two doors in the north wall which takes them back to the room with the dead darkmantle.

It seems they have explored the southern part of the dungeon so they go through an archway in the northern wall of the room where they killed the drow adventurer and lost Bomrek. A very long corridor runs west to east here, so they try the stone door to the north. Bomli wrenches it open with his crowbar revealing another large square room. There is a door in the north wall and a large pile of iron spikes lying in the middle of the floor. Strange.

There doesn't seem to be anything of use here, so they wrench open the next door, one in the north wall. This next room is rectangular. A ghoul is sitting next to a pit in the floor, and it gets up as the party enter. There's a statue standing against the west wall, but the dwarves focus on the ghoul for now.

It has initiative; it shambles towards the doorway. The dwarves come into the room shoot their crossbows at it. It's hit by three bolts and killed (25 XP). The dwarves find two platinum pieces near where it was sitting (10 XP) and when they peer into the pit they see a weird bright blue magical energy swirling and bubbling at the bottom of it. Urist pushes the ghoul's corpse into it and it falls down, disappearing into the magic with a sound like a piece of dry wood crackling as it's placed on a fire.

Frodu approaches the stone statue in the northwest corner. It looks like a medusa with a blindfold over its eyes. The blindfold is a separate piece of stone so he tugs on it and pulls it down, turning on a hinge. Part of the wall it's standing against swings open into a larger, circular room. There are two men and two women here walking from a southern door to a northern one. By their dress they look like novice clerics, and they all carry maces. Frodu calls out to greet them, and although they nod curtly in return they don't seem interested in talking.

The dwarves follow Frodu into the room and watch as the four acolytes struggle to open the northern door before kicking it violently open to reveal a troglodyte corpse, animated and shuffling around the next room - a zombie! The acolytes spring into action, all chanting like mad to invoke the power of their god against the filthy abomination. The zombie wails in torment and flees to the corner of the room, cowering in fear as the acolytes advance on it and begin repeatedly bludgeoning its head with their maces until it collapses into a stinking heap on the floor.

The dwarves follow them through a door in the northwest corner of the room. Together they walk down a corridor with strange demonic faces carved into the walls, until they reach a door to the west. The clerics try to open it but it's stuck, so the dwarves offer to help. Borri crowbars it open and they are faced with another troglodyte, except this one is alive and well.

The troglodyte smells even worse than the zombie, and the only person in the whole group seemingly unaffected is one of the female acolytes. The dwarves have the initiative, followed by the clerics and finally the monster, so they surround it.

Frodu hits it in the ribs with his warhammer, breaking one or two but no one else can hit it due to the overpowering effects of its stench. It lashes out in all directions with its fast claws and snapping bite, slashing Bomli in the shoulder but he fights back instantly, smashing the creature's face with his hammer, putting it down (25 XP). The acolytes look sheepish, obviously embarrassed by how little use they were in the fight against a living creature rather than an undead one, and bid the dwarves farewell, leaving through the only door.

The troglodyte's bed is a pile of straw and refuse. Searching through it they find an enchanted dagger! I can't find any mention of how much a dagger+1 costs in the rules, so let's call it 100GP, which gives the dwarves 100 XP. Bomli pockets the dagger, intending to sell it later.

This room is a dead end so they backtrack to the large round room where they met the acolytes and head through a stuck door in the south wall. This next room is large and square, with a swarm of unidentifiable insects buzzing in one corner and a pile of broken glass on the floor. There's a door in the west wall so they pass through it to find themselves in a similar room, completely empty. Kind of an odd dungeon this one.

They pass through yet another room and then arrive in another seemingly empty room. "Look, up there!" Bardi shouts suddenly, pointing to another hanging black shape on the ceiling. It's another darkmantle waiting to ambush them. The dwarves have the initiative so they attack with their ranged weapons.

Bardi's crossbow string comes loose from his weapon, the bolt clattering to the floor (fumble!). Bomli shoots the monstrous creature and gets a grazing hit. Frodu throws his last javelin and spears it. It swoops down and swings for Frodu but misses. Bomli swings his warhammer in a wide arc and smashes it down on the top of the darkmantle, crushing it and sending it crashing to the floor, dead (critical hit for x3 damage!). They receive 50 XP.

The next room is the final room of the dungeon. The randomly generated map says it's empty but let's go out with a bang and say Ningudu the Sorceror himself lives still and is in there with a little gang of minions!

Upon opening the door they are greeted by the sight of an elderly elf. He has long platinum hair in a ponytail down to his waist. He wears a purple robe and has a sword in a scabbard at his side. Flanking him are three troglodytes. He shouts something in a strange language and they prepare to attack the dwarves (they have the initiative).

Ningudu the Sorceror chants some magic words and points at Bardi in the doorway. A magical ball of energy shoots out of his finger and blasts Bardi in the chest, melting through his platemail and burning him severely. The troglodytes advance towards the doorway, stinking like mad. Only Bardi and Borri aren't affected by the stench.

Bardi charges at one of the troglodytes but trips and falls to the floor (fumble!). Borri hacks into another with his battleaxe, followed by Urist who hacks from the other side. Almost cut in half, the creature bends at the waist and falls to the ground.

Ningudu draws his sword and attacks Frodu, but he easily parries it. A troglodyte slashes Borri with its claws and then bites into his neck, killing him.

Bardi hits one of the monsters in its arm. Bomli swings his warhammer wildly and loses control of it (fumble!).

A troglodyte slashes Bardi's neck, killing him, then with its other hand grabs Frodu's head and snaps his neck (critical!). Ningudu walks past the dead bodies to Urist and tries to hit him, but he is parried.

It's just Bomli and Urist standing against them now. Urist roars in anger and cuts deeply into Ningudu's side with his huge battleaxe but it's not enough to bring him down.

One of the troglodytes tries to grab Bomli's head but loses its balance and falls over (fumble!). Ningudu lunges at Bomli but he bats the elf's sword away.

The dwarves see that the sorceror is badly bleeding now and press the attack against him. Bomli smacks his warhammer into the side of the elf's head with a sickening crunching sound. He wails and falls dead instantly.

The two troglodytes don't seem fazed by the death of their master. One bites Bomli's shoulder deeply (leaving him at 1 HP!). The other is still getting up from the floor.

After some more desperate clashing of claws and blades Urist is badly clawed.

Bomli strikes one of them hard then Urist hops around the other one to attack Bomli's victim too, hacking into its back with his battleaxe and cutting it down!

The final one passes a morale check and tears Bomli's throat out. He slumps to his knees, head bowed and bleeds out.

Urist is enraged. He swings madly at the creature but it steps out of the way and bites into the back of his neck. The last dwarf falls and the adventure is over.

My Thoughts

Bloody troglodytes! They're always so tough in OSR games! They have three attacks per round, way more than most other enemies, and each character has to save vs poison against every single troglodyte's stench or they get a -2 to their attacks for the whole fight.

It was pretty close there but the last one still had a full 9 HP so there wasn't much chance of killing it in the normal way. Perhaps I should have had the dwarves flee back to one of the rooms with a pit, and then tried to push them in one by one. Ah well, you live and learn.

Old School Essentials is a lot of fun even just playing with randomly generated dungeons like this. I'll definitely play it again at some point!