My meatspace group has only recently picked up again after a lull of several months and since others have been sharing their game chronicles, I thought I’d get in on the act.
*
Caution: This tale involves plot elements from Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. Do not continue reading if you are currently involved in or planning on playing this adventure in the near future.
*
****Spoiler Space****
*
Friday night, we began a brand new campaign which is centered around the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil module. My current group consists of my wife, my brother, and a friend from high school. They played through the original adventure and we thought it would be cool to have their current player characters be the protégés or descendents of the originals. More details of this campaign will be available at my website soon.
*
The short of the story is that they arrive in Hommlet on a lark, knowing that this was where their parent’s careers began and hoping to find similar luck. After some initial meeting and greeting, the plot is introduced by a wood elf who has received a cryptic note to “find the one who brings light to the darkness” (a reference to one of the original PCs named Darklight Shadowbinder) and tell her that there are evil doings afoot in Hommlet in the form of a cult seeking to re-establish the Temple of Elemental Evil.
*
Well, of course our heroes don’t know the whereabouts of Darklight (no one has seen this renegade drow since the defeat of the Spider Queen 20 years ago), so the wood elf suggests that perhaps THEY should take up the quest. There is a murmur of agreement and the party is founded. After some initial investigation, they get a lead to the abandoned and supposedly haunted moathouse that lies about 12 miles to the east. There is some more discussion on whether four of them (and two animal companions) will be enough, and the decision is that a cleric is needed to round our their party.
*
A quick stop by the temple to St. Cuthbert and a discussion with the Canoness adds the final member of the group, a young cleric by the name of Albert. Albert is quite eager, but has never been out of the cloister until now and Y’dey tells them that in exchange for satisfying his lust for adventure, she will grant them a discount on church services. Little do they know that she’s getting the better end of the bargain. Albert is well known as the jinx about the temple. He tries hard, but he just doesn’t use the sense he was born with sometimes. Plus, he’s a bit on the nerdy side.
*
Next stop, the moathouse. The characters arrive just before dark and, after a brief encounter with a giant frog, decide to enter the ruins under cover of darkness. They manage to cross the open courtyard unchalleneged, but as they enter the remaining structure, they see a huge reptilian form in the shadows of the room. Albert screams, “Dragon!” and flees for the safety of the outdoors, but Talina the sorceress is unconvinced, thinking it to be a giant lizard of some sort. She replies, “It’s NOT a dragon!” and calmly looses two magic missiles into it’s head.
*
That’s when the trouble starts. The creature rises to it’s full height, revealing itself for exactly what Albert had said it was (lucky guess on his part). As the party stands shock still, the dragon blasts them with lightning breath. By some miracle of chance, no one falls, though several party members come very close. They try a round of attacks but only one of them is even able to penetrate the beast’s scaly hide. It is decided that a retreat is in the best interests of survival and they flee the ruins, using a second volley of magic missiles to the beast’s eyes to temporarily blind it and cover their escape.
*
In the relative safety of the surrounding woods, they assess damage. There is some talk of going back to town and getting help but they discard this notion, figuring that the hiring of anyone powerful enough to take down a dragon would reduce their shares of the spoils to near-zero. Then the ranger Geldor hits upon an idea. He can prepare a resist elements spell that will help a little. Albert confirms that he can also prepare two such spells. Now they might stand a fighting chance.
*
They rest through the night and proceed back to the moathouse the following morning. The plan is to cast the spells, then rush the ruins in hopes of catching the dragon by surprise. Talina will toss two thunderstones into the ruins to deafen the beast, then they will rush in and finish it off, hopefully before it knows what is happening. Good plan. Then things go horribly wrong.
*
They are halfway across the open courtyard when the dragon emerges from it’s lair and takes flight, hovering some 20 feet above the ground. Taken aback, Talina throws the thunderstones directly at the dragon, but they have no effect. She then calls to her teammates, “Split up!” She takes her own advice, splitting from the party. The others do likewise, with the rogue/fighter Sarina hitting the wall and scrambling onto the roof of the ruins, the ranger Geldor downing a potion of spider climb to duck over a wall and prepare his bow, and the druid/ranger Silaqui using her boots of striding and springing to propel herself to the rooftop. That leaves poor Albert as the focus of the dragon’s attack. It is then that the party realizes that Albert wears no armor!
*
The dragon snatches poor Albert up in it’s claws, but miraculously, he survives two claw attacks and a bite (he’s not a real good fighter, but he does have some good hit points)! The dragon continues to hold him as the others snipe at it. Talina tries a cause fear, but it has no effect. Geldor and Sarina take turns sniping the beast with crossbow bolts and arrows, but the dragon grows angry and blasts Talina with a lightning bolt. However, her reflexes and the resist elements prevent her form suffering more than minor burns.
*
Determined to save Albert, the bold and rash Salaqui leaps to the dragon’s talons and attempts to pry Albert loose, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Albert continues flailing away with his quarterstaff, an effect like beating a steel bar with a spaghetti noodle. The others continue to pelt the beast as Silaqui unlimbers her greatspear, but she too is unable to penetrate it’s hide. Then, bleeding badly and with a damaged wing, the dragon drops Albert and shakes Silaqui free, takes a last bite attack at Sarina, and then flees, the battle, having been reduced to one hit point!
*
The party congratulates themselves on a job well done and begin exploring the ruins. The upper level proves mostly empty, so they head below. After a few more minor encounters with some gnolls, some skeletons, and an evil priestess, they have chosen to rest (after Silaqui was paralyzed by an attack from a ghast) and examine their booty. Currently, an argument has ensued between the sorceress Talina (who has used identify to learn more about the three most puzzling items) and Sarina. One of the items is a small, black sphere of crystal or pearl. Talina, knowing what it is, wants it for herself. In return, she offers knowledge of what the other two items do. Sarina, not knowing what the sphere is, but suspecting that it is quite good, refuses. She is stubborn enough not to want to pay someone to do what Talina has already done (identify the goods), but also doesn’t want to give up the sphere without knowing for certain what it does.
*
What will happen next? Who will get the sphere and what is it? Will the dragon return seeking vengeance? Tune in to my website and watch for updates on the continuing saga!
*
John Grigsby
0 comments:
Post a Comment