Stonehell Session 24

~ Oops a quick death ~

~ A new friend ~

~ Wizardly secrets ~

Crystal Greatsword from Dark Souls

2nd of Storm, Imperial Year 525

Fair weather, light clouds, a bit humid

Tempo the Scrivener

Esau Kettlewright

Keir of the Short Life

The party ended last session in the kobold bazaar, so that's where we picked up. One character paid for passage to the surface and rolled up Keir as a replacement. Another had not been present, so they rolled up Tempo. Esau took charge, and the party decided to venture down to the second level of the dungeon. 

This next part of the dungeon was previously held by hobgoblins of the Goblin Occupation Army. The party, teamed up with the lizardfolk and the Stonehome Militia, successfully drove the goblins back out of Empire territory during the season finale. Leaving it empty, it has yet to be reconquered by any faction. 

This did not mean it was empty. 

The Hellseekers traveled through abandoned GOA fortifications, poking around at the looted remains of goblins, and made their way deeper in. 

In a room with a thin stone bridge across a dangerous chasm, Esau shone his light. Reflecting back at him were 6 sets of reflective eyes, a crew of berserker inmates. They charged, and the party fled back through the fortifications. They had thoughtfully propped open the heavy portcullis, and scrambled through while kicking out the prop behind them. This slowed the berserkers, and so did the metal barred turnstile, but it did not persuade the hungry fellows from pursuing their prey. 

The Seekers tried to hold briefly on the opposite side of the turnstile, the plan to take out their pursuers as they filed through one by one. It worked, as the first berserker was ignited with lamp oil and beheaded by Keir, but the plan fell apart as the next berserker came through and gravely wounded Keir with a bitter and crooked stone axe. 

Esau, Tempo, and the kobold sentries fled upstairs to a more defensible position, leaving Keir behind. His screams were quickly silenced, and the berserkers fled with their dinner. 

Regrouping at the kobold bar, they recruited Thorn the Marchguard. After a breather and a drink, they left for the much safer Contested Corridors of the first floor, hoping to fill out the map some and maybe find some safer loot.

The party explored a little, and at this point a friend showed up at the LGS and wanted to join, so Hazel the foundling joined the crew for the remaining of the adventure.

Exploration was largely uneventful, until they found a barred door. Opening it revealed a room protected by a crystalline statue. It animated and began marching towards the party, who closed the door. They came up with the great idea of opening the door, using Hazel’s sling to attack, and then closing it to wait for the crystal statue to return to its position across the room. While doing this, the party was attacked by starved rats. Between killing a few and sacrificing some rations, the party held them off long enough for Hazel to finish off the statue. She nabbed its sword, wrapping its handle in leather and claiming it as a relic. The party searched through the room, finding a chest with a false bottom holding 600 gold, as well as a magical quill and a note detailing information about a teleportation rune leading to a wizard’s workshop.

The party recognized the description in the note, and tracked down the rune. They stumbled into a pressure plate, but managed to dismantle the fire-oil trap before Esau was burnt alive. Thorn braved the teleportation rune, finding himself in an enclosed wizard’s chamber. He grabbed a massive tome and teleported back out.

The party had enough at this point, and left for the surface to return to Stonehome.

On the edge of the bogs, they rolled an encounter, and ran into the funeral skiff from the dungeon! Turns out the removal of the Danse Macabre door allowed it to escape, and it is now inching closer to Stonehome. Using a magical lure spell from the new tome, Tempo enchanted a rock and hazel tossed it into the fog, luring the skiff away from the party and giving them time to escape.

In town they spread rumors about the skiff, and Esau enjoyed seeing the sun for the first time in a month.