Dungeons of Thistlemoor 09 // "Merry Christmas??!!" 🧊
November 15th, 1025. Autumn. Drizzling rain
Characters: Prof. Alvius Thrumblewood, Helpeleth, Raden, Alfred Honey-Paw (dwarf), and Greg Lilly-Paw (dog-man).
Note: The player of Raden was half-out this game due to doing chores. Therefore I ruled Raden got drunk along the road and didn’t warn the party of obvious dangers he would’ve remembered the previous session.
Raden brings four new adventurers to the Serpent tomb.
MORNING WATCH
In Town
They buy a crossbow, 2 supplies, and a chainmail set with serpent motifs (from the tomb delve of previous adventurers).
Travel
They walk through the fresh mud on the King’s Road to Westpeak. Along the way, Alvius summons his magical bee. No encounter.
AFTERNOON WATCH
The sun stands high in the sky as Helpeleth lights her torch and Alfred takes the front.
THE TOMB
[2 Light Dice/5 Characters = Dim light]
- In the first room, they find an unbroken clay serpentman warrior in a wooden coffin. Helpeleth jostles it and hears metal shift inside. Alfred peers into the coffin on his tippy-toes. Helpeleth shatters the sculpture and jumps away, but Alfred isn’t quick enough!
[Poison gas! 2 wounds. HD roll -> 2!]
- Alfred reactively gasps in a cloud of green gas, spits up white foam, vomits, and faceplants.
- Greg and Helpeleth jump into action, making Alfred vomit more and shoving crushed charcoal down his throat. The toxin stops Alfred’s spasming and for the next 10m they chill out.
[Encounter: rain begins outside]
- They walk through the rest of the upper tomb. Helpaleth burns the serpentwarriors’ bones in the final grave room while Greg and Alfred shatter the remaining clay skeletons. Alvius and his bee find the secret passageway down.
- They loot the hallway statues of weapons and armor except one chainmail.
- Greg finds the previously discovered secret passageway behind one of the statues.
- Once they arrive in the rotunda they hear pounding from the north door and start hurrying around checking all the doors.
- Greg barely avoids tumbling down the ramp trap of the fanciest doorway east.
- In old priest quarters, Alfred takes a Cobra Icon. Alvius ties up scraps of parchment with wild scratches and notes down a name.
- Behind the southdoor a grave room is incomplete. Tools lie untouched.
- Behind the northeast door is an oozing stone coffin. It smells of urine and burnt tires. The party is grossed out. “Ew.” “Yuck.” “Yeah I don’t like that.” But as they turn away, Greg spots golden rings in the sludge. He pokes it with a crossbow bolt and it quivers.
Then he lights it on fire with his torch.
- It lunges at him!
[I explained that a failed roll would certainly kill Greg but he got a buff added to his roll. CRITICAL FAILURE :(. We all died laughing]
- Greg drops his torch, trips on his crossbow and smashes his face on the cold floor. As the flaming viscous melts over him he throws out a snowglobe, “Merry Christmas?!!!”. It shatters and freezes the scene. Helpeleth sighs. “And a happy new year.” They shut the door.
[11 damage disintigrates Greg Lilly-pad]
- At the Northwest door, Helpeleth steps on a pressure plate in the dim light and sees a metal disc on the opposite end of the room start whirring with energy. Alfred quickly gets stones from the unfinished tomb, places it on the pressure plate and Halpeleth is able to step off. They get out and the charged disc eventually shoots out a lightning bolt, shattering the stone door.
- Alfred moves back in a disconnects the Electrum Disc (50gp).
- Alvius is cautiously watching over the clay snakwarrior statues in the southwest room this whole time. They make it out with their loot and take another chainmail set from the snake statues on the way.
DELVE OVER
- 10 rounds (1h40m)
- 0 encounters
- Loot: Karambit snake-fang daggers, Golden snake amulet, Cobra Icon, some chainmail sets, and the Electrum Disc.
Travel
Rain pours as they walk back tiredly. Alfred sings a dwarven dirge of regret of a life spent without hope for Greg. Helpeleth hums along.
New Things
- Dog race akin to Kobolds in Dungeon Meshi. Future players go crazy. You can track by snout, intimidate by growl, and woof. You can’t see color.
- The moors were ruled by lizardfolk til they were pushed out by war.
- Many lizard folk were members of a Naga cult until heroes killed her.
Resources used…
- Tomb of the Serpent Kings by Skerples
- Western Thistlemore by Paths Peculiar
- Fourtower Bridge by Paths Peculiar