WANDERING LANDSLOTH

Dungeons of Thistlemoor 16 // The Midnight Raiders ᚱ

SESSION 16

Adventurers

DOWNTIME

They sold and bought some items, Dan tried to flirt with Millie which didn't go anywhere due to his status as a beggar knave in Fourtower. Over the past month, Wisp-of-Words worked with Dagunn to get his own magic wand out of hazel wood (300gp). Grandpa Bill spent for his living expenses by cutting lumber.

EXPEDITION 17

5th day of the 5th week of Winter. Gentle snow. Cold.

After hearing about the bandits from Lorna and a walking cabin from Frode (who offered a “stash” he had found to find out what was inside it), the party went into the Rotforest the next day. Their plan was to check out the forest and then the bandits near Stonehell.

They spent the morning watch following the river into the wood and then the afternoon searching for the lodge.

Deep in the wood, they found giant chicken foot tracks and track it to the cabin which was gable-roofed, chimneyed, and had a twisting turret. It opened on its own to them and the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafted out. Midnight was the first in. Just behind the door stood a masked figure with elf ears (Black gambeson, a leather apron, and a white mask with eye holes and a small smily face). It was silent but motioned to Midnight and the others to come in. Once they were inside, phantasms appeared of dead adventurers (PC’s) dining. Over the evening, they found out its name was Sawbones (written above the doorway) and it give them fresh chocolate chip cookies along with offering an assortment of Soul-Flutes. They all got one in the design they wished (diamond, ruby, glass, and a clay ocarina) and he showed them how to use them. Somehow by playing it, souls and spirits enter, lighting up the flute holes. By emptying a soul into the fire, doors open to dungeons, a bedroom opens in the house, or Sawbones' saw and potions light up for use. They slept the night to see what would happen and found out that their spirits left their bodies.

Dan remembered the floating elf from the Mausoleum (his first expedition) and a stairwell opened to it. On the door to the dungeon, faces of dead adventurers formed on the wood. With twisted and painful faces, they warned of undead spirits that were affected by rain. They went through the door and it dissipated into the stone wall of the dungeon behind them. There were two doors on either side of them, with stairwells leading to both.
At the base of the bottom door, Midnight scooped up some glowing liquid and drank a worm parasite accidentally. Behind the door, they found a flooded passageway crawling with fist-sized roaches. Midnight tried walking through it but was overwhelmed with terror by the bugs in his clothes and splashed around a bit. Floating in the water were two vials of black viscous liquid. They went back and headed up to the top door. Behind that one was a disused chapel to an alligator god with a thorned spine. It was full of burned bodies and three fine ones. The three were two teenage boys and a mother. After Dan pried two rubies out of the bas-relief of the alligator god, they went back down.
Further in was a flooded chamber in which they found Gravebane Oil and a forearm bone. Dan the Wolf remembered more of the Mausoleum and led them into a large circular crypt covered in mist and whispers. They tried their flutes and immediately one of the doors opened. Blue smoke preceded two Skeletons in chainmail with flaming blue eyes. Quarrels started flying and Wispo got his first spell in with the new wand, creating a massive green hand to hold one Mist Skeleton in place. The Skeletons only got one hit in before being destroyed. After that, the mist combined with glowing water that started pouring into the room. It formed into a near-solid mist that froze anything it touched. Dan warded it away with his torch and the party got out together without injury.
Along the way back, they found a spirit of a teenager named Benedict who was looking for his body. They led him to the bodies they found in the aboveground chapel and Wispo uses the flute to transfer Benedict back into his body. Benedict's mother and brother were still there unharmed. "I need to find their souls!" Wispo offered to help him and Benedict decided to follow him as his retainer.

Outside an old ring fort was being remodeled by North Country Dwarves (3 war wagons, 2 at the west gate, 1 at the east). The party began a parlay to get a stay in the town but scared the guards on duty by calling themselves the “Midnight Raiders”. Out of spite, Midnight did a backflip which he completely botched and broke a rib. The dwarves all start laughing as the party all attempt a backflip until Wispo nails his and they stop. The settlement leader Draugar was called out and he offered a single night for their good humor. Draugar told them they need cheering with the gnomes kidnapping and killing their women and children foragers and attacking them unprovoked. The party agreed and their weapons were locked a chest with 2 guards on post. Outside the fort wall, Martha (bearded dwarf goodwife) sets a tent and makes them a pot of food which they stay in that night.

They sell both rubies (100gp each) to the dwarves.

Warden Notes

I'm probably going to cut the amount of words for session reports (maybe a word count?).