Dungeons of Thistlemoor 21 // Under the Gulch

23 Jan, 2026

Session 21

Adventurers 

• Greedo (Dwarf 3)
• Toby McForest (Gnome 1)
• Sigwald (Human 1)

Later...

• Jarek (Human 1)

DOWNTIME

Fourtower 

• Toby asked around about nearby mines and hears from Lorna that there used to be one up at the gulch north of them. It was abandoned long ago and Lizardfolk infest those woods, making it dangerous to re-open. He also bought thieves tools (3 uses)
• They waited a couple days for better weather but eventually go anyway in the bitter cold. (Note: Bitter Cold adds another watch of travel time). 
• They bought 3 supplies at Millie’s Warehouse for their expedition.

Expedition 22

Objective: Find and clear the Rotforest Forsaken Dwarven Mine to sell to Draugar of Thane’s Reach

Tuesday, the 3rd day of the 8th week of winter. Bitter Cold.

The party decides to head straight through the Rotforest[^1] to the gulch.

The Rotforest

Travel action north to the Rotforest. Encounter. Treant. 
Reaction: Helpful (2d6=11).  

Along the way they saw a glimpse of a massive Treant grumbling to a rustling Elm. In his hand was a chipped silver axe. Toby McForest engaged in a broken parley where he offered to take the axe from him. The Treant angrily grumbled, pointing at the axe and a gash in a nearby tree, then gave the axe to Toby (Broken axe. 3 slots, 5dmg. Cut tree engravings; Dwarven made).

Nearby, Sigwald identified lizardfolk prints and signs of a struggle along with dwarf-sized dragged marks to the Gulch. The party followed the markings in the snow to the beginning of the clearing.

Rotforest Gulch 

The gulch lay before them. It was surrounded by a meter tall wooden palisade but the gulch itself was around 3 kilometers in length. At the far end (North side) they could hear dozens of high pitched barks and chirps and the light of torches. They set out to the closest edge (South side), anchored a rope and through it over to climb down. That was when they realized the entire gulch was steaming and filled with jungle growth. One by one, they descended into the gulch, navigating through trees and huge leaves to the muddy bottom.

(The Descent. Drawn by Sigwald's player on Procreate)

3 exploration turns without encounters.

In the bottom Toby’s lucky nose guided them to a cave opening within 20 or so meters which they quickly went into. Further in, Toby smelled a rotting body. A blindfolded dwarf without a ring finger lay in a puddle of mud and vines.

Gulch Cave

Toby lit his torch and they continued. 

2 Light dice/3 Characters = Dim Light

At its end was a smaller chamber with the sound of shifting steps, a carved out water mill from a stream, and another cave branch. 

Forsaken Dwarven Mine

Greedo and Sigwald crawled up to the chamber with sound in it and Greedo could see two figures doing a strange walk and then teleported a couple meters. They left unnoticed.

Going further into the cave branch, they encountered some type of magical darkness.

At the mill, they looted a mahogony dice tray with gemstone and flower engravings. Toby tied his rope to himself and dived down the water canal to a 3x3 meter reservoir that could open from the bottom. They waited for a half hour or so from the top and could hear the reservoir dump open. 

2 exploration turns. 1 encounter. Distant.

At that moment, all the earth around them quaked and their minds were overcome with the sensation of their brains being dunked in icewater. It passed as soon as it came, and there was no time to lose if they wanted to see what was under the reservoir.

Securing the rope yet again, Greedo and Sigwald squeezed him down the canal and lowered him down the rope. At the bottom, he could see three quivering figures. “Uh, hello?” all three figures lurched at him, one losing its arm to his longsword. “PULL ME UP!” Greedo and Sigwald jumped to hoist their friend. “PULL ME uuAAAHHUUPP!”
At the top, the water-saturated gnome splatted on the ground, heaving. 

“What could this be?” Sigwald questioned after Toby’s descriptions. Greedo gathered up his pack, “We should move on. We might be able to find the lower room later.”

In the cave branch was a solid wall of ink-like darkness that completely hindered any light that went inside it. They experimented with a variety of object to make sure it was safe before walking into it. On the other side was the end of the cave. Glowing coals from a recent fire smoked faintly in the middle of the rounded cave and a leather bin and box sat in the corner. In them was Flash Goggles and a chest with an Octagon Wedding Band and some gold pieces. Greedo recognized the ring from the Greyfon clan.

Moving back through the magical darkness, Toby used a pole to check the walls and knocked a wooden door. It was locked.

At the same time, hundreds of little reddish-black anemone critters start squelching through the cracks of the cave towards them. "Hurry up!" Toby picks the lock and they jump in, shutting the door behind them¹. Beyond the door is a short hallway to the opposite side of what they assumed to be a secret stone door. 

Inside was a jewel workshop. Carved stone desks and work stations climbed the wall covered in webs on one side and an engraved map² of a mine was on the other wall with numbered rooms. A chalk ring with four smaller rings drawn inside of it was on the floor. Greedo immediately recognized this section as human-sized but with dwarven architecture and influence.

Myga the Rust Arachnid. 
Reaction: Helpful (2d6=11).

Greedo went to work copying the map while Sigwald started climbing the workstations in search of anything valuable. Suddenly, the webs started shuddering as something large moved and speckled in the void of the ceiling.

8 dull-white eyes shine in the torch-light “Well, hi there fella.”

Sigwald froze “Oh um, hello.” His sword started humming and he slowly backed down the ladder of the workstation until it stopped. 

The whole party guardedly exchanged words with the mostly concealed arachnid who told them his name was Myga and that he’s been looking for some fellas to get him crystals for mating season. When questioned about how this would benefit them, Myga said “Well then I could give you a little bite and you can be like me. That’s what my other friendly fella’s are up to”

Toby offered 4 gold coins which Myga rushed down to snatch, revealing his shining thorax of gold coins and gems with room for more. “I’ll need a little more than that if you want a little bite friend.” 

Greedo said they will see if they can find anything and they left Myga in peace.

In the next room, there was a trash pit and broken tools along with jars of cleaning alcohol. One was already drunk from and Toby drink the rest of it dry. 

The next space was a massive east-west pillared corridor full of gravel piles. Two red and yellow levers were on either side of a door which they flipped. A giant humming sound came from the West side followed by the crashing of hundreds of boulders. Once it all settled, a clicking chittering sound started slithering towards them. They each hid behind pillars in terror before Greedo looked, seeing a 3 meter long segmented antennae creature coming straight towards them. “RUN!”

They slammed doors through multiple dorms and common rooms, throwing anything in the way to slow it down. Eventually, gave up its chase and went back to the corridor.

In one common room they looked over a humming white stone hex pillar that calmed their mind (relieving one stress as they rested here). Toby grabbed a pair of batleather boots in the debris.

Exited to another East-West corridor much like the first where Toby smelled out the quivering creatures he struggled against while hanging from the rope. Across the corridor is a room with a grated floor that contained 3 quivering undead crushed dwarven miners. The party quickly slew them.

They followed Greedo’s map to the headframe exit rail but stopped by the guard house because of metal clinking sounds they heard inside. Greedo posted outside the doorway as the other two passed behind him. Just as Greedo began to back away a crushed miner burst out at him with a glass dagger in hand. Greedo easily blocks it. They discuss leaving, but the pull of whatever is inside the guard post is enough for them to try and kill the undead guardian. 

Because of the positioning of the party, 
the Crushed Miner suffered a Break to all roles. 
Even so...

It went tragically wrong. 

Greedo swung his hammer but missed and the dagger caught him just over his shield. Not only did it stab him, but it shattered into a dozen pieces, piercing the other two as well. 

Sigwald tried to run it through with his sword but got too close. It slammed both fists across his jaw with supernatural force, snapping his neck and throwing him against the shaft wall. 

“AGH!” Greedo crushed its head agains the shaft wall the moment after. 

Sigwald was dead.

Inside the guard room is a box of Fire-Chalk. “Curses. His life just for this?” 

Toby finds another leather bin on the platform cart is an Alchemical Torch and an insulated jar of 9 tiny sapphires. “Let’s get his body back to Fourtower.”

They head back to Fourtower through the multi-kilometer headframe³.

Fourtower 

The first thing Jarek saw in Fourtower was a body consumed in purple flame. Greedo and Toby paid well. The choirsinger sang the Dirge of the Moon. It was a simple affair.

Funeral for Sigwald (Human HD 1). 
Toby spends 4 gp and Greedo spends the remaining amount to 500gp. 
It is split three ways with Jarek (Human 1). 

Warden Notes 

[^1]: I keep forgetting to use getting lost rules in DURF. I don’t think it makes sense on a road, but definitely in the Rotforest. Also, I’ll put these rulings and rolls when I remember or record them. It's fun for me. There will be no consistency :).