WANDERING LANDSLOTH

Dungeons of Thistlemoor 23 // Swallowed Whole

SESSION 23

Adventurers

DOWNTIME

Fourtower During the past week, Majken (Immortal Human - straight white hair, loud and demanding, high priest of Lunasol) started preaching a specific theme: the revelatory red moon.

“Prepare you souls for the revelation of Lunasol. She will turn red and judge according to your sins. Prepare yourselves by placing a horseshoe over your doorway.”

Also, a new dwarf had taken up a tent in a ruined tower by Majken's Bell Tower. The party conversed with him to hear their fortunes over cups of sweet-smelling tea.

Redleaf (Dwarf - many pouches filled with sweet smells, sighs, anarchist exile from the North Country) “Ahhh the bloodmoon comes. I am but a traveler. Ohhh how I long for that wonderful day."

Predictions:

He told them he will take in any stray dogs they find and any unique herb.

Downtime Actions

EXPEDITION 24

Objective: Head back to clear the Rotforest Forsaken Dwarven Mine and sell information to Tritus Greyfon in Thane’s Reach.

3rd day of the 9th week of winter. Overcast.

Travel Action to Rotforest Gulch. No Encounter. Not lost.

Rotforest

They arrived at the gulch without issue. This time there was no noise from the opposite end of the 3km cut of earth. Jarek pointed at the ground, "Lizardfolk have been about. I count 3 in these tracks."

"We'll be cautious then" Üthred nodded.

Toby pointed excitedly in the distance "But what's that skull out yonder?"

Greedo and the gnome investigated. Atop a longer pole on the gulch palisade was a painted red human skull and vertebrae. Toby shivered with a smile to Greedo, "A bit creepy!" They descend without issue into the gulch by rope.

Rotforest Gulch

At the muddy bottom, they foraged for plants and animals for a turn. Toby looked for a dog and found knawed on dog bones by long teeth, back broken by blunt object. Before entering the cave Toby and Greedo went in last time, they pulled out Greedo's map and marked 26, 20, and 16 as points of interest. Toby lit a torch and they entered the wet and jungle-growth cave.

2 Light dice (LD) for 4 characters = Dim light

Past the ringless dwarf corpse Greedo and Toby crawled up to the ledge again to spy on two hissing humanoid figures. They were dragging their feet on the ground, instructing one another. Greedo crawled back after him and Toby decided they'd try to parley with them.

Exploration Turn. No encounter. 1LD.
Reaction: Extort (2d6=4)

"Hey there! I'm friendly!" Toby called.

"What? Who are you? Tell us now!" was the whispered response.

"Uh, we are adventures in search of treasure!"

One of them crossed their feet and teleported to the top of the ledge with a shimmering glass knife to Toby's throat. She then saw the rest of the party and threatened to kill Toby unless they gave her 20gp. Jarek lifted his torch to get a better view of her but she kept out of the light. The figure they glimpsed was a medium height elfish creature with dark skin. Greedo hissed to Üthred "This is crazy, let's take her out!" Üthred leaned over while keeping his eyes on the dark elf, "I believe she's more powerful than you think. We should pay." They pay her 20gp and she disappeared into magically dark cave.

Resolving to leave the dark elves alone for now, they checked out the space under the ledge they were moving in. Skulls of greenkin and dwarves were mounted on the cave walls, a box with three torches sat in the middle of the room, and there was a stairwell to a massive cavern. Jarek took a torch.

Exploration Turn. Encounter: Bloodsuckers.

Red mollusks and anemone looking creatures started emerging from the walls. Forced to move, they went towards the giant cavern that's ceiling glittered and floor was flooded with water. Three massive cavern holes exited from the giant cavern and the faint sounds of picks came from the furthest. The torch light exposed glinting of metal objects in the water as well. Üthred looked warily at the water, "Mark my words, there is a monster in that liquid."

Jarek led the group through the chest-level water to a rock mound against the cavern's Eastern wall. "Anchor me with a rope, I'm going to search out whatever is in the water." Jarek waded out in silence and found a bronze ingot (75gp), a Flanged Mace with silver chain (150gp). Although he could see many objects, he tried to focus on something smaller. By his foot, he noticed a dwarven copper key. As soon as he pulled it out of the water, the entire cavern shook.

Exploration Action. Encounter: Purple Worm. Reaction: Attack.

SNUFF SNUFF. The party from the mound beheld with horror a massive worm mouth slowly emerge from the cavern hole closest to them.

Worm mouth1

SNUFF SNUFF. It was sniffing? It was sharply inhaling through its mouth in Jarek's direction. SNUFF. Trembling, Jarek reached into his bag for a ration. Greedo pulled the rope taught. Jarek threw it far in the opposite direction. SPLASH! The Worm dove towards the sound. "GO GO GO!" Greedo yelled over the horrendous sound.

Jarek ran through the water back to the group. They all jumped into the water by a steel door which connected into one of the main halls, prying at it and searching in vain for a release.

The worm turned back toward them. SNUFF SNUFF. Greedo froze and whispered "Stand still!"

Worm total

SNUFF SNUFF. They waited for a minute. Toby's eyes were shut as tight as possible, arms rigid against the steel door to keep above the water. That's when the Worm lurched at them, sucking in Greedo in one violent motion.

"I told you there would be a monster in the water!" Uthred yelled at Greedo. The dwarf's head and shoulders were still exposed to Jarek's torch light. Toby loosed a crossbow bolt. Üthred threw his grappling hook in to Greedo, who caught hold of it before being completely swallowed. Jarek swung his war hammer but was intercepted by the worm's tail stinger, "Crow's balls!". The hide armor of the worm chinked as another one of Toby's bolts bounced off it.

Worm tail

Jarek pounded the worm again and was hit by the stinger a second time, piercing his rusted armor and poisoning him.

Greedo's heart was pounding out of his ribcage. Everything was wet. Complete darkness. His body was contorting and quivering under the muscles of the Worm shifting. What would he do? The mushroom bars! It took him everything to squeeze his hand into his pouch for them. as he pulled them out they crumbled all around him in the sloshing oozing stomach fluid burning his skin.

Üthred ripped at the grappling hook rope to pull the swallowed dwarf out. The Worm dove at him, teeth twisting like a garbage disposal. A burst of green blue energy in thorny rivets burst forth from his armor (arcane block), punching the worm in the mouth and pulling Greedo's upper portion back into view.

The Worm froze. It drooled Greedo out SPLASH! and slowly turned away, diving in the opposite direction.

(Warden Note: Greedo used all 4 of his body swap mushroom bars and shoved them down into the Worm. Because the Worm was focused on munching him, it swapped with him, and Greedo took control of the worm, burrowing a hole all the way the next hex north [Rook's Tower]. THIS IS WHY WE PLAY BABY!)

The party pulled the spasming, biting dwarf from the water. Üthred incapacitated him and they set out to drag him out of the mine. Eventually, the body swap completed and Greedo explained what happened. The gnome was amazed "How did it feel?"

Greedo let out a sigh of relief "Really, really big."

They gathered their things and tried to clean off Greedo as best they could but the Worm's stomach acid disintegrated his clothing.

Travel action to Fourtower. No encounter. Not lost.

The guards at the gate gawked at Greedo as he limped in and Jarek with the massive puncture in his plate armor.

They paid Lorna their dues and collapsed into their beds at the Moorland Magpie.

4th day of the 9th week of winter. Sleet.

Residents stayed inside their homes. Travellers wrapped their blankets around themselves tightly in their wagons. Greedo looked up at the sky "We'll have to head to Thane's Reach tomorrow with our report." Jarek patched his grandfather's rusted armor as the ice pattered outside. Üthred bought more supplies for the group at Millie's Warehouse. The rest recovered and rested.

5th day of the 9th week of winter. Overcast.

At the east gate, Moon-Missed (Elf - 16 years old girl, severe, Warden Ranger) warned them the King's road is howling with Gnolls and that they should only take it with supreme caution, "Only Geoffrey the Skull Knight would help you out there."

EXPEDITION 25

Greedo plotted a different course. Into the Rotforest they called on the Deepwood Lodge and spent a soul (Booth Gnast, leader of the Ghost Beggars) to get back to the Warm Cave North of Thane's Reach. While they were there, Jarek got his whistle enchanted into a soul-whistle (with worm engravings on the side).

Thane's Reach

At the West gate, Greedo called on Tritus to make true his deal on the mine. Tritus meets them outside and recognizes Greedo for the first time since Greedo was banished from the Dome Forge. "Greedo! What are you doing showing your face here! Someone may recognize ya!" They swap short histories with each other and Tritus got them 600gp for the mine. He told them he would work out some wagons to get there next week.

DOWNTIME

Fourtower

Toby McForest goes up to 2 HD and improves his DEX by one.

  1. Image credit: Greedo's player.↩