D&D post game 6-3-17

Late on this write-up been lazy and playing through Mass Effect: Andromeda.

We left the party on a lift awaiting a trip down to find the lost forge of Durgeddin.

As the party regained their composure, the bard decided to stay behind and study the rooms further, or write a poem about their battles or to compose a song retelling their adventure. So yeah our bard had to work and would miss this game.

Dust off the 4th Edition paladin! The model is weapon appropriate too!
Polearm paladin!

However, as the party prepared they heard the sound of someone in armor approaching. Low and be hold what arrives than a ½ eleven  armored holy warrior. A paladin had been sent from lord Farruth, a friend of the group, to aid in their quest. Lord Farruth had met this paladin and saw his potential. He, somehow, knew where this party was and that they could use the additional help.

How and why does he know this? I have no idea, but I needed a hook to explain the paladin arriving.

The group decided to pull one of the three levers in the lift. The doors slowly started to close and chains began to rattle. As  the doors were about to close three giant albino lizards crested the stairway in the center of the room. Following them was a lightly armored elf. His skin the color of night. He raised a small weapon and aimed just as the doors slammed shut.

After 20+ minutes the lift came to a halt  and the doors opened to a room three statues and the sound of distant hammering. Eventually, the group found a switch to open a hidden door. They traveled found themselves in a giant room full of pillars and a voice warning them to leave. Of course they didn’t heed the warning and were soon ambushed by rough grey skinned dwarves that could increase in size or turn invisible at will, Duergar. After dispatching them they began to search the area.

There were two sets of doors to the north and both were barred shut from this side. One set did have an orcish warning about some bringer of death eating the sunlight or some such nonsense. The paladin was stricken with a foreboding sense of evil…but that was scoffed at and the doors bashed open. As the doors apart a wave of fear washed over the monk and he would not enter the room. A small speech, and a spell, from the paladin changed his mind.

 Inside they found a shrine to some dwarf deity. It was mostly thrashed and the floor littered with the skeletal remains of dwarves, orcs and goblins. A small  bier was at the front of the room and atop it was a dwarf skeleton that was pierced by a dozen orcish blades. A juicy orc corpse with a ruby eye lay at the  foot of the bier. As the party approached the orc body rose up, the ruby eye aglow and menacing. As it rose so too did a dozen skeletons. The dragonborn thief made eye contact with the undead orc and was paralyzed with fear. The orc began to attack anyone near him that was still moving. A few rounds of combat later and the non-mummy mummy orc was dispatched along with his skeletal minions. The party was starting to piece together what must have happened to the dwarves in this complex, but there was still information to be gleaned and rooms to search.

They bashed in the other northern door to find a giant hallway full of rooms to search. As they  moved about the temperature in the hall began to fluctuate wildly. Sounds of cursing and combat were heard in the hall. A mod of spectral orcs and goblins rushed the party, only to disappear at the last moment. There were banging doors, gusts of wind, clashing metal sounds, moving shadows, walls bleeding, dogs and cats living together….you know all manner of ghostly occurrences.

The party split to search rooms. Most were full of bodies of fallen orcs and dwarves. It looks this area was a last stand type scenario. Eventually the thief, mage and monk discovered a locked room. Upon opening it the found the remains of a mage’s laboratory. It had been ransacked and destroyed. Well except for a small glowing skull in the corner. The thief thinking it treasure approached only to see the skull was afire and rising to his eye level. It then unleashed a pair of fiery beams from its glowing eye sockets.

Meanwhile in the hall a headless specter approached the barbarian and paladin. Thinking it another apparition they ignored it, until it sunk it’s hand into the paladin’s chest. This ghost was “real” and angry. Both groups were best by undead, but that didn’t last long. Some smart counter spell action from the mage neutered a fireball that would have been amazing in the small room the three guys were standing inside. The specter was quickly dispatched as well.

After a quick chat and some investigation, the party found out the who and why of what happened in this place. Dwarf mage ( hate saying that out loud) struck a protection for pay deal with some drow. Drow double cross. Duh! Waves of fodder move through the forge. Dwarf mage named traitor and killed. Dwarves wildly outnumbered and slaughtered. Dwarf mage ghost haunting the place. As his head and body were destroyed, the ghostly events stopped.

They continue searching and find the old armory, which contained the remains of 50 orcs/goblins and a standing pristine dwarven suit of plate mail armor. Opening the armory, the suit activated and began to attack the party. Eventually it was destroyed and fell apart, much like the skeletal remains in the room.

They continue to a room full of almost living darkness. The mage wastes no time and just launches a fireball into the room. Yup. He attacked the darkness. As the ball of flame explodes they see eight shadowy forms screaming and burning until they simply dissipate. A moment that was both awesome, infuriating, funny and very smart.

They continue searching ever hearing the distant hammering, but finding no forge. They do find an escape tunnel and a freshly killed duergar body. This tunnel leads to a ledge that drops almost 200’ down into the darkness. A small stream runs from under a nearby wall along and over this ledge. At the far end eight duergar are lined up and kneeling facing the party. Behind them, three of the dark skinned elves stand with weapons raised. They swiftly behead the dark dwarves and turn their attention to the party. Insults are thrown in orcish (which was all it took for to spin the barbarian into a rage) and elvish. As the party advanced their bodies were covered in a bright purple fire and then all became dark.

The party either stumbles slowly through the darkness or sprinted head long out of it into the midst of the three drow warriors. Combat was furious and almost over as quickly as it started. One drow managed to make it to the ledge and leap into the depths. The monk firing arrows after him, but knowing if they struck him of not. Two dead drow was still an accomplishment, since they have a crazy reputation for being bad asses. Treasure was found in a small chest, along with maps and locations of the world above. Hmmmm…..I wonder what all that could mean?

Still they had yet to find the forge.

Back to the two doors to the south. Here they found a kitchen and pantry that was home to several poltergeists. After being attacked for several minutes from all manner of cutlery, pots, pans, dishes and a table: the party retreated from the room and closed the doors.

They opened the final door to find the forge. Within it were a few duergar busy working on weapons and oblivious to the events that had been occurring outside the room. The party attacked. The six duergar were quickly dispatched via steel, fireball and a signature grease spell. The party had found and cleared the lost forge of Durgeddin. They took stock of their wounds and treasure and were left deciding on what to do next. Follow the escaped drow? Head to the level they passed on the lift. Travel down into the actual dwarven mine? Travel back home?

It was a good night and we had some new blood and that was pretty awesome as well! Hopefully the paladin will return next month to game again. More bodies is always more better! Plus he knows his shit. He meshes well with the real and fantasy party. He is running a paladin using a glaive with the associated feat. How cool is that? Very. It is so not the typical sword and board paladin that everyone thinks of when playing D&D. Good stuff there and hopefully soon a full party of 6-8 players!

I need a bigger table!