Tuesday, April 17, 2018

D&D Post Game 4-7-2018 Part 3

The Old Grist Mill

The party deftly crossed the small rickety bridge that lead to the small plot of dry swampland housing the grist mill. The party split up to investigate the area. The barbarian moved toward the silos. The monk headed straight to the mill. The rouge went to examine a giant pile of what looked like swamp debris near the waterwheel.
 
The Barbarian’s search
The barbarian gave the collapsed silo a good look over, but found nothing of interest. The silo looked like it had collapsed due to a combination of the swamp environment, weather and lack of up keep. All he managed to find was the remains of what might have been grain and a few big hairy spiders.
 
He noticed that the second silo was in much better shape as he approached it. He also saw what looked to be the outline of a small door in the side facing the mill. From a distance the door was not noticeable, but as he got closer there was a definitely a door made to look like the side of the silo.
He cracked it open. Inside he found the remnants of a few sacks of grain, a very large rat chewing on said sack of grain and large wooden palate on the ground that had what looked to be two large rocks on it. He got closer and realized that these were not just rocks, but chunks of unrefined gold ore. A clue!

 
It was then that he heard a voice calling to him from farther up in the silo. As he looked up he saw a strange creature floating down towards him. It was essentially an orb with a mouth, a large central eye and four smaller eyestalks. As it descended it struck up a conversation about his master, delivery, pick-up, why there was a new guy instead of the usual little ones, if he knew if the password was still Purple Fish?
 
The barbarian responded that he was here for pickup and that the password was still Purple Fish. He was a replacement for the little ones. He also asked how long he had been guarding this ore.
 
The floating eye creature knew his service had lasted fifteen years so far. It also seemed very excited to hear he was here to pick up. It seemed that the discussion of pickup meant that the barbarian was able to take the two pieces of ore. It also meant that the eye monster had nothing left to guard. It became very excited about that, as it meant it was free from further service. The eye creature thanked the barbarian and floated out the silo and off toward the swamp muttering something about seeing the world.
 
The rouge’s search
The rouge wandered over to the pile of vegetative debris. It looked like it had been pulled up from the water and deliberately piled there.
As he was poking and prodding at the pile of swamp vegetation he noticed a large flying eyeball creature float by. He prepared to defend himself, but the creature simply said hello and drifted on by him. Confused as to what he just saw, and finding nothing in the pile of plant parts, the rouge made his way over to the barbarian coming out of the silo.  (thinking a shambling mound encounter right?  Yeah I had one in the back of the mill, but spoiler…the party didn’t investigate there)
 
The monk’s search
The monk approached the door to the mill. There were a few sets of footprints leading away from the door, but no tracks leading back. The door to the mill was ajar and sat crooked as the lower hinges had broken loose. He walked in prepared for anything.
 
What he found was a slowly turning mill stone, several old rotting bags of grain, a lot of dust, many cobwebs and a set of stairs leading to the second floor. He moved up the stairs to discover a caved in ceiling, a pair of bunk beds, a table and pair of chairs that had seen better days. Finding nothing he moved back downstairs.
 
He approached the mill stone and noticed that the floor around it was different than the rest of the building. The floor boards looked almost new in comparison to the warped, weathered and dusty boards the rest of the building. He also noticed a couple of bards on the North wall that looked in similar shape to the boards under the mill stone. He removed the two boards on the wall and discovered a small lever behind them. He gave the lever a glance and didn’t see anything that he thought might be a trap or trigger so….he pulled the lever down.
 
The floor subtly shook and the sound of stone grinding began. The monk jumped back as the millstone began to slowly move back toward the wall. Below it was a set of stairs dropping down roughly one hundred feet. The appeared to be a dimly lit passage at the bottom of said stairs. A clue!
 
As the passageway opened the rouge and barbarian walked into the mill. It looked like there was much more to this mill than the outward appearance and their investigation had into it was paying off.



 
Down they go
 
The trio head down under the mill and find a rough cut tunnel dirt tunnel. The ceiling and walls are braced with planks of thickly cut wood. Strangely for a tunnel under the swamp, the ground, walls and ceiling are all bone dry. The tunnel is dimly lit by torches spaced every 30-50 feet. They slowly move down the tunnel and think they can hear the sound of voices and some sort of recurring “shoosh” sound.
 
After about 100’ they find a small alcove cut into the tunnel. A wooden palate lies on the floor inside of it. Atop the palate are two more chunks of unrefined gold ore. The party adds these to the pieces found earlier. They continue down the tunnel until it slowly turns to the left and slopes down further. They continue downwards until the tunnel begins to open into a large room.
 
As they approach they can see a half dozen dwarves milling about. These don’t look like normal dwarves, but duergar they have faced their kind before. Two seem to be sitting at a small table. Four more are working around what looks to be a smelting oven. What looks like a single eyed lizard/demon/monkey jumps around the room incessantly babbling nonsense. Another floating eye creature with four smaller eyestalks floats above a small chest.
 
The barbarian walks into the room and announces that the master has sent him and friends for pickup.
 
(Insert record needle skip noise here)
 

The duergar grab hammers, shovels, tongs and anything else they can use as a makeshift weapon. The float eye floats. The lizard/demon/monkey leaps atop the smelting oven and stares at the party.
 
The barbarian continues to speak of how he was sent and what he was here to pick up. He also mentions the password, Purple Fish.
 
The lizard/demon/monkey creature stops staring at the barbarian and focuses his attention to the monk and rouge. His eye bores into their mind and suddenly it yelps “LIARS!” “THIEVES!” “FAKERS!” The duergar move to attack. Battle begins!
 
The duergar get the first swings in at the party as they suddenly all grow to twice their normal size the lizard/demon/monkey unleashes a beam of dark energy from its eye into the barbarian. The beam glances his arm and leaves behind a welt that slowly turns the skin a sickly pallid color. The monk and rouge punch, parry and swing at the dark dwarves. The floating eye creature continues to float over the small chest.
 
The rouge nimbly moves behind one duergar and proceeds to drive his dagger and sword deep into his back. The duergar drowns in his own blood as it fills his lungs. He then dashes over and unleashes a second set of blows that all but remove a dark dwarf’s head from his neck. He then turns to face a third duergar and takes two colossal hits from blacksmithing hammers into his chest. The blows drop the rouge to the ground.
 
The monk and barbarian seeing this increase their attacks, but the now enlarged dwarves are putting up more of a fight then they were expecting. The single eyed lizard/demon/monkey continues to leap about and fire beams of dark necrotic energy at the party. The floating eye creature continues to float over the small chest.
 
Although they are enlarged, the duergar quickly realize that they are outclassed in the combat department. Their numbers dwindle against the onslaught of the barbarian and monk. The rouge struggles to his knees and begins to vomit up blood. He then falls to the ground again. The lizard/demon/monkey is cut while reciting the dialogue from unknown play. The last remaining duergar returns to his regular size and then just disappears in the middle of combat. The barbarian had seen this trick before. He quickly turns and makes a dash down the long tunnel toward the entrance. He was not going to let dwarf get away. The floating eye creature continues to float over the small chest.
 
The rouge is eventually able to stand but just barely. He tends to his wounds and then joins the monk in searching the chamber. They find all the tools needed to work metal, a smelting oven, two alcoves cut into the wall containing bunked beds, wood and coal for the oven, a small table with various bowls of colored powders, small smooth cloth rags and four rectangular metal plates. They investigate the rectangular metal plates and soon realize they are molds.  Each plate has five recessed circles with a design carved in it. A design that is a half circle with four rays protruding from it. This is where the strange coins are being made! They check on the strange powders but are not sure what they are for. The monk collects samples of the various powders to have a practitioner of magic check them later. They also find carved into the floor a small runic circle with a shallow bowl of water in the center. The floating eye creature continues to float over the small chest always watching, but doing nothing.
 
Meanwhile……
The barbarian easily out paces the invisible dark dwarf. He stands on the bottom stair waiting for the duergar. He even calls out to him in dwarven to surrender. He only wants to talk. After a few minutes the head of a duergar pops out from the alcove containing the wooden palate.  The dwarf pleads for his life and safety. He is but a simple artisan who was recruited to help make coins. He says he was recruited from his home in the Underdark by a beardless gnome with a pointy hat. They all refer to him as Mr. Pointy Hat. The barbarian questions him about their job and this Mr. Pointy Hat. All he gets is that these duergar were hired to make and infuse coins with minor enchantments. They have been here several months. Orders come in, from the gnome, via the runic circle and scrying bowl. They fill the order and place the coins small chest. Then the order is taken to the silo. Eventually, the coins are removed and gold ore is left behind to make more coins. They don’t know the name of the gnome or if he works for anyone else. They have no idea as to why the coins are being circulated, but they are paid by the order filled. The barbarian gets his name and promises him safe passage out of the tunnels and urges him to never show his face above ground again.
 
Meanwhile in the coin room…..
The monk and rouge strike up a conversation with the floating eye. They learn his job is to guard the chest. He is only allowed to let the little ones (duergar) touch the chest and nobody else. He mentions the gnome called Mr. Pointy Hat by the duergar. He knows he must stay here for many many more years before he can leave, it is his job to guard the chest. He was summoned/hired by the gnome. He know very little of the reasons behind the minting of coins, just that he has to guard them in the chest.
 

The barbarian arrives to check on the monk and rouge. He manages to catch part of their conversation with the eye. He blows most of it off and sits outside the runic circle waiting for the gnome to appear. It is mentioned that the gnome appears at random and not on any set schedule. Frustrated the barbarian kicks over the bowl of water and heads back up and out of the grist mill.
 
All this time the rouge has been sneaking toward the chest thinking himself stealthy. He reaches out and tries to open the chest. It is then that his body is wracked with pain. He looks up to see a single eyestalk peering at him. He draws his weapons and then suddenly he has forgotten everything. He has no idea what he is doing, where he is, who that guy across from him is, why he has weapons, what day it is, and who he is. He is oblivious to the second little eyeball staring at him.
 
The monk moves to attack and is also wracked by pain as the eye creature stares at him. The rouge continues to mutter to himself and wander about in utter confusion. Eventually, he comes to and advances on the eye creature again. The creature focuses another eye stalk toward the rouge and this time he is faced with his greatest fears made manifest. The rouge screams and flees as fast as possible back up the tunnel. The monk intensifies his attacks and manages to shrug off another round of crippling pain. The eye creature succumbs to the sheer amount of punches and sword strikes. Its main eye rolls back in its head and the body falls to the ground with a wet thud.
 
The rouge eventually stops running; realizing that the fear he felt wasn’t real. He quickly runs back to aid the monk (really to investigate the chest).
With the eye monster dead the rouge checks the chest for possible traps and finds none. He pops it open and inside is…….. 100 gold coins with the same strange symbol on them. All that trouble for a pittance of 100 gold coins. They take the coins, the molds and then proceed to do as much damage to the room as possible. They are going to make sure that this location isn’t useable again.
 
It might not have been a high profit excursion, but the trio has struck a blow against this beardless gnome his strange money scheme. Now they just had to figure out the why, how, where and who of all this.

HEY follow or go check out @Regthebarbarian for live tweets from this game!


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