Murdicog's Manse Session 10: 3 Locks for 3 Keys
Players: Peanut, veteran (Shy Owl), Osric III of Shophalbelath, swordsman (EvilTables), Grappadora Hamaqes, hero (Jay_zer0), Xaldun of Portage Town, warrior (roguewithwhimsy).
Summary
In the two weeks since last expedition, Grappadora spent two weeks hosting debauched parties, Xaldun advanced from Veteran to Warrior, Osric earned money by doing guard duty (less remunerative but safer than the banditry he engaged in last week).
Once again, the crew of adventurers based in Bar Udartophir ventured into Murdicog's Manse to locate locks for their four color-coded keys.
Using four roasted gentus (land-penguins, as the chicken is to non-antarctic lands) to placate the Dinicthys, they entered through the stream cavern and went immediately to level 5. Once there, they explored psouth past the room where they had rescued the rhizomes last expedition. This area was a maze of long, winding passages. 6 Kobolds attacked, and 5 were rapidly killed, with Osric taking only a light wound.
At the end of a dead-end passage, a glowing blue keyhole appeared when the adventurers got close. Inserting the blue key caused the section of wall to slide into the floor, revealing a statue of THE ARCHIMANDRITE with a rink of four black keys dangling from his left hand. Peanut took the ring of keys, and Grappadora knelt to pray at the shrine, thus earning THE ARCHIMANDRITE's blessing (a use of either Hold Portal or Knock).
Another passage ended in the lair of a Carbuncle Drome. This particular specimen had an ornate sword sticking out of its carapace. Though initially curious, it was disturbed by the tonality of Grappadora's Batrachian viol and quickly became hostile. Grappadora dubbed the creature "Jennifer Sword". The party decided to withdraw rather than tangle with Jennifer's beak and whip-like tail.
Another dead-end passage had a door matching the yellow key. The room beyond had a vertical shaft to level 6. Xaldun bravely ventured down and found a room with 20 blue lacquered chests. Unfortunately, they all contained junk, save for one that had a magical scroll and another with a ceramic YGSÐÐ idol.
Grappadora tried exploring through a door to the psouth and saw a pair of Wights hovering over hundreds of gold coins scattered across the floor. By holding the YGSÐÐ idol aloft, he was able to halt the Wights' advance. However, when Osric bent down to take a coin, the spell was broken and the Wights moved to attack.
Thankfully, the party moved quickly. Osric and Xaldun dashed for the rope and began ascending back to level 5, while Grappadora used the blessing of THE ARCHIMANDRITE to cast Hold Portal on the door before the Wights could pass.
Back on level 5, they explored one more dead-end passage and found a door for the orange key. Behind it, a pile of 290gp rested on a brass pressure plate. Unfazed by the obvious trap, the adventurers used their gear to counter-weight the plate and made off with the gold.
Once back in Bar Udartophir, the adventurers visited The Electron Sovereign, who identified the mysterious scroll as one of Conjure Boots. Grappadora had him cast it and thereby acquired a pair of fabulous green leather boots with pointed toes and silver bells hanging from the laces.
Additionally, replies to the letters Grappadora had dispatched before last expedition had arrived:
To the esteemed gentleman adventurer Grappadora Hamaques:
We thank you for your letter of inquiry. The Guild is always in need of scents, substrates, effervescents, tinctures, admixtures, and essences. The aculei of the Goliathus glacies, or "Giant Ice Beetle" is indeed of use to our craft, and we would gladly remunerate any who can provide intact specimens.
For future reference, and perhaps to orient your delving efforts, we have included a roster of sought-after ingredients and their prices; we will dispatch immediate payment in full for any of the listed items. The list is not comprehensive; we welcome inquiries regarding newly-discovered ingredients and scents.
Respectfully, Xikalla of Miir'umbra, secretary to the honorable and fragrant Bezalak, Grandmaster Olfactorist, May 29, A.D.M. 26
And,
Xyr Hamaqes,
Thank you for these tidings concerning our wayward kinsman -- it is rare indeed that an outlander writes with such eloquence and deference. Ziphar left our halls knowing well the risk of an adventuring life. A barber-surgeon is out of the question -- we cannot reasonably dispatch an arborist to re-graft every snapped twig on our antique and deeply-rooted tree, however much we may wish it. However, we have given your courier a concoction of Serpent Head and Pocete Root, which will ameliorate his symptoms and accelerate his recovery.
Despite the misgivings of our elders, Ziphar's recent ascendancy to the title of Hero does glorify to our house. For that reason, we have sent his second-cousins Bekhtar Amphibia, Veteran, and Bekhtar Flavius, Veteran, to serve as his squires and aid your company in its exploits.
Felicitations and grace, Bekhtar Daian, June 1, A.D.M. 26
Grappadora thus dispatched the Ice Beetle stinger to Xoth'umbra. Bekhtar Amphibia, though sent forth as a squire, agreed to enter Osric's service as a thief.
Aftermath
Treasure Found: Clay YGSÐÐ idol (coveted rather than sold), Scroll of Conjure Boots (cast), cyborg caryatid (sold for 400gp), 290gp.
Foes Encountered: 6 Koboulds (5 killed), Carbuncle Drome (retreated from), 2 Wights (evaded), 2 Bandits (ignored).
Rumors:
- There is a sword sticking out of the Carbuncle Drome's carapace.
Deaths: None
XP Awarded: Base award of 2820 XP, modified by level and starsign.
Notes
- I was glad to finally get to use an icosidyadic shrine this session. In this case, since Grappadora had just been holding aloft an evil idol, I rolled to see if the gods would overlook his blasphemy. Thankfully, they did.
- I let the players buy a crowbar that increases the open door chance to 4-in-6. As noted in past reports, the 2-in-6 chance works at a physical table much better than online, in my opinion.
- For now, I'm using a simple reputation system, again inspired by Owl's REDUX game: reputation with any group is rated using "+" or "-" and denotes chance-in-6 of good or bad responses to requests.
- If one has negative reputation, it's the chance-in-6 of getting run out of town or demanding restitution each week.
- Positive reputation can be tested to request favors (ignore a crime, get an item for free, take on an unpaid follower, etc.)
- Right now, I just have carousing set to formally affect reputation, so I need to flesh out the guidelines for it a bit more.
- In cases of overlapping reputation, positive and negative cancel out, and only the highest of each is considered.
- E.g. if one has ++++ with House Ix and --- with Jal Zartha Canton, interactions with a member of House Ix from Jal Zartha are treated as +. If one has ++++ with House Ix and ++ with the Erudite Curators of Prudent Thought & Speech, interactions with a member of both groups use ++++.