Timberlands Campaign, Session 9: Smash and Grab

February 21, Caudex Annales, 71 AUP

Art by JLazarusEB

The party returned a week later looking to eliminate the crypt bosses once and for all. The area seemed almost completely deserted. The entry chamber contained a trap (disarmed), the main hallway a series of half-destroyed statues (smashed), the rear chamber a set of four stone coffins (smashed), and also a series of glowing pillars (also smashed). In the middle of smashing the pillars, a rearguard in the entry chamber made the uphappy discover that the ice sculptures in the initial chamber (the only non-smashed objects still remaining) were actually ice zombies, and that they were underneath a trio of weird vampire-like slimy things. The party regrouped to eliminate the zombies and drive off the vampires.

From there, everyone broke up. Half the party when into the tunnels to locate and extract the treasure (which still contained a vast quantity of coin, though no magical items). The other half explored beyond a secret door that led to a laboratory and ritual chamber. The laboratory contained a selection of reagents (gems and such), as well as many evil-looking tomes. The gems were pocketed, and everything else was set aflame. All was going well and most of the treasure chamber had been relocated to the entry area, when the other party decided to move beyond into the ritual chamber.

The ritual chamber was clearly the source of the area's reputation as a sinkhole of evil. The altar splintered and shattered under the blows of outraged dwarves, cracking into pieces. Unfortunately, the remainder of the crypt went continued cracking apart along with it, and the structural integrity of the entire complex was rather obviously compromised and rapidly deteriorating.

Meanwhile, the undead leaders, realizing that they were under assault, rushed forward to engage the intruders with an army of skeletons. A frantic chase down the tunnels began, with periodic opportunity strikes as the pursuers came into range of the pursued. Ultimately everyone from both groups made it out alive, just at the crypt collapsed into rubble... collapsing on top of both the undead antagonists and a massive pile of coin.

Roster

• Edw...ina(?) Sir Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 1st-level butler-paladin
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Herrobrin, 6th-level summoner, and his scads of spooky scary skeletons (Kyle)
• Grurdev Onyxvault, 5th-level dwarven lightbearer (Sion)
• Merda Strega, 6th-level witch (Will)
• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Shayna, 6th-level shaman (Kim)
• Ur khla lu khbea, 4th-level gladiator (Jonathan's character)
• Nakab Duli, peasant-with-an-arbalest

Mercenaries and followers:

• Army o' skeletons (400+ at this point), with a few abominations as champions

• Aksel Steelheart, 9th-level vaultlord
• 10 dwarven lieutenants:
• 4 5th-level vaultguards
• 3 4th-level vaultguards
• 2 3rd-level vaultgaurds
• 2nd-level vaultguard
• 18 fire dwarf infantry
• ~ 90 light-infantry pirate survivors from the defeat of the Charybdis crew in the Saberstrath campaign

Not appearing in this adventure, but potentially available now that everyone is back in the area:

• Slarus (Austin)
• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Zelmar (injured)
• Anatolia (at chapel with Zelmar)
• Sir Robin (badly injured)

Retiring, unless they somehow resurface:

• Zalgesh
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston is happily married)
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

None, amazingly

Magical Items

None, tragically (all buried while being equipped by their owners)

Valuables

Jewelry (22): 16,118 gp

1 pearl-studded silver (2000)

2 opal-studded silver (3000, 2000)

3 carved jade (800, 800, 1200)

6 wrought gold (500, 600, 700, 700*, 800, 900)

4 wrought silver (200, 500, 500, 500)

3 wrought bronze (110, 160, 90)

3 wrought horn (10, 22, 26)

* engraved headpiece (see right)

Gems (26): 116,250 gp

flawless facet cut blue diamond (10,000)

2x flawless face cut diamond (8000)

flawless facet cut ruby (8000)

flawless facet cut emerald (8000)

3x facet cut star sapphire (6000)

2x facet cut star ruby (6000)

6x flawless diamond (4000)

3x black pearl (2000)

amber with preserved scarab (1500)

amber with preserved mantis (1500)

amber with preserved frog (1500) #

star sapphire (750)

star ruby (750)

opal (750)

topaz (500)

# this object radiates faint magic under a detection spell

Experience

Killed: 8 empowered hoarflesh [640 xp]
Driven off: 3 tsathar vampire [5520 xp]
Buried alive: The Leech King, Deathbound Wraith [4200 xp], Gorric Eyesuck, Thrassian Deathchanter Draugr [2540 xp], Lector Brekexachrrip, Tsathar Mummy Lord [4200 xp], Talus Reckard, Lich [6000 xp], Amoth-Suthekhan, 9th-level sorcerer of necromancy and retired grandmaster of the Necromancers of Sutekh [2500 xp], 3 wraiths [570 xp], 2 hangbui [130 xp], 24 skeletons [312 xp]
Total: 22,832 xp

Total experience from treasure: 132,368 xp
Total experience from kills: 22,832 xp
Total experience from exploration: 0 xp
Total experience: 155,200 xp
Total experience per member: 15,520 xp

Total experience per henchman: 7,760 xp