We’re playing through an area that I’ve grafted to the dungeon. It’s basically the big, main dungeon (section 2 of 3) of the Path of Glory adventure module from Dragonbane, now only a small part of the megadungeon. I’d wished to see how this dungeon would go but as it is, my boys only explored a small part and beelined the exit. Which is a good thing for their present objective of trying to find the hated Ravens.

3 hours session

Player Characters (PCs) – The Battle Brothers:

• Aracyne, Elf Hunter, fearless Guild Leader, (Isaac)
• Jedri, Ratman Thief, he rather enjoys his rat-shape curse (Isaac)
• Grimoire, Goblin Mage, frail but smart (Isaac)
• Forka, Dogman Knight, fierce warrior (Edmond)
• Torch, Goblin Knight, not expendable anymore (Edmond)

What the other adventuring guilds are doing at the moment:

• Green Imps: job in Longfelt, dealing with an infestation in the Crystal House Inn’s basement
• The Protectors: adventuring in Gunderholfen, except Delevan (convalesent)
• Widowmakers: Longfelt, recruiting
• The Musers: adventuring in Gunderholfen
• The Ravens: adventuring in Gunderholfen

This session’s main goal: Find out where the Ravens have gone in Gundeholfen

Level 4 (Gates of Power)

• The Battle Brothers, along with their allies the Protectors, have gone down the dwarven elevator from Level 1 all the way to Level 4. They’ve found another part of the ruined dwarven realm.
• The gates are smashed open, have been for centuries. Before them is a large dusty room with a lot of footprints and traces of recent fight(s).
• The adventurers enter the room, there’s murderholes on the walls, ten skeletons (of dwarves) in old chainmails and with rusted weapons start to enter the room from two corridors at the back of the room. A big fight ensues as crossbow bolts are shot at the adventurers whilts they go through the skeleton warriors. Forka makes good use of his custom-made 2-h hammer and Bayard is frontline on the on other side, smashing enemies with his magic mace. Torch does his best to block bolts with his oversized shield. The group’s archers can’t do much to help though.The fight goes well with only a few wounds and some fatigue (willpower) paid for the win.
• The hidden crossbowmen are still active though and the adventurers leave the room on their right to try to reach them, going through a narrow corridor. There’s another dozen skeletons and it takes a while to defeat them because of the cramped area but they manage to do it.
• There’s a locked door, Aracynes lockpicks it open. There’s a small armory and they can see that the place was used to rest by a previous group despite the locked door apparently. The drawing of a raven on the wall leaves no doubt, the Ravens were here. Further inspection reveals a secret sliding door. Opening it reveals a stairway going down.
• The adventurers go down the stairs and at the bottom are met with angry hobgoblins sentries. Aracyne talks to them and soon find out that they’re part of the clan that he befriended on Level 1C and now moved there after the brutal invasion of the adventuring guilds on their previous territory. They now control the ancient dwarven Forge, along with ogres, It took about a month but they’ve been found out again. The Ravens inflicted heavy casualties as they passed through them they say. The hobgoblins hate the Protectors so it takes a lot of diplomacy from the Battle Brothers to get safe passage for their two guilds but they manage to obtain it from Nerulf, their leader.
• Reaching the old abandonned Mines, and after some exploration and a fight against Giant Wasps, the adventurers are surprised to feel a breeze of air and then, further ahead, daylight! The tunnel they’re in cuts abruptly and leads to a giant, disquieting open-air canyon. They’ve found an exit to Balor’s Rent…
• They’re eyes adjusting to the light, they can see another entrance on the cliffside but with no easy way to reach it. Except that Grimoire has learned recently the Flight spell and casts it on Forka so he can scout ahead.
• Forka reaches the entrance, there’s a large and long corridor leading into the darkness. He also spots some kind of long-necked monster further ahead on the cliffside. He gets back to his companion.
• Grimoire doesn’t have enough mana left to cast Flight on everyone and after some discussion they decide to go down a stepladder nearby.
• The mist is heavy, visibility is very limited down there, but they soon reach a ledge and there’s a path going along the cliffside. Following the path they reach the entrance of a cave with three Cave Trolls almost immediately coming out after them.
• It’s a hard-fought battle, with cave bats joining the fight on the Trolls’ side, but the adventurers emerge victorious. Some are badly wounded though, and most have depleted willpower. It’s time to rest. Efram casts Clean to remove the awful Troll stench and they get in the back of the cave, roll over a boulder and get some well-deserved resting time.

Closing Comments:

• The skeletons fights were only attrinional. The Cave Trolls were more dangerous but nothing that 9 adventurers together couldn’t handle it seems. The Troll Cave was also excised from Path of Glory. I’ll say that the module is worthwhile, it can certainly be plundered to good effect if nothing else.
• Another entrance to the dungeon found, two in fact. But it’s not clear yet how going through Balor’s Rent is feasible.
• The Flight spell is a game-changer, we’ll see it used quite often in the future, no doubt.