megadungeon

Gunderholfen – Stirges & Rats- Session 4

David Skelector Delicious in Dungeon, Dragonbane, Fantasy, Gunderholfen, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

Short session ( 2 hrs). Isaac is mapping as usual. Edmond has decided that he’s taking notes, so he writes furiously in his little notebook. Olivier is mostly waiting for fights to happen. And Marjorie works hard to solve non-combat challenges.

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Malique, (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter
  • Alfred (Olivier), Hobgoblin Fighter

We start in hobgoblin territory (level1C). The adventurers had permission from chief Nerulf to rest before going to Level 2 and that’s what they do.

Hobgoblins accompany them until they reach the stairs that goes down. They tell them that the grand hallway that they’ll soon get into is infested with stirges. They also tell them that the passage after that has some sort of powerful magical wind activated when walked through.

Level 2

  • Down at Level 2, inside the grand hallway, the light of their torch doesn’t reach the ceiling above. The PCs eye suspiciously the dark corners but don’t see any stirges so they advance tentatively and inspect the double doors at the end of the hallway. There’s an inscription, it’s in old dwarvish and Hédralynn only manage to comprehend the general sense of the words – something about welcoming, politeness and cleanliness she thinks. Acting on that, she remove her boots and tell her companions to do the same but as they do they begin to hear a humming sound coming from the north-east corner. The stirges are coming!
  • The PCs hurry up and push the heavy doors together, quickly get in and close them behind them. They can see a stone visage carved that looks like a dwarf with puffed-up cheeks on the opposite door. Nothing happens, they get to the other side, opens the door and put back their boots on.
  • A bit further they see a stone mouth carved on the wall with its tongue sticking out. They mess with it for a while and discover a small coin-sized depression on the tongue. After losing a few gold pieces to it, they discover that it changes copper coin into silver and change a bit more than a hundred coins that way.
  • Thence, in the next room with a small crevice splitting it in the middle, two walking puffballs run towards them. Malique throws his cloak on top of one to cover it as Hédralynn shoots it with an arrow. It deflates with a hissing sound and stay still. Alfred tries the same manoeuver with his cloak but misses, Lebeau shoots it anyway, kills it, releasing a cloud of spores. Aracyne hurries to cover it but inhales some spores and feels sick.
  • After that, they get to a natural cavern filled with murky water. Hédralynn levitates and ties a rope with a grappling hook on the ceiling and then levitate some more to get herself to the other side. Aracyne get to the other with the rope but Alfred falls halfway and splashes into the shallow pool, disturbing four giant toads nearby. The toads miss their attacks and two get kill in no time. The others, wounded, dive back inside the murky water.
  • Now all across, the PCs continue their way in what is now a series of unworked natural passages. They see an old campfire, there’s graffitis on the walls.
  • Next, they get into a room with faintly glowing mushrooms and they try their best not to walk on them.
  • Thence, they get into a passage with three small tunnels on the side. There’s fur and droppings on the floor. Big rats get out of the tunnels and jump on Aracyne who gets many painful scratches. More rats are coming from the tunnels but the Mage let go of three fireballs, one for each tunnel, ending the threat instantly. Aracyne’s other companions help him get rid of his rat problem.
  • TBC…

Closing Comments

  • Edmond’s character has almost all the group’s torches on him, if he had get wet as Alfred did, their expedition would have suddenly getting much more complicated…
  • Walking Puffballs is my first nod to Delicious in Dungeon, more annoying than dangerous (on this level).

Dungeon Rats (gritty fantasy prison break)

David Skelector computer game, megadungeon, review, Roleplaying Game, RPG

I think that video games have now too prominent an influence over tabletop rgs, often to the point of denaturing the latter. But if we stay clear of what works for crpgs but should absolutely not be imported to ttrpgs, we can absolutely borrow some great ideas from one to the other.

Now the game I’m gonna talk about I can’t say it’s a great game, I would not even recommend it except for a very specific kind of gamers, those who like punishing turn-based tactical games, like say Darkest Dungeon or Battle Brothers.

Dungeon Rats by Iron Tower Studio is kind of an annex to the more complex Age of Decadence game, both set in the same ancient Rome-like world. If the latter offers a full immersive rpg experience, the first only focus on tactical combat with some (very well-made) crafting on the side.

The premise is quite interesting to me: we’ve been sent to a special kind of prison, a deep and nearly depleted mine, we’ve arrived at Rock Bottom… As we’re the fighting type we’ll be spared the back-breaking work and have a few missions until we’ll be facing a hard choice: live our the rest of our miserable, short life in the oppressive darkness or… try to escape.

Now, as we’re in the aptly-named Rock Bottom, to see the light of day and gain our freedom we have to go up!

But in order to do so we first have to go through gang territory:

And that’s where I said to myself that this game would be highly interesting as a ttrpg conversion. DR is a pretty limited game, mostly linear, from one fight to another without a lot of choices. Converted into a proper tabletop dungeon and with faction play with the above-mentionned gangs? And with the fascinating crafting/alchemy system (i.e. you can make liquid fire, or craft The Claw, a spear made with a scorpion pincer). There’s a lot of potential there methinks.

There’s more to fight than fellow prisoners though. From giant ants, scorpions, carnivorous plants, giant spiky worms to… demonic metal-skinned beings! Hmm, yeah, there’s a weird turn into sci-fi in the later part of the game, that’s a matter of taste I guess if one would keep the abrupt theming change or not.

Just for fun, the levels/sub-levels are thusly arrayed in DR, note that the whole thing is more horizontal than vertical (maybe 4 Levels, 5 counting the Fort):

  • Rock Bottom, where the latest prisoners are dumped
  • Deep Caves, below Rock Bottom, full of critters and lava but somewhat less depleted in ressources
  • Old Town, neutral ground, I would imagine, of the upper level
  • The River, fast underground river, access to precious fresh water, controlled by the Dredgers
  • Crystal Caves, eerily-glowing minerals
  • The Mines, labyrinthine, controlled by the Molerats
  • The Forge, soot-blackened, controlled by the heavily-armored Praetors
  • Ancient Factory, sub-level, sci-fi, robots
  • Old Cellblock, « proper » prison, home of the Emperor, ex-gladiator, inhumanly enhanced
  • Fort, above the dungeon, sunlight at last! but we’re not out of danger yet, a century of legionnaires is between us and freedom

Gunderholfen – Never trust an Elf – Session 3

David Skelector Dragonbane, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Gunderholfen, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

There’s three minor factions on Level 1 of Gunderholfen: the kobolds, the goblins and the hobgoblins, all hostile to each other. The hobgoblins are closer to Level 2 but are stuck inside the dungeon as they don’t have access to any exit (in my version, as written their area has its own entrance). My own explanation for the presence of these three groups is that the goblins were serving the hobgoblins mostly as cannon fodder for exploring the lower level until they had enough, revolted and claimed a part of Level 1 for themselves, The kobolds simply invaded in the ensuing chaos. Of course my players didn’t know any of this but learned of it in this session.

For this campaign we’re using Free League’s Dragonbane as the rpg system and we’re spicing up the whole thing with a Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon flavor so to speak.

Gunderholfen by G. Hawkins: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/265629/gunderholfen

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Malique, (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter
  • Alfred (Olivier), Hobgoblin Fighter

The adventurers buy a few more goods in town.

It was decided that Alfred the hobgoblin would be Lebeau’s hireling, paid by him, and not a full member of the guild for the moment.

Aracyne pays some gold pieces to Cedric the Sage to learn of the history of Gunderholfen in broad strokes.

Ganfal Swamp:

The PCs leave town, cross through farmlands and reach the Ganfal Swamp. This time, two-third of the way in they have a fight against giant poisonous toads. Alfred is wounded and poisoned but survives. The PCs make camp to rest a moment.

While they lunch they ask their new hobgoblin companion, what he knows of Gunderholfen (about time) and they learn a few useful things.

  • He was outside the dungeon with a hunting party, came back after a few days and he and his companions were surprised to find kobolds at the main entrance. They tried to force their way in but were outnumbered. He was the only survivor and was thrown in prison.
  • When he left the hobgoblins controlled almost all of Level 1, so something happened to change that.
  • Negruf is the hobgoblin chief.
  • The hobgoblins were in the process of exploring Level 2, cautiously, using goblin patrols. Level 2 is made of natural caves and there’s some monstrous critters roaming around.
  • There’s two entrances to Level 1 (not quite true), the Snake Door and another tree shrouded gully entrance on the northern side of the hill.

(Unbeknownst to him, things changed a lot since he left hunting)

North Side Entrance (Level 1B)

  • The party goes around the hill and reach the entrance that their new hobgoblin companion told them about.
  • There’s five goblins guarding the entrance and they tell the PCs that this is goblin territory now. Alfred tells them to stop messing around but they’re serious, they no longer take order from any damn hobgoblins.
  • Seeing that Aflred can’t make them enter, Hédralynn comes forth and show the goblins the dead kobold chief’s headdress and tells them that they (the PCs) could be useful to the goblins. One of the goblin go fetch their chief.
  • Chief Yurt arrives with his bodyguards. Hédralynn makes it known that they wish to get to Level 2. After some discussion between them it’s agreed that the adventurers could pass this one time through goblin territory in exchange for 30 gp now and more gifts on their way out.
  • 10 goblins (including the chief) escort the PCs to the eastern end of goblin territory. Behind a reinforced door, beyond a long, dark passage with columns and corpses (both goblins and hobgoblins) littering the floor, is where the hobgoblins are now confined.
  • As Chief Yurt says farewell to the party, Hédralynn executes her plan, she lobs two fireballs at once, one at Yurt and another to the goblin in charge of this guard post! The latter dies instantly but Yurt survives just to be finished by an arrow from Aracyne. The surviving goblins, still outnumbering the PCs 8 to 5 yells angrily and try to take advantage of their superior number. One lucky goblin pierces Malique’s boot with his spear and cuts his big toe off (injury). But three more fireballs from the mage definitely turns the fight to the adventurers’ advantage, not too soon though as more goblins are coming in.
  • Malique snatches Yurt’s body from the floor, Alfred takes back the gift of gold and then they all flee through the passage to the east. The last two in the passage, Lebeau and Alfred, are hit by stones from goblin slingers and almost don’t make it but they see the hobgoblin guards and Alfred yells at them to open fast and they do.
  • After a discussion with the hobgoblin guards, helped a lot by the fact that they are accompanied by Alfred, the PCs are escorted to chief Negruf. They tell him of their objective of going down a Level and explore. They give him the corpse of Yurt, whom the hobgoblins sees as a traitorous rebel, and the gold. They tell him of how they saved Alfred from the kobolds too.
  • Negruf is pleased and allows them safe passage and also let them have a room to rest.

Closing Comments:

  • Olivier’s love of hirelings and Marjorie’s usual craftiness led in this session to their party shortcutting a big chunk of Level 1 and they’ll be able to go to Level 2 next session. They also have a potential alliance with the hobgoblins already in the going but they’re now enemies of the goblins.
  • Eventually they’ll have to figure a way out of the dungeon but all in due time…
  • How Negruf should see the adventurers? They can help him with his goblin problem so I think he clearly has something to gain out of it for the moment.

Gunderholfen – Against the Kobolds – Session 2

David Skelector Dragonbane, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Gunderholfen, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

First session of what should be the main dish ot this new campaign: the Gunderholfen megadungeon. It’s mostly vanilla fantasy (less so the deeper you go!), but after years of kinda atypical D&D I think it will still feel refreshing. We’ll see how it goes.

For this campaign we’re using Free League’s Dragonbane as the rpg system and we’re spicing up the whole thing with a Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon flavor so to speak.

Gunderholfen by G. Hawkins: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/265629/gunderholfen

Player Characters (PCs):

  • Aracyne (Isaac), Elf Hunter, Guild Leader
  • Malique, (Edmond), Dogman Knight
  • Hédralynn (Marjorie), Elf Mage
  • J. Lebeau (Olivier), Dogman Fighter

We start in Longfelt. The PCs hear that the mutants that they had saved are slowly getting back to normal at the town’s sanatorium. Hédralynn sells a scroll of diminution to a gnome magic-user and buys some goods in exchange. The characters leave town, walk through farmlands until they reach the Ganfal Swamp. They have several hours of walking on a treacherous path but they manage to reach the ancient dwarf hold without incidents (no encounters rolled).

Snake Door Entrance (Level 1A)

  • There’s a lot of small, clawed footprints and piles of damaged bones around the entrance. The interior is dimly lit with flickering light.
  • Three kobolds stand guard and threatens the adventurers with their spears. One is slain quickly and the two others flee inside, side-stepping one area on their way.
  • The PCs ran after the fleeing kobolds but took care of not stepping on the suspicious area themselves. Aracyne broke his bow trying to shoot down a kobold. Malique managed to catch one and slew him with his warhammer. The other suffered from the same fate soon after.
  • This wasn’t discreet at all however and now the PCs could hear kobolds coming from the east and from the north at the same time. Aracyne borrowed Hédralynn’s bow and killed an incoming kobold as Malique got in melee against two others. Malique is very efficient with his warhammer but also got stabbed by a spear but nothing serious.
  • Meanwhile Lebeau was facing two other kobolds that tried to bait him into a trap but weren’t subtle enough. One even fell headlong into the hidden pit when he tripped on his own feet in the course of the fight.
  • After taking care of the last kobold together, the adventurers inspect a half-rotten blue curtain and find a passage behind.
  • They get into the chief’s hall. A fearsome kobold, as fearsome as a kobold can be, is flanked by three large weasels and there’s also 5 kobold guards.
  • A big fight ensues. Hédralynn starts to lob fireballs (dragonbane’s fireballs are single target 2d6 dmg, or more if boosted) with abandon. Aracyne finishes a giant weasel with a well-placed arrow. Malique does his best to block spear thrusts at the front. The adventurers prevail but Malique sports many wounds now. Hédralynn does her best to heal him with her magic.
  • Lebeau finds a door behind a wall hanging, this leads to the chief’s modest treasure of copper pieces.
  • Another door in the chief’s hall leads to a larger room that smells of charred flesh. A kobold shaman starts to casts a spell at them as his guards charge the adventurers. Lebeau has a hard time fighting as the shaman unleash a swarm of insects at him. Fortunately the shaman isn’t long for this world as he gets a fireball and an arrow from the elves PCs. One kobold surrenders after his colleagues die and gives some information on the lair’s layout, where the jails are after being asked.
  • Backtracking a little, the adventurers go the kobolds’ jails but a portcullis is blocking their way. The two dogmen manage to force it open. There’s a brief fight thereafter against two kobold guards.
  • There’s two prisoners still alive, the daughter of Clement the tailor and one severely wounded hobgoblin. For some reason Lebeau is convinced that the latter will be a fine addition to the party and asks Hédralynn to spend her last bit of magic on healing him. Lebeau offers a full treasure-part to the hobgoblin if he joins the guild but it will be up to the Aracyne the guild leader to make such a contract or not.
  • The adventurers leave Gundeholfen, go across the Ganfal Swamp safely and get back to town.

Closing Comments:

  • Dragonbane characters start as capable adventurers but they don’t really ever have access to game-changing spells or abilities, unless they find magic items that is. I’m not sure how it wil impact the game later on to be honest.
  • I’ve shortened the walk to the dungeon through the Ganfal Swamp but nonetheless I have to remember that crossing the swamp should be seen very much as an irritating and serious logistic issue to solve before long i.e having a base nearer.
  • They’ve gone through a big chunk of the Kobolds lair and killed 2/3 of them but it wasn’t that easy either. Malique got almost injured despite being the most heavily armored until Olivier reminded Edmond that he could try to block one Kobold’s fatal spear attack with his shield and he succeed in doing so.
  • As we’re not playing a gold>>xp game I’m cutting dramatically on the amount of treasure they find. In fact, most creatures won’t have anything of value. Sorry, but not sorry!
  • The first kobolds that have fled should have alerted 2-3 more kobolds immediately in the next room instead of going farther on the lair. My first mistake of the dungeon happened really quick! I have to look at a few adjacent rooms whenever they advance into a new one just to be sure. I’ll prepare an enemy roster per area next time and won’t be caught off-guard…

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 15

David Skelector Château des Fausseflammes, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

Okay last segment of our sessions at the cabin and we’ll be up to date.

The boys want to find Count Giscard. Not to put a stake through his heart like they did with his wife the Countess, no, they wish to make peace with him as they think he’s a cool dude or something. I mean, is he a cool dude? Maybe! One thing I did told them, to reinforce the point that the Château isn’t a static place, is that they shouldn’t expect the Count to be found in his Entrance Halls’s room, not after what happened to his wife quite recently.

2 hours session

Castle Xyntillan, by Gabor Lux. https://emdt.bigcartel.com/products, compatible with Swords & Wizardry

Set in Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne

TTRPG System used: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, has a repeating crossbow and a magic sword called Scrupulous, Expert lvl 5>>6
  • Pierrot (Isaac), caravan hand, dealmaker extraordinaire, Warrior lvl 2
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 5>>6
  • Paul Nareff (Olivier), friend and sponsor of the numerous Jean clan, Warrior lvl 5>>6
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), apprentice alchemist, don’t confuse him with Jean-Paul Jean, Warrior lvl 5
  • Constant Jean (Olivier), vigorous member of the Jean clan, heavily armored, Warrior lvl 4

Retainers:

  • Raymond (Isaac), Man-at-Arms, gruff, vassal of the Comte de la Frenaie, Morale 7
  • Raoulet the Pimp (Marjorie), undead pimp with a semblance of life, Morale 12
  • Valentin (Isaac), shoemaker, Morale 7
  • Gaston (Edmond), poacher, not very bright, Morale 6
  • Hyacinthe (Edmond), caravan hand, very calm and attentive, Morale 9

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, electrocuted in front of the Anteroom (corpse in castle)
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, ex-monk, clawed to death by a dark monk (RIP)
  • Edgar, daytaler, throat slashed by a dark monk, (corpse in castle)
  • Charles, daytaler, skewered by a drunken skeleton (corpse in castle)
  • Hercule, caravan hand, seized off the raft by the Lake Monster (MIA)
  • Pierre Laroche du Rocher, mason, pierced by the Huntsman’s arrows (corpse seized by Charon, RIP)
  • Alphonse, crusader, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night. (corpse in castle)
  • Jacques, daytaler, got hit in the face by an Empty Armor’s halberd (corpse thrown in the lake)
  • Stuffed Jean-Paul,  killed by stuffed animals, stuffed himself, bursted into flames (RIP)
  • Georges, militia man, killed by an axe blow from a rival adventurer. (corpse in castle)

Previous Infractions in the Château:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Eliminated Aranéa Malévol. Eliminated Runcius the Dark Man of the Woods. Eliminated Countess Maltricia Malévol. Eliminated Agénor Malévol. Eliminated Béatrice Malévol. (+1)

Smoked the Ruined Quarters: 1/2 Angered a werewolf washwoman: 1/2 Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings: 1 Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies: 1/2 Stole a treasure chest full of gold from the Lake Grotto treasury: 1/2 Interrupted Runcius Malévol’s pagan ritual: 1 Slightly annoyed Count Giscard Malévol while he drank « wine »: 1 Stole the Scepter of the Merovings: 1 Defaced living portraits with holy water: 1 Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler: 1/2 Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery: 1 Stole the Oil of Cleansings: 1 Stole the Crown of the Lost: 1 Burglarized Count Giscard’s room (+1) Put holy water in Count Giscard’s « wine » (+1) Total: 12 1/2

Vanquished Aranéa Malévol’s retributory patrol -5

Vanquished Béatrice Malévol’s retributory patrol -4

Played ball with the werepups -1

Current Infractions rating: 2 1/2

Rumors:

  • skipped the rumors

We start in Ximes. Luc Le Chaudronnier’s Alchemy Lab: one more dose of Oil of Revelation. Paul buys a cask of wine with the idea to give it to Count Giscard to compensate for having burglarized his liquor cabinet earlier. (of course Olivier is making a wrong assumption here but nice try!)

Grand Entrance:

  • The PCs wish to go to the catacombs and they enter at the Grand Entrance. The two statues do their usual thing but nothing special happens.
  • There’s a boar in the vestibule! Large and fierce but already sporting many wounds. The adventurers attack the beast from all side and Noah stab it with Runcius’ poisoned poniard and the beast trashes around for a short time and finally dies.
  • Thence they go through the Entrance Halls and get into the Throne Room. They use the secret elevator and descend into the Lake Grotto area.
  • They make a detour to the wine cellar and they discover that the secret passage to the Indoorness doesn’t seem to be there anymore. Instead, there’s a bas-relief depicting a woman: the Enchantress of Sylaire who seems in the process of making a deal with Runcius Malévol. A bit disappointed the adventurers get back to their original plan of trying to find the Count’s hiding place.
  • They go north and turn right near the chapel of the three saints. There’s a lone ghoul into the adjacent corridor, it reacts quickly when it hears the PCs and lashes at the first in line, Monmon, but misses all of its attacks. Monmon quickly disposes of it with his antique spear.
  • Thence they open a door nearby and interrupt eight ghouls that were bickering over scraps. Noah immediately kills one with his repeating crossbow. Paul then swing his big Guts blade (whirlwind attack) and kill four others. Monmon skewers another with his spear. The remaining two ghouls don’t believe very much in bravery and try to scamper away but are quickly cut down for their effort.
  • There’s an interesting frescoe in this otherwise broken down room that served as a tomb. Very ancient, it depicts a scene with knights – the central figure, a mighty knight, holds a banner with a bleeding heart and in his other hand he holds a scepter. (Like the scepter they found and sold? Yes pretty much like it…)
  • Further into this new section (sill in the Lake Grotto area), another tomb, this time an animated shovel digs a grave filling another in the process. They don’t inspect further and leave.
  • Thence, another tomb, there’s what look like a gisant but made of wax. The PCs don’t like the look of it one bit and leave.
  • Next, they open another door and come face to face with Guy the Jocular, Malévols’ own court jester. The PCs ask him if he knows of Count Giscard’s whereabouts and he says: « why, yes, he’s right here » and he points to Hyacinthe (random) with his wand (of polymorph) and the latter transforms and takes the appearance of the vampire Count! « But where’s the Count, for REAL? » « Ha! Can’t one have a little joke? Err hmm, he’s very near in truth but I wouldn’t disturb him if I were you! HA HA HA hihi haha héhé! » spitting some maggots as he laughs.
  • The party leaves the jester behind with a somewhat perplexed Hyacinthe/Fake Count Giscard in tow.
  • They open another doo nearby, another tomb/room but this time there’s dozens of bats on the ceiling and gargoyles in the corners. There’s also a thick stone slab in the middle of the room. The PCs close the door and use their ever-useful Oil of revelation to a see a probable future. In the vision, the adventurers get in a messy fight against the gargoyles and bats and flee the room when the stone slab begins to slide sideway, they flee further in the Castle and hear the howling of wolves sent after them… The vision ends, they know who’s under the slab!
  • Paul puts a note on his cask of wine, opens the door and leave the cask inside. They don’t have to wait too long before the room’s inhabitant rise up from his tomb: « What’s all the ruckus? What’s that, wine? What do I care for wine? » Louder: « Bring me proper sustenance next time or I’ll take care of it myself! »
  • The PCs leave the area before the Count decide to act on his words right now. They want to explore one last area before calling it a day and they settle on the southern part of the Entrance Halls.
  • They get back to the ground floor via the elevator. Soon after ther encounter a woman in a lavender dress and heavy make-up and dragging a heavy bag. The PCs have seen her portrait before, she’s Lydia Malévol. She bows when she sees Fake Count Giscard, « My lord », and eyes voraciously his strange companions.
  • Nearer their goal, the adventurers open a door and find a crowd of 24 undead noble men, mostly insulting each other and each boasting of their superior qualities as a would-be suitor for Lydia Malévol. The 24 undead noble men bow to Fake Count Giscard, « My lord », and eye suspiciously his strange companions.
  • Thence, the PCs get into a weird room with floating furnitures and a giant ectoplasmic head of an old man being slowly absorbed and distilled into an alembic. They discover that they can use the ectoplasm to make complex potions.
  • The adventurers leave the Château.

Closing Comments:

  • Great session with two major discoveries: Giscard’s secret underground repose place and the Knight’s Door which I’m pretty sure they’ll get back to very soon if they get ahold of the scepter again
  • Their plan to get into the Count’s good will has failed but it hadn’t devolved into a hostile situation either.
  • lots of encounters again, mostly non-hostile and one hostile (Lydia) averted with quick thinking and the earlier opportune transformation of Hyacinthe into Fake Count Giscard. Fun stuff.
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 0 Secrets: 2
  • Treasures: none
  • Fatalities: none
  • New Infractions: Have disturbed Count Giscard in his no-longer secret tomb (-1)

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 14

David Skelector Château des Fausseflammes, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Roleplaying Game, RPG

A full-fledged adventurer dies in the Château…

Not exactly a full session as it was shortened due to what happened. We continued to play afterward but I consider each delve a separate session anyway. Worth mentionning: I’ve noted in the past how we had whole sessions that were very light on random encounters despite many many rolls but in the last few sessions we’ve seen pretty much the contrary.

1 hour session.

Castle Xyntillan, by Gabor Lux. https://emdt.bigcartel.com/products, compatible with Swords & Wizardry

Set in Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne

TTRPG System used: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, has a repeating crossbow and a magic sword called Scrupulous, Expert lvl 5
  • Pierrot (Isaac), caravan hand, dealmaker extraordinaire, Warrior lvl 2
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 5
  • Paul Nareff (Olivier), friend and sponsor of the numerous Jean clan, Warrior lvl 5
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), apprentice alchemist, don’t confuse him with Jean-Paul Jean, Warrior lvl 5
  • Constant Jean (Olivier), vigorous member of the Jean clan, heavily armored, Warrior lvl 4

Retainers:

  • Raymond (NPC), Man-at-Arms, gruff, vassal of the Comte de la Frenaie, Morale 7
  • Raoulet the Pimp (Marjorie), undead pimp with a semblance of life, Morale 12
  • Valentin (Isaac), shoemaker, Morale 7
  • Gaston (Edmond), poacher, not very bright, Morale 6
  • Hyacinthe (Edmond), caravan hand, very calm and attentive, Morale 9

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, electrocuted in front of the Anteroom (corpse in castle)
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, ex-monk, clawed to death by a dark monk (RIP)
  • Edgar, daytaler, throat slashed by a dark monk, (corpse in castle)
  • Charles, daytaler, skewered by a drunken skeleton (corpse in castle)
  • Hercule, caravan hand, seized off the raft by the Lake Monster (MIA)
  • Pierre Laroche du Rocher, mason, pierced by the Huntsman’s arrows (corpse seized by Charon, RIP)
  • Alphonse, crusader, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night. (corpse in castle)
  • Jacques, daytaler, got hit in the face by an Empty Armor’s halberd (corpse thrown in the lake)
  • Stuffed Jean-Paul,  killed by stuffed animals, stuffed himself, bursted into flames (RIP)
  • Georges, militia man, killed by an axe blow from a rival adventurer. (corpse in castle)

Previous Infractions in the Château:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Eliminated Aranéa Malévol. Eliminated Runcius the Dark Man of the Woods. Eliminated Countess Maltricia Malévol. Eliminated Agénor Malévol. Eliminated Béatrice Malévol. (+1)

Smoked the Ruined Quarters: 1/2 Angered a werewolf washwoman: 1/2 Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings: 1 Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies: 1/2 Stole a treasure chest full of gold from the Lake Grotto treasury: 1/2 Interrupted Runcius Malévol’s pagan ritual: 1 Slightly annoyed Count Giscard Malévol while he drank « wine »: 1 Stole the Scepter of the Merovings: 1 Defaced living portraits with holy water: 1 Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler: 1/2 Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery: 1 Stole the Oil of Cleansings: 1 Stole the Crown of the Lost: 1 Burglarized Count Giscard’s room (+1) Put holy water in Count Giscard’s « wine » (+1) Total: 12 1/2

Vanquished Aranéa Malévol’s retributory patrol -5

Vanquished Béatrice Malévol’s retributory patrol -4

Played ball with the werepups -1

Current Infractions rating: 2 1/2

Rumors:

  • Avoid the northwestern section!
  • The Château is now for sale to the first to pay the 25,000 gp asking price to the family lawyer.

Alchemy lab: one more dose of oil of revelation

We start in Ximes. Monmon recruits two more retainers, Gaston and Hyacinthe, and Noah keeps the services of Valentin.

Grand Entrance

  • The PCs wish to go to the catacombs and they enter at the Grand Entrance. The two statues do their usual thing but nothing special happens.
  • Past the vestibule and the portrait gallery, into the Entrance Halls, they go in the corridor leading to the Throne Room. The adventurers see rocks and rotten cabbages bouncing off the corner’s wall. They soon encounter Étienne the Lapidated, he’s not hostile but complains about the constant deluge of projectiles aimed at him that appears from thin air. He says this is unfair treatment for the small pécadilles he did back in the day (proceeds to enumerate all the heinous crimes he commited in his life). The PCs move on but some of them are hurt by Étienne’s deserved punishment on their way out.
  • Thence they get into the Throne Room, activate the elevator and get down into the underground level, in the Lake Grotto area. They soon hear some metal grinding sounds, like someone sharpening a tool or weapon.
  • Constant puts a dose of Oil of revelation on his eyelids and has a vision of a probable future. He sees the party going into a fight against Mortagu the Executionner, slaying him but not before he slays Noah himself…
  • Now the adventurers try to find Mortagu but he’s the one who takes them by surprise. In a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy he chooses Noah as his target and swings his heavy axe at him. Noah, unaware, dodges the attack inadvertently (Lucky) as he slips and falls right at that moment. Monmon stabs Mortagu with his spear and wounds him grievously. Mortagu swings his axe again at Noah who’s still on the floor and decapitates him. The Executionner then gets overwhelmed and is killed soon after.
  • Monmon gets hold of Noah’s body and head and the adventurers start backtracking their steps to leave the Château as they have a solution in mind for Noah’s predicament.
  • On their way out back in the Entrance Halls they encounter Olivier Malévol, the one who has turned into a slime before their eyes in their last delve. He seems content enough to be free to roam the Château and don’t seem to hold a grudge against them for trying to kidnap him. He even tells the party that if they succeed in capturing Claude, he would be rather glad as he would become the rightful heir in lieu of his twin brother. He may be a bit delusional.
  • Leaving the Château behind, the PCs want to buy back the Sacred Cloth that they had foolishly sold for a derisory amount several delves ago. The buyer, a benedictine monk from the abbey of Périgon is reluctant to sell back this holy item but he finally accepts on the condition that the adventurers would undertake a somewhat perilous mission, they must investigate Bishop Azédarac’s pratices in dark arts and bring back incriminiating evidence to the church.
  • And so, with the acceptance of this mission the PCs get back the Sacred Cloth and with the proper ritual the holy powers bring Noah back to life, a bit more frail than before and with a very impressive scar all around his neck.

Closing Comments:

  • Étienne the Lapidated is my creation, he’s something like an attriting nuisance mostly.
  • 12 yo Isaac took pretty badly to his character’s death with the fact that it was his second character to die and the other players have only lost retainers to date. I think it was Olivier who thought of getting back the Sacred Cloth and I couldn’t bring myself to be too harsh on this issue.
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 0 Secrets: 0
  • Treasures: none
  • Fatalities: Noah, decapitated by Mortagu the Executionner
  • New Infractions: none

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 13

David Skelector Château des Fausseflammes, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

We’re getting back from four days at the cabin where we managed to slip in several hours of tabletop gaming in-between our outdoor activities. Speaking of which, we found morels on our land! So, all in all, a very profitable time indeed…

3 hours session

Castle Xyntillan, by Gabor Lux. https://emdt.bigcartel.com/products

Set in Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne

TTRPG System used: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, has a repeating crossbow and a magic sword called Scrupulous, Expert lvl 5
  • Pierrot (Isaac), caravan hand, dealmaker extraordinaire, Warrior lvl 2
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 5
  • Paul Nareff (Olivier), friend and sponsor of the numerous Jean clan, Warrior lvl 5
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), apprentice alchemist, don’t confuse him with Jean-Paul Jean, Warrior lvl 4>>5
  • Constant Jean (Olivier), vigorous member of the Jean clan, heavily armored, Warrior lvl 3>>4

Retainers:

  • Raymond (Isaac), Man-at-Arms, gruff, vassal of the Comte de la Frenaie, Morale 7
  • Raoulet the Pimp (Marjorie), undead pimp with a semblance of life, Morale 12
  • Georges (Edmond), militia man, Morale 7
  • Valentin (Isaac), shoemaker, Morale 7

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, electrocuted in front of the Anteroom (corpse in castle)
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, ex-monk, clawed to death by a dark monk (RIP)
  • Edgar, daytaler, throat slashed by a dark monk, (corpse in castle)
  • Charles, daytaler, skewered by a drunken skeleton (corpse in castle)
  • Hercule, caravan hand, seized off the raft by the Lake Monster (MIA)
  • Pierre Laroche du Rocher, mason, pierced by the Huntsman’s arrows (corpse seized by Charon, RIP)
  • Alphonse, crusader, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night. (corpse in castle)
  • Jacques, daytaler, got hit in the face by an Empty Armor’s halberd (corpse thrown in the lake)
  • Stuffed Jean-Paul  killed by stuffed animals, stuffed himself, bursted into flames (RIP)

Previous Infractions in the Château:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Eliminated Aranéa Malévol. Eliminated Runcius the Dark Man of the Woods. Eliminated Countess Maltricia Malévol (+1)

Smoked the Ruined Quarters: 1/2 Angered a werewolf washwoman: 1/2 Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings: 1 Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies: 1/2 Stole a treasure chest full of gold from the Lake Grotto treasury: 1/2 Interrupted Runcius Malévol’s pagan ritual: 1 Slightly annoyed Count Giscard Malévol while he drank « wine »: 1 Stole the Scepter of the Merovings: 1 Defaced living portraits with holy water: 1 Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler: 1/2 Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery: 1 Stole the Oil of Cleansings: 1 Stole the Crown of the Lost: 1 Burglarized Count Giscard’s room (+1) Put holy water in Count Giscard’s « wine » (+1) Total: 12 1/2

Vanquished Aranéa Malévol’s retributory patrol -5

Played ball with the werepups -1

Current Infractions rating: 6 1/2

Rumors:

  • There are multiples libraries and laboratories in the Castle. A magic-user’s delight… or doom.
  • Some strange folks still pursue the work of the Heretic.

A small return on the end of the last session: the PCs had met former retainer Jacques fortuitously, as unpleasant as ever and now a zombie – as he was roaming in the corridors of the Château. As they got out though – after maybe a hundred yards from the gatehouse – poor Jacques faceplanted on the ground, dead as a rock. The cold-hearted adventurers decided to dump his corpse in the lake with the idea that the monster would make him disappear.

We start in Ximes. Paul-Jean, with the help of Luc le Chaudronnier, prepares another dose of lethal poison. Also, the master alchemist has finished analysing the mysterious flask of Oil found earlier: is has astounding properties – when applied on one’s eyelids it enables to see 10 minutes of a probable future. This Oil of Revelation will come in handy!

The PCs then proceed to hire more retainers. Monmon hires Georges who was part of the townwatch until recently. Noah hires Valentin, a shoemaker.

Grand Entrance

  • The PCs would like to reach the third floor of the Gothic Wing for the first time and they enter at the Grand Entrance. The two statues do their usual thing but nothing special happens.
  • Waiting for them in the Vestibule is the horrible Béatrice the Jilted. She’s accompanied by Agénor, a tall, gaunt pale-looking old man who seems a little lost. There’s also the late Countess’ galant knight, now undead, surrounded by four flirtatious undead ladies. Quite the sight.
  • Béatrice tells the adventurers that they will pay for having slain the Countess. Unless… Would any of them accept to be her suitor? No? Noboby? You can die then!
  • Béatrice is supernaturally fast (always acts first) and jumps on Monmon claws first. She rakes him twice, wounding and paralysing him. Noah hits her twice with his repeating crossbow, hurting her. Pierrot swings an axe at her, connects and she’s down! Is she really dead? Georges is asked to stab her some more to make sure. Paul does a whirlwind attack and slay all four of the undead courtesan ladies. Constant and Paul-Jean attack the zombie knight but he’s a more resilient foe. After a brief moment of hesitation the decrepit Agénor joins the fray and attacks Paul with his bare hands but misses. Paul, Paul-Jean and Noah all try to hurt the old man but to no avail, normal weapons don’t affect him! But Monmon shakes off his paralysis and pierce him with a mighty stab of his spear. Paul hits him with his magic dagger but Agénor touches him in return, wounding him and draining some of his strength. Several hits later and Agénor is incapacitated and gets a stake through his heart (as he’s evidently a vampire) and is hurled outside to be burned by sunlight. The undead knight, surrounded, is the last to fall (he had a backstory but, well… too bad!).
  • Béatrice though doesn’t seem to be able to stay dead for very long. The PCs decapitate her and burn her corpse for good measure. They looted her body prior to that and found a pearl necklace and an amber brooch.
  • They continue with their exploration plan and go to the stairway west of the Vestibule and go up into the Gothic Wing.
  • They’re trying to find the stairway leading to the 3rd floor (the highest). They go through the Feasting Hall and go north into a zigzagging corridor, find the latrine’s « throne » and then open a door to the west.
  • They’re inside a boudoir. Inside a closet they find a silver mirror and a puzzle box. There’s also a dressing screen and something behind but at that moment they hear a very angry Béatrice shouting at them: « You killed me and now you’re stealing from me! » and more that is lost in a primal scream as she runs towards them, claws at the ready. She hits Monmon (again) but this time he resists the paralysis. Noah pierces her with two crossbow bolts and then Monmon pierces her through with his spear. They wander briefly what to do with the unkillable crazy Béatrice but then they find a casket with chains behind the dressing screen and just proceed to toss her corpse in and lock it up. Without her head. Her head is thrown through the window and into Tristano’s pond.
  • Thence the PCs resume their search for a way up. Checking their map (Isaac) they figure that the 2×2 square space in the middle could well be what they seek and indeed, it is the stairway leading up!
  • In front of the stairway the party hears some noise coming from the east, several creatures are coming up from the 1st floor.
  • Constant uses the Oil of Revelation to see a probable future. Thus, he sees another party of adventurers, rough men armed mostly with axes. The leader asks the PCs to leave the Castle, it’s their turn to loot the place. Battle ensues, the PCs have the upper hand but suffer some losses. Still in the vision, the party go to the 3rd floor, breaks open a stuck door and gets into a library.
  • With this knowledge in mind, the PCs hurry to the 3rd floor (Gothic Wing II). Monmon breaks open the door and the group wait in ambush as the newcomers, alerted by the sound, come after them. The PCs win initative, Noah kill two adventurers just like that with his crossbow. Monmon kill another with his spear and then Georges jumps into the action and wounds another but he’s struck in return and dies. Paul takes his place and kill the wounded man and then gets into a duel against the leader who’s no match for him. The two remaining opponents fight to the death (morale check) which is not very long in coming.
  • The PCs loot the bodies and find a few hundreds gold pieces.
  • Thence, the PCs get into a library, don’t look much at the books but find a secret door on one corner with the help of Noah’ sword Scrupulous. Once opened they see a man standing right in front of them. He looks just like the one on the dead or alive wanted portrait of Claude Malévol. The PCs tell the man so but he denies being Claude, he claims to be his twin: Olivier Malévol! After a short deliberation the PCs decide that as the spitting image of a 3000gp reward, well… he would do. Of course, that doesn’t go very well with the would-be ransomed and, in a weird turn of events, the latter’s body melts and turns into a Slime! It lashes out at Monmon who was in the process of seizing him. The pseudopod hurts Monmon and ruins his mail hauberk. This is quite disconcerting to the adventurers and they decide that caution is the better part of valour.
  • They retreat and soon leave the Castle.

Closing Comments:

  • With the current Infractions level, first encounter rolled was to be with the retributory patrol (1d4+1 encounters together). With how the results went I figured that Béatrice was the more strong-willed opponent and would be the leader. She’s not much more than a beefed up ghoul but she’s very persistent…
  • And it so happened in one of those amazing emerging coincidence that they found Béatrice’s Boudoir and put her back inside her very own chained casket!
  • Very clever reading of the map by Isaac to find the stairway, I’m very proud. They’re getting good at this dungeon-delving stuff.
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 2 Secrets: 2
  • Treasures: Pearl Necklace, Amber Brooch, Silver Mirror, Puzzle Box
  • Fatalities: Georges, struck by a rival adventurer’s axe
  • New Infractions: Vanquished Béatrice’s retributory patrol (-4). Eliminated Agénor Malévol. Eliminated Béatrice Malévol.

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 12

David Skelector Château des Fausseflammes, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

The PCs visited both Count Giscard’s room (he was absent) and Countess Maltricia’s (she was there). I’ll get on with the play report and I’ll share some thoughts on that afterward.

3 1/2 hours session.

Castle Xyntillan, by Gabor Lux. https://emdt.bigcartel.com/products

Set in Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne

TTRPG System used: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), using the dark arts for Good (probably), Necromancer lvl 5
  • Bruno the Wolfman (Marjorie), controlled lycanthropy, Warrior/Skinshifter lvl 3
  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, has a repeating crossbow and a magic sword called Scrupulous, Expert lvl 5
  • Pierrot (Isaac), caravan hand, dealmaker extraordinaire, Warrior lvl 1>>2
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 5
  • Paul Nareff (Olivier), friend and sponsor of the numerous Jean clan, Warrior lvl 5
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), apprentice alchemist, don’t confuse him with Jean-Paul Jean, Warrior lvl 4
  • Constant Jean (Olivier), vigorous member of the Jean clan, heavily armored, Warrior lvl 3

Retainers:

  • Raymond, (Isaac) Man-at-Arms, gruff, vassal of the Comte de la Frenaie, Morale 7
  • Raoulet the Pimp, (Marjorie), undead pimp with a semblance of life, Morale 12

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, electrocuted in front of the Anteroom (corpse in castle)
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, ex-monk, clawed to death by a dark monk (RIP)
  • Edgar, daytaler, throat slashed by a dark monk, (corpse in castle)
  • Charles, daytaler, skewered by a drunken skeleton (corpse in castle)
  • Hercule, caravan hand, seized off the raft by the Lake Monster (MIA)
  • Pierre Laroche du Rocher, mason, pierced by the Huntsman’s arrows (corpse seized by Charon, RIP)
  • Alphonse, crusader, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night. (corpse in castle)
  • Jacques, daytaler, got hit in the face by an Empty Armor’s halberd (corpse in castle)
  • Stuffed Jean-Paul  killed by stuffed animals, stuffed himself, bursted into flames (RIP)

Previous Infractions in the Château:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Eliminated Aranéa Malévol. Eliminated Runcius the Dark Man of the Woods. (0)

Smoked the Ruined Quarters: 1/2 Angered a werewolf washwoman: 1/2 Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings: 1 Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies: 1/2 Stole a treasure chest full of gold from the Lake Grotto treasury: 1/2 Interrupted Runcius Malévol’s pagan ritual: 1 Slightly annoyed Count Giscard Malévol while he drank « wine »: 1 Stole the Scepter of the Merovings: 1 Defaced living portraits with holy water: 1 Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler: 1/2 Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery: 1 Stole the Oil of Cleansings: 1 Stole the Crown of the Lost: 1 Total: 9 1/2

Vanquished Aranéa Malévol’s retributory patrol -5

Played ball with the werepups -1

Infractions rating: 4 1/2

Rumors:

  • Druids were once the true masters of Averoigne, we still see some remnants of their reign here and there.
  • Claude Malévol is being sought by the law outside Vyônes. He doesn’t dare to step outside town.

We start in Ximes. Paul-Jean has finished his basic training in alchemy with Luc Le Chaudronnier. The two of them managed to duplicate the lethal poison found on Runcius’s blade and made a potion. Raoulet the Pimp is left in Vyônes and does business as usual on behalf of Cordélia, he’s ordered to keep his ears open for interesting rumors.

Grand Entrance

  • The PCs want to get inside the castle’s catacombs once more and they enter at the Grand Entrance. The statues do their usual thing but nothing special happens.
  • In the Vestibule they see Jean-Honoré the butler giving orders to ghostly servants to properly to accomodate an important guest in a room to the east.
  • After some deliberations among themselves, the adventurers decide to talk to the guest with some ideas of gaining an important ally. Jean-Honoré protests when they enter the room without being invited but then acts as if everything is normal.
  • The « guest » has been dead for quite a while by the look of it. Careful observation by Monmon reveals that he has been strangled. They find some notes detailing some kind of conspiracy.
  • Cordélia and Noah find a secret door on the back of the fireplace. It leads to a crawlspace stacked with hanging pieces of ham.
  • Another secret door inside this crawlspace débouche to a large room with a lot of magic-related paraphenarlia. Paul-Jean picks up some ingredients that’ll serve for potion-brewing eventually. Cordélia inspects complex diagrams and with her superior intellect she gains some insight on secret knowledge (+1 int).
  • They leave the Occult Room and get into empty room from where they see a special reinforced door with a metal bat affixed on it. They also find a miniature (3 » high) guillotine. The PCs start to mess with the bat (a bat lock), moving its wings up on its hinges, but only manage to get a strident alarm sound on.
  • The alarm attracts someone apparently, the door to the north opens and the PCs immediatley recognizes their former hireling Jacques with his face showing a horrible gaping wound. He’s pretty much a zombie now. But he talks. Oh yes he does… And he complains a lot about his mistreatment as an hireling, left to rot in the castle and all. He’s determined to follow the party around until he gets a proper compensation, like a new house or something (imagine the face of his neighbours when they see him!).
  • The PCs resume their work on the bat lock and manages to make it open its mouth and show its tongue (without being bitten). Cordélia puts some drops of her blood on the bat’s tongue but to no effect. Monmon then spots a discreet keylock and proceed to try to unlock the door using his set of false keys and succeeds!
  • They’re now inside a sumptuously-decorated room. There’s a coffin in the middle of the room, they have found Count Giscard’s room! Paul takes a dueling sword hanging on the walls. Cordélia pours holy water on a decanter with red liquid in it. She takes four flasks of well-aged brandy in a liquor cabinet.
  • There’s also three living portraits in the room. Lydia, encircled by moths, would like Paul to go to meet her at her room (near the throne room). Next portrait, Claudette lifts her head off her shoulders causing Constant Jean to start fleeing in panic but his companions manage to calm him. Finally, in the third portrait the fearsome Countess Maltricia says that she has a lot more to offer than poor, pathetic Lydia and she reveals where her in-the-flesh counterpart is (very near to the north).
  • The PCs open a door to a balcony, right past it is another door that leads to the Countess’ room. Paul opens the door and remove a heavy black curtain. Light pours in the eastern part of the room (roughly 40×60). Countess Maltricia is indeed in the room and screeches in anger at the intrusion. She’s not alone, a fully-armored knight under her thrall blocks the door and moreover, the Countess uses magic so that blades of force swirl all around him. The Countess tries to use her beguiling powers on Paul but he resists. Paul attacks the knight but misses and is grievously harmed by the magic blades in return. Constant takes his place but soon falls to a Coruscating Coffin spell from the Countess. Cordélia replies with a Smite the Dead on the Countess but it’s negated by a magic barrier (the barrier is broken in the process though). Constant is pulled in the back to be given first aid by Paul-Jean. At the same time Paul takes the vial of lethal poison and smashes it right on the knight’s face (I had specified his helmet’s visor was open) and the latter starts to choke, falls to his knees and soon is convulsing and dies! Noah runs inside the room and quickly shoots two crossbow bolts at the Countess, hurting her. Bruno leaps at her with supernatural speed and slashes her with his claws. The others follow inside and lunge at her with their swords, inflicting more damage. The severely wounded and surrounded Countess turns into mist but another Smite the Dead turns her back to her physical form (I’ve ruled it that way). Paul pierces her heart with a wooden stake and the Countess is unceremoniously thrown outside her room on the balcony where sunlight quickly turn her to ashes… The adventurers have slain the powerful Countess Maltricia!
  • They loot the room and the search through the vampire’s ashes and find many valuables. having accomplished a great feat, they then leave the Château.

Closing Comments:

  • Forgot again to activate Monmon’s Deus Vult curse. Bad DM, bad!
  • The way I see it living portraits act like the subject would normally do but are not really the one they depict. In other words, it’s not a two-way conversation where, say, the Countess would have learned the PCs were coming for her. So in my mind portraits can be a valuable source of information, balancing the risk they may represent (often having a negative effect attached).
  • I think Countess Maltricia, a vampire and sorceress, should have offered a greater threat. I forgot to roll an encounter for reinforment coming to her help so there’s that. But the fact that half her room was exposed to sunlight (with the balcony’s door facing south and the sun to the west) severely limited her options in my mind. She just couldn’t target the PCs that were on the balcony with one of her more potent multi-target spell. I could have made her fled outright and wait the PCs in a better position, maybe.
  • On the other hand, her appearance at her room was due to a random roll. So in retrospective, the players were lucky to learn where they could find her room just at the right time and they seized the occasion.
  • I think, smashing the poison vial on the knight’s face was a great move and then they acted quickly to overwhelm the Countess, eight against one, so I think even if I somewhat mismanaged her (tactically speaking), overall the players still earned their victory.
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 3 Secrets: 1
  • Treasures: Duelling Sword +2, 4 bottles of well-aged brandy, pearls & precious stones worth 6000gp, ruby ring 2400gp
  • Fatalities: None
  • New Infractions: Burglarized Count Giscard’s room (+1) Put holy water in his « wine » (+1) Killed Countess Maltricia (+1)

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 10

David Skelector Château des Fausseflammes, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

Interesting session with the first half in known territory and the second half with exploration and weird things happening. I was sure that the players were gonna try to go inside Aristide’s laboratory with how it ended last session and one of the player, Marjorie, still wanted to do this. But she was outvoted by the boys yet again (they were a bit all over the place on what they wanted to do but they agreed upon not wanting to risk an encounter with Aristide yet. Smart boys). (Short session, 3 hours.)

Castle Xyntillan, by Gabor Lux. https://emdt.bigcartel.com/products

Set in Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne

TTRPG System used: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), using the dark arts for Good (probably), Necromancer lvl 4
  • Bruno the Wolfman (Marjorie), controlled lycanthropy, Warrior/Skinshifter lvl 2>>3
  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, has a repeating crossbow, Expert lvl 4>>5
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 4>>5
  • Paul Nareff (Olivier), friend and sponsor of the numerous Jean clan, Warrior lvl 4>>5
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), don’t confuse him with Jean-Paul Jean, Warrior lvl 3
  • Constant Jean (Olivier), vigorous member of the Jean clan, Warrior lvl 2>>3

Retainers:

  • Raymond, (Isaac) Man-at-Arms, gruff, vassal of the Comte de la Frenaie, Morale 7
  • Pierrot (Isaac), caravan hand, begs for more money, Morale 8

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, electrocuted in front of the Anteroom (corpse in castle)
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, ex-monk, clawed to death by a dark monk (RIP)
  • Edgar, daytaler, throat slashed by a dark monk, (corpse in castle)
  • Charles, daytaler, skewered by a drunken skeleton (corpse in castle)
  • Hercule, caravan hand, seized off the raft by the Lake Monster (MIA)
  • Pierre Laroche du Rocher, mason, pierced by the Huntsman’s arrows (corpse seized by Charon, RIP)
  • Alphonse, crusader, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night. (corpse in castle)
  • Jacques, daytaler, got hit in the face by an Empty Armor’s halberd (corpse in castle)
  • Stuffed Jean-Paul  killed by stuffed animals, stuffed himself, bursted into flames (RIP)

Previous Infractions:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Eliminated Aranéa Malévol (0)

Smoked the Ruined Quarters: 1/2 Angered a werewolf washwoman: 1/2 Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings: 1 Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies: 1/2 Stole a treasure chest full of gold from the Lake Grotto treasury: 1/2 Interrupted Runcius Malévol’s pagan ritual: 1 Slightly annoyed Count Giscard Malévol while he drank « wine »: 1 Stole the Scepter of the Merovings: 1 Defaced living portraits with holy water: 1 Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler 1/2 Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery 1

Vanquished Aranéa Malévol’s retributory patrol -5

Played ball with the werepups -1

Infractions rating: 2 1/2

Rumors:

  • Gargoyles in Vyônes, the citizens are terrified!
  • It was the Enchantress of Sylaire that has cursed the Malévol family centuries ago.

We start in Vyônes. Cordélia buys a cask of wine. The PCs try to learn more about the gargoyles mentionned in the rumor. They consult the monastery’s library in Périgon and find a book on the occult. They learn that it started a while ago with one mason artist that worked on Vyônes’s cathedral, an evil man (now deceased), that infused his creations with a life of their own. Cordélia wants to inspect the artist’s tomb in Vyônes but it will be for another time as the others are eager to delve once more in the Château des Fausseflammes.

Grand Entrance

  • The two statues bordering the double doors react at their approach, one erupts in maniacal laughter, the other flicks its fingers. Nothing else happens.
  • The vestibule is empty, Jean-Honoré the butler is nowhere to be seen, probably still vexed from his treatment at the hand of the adventurers. The PCs beeline to the Throne Room without encountering anything. They use the throne elevator to go down.
  • Down in the Lake grotto area, they go north to the chapel of the 3 saints. A single Empty Armor that’s blocking the way is quickly dispatched, with a final blow from Bruno’s claws that sends the head flying.
  • At the chapel they remove the unmortared tiles and start digging with shovels and picks. Everyone except Cordélia and Monmon who stand guard.
  • 4 cultists turn the corner from the east, alerted by the noise. Paul picks up his Guts sword and slay the cultists with one big swipe. They resume digging…
  • 20 minutes later, they hit something hard in the ground, there’s a trapdoor. Once opened they find a ladder going down. At the bottom of the pit they find a footlocker with a well-made (but a bit outdated) chainmail, a crusader’ surcoat and small vial (the Oils of Cleansing (!)). Cordélia has some knowledge of religious beliefs and knows more or less what the small vial is about.
  • Their delve is already worthwhile but they decide that they would try to explore more of the Indoorness.
  • The secret entrance isn’t that far from where they are. They get to the root cellar, this time the Beetmen are awake and want a fight, the eleven of them, but an opportune roof collapse (effective use of Noah’s focus Lucky II, once per session) blocked the Beetmen from reaching the adventurers.
  • The PCs enter the Indoorness. The satyr hermit is there playing his pipes. Cordélia gives him a cask of wine and the satyr shoos them away, eager to start his drinking.
  • They go west, they walk fo about an hour until they reach a ford and cross the river to the north near a waterfall.
  • Another 20 minutes, still in the path going north, they see a brick house. On closer inspection they see that in fact the house is made up of mouldy gingerbread! Looking from a window they see that nobody’s home but there’s a cooking plate full of gingerbread men on a table. Monmon enters the house and let his toy soldiers inspect the gingerbread men. The gingerbread men get up and an epic fight between the toy soldiers and the gingerbread men ensues! A soldier gets in trouble after he dropped his spear and Monmon intervenes to help him, grabs a ginger bread man and just… munches him. The toy soldiers are in awe of Monmon’s godlike might, this is victory!
  • Except that Monmon now starts to shrink and candy buttons also pop up on his body, he’s quickly transforming into a gingerbread man! But the group thinks fast and tries the Oils of Cleansing on poor Monmon and it works, he gets back to his proper self.
  • Putting the gingerbread house behind (they set it on fire for good measure) they reach a vast and well-tended park with hedges, marble benches, topiaries, etc. There’s also people in the park, sitting or strolling about, but they’re revealed to be several copies of Tristano and his damsel. And they can see the Château des Fausseflammes just beyond the park!
  • There’s a weird spatial distortion going on, the more they move towards the castle, the slower they appear to move. Cordélia remove the enchantment with a spell of Extirpate the Arcana, they can move freely at last but they now see that the castle is only a theatrical decor. There’s a muppets scene going on with a witch/enchantress seemingly berating a crowned noble (that looked like Runcius). Watching the decor, Cordélia feels an intense malaise and decides to leave the area.
  • The party takes another path that goes west from the park. They soon reach a silvery lake. Monmon sees some kind of structures at the bottom of the lake and the PCs ponder about a way to reach the structure but decides to leave it at that.
  • Still further, they go north again and reach a great circle of stones, Stonehenge-like, and at first there’s not anyone there but as the PCs are looking at the stones to find some clues several robed men appear from nowhere. Runcius the Dark Man of the Woods is among them.
  • The adventurers start to run for their life. Suddenly, a verdant wall of brambles and roots block their escape but Cordélia remove it with her magic.
  • The druids run after them, some have bows. A druid that runs supernaturally fast tackles down the slowest member of the party, Paul. The PCs stop running and make a stand. Noah is very efficient with his repeating crossbows. The druids are more numerous, some shoot arrows from behind inflicting several wounds but those in melee can’t match the martial prowesses of the adventurers. However a Sleep spell falls on the PCs leaving only Cordélia and Paul standing, those two scramble to wake their companions up. Cordélia had sent her Reaper towards Runcius but a big flash occurs and it is annihilated. Finally the adventurers, sporting numerous wounds, have the upper hand leaving only Runcius that has retreated back to the circle of stones.
  • The PCs are determined to kill Runcius as he’s alone now and they suppose he must be low in spells (he had 2 spells left). Runcius has a bronze dagger dripping with poison. Cordélia doesn’t have any spells left and his reduced to shooting arrows. Noah and Pierrot both has only 1 HP remaining. But the PCs are 8 against 1 and they win initiative! Cordélia and Noah shoot projectiles at Runcius and then the warriors swarm the archdruid, wounding him severely. Runcius does the most horrible Evert the Inwardness on Constant Jean (save succeed, half damage) wounding him fatally (but saved by Cordélia’s necromantic art) and try to stab Monmon with his dagger but misses (veteran’s luck). He dies soon after, with the final blow delivered by Paul. « Free, at last » he says before expiring.
  • Cordélia takes his Crown of the Lost.

Session wrap up

  • A lot accomplished with essentially what were spur of the moment decisions. The death of Runcius is a big deal as is finding the two major artefacts. I was as much surprised as the players with the appearance of Runcius at the circle of stones as I had not read this section beforehand. It turned out very well for the players, they’re capable adventurers by now, but the risk of casualties was high indeed.
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 3 Secrets: 2
  • Treasures: Chainmail +1, Crusader’ surcoat, Oils of Cleansing, Crown of the Lost
  • Quote: Isaac: « We could take a bite out of Monmon, see how he tastes? »
  • Fatalities: Constant Jean, but survived with Cordélia’s power over death
  • New Infractions: Killed Runcius Malévol the Dark Man of the Woods. Stole the Oils of Cleansing +1. Stole the Crown of the Lost +1.

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 9

David Skelector Château des Fausseflammes, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG

Aranéa Malévol, the one who was put in charge by the Malévol Council to take care of their little invasion problem has been thoroughly vanquished by the adventurers. I’m letting the players know that they have earned a respite, the pressure is down for a while, so they can resume their exploration of the cursed castle on more « normal » terms. Short session, 2 1/2 hours.

Castle Xyntillan, by Gabor Lux. https://emdt.bigcartel.com/products

System used: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), using the dark arts for Good (probably), Necromancer lvl 3>>4
  • Bruno the Wolfman (Marjorie), controlled lycanthropy, Warrior/Skinshifter lvl 1>>2
  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, has a repeating crossbow, Expert lvl 4
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 4
  • Paul Nareff (Olivier), friend and sponsor of the numerous Jean clan, Warrior lvl 4
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), don’t confuse him with Jean-Paul Jean, Warrior lvl 2>>3
  • Constant Jean (Olivier), vigorous member of the Jean clan, Warrior lvl 2

Retainers:

  • Stuffed Jean-Paul (Marjorie), killed by stuffed animals, now stuffed himself, Morale 12
  • Raymond, (Isaac) Man-at-Arms, gruff, vassal of the Comte de la Frenaie, Morale 7
  • Pierrot (Isaac), caravan hand, begs for more money, Morale 8

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, electrocuted in front of the Anteroom (corpse in castle)
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, ex-monk, clawed to death by a dark monk (RIP)
  • Edgar, daytaler, throat slashed by a dark monk, (corpse in castle)
  • Charles, daytaler, skewered by a drunken skeleton (corpse in castle)
  • Hercule, caravan hand, seized off the raft by the Lake Monster (MIA)
  • Pierre Laroche du Rocher, mason, pierced by the Huntsman’s arrows (corpse seized by Charon, RIP)
  • Alphonse, crusader, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night. (corpse in castle)
  • Jacques, daytaler, got hit in the face by an Empty Armor’s halberd (corpse in castle)

Previous Infractions:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Eliminated Aranéa Malévol (0)

Smoked the Ruined Quarters: 1/2 Angered a werewolf washwoman: 1/2 Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings: 1 Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies: 1/2 Stole a treasure chest full of gold from the Lake Grotto treasury: 1/2 Interrupted Runcius Malévol’s pagan ritual: 1 Slightly annoyed Count Giscard Malévol while he drank « wine »: 1 Stole the Scepter of the Merovings: 1 Defaced living portraits with holy water: 1 Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler 1/2 Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery 1

Vanquished Aranéa Malévol’s retributory patrol -5

Infractions rating: 3 1/2

Rumors:

  • I’d bring a few horses or a cart for the bulky valuables. You’ll thank me later.
  • Aristide Malévol the Patrician, who had conquered death by unholy means, is the true power in the Château des Faussesflammes. Do not cross him!

We start in Vyônes. Noah has upgraded his (already potent) crossbow to a repeating crossbow. Cordélia has made the ritual to link the homonculus to herself. The party goes to Périgon where they hire two brothers with horses and a cart. Pierrot begs the party so he can have 20 gp more than his agreed salary; his house is in disrepair, his wife is sickly, his grandmother has died, all manners of woes afflicts the poor guy… Noah refuses to give him more. Monmon gives him 5 gp from his own money.

Gatehouse:

  • The party leaves the cart, its team and Raymond at the entrance and then enter through the Gatehouse, under the scrutiny of the ravens as usual. Their plan is STILL to go explore the Occult Maze on the 2nd floor.
  • Storerooms. There’s two dead adventurers in the corridor with the spectral horses. Cordélia cast Raise Corpse on one as a diversion for the horses and the party hurry to the nearest door on the left while the zombie is being trampled.
  • From one storeroom to another they get to the coffin where Paul got his magic dagger by removing it from the heart of a dead woman, a geyser of blood had erupted from her pierced chest when de did. The woman’s body is nowhere to be seen but there’s still (fresh) blood dripping from the coffin. Cordélia pours a vial of holy water in the coffin and they hear a languished scream. The ghost of Gisèle Pierced-Heart, discarded mistress of a Malévol, is no more.
  • They get to the stairway nearby that leads to the Maze of the Occult. They can hear children singing a twisted melody. The singing stops abruptly when the party gets in the hallway, the air gets colder instantly and The Strangler appears and assaults Monmon. Monmon dodges the attack and pierces the specter with his magic spear. Paul strikes it with his magic dagger and The Strangler is once again vanquished.
  • A bit further, the adventurers open a door to a room where some kind of entertainment gig is going on for a ghostly audience. Knives juggling and throwing; Stuffed Jean-Paul is unfazed when knives fly all around his head and his awarded a money pouch for having (unwittingly) served in the performance. There’s also prestidigitation tricks and a floating hand holding cards. Paul picks a card, there’s Death on it and it gets out of the card and attacks! Fortunately the Reaper keeps missing Paul with his scythe and Paul slays it. The Death on the card transforms into an Emperor and Paul feels more vigorous.
  • On the next room the party come face to face with Count Giscard, the vampire they already encountered and whose Children of the Night nearly TPKed them. This time the Count, still drinking a glass of « wine », is having a contest with two captured adventurers: a fight to first blood. He asks the PCs to participate in the event and wily Cordélia delegates Stuffed Jean-Paul (whom doesn’t bleed!) to the fight. Stuffed Jean-Paul wins, the adventurer is promptly drained of his remaining blood by the Count. However, the contest isn’t finish, there will also be fight against his servant in full plate, the first to achieve three significant strikes. This time (after much hesitation from the players) it’s Paul that comes forward. He fights brillantly again and wins. The Count gives him a Laurels Wreath as a reward and then asks to get themselves out of his sight.
  • On the next room, the Yellow Room, the PCs find many things. Cordélia collects small yellow flowers that were growing over the remains of two interlaced skeletons. Monmon finds a black cloak +1 in a closet. Noah finds for 1000 gp worth of perfumes, makeup and other beauty paraphernalia. Paul is almost killed by a guillotine trap set in another closet but survives by some extraordinary luck. He finds a message stuffed inside a old boot that describes the location of a treasure.
  • The party having explored all the doors on this corridor backtracks into the hallway and open the door to a small chapel. There a plaque under the statue of a saint invites them to unburden them of « Vanity ». Cordélia cut a lock of her hair and feels a bit more confident after doing so.
  • In another room they find creepy wax figures and crates full of candles. Paul is pretty sure he saw one figure moving very sligthly. The party gets out but Noah takes one last peep inside and sees that one figure now looks eerily like Paul. Noah barricades the door efficiently with furnitures and planks. The noise doesn’t attract anything fortunately.
  • In the next room there’s a supply of utilitarian bottles and also a poltergeist throwing the bottles at them. Stuffed Jean-Pauls eats a bottle right in the face and an animated feather duster swipes glass from him right after. Monmon, Noah and Paul attack the poltergeist as he was seizing another bottle and slay it.
  • Now, the PCs have run out of doors to open in this section, except the one that killed Zachary with an electric arc. There’s writings on the door: « Here be the laboratory of Aristide Malévol the Patrician. If you know this name, you know you have no place here; if you know it not, let this warning suffice. » Warning unheeded, Cordélia orders Stuffed Jean-Paul to open the door. He does so but also bursts into flames. It’s the end of Stuffed Jean-Paul…
  • Through the open door, inside the Anteroom, the PCs see copper coils each side of the rooms that seem to come out of the floor below.
  • They’ve done enough for the moment and start to exit the castle. They’re back in the courtyard when they hear joyful yapping and see young-looking wolves, werepups they’re guessing, coming at them fast. Noah wants to shoot them with his repeating crossbow and silver bolts he has but Cordélia has a better plan. She takes out lengths of clothing and quickly makes a ball with it, throws it in the opposite direction. the werepups race each other to get to the improvised ball and the PCs hurry outside the castle’s perimeter!

Session wrap up

  • Olivier was absolutely JUBILANT after he won the Emperor card giving his character 1 HD to add and even more after he got the laurels wreath that gives + 1 level (and saving his life one time)!
  • Isaac on the other hand was disappointed that he didn’t have to try his new repeating crossbow, Van Helsing-style, on anything this session.
  • The players seem determined to access Aristide’s laboratory, that should be quite interesting in the upcoming session.
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 3 Secrets: 1
  • Treasures: a pouch of 200 gp, an Emperor card, a crown of laurels, 1000 gp worth of perfumes & paraphernalia
  • Quote: « Here, go fetch! »
  • Fatalities: Stuffed Jean-Paul took on fire after touching the anteroom’s door
  • New Infractions: Played ball with the werepups (-1, substracts to infractions level, they liked it)