megadungeon

Delicious in Dungeon: the Golden Kingdom megadungeon, Book 2

David Skelector Books, Delicious in Dungeon, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, manga, megadungeon, Monsters, Roleplaying Game, RPG

In Book 2 we see Laios’ guild going through the Golden Kingdom’s third level (the Crypt being the 1st and the Forest Top the 2nd) and reaching the 4th near the end. The 3rd level is more of a classical dungeon setting as we’re now inside the upper part of the castle and what we see is a lot of bricks: corridors, great halls, and at one point, a vast atrium surrounded by balconies.

  • The main denizens of the level are undead (skeletons, ghouls and ghosts) and golems (only 3 remains but there were more before) and a few more surprises too. We learn that the presence of the golems is the main reason why there’s not much monsters invading from below. I’m guessing that the golems don’t attack the undead.
  • Sounds are amplified a lot, echoing along the stone corridors and one attentive listener can identify what’s nearby.
  • There’s a few fountains with running water but not much food to be collected from monsters on this level for obvious reasons.
  • There’s places that serves as a kind of disreputable taverns where one can meet adventurers and criminals in hiding.
  • In the book we see Orcs raiding the area but they usually stay on the lower levels. They’ve been forced out of their village by a rampaging Red Dragon. Orcs weren’t part of the Golden Kingdom, but they were the first to explore the lower levels as they were fleeing the surface after being attacked by Elves and Humans.
  • Orc toddlers are extra cute, of course they are.
  • There’s a thing that’s called a Treasure Insect that looks like a coin or a gem or even a pearl necklace (the centipede version).
  • There’s Living Paintings, if you get near one you get sucked in into a phantasmal world, sort of an extension of the scene that was depicted on the painting where you can get hurt, and probably die too. You’ll need external help to get out, you can’t bring back anything that you found inside but it can be an invaluable source of information/lore as you can see past events and talk to people long lost.
  • Mimics are very much like giant hermit crabs, they go from small to bigger containers as they grow in size. We learn (here’s a pretty potent example of applied monster ecology) that Treasure Insects are parasites of Mimics: they lay their eggs inside a Mimic so that their larvae feed on it, they can then count on greedy adventurers to open the chest later on and free the new generation!
  • The 3rd level is in fact many floors high, at the bottom you reach the 4th, the flooded level. It seems like the whole base of the castle is underwater.

Book 3 Here

Delicious in Dungeon: the Golden Kingdom Megadungeon

David Skelector Books, Delicious in Dungeon, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, manga, megadungeon, Monsters, Roleplaying Game, RPG, world-building

I’ve been quite fascinated by the concept of megadungeons for the last two years or so. I’m actually running a campaign inside Castle Xyntillan where I can see for myself how it’s done, we’re seven sessions in and it’s been a blast! I’ve listened attentively (twice!) to Mazirian’s Garden podcast episodes of Into the Megadungeon, on how to run a megadungeon for 100 + sessions (!), trying to absorb everything I hear.

Another media that hooked me to megadungeons is the Delicious in Dungeon (Danjon Meshi), a D&D inspired manga by Ryoko Kui. That’s what I want to talk about today.

the french translation I’m reading with my kids

I don’t quite know how popular it is but it must be doing good enough as Netflix is launching a series starting soon, on January. So, you see, I’m actually doing a hype job, would you believe it! But you know what, I think it deserves the attention as I’m sure it offers a thing or two that even the most jaded, old-school gray-bearded dungeon master can borrow from…

In short:

  • a vast, unique megadungeon: a cursed kingdom that as been magically transported underground a 1000+ years ago, castle, village, fields, inhabitants and even sunlight
  • Monster ecology cranked to 11; reproducing habits, anatomy and of course, how to cook them
  • Related: Monsters as Puzzles, even weak monsters seem to be dangerous in this world, to fight them efficiently you must KNOW them, their tactics and weak spots
  • The logistic of food in dungeon-crawling way beyond simply bringing rations; have you eaten a balanced diet the last few days because if not, you won’t be at your best (and will probably die)!
  • a well-thought-out dungeon-centered economy: adventuring guilds, the town’s prosperity linked with the dungeon delves, etc.

Now here’s what I’ll do on my blog, I won’t talk much about the storyline I think, but I will highlight the stuff we learn about the Golden Kingdom, the dungeon lore if you will, from book to book. More specifically what we would need to know to run it as a ttrpg or, as usual, what’s worth stealing from.

Book 1

In order of the book:

  • The dungeon was discovered when a wall inside the village’s crypt (which seems surprisingly extensive) shattered. Beyond the wall, the inspecting villagers found a man that presented himself as the king of the Golden Kingdom that disappeared more than a millenium ago. He mentions a Mad Sorcerer that took control of the Golden Kingdom and he (the king) offers all his wealth to whom could defeat him and then his body turns to dust. (Don’t worry, it’s not simply a « wizard did this » dungeon…).
  • Adventurers work in guilds, with each members having signed contracts. The guild’s leader owns the party’s equipment in its entirety (weapons and armors included). He’s the one who buys provisions and equipment for everybody each delve. The guild members can resign and leave the guild if they wish so.
  • The 1st level of the dungeon is the Crypt. There’s no undead over there as one might have thought, it’s not a dangerous place per se as technically it’s not part of the Golden Kingdom but just happens to be the fortuitous entrance to the dungeon. But weak monsters do seep in, in this book we see: the Ambulatory Mushrooms (that come in many varieties, the Japanese know their mushrooms 😀 ), Scorpions (foot-long) that hides in cracks of the walls and Slimes (watch the ceiling).
beware the fearsome Ambulatory Mushroom!
  • The Crypt isn’t gloomy at all, it’s bursting with activity and noise. Merchants have put their wares among the alcoves of the dead and do their sales over sarcophagi. A bit sacrilegous but hey, there’s money to be made! Many adventuring guilds prepare for their expeditions or rest after they’ve returned from one. There’s a room with a fountain that is called Rookies’ Plaza where beginners gather.
  • We learn indirectly (there’s a hint of something else I’ll talk about when I get there), when the dwarf Senshi joins the party, that the dungeon has been open for a few years, certainly less than ten.
  • From the Crypt one can go down to the 2nd level, the Forest. The underground Castle’s numerous towers stand among incredibly tall trees.
  • A vast network of suspended bridges have been built, criss crossing the entire level, linking trees and towers together. That’s one way to descend to the lower levels, progressively by the bridges, it’s truly a vertical level.
  • The monsters are already a lot more dangerous (we see another adventuring party being tpked), there’s Sylvan Goblins, a variety of Carnivorous Plants, Basilisks and also, Imperial Bats (human-sized). Tree cavities and towers’ interiors provide ample hiding places for both adventurers and monsters.
  • There’s at least one shortcut that is indoor leading to the 3rd level (thus evading the scary Imperial Bats) that can be accessed in one of the larger tower but one need to find several secret doors and evade a series of traps.
  • Inside the towers (and castle) one can also encounter Living Armors. And by the way Living Armors are edible, of course they are! Or at least, the hive-minded molluscs that live inside the plates are…

That’s it for book 1, there’s 12 to date, stay tuned!

Book 2 Here

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 7

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

It’s been quite some time since we’ve played anything and as our next few weekends are all pretty much booked already I’ve decided to do a thursday night session within our ongoing haunted castle campaign.

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

System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

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

Retainers:

  • Stuffed Jean-Paul (Marjorie), killed by stuffed animals, now stuffed himself, Morale 12
  • Phoebus (Marjorie), ex-monk, paranoid, Morale 8
  • 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)
  • 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. (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

Infractions rating: 7

Rumors:

  • Vyônes is filled with Count de la Frênaie’ spies… if you look to your left, that women is one of them.
  • Blérot the Woodsman swore to avenge his murdered love, but disappeared in the castle without a trace.

We start in Vyônes. Noah has crafted a bigass Pavise shield with spikes and all for Constant Jean who has finished his martial training. The Troubadour de l’Automne hasn’t found anyone worthwhile for them for the moment. Retainer Eudes is leaving this time around as he was summoned home by his father, the Count de la Frênaie. The group leaves for Périgon. At the monastery Cordélia learns from the abbot that retainer Bruno is linked Renfield-style with a vampiress from the Château des Fausseflammes. Not only that but the poor soul also suffers from lycanthropy! They might be able to treat him, the abbot says, but he requires a suitable donation (250gp) which Cordélia agrees to pay. Cordélia hires young Phoebus who’s not suited to ascetic monk life. Noah hires Pierrot who almost immediately begs to have a salary advance along with his hiring fee. Noah agrees to it.

Gatehouse

  • The fortune seekers enters through the gatehouse, under the watchful eyes of the ravens.
  • They know where they want to go, they go directly to the Entrance Passage. The double doors are open.
  • The side door that leads into the Servants’ Wing has been repaired and as they wondered upon this fact a volley of arrows is let loose on them from the murder holes! Fortunately Paul Nareff has time to shout « Watch out! » (he has the very useful Alert focus). Those with shields (Constant’s newly-crafted shield come in handy) make good use of them (Screen ally manoeuver) and the worst of the volley is evaded with only a few arrows hitting flesh.
  • In a hurry to get out of this lethal situation Monmon once again breaks open the side door. It falls off directly on top of the previous broken door.
  • They all get in and start to attack the archers, skeleton archers in fact. An arrow from Cordélia doesn’t do much. Monmon smashes one to bits with his spear with a swooping motion. Paul Nareff kills another with his short sword. The others follow suit and only one skeletons remains at the end of the round (this side of the passage), it tries to rake the face of Pierrot with one skeletal hand but fails and is quickly dispatched thereafter.
  • The adventurers go on. They quickly go through already-explored territory inside the Servants’ Wing and get to the set of stairs near the dark monks’ chapel. They go up.
  • They’re now in the Gothic Wing. They see a bust inside a nook directly in front. Monmon goes see the bust, it depicts Médard « the mighty » Malévol, and failing to resist a geas and he exclaims loudly « DEUS VULT » and charges into the large open Feasting Hall nearby.
  • A bit beffudled his companions try to keep pace with him and en route they encounter Jean-Honoré the Butler who says the feast will be ready soon. They almost trample him as his platter of glasse is sent flying and crashes on the floor. He protests and cries. They ignore his pleas and continue after their single-minded companion.
  • But Monmon is stopped abruptly, seems to float middair for a second before everyone understand that he’s stuck in a huge spider web!
  • There’s some weird shadow tricks going on around them and they hear a feminine voice: « well, well, what have we got here, a choice morsel, yessss… ». They also hear the clank clank of metal boots coming from the north behind closed doors.
  • Monmon tries to get out of the web but to no avail, he’s stuck even worst. Cordélia shoots an arrow at something moving on the ceiling but only hit a bit of tapestry or so it seems.
  • Paul-Jean swings his longsword at the web and manages to cut it enough (very difficult, he rolled very high) to free Monmon from his predicament.
  • They all run further west and get into the Lesser Library. They don’t linger but passing by, Monmon snatches away a massive book that was held under an ominous grim reaper statue.
  • They turn on a corridor, open a door and get into a records room where hunchback, disfigured scribes are writing, each chained to its own desk. The scribes take a quick glance at the adventurers and then continue with their work. The PCs look at the sheets of paper and most are about them! Some about events that occured, some are outright lies (or are they?) and others don’t make much sense.
  • And then Monmon decides to look at the book that he found earlier. A Reaper appear before him. It swings at him with a scythe but misses. Paul intervenes but now a second Reaper appears in front of Paul! Monmon wound his with his antique spear. Paul has his +1 dagger and gets a hit too but his wounded in return (he resists a paralysis effect). Cordélia does a Smite the Dead that finish the two Reapers but another appears before her. She tries something very risky, a Command the Dead on the Reaper, if the Reaper resist (1/2) she has no other spell and she’s pretty much dead. The Reaper fails to resist and is under Cordélia’s control!
  • Monmon sense the compulsion of his personal crusade mounting again and leave the room shouting a mighty « DEUS VULT! » again. He gets into a fight soon after against a pair of Fallen Knights in rusted plate armors. His spear punch a big hole into one’s armor but he gets hit himself by an axe blow. His companions yet again come to help him but Paul Nareff sees a beautiful woman (her arachnid lower half notwithstanding) lurking at the corner of the corridor that tries to entice him to come to her (charm person) but he resists and Stuffed Jean-Paul, oblivious to her charming influence, shoots an arrow at her and hit her shoulder. She gets away.
  • Meanwhile, the others has joined the melee against the zombie Fallen Knights. Another hit from Monmon and a crossbow bolt from Noah downs one opponent and Paul Nareff cut his head off to make sure (execution attack). The other is soon overwhelmed by their combined attacks.
  • Inside the room of the Fallen Knights they find their second (!) fancy dentelle underwear on a chair (that’s a random curio thing on a d100). Paul Nareff put the underwear on one of the aforementionned scribe’s head who seems suddenly happy (for some undisclosed reason), to the point of stopping writing entirely.
  • They enter a disquieting séance room and quickly get out.
  • They enter a small room with two doors. There’s also a small chest on the floor. Inside are 6 tiny (6 inches tall) lead soldiers/hoplites that come to life when Monmon opens it (another random curio). They dont talk but seem to swear allegiance to him, banging their spears on their shield and all that (Edmond is absolutely DELIGHTED!).
  • They get into a Knight Hall, a large room with columns that support a high ceiling. There’s a mezzanine and music can be heard coming from above. There’s a foyer with a huge sword hanging above ¨like Guts’ sword¨ asks Olivier ¨Yes, like Guts’ sword¨. It falls down treacherously when Monmon approaches but he sidestep it. Paul Nareff takes it with glee. Monmon wants to send one of his little soldiers up a ladder on the mezzanine. The soldiers make a series of rock paper scissors matches and the final loser is sent. He bravely climbs the ladder and get above. The music is interrupted, there’s some scratching noises, a squeal and then a big (normal) rat fall down on the ground at the feet of the PCs, a tiny spear jutting from its side. The little soldier reappear, victorious! Monmon is very proud! Cordélia go up and find a well-crafted harp. How come there was music, they don’t know…
  • They go nearby and get into a Bust Gallery. There’s five busts on pedestals. Paul Nareff smashes the one depicting Aranéa Malévol, the very same that tried to charm him (and did the web that captured Monmon presumably). He resists a curse. Monmon steal the gems that served as eyes on Claudette Malévol’s. Blood come out when he does but nothing else happens. There’s a short sword jutting out from Eustache’s bust, Noah takes it. Paul again, smashes Aristide and Maximillien busts, resisting another curse with the latter (he’s been lucky with that!).
  • Noah’s new sword, Scrupulous, vibrates when he gets near a secret sliding door and thus find a empty room with another door.
  • The door leads to a secret lab. Inside a basket full of decapitated heads Cordélia find an Amulet of Wolfkin. There’s a small glass domes with buzzing sparks, Monmon gets electrocuted when he opens it (he has not much hp left now). There’s jars filled with an opalescent liquid, one as an homonculus floating in it. Cordélia wants to free it and he gesticulates not to do it. She takes the jar with her.
  • They decide to call it a day and get out. The path on their map is pretty straightforward to the nearest exit: the Grand Entrance. They don’t encounter anything on their way out, not even the butler, but when they open the heavy double doors into the sunlight, they’re suprised to find three of their former henchmen lying on the ground.
  • The two statues at the Grand Entrance do their usual thing, one laughs, the other snaps its fingers and at that very moment the dead henchmen get up. Disquieting but not much danger as Paul Nareff cleaves one in two and severely wound the two others with one big swing of his Guts sword (whirlwind assault focus). They finish the two wounded zombies and leave the corpses there.
  • They leave the castle. Cordélia hides Stuffed Jean-Paul and the Reaper inside a local cemetary. She goes to the city of Ximes to consult with Luc Le Chaudronnier about the homonculus.

Session wrap up

  • 4 hours session, a lot accomplished again with the players choosing to explore a new area with a process a bit less random than usual but that was complicated when Monmon got his geas from Médard’s bust. I don’t play his condition as hard as I could but it will still be very problematic on the coming sessions.
  • The Entrance Passage’s murder holes ambush could have gone a lot worse but a combination of relevant abilities they possess and some luck made it not too bad with only light injuries.
  • Speaking of this, it’s quite obvious that World Without Numbers give characters stronger abilities than other OSR systems but except for the Healer there’s nothing too egregious that I don’t approve
  • We’ve played a bit more with WWN combat manoeuvers this session (screen ally, execution, etc) and it was great. There’s still some other useful ones to try for another time.
  • Having a Reaper under Cordélia’s control is strong, very strong in fact with no time limits, but it’s also quite fun and of course Marjorie is absolutely thrilled of having succeeded this impressive feat
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasure: 2 Secrets: 1
  • Treasures: 2 saphirs 550gp, magic sword Scrupulous, Amulet of Wolfkin, beautiful harp
  • Fatalities: 
  • Quote: Marjorie: » I hate this fucking game, nothing ever works! It SUCKS! » 2 minutes later after taking control of a Reaper: « Yes, yes, YES! I LOVE IT!
  • New Infractions: Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler (1/2) Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery (1)

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) session 6

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

Life has been hectic the past few weeks, which is usual for this time of the year, but more so this year as my wife is trying to adapt to a new job whilst still having to tie ends at the one she’s leaving behind. We’ll go at a much-needed trip at our cabin next week one last time before winter but for now, it’s gaming time!

Olivier is with his father this week end so no Team Jean this time. Well, that’s not entirely true as Stuffed Jean-Paul has seemingly disinterred himself and somehow got at the rendez-vous point (I’m sure Olivier will protest vehemently when he’ll hear about that!) and so he’s back as Cordélia’s creepy beads-eyed retainer.

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

System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), using the dark arts for good (probably), Necromancer lvl 2
  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, Expert lvl 2
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 3
  • Loic Leblanc (Jason), healbot, Adventurer (expert/healer) lvl 2

Retainers:

  • Eudes le Bâtard (Marjorie), Comte de La Frenaie’s young bastard son, Morale 9
  • Stuffed Jean-Paul (Marjorie), killed by stuffed animals, now stuffed himself, Morale 12
  • Conrad (Jason), crusader, heavy drinker, Morale 9
  • Jacques (Isaac), daytaler, grumpy, 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 in castle)
  • Alphonse, crusader, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night. (corpse in castle)

Previous Infractions:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. (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

Infractions rating: 5

Rumors:

  • My uncle once tried to rob the place with his pal, the miller. He was killed by a cupboard.
  • Alchemists and practitioners of dark arts have been seen in the company of Azédarac, the Bishop of Ximes!

We start in Vyônes. Noah have crafted himself a fast-loading crossbow. Noah and Loic fail to find a buyer for a regal outfit. Loic hires the Troubadour de l’Automne to help find competent hirelings. He hires ex-crusader Conrad this way. Noah hires one Jacques who seems to have a bad temper. Stuffed Jean-Paul simply show up at the rendez-vous point near Périgon, even if he had been put in a grave the previous week. Bruno is back but Cordélia isn’t interested as she’s been put off by his weird demeanor and his suspicious absence last delve. He begs to be in, without pay if need be, but to no avail. Instead, Cordélia forcefully gets him in the care of the monks at Périgon, hoping that they would find what the hell is wrong with him. Cordélia buys vials of holy water from the monks.

Grand Entrance

  • Near the Château Cordélia spot someone hiding behind a bush and send Stuffed Jean-Paul after it. The man in hiding start to run away and Cordélia shoots him with her bow. Loic heals him just enough so he can be interrogated. They learn that Gilbert the Fox want to ambush them once they exit. Loic slit the wounded man’s throat ruthlessly.
  • The adventurers try to interact with the 2 monstrous statues at the grand entrance but fail to have any reaction.
  • They open the great doors and see that Jean-Honoré the butler is there again in the vestibule. He seems lethargic, with his head down, but still hold a platter with goblets ready to serve. Cordélia sucessfully shoot the platter off his hand, the butler is dismayed at the spill and hurry away through a door to re-fill the drinks.
  • Nearby in the Entrance Halls the PCs find a Portrait Gallery. They interact with the portraits (Harry Potter-style): Philomène Malévol smiles and invites them upstair; a bureaucrat is annoyed with the interruption; skeletal and richly-attired Aristide Malévol ignores them; a paint his covered over and bleeds when scratched and a voice says « I’ll be vindicated, you can’t prove anything! »; an executioner is sharpening his axe; Marcel the Malnourished begs for food, Cordélia gives him a ration and ask him a few questions after but he’s sleepy after eating and takes a nap.
  • Cordélia sprinkles holy water on the living paints, except Marcel’s, they cease to be « alive »
  • A bit further they hear loud singing and much ruckus from a mess hall, they turn left instead in another corridor
  • They open a door into the Summer Wing, push aside a heavy curtain and get into a vast throne room with much cobwebs. There’s empty armors each standing in front of columns in rows facing each other. The PCs want the team to coordinate to tie up the armors with ropes, and using the curtain also (as they don’t have enough rope) to immobilize them in case they would get hostile. The plan mostly works, 5 armors are tied to columns but then they animate suddenly and Loic didn’t have time to tie his. And the 2 armors under the curtain just slice it open and free themselves. Combat ensues. Jacques takes a halberd hit on the face and dies instantly. Monmon manages to push an armor on the ground with the help of Cordélia, the armor disassemble with the impact, a swarm of (little) spiders get out of it, quickly scattering away. Loic slam his hammer on another’s helm and dislodges it from its shoulders with the same result. They then team up to break apart the last free armor.
  • They inspect the decorated throne. They find a jeweled scepter in a hidden compartment. They also find a button and when pressed it makes the throne descend into the catacombs.
  • They go down with the throne into the Lake Grotto area.
  • Next room Cordélia does a Smite the Dead, annihilating a bunch of undead nuns.
  • A bit further, now into the Oubliette area, they get inside an impressive statuary, they’re attacked by 3 Stone Reapers (statues with scythes). Monmon uses his magic spear to good effect. He and Conrad got wounded too but are immediately healed by Loic. A tough fight but they prevail. They find a precious necklace, a mundane lantern and sheet of paper with a spell of warding (single use) inscribed on it.
  • Right next to the statuary are prisoner cells. There’s 3 prisoners, one weirdo is chewing on a dead rat, says that this way the vampires will choose to drain somebody else. Another, Jaubert, gets a promise from the adventurers to kill Mortagu the warden/executioner and bring back the keys. The other one is a gaunt woman that keeps silent.
  • They leave the captives behind and go in search of the warden. Past a clammy corridor they get into a root cellar. There they see giant beets, almost humanoids in shape, slumbering. Careful to not disturb the beet creatures they go inspect a statue of a woman that seems out of place. They find a secret passage behind and go inside.
  • They get into a cistern room. There’s a well entrance above them. There’s corpses in the water, zombies that animate when they get near. The PCs hurry away and spike the door behind them.
  • They get further, evading a trio of cackling witches in a kitchen.
  • Next room is empty except for an axe and a stump. And dried blood everywhere. Monmon takes the axe, thinking it will piss off the executioner to be weaponless! (there was chance of finding Mortagu here but it didn’t happen)
  • Next room there’s a weird thing going on as heavily-armored Monmon is attracted in the center where a spiked ball attached on a chain is rotating furiously. He got hit 2 times before he could extricate himself from the magnetic field (but he can take it).
  • Nearby they find a secret door and get into a large circular room bordered by alcoves. They have time to search a few before alerting the resident rats. A whole horde of rats, hundreds. The PCs flee through the only door and quickly close it behind them.
  • They leave the angry screeches and scratching and now see that they’ve circled back to the clammy corridor and root cellar. From there they get to a wine cellar. There’s many barrels along the wall and messing with them they find one that is empty, behind is a secret passage.
  • They enter and once they get out of a man-made tunnel they arrive in a cavern. Oddly, they can see the light of day entering at the other end of the cavern. There’s also a satyr wearing robes. He let them pass with the promise that the adventurers bring him alcohol on their way back.
  • The PCs enter the Indoorness, a primordial forest unstuck in time and space.
  • They follow a path and soon get into a clearing where they see a gazebo surrounded by wildflowers. They get inside. (the players are not old-timers, they have no fear of gazebos) The gazebo fly up at vertiginous speed and reach a splendid cloud garden. They get back on the ground after a while, feeling refreshed.
  • Further on the forest path, they come across another clearing, this time there’s a mill. The miller talks about giant mice, trolls under bridges and a druid who’s master of the forest. They pay good money for a cask of whiskey and leave.
  • The adventurers were worried at the thought of encountering trolls and decided it was time to turn back and call it a day. They gave the satyr the cask of whiskey which he seized and gulped down without another word. They entered back the catacombs, found their way up to the throne room and managed to get out of the castle yet again… with grumpy fellow Jacques as casualty.

(I had planned to have the players ambushed by bandit Gilbert the Fox and his men as they exited the castle, as it was pretty much telegraphed from last session’s rumors and today’s foreshadowing (the man in hiding) but it was getting late and so it’ll be another time.)

Session wrap up:

  • 5 hours session with a lot accomplished, a lot of exploration done if a bit haphazard. They found the way to the « Indoorness » which frankly I’m quite surprised by. When I read the book the first time I wasn’t sure they would ever find it at all. Interesting…
  • First time the players get to interact with portraits, even if they’re like everywhere in the castle. That was fun.
  • No random encounters, not a single one, against the odds, as I’ve rolled like 30 times (with a 1 on d6 needed)!
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasure: 2 Secrets: 3
  • Treasures: Scepter of the Merovings. Jeweled Necklace.
  • Fatalities: Jacques, got hit in the face by an Empty Armor’s halberd
  • Quote: Marjorie: « Eeeekkk, spiders! I squash them all! Every single one of them! »
  • New Infractions: Stole the Scepter of the Merovings, Defaced living portraits with holy water.

Château des Faussesflammes/Castle Xyntillan: Notes of the DM

David Skelector Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, megadungeon, OSR, Roleplaying Game, RPG

After 5 sessions here’s a few things that emerged from play that I wish to keep in mind.

RIP and MIA

People are dying in Castle Xyntillan and, pretty much as its author said in his book intro, its the henchmen that bears the brunt of the dying too. Its weird but filling up the crypt with new additions makes me feel like a (morbid) collector. A guy ripped apart by stuffed animals? Check! Another seized off the raft by a lake monster! Check! Collection is coming along great!

Those left behind

I’m patting myself in the back a little but I’m happy with the way I’m showing the players that the castle’s inhabitants react to their intrusion, albeit in minor ways (for the moment). The party saw henchman Charles (killed in a previous foray) being hacked up by ghoul cooks. They also saw Pierre-Jean’s corpse on a wheelbarrow in the garden area. So, I’m keeping tab of who died where and (if left behind) a small prep I do afterward is to decide what happens with the corpses. I have some special things in mind concerning this, oh yeah, I do!

Henchmen are people too

It’s the first time I’m using a character quirks table and it’s been a lot of fun. Jean-Paul Jean the lackwit was endearing said Olivier. So much so that he mounted a special expedition just to retrieve his body so that he could have a proper funeral with the family. That was awesome. We’ve expanded on this idea a bit and decided that the Jean family is numerous in the region, and thus, a grateful Jean family provides a good source of potential henchmen.

(aside: Jean-Paul Jean is a silly name, of course. As is Pierre-Jean Pierre and Paul-Jean Paul. It is possible to have such a name in french, but the repetition of first name and surname is, yeah, silly. I had to say enough to the kids, they would have named every henchmen in this fashion…)

(aside 2: Jean is a male name, english-speaking people have it all wrong)

Rumors

There’s three d12 rumor tables in the book. We don’t roleplay how the rumors come about, we simply roll two per sessions. What I did though was adding a fourth d12 table of rumors that are not about the castle per se, but rather about the setting (of Averoigne). This way they can learn of existing NPCs and of other « dungeons » too. Despite that it might well be that the campaign will focus on the castle only and that would be perfectly fine by me.

Rumors may be true, partially true or false. They found the cave entrance with an obviously true rumor. Some are simply gamer jokes (i.e the gazebos) and can be discarded as such. Some are less obvious and lead to fun moments such as when they heard that red clothing could somehow protect against the « red specter ». Cordélia proceeded to buy some red clothes for her henchmen (not fully trusting the rumor, only on the henchmen), specifiying that they could be put on fast « like a coat is that it? » And when a Malévol that could well be a « red specter » attacked them, well, we had a Little red riding hood moment! Did that work? The jury is still on the fence on that one…

The Malévols

Surprisingly for an OSR product, there’s not much in terms of factions in Castle Xyntillan. That’s a weakness of the module IMO, though many of the Malévols will talk to the PCs, with a wide variety of sincerity. The Malévols themselves, the 50ish of them, don’t satisfy me entirely I must say. A family tree would have been a great appendix. But I’ve been thinking about this and I’m beginning to classify somewhat their roles in a kind of hierarchy. I find it helpful. First there’s the living Malévols who have comprehensible (mostly) goals, an heir, a bandit, a monk, etc. There’s the undead servants with clear support roles; the huntsman, the playwright, the alchemist, the butler, etc, who in fact shouldn’t really be Malévols at all but are important nonetheless. There’s ghosts and specters, all things haunting, powerful or not, that are more hazard than anything. Then there’s the true Malévols who have their own area of the castle, with many brand of peculiar habits. And at the top of the hierarchy ladder there’s a few ancients that are linked with the castle’ very foundations, amid layers of secrets. That’s something that I’m eager to work on, expanding/improving the « rogues’ gallery » will be interesting.

Edit: Classification of the Malévols

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan): Session 5

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

Still at our cabin, still raining, the boys keep pestering me to play another session. I mean, I’m glad that they like it, I am, but we’re here to enjoy the great outdoors aren’t we? Of course they’re having none of it and they use their ultimate weapon to make me agree, they send 8 yo Edmond to beg… Large-eyed Edmond saying « pretty please » with his cutest voice, my heart of stone melts, no one could resist…

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

System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Paul Neref (Olivier), friend of the numerous Jean clan, Warrior lvl 3
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), a cousin of the Jean, Warrior lvl 2
  • Noah (Isaac), loves throwing knives, Expert lvl 2
  • Monmon (Edmond), has a powerful antique spear, Warrior lvl 2

Retainers:

  • Hercule (Isaac), Caravan Hand (hvy), nervous, Morale 7
  • Alphonse (Edmond), Crusader (hvy), has a ring of false keys, Morale 9
  • Pierre Laroche du Rocher, mason (lgt), contrarian, Morale 6
  • Constant Jean, of the numerous Jean clan, daytaler (hvy), healthy, Morale 7

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, electrocuted in front of the Anteroom (corpse in castle)
  • Jean-Paul Jean, Man-at-Arms (hvy), ripped apart by stuffed animals (RIP)
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, Man-at-Arms (hvy), clawed to death by a dark monk (RIP)
  • Edgar, Man-at-Arms (hvy), throat slashed by a dark monk (corpse in castle)
  • Charles, Man-at-Arms (hvy), skewered by a drunken skeleton (corpse in castle)

Previous Infractions:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient.

Smoked the Ruined Quarters. Angered a werewolf washwoman. Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings. Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies. Stole a treasure chest full of gold from the Lake Grotto treasury.

Infractions rating: 3

Rumors:

  • Gilbert Malévol the Fox and his merry men lurk near the Castle. Watch your belongings!
  • There’s really no monsters in Malinbois, just brigands.

We start in Vyones. Paul Nereff recruits a pair of new henchmen. He’s not very fond of Pierre Laroche du Rocher’s personality but he’s very glad that Constant Jean seems like a robust specimen and equips them accordingly (nothing for Pierre, good hauberk for Constant).

Dungeon Level:

  • Another go through the lake cave entrance.
  • Unfortunately this time the/a lake monster interrupts their short crossing: Poor Hercule is seized off the raft and disappears underwater.
  • They go through the flooded vault and on to the room of prophecy. A rather ridiculously anemic « swarm » of 4 (out of 64) crawling hands is easily dispatched.
  • Pierre is convinced (through his contrarian nature) to not-not taste the water from the basin of prophecy… He speaks nonsense for awhile aftrerward.
  • A bit further, standing in front of another inundated grotto, they ring a bell and here comes Charon the Ferryman himself on his barge! They pay 3 gold pieces each and get aboard. They go through dense fog and disembark not very far it seems.
  • They encounter a strange creature with human legs and the upper body of a cockroach. They can’t make heads or tails of its mandible clicking but they let it follow them.
  • They get into the Service Tunnels area. They go through an amphitheatre with a skeleton (the unmoving variety) at a ticket booth, otherwise empty.
  • In a small room, they see an hovering hatchet splintering an animated table that acts like its in pain. Monmon catches the hatchet middair and shove it in a nearby drawer to spare the agonizing table. They find a collection of valuable polished crystals.
  • The adjacent door leads to a taproom with a sinister bartender but is otherwise unoccupied at the moment (that’s a random thing, like much of the module). They leave but not without taking a deck of cards that was left on a table. A very special deck of cards indeed…
  • They backtrack a little and stumble into 4 zombies that they kill quickly. The cockroach man still following.
  • A stuck door, they bash it open and interrupts some kind of occult ritual! The adventurers quickly kill half a dozen cultists still on their knees. The master though, wearing an antique crown, is already on his feet and use dark sorcery: Paul Nereff averts a most gruesome fate with a feat of will. He’s wounded but not, huh, inverted (!), by an Invert the Inwardness spell. They thrust and slash at the crowned cultist but the latter simply lifts a hand and is absorbed away in some kind of weird vortex.
  • After the fight, they go down a few corridors, a set of stairs, more corridors and get into a chapel inside the Understores. There’s some statues of monks, a bas-relief, moss everywhere but the adeventurers also hear dogs barking, getting closer. The cockroach man, still following, is gueninely gleeful.
  • Monmon readies his spear and soon skewer one of the Huntsman’s hunting dog jumping at him.
  • A chaotic melee ensues as 15 spiked-collared hunting mastiffs are pitted against the fortune seekers. The latter get the upper hand but the Huntsman himself intervenes whilst his dogs are getting killed and kills Pierre Laroche du Rocher with 2 arrows. Another arrow hits Paul Nereff who manages to resist a deadly poison. With most of the dogs killed, the adventurers turn their attention to the Hunstman but he simply vanishes with a blow of his horn, again.
  • They leave poor Pierre Laroche du Rocher behind and get back at the lake grotto, call Charon the Ferryman once again and continue exploring the Lake Grotto area.
  • They get into a dressing room and find a fool’s garb and a regal outit into a locked cloakroom that Alphonse managed to open with his set of false keys. They can also see, through a grille, a praying man into another room with no doors. They leave him be.
  • They encounter Sybille Malévol who offers to sell them some of her potions. They decline. Spiteful, before vanishing she tries to change Paul into a toad but luckily he resists the transformation.
  • At the end of another passage arrayed by incense burners they see another chapel. Paul Nereff , notices that the floor tiles aren’t mortared over there. They remove the tiles and start digging but they have few shovels betwen them and its hard work.
  • They’re interrupted by a dark-clad, elegant man holding a glass of « wine »: « I’ve never liked this place… » he says, looking at the chapel. Red eyes appear behind him. « Children, do dispose of these va-nu-pieds! » Wolves attack them.
  • The adventurers are getting ready to use their wooden stakes on what they suppose is a vampire but the dark-clad man turns into mist (vindicating their not-so wild guess) and let his « children » fight. This time the battle isn’t going so well… Alphonse is downed by the wolves’ ferocious attacks, and then Constant and Paul-Jean Paul, and Monmon soon after. Noah and Paul Nereff, both severely wounded, manage to slay the last wolf. Both then try to apply first aid on their dying comrades. They do a great job and sucessfully save Constant and Paul-Jean. Monmon doesn’t need saving as he’s tough as nails but Alphonse, survivor of the crusade, succumbs to the Château des Faussesflammes…
  • The survivors, sporting bloody bandages, get out of the castle the way they came in as fast as their wounds allowed. Fortunately the lake monster doesn’t appear this time.

Wrap up:

  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasure: 2 Secrets: 1
  • Treasures: polished crystals, regal outfit
  • Crypt: Hercule, eaten by the lake monster. Pierre Laroche du Rocher, pierced by the Huntsman’s arrows. Alphonse, savaged by Count Giscard’s Children of the Night.
  • Quote:
  • New Infractions: Interrupted Runcius Malévol’s pagan ritual. Slightly annoyed Count Giscard while he drank « wine ».
  • Paul Neref free of his phobia after another trip at the sanatorium

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan): Session 4

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

This play report, and the next one, comes from game sessions played at our cabin with the boys. This summer has been incredibly rainy here in eastern Quebec so we had to stay indoors more than usual. Its unfortunate – I hope that’s not a climate trend that will settle, though it could be a lot worse of course, like the fires that are STILL raging west. But let’s switch to a lighter subject…

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

System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Paul Neref (Olivier), Warrior lvl 2
  • Noah (Isaac), Expert lvl 1
  • Monmon (Edmond), Warrior lvl 2

Retainers:

  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), in training to be a full-fledged Warrior, cousin of deceased Jean-Paul Jean, Morale 8
  • Hercules (Isaac), Caravan Hand (hvy), nervous, Morale 7
  • Alphonse (Edmond), Crusader (hvy), has a ring of false keys, Morale 9

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, strangled by Malvina Malévol and electrocuted in front of the Anteroom
  • Jean-Paul Jean, Man-at-Arms (hvy), lackwit, ripped apart by stuffed animals
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, Man-at-Arms (hvy), clawed to death by a dark monk
  • Edgar, Man-at-Arms (hvy), throat slashed by a dark monk
  • Charles, Man-at-Arms (hvy), skewered by a drunken skeleton

Previous Infractions:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Smoked the Ruined Quarters. Angered a werewolf washwoman. Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings. Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies.

Infractions rating: 3

Rumors:

  • It is said that the Hero Roland himself was buried under the Castle, and a great relic with him.
  • The goats are not what they seem.

Through the Cave Mouth

  • The group, smaller than usual, decide to search for the cave mouth entrance that they’ve heard about. They build a raft with the help of artisan Noah’s knowhow. It’s a bit fragile but it’ll do to get them on the castle’s lake side.
  • They disembark in a garden area with unkept vegetation and an outdoor chapel. There’s a fountain in the chapel with copper lambs with topaz for eyes. Paul can’t enter the chapel for some reason. Monmon wanted to pry off the topaz eyes but changed his mind and went against it. Noah takes the white clothe from the altar.
  • There’s stairs leading down to the lake surface. Paul notices a small cave entrance hidden behind vegetation. Here it is, the entrance to the Lake Grotto, the rumor was true! They go inside, water to their thighs.
  • Bats fly out of the passage. The adventurers find objects in the water, amid bones, a golden comb and a decorative sword.
  • The passage leads to a larger grotto but Paul finds a secret door and they get to a flooded vault with 7 submerged sarcophagi. Another secret door, hard to find, leads them to room with a treasure chest. They’re happy with their find but at this moment they hear the dead coming at them. The fight doesn’t go too bad, except for Noah that is nearly dead the others only have a few light wounds. They resume pillaging the treasure chest. There’s a lot of gold and also, a mummified bird that squawks: « X marks the spot« .
  • With bags full of gold, the adventurers decided to call it a day.
  • They’re back in the flooded passage but between them and the exit are 7 headless manservants. They’re weaponless and not much of a challenge though and the adventurers cut through them and get out.

Wrap up:

  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasure: 2 Secrets: 1
  • Treasures: 5000gp!
  • Crypt: None
  • Quote:
  • New Infractions: Stole a treasure chest full of gold
  • Paul Neref still mentally shaken after 3 visits at the sanatorium

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 3

David Skelector Fantasy, jeux de rôles, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game , ,

This session’s goal (as stated by Olivier), is to retrieve henchman Jean-Paul Jean’s corpse so that his cousin can bring him back to the family. Olivier has really taken this to heart to Marjorie’s utter befuddlement… I think it’s hilarious and awesome. Jason could not be with us so no healer this session but fortunately for the players my random encounter rolls were very light, no dangerous Malévol specter this time around.

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

System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), Necromancer lvl 2
  • Paul Neref (Olivier), Warrior lvl 2
  • Noah (Isaac), Expert lvl 1
  • Monmon (Edmond), Warrior lvl 2

Retainers:

  • Eudes le Bâtard (Marjorie), Man-at-Arms (lgt), Comte de La Frenaie’s young bastard son, Morale 9
  • Paul-Jean Paul (Olivier), in training to be a full-fledged Warrior, cousin of deceased Jean-Paul Jean, Morale 5
  • Hercules (Isaac), Caravan Hand (hvy), nervous, Morale 7
  • Alphonse (Edmond), Crusader (hvy), has a ring of false keys, Morale 9

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, strangled by Malvina Malévol and electrocuted in front of the Anteroom
  • Jean-Paul Jean, Man-at-Arms (hvy), lackwit, ripped apart by stuffed animals
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, Man-at-Arms (hvy), clawed to death by a dark monk
  • Edgar, Man-at-Arms (hvy), throat slashed by a dark monk
  • Charles, Man-at-Arms (hvy), skewered by a drunken skeleton

Previous Infractions:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Smoked the Ruined Quarters Angered a werewolf washwoman. Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings. Infractions rating: 2

Rumors:

  • You can get in through a cave mouth from the lake if you don’t care for a frontal approach.
  • Périgon’s monks had their faith shaken really bad recently, some of them aren’t devout christians anymore…

Retrieving Jean-Paul Jean

We start in Périgon. Loic the Healer is unavailable. Louis the Man-at-Arms promptly retired after seeing 3 companions die horribly in last foray. Bruno the Man-at-Arms didn’t show up, reasons unkown. There’s only a pair of recruits to hire but both have seen action before and are capable fighters. Paul Neref spent some time at Ste-Zénobie’s sanatorium trying to restore his sanity, wasn’t done with his treatment and still went back with the other into the cursed château.

  • The adventurers decide to enter at the Grand Entrance instead of the Gatehouse, a bit odd as it’s farther away from their chosen objective, the Ménagerie.
  • The two statues bordering the double doors react at their approach, one erupts in maniacal laughter, the other flicks its fingers. Nothing else happens.
  • They open the heavy doors and find themselves into the Vestibule. There’s a ghostly butler weeping softly in a corner. The PCs ask him why he cries but he simply denies and ask whose names he shall announce. Cordélia thinks on her feet and answers « Claudette Malévol ». The butler, Jean-Honoré, seems unsure but tell them to sit down and wait for his return.
  • The PCs bolt away as soon as he turns the corner, open the nearest door and get into another part of the Servants’ wing.
  • First room is a simple maid’s room but they do find a silver dagger under a pillow.
  • Next door opens into the Stables. Through their rummaging they manage to find a lucky horseshoe.
  • They then open the door to the kitchen where 5 horrible cooks (ghouls), are busy hacking henchman Charles’ corpse. The PCs react first and Cordélia do a powerful Smite the Dead and kill 4. Monmon finish the last one with a spear thrust but then he opens another door and a guillotine trap hurt him severely. Cordélia heals him with a balm.
  • Paul hears Jean-Honoré in a nearby room talk to others about the « visitors ». The PCs hurry up further away. They get into a corridor and then another and finally get to a place they already visited, the entrance passage leading to the garden area.
  • They find henchman Pierre-Jean’s corpse in a wheelbarrow with ravens pecking at his face. They leave him there for the moment.
  • From there they open the same side door they did in their first visit, hesitated at the propect of crossing the corridor of the phantom steeds and looking at their maps decided to go the long way.
  • Heard the werewolf washwoman singing and they hurried away.
  • They finally get to the Ménagerie, once again the Huntsman on the throne blows his horn and disappear along with his dogs. They see the stuffed animals on their pedestals, To their dismay they can see that Jean-Paul has been added to the display, dressed as a hunter!
  • Cordélia tries something, a Command the Dead spell on stuffed Jean-Paul and it works, he’s under her command! She wishes to use him to shoot the Huntsman if he gets back.
  • They wait.
  • And wait some more.
  • Still no Huntsman.
  • But 6 undead aristocrats, alerted earlier by the butler, found them: « you misérables mécréants, surrender! »
  • The adventurers attack. Cordélia use her wand of the marshland, points the moss tapestry, and vines immobilize one undead fop. Paul and Monmon charge side by side and kill 2 in no time.
  • The stuffed Lion chooses this very moment to come to life and jumps on Cordélia but he only graze her with a claw attack. Stuffed Jean-Paul shoots the lion but misses.
  • Eudes bravely attacks the stuffed Lion and slashes it with his sword. Monmon gets over there and pierce it with his magic spear.
  • Meanwhile, Noah and Hercules kill an undead aristocrat together and Paul Neref another one. The remaining one tries to flee but Paul is swifter and ignoring his pleas for his unlife, slays him.
  • Eudes finishes the stuffed Lion with another good slash. Alphonse cuts the head of the undead aristocrat bound by vines.
  • They get out of the castle, Jean-Paul Jean in tow, looking creepy with glass beads for eyes…

Wrap up:

  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasure: 0 Secrets: 0 Special Mission: 1 Total: 2
  • Treasures:
  • Crypt: None
  • Quote: Marjorie: « I’m Claudette Malévol, a, er distant relative… »
  • New Infractions: Failed to convince Jean-Honoré the butler of their lies.
  • Retrieved Jean-Paul Jean and Pierre-Jean but left Charles all hacked up on the kitchen’s table.
  • Paul Neref still mentally shaken after 2 visits at the sanatorium

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan): Session 2

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

Short session, 2 hours only and the players did some shopping and recruiting first so not a lot accomplished. Still, they went to a new section of the castle, found a few trinkets, had a dangerous fight and lost a few people…

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

System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs):

  • Loic (Jason), Adventurer lvl 1 (partial expert/partial healer)
  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), Necromancer lvl 1
  • Paul Neref (Olivier), Warrior lvl 1
  • Noah (Isaac), Expert lvl 1
  • Monmon (Edmond), Warrior lvl 1

Retainers:

  • Eudes le Bâtard, Man-at-Arms (lgt), Comte de La Frenaie’s young bastard son, Morale 9
  • Bruno, Man-at-Arms (lgt), dreamy-eyed, Morale 9
  • Paul-Jean Paul, Man-at-Arms (hvy), cousin of deceased Jean-Paul Jean, Morale 5
  • Pierre-Jean Pierre, Man-at-Arms (hvy), escaped friar, Morale 9
  • Louis, Man-at-Arms (hvy), scrounger, Morale 7
  • Edgar, Man-at-Arms (hvy), have a pet hawk, Morale 8
  • Charles, Man-at-Arms (hvy), scrounger, Morale7

Crypt

  • Zachary, Elementalist, strangled by Malvina Malévol and electrocuted in front of the Anteroom
  • Jean-Paul Jean, Man-at-Arms (hvy), lackwit, ripped apart by stuffed animals

Previous Infractions:

Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik the Ancient. Smoked the Ruined Quarters Angered a werewolf washwoman. Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings. Infractions rating: 2

Rumors:

  • Fausseflammes? I would rather go to Malinbois, a much better place!
  • Wearing red will keep away the Scarlet Specter… for a while.

We start in Vyônes. The adventurers have a buyer for the Reliquary of Bygone Kings. Fortunately they found its secret before selling it; a hidden compartment held an antique spear tip. They sought a capable artisan to assemble the spear tip into a potent weapon. The artisan, Noah, joined them thereafter. They also recruited a few other Men-at-arms, amongst them is the cousin of deceased Jean-Paul Jean who wants to retrieve his corpse. Cordélia decides to triple their hiring fees (she has now 4 retainers by herself).

Gatehouse:

  • Dozens of ravens perched on the gatehouse.
  • They go at the double doors, two skeleton sentries are quickly dispatched.
  • Past the double doors is an entrance passage with murder holes, door at their right is stuck, Monmon kick it in.
  • There’s loud singing coming from further away but first they stop by an ominous statue depicting a zombie or leper. Cordélia notice a hidden compartment in the pedestal. Inside is a brain in a jar, she breaks the jar and turn the brain into a pulp.
  • Next there’s a mess hall full of cobwebs with singing skeletons acting like they’re drunk. Cordélia destroy most of them with a Smite the Dead (necromancers can be potent undead hunters in WWN). But the remaining skeletons pick up their rusty swords and charge. New retainer Charles is slain in the ensuing melee.
  • The PCs search the mess hall but are interrupted by the sounds of rattling chains, a red specter appears, barely visible, demanding a blood sacrifice! Most weapons they have don’t seem to work against it. He inflicts a terrible wound which bleeds profusely on Monmon but Loic heals him with magic. Monmon counters with a stab of his powerful spear and hurt the specter. Paul hit it with his magical dagger. The PCs hears the chains fading away, they follow.
  • They’re now in a chapel with a strange procession of monks. The red specter already waiting for them goads the monks in taking a « blood toll ». One monk points the PCs with a clawed hand. Combat ensues. The adventurers managed to slay the dark monks but have lost Edgar and Pierre-Jean to their sharp claws. Fortunately the red specter did not join the fight.
  • On an altar, Paul finds a fossilised ammonite and as he takes it he gains primordial insights (xp) at the cost of his sanity…

Wrap up:

  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 0 Secrets: 1 Total: 2
  • Treasures:
  • Crypt: Charles: skewered by a drunken skeleton, Edgar: throat slashed by a dark monk, Pierre-Jean Pierre: clawed to death by a dark monk
  • Quote:
  • Infractions:

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan)- Session 1

David Skelector Fantasy, megadungeon, OSR, Play reports, Roleplaying Game, RPG , , ,

Introduction: The Beast of Averoigne has finally been slain. During its month-long rampage, many believed its lair and origins laid in the accursed Château des Faussesflammes. Armed townsfolk broke through its decayed gates but when they found themselves in the gloomy interior, their courage soon faltered. The Beast may be dead but the Château des Faussesflammes and its many horrors is still there…

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

System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs):

  • Loic (Jason), Adventurer lvl 1 (partial expert/partial healer)
  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), Necromancer lvl 1
  • Paul Neref (Olivier), Warrior lvl 1
  • Zachary (Isaac), Elementalist lvl 1
  • Monmon (Edmond), Warrior lvl 1

Retainers:

  • Eudes le Bâtard, Man-at-Arms (lgt), noble, Morale 9
  • Bruno, Man-at-Arms (lgt), dreamy-eyed, Morale 9
  • Jean-Paul Jean, Man-at-Arms (hvy), lackwit, Morale 4

Rumors:

  • Don’t believe everything you hear about the castle. There is nothing dangerous about the gazebos.
  • The ancient incantation « FOE GYG » will keep the lesser undead at bay… well, usually. For a while anyway.

First Foray:

Weather: mainly sunny

  • Gathered in the city of Vyones, the adventurers bought some supplies and then left for the town of Périgon in the South
  • They recruited 3 Men-at-Arms in Périgon.
  • A pair of brothers from Périgon guided them to the Château des Faussesflammes, a few hours away, at the fringe of Malinbois. Dreamy-eyed Bruno said it would be better to go inside the castle at night.
  • In front of the castle Cordélia said they should first go check the smaller structure they could see by the lake. The others overruled her and they all entered at the main gate into a garden area.
  • Entered a smithy, heard noises in the adjacent barracks. A hammer worked by itself, sparkles flying, the forge was lit. Cordelia tried to order the hammer to forge a weapon, the hammer tried instead to smack her head but missed. Zachary fetched water at the pond to cool down the forge, hammer attacked but Paul managed to snatch it mid air. Kept the hammer hoping it’s magical.
  • Went to barracks, skeletons training on dead adventurer. Jean-Paul Jean runs away. Cordélia blasted them all with a very efficient Smite Dead. Poster on the corpse, « Wanted: Claude Malévol, dead or alive. Preferably dead. »
  • Jean-Paul Jean came back convinced by Loic that all will go well (it won’t).
  • Paul and Zachary wanted to see the pavillon at the garden pond. Joined by Monmon, others waited. Opened the sarcophagus, four-armed skeleton sat straight up. PCs won initiative, all hits, and that was it for Tristano Malévol the Love-lost.
  • Paul took Tristano’s rose and put it inside the hand of the statue of the comely maiden, was rewarded with a wedding ring. He resisted the soporific flowers.
  • Cordélia still suspicious of what seemed to her as the main entrance so they chose to enter the castle at the rose garden’s side door. Before that they opened a gardener’s shed and found magical dancing beans.
  • Inside, in a corridor, fat monk Reynard Malévol sitting on floor drinking from a wine skin and singing lewd songs. He cheers when Zachary and Paul are trampled and almost killed by phantom steeds.
  • Z and P healed by Loic.
  • Paul, Zachary and Monmon ran and got across the corridor, nearly getting trampled again. The others chose to open another door to try to avoid the phantom steeds.
  • That right there effectively split the party for the rest of the session…

Paul, Zachary and Monmon

(It’s notable that the 3 kids got together, extricating themselves from the group at the first occasion. My 2 sons led by a reckless teenager Olivier. I did not try to dissuade them on their course of action, this is very much a push-your-luck game, and push they did… )

  • Inside a weird menagerie with ape statues and taxidermy stuff. Leper-face Huntsman on a throne with a dozen of hunting dogs around but just blew his horn and disappeared along with the dogs.
  • Went straight to next door (Storerooms aisle), opened another, heard thumping noises, followed by the appearance of the baleful specter Merlerik Malévol. The specter misses all his attacks and is soon eliminated, leaving a strange shadow on the wall. (wasn’t a +1 or better to hit, not sure what the incorporeal trait does)
  • Storage room, found a moldy corpse skewered by a sword beaneath a pile of rags, Monmon took the sword.
  • Another storage room, coffin in the middle, inside is a woman with a dagger through her heart. Paul remove the dagger, keep it for himself, a geyser of blood erupts from the woman’s body and screams from nowhere in particular. (nothing on encounters check)
  • Inside a nursery, hairy woman in nightgown teach young children how to eviscerate on a dummy. PCs leave discreetly.
  • A corridor, stairs going up. PCs go to second floor (Maze of the Occult) and arrive in great hall with red plush carpets. Eerie children singing, portraits along the wall. Magic runes on a door. Singing stop abruptly and ghost of Malvine Malévol the Strangler appears. This time the adventurers’ weapons don’t seem to hurt their opponent at all. Malvine strangles Zachary. As he sense his life leaving him, in a last desperate act, he touches the nearby door’s handle, activating the runes and a powerful lightning bolt strikes both Zachary and Malvine, dissipating the latter. (lightning supposed to be inside the room but heck!)
  • With Zachary dead, Paul and Monmon decide to call it a day. They left their companion’s corpse behind after looting him.

Meanwhile; Cordélia, Loic, Eudes, Bruno and Jean-Paul Jean

(The 2 adults wanted to find a way to get the group reunited but instead got confused and explored a bunch of rooms in the Ruined Quarters aisle.)

  • First door to the right was locked, next room was full of rotting banners. Next corridor with a mini-whirlwind going on, could see garden area through arrow slits to their right. They were getting farther from their companions, that was obvious.
  • Open a door, fat woman is doing laundry. Cordélia and Loic convince her that her masters asked for her. She leaves hurriedly. Nothing here but linen.
  • Next door is stuck, they backtrack.
  • Corridor full of leaves on the ground and fresh air. Room with mushrooms, they leave.
  • They enter a room with a broken beam leaning on a statue, more leaves, moss and vines. Vines shoot on the PCs, they escape and throw a torch on the dry leaves. Bonfire. Lots of smoke, beam and furnitures blackened. Painting of an automnal landscape damaged. No more vines.
  • Loic, with help, remove the beam from the statue and get rewarded with a wand of the marshlands. gave it to Cordélia. They got out of the room.
  • And then the fat washwoman was upon them: « You lied to me! Made a fool of meself to the Mistress! And what’s all that smoke?! » she shouted with a bloody handkerchief in one hand. Was she that hairy before? She proceeded to whip the hell out of them with her bloody handkerchief but when she got hit by Bruno’s sword (no silver, no damage) she fully shafeshifted into a Werewolf and almost bit his arm off. Loic healed him with magic. Jean-Paul Jean cried, useless. In panic mode Cordélia tried the wand of the marshlands and vines immobilized the Werewolf washwoman and they scrambled away as fast as they could. She let them go, fortunately.
  • They found themselves in the other side of the menagerie, the stuffed animals that were there started to attack! Jean-Paul Jean got hypnotized by a Giant Owl and then stabbed by a Killer Bambi’s poisonous antler, white foam frothed from his mouth. The others fled into the adjacent display room. Trapped into a room with no exit they snatched the copper bowl and precious silver reliquary they found and then dashed out while poor Jean-Paul Jean was savaged by the stuffed animals.
  • They traced back their steps and left the castle, Eudes covered their exit and managed to get out alive somehow.
  • The two separated groups assembled at the gatehouse and left le Château des Faussesflammes.

Wrap up:

  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasures: 3 Secrets: 1 Total: 5
  • Treasures: wedding ring, copper bowl, Reliquary of Bygone Kings: all sold in Vyones thereafter
  • Crypt: Zachary strangled by Malvine Malévol and struck by a lightning bolt from the Anteroom, Jean-Paul Jean ripped apart by stuffed animals.
  • Quote from Olivier: « The flaws, and there were many, of Jean-Paul Jean made him someone special and endearing, I’d say. He’ll be missed »
  • Infractions: Eliminated Tristano Malévol the Love-Lost. Eliminated Merlerik Malévol. Eliminated Malvine Malévol the Strangler (temporary). Smoked the Ruined Quarters and angered a werewolf washwoman. Stole the Reliquary of Bygone Kings. Infractions rating: 3