OSR

The Maker of Gargoyles (The House of Rogat Demazien) – Session 11

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

Our first bifurcation of the campaign where the players aren’t exploring the Château des Faussesflammes/Castle Xyntillan but are investigating the rumors about gargoyles attacks in the city of Vyônes. The premise is directly inspired by Clark Ashton Smith’ The Maker of Gargoyles story and I’m also using an adventure provided into Gabor Lux’s Trail of the Sea Demon module. This scenario was already close enough thematically speaking so mixing the two together wasn’t too cumbersome.

Friday evening, 4 1/2 hours session.

Trail of the Sea Demon, by Gabor Lux. https://emdt.bigcartel.com/products

Set in Clark Ashton Smith’s Averoigne

TTRPG System: Worlds without Number, by Kevin Crawford

Adventurers – Player Characters (PCs)

  • Cordélia Lenoir (Marjorie), using the dark arts for Good (probably), Necromancer lvl 4>>5
  • Bruno the Wolfman (Marjorie), controlled lycanthropy, Warrior/Skinshifter lvl 3
  • Noah (Isaac), crafts stuff, has a repeating crossbow, Expert lvl 5
  • Pierrot (Isaac), caravan hand, dealmaker, Warrior lvl 1
  • 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), don’t confuse him with Jean-Paul Jean, Warrior lvl 3>>4
  • Constant Jean (Olivier), vigorous member of the Jean clan, Warrior lvl 3

Retainers:

  • Raymond, (Isaac) Man-at-Arms, gruff, vassal of the Comte de la Frenaie, 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 in castle)
  • Stuffed Jean-Paul  killed by stuffed animals, stuffed himself, bursted into flames (RIP)

Rumors: n/a

We start in the city of Vyônes. The adventurers want to know what’s up with the gargoyle attacks in the city. They learn without much efforts (within the monastery archives) that it had happened before, decades ago, when Archbishop Ambrosius had commissioned gargoyles for his cathedral and those had somehow been animated with an evil intent. Many people had been found horribly mangled, innocent bystanders mostly, but one of the victim was revealed to be the very sculptor (Blaise) that had created the killer gargoyles. So the first step for the PCs is to find the sculptor’s grave…

  • The cemetary where he lies, a place of repose for the poor or frowned-upon, is a bit outside the city’s walls. The PCs manage to find Blaise’s discreet tombstone and start to dig. After a few minutes of work they see the graveyard attendant’s lantern closing on them. Monmon sends his toy soldiers, they disperse and rattle their spears on stone and manage to spook off the attendant.
  • They resume their digging and finally find a skeleton (coffin has rotten away), less the skull!
  • The graveyard attendant is back with city watchmen but the PCs boldly claim that they’re investigating on behalf of the Church (they’re not) and THEY will ask the questions!
  • The graveyard attendant reveals that Blaise’s grave has been opened up a couple of weeks ago. 2+2= someone has been here before, took the sculptor’s skull for some unscrutable purpose. With some more cooking the graveyard attendant describes the gravedigger and his helpers as he had been bribed to let them do their foul work.
  • The PC’s new trail lead them to one Rogat Demazien, a cloth merchant that has his house and shop in the dilapidated (recently purged) cathar district of Vyônes.
  • Close to the house and adjacent shop, Cordélia sends her homonculus to do some reconnaissance. It sees much activity in the shop, drunks and filles de joies going in and out of the three-story building. It also sees a figure on the roof jumping from the shop-turned-brothel to Rogat Demazien’s house. The homonculus flies to the top of the house, there’s a smashed trapdoor (like it bursted out from below), it goes inside and soon comes before a gruesome scene as a man, the one who had jumped between roofs, is dying of horrible wounds. The culprit is obviously the gargoyle sitting on its pedestal, blood dripping from claws and fangs…
  • Cordélia calls back her homonculus. The party decides to enter the brothel to gather information. The place is a mess, there’s not much left pointing to its former function. The PCs are approached by a large bearded man, Raoulet the pimp, who in a threatening manner wants to know what they’re doing here. Cordélia improvises that she’s here to entertain the crowd. She offers a « performance » (best left undisclosed) that even this disreputable crowd can appreciate.
  • The pimp, now a lot more amiable, accepts to answer their question. He knows the owner of the place, Rogat Demazien. Yes, he can even lead them to him and he starts to walk them to a door nearby. But Cordélia has a better idea, she seduces him into being alone with her, and huh, slits his throat in a moment of distraction shall we say. She them promptly casts a Raise Dead on his corpse along with a Terrible Liveliness that will ensure that he looks and acts like a non-dead person (albeit under her control).
  • Only then do they open the door, the undead pimp in tow, and find a flight of stairs going down.
  • Below, they are in a room with storage for dyes. Paul finds that one barrel has a corpse inside, a man, but fully soaked in the mixture and hard to see any specific features.
  • The adventurers then get through a secret passage, it’s trapped, both Monmon and Bruno are hit by javelins.
  • There’s a large room with a basin filled with water. Ghostly whispers can be heard, tales of disquieting pratices. Cordélia takes a look in the basin and has to resist the urge to dive in.
  • Further in the undercity, in a room with many pillars, a dozen robed cultists are kneeling before a grotesque and unsettling statue (Tsathogga). The PCs attack. They kill cultists left and right, it’s a massacre. But then, the dead cultists jump back on their feet baring vampire fangs and hurl themselves at the invaders! Monmon, Paul and Pierrot each receive a few bites but fortunately the cultists aren’t true vampires, not that hard to kill and are dispatched for good this time.
  • With the cultists eliminated, the PCs examine the room. They find a map of the marshy region south with an X marking a location. They also find a vial with an eye symbol on it that was hidden in a secret compartment. Cordélia puts holy water on the statue but it doesn’t do anything good, a deep sinister laugh can be heard and Constant and Monmon fall uncousious on the spot! One dose of the Oil of Cleansings on Monmon restores him but with Constant still unconscious and many of them sporting a few wounds, the adventurers choose to leave the area and come back later.
  • Leaving the wounded behind to recuperate, the PCs go see the alchemist Luc Le Chaudronier in Ximes for him to identify the vial found in the cultists room.

The alchemist will be working on the identification for a while. Cordélia had time to interrogate the undead pimp and it has been revealed that the owner, Rogat Demazien, is in fact dead. Raoulet met the latter outside of his house as he was apparently fleeing and was severely wounded (something like a claw mark) and instead of helping him, he accelerated his demise. He soon claimed the cloth shop for himself. But now he’s a zombie under Cordélia’s control, there’s some kind of poetic justice going on here I tell you!

Three days later, the adventurers are back the house of Rogat Demazien. They have procured some equipment for the work ahead: two hands hammers, heavy shields and iron nets.

  • The PCs try to enlist Raoulet’s thugs to accompany them in the house but after having lost several men in a prior attempt at burglary they want nothing to do with it anymore.
  • The PCs decide to enter via the rooftop, they get some planks and go from the cloth shop to the house.
  • They enter the 2nd floor through the trapdoor and are prepared to fight the gargoyle they know is there. Constant and Bruno rush the gargoyle with shields , Paul and Monmon cover it with the heavy net. Everyone who can bash it with hammers and break the gargoyle to pieces. So far so good.
  • The adjacent room is dimly lit by an ever-burning brazier as well as from the curtained balcony. They remove the curtain revealing a gargoyle that was hidden in the shadows. They start to repeat their tactical manoeuvre but Noah fail to resist a mind-control attack and he shoots two crossbow bolts on Constant’s back, fortunately missing. The gargoyle jump on Constant and wounds him. Paul counters with a big swing of his Guts sword that removes a big chunk of stone. Noah shoots Paul in the back, piercing him with two bolts. The surrounded gargoyle is shattered soon after and Noah is freed from the enchantment. They find a crystal prism inside a gold-inlaid wooden box, Noah takes it.
  • Down a stairway to 1st floor, they see a corridor covered in cobwebs that have glittering sparkles in them (which the kids refer as skittles) but don’t enter. They instead turn left into a dark room, their torch is oddly weakened to a faint glimmer. Cordélia casts an Extirpate the Arcana that removes the magical darkness. There’s another gargoyle, toad-like with a big smiling head, This one has a mental attack that hurts Paul badly. It wounds Bruno with its claws before being overwhelmed and defeated. They find black garments of fine quality in an exquisitely-made wardrobe.
  • They loot an adjacent bedroom.
  • They go down at ground floor. They enter a workshop with an half-finished gargoyle that they smash to bits for good measure. They pick up schematics of various models of gargoyles.
  • There’s a kitchen and then they go at the main room of the floor. The place is messy (and apparently the last gargoyle is playing a video game and looks just like the kids’ uncle Jason and there’s empty candy (skittles) bags everywhere). Not much to be found here except the entrance door.
  • As they haven’t found Blaise’s skull yet, they go back up on the 1st floor on the corridor with sparkly cobwebs. On closer inspection those were nodules of pure lunar silver.
  • Pass the corridor they find Rogat Demazien’ study. There’s a bunch of scrolls and letters on a desk. With the help of Noah’s magic sword Scrupulous they find a hidden closet behind a portrait on the wall depicting a young attractive woman. Inside the closet are many interesting objects, Blaise’ skull not the least which was covered by an ornamented leather piece. There’s also a leather-bound booklet, two vials of exotic oils, a gnarled piece of dark wood, a cup with not-quite liquid green light, a preserved transparent lizard and another scroll.
  • That’s it, they finished rummaging through Rogat Demazien’s house. Hopefully they’ll discover a few things perusing the letters and booklet. A bit of necromancy with Blaise’ skull could be in order too…

Closing Comments

  • This session was a nice change of pace to our usual castle-crawling. If I had been more subtle with the rumor given earlier (not mentionning the gargoyles as the de facto culprits) it could have been a proper investigation scenario. Instead, as written the rumor was more of an easter egg, a nod towards Clark Ashton Smith’s oeuvre. Ah well, what’s done is done.
  • In the adventure as written, Rogat Demazien was only absent. With how I changed it, discovering his whereabouts was optional (but worth 1 xp), as was learning the cause of his death.
  • This campaign, its backbone being Castle Xyntillan, will live to be Gabor Lux & friends heavy I’m thinking. I’m slowly getting to know this game designer’s catalog and there’s a lot I like about his style and furthermore, a lot that I can potentially use for this present Averoigne campaign.
  • XP: participation 1, treasures 3, secrets 2
  • Treasures: Oil of ?, Crystal Prism (400gp), decorative box (80gp), Surcoat of the Assassin (800gp), 9 nodules of lunar silver, Blaise’s skull, ornamented leather piece ?
  • Quote: Olivier: « Skittles, skittles everywhere! »
  • Fatalities: None

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)

Château des Faussesflammes (Castle Xyntillan) – Session 8

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

Short session, about 2 hours of real play as we had some level ups to do before and after. The players didn’t even do a proper delve but instead had two fights back to back in the Castle’s courtyard, the second being pretty intense and they felt like they were not in good enough shape to go on. Infractions level is high so that was bound to happen.

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

Retainers:

  • Stuffed Jean-Paul (Marjorie), killed by stuffed animals, now stuffed himself, Morale 12
  • Raymond, 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)
  • 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 Bullied Jean-Honoré the Butler 1/2 Smashed the busts in the Bust Gallery 1

Infractions rating: 8 1/2

Rumors:

Skipped the rumors, Oops.

We start in Ximes. Luc le Chaudronnier informs Cordélia that the Homonculus found in the castle could be set free from its bottle if it was bound to a magic-user but the link thus created would be both useful and risky. No decision was made for the moment. Back in Périgon, the monks assures Cordélia that Bruno is mostly under control and could go back to adventuring. He has weird chains on him and he’s hairier than before but at least he’s lost his dreaminess.

Also, Eudes was waiting for them and has something important to share. A proposal. The Comte de la Frenaie would help Eudes be the master of Fausseflammes if only some « minor » obstacles would disappear. There’s the part with the proper heir (Claude Malévol) of the Castle being alive. And of course there are next in lines too. And the pesky thing with the specters and vampires and werewolves and… well, all that. If those « minor » obstacles would be solved somehow, Eudes and his father would be generous towards the adventurers.

After purchasing some supplies (and a détour at the cemetary to fetch some minions) the party is ready for another go at the Château.

Gatehouse

  • They enter through the Gatehouse, under the scrutiny of the ravens as usual. Their plan is to go explore the Occult Maze on the 2nd floor (where Zachary died the first session).
  • They don’t go far before being interrupted by Gilbert the Fox and his bandits that are on the remparts, some behind bushes, all around them. « La Bourse ou la Vie! », Gilbert shouts.
  • The PCs want to parlay but refuse to disarm so its iniative rolls. The PCs win the iniative.
  • Cordélia sends her Reaper towards Gilbert whom responds by ordering his men « kill the witch, now! ». He also runs for his life and disappear inside the castle with one of his man.
  • Meanwhile the PCs dash towards the nearby barracks to protect themselves from the arrows raining down on them. Two arrows hit Cordélia despite Stuffed Jean-Paul’s best effort to block them with his own body. One arrow hit Paul and another Constant. A lot don’t hit their targets.
  • 4 bandits were arming themselves inside the barracks but Paul swiftly annihilate them with one big swing of his sword Guts (improved by Noah in downtime). The PCs are inside, Monmon blocks the door.
  • Some bandits try to storm the barracks but with Noah and Cordélia shooting arrows and bolts from the murder holes and Monmon skewering anything that gets near, the bandits chooses to retreat.
  • Back on the courtyard after a short while, the PCs enter the side door on the NW aisle. They immediately see wet steps on the floor of the corridor and not long after, risen up from a small water puddle, appears Montfort Malévol, well-dressed but with algae and aquatic plants all over him. « What’s all this Grabuge (ruckus) » he shouts angrily ». Thinking quickly Paul says: « Nothing my lord, just bandits, they’ve been taken care of, come I’ll show you! » Montfort is led to 3 dead bandits, murmurs something about someone being glad to have them and start to wander off, pulling 2 dead bandits behind him.
  • A fine plan by Paul but for the impromptu arrival of Aranéa Malévol, screaming « It’s them, Montfort get them you goof! » Stopped on his tracks, Montfort vomits turpid water that gets inside the bandits mouths. They rise up as zombies!
  • The PCs win initiative again.
  • Monmon charged the zombies and kill one. Paul-Jean and Pierrot join him against the 2 surviving zombies.
  • Cordélia sends her Reaper against Aranéa that was coming fast, running on all four on the surface of the wall. The Reaper manages to hit and paralyze the spider woman. Constant Jean throws a rope with a hook at her and pull slamming her down, Aranéa crashes brutally on the ground before being stabbed repeatedly.
  • Meanwhile Montfort has disapppeared, only to reappear behind, oozing out of the small pond. Bruno the Wolman manages to hurt him with his claws but his then knocked out from two powerful punches from Montfort. Cordélia uses her power of Unliving Persistence to save him.
  • Raymond the Man-at-Arms behead Aranéa with a blow from his halberd but she’s not quite dead as her head sprouts new arachnid legs from her severed neck and begins to skitter away. The Horror! Pierrot and Paul-Jean run after the spider-head, stab and burn it with a torch until it stops moving.
  • The PCs turn their attention to Montfort who’s a formidable opponent. He regenerates even severe wounds and he has a special bite attack, his neck and head elongating somewhat like those of a lake monster. Monmon manages to dodge his attack (veteran’s luck). and pierce him with his spear. Paul Nereff and Noah close on him and wound him with a magic dagger and Scrupulous the short sword.
  • Finally Montfort has had enough and kind of melt away leaving only a trail of wet footprints on the ground.
  • Cordélia pick up a pendant from Aranéa’s corpse.
  • The PCs hesitate but ultimately decide to call it day as Bruno is down and several others are wounded.

Session wrap up

  • The status of Gilbert the Fox is unknown to the players, all they know is that he fled inside the castle pursued by Cordélia’s Reaper. The Reaper came back soon after.
  • We had a great Kill it, kill it with fire! moment, always nice. Aranéa Malévol isn’t in the book but I like Spider Ladies too much to not have put her in.
  • XP: Participation: 1 Treasure: 1
  • Treasures: Luckstone Pendant
  • Quote:
  • Fatalities:
  • New Infractions: Killed Aranéa Malévol twice 0

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)

A Hag I can get behind, ugh!

David Skelector D&D 5e, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, jeux de rôles, Monsters, OSR, Roleplaying Game, RPG , , ,

I’ve commented on Talaraska’s blog (check it out, it has great content!) that I’m not a big fan of hags in D&D. I’ve suggested that he takes an interesting unique monster that he’d created as a main villain instead of his pick of a green hag. I’m sorry, I know, I can be annoying that way.

But why the hate on hags?

It’s got to do with thematics… huh, I think? Part of it is their « just another monster » treatment, just like there’s medusas in the monster manual instead of you know, the Medusa and her sisters Euryale and Shteno, the three gorgons of greek mythology. But also, and more annoying to me, is… what the heck is a hag?!

The Merriam-Webster dictionnary’s definition:

1: an ugly, slatternly, or evil-looking old woman

archaic 2:

a: a female demon

b: an evil or frightening spirit : hobgoblin

3: Witch

Now, in D&D hags are definitely ugly, have witch-related powers but are certainly not mortal, human-like witches, they’re creatures. If you take the 5e lore (the pain!) their origins lie in the Fey Wyld, a different plane of existence. So if we go with this, a hag is not exactly an « evil spirit » but not that far either. Of course, saying that a creature exists because it comes from somewhere else is the absolute laziest approach possible to lore in my not so humble opinion but hey, to each its own I guess.

Here’s a matter of personal taste but I myself prefer something more in the vein of « Fantasy Ecology » or Gygaxian Naturalism » if you like.

So in an effort of not being entirely negative I’ve searched far and wide (not) for an example of a hag that I actually do like and I’ve come up with the one in the Darkest Dungeon videogame (the original one, I’m always late to the party).

Here’s her bio from the game as explained by the Narrator/Ancestor:

I had collected many rare and elusive volumes on ancient herbal properties and was set to enjoy several weeks immersed in comfortable study. My work was interrupted, however, by a singularly striking young woman who insisted on repeated calls to the house.

Her knowledge of horticulturalism and its role in various arcane practices impressed me greatly. My licentious impulse gave way to a genuine professional respect, and together, we began to plant, harvest, and brew. As time wore on, her wild policy of self-experimentation grew intolerable.

She quaffed all manner of strange fungi, herbs, and concoctions, intent on gaining some insight into the horror we both knew to be growing beneath us. The change in her was appalling, and no longer able to stomach it, I sent her to live in the weald, where her wildness would be welcomed.
(Ah, the Ancestor, what a colossal jerk)

I think her backstory is great. Okay to be honest I’m sold on her mainly because I find her fight actions immensely funny. Here’s how it goes, as a Boss she has four:

Into the Pot! sends one member of the party into her cauldron to be boiled. That’s her main threat.

(pro tip: it’s not worth it to lose actions on the cauldron but be prepared to heal the boiled character when he gets out of it at 0 hp)

Meat Tenderizer, which she does with an actual meat hammer, a simple damage attack on everybody.

Season to Perfection (my favorite), where she throws seasoning at the party which debuffs and also (of course) causes stress. Because, y’know, receiving salt&pepper on you so you’ll taste better while you fight can be a bit alarming.

Taste the Stew, where she tastes the content of her cauldron, that is, one of your guys being turned into a stew before your very eyes… It heals the Hag a little and causes more stress to your team for good measure.

Wicked!

That’s it, a hag after my own heart!

Castle Xyntillan: Classification of the Malévols

David Skelector Château des Fausseflammes, Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, OSR, Roleplaying Game, RPG ,

As mystery-shrouded Someone asked me to. Ask and you shall receive!

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

Now, what follows will be my personal take on how to use the Malévols. I think it could be meant as less of a funhouse and more of a haunted castle approach perhaps? Broadly speaking I’m putting the named characters from the Rogues’ Gallery into three categories with the last one, the True Malévols, subdivided into three more. The term Malévol by default in this module refers to any of the castle’s inhabitants but « True Malévols », in my attempt at classification at least, are exclusively members by birth or wedding of the noble family to whom the castle and surrounding lands (still) belong.

(Note: For my own use and in my play reports I’m often frenchifying the names (i.e James Honoré >> Jean-Honoré) as the Malévols are supposed to be French, but for simplicity’ sake I’ll use the original names here.)

Specters

Specters, ghosts, poltergheists, whatever, things that haunt the castle and don’t have ulterior motives. Some were the accomplices of the Malévols in their nefarious activities and others were simply their victims, discarded lovers, unlucky serfs, etc. All have been denied eternal rest, are bound to the castle and hate the living.

(Note: They all have a draining effect on their attacks. Also, in my game Specters are always, all of them preceded by a telltale sign (i.e ominous children singing, blood dripping from ceiling, etc.).)

List:

  • 12 Maximillian (his shadow manifest before he does)
  • 20 Sébastian (wet footprints)
  • 21 Eustace (blood smears)
  • 22 Giselle (plaintive crying)
  • 27 Claudette (cold)
  • 32 Marcel, only in portraits
  • 34 Hugo, (rattling of chains)
  • 35 Priscilla (undulating shadows)
  • 42 Guillemette (melodious singing)
  • 48 Merlerik (whispers)

Castle Staff

Some key members of the castle staff who’ve been around in the tumultous times of the downfall of the castle are cursed to be employees for eternity (that must be the worst fate of all wouldn’t it?). Not part of the Malévol family, they’re nonetheless not to be trifled with. They still try to accomplish their duties, albeit in a twisted parody of their former existence.

(Note: I’m not sure about that one, but I’m thinking that a special condition must be met in order to kill any castle staffer permanently (their bonds to the castle being so strong after all) otherwise they just come back a few days later…)

List:

  • 09 Girolamo, Seneschal
  • 14 Mandrake, Alchemist
  • 16 Hubert, Huntsman
  • 18 James Honoré, Butler
  • 28 Guy, Jester
  • 37 Mortagu, Executioner
  • 49 Sybille, Witch
  • 50 Bartholomew, Artist
  • 55 Frédéric, Playwright

True Malévols

The Malévols are members of a noble french family dating back from the time of Charlemagne, and possibly even earlier as there’s rumors they have ties with the druids worshipping the Old Ones. Some unspeakable ritual (or maybe its just the incommensurate sum of their vices) has cursed their castle and them with it.

Living members

The Malévol family is nigh extinct as far as living members are concerned. The few living ones live mostly outside of its walls but are attracted to the castle like moths to light.

List:

  • 01 Gilbert the Fox, bandit, illegitimate son of Reynard
  • 06 Claude, official heir, knows enough to dread the moment his inheritance come in effect
  • 08 Gregor the Sentient Bug, has pestered one too many time Aristide as a kid
  • 15 Olivier the Oleaginous, apprentice to Mandrake the Mixer
  • 17 Hortensia the Lovely, younger sibling to Claude and Olivier, innocent
  • 19 Reynard the Relapse, alcoholic monk, father of Gilbert

The Blasé Undead

The dead Malévols with a particularly strong personality, tragic destinies or both, are known to linger long after their death and go on with their (mostly wicked) activities. They know joy no more though. Furthermore, decades or centuries of cohabitation have frequently soured their relationships with their siblings to the point that they don’t care much what should happens to them.

(Note: the lair of each of the Blasé Undead should bear obvious signs of their particular decadence.)

List:

  • 03 Adelaide the Splendid
  • 04 Merton the Encyclopedian
  • 10 Beatrice the Jilted
  • 33 Gillz the Gothic
  • 36 Philomène the Quick
  • 39 Lydia the Luckless
  • 40 Odile the Odious
  • 45 Roberto the Arbiter
  • 46 Serpentina the Sweet
  • 56 Morella the Mournful
  • 58 Agenor the Antique

Leaders of the family council

Some more active Malévols, maybe from a twisted sense of loyalty to their family’s legacy or more immediate desires (i.e bloodlust), still have a vested interest towards the castle’ security.

(Note: They are those who will organize actions against bothersome interlopers.)

List:

  • 07 Runcius the Dark Man of the Woods, leader of the druids
  • 11 Aristide the Patrician, Aristide is absorded by his thirst for knowledge and will take part on the council only if that’s absolutely necessary (i.e very high Infractions rating)
  • 13 Médard the Mighty, a companion to Roland centuries ago, opposes Runcius in almost everything
  • 30 Count Giscard, married into the family, from Malinbois
  • 31 Countess Maltricia, bored by her vampire husband
  • 43 Montfort the Bygone, linked somehow to the lake monster

(Not classified above, some won’t feature in my game: 23 Jean-Luc, 24 Léopold, 25 Patrice, 26 Vincent, 29 Samuel, 38 Rodento, 41 Jerôme, 44 Jaumon, 47 Meandering, 51 Jean-Jacques, 52 Kent, 53 Ambrosius, 54 Charles, 57 Mummified, 59 The Bearer of Sins, 60 The Beast)

So now you can see (in this version) we’ve got 6 living Malévols and 6 leaders. Those are the ones I personally will focus on to add some layers of complexity, plots and whatnot, to the adventure.

I’m also adding my own characters (not featuring on this post) to replace those that I’m discarding and that’s something I very much enjoy to do.

Feel free to tell me if you’re doing something similar or what you’re doing or would do differently.

That’s it for today!

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