Castle Greyhawk
Reed Underbough, Percy, Niall Brightflame, Runeflinger, Bowie Laughingbottle, and their henchmen Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio, Halfdan, and Phodelo, were back for another delve into the Castle Greyhawk dungeons. They had come, as they had on so many visits, with a cart and mules, though the cart was new. They had left last time with so many coins they had not had enough sacks for it all, so they came this time with extra sacks and the cart to toss the bags into. Surely there were still plenty of spoils to be found on the third dungeon level…
The fastest route in was through the black dragon’s lair. Not wanting to leave the cart outside, they brought it in with them. The cart rattled noisily along the uneven tunnel floor, alerting the eight orcs who were camping in the dragon’s old lair - the eight orcs who would have posed little threat to the Company of the White Oak even without the Sleep spell that dramatically cut their numbers to three. One minute of combat reduced them to one seriously injured orc, begging for its life - but being an orc, it received no mercy…
Everyone knew their next destination, for they knew of a magically held door that they were unable to open last time, but this time they had two fresh Knock spells prepared. Runeflinger cast the first one and…the door opened onto what appeared to be a small, empty shrine to Boccob, with a statue of Boccob at the back. There was general agreement that this was disappointing, particularly for those who had been waiting two weeks to see the contents of this room. There was also some agreement that Father Langdon would have liked this room…but it held little value for the Companions here now. So they could get back into it again later if they had to, they spiked the door open. The noise attracted no monsters.
They headed north from there after hearing a door slam from that direction. Reed assumed it was coming from the 10’ x 10’ interconnected rooms, due to the sheer number of doors there, but while having Muelara scan those cubicles telepathically, she turned up the monster hiding from them in the lone cubicle west of them. The Companions spent so long uncertain of what to do about it that the creature - whatever it was, fled through a door to the south and got away from them.
Leaving that area, they cut through rooms already explored last time until they reached the room of bones and dead gnolls south of the troll lair. Muelara had picked up animal thoughts behind the door to the east last time, and her Helm of Telepathy picked up the same thoughts again. When Reed pressed his ear to the door, he heard scratching and squeaking. The source of this was guessed at, but confirmed when the door was bashed open, revealing a ruined hall where the wreckage of old furniture was thrown into a heap and covered in offal and waste down the center of the room. Climbing on the wreckage, as well as shelves on the walls, were over 20 rats, varying in size from slightly larger than normal to 14 giant ones. A second Sleep spell took out all the smaller ones, leaving a good number of giant rats still able to attack. In the melee that followed, Reed and Percy were both scratched up a bit, but in short order there were only four giant rats left, scurrying to the far corners of the room, where they were easily picked off at a distance with missile fire. Percy thought there might be treasure hidden in the wreckage, but he wasn’t sinking his hands into fresh rat feces to find it and no one else was volunteering.
From here they explored north, and two rooms later found themselves in a mostly-empty room with a red dragon head mounted in the northeast corner, almost facing the door in the north wall. This just screamed trap to them, so they sent Reed over to check it out. Sure enough, the head was fake, but so realistic that you had to get up close to tell, and the tongue was hinged so that any motion would move it like a trigger. After consulting with Percy, Reed tied the tongue to the lower jaw of the open mouth so the tongue would not move as he was cutting the head away from the wall. What they found was that they were pulling a big mask off of a steel framework, with some kind of nozzle concealed in the wall behind it. Bagging the mask as treasure, they moved on…
…around the corner to a smaller room with three levers. Reed detected no traps on the levers, but they still went to a lot of trouble pounding spikes into the walls so they could pull the levers down with rope from a distance (still nothing responded to all the racket; was this dungeon empty?). After lowering all three, they were disappointed when nothing happened, but when they went to try the north and west doors and found they could not be opened, they quickly put together that the levers had locked them. They still had not solved what the middle lever did, though…
Throwing the matching lever back up, they were able to open the north door and found it opened onto a large chamber with four statues and a natural cave ceiling. Shining their light up at the stalactites, they saw bat-like things flying about. When Reed moved into the chamber to examine the nearest statue, some of the flying things swooped down to attack him. Yet another Sleep spell sent them - plus more higher up - crashing to the floor, where they were quickly disposed of. There were still five more of these things, half-bird, half-bat, with long proboscises, but missile fire ended their threat, if they ever were one.
A second door in the south wall of the chamber opened, seemingly on its own, until someone there unseen let out an expletive. Whoever it was seemed not to wish to stay, so Bowie started playing on his harp and charmed him into staying. This man, Ayers, was invisibly exploring the dungeon alone and looking for treasure. He had left and re-prepared new spells just to deal with these flying things so he could examine the statues, having came to the same conclusion Runeflinger had that they must be magical (since they were free of guano, unlike the floor). From Ayers they learned that the chamber to the south is the one that had the magically-trapped checkerboard floor. Reed was pleased his map matched up again. Runeflinger, painfully aware that this expedition had been exceedingly cash-poor so far, asked Ayers if he knew of any good treasure to recover from this level. Ayers said he knew of a lizard man and an orc lair to the north, and the orcs were said to be guarding good treasure, but he did not know how to get there from here.
The statues appeared to be of a cleric, a magic-user, a fighter, and a thief, in different corners of the chamber When touching the cleric, it recited a strange riddle in an unknown language. When touching the magic-user, it animated and pointed to the northwest corner, where the thief statue was. When Reed touched the thief, it animated and pointed at him. When they touched the fighter, it did nothing. It was all a riddle they could not solve, even with Ayers’ help. So they moved on again, this time with Ayers coming with them…
To the east and north was a long hall guarded by five zombies and a floating ball of light. Bishop Percy blasted the zombies into ash, but the mysterious ball of light had them perplexed. Phodelo reasoned it might be a will-o-wisp, said to be mischievous balls of light that lured people towards danger. Since it was neither attacking them, nor luring them anywhere, they all avoided it and moved to the next room…
Where there were four more zombies, and lots of normal-sized rats. One blast of holy radiance later, the Companions stepped over the zombie ash and the rats scattered. Reed spent a lot of time here fixing his map and trying to get it just right.
Next they followed a long corridor west and came to a room where a man in armor was kneeling before a chest as in prayer. The man said he was Bogomir the Adept, and his style of dress identified him as a Cuhberite. Ayers recognized Bogomir and Bogomir recognized Ayers’ voice. Bogomir had been trying to pray for this chest to open, since it would not open for him and he was intensely curious about its contents. If it was treasure, Ayers demanded an equal share, since he had joined their party. Percy grew impatient for how cautious the others were all being around this chest and he tried to fling it open, but the lid would not budge for him. It opened for Runeflinger, and he found 2,000 electrum pieces inside. Since other Companions now grumbled about Ayers getting a share, Bowie gave up his share for Ayers. The room was searched for secret doors, particularly in the ceiling, as the room had two ladders that seemed to lead up to nothing, but no secret doors (or secret trap doors) were found. Bogomir was invited to come with them, but he insisted it was his task, appointed by Cuthert himself, to wait to be found in the dungeon (in which he could no longer recall how long he had been), in case brave adventurers should need healing from him.
The Companions were in the process of backtracking when, in the first zombie hall, Arlin spotted a secret door they had all missed before. This door led into a room with three brass, beautifully carved sarcoghagi, which were guarded by three zombies - but not for long, thanks to Percy. There was, true to form, much delay and indecision before opening the sarcophagi, but not this time for fear of traps. At first they feared stronger undead lurked inside, but Muelara detected no thoughts and intelligent undead projected thoughts - indeed, starkly powerful thoughts. Then they hesitated because grave robbing felt like a new low, until Bowie rationalized it for everyone by citing how they were told the items they need to stop the Adversary were hidden under Castle Greyhawk, and these could be where they were hidden. Niall pushed open the lids and they found well-dressed corpses, two wearing gold and amethyst amulets, and the third with a fancy quiver on his chest. Bowie recognized the sarcophagi as the work of a famous craftsman whose sarcophagi were so beautiful that the dead would not leave them to become undead. Phodelo recognized the quiver from the legend of a Quiver of Holding. The quiver had 12 arrows in it, but seemed like it could somehow hold many more. The quiver and the amulets were taken. Bowie put on one of the amulets and, while it made him look quite austentatious, it did nothing else.
A door to the south appeared to connect up to a north-south passage the Company had passed many times just outside the dwarf break room. A door to the north led up a long corridor straight north, then west, to a door that resisted opening. A man and a woman were arguing loudly on the other side of the door. When Bowie tried to charm them with his harp music through the door, it failed and the man inside shouted for them to go away. But they did not go away, because Runeflinger still had his Knock spell ready.
The room inside was a conjuration room with a silver summoning circle on the black basalt floor and a gargoyle belching opium smoke into the room. The man and the woman were accompanied by a bat-winged creature that looked like a short, ugly hobbit. The man and the woman were not arguing anymore, they were casting spells. A crossbow bolt from Reed disrupted the man’s spell. The woman was casting Charm Person, but Percy resisted it. Percy was casting Hold Person at the same time and neither the man nor the woman were able to resist his spell. The creature managed to bite Reed, but it was killed by a javelin throw from Arlin.
A door to the south was open and two waves of orcs tried to come in and save the spellcasters, but the first wave was dropped by the Companions’ last Sleep spell, and the second wave tried and failed to get past the Sticks to Snakes spell Percy cast to block the doorway. The Companions were initially torn on whether to move in and wipe out the orcs, but they had expected to have enough treasure from this encounter to have made the expedition worthwhile.
Runeflinger had, true to form, turned invisible first thing. Ayers and Runeflinger bonded over their shared favorite strategy.
The man had been wearing nothing that appeared valuable. The woman was, and the creature’s dagger looked valuable. These things were taken - as were the man and the woman, who had already been tied up and were their prisoners.
The Companions decided it was time to head back to the surface. En route south, they came across a wandering group of six human brigands - who fled at the sight of the Companions. When they passed through the dwarf break room there were only two dwarves left. The very dwarves who had acted not impressed when the Companions killed a dragon were surprised at their prisoners. “That’s the Azure Enchantress and Weerd the Warlock!” one of them exclaimed. “They’ve been down here for years!”
Patchwall 12, 622 CY
At long last, they seemed to be making progress. Two strange and unusual items - a chest of colored dust and a strange doll - shared a special destiny that seemed to have something to do with the special destiny of the Company of the White Oak. They had both been found on level 3 of Castle Greyhawk’s dungeons. Would they find more if they went back? It would not be right away that morning, for it was pouring rain outside in sheets - the most rain they had ever seen on a morning when they planned to launch an expedition. It was an ill omen that made them delay until the rain let up by afternoon. By then, they only had time to make the journey to the Village of Hawfair Green and camp out there. Patchwall 13, 622 CY
Castle Greyhawk
Once more, the Companions Reed Underbough, Percy, Niall Brightflame, Runeflinger, and Aerik Fenn, along with their henchmen Muelara Wynna, Ambrosio (who left his dire wolf mount at home), Arlin Fadagoria, and Halfdan, and two mules (pulling a cart) circled around Castle Greyhawk and came around to the black dragon’s entrance. Its lair was unoccupied again, allowing them fast travel into the dungeon proper (though the cart had to be left behind in the entry tunnel). They made straight for the dwarven breakroom and found four dwarves here today. Reed paid them a toll, as he tried to win them over through positive reinforcement, but they remained unimpressed and disappointed that the fellow dwarf Leif Thunderbeard was not with them this time. They headed north up a corridor they had not explored before and found it led to a new room, a coffin maker’s workshop, that was south of the giant rats’ abandoned workshop. Then they filled in a gap in their map north of the troll lair and found a locked door. Reed wanted to know if the mystery lever in the lever room unlocked this door, but when it was checked, it did not. Reed’s lockpicks easily did the trick anyway, and they found a small furnished bedroom on the other side. Runeflinger went to explore the bed and, moving the blanket - found it animated and leapt for his head! It was not a living thing, but a magic blanket that clung to his face as if glued there, suffocating him. Everyone rushed to his aid, first trying to pull it free from his head - which did not work - and then cutting at the blanket, including Runeflinger himself, slashing at the blanket. Runeflinger was harmed as much as the blanket was, but eventually they managed to cut away enough that he could see, smell, and talk through holes, while the blanket just hung from his head. Embarrassed, but alive, Runeflinger said he was ready to continue adventuring like that. They went west and then south, seeing the Enigma of Greyhawk again. From there they doubled back north, planning on cutting through the east end of the checkerboard trap chamber to new territory - unaware that the east end of that room was lined with pit traps. Niall, Arlin, Ambrosio, and Muelara took 20-foot tumbles, with the elves landing with cat-like grace, but Ambrosio landing wrong and getting hurt pretty bad. Rather than try to go over the pit trap and leave the mules behind, Reed routed them around to another door in the east wall. Inside, they started to go around the pit trap to join the others - when they triggered a second pit trap neighboring the first trap and everyone else (minus the mules) fell into that one. Eventually, they got everyone out of the pit traps (some easier than others), and were approaching the north door of the chamber, when it opened - and a Fireball was hurled into the chamber with them. In tight formation, everyone was engulfed in fire. Most everyone was burning and dying, except for Reed and Percy, badly burnt, but still conscious. The door was now wide open, and they saw three humans who looked like spellcasters. Two of them were casting follow-up spells. They did not affect Reed and Percy, who shrugged off the effects, and Percy was able to finish casting a Sticks to Snakes spell and launched four huge snakes into the midst. While distracted by the snakes, Reed poured potions of healing down the throats of his dying henchmen, carefully enough not to drown them, and they were roused from near-death and able to act. Muelara, now a thaumaturgist herself, cast a Lightning Bolt that fried two of the evil thaumaturgists (and some of the snakes), leaving just one alive, who surrendered. Now it was a race against time to save Niall, Runeflinger, Aerik, Arlin, and Halfdan. They had two more healing potions left in the Company and that went to saving Runeflinger and Niall. But they also knew the good cleric Bogomir the Adept had been last time they were here. If only he was, by chance, still in the same place… Some of them raced to go find out, and indeed Bogomir was in the same room, praying. Cuthbert had told him to be here to aid them, he said. He raced back and cured Aerik, saving him. He also had a healing spell on a scroll that he used to save one henchman, and that went to Arlin out of seniority. They were now entirely spent on magical healing, and Niall’s henchman Halfdan still lay there dying. They could do nothing but watch as the man expired before their eyes, apologizing to Niall with his last breath for some unknown failure. Past death, the damage to the Company had been extensive. Runeflinger had taken the brunt of it, losing his traveling spellbook of first-level spells in the fire, and Niall had both his henchman and most of his non-magical gear. Meanwhile, their prisoner had been bitten by one of the huge venomous snakes and had surrendered on condition of being saved. Percy, being honorable, used one of his Neutralize Poison scrolls to save the man’s life. Now the man revealed that he and his cousins had been exploring the dungeon for he didn’t know how long, trying to hold onto territory, and had thrown in with the Azure Enchantress and her orcs, as most of the spellcasters on this level had. In fact, their spellbooks had been secured under the floor in the Azure Enchantress’ lair, where the Company had just been weeks ago! Further, the man knew that the Greyhawk Construction Company had already gone through and redesigned that room since the Enchantress’ death, but perhaps they had missed the spellbooks…? The thaumaturgists had nearly been their deaths, but they were also their only source of treasure on this expedition. They had carried 30 pp between them, and each carried a gem also (a large violet garnet was particularly valuable). They recovered a small traveling spellbook and several other items that seemed to be magical because of how little the Lightning Bolt had damaged them. They were unusual items for magic-users to be carrying - a sling, a magic necklace of prayer beads, and a magic potion. The necklace went to Percy, the potion and spellbook to Runeflinger (as compensation for his lost book; Aerik’s was fine because he had been furthest from the center of the fireball), and Reed held onto the sling, announcing how he planned to give it to Ambrosio. But while everyone was still alive, they were all weak, low on magic, and completely out of healing. Heading deeper into the dungeon to check on the Enchantress’ lair seemed too dangerous. But going back the way they had come seemed dangerous too. Luckily, they were now closer to the Grand Central Staircase. They convinced Bogomir to accompany them and see them safely to the surface. The sunlight was painful to Bogomir’s eyes and he was eager to return to the dungeon. The Chapel of Boccob in the Upper Works was occupied - but only by a sole acolyte of Boccob, with no spells to his name. He was eager for the company, as he did not feel remotely safe in the castle. The Company decided to stay holed up in the chapel for the next four days, until they were strong enough to go back down and look for those spellbooks… TO BE CONTINUED IN SESSION 61
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