[Classic Fantasy] The Badlands of Uzul

[kekoa_solo]

Hi, this is my first post and I will share that I really struggled to figure out how to soloplay; I tried over and over and would get stuck at some point. I found myself researching different systems and I started to find the tables, oracle and tools that works for me (I use real dice, virtual dice, and somethings a regular 52 card deck). I am using Basic Fantasy RPG with some slightly revised rules, Obsidian for all my text files, tables, monsters, rules, everything is in a vault, and Owlbear Rodeo for larger combat encounters or when there are physical obstacles but if possible I prefer theater of the mind.

I created a home-brew setting: The Badlands of Uzul which is a fantasy setting with a more wild west, free for all vibe. I've decided to explore some of the "other races" like hobgoblins, orcs, lizardfolk but there are a few humans, high elves, wood elves and halflings who are free lancing at their own risk. There are lots of settlements, and tent cities; villages and only a few small towns where corrupt noble families that fight amongst each other and run things to keep the status quo (which is them being in power). Most of the surrounding lands are still wild and unexplored. 

Sathu (the protagonist) is a level 10 male lizardfolk priest (cleric) who worships Khutu the deity of duality, destiny and death. His master, Ruon is a gnoll high-priest and leader at the Temple of Light which is located just outside of Arkel village (sometimes called town) where there are a few basic shops, an inn and stables and a bounty board in the center of town square. A new NPC will join Sathu and his name is Rekk, a gnoll ranger who I thought would be a flat character but he is starting to grow on me.

This is an excerpt when I was about 3 weeks into this game. I played for 1 more week and then decided to make a change (kind of a re-boot) where I kept Sathu at his level but added 2 more party members because I found it challenging in combat. I've used disposable characters (I have a graveyard for NPCs and horses) but I am finding that I like having a group of 3 so the different personalities can play off each other. 

***

Returning Southeast with Rekk (Gnoll Ranger)

Day 2, Dawn

The next morning in the Temple of Light, near Arkel town, Sathu went to find Ruon, his spiritual master and told him of his encounter the previous day with troglodytes as well as the nasty half-ogres and trolls. The gnoll high-priest seemed concerned;  mainly about the troglodytes since they haven't been spotted in these areas ever before. He wondered if there was a reason they were migrating; were they running from something perhaps. Ruon also worried about their extremely violent nature; he's only heard stories of their cruel and evil ways. Ruon reflected and pondered if there was  enough land to comfortably co-exist. Sathu's master informed him that first, Ruon must consult with the Arkel leadership about our options and then which actions will be next.

He had Sathu follow him into a map room and had the lizard priest mark the area where he had the encounter with the troglodytes. Ruon was silent for a moment before he asked Sathu if he could return to patrol the area today; the gnoll high-priest would feel better if Sathu could gather more information about the area and to travel further east if no troglodytes are spotted. Sathu's master thought for a moment and then instructed Sathu to find Rekk and tell that gnoll ranger to accompany you today and remember; even if you do not encounter any troglodytes; Khutu will send you lessons and challenges for your continued spiritual growth. And with that, Ruon gave his reptilian student a farewell blessing and asked Sathu to return by dusk if possible. The lizard priest felt honored to have this responsibility and left immediately to find Rekk finishing breakfast. The gnoll seemed pleased to see Sathu again and also enthusiastic about the day's mission.

"I've been dying to get out into the deep woods for weeks now," Rekk explained.

The party went to fetch their horses; Sathu retrieved the dark furred Bailey and Rekk got his horse, Navar who was a beautiful brown and white. They rode southeast on Agar Road, the main road and passed a number of traders, farmers and people coming and going to Arkel. After two hours, the party turned southwest off Agar road and onto one of the small trails through the farmland until they say the Coral Woods. Sathu showed Rekk where he left Bailey yesterday and the gnoll agreed that it was a good area for the horses to wait while they continued on foot.

Sathu reminded Rekk that he had a ring of invisibility and to the lizard priest's surprise, the gnoll didn't ask to borrow it like little Pierce usually does. He probably has different values and we also don't know each other that well yet since we've only been on one mission together. Rekk explained that he would scout ahead and their plan was to designated a spot for the invisible lizard priest to wait while the gnoll ranger tracked and scouted ahead; then Rekk would return and wave Sathu to follow him to the next safe spot. Earlier, during the ride; Sathu told Rekk all about his encounters the previous day and to keep an eye out for half-ogres and trolls also and the gnoll laughed saying it's hard to miss large creatures like these!

The party moved deeper into the forest, heading east until Rekk gave Sathu the signal (raised open hand); and so the lizard priest stopped and waited near a large tree and waited. He watched the gnoll carefully move ahead until he disappeared from view. Sathu decided to inspect the area while he waited but found nothing of interest; he also did not hear anything out of the ordinary so he decided to practice an open-eyed meditation while he waited for Rekk to return.

[kekoa_solo]

Werewolves Eat The Horses!

Day 2, Late Night

Dusk faded to night and after riding a number of hours, the party decided to find a place to set camp and rest for the night. Then in the morning, they will continue east to Arkel and the Temple of Light. Sometime in the early night hours; one of the horses started stir and the sound woke Rekk up. The gnoll then nudged Sathu awake and they began looking around and listening carefully to the surround area. A howl broke the silence and it sounded like it was very near. Both adventurers shot up and got their weapons ready. There was a rumble sound approaching and in an instant, a group of fast moving animals ambushed the camp. They moved with such speed and a few of these things went straight to attacking the horses!

"Werewolves!" Rekk screamed as he readied an arrow.

Werewolf AC 15, HD 4, 1 bite or weapon, 2d4 bite, 1d6, Mv 60', Sv F4, M8, 280 XP, C,. Any human who loses half or more of their hit points due to lycanthrope bite and/or claw attacks will subsequently contract the same form of lycanthropy in (3d6) days. 

-1 Werewolf 0/19
-2 Werewolf 0/17
-3 Werewolf 0/19
-4 Werewolf 0/11
-5 Werewolf 0/13
-6 Werewolf 0/15
-7 Werewolf 1/11

+11,680 XP for killing 6 werewolves and keeping one as a prisoner

Rekk got off a shot and injured one of the werewolves while Sathu paralyzed one that was near the horse with the spell Hold Person which will last 2 turns (2d8). The enemy did started to feast on the screaming horses and both Sathu and Rekk (-23 hp) have been bitten. After a short skirmish, most of the werewolves had been killed off when two stopped eating the horses and turned to attack Sathu. Rekk got in a few arrows and Sathu's mace found its home as well. The last werewolf attempted to flee and was picked off by Rekk the ranger. Then the gnoll walked over to the paralyzed werewolf and was about to kill it when Sathu stopped him at the last second.

"Let's at least talk to him first," the lizard guru suggested.

Rekk looked annoyed and went to loot the other bodies. Sathu tied up his lycanthrope prisoner. The party rested and determined there was still a few hours more until daybreak but since they were wide awake, they decided to start moving after they buried their two horses. RIP Bailey and Navar. Rekk agreed to just let the last werewolf go since we now have no horses. Sathu untied the creature, warning it to run away or the gnoll and lizard man would attack with no mercy. As soon as the rope was loosened, the werewolf bolted away into the deep woods. The lizard priest then healed Rekk's wounds with the spell cure serious wounds (2d6+10) = +20 hp, almost back to full health.

Loot:

+1,300 gp (split 650 gp each)
Mace +4 Flames on Command (+1 magical blue flame damage) <-- HUGE UPGRADE for Sathu!!

After Sathu finished his final farewell prayers to the pairs horses, Bailey and Navar; Rekk and the lizard priest started to hike east in the pre-dawn hours. They agreed just to be safe; to once again have Sathu turn invisible while Sekk scouted ahead and by now, the pair were much more familiar with each others habits and timing more or less. Rekk estimated they are still about half a day's hike until they reach Arkel town on foot. He scanned the areas ahead as he carefully made his was east with Sathu following behind.

[kekoa_solo]

Some Character Info:

Sathu the Lizardfolk Priest (lvl 10) AC 28 / HP 78/78 / Spells by Level: 4/3/3/2/2
Deity: Khutu - God of Duality, Destiny & Death
Attack Bonus(+10), Damage (1d8)+10, Sense Motive (9 on d20)
Fav Spells: Hold Person , Hold Monster, Silence 15' Radius, Cure Serious Wounds (2d6+11)

Unor the Hobgoblin Thief Adept (lvl 10) AC 18, HP 43/43, +1 All Reactions, Knowledge/Rumors: (7 on d20)
Initiative(+3),(1d4+10 melee),(1d8+12 ranged), Open Locks/Traps/Sneak 71%, Hide 56%, Listen 73%
Deity: Nariko - Goddess of the Astral Plane, Dreams & Creativity
Special Items: Ring of Invisibility: 1 Turn cooldown (10 min)

Drusk the Dark Elf Necromancer (lvl 10) AC 15 (-2 melee) / HP 45/45 / Spells by Level: 4/4/3/2/2/1
Deity: Imus - God of the Underworld & Darkness
Summon Spirit: Spectre: AC 17, HD(6d6) HP , 1 Touch, Stun 2 Rounds, Fly 100, lvl 6f, M11
Fav Spells: Ectoplasm (80% Invisible), Black Tentacles 200 ft, 10 rounds, Greater Fear, Corpse Feast & Mask of Life

Day 2, Early Morning

One day, in the lands of Uzul there was a quiet hamlet known as Midvale atop the Nauken Mountains just east of Arkel village. Midvale was inhabited mostly by Felisians or Catfolk. Sathu and the party are following up on rumors that the villagers are facing a serious food crisis as crops have been withering while some of the livestock has vanished or been found dead in the surrounding farmlands. Desperate for a solution, the villagers and its leader Redbeard, a sturdy dwarf who wears fancy jewelry, pray for someone to save them; in fact, there will be a gold reward! Showing up at the right place, at the right time, Sathu arrives and has the situation explained by the sturdy dwarf.

Sathu the lizard priest, known for his inner strength and leadership decides that he will need help, so he reaches out to an old friend, Drusk the dark elf, for his knowledge of black magic, and Unor the hobgoblin thief, for his skills in silently uncovering hidden truths, traps and treasures. Together, the trio make up the party who are ready and willing to explore the Khudar Caverns to uncover the source of the hamlet's farming woes. Sathu, the party leader, wondered who or what could be stealing the crops and livestock during the night unnoticed.

There was a brief meeting with the three party members where they went over the details of their basic plan A, which was to hike to the cave entrance, scout it out a bit and then enter, hopefully by early afternoon. Then, we will explore the place, room by room, corridor by corridor and so on. Drusk the dark elf nodded but also rolled his eyes slightly and joked with Sathu to hurry up so we can go, while Unor the hobgoblin thief had a wide grin on his face, anticipating the upcoming adventure and possible treasure and loot.

The trio decided to set out, leaving behind the hamlet of Midvale by mid-morning. They passed by the last cabins and tents of the village and soon found themselves hiking on sandy flatlands with a clear view of the mountain range ahead. After another 3 hours of hiking with no random encounters, the party nears the cave entrance to the Khudar Caverns which was much larger than they had envisioned.

The dark elf Drusk asked the other two if they knew anything about this place and Unor who had used his Knowledge/Rumor secondary skill was able to gather some useful information from some of the villagers earlier that morning. The hobgoblin explained that the Khudar Caverns are shrouded in mystery and stories of people entering and never coming back; so the same old story of every spooky cave; oh and no one ever returns; so the stories say. Over the years, dark (and maybe exaggerated) rumors have brewed, mostly due to fear and a lack of knowledge. So no one from Midvale can even remember who the last brave adventurer was, and when.

Sathu the lizard man reassured the group that they would be discovering the answers to these questions and to remember; we are technically on a job since Midvale will pay us if or when we return with valuable information or; maybe we will find some treasure for ourselves. And with that, the party approached the entrance and noted that it appeared empty. Unor slipped on his ring of invisibility and casually explained that he'll scout ahead and check things out and that he'll be right back. Sathu crouched down into a comfortable position, that is for lizardfolk, while the dark elf leaned against a rock wall, and studied the clouds above.

Unor pauses and listens, thief skill: success 48 on (1d6), he's able to hear faint voices. The hobgoblin made his way back and told the other party members the news, while staying invisible.

The trio decided to enter the cave and walked though a 40 foot, dark corridor that lead to a single wooden door which was closed so Unor checked for any traps and found one and was able to successfully disarm it with his thieves skills but this made the hobgoblin thief appear and he would have to wait at least (1 turn) ten minutes before he could activate it again. The group prepared for their entrance and the plan was for Sathu who is wearing full plate mail armor to open the door and charge in, followed by Unor, and then Drusk in the rear. They expected to encounter orcs but had no idea how many and what they would be doing.

***

[kekoa_solo]

Day 2, Late Morning

Khudar Caverns (I used Worldographer and accidentally spawned a 39 room dungeon).

Room 1:

The party entered the rectangular room which was made from stone with some dirt and dust on the floor. Since all three adventurers have Darkvision (up top 60'), they are able to see a small group of orcs who were on the floor in make shift beds, resting. They appeared angry with our appearance. Sathu the lizard priest attempted to talk with the orcs in common tongue which only seemed to infuriate them and the orcs reached for their weapons and combat began.

Unor instantly kills the only orc archer and he missed the party. Sathu took out a few orcs but manage to swing too hard and dropped his mace! Drusk sat back and watched and waited for an opportunity which came when he realized he could cast Corpse Servant (lvl 1) on one of the orc's corpses. During the scuffle, Unor accidentally hits Sathu with an arrow for -12 damage; and the hobgoblin's reaction is a sarcastic "whoops!"

Drusk uses one of the larger orc warrior bodies to summon a corpse servant while Sathu and Unor searched the room and the bodies of the fallen orcs.

Orc p108, AC 14(11), HD 1d6, 1 weapon, Dam 1d8, 30', 2d4, 40', Sv F1, M8, XP 25, Q, R

5 orcs 6/6 (25 XP) (4 melee, 1 range)
2 orc warriors 9/9 (2 melee) (75 XP)

orcs (25x4=100) x5 = 500 XP
orc warriors (75x4=300) x2 = 600 XP
+1,100 XP Total for killing the 7 orcs (I will not be showing my math like this; just remember that I am multiplying a monster's XP by 4).

Room 14: (EMPTY)
After a short rest, the party found themselves at a crossroads of sorts; there were two doors on the far end of the room. With a random roll of the dice, the group decided to take the door ahead and leave the other door to the right for later. Once again, Unor uses his thieving skills to check for any traps and found none; in addition the door was unlocked and lead to a narrow rectangular room, maybe a storage area?

Room 32:
After some searching; the party declares the room to be empty and were about to leave when Unor announced that he found a secret door on the west wall; as Sathu and Drusk approached, the hobgoblin thief used his listening skill and could hear a large sounding creature moving around and moaning. The hobgoblin decided to use his invisibility ring and follow Sathu in; after whispering a countdown; 3, 2, 1; the lizard priest opened the secret door to reveal a slightly larger room (not quite as large as the first room that had the orcs) and in this room was a horrible foul creature. The rotting flesh of this undead mass stood about 8 feet tall and it appeared to be a number of animated corpses connected to form a sort of humanoid nightmare.

There was an unbearable odor (save vs poison of -2 on all rolls) and unfortunately for Unor the hobgoblin, the stench only seemed to only affect him; so he fought back nausea and suffers (-2 on ALL roles). The monster surprises the party (understandable from the shock value) and moves close enough to attempt attacks but luckily misses Sathu, Unor snuck to a corner of the room and started to shot arrows while Drusk sent in his corpse servant; then Sathu casts Hold Monster and the mob rolled a 1, so its now paralyzed for 7 turns. Drusk allows his corpse servant to slowly claw and bite the paralyzed undead abomination while Unor and Sathu checked the room for any items or secret doors etc and found a small bag with 3,800 gold pieces. After some discussion, the party decided to kill this massive undead monstrosity since they figured they plan to explore deeper into the dungeon and no one wants something like this wandering the corridors. So the party all attacked; Unor got in a backstab for double damage, Sathu gave a number of strong smashes with his magical mace and Drusk continued to let his corpse servant feast. After a few minutes; the creature finally collapsed to the ground. The smell was awful and the party left as soon as they could.


Corpse Abomination: AC 17, HD 12, 3 bludgeon, 2d8/2d8/2d8, Mv 10' Jump 60', Sv F12, M12, XP 2075
It can protrude the torsos of its attacking sections, which gives it a reach of 10 feet.
1 Corpse Abomination 0/43 hit points

+8,300 XP for killing the Corpse Abomination (I will add XP in the Group Pooled Resources)
+3,800 gold (all gold will be added to the party loot pool)

***

[kekoa_solo]

Day 2, Early Afternoon

Khudar Caverns (I roll for room contents as I play).

Room 5:
The party backtracks to the starting room and then take a new door in the nearby hallway and Unor confirms there are no traps and it is unlocked. Sathu slowly opens the door, trying to keep quiet. The party sees 4 hell hounds!

Hellhound: AC 18, HD 7, 1 bite or 1 breath, 1d6/7d6, Mv 40', Sv F7, M9, XP 800, C, 2d4, p96
4 Hellhounds 29/29 hit points each

+12,800 XP for slaying the 4 hellhounds
+25 gold
dagger +1
Wand of Fireballs 12/12 charges (660') 6d6 (save vs spells for half damage) Drusk will take this.

Drusk starts combat by casting one of his more powerful spells, Greater Fear which is successful and causes all 4 hellhounds to flee towards the walls of the rectangular room. There are 2 doors, one on each side of the room but they are closed in. Drusk decides this is a worthy situation and dismisses his corpse servant which falls lifeless to the ground. Then the dark elf looked serious and closed his eyes and began to chant under his breath. It appeared to be taking a toll on him both physically and mentally. Then there was a poof of smoke and the smell of sulfur filled the air and hey Unor prefers this over that disgusting corpse abomination. A powerful slightly spectral levitated, it appears to be made of moving black and grey smoke. The specter moves at lightning speed and one by one it wrecks the hell hounds. Unor had his long bow out as back up and Sathu had his mace drawn. Drusk looks to be in a trance as the undead entity hovered near him. The spectre will stay under the necromancer's control for the next 7 turns. Just in case, the party searches the room and the hellhound bodies as well.

Room 6: door is unlocked

Troll, Night: AC 16, HD 8, 2 claws/1 bite, 1d8/1d8/1d12, Mv 40', Sv F6, M10, XP 945, F, Regen 3 hp per/round

4 Night Trolls 28/28 hp, Regen 3 hp per/round

Sathu charges in with Unor who is invisible and Drusk with his specter following; the room is a small rectangle and much too small for a fireball; the party surprises the 4 night trolls and get a free attack, the specter scores a hit, stunning one of the night trolls, and Sathu is able to cast Hold Monster on another while Unor scores 3 solid hits with his long bow, killing one. The Specter switches targets to keep both the two remaining night trolls constantly stunned while they were picked off by Sathu's mace and Unor's long bow. Then the party poured oil on the bodies and lit them ablaze. They decided to go to the door on the far side of the room and skip looking for any loot for now at least. What a nasty smell!

+15, 120 XP for slaying the 4 night trolls

Sathu and Unor both achieve Level 11, ding (Everquest Reference)

Room 17:
The door is unlocked and the room has a sensor that will summon a metal elemental. The party is forced into combat. Drusk's specter was still under his control for at least another 4 turns. Once again, he sent in the speedy specter which scored a hit (19 on 1d20) which stuns the metallic elemental for 2 rounds. Sathu scores a hit for -15 hp and after a few more strikes, the metal elemental vanishes.

Elemental, Metal: AC 19, HD 8, 0/30 hp / 1, 1d12, Mv 20'(10'), Sv F8, M10, XP 945, 1, p29(2)

+3,780 XP for banishing the elemental back to its home plane.

After this fight, the party has a talk about what time it could be outdoors and if they should continue exploring or head back outside to camp and rest. After some discussion, the party decides to leave and call it a day. There are no additional random encounters as they leave. It was night when they emerged from the cave. The trio found a place to set up camp and had some dinner. Sathu prayed and meditated to his deity Khutu, the God of duality, destiny and death, while Drusk studied his spellbook and prayed to Imus, God of the Underworld & Darkness and Unor wrote in his journal and quietly sang a few songs to himself. The party took turns being the lookout in 4 hour shifts. There are no encounters overnight and the three adventurers wake up well rested and soon realize that they need to head back into the caverns, and explore deeper until they can clear out all the rooms they can find.

***

[kekoa_solo]

Day 3, Dawn

The party wakes up before dawn, excited to head back in to the Khudar Caverns.

Round II

Unor the hobgoblin once again borrowed Sathu's ring of invisibility before the party entered through the enormous cave entrance. They re-traced their steps and the first four rooms that they cleared yesterday were still empty. Drusk pointed down the hallway, south where there was a door they haven't checked yet so Unor crept over and used his listening skill: success (goal 27 on 1d100 and rolled 68 on 1d100) but unfortunately he didn't hear a thing. Next the thief checked for any traps but fails with 13 on 1d100.

"Well that didn't go very well," Unor muttered under his breath as he stepped back from the door.

Sathu reached into his bag of holding and it took him a while but he found the wand he was looking for and gave it a quick wave causing the lizard priest's eyes to shimmer for just a second. (Sathu uses 1 charge from his wand of trap detection (12/19)

"The door is trapped," Sathu announced as he could clearly see it glowing.

"Ok, ok, just give me a minute," the hobgoblin responded. A few minutes passed before the thief got up from his short rest and went to work on the trapped door and is able to disarm the trap; needed 29 on 1d100 and rolled 31 on 1d100. (close call)

Sathu stepped forward and readied himself to open the door with Unor behind and Drusk last. Over 10 minutes have passed (1 turn) so Unor quickly disappears using Sathu's magic ring. The lizard priest whispered a countdown, 3, 2, 1, and he did his best to quietly pull the door open to reveal a fairly large room; 25 ft wide and about 50 ft in length. There was no light source inside the room but there was clutter and piles of wooden chairs and desks against the walls. When Sathu reached the middle of the room he caught a glance of something glowing on the west facing wall. He raised his hand, trying to get the other party members attention but they initially ignored him, so the lizard priest announced in a low-firm voice that he thinks the west wall is trapped.

Does the sleeping manticore wake up? Oracle 97 on 1d100 = Small Chance, so the unaware party is safe for now.

Unable to see or sense where Unor is, Sathu figured the hobgoblin could decide on his own; if he wants to check out the trap or not. The holy lizard decided to continue moving south where their were 2 doors at the end, one going further south and the other on the southeast wall. Drusk, the dark elf has been especially quiet today; usually he makes sarcastic remarks and jokes around a little with Sathu and Unor but he seemed quiet this morning. Drusk had a bad feeling inside but didn't want to show or share it at this time.

Suddenly there's a loud click from the northwestern wall; it appears Unor tried to disarm that trap and set it off a Bola Trap and unfortunately for the thief, he failed with a 4 on 1d20(+3 Dex), needed 9 on 1d20, so Unor is snared and unable to move or act for 1 round. He may get lucky next round.

Bola Trap Save vs Paralysis (Dex Bonus) or Unable to Move or Act for 1 Round

Sathu and Drusk began to laugh at the hobgoblin who looked pathetic tangled and squirming around on the ground but a louder sound started the party and it came from the southwest corner. The lizard priest readied his mace, and Drusk the dark elf prepared himself for a possible battle with a quick prayer to Imus the deity of the darkness and the underworld and he thought of the skeletal hand in his bag; a holy symbol that reminds him that all life is mortal and all life faces the inevitable cycle of life and death.

A large beast emerged from the shadows, behind one of the piles of old furniture. It walked on all fours yet it had huge bat-like wings and its tail ended with an cluster of large spikes. For a brief moment the party froze as their minds attempted to make sense of what they were seeing but there was no time; the creature lowered itself as if its about to pounce! Combat begins.

The manticore decides to soften up the enemy and fires (1d6) 2 of spikes from its tail and both miss Sathu (randomly targeted) with a 3 and 8 on 1d20. Unor rolls a 3 on 1d20 so is still tangled for another round. Sathu decides to run over to hep free Unor while Drusk cast the spell Summon Spirit and a spectre appears (10 turn duration) directly in front of the beast.

Sathu is able to help Unor get untangled (rolled 18 on 1d20) and the summoned spectre moves to attack the large creature but misses (11 on 1d20). The manticore attacks three times with both its claws followed by a bite but misses the elusive spectral entity.

Unor readied his bow and got off a shot and rolled 20 on 1d20 for max damage: (8+12)= 20 damage which is a significant blow as the manticore only has 7 hit points left. Drusk's spectre misses again and Sathu moves forward to put himself between the beast and Drusk.

The manticore succeeds in a moral check, (2d6) = 10 > 9, and so the fight continues and the beast misses the specter once more and the spectre also misses. Then Unor lets another arrow fly and slays the manticore. The three adventurers took a minute to catch their breath before they moved to inspect the monster which had a hideous human like face, the mane and body of a lion and the leathery bat-like wings as well as its spiked tail. The summoned spectre followed Drusk as he began to carefully search for anything valuable. The dark elf and lizard priest come up empty but Unor uses his thief skill and succeeds (58 on 1d100, needed 29).

Manticore: AC 18, HP 7/27, 2 claws/1 bite or 6 spikes (180' range), 1d4/1d4/2d4 or 1d6 per spike, Mv 40'Fly 60', Sv F6, Ml 9, XP 555, D, 1d2, p104

Pet: Spectre: AC 17, HD(6d6) HP , 1 Touch, Stun 2 Rounds, Fly 100, lvl 6f, M11

XP 555 x 4 = + 2,220 XP for defeating the manticore
Added +2220 to the Party's XP Pool

Loot: Treasure type D

+340 gold (add to gp Pool)
+1 potion of growth

***

[kekoa_solo]

Day 2, Mid-Morning

Room 16: Expect the Unexpected

As usual, Sathu carries the loot in his bag of holding. The summoned spectre will remain for another 9 turns. The party decides to check one of the two doors, Sathu challenges Unor to rock, paper, scissors and Unor wins with paper > rock, so he gets to choose which door and he decides on door at the south end of the room. So the thief walks over and checks for traps and just succeeds with the minimum roll requirement (29 on 1d100); then the hobgoblin looked back at Sathu and scolded him for not telling him since he can sense traps magically (for 1 more turn). They laugh as the holy lizardman opened the next door which lead to a walk in closet full of clutter. The party all saw movement on the ground and the sounds of someone struggling. Sathu, since he was wearing plate mail armor, carefully pulled the blankets off to reveal a lone troglodyte tied up and gagged so the group could only hear a series of muffled gurgles.

Drusk offered to have his spectre end the troglodyte's life and once again Sathu intervened and explained that they can ask questions first since the troglodyte is sentient; maybe he has some useful information and besides, they were curious how he ended up in his predicament. Sathu removed the gag and poured some water into the troglodyte's mouth. He asked if it understood common and it nodded. Then the lizard priest pointed to the sinister looking spectre hovering next to the dark elf who looked bored and yawned; nevertheless, it appeared that the troglodyte got the message as it remained calm and made eye contact with Sathu which showed respect and acknowledgement.

"My name; Lazekk" the prisoner spoke. The troglodyte was still tied up but was able to sit up and lean his back against a nearby wall. I used Event Tables to get more information on Lazekk. It turns out that this troglodyte is on a scouting mission, looking for a mystical site that is rumored to be in these lands. He went on to explain in broken common that his tribe worships Ona, the goddess of Nature, Growth & Balance and asked the party if they knew where any temples or shrines of Ona are located. Unor had enough and complained that this was a waste of time and he should not be asking us questions! Drusk agreed and his spectre appeared agitated momentarily. Sathu gave them both a serious look and informed them it would be just one more moment. The lizard priest could empathize with the troglodyte even though they worshiped a different God and not Khutu. Different spiritual paths and religions must exist to reflect the good and bad in people. He gave a quick gratitude prayer to Khutu and envisioned his form as a deep black, two-headed owl and felt the equivalent of mammal goosebumps for the spiritual reptilian priest.

Who imprisoned Lazekk the troglodyte? Used Race Table and rolled the answer: orcs (5 on 1d6 difficulty)

Lazekk explained that the Death Lords got him and they have half-orc leader; he is smarter than the orcs; the troglodyte thinks this group of orcs does a daily patrol because he's heard them pass by. Sathu asks how long he's been tied up but Lazekk is not sure, maybe 2 days; the troglodyte also mentioned that he is the only survivor from his group. He saw 4 of his brothers die at the hands of the orcs; the party could sense his anger and lust for revenge and understandably so. Unor whispered in Sathu's ear not to trust this guy; we don't know him but the lizard priest reminded the hobgoblin thief who the leader of the group is; and so it was decided to allow Lazekk to walk freely but to keep his hands tied in front of his body. The group had their prisoner walk slightly ahead so to not allow him to get behind any of the party members. Unor went to check the other door for traps on the east side of the room and is successful (50 on 1d20, needed 29); there is no trap and the door is unlocked. They moved the troglodyte to the far west side of the room and Unor quickly tied up his legs to make sure he stays put.

The hobgoblin thief slipped on the ring and became invisible; Sathu slowly opened the door to reveal a narrow hallway; maybe storage but the party found nothing of interest and decided to backtracked 4 rooms until they reached the room they decided to take the right door previously and so today it would be the door on the left so Unor got to work checking it out and succeeds (49 on 1d100, needed 29), the hobgoblin announces no traps and catches Sathu smirking; your magical ability to see traps; I forgot again and Sathu told him the magic from the wand is starting to fade and no magic can replace an expert thief in the flesh. Once again, Unor tied the troglodyte's legs and left him in the hallway as the party went to explore. This was not the greatest plan; the prisoner is vulnerable and stuck but the party needs to keep him to squeeze more information about his clan.

Drusk's Spectre has approximately 7 more turns before the spell ends.
Spectre: AC 17, HD(6d6), 1 Touch, Stun 2 Rounds, Fly 100, lvl 6F, M11

Sathu opened the next door to reveal what appeared to be an empty room with one door that leads north. Unor approached the door to check for traps while Sathu and Drusk took a look in the small room while they waited. The party is startled by a loud angry sounding scream! They leave the room to see an ogre standing over Lazekk, the troglodyte prisoner. There is about 20 to 25 feet between the ogre and the party.

***

[kekoa_solo]

Day 3, Late Morning

Before anyone can act, the hideous and dirty ogre lifted one of its legs, almost like sumo style and then delivered a death stomp to the restrained troglodyte's head. Unor didn't like that guy but he was our prisoner; he missed his target with his first shot, the spectre whizzed past and tried to attack but missed. Sathu charged forward with his mace and delivered a solid hit for -13 hp brining the short giant within an inch of its life. Before it had a chance to beg, an arrow found its mark in the ogre's neck, killing it.

Unor broke the silence sarcastically by wondering out loud where that random ogre could have came from; a lake, the woods, an ogre cave; the hobgoblin thief was actually trying to lighten the mood since poor old Lazekk got his head smashed in; I mean we knew him for like 2 minutes. Sathu ignored Unor and said a silent prayer for the dead. The party took a 10 minute rest break before deciding their next move.

Ogre: AC 15 (12), HP 0/14, Dam 2d6 (+3 STR Bonus), Mv 40', Sv F4, M10, XP 240

+(240 x 4) = 960 XP for slaying the mean ogre
About 8000 XP away for Sathu to hit Level 12

Loot: Treasure Type C and 1d20 x 100 gold (rolled 17 on 1d20)

+170 gold (added to the party pooled resources)

***

To be Continued...