shifty louts

Arduin Arcade Session #5 - The Howling Tower

Players

Summary

Mordag the 29th. Month of the Serpent 5202

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In the Month of the Serpent, the Centaur Red Magus Grennigore, the Silicate Armsman Panpoxa, and Nib, a Goblin Armsman, plunge into the Howling Tower again with the two medium footmen.

The group talks about cleaning the dragon guano in the entrance in hopes of finding coin, but continues eastward, pontificating on the nature of the checkerboard pattern floors and the skeleton patrols.

They reach the fire pressure plate room to find the newt halfling creatures gone, but a 60’ skeleton centipede with four arms, holding broadswords, skittering along the ceiling. It sees them and rushes towards them. The group runs back out, heading northward. The Skelipede follows as Nib attempts to open a door before a poison arrow trap, but fails.

The group engages the Skelipede in this narrow hallway. One of the footmen falls, bisected by its great blades. Panpoxa and the other armsman fend it off as Grennigore’s Magic Missiles blast away, and Nib attempts to swing his flail, missing. The battle rages as the walls begin to crumble, the ceiling buckling.

Grenigore’s flintlock pistols roar into it, as Panpoxa’s clubbing hands continue to smash into it. Nib’s cheap goblin-bow breaks and the Skelipede slips, causing it to thrash around. The group continues its assault, eventually felling the Skelipede before the hallways collapse.

panpoxa

Courtesy of one of the players, Bluewolf

The group gives Nib a crowbar and enters a room full of arm-like roots; they test them with a pole and fire as they curl away. They proceed east and find another room with a podium, coils of rope, and thousands of chirping violet toadlets. The group investigates the podium, and as Panpoxa climbs in, the floor retracts, plunging him onto crude spears. Nib and Grennigore help him out with the rope in the room and once more continue eastward.

The group is surprised to see a similar room to that last delve: a fountain of pink organic slurry, whimpering, and an ooze pours out full of eyes, teeth, and bubbling flesh. Its pseudopods miss the small Nib as the group retreats. Grennigore casts a fire circle of Hold Portal.

The group scarpers through the crumbling tunnel, finding an ornate and baroque white door they missed during their encounter with the Skelipede. It doesn’t seem to budge as Grennigore casts Detect Magic upon it, finding it holding a White Magickal Aura. A face emerges from the door and bemoans those who haven’t been educated in manners. Grennigore apologizes and genuflects as the face dissipates; the door opens into a small room.

Within, a moldy rug of spindly mushrooms. Both are eaten by small dungeon shrimp that recoil from the torchlight. The group pulls up on the moldy curtain find another blood-stained one. Pulling that away, they find the remains of bat skeletons, some sort of smudged and effaced Black Magickal Sigils in the form of a pentagram, and loose coins, which the group takes.

They continue eastward, commenting on their map of the Skorpodillo room and decide to test it. Nib is once again surprised as they pry open the room. It’s rusty, red iron and burnished walls of copper. A domed, white arabesque ceiling; a blue haze that smells of liquorice hangs in the air. The Skorpodillo’s barbed, poisoned tail misses Nib by mere nose hairs.

skorpodillo

The group runs, with Panpoxa attempting to bar the door, but the Skorpodillo charges. The group leads it into the fire pressure plate trap as flaming oil falls on it! As this occurs, the skeleton patrol of musket men and spearmen rush down the western hall wall and open fire. Panpoxa is hit as the group retreats southeastward.

Nib examines a rat-chewed armoire bearing the same pentagram sigils as the skeletons, then Black Magickal ritual, as the group cautiously looks him over. The group continues towards a north-eastern door, prying it open to find a study of some sort, full of a pile of cleaning cut black marble statuary, a few chests, and a bookshelf. A southern wall bearing raven images caws and echoes their last spoken words.

The group looks over the books and finds the following

One of the books is hallowed, and bears treasure: three pieces of jewelry and a scroll of an unidentified origin. Grennigore’s greed gets the best of him as he pries open a chest which sprays acid in his face, nearly blinding him. The chest contains a scroll of acid protection. Grennigore attempts another, and it plunges a sword into him, felling him. The group gathers what they can, including his body, and leaves the Howling Tower.

map

The group finds a Centaur Cleric and offers to convert to the Wild God of the Woods, Cernunnos, in hopes the cleric raises Grennigore from the dead. The offer is accepted, and Grennigore is raised from the dead as his companions pledge themselves to the Centaur God.

Aftermath

Treasure Found:

Foes Encountered:

Rumors:

Deaths:

XP Awarded:

Notes

#arduin-arcade