After spending a day dividing loot, the raiders set off to follow the treasure map. Platinum rods were taken out of an underground chamber. Down in the Doukreg tunnels, they fought giant beetles and giant ants on Level 9.
Dividing Loot and Analyzing the Rod
On the last day of Cricket (11/30) the following loot was sold and the proceeds divided among nine adventurers (Aderian, Azrak, Ferris, Hocuspo, Nate, Ollie, Saul, Tienarth, Urgesh). Black Opal 2,000 gp, Chalcedony 100 gp, Hematite 10 gp, Rhodochrosite 10 gp, 600 golden rings, each worth 1 gp, 1,700 cp,
1,000 gp, 19 fancy stones, each worth 100gp. That made 5,637 gp total. Divided by 9 makes 626 gp each.
Ferris spent three days (11/30 – 12/2) brewing anti-toxin potions using the wasp venom gathered the week before. Tienarth used the day to analyze Ollie’s rod and the box with the button. The rod was one inch in diameter and six inches long. It operated as a trap detector, activating by concentration. For three turns it would shine a blue beam 30 feet, revealing traps touched by the beam. Using his magical glasses, Tienarth could a count of the charges left on the device. They numbered 20 when he was done analyzing the rod. He was unable to determine anything about the fist-size device with the button.
Treasure Map to Trapped Cache
It was the first of the month of Dawn (12/1), marking the time in antiquity when the Anointed One appeared with the rising sun. A party was assembled to follow the treasure map into the Tosasth Valley wilderness. The members were Merana, Jerker, Ollie, Tienarth, Hocuspo, Nate, Jack, Ylindar, Urgesh and his dog. The weather was cold, and the snow that fell on various days over the past weeks still lingered. The mountains were capped in white, but the clouds that hung over them dropped neither rain nor snow.
They had no trouble while travelling to the ruined tower and spending the night there. The next day (12/2), they were ambushed by flesh eater zombies that ran down a hill to fight them in the road. Although the speedy undead managed a few bites and scratches, they were destroyed within a few moments. Lavishly, Tienarth transformed into a nine-headed hydra but never got the chance to chomp down on any zombies. The fighters had cut them all to pieces. (Hex 0607 was pacified to d8).
They continued to the river camp where they spent an uneventful night. The next morning (12/3), they headed south to find the marker on the map. After several hours, they found a stone tube protruding from a field of stone. On top was a metal disk with three dials. Many sun-bleached skeletons were scattered around the portal. Ollie produced his rod of trap detection and confirmed that the door with the three dials was trapped in some way.
The puzzled over the door for some time. Jerker used a ring to question one of the skeletons, learning that it was the remains of a would-be robber of the treasure who only remembered dying instantly when trying to open the door. Urgesh tried using a rope, standing twenty feet back while yanking on the rope attached to the handle. A burst of lightning burned up the rope just to where his hands held the rest of the rope.
About this time, Tienarth asked to see the map. He noted text on the map advising setting the dials to “226” before opening the door to avoid the risk of serious harm. Ollie turned the dials and opened with portal without any trouble. A metal ladder descended twenty feet to a small room lined with shelves, empty but for a single case. He used the rod again to detect traps in the room and found none. (18 charges left). Inside the case he found a collection of platinum rods worth 1,000 pp. He put the rods in his backpack.
Satisfied, they returned north to the river camp to spend the night.
Down into the Doukreg Tunnels
They rose in the morning (12/4) and made for Doukreg along the northern road. Ollie tried to persuade the party to climb the volcano as they passed, but they kept moving. They descended to the first level, then the fourth and took the tunnel down to Level 9 for the first time. They walked for more than hour before coming to a large, dark chamber. Merana held a torch which didn’t quite illuminate the space, though they could see huge shapes moving slowly. Jerker threw a bolder at one. Jack followed by throwing a flask of burning oil. The flames lit up the entire chamber and revealed giant beetles.
At the sight of the monsters, Urgesh rushed into battle, the fire of rage glowing in his eyes. Tienarth, in the form of a dragon followed. Six beetles bit and gored at them, merely spoiling the elf’s mirror images but opening a bloody gash in the barbarian’s side. He did not acknowledge the wound and fought on. Ollie rushed in as did Nate after some hesitation.
The bites of the beetles were fierce. Neither Ollie nor Tienarth could ignore them, but Jerker stepped up to begin bashing the giant insects and before long they were all dead. Ollie, who’d retreated at one point, rushed back in the pry open the beetle carapaces. Meanwhile, Urgesh was still under the sway of his battle rage which was turned towards Jerker. They traded blows, but Ollie was able to grapple the half-orc from behind, after which he shrugged his obsession.
Ollie pulled several gems from the beetles: 3 aquamarine gems, a garnet, a moonstone, moss agate and some onyx. As he was stuffing them in his pack, a curious red ant appeared from the south. Jerker paused for a moment and then hurled a bolder at it. Tienarth applied another set of mirror images, and Hocuspo slowed a handful of the ants that poured out to surround Jerker.
Urgesh and Ollie stepped up to hack at ants, with many more ants queued up in the chamber beyond. Jack and Ylindar fired arrows at the ants. One struck Ollie, who was already badly hurt from the beetles. The sturdy dwarf carefully retreated. Merana attempted a fear spell to no effect.
The ants had no luck hurting Jerker, protected in fearsome armor as he was. Tienarth employed a haste spell, speeding up the attacks on the ants. He followed that with a spell that filled the space beyond the melee with a poisonous cloud that killed half of the ants. Before long, the ants were all cut down.
They were hurt and ready to escape. Before they left, Jerker grabbed a small coffer from the ant nest. Inside was 600 cp, 200 sp, 1,500 ep, and a bottle with three pills. They met no resistance returning to the surface and enter Grubbycheek’s mine as darkness fell.
Over the next four days (12/5 – 12/8), they rested in the mine using healing magic to mend all wounds. Tienarth also analyzed Jerker’s gold ring. First, he noticed an inscription inside stating in an unknown tongue “Jump Back, Jack”. Over two days of trial and error he discovered how the wearer could speak the command words engraved on the ring to produce three effects. Simultaneously, undead were repelled (turn as a 20th level cleric) and the wearer could jump up to 100’ in any direction and land softly. The ring allowed activation once per day, and when activated sent tiny needles into the finger (1d4 points of damage).
Tienarth also analyzed the box with the button. Nothing new could be learned about the device. Pressing button caused a rune to appear on the box, and pressing the button again changed the run. The purpose of these functions was beyond the process of analysis to discover.
End Notes
- Days
- 11/30 Downtime at home
- 12/1 Travel to the ruined tower
- 12/2 Travel to the river camp
- 12/3 Follow the map, return to river camp
- 12/4 Exploring Doukreg tunnels
- 12/5 – 12/8 Healing, resting and analyzing items while in the mine
- Treasure 8,133 gp total value (excluding pills), 9 shares of 904 gp each if sold
- Platinum rods worth 1,000 pp
- 3 Aquamarine 1750 gp
- 1 Garnet 500 gp
- 1 Moonstone 50 gp
- 1 Moss Agate 7gp
- 1 Onyx 50gp
- 600 cp
- 200 sp
- 1,500 ep
- A bottle with three pills
- Combat 12,630 xp
- 10 Flesh Eater Zombies 75 xp each
- 6 giant rhinoceros beetles 1300 xp each
- 17 Giant Red Ants 240 xp each
- Characters 1,329 xp each (9.5 shares)
- Hocuspo 1,462
- Jack (fight + 100 xp drawing bonus) 1,575
- Jerker (in front) 1,475
- Merana 1,462
- Nate (fight) 1,475
- Ollie (rugged, underground, fight) 1,369
- Tienarth (inquisitive, magic instead of mundane) 1,356
- Urgesh and Dog (wilderness, fight, rage) 1,369
- Ylyndar (fight) 1,342