Chronicles of Arcania: B/X Homebrew game.

Game Master Peet

Brathas would like to do so as well, by going up the ladders into the statues so we can see if there is a way to see out. That would be better than opening the pyramid door.

On the way, I'll stop to learn my new spell.

Anna, Wallia, and Zynazyr burn some incence of perception, preparing to get to work trying to identify what remains unidentified. Over the next five hours the casters pore over the items the group has found.

* Zynazyr identifies the sword as a sword of second-order enchantment! i.e. a sword +2.
* Ana identifies the magical banner as a Banner of Morale
* Ana identifies the flask of oil as a Flask of Recovery
* Zynazyr identifies the amulet from the herald's tomb as an Amulet of Congenialty.
* Ana and Zynazyr both recognize that the potion from the Zombie room is a potion of invisibility.

when you say sword is that a short sword or regular sword? Light or normal weapon? Ferrous would love a weapon that is magical other than shield bash but up to everyone else. Also would consider taking a +1 normal sized weapon if someone else wants this +2.

Brathas wouldn't benefit from the amulet other than the 1/day Cha 18. Best to give it to somebody of low Cha on the off chance that they have to make a reaction roll.
The Banner of Morale could be useful to get enemies to flee. Brathas normally has a free hand when using his short sword or throwing daggers, but not when using his bow, and so could carry this for occasional use. Might be good against the gnolls if after our divide-and-conquer tactic we try to rout the remaining ones.
Do we have any holy water left? The flask would make 1 vial become 1 vial per day which is nice.

I could use the banner, theoretically I could load my sling while having five or six bullets in the offhand and the buckler goes on my elbow if I am not mistaken but the GM would have to rule on that I guess. I think we have one flask of Holy Water left. We could transfer it.

I think the banner is perfect to give to the fighting woman group. We might get a bit of gold for it and it will be helpful when they help fight Zargon. And I forgot that Fistep was already using the +2 sword so no worries about that. I was trying to update the Party Loot Spreadsheet but not sure what the flask of recovery was on the sheet. Is it the fine oil or is vials of some kind of clear liquid?

Yeah, not sure...

Brathas is fine with giving the banner to the Warrior Maidens.
The flask was from the fire room and held good-quality oil. Since the "fine oil" isn't marked as being from anywhere, that could be it.

I usually have a free hand to hold the banner although I don't know if our party would get a bonus if I'm behind everyone. I think Wallia could use the flask for the holy water especially if we only have one. He could also benefit from the amulet. Brathas should probably get the potion of invisibility.

I an going to bed now, but I will post tonight.

But a couple of things about the items:

I could use the banner, theoretically I could load my sling while having five or six bullets in the offhand and the buckler goes on my elbow if I am not mistaken but the GM would have to rule on that I guess. I think we have one flask of Holy Water left. We could transfer it.

Wallia could not use the banner and reload a sling at the same time. Reloading a sling requires two hands. Holding the banner requires one. You are not allowed to hold the banner "in your teeth" while reloading the sling.

The flask of recovery came with fine oil inside. It is just ordinary lamp oil, but of good quality (the other oil you found in the workshop on tier 2 was of low quality). I don't recall if you have any left, but if lit the oil of anointing functions as holy water and burning oil, so it might be your best bet to put in there.

1:40 AM, Day 9

In the middle of the night, while the group rests, Brathas and Zynazyr are awakened by the voice of Auriga Sirkinos echoing in their heads.

<They are inside!> shouts the voice. <We are beset! Come if you can! Hurry!> the voice soon fades into nothingness. But Brathas and Zynazyr look at one another knowing they both heard the same thing; it could not have been a dream.

So what now?
* FYI If you wish to saddle up and try to come to the aid of the Magi, you will not have recovered spells or HP for the night.

Brathas tells Zynazyr, "I'm going."
He alerts Fistep, Ferrous, and Ana. He doesn't wake Wallia.
"The Magi need help. I think the gnolls got in. I'm going to help. Wallia needs rest to recover his magic, we can't disturb him. Ferrous and Ana, I know you took a beating yesterday, so maybe you should rest. But I thought I had to at least tell you. Come with me if you want."
Removed the 4 HP from resting. Though do I still get the level-up?

Rouses... and starts putting on armor. Yes, here give me a hand, so we can go help faster...

Ana sleepily opens one eye, then snaps awake. "The gnolls? I'm going!" She too begins pulling on her armor.

Let the priest rest but no dwarf would sleep well there are invaders present. We should alert the rest of the caravan survivors to be on guard.
Removed the 3 hp gained.

I have a feeling it is the Zargonites.

Wallia just snores away.... "burr, hahhhh shooooo! ad nauseum... enjoying REM sleep.

Brathas thinks as hard as he can, trying to reply to the Magi, "Stall them as long as you can, we are coming!"
He is so much faster than the others (40' vs 15' for Ana and Fistep) that he can't see waiting for them as reasonable in this situation. While the others help each other with their armor, he sets off down the hall.
"I'll go ahead and see what the situation is."
Yes I know it's stupid. But for all he knows the time to don armor could be the difference between the Magi being wiped out and surviving.
Brathas tries to move reasonably quietly, and when he gets close to the Magi's stronghold he will be extra cautious, listening for sounds and looking for cover.

Should we assume they are everywhere or just located with the Magi?
Is there a plan besides getting there with maximum speed.

Zynazyr startles awake with the voice in his head. He nods in agreement when Brathas states he is going. Getting up, he helps wake the others and get them ready.

"Wait!" he says to Brathas when he starts to leave on his own. "That would be dangerous. Let me help you by turning you invisible."

Assuming he agrees, I will cast Invisibility on him.

Zynazyr then grabs the banner and leaves with the others. "I'm not sure where they are. The message did not give a location. We should go to the Magi's area first to see. Without knowing more information, it is difficult to determine a plan. If we find the gnolls there, maybe we should enlist the help of the Maidens."

Brathas accepts Zynazyr's spell, and takes off invisibly down the hall.

Ferrous is busy still putting on his armor and helping the elf and fighter don their gear as well.

Wallia lays resting thinking about laying a trap against the gnolls the next or maybe slaying the Zargonese or maybe a real Zargon, wouldn't that be swell.

1:50 AM, Day 9

2d6 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9

Though he travels invisibly, Brathas still needs a light source to see by. Leaving the beetle glands with the rest of the group, he lights a torch and sets off.

Though Brathas can move much faster than most of the others, it still takes Brathas about eight minutes to reach the turntable on the third tier. The turntable is currently oriented north-south, and there is a considerable amount of blood on the floor by the south end, and bloody footprints going up and down the turntable. But the hallway north of the turntable is clear of footprints.

Not so the south end though, as many footprints leave the area, as well as smear marks indicating something heavy has been dragged along the floor.

Since Brathas only knows how to access the Magi via the statue (Zynazyr used magic to bypass the pit illusion), he triggers the button that turns the turntable southwest. Beyond, the hallway is much as he remembers it, but beyond the door there is a man lying dead on the floor. The man is emaciated and middle aged, and has a dark tan and has whip marks on his back. He wears only a loincloth, and he looks like he choked to death; his face is locked in a death gasp.

There are no other signs of life here, and strangely no bloody footprints here. Brathas activates the switch on the statue and the wall recedes, revealing the door to the sanctuary.

Brathas enters the sanctuary, and he sees signs of a pitched battle. Blood is spattered all over the floor, though there are three obvious pools of blood near the door, and smears leading from the pools to the door to the east. A dead gnoll lies on the floor near the entrance, with multiple stab wounds on his chest and neck. Another dead gnoll lies behind the altar, and his eyes seem to have been burned out of his skull. The tapestries have been slashed and the head of the statue of Usamigaras has been broken off and sits in the far corner. Brathas sees two bloody silver daggers near the body of the first gnoll, and four ustars scattered around the room. He also finds two broken javelins near the door that look rather crude and are probably of gnollish make.

Brathas knows that a dormitory exists to the south, but to get there he needs to retract the moving wall with the statue, and he is not sure how to do that from this side. He decides to search the room for some kind of hidden switch.

2:00 AM, Day 9

2d6 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8

The rest of the group needs time to do their armor and then once on the move they cannot move as quickly as the lightly burdened Brathas.

They catch up with Brathas in the sanctuary. Brathas has searched the area but has not found any clue how to reset the moving wall.

So what now?
* Help Brathas search for a switch?
* Try to find another way around?
* Something else?

Ferrous will start searching the room for anything that may open a hidden passage through. Aware of the fact of how much water and stone have been used in other parts of this buried structure.

Zynazyr shakes his head in dismay as he gazes upon the room. He worries that Auriga has been captured or killed but hopes that at least some of the order are safe in the dormitory. He does his best to help figure out the moving wall by trying to determine if there is a magical switch.

How did the creatures get down so quickly? he says to himself as he looks around... what about our other companions? they were behind a secret door we found, but still...

"And how did they even get inside? We placed a Wizard Lock on the door. Were some already inside?"
Brathas continues searching. He'll try placing the head back on the statue in case that makes a difference.

2:10 AM, Day 9

10d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 5, 6, 1, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3) = 42

The group searches the sanctuary and after some time, Fistep finds a hidden catch at the base of the statue. Pressing the button causes the familiar sound of the moving wall to be heard, and when the group looks out the door they see that the wall has moved back, revealing the door to the dormitory.

Moving through the hall to the dorm the group sees more bloody footprints and blood smears. The bodies of five magi can be seen here, along with the dead body of a hyaena wearing leather armor that has been designed for a quadruped. The furniture is in disarray; the tables and chairs are smashed and beds are overturned. The water barrel and food chests are missing. Several ustars and silver daggers are scattered around the room.

The door to the south has been smashed down, revealing a short 20' corridor ending in another door. This door has numerous scratches and dents but seems quite solidly closed, and is locked. No one spots any traps.

So what now?
* Try to open the door? (how?)
* Knock?
* Something else?

Brathas will knock. "In the name of Usamigaras, we are here to help!"

Wearing her mask, Ana stands ready to back up Brathas.

<Is that you?> Brathas and Zynazyr hear the disembodied voice once again. <If it is, say 'Queen Zenobia.'>

When Brathas does, the door suddenly looks much less sturdy, and it opens.

the familiar mask of Auriga Sirkinos appears at the door.

"You came!" sighs Auriga. "As you said you would. But I'm afraid... it comes too late for many of us."

He opens the door and within you see a large bedchamber. Two other magi are within, while a third lies on the bed with a grievous wound, and looks ashen pale. There is also an odd-looking wolf with striped fur, which stands and growls softly at the party once they are visible. "Down, Ajax," says Auriga, and the wolf breaks off and curls up again at the foot of the bed.

"The sound of our gas trap woke us, and we chuckled when it went off, knowing that whatever thief tried to gain entry surely perished. But shortly thereafter it activated again, and whoever used it turned the lever the right way, and the wall pulled back to reveal the door to the sanctuary."

"We could hear them ransacking the place. I counseled caution, but my acolytes were enraged by the desecration of our chapel, so we attacked. At first a spell of sleep downed several of them, and we thought that we had the advantage, but among their number was some sort of witch doctor. He cast a spell of silence upon us, and our magic failed."

"Those creatures... they were like demons. With heads and fur like Ajax here. Their spears were deadly. Stronger than the Zargonites or the goblins. We fell back to my chambers here, and I used magic to seal the door. They pounded on it to be sure, but the magic held."

"Did you drive them off? Or are they simply gone"

Brathas takes one of the potions of minor healing (1d4). We have two left, I think. "Will this help our wounded Magi? Are you four all that remain?"
"I came as fast as I could. We did not see any of those creatures - gnolls - on our way.
We had seen them outside yesterday but assumed that a Wizard Lock on the door would keep them out. Either some were already inside, or their witch doctor was prepared to breach at least one such ward.
We had a plan to drive them off with trickery and illusions, but I fear that is all for naught now. They will be emboldened by their raid.
Killing their leaders and casters seems the best option now."
Brathas looks distraught at the disastrous situation.

Quickly heal the magi Brathas but we must be on our way. These Gnolls are still down here somewhere. How many did you see besides the Witch Doctor? Gnolls would normally have a reason for attacking. Did you see them take any prisoners? Did they loot anything from here?
Ferrous blood is pumping faster than he is firing off questions.

"We should check the door to the outside. See if it is still Wizard Locked. If a portion are trapped in here, including the witch doctor, we should find them, kill them, and throw their heads to the ones outside. That would add to our illusion of being angry gods of the pyramid.
If they managed to breach the Wizard Lock, they may have regrouped with their pack and reported how easy it was to kill and loot inside here. That would make scaring them off no longer a possibility - we'd need to rally the Warrior Maidens and prepare for a major battle."

"Gnolls need no reason for carnage," Ana growls. "They are vicious beasts to be put down!"

Brathas goes over to the bed to try to help the wounded Magi. But it turns out he is already dead.

Auriga sighs and his shoulders slump.

"We may have lived, but it seems it was in vain. We cannot possibly hold this outpost with only three of us."

"I shall have to return to the city to report. Perhaps they will send me back with reinforcements. I do not know."

Auriga emerges from the room and surveys the carnage in the dormitory. HE shakes his head in disbelief. "All these lads dead... for what? Thrills for some savage beast-men? Perhaps they were truly demons."

"Wait... Anakos' body is missing. He fell over there, I saw it! What have they done with his corpse?"

The spot Auriga indicates has a pool of blood, and then a smear mark heading for the door.

"Let's follow the trail. Auriga, do you three want to follow us? We wouldn't you to run into the the gnolls on your way to the city. Unless you can become invisible, in which case maybe you could make it to the city.
If you can get reinforcements, I will help you reclaim this outpost if needed, and repair what traps I can."

Seeing the blood smear leading to the door Ferrous follows beyond the door.
Right now time is of the essence. Anakos's deserves a proper burial and that means we act now.

Folllows after Ferrous with his sword drawn, and shield at the ready.

"I'm afraid my magic is mostly spent. If you wish to pursue them, I could not be much help to you without some rest and the chance to renew my spells."

"But before you go, let me give you something. Even if you were not in time to save us, you did come to our aid when we called."

Auriga leads you back into the sanctuary. As his eyes view the destruction, he shakes his head grimly. "So... stupid. Such a waste. But look..." He goes over to the pools of blood on the floor. "Three more of my brothers died here... but their bodies are also gone."

After reflecting for a moment, he turns to the altar, and his hand goes to a small catch under the lip. A small panel opens, revealing a compartment inside. Within, there is a wand, a mace, and three vials.

"Here, take these. They may be of value to you. The wand allows you to detect magical enchantments, while the mace is enchanted to be more effective in battle. These two vials are simple holy water, but this," he indicates the third vial, and turns to Brathas, "should assist a magician of the hand and the coin, such as yourself." He winks.

"Thank you, Auriga. Is it Invisibility , perhaps?
Will you stay here until we return or will you make for the city?"

Ferrous's eyes brighten when he sees the mace and hears it proclaimed as magical. Truly a weapon for a Dwarven Lord. Your gift is appreciated and I hope I may earn it quickly. Let's give chase to these dogs and cut them down.

"Thank you, Auriga. Is it Invisibility , perhaps?

Will you stay here until we return or will you make for the city?"

Brathas is actually still invisible, BTW.

"Ah, no, not exactly. It's called a potion of trickery. It will enhance the training you already have. Someone without that training would get a basic understanding of the things that you have trained with."

"You are camping lower down in the pyramid, are you not? Perhaps we should wait and then travel with you as far as your camp. We can press on from there."

Ferrous's eyes brighten when he sees the mace and hears it proclaimed as magical. Truly a weapon for a Dwarven Lord. Your gift is appreciated and I hope I may earn it quickly. Let's give chase to these dogs and cut them down.

"You are quite welcome. There are few in my order who train in its use."

"Thank you," Ana says, anxious to be on their way. The longer they linger, the further away the gnolls get.

After getting his rest, Wallia wakes up relaxed and refreshed. He does not see any of his companions and wonders where they may have gone off to.

He then takes his time donning his new to him Plate mail.

Wallia, the GM hasn't said it is morning. Last timestamp was 2:10 AM and very little time has passed since then. I know you want in on the action but we need you to have your spells. When it is around morning we will come back for you.
"Very well," Brathas replies to Auriga, "Stay here and we will come back on our way back to camp after tracking these foul creatures."