The thunderous sound provided the only warning. It was a deafening roar, like that of an army rushing into battle. Here, the road of cracked mud, this dry valley below the Tusk Mountains, had narrowed. There were few places to run. The torrent came quickly. Within moments, it rushed upon you. Despite initial appearances, it would seem the Flood Road is well-named.
Belkzen is known as an unforgiving wasteland filled with shrub brush, steep mountains, and uneven badlands. This land is home to hostile orc tribes and, more recently, prone to incursions by the undead forces of the Whispering Tyrant. Those dangers were known. One could be prepared. The storm that had raged, high upon one of the cloud-covered mountains, the early coming of the wet season, the resulting deluge—those had been unknown.
To the contrary, you had been told that water here, near the town of Urgir in particular, was scarce. "Be sure to pack enough water," they’d said. As you scrambled up the cliff face, frantically seeking shelter, the irony was not lost upon you.
Now, having found the mouth of small cave, suitably located above the raging waters, you come upon some fellow travelers as well as the remains of campfire. Here, too, lies a cooking pot, an opened bedroll, and some other simple traveling gear left unattended.
A small note is stuck into a crevice in the cave wall, where it stands out against the dark stone. The crevice is near a narrow tunnel that leads deeper into the caves.
“If you find this, I am caught somewhere below. I am Lorekeeper Unzgrin, and I’ve gone below to explore what I believe are the ruins of an ancient dwarven outpost. I trust that there is no danger, but if you find this note, and more than a day has passed, then I am likely in trouble. I offer a reward in gold for any assistance in exploring the caves—and for my immediate rescue, should I be in danger.
—Lorekeeper Unzgrin of Urgir”
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A stocky halfling stumbles into the cave, soaking wet. Her curls hang limply, plastered to her head. Seeing the remains of the campfire, she manages to pull flint and steel from her pack and gets a fire going. As the heat warms the cave, she spies the note and has a look.
"Interesting... though it's kinda hard to do this by myself..."
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A bedraggled Tengu flaps its wings in a final ascent of the steep mountain side and tumbles ungracefully into the cave. It gives a quick shake to get its grey feathers back in place, causing the twin swords on its side to jangle. After regaining its composure, it approaches the campfire.
With a bow to the halfling, it says "Ah hello, mind if I join you? I'm Vamasu. Did you get caught out by the flood too?"
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"By all means! Plenty of room by my fire! Mandy, by the way, Mandy the Monkey is what I'm called." she makes a face bordering on disgust, "That's what they called me in the circus, since I used to do all those tumbling and acrobatics thingies. I finally had it with that lot and decided to try adventuring."
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Siyokoy sighs when the rain finally pours heavily, not a sigh of relief but a sigh of disappointment because he hasn't found a shelter yet. He races himself to a nearby cave; at least there is a place he can hide under so he won't be soaked.
He finds himself with others and awkwardly waves at them. "Raining cats and dogs. I thought it wasn't raining this much in this place. Or so I thought," he sheepishly tells them.
The assembled adventurers are soon joined by a halfling, who came in from the Flood Road seeking shelter.
A pair of torches with some flint and steel lies near the campsite. It is
readily apparent that her campsite has been abandoned for more than one day.
A small note is stuck into a crevice in the cave wall, where it stands out against the dark stone. The crevice is near a narrow tunnel that leads deeper into the caves.
You find the note is written in Common and Orcish, and is dated 2 days before. It states:
“If you find this, I am caught somewhere below. I am Lorekeeper Unzgrin, and I’ve gone below to explore what I believe are the ruins of an ancient dwarven outpost. I trust that there is no danger, but if you find this note, and more than a day has passed, then I am likely in trouble. I offer a reward in gold for any assistance in exploring the caves—and for my immediate rescue, should I be in danger.
—Lorekeeper Unzgrin of Urgir”
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"What's this?" Siyokoy pulls out the note stuck into a crevice, opens it and reads them loudly.
“If you find this, I am caught somewhere below. I am Lorekeeper Unzgrin, and I’ve gone below to explore what I believe are the ruins of an ancient dwarven outpost. I trust that there is no danger, but if you find this note, and more than a day has passed, then I am likely in trouble. I offer a reward in gold for any assistance in exploring the caves—and for my immediate rescue, should I be in danger.
—Lorekeeper Unzgrin of Urgir”
He then looks at the heavy rain still pouring outside, checking if it will enter inside and flood the cave they are staying in the meantime.
"This note is two days old, written in Common, and... I don't what language is the other. Do you think this lorekeeper is still alive?" he asks the others.
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"Well only way to find out - go and try to find them." Vamasu says as he finishes preening the last of his now dry feathers back into place.
"...and hello our quiet halfling friend. I hope you can join us also."
Vamasu will pull out a torch, light it at the fire, and start investigating the tunnel at the back of the cave.
He then looks at the heavy rain still pouring outside, checking if it will enter inside and flood the cave they are staying in the meantime.
Well-associated with the potential threats posed by water, Siyokoy Sa Lupan makes an assessment of the approaching flood waters and concludes that the height of the cave and the present flow rate of the deluge mean that this cavern is not likely to flood through the cave mouth. He cannot, however, be certain that flood waters have not seaped or flowed into any portions of the cave structure that may be lower than where the party finds itself.
"...and hello our quiet halfling friend. I hope you can join us also."
The halfling nods in response.
Vamasu will pull out a torch, light it at the fire, and start investigating the tunnel at the back of the cave.
Once aflame, the flickering torchlight pushes back against the darkness of the passage ahead. Before him, the tengu spots that the cave walls of the passage are a mix of natural stone and clay, its width varies as it heads further into the earth.
traveling down the passage, the journey is made chalenging by the presence of loose stone fragments, protruding rocks, and sloped surfaces made slipperty from the persistent drips of watery intrusions. Eventually, the cavern reaches a junction, where it splits into three separate passages.
Map now presented on Slides.
One of the passages heads to the south , another due east , and a third to the northweast .
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Thankfully, his eyes easily adapt to the darkness. Nevertheless, he still activates his Wayfinder in addition to the light provided by the torch held by another member of the group.
Looking at the forked passageways, all dark, it would be challenging for them to find the lorekeeper. Now it's a matter of chance which way they choose, and hopefully, they can find the lorekeeper there.
"Maybe we can check the northeastern passage first?" he suggests while pointing in the way's direction.
Heading through the northeast passage, the party is greeted by the soft reflections of torch light dancing across its moistened walls. Water droplets also occassionally fall from the sealing. The trickles of water collect at the base of the cavern, flowing along small channels cut in the cave floor over time.
Several feet further into the tunnel, the passage begins a slight descent. The trickles of water pick up speed and the passage widens. The air of the damp cavern grows thicker here with moisture as the stale scents of the cavern begins to mix with richer, more earthy odors.
Here, the eastern end of the cavern splits further. One passage heads northward. The other heads toward the south.
Heading to the north, the cavern opens up into wider cave. Here, overgrown moss and fungus cover the walls and floor of this cave. Their odd shapes create a variety of shadows that stretch and creep with the moving of the torchlight.
Lem alone spots among the various growth a large, purple mushroom standing taller than himself.
Cave and mushroom now on Map on Slides.
Lem will comment "Anyone else see that large purple mushroom up ahead?" while pointing it out to the group and looking confused as to why noone else sees it.
The azarketi does not recall anything about this specific type of mushroom, but the tengu knows it is a shrieker and that such human-sized mushrooms emits a piercing shriek when disturbed.
Lem will cast light on himself, also offering it to any who want it.
Vamasu will take the offered light, extinguish his torch and swap it so that he has both weapons ready as they explore the caverns.
The air sack on the shrieker slowly deflates with a quiet hissing sound. THe air is still and musty.
A number of winding tunnels spourt off from this chamber in various directions, like long-slender fingers, they stretch out as if clawing into the interior of the mountain.
Already being up next to it, Vamasu will take a look up the stairs to the north. Seeing it is a dead end he will peek down each of the other corridors but not enter, starting with 3, then 2 and finally rejoining the party he will look down exit 4 and prepare to proceed down it.
Following the cavern, the party soon finds itself at yet another intersection. Having approached from the north, a passage extends due west, toward areas Vamasu previously explored and directly south where a persistent *plink*...*plink*...*plink***...of the sound of dripping water can be heard.
Now indicated on Map on Slides.
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Siyokoy quietly follows the group after one of them successfully deflated the shrieker. He wonders what it would sound like if it gets triggered.
Dismissing the thought, he continues the journey with them, his mind wandering with random thoughts.
"It is raining heavily outside, I just hope this cave will not get flooded anytime soon before we find the lorekeeper." Siyokoy is now worried about the scenario he has in mind now after hearing the dripping sound of water coming from the cave ceilings.
He motions to Vamasu to lead the way .
The dripping sounds of water intensify as you venture southward. The noise begins to sound as if it were approaching from all directions as it echoes off of the stone walls.
You come across a pool in a damp chamber. The water stands only a few inches deep.
Thick stands of webbing are suspended from the cave's ceiling, stretching across portions of the chamber. The greatest mass of webbing covers a large boulder protruding from the floor at the center of the pool. The desiccated husks of dozens of insects and arachnids, and the bones of a few small mammals, lie beneath the water as if set upon display beneath a plate of smooth glass.
Suddenly, with the echo of another piercing *plink*, the remains appear to come to life; they're forms move and shift as the surface of the water ripples momentarily before falling still again.
Atop the boulder isolated within the pool rise the tell-tale legs and markings of a large spider. With another *plink*, the reflection of the intricate pattern on its abdomen shimmers and sways within the ripples of the water. A dagger, embedded deep in the creature's thorax, is also mirrored in the water. The reflection of its handle grows longer as reaching for you as the water is disturbed once again.
Siyokoy Sa Lupa spots a humanoid shaped wrapped within the webbing near the lone boulder.
Cave chamber now revealed on Map along with location of dead spider.
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Vamasu will reply "I hope its dead, but that dagger looks like it has done a good job."
and then "Oh I see it now." as he spots the webbed form. He will cautiously approach and once there will start unwrapping the victim. "Oh its a woman and she is badly injured. I'll see what I can do, unless someone else has a better option." and will start pulling out his healer's tools and tending to the half-orc.
"Oh its a woman and she is badly injured. I'll see what I can do, unless someone else has a better option." and will start pulling out his healer's tools and tending to the half-orc.
With a sudden gasp of air, the woman suddenly regains consciousness. She reaches out defensively, until she realizes that it is a tengu looking over her and not a giant spider.
“What... what happened? Who are you?” she asks. She rubs the back of her head as she tries to gather her wits. She then moves her hand to look at the blood that is caked in her hair. “Oh... The last I remember is heading into a cavern system, looking for signs of ancient ruins. I found a cave... there was a loud shriek... and a spider..." Her voice trails off as she tries to bring her memories into focus.
Her focus is interrupted by a cough. Her throat dry, she looks up and says, "Thank you. Have you any water?"
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Siyokoy retrieves his waterskin, and effortlessly conjures a portal to the Water Plane with a graceful wave of his hand. Out of it, he draws out clean water, filling the vessel to the brim before presenting it to the thirsty woman.
Handing her the container, he offers a gentle shake of his head. "It would be unwise to venture here unaccompanied," he advises. "Count yourself fortunate to have survived."
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Vamasu watches Siyookoy's work "That is a very useful trick Siyokoy" looking quite impressed.
Turning to the woman he will say "I'm Vamasu. We got your note up in the cave - it is a good thing you left it there, given the dangers here. But I am impressed at how you killed the spider" and he will point to the dagger embedded in the spider.
Handing her the container, he offers a gentle shake of his head. "It would be unwise to venture here unaccompanied," he advises. "Count yourself fortunate to have survived."
"A life can be brutally cut short at any moment." The woman declares after taking a long drink of the proffered water, before adding with gratitude, "I am, however, grateful that you have come along."
"I am Unzgrin," she says by way of introduction as she tries to get to her feet. "And I had good reason for coming alone, or so I thought. My line of research can be rather... competitive." The woman eyes the party, as if sizing them up. She then concedes, "Though, I have, evidently, been rather reckless."
Turning to the woman he will say "I'm Vamasu. We got your note up in the cave - it is a good thing you left it there, given the dangers here. But I am impressed at how you killed the spider" and he will point to the dagger embedded in the spider.
Despite her lingering injuries and sapped strength, Uzgrin beams with pride for a moment, taking on the semblence and fiercness of one of the great orc warchiefs of legend. "A worthy test of strength, the spider was! We are each the scars that shape us. And you found my note. I have been, I suppose, not entirely reckless."
"But that spider was not the 'test' that I came here to tackle," she continues, now fully rising on her feet. “Tell me, what do you know of the conquest of Koldukar?”
In face-to-face play, and even via PbP although its format is more conducive to it, I find it is best to avoid posting large amounts of exposition and to, instead, keep information in small “digestible bites” whenever possible. To “break” things up, there are a few ways I know to do it, which I will illustrate here.
The first is by inviting interaction with the PCs, which I have done above by having Uzgrin pose a questions to the PCs. As much possible, every post from the GM should involve a “hook” that invites a response from the PCs. These keeps them engaged and gives them a reason to respond and, therefore, advance the story. Because the adventure as written does not provide an express mechanic for the players to learn the information and since the information is not “vital” to a plot point, I am fine with players applying any of their own metaknowledge they may have about Koldukar in response to Uzgrin’s question. It keeps players engaged and “rewards” those who have invested in particular areas of Lost Omens lore. Here, given Uzgrin’s apparent worldview of competition with other adventurers (at least her fellow orcs) and her decision to explore alone (presumably to keep others from horning in on her finds), it seems a good GM choice to play Uzgrin as evaluating the PCs for their “worthiness” to help her and their potential as a “threat” to her finds.
An alternative method is to provide this information through a relevant skill check. Although the adventure as written doesn’t call for it, I like to offer such as a “reward” for PCs that have invested the skills (or just get lucky in their rolls!). It also gives agency to the PCs and reinforces that they are capable adventurers. I usually set the DC on party level, though I may occasionally make adjustments for uncommon or rare information, particularly if they have no direct bearing on the outcome of the adventure.
Yet, another method is to combine the two, which I have done here. Giving PCs multiple avenues to obtain success rewards creativity and accommodates multiple play styles.
Sometimes, however, an “wall-of-text” info dump may be necessary based upon the structure of the adventure or to move the adventure along, particularly in the face of time limits (which we may be running into soon as I understand many other PbP School tables have already finished).
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"Koldukar, you say?" Siyokoy thinks for a while until he remembers something.
"Ohhh! Koldukar is a dwarven Sky Citadel, right? As far as I remember, it was conquered by orc armies several millennia ago. In the 8,000 years since it fell, the people of Belkzen’s unofficial capital, Urgir, have plundered countless dwarven artifacts there. Unfortunate, yeah, but that's what happened," he says, shaking his head.
"But how does it relate to what you are looking for here?"
"Ohhh! Koldukar is a dwarven Sky Citadel, right? As far as I remember, it was conquered by orc armies several millennia ago. In the 8,000 years since it fell, the people of Belkzen’s unofficial capital, Urgir, have plundered countless dwarven artifacts there. Unfortunate, yeah, but that's what happened," he says, shaking his head.
"But how does it relate to what you are looking for here?"
"While the orc armies may have--how did you put it?--'plundered' countless artifacts," Uzgrin replies, clearly both impressed with the azarketi's knowledge, but also suspicious as to his motives, "the battle was a hard fought one, but not all dwarves are worthy opponents. I believe that some fled, stealing away with artifacts and magic items in an effort to deny the orc armies of their rightful spoils."
"If I am correct, then those artifacts likely remain in ancient dwarven outposts hidden throughout the region. What my orc ancestors could not wrestle from the living through conquest, can now be claimed from the dead through careful research and exploration." The woman continues, her wounded frame straightening with pride. "I am a lorekeeper--a librarian and historian--among my people. I have made it my life’s work to scour the foothills around Urgir for other ruins. A few weeks ago, Unzgrin discovered evidence that some of the dwarves fleeing Koldukar sought refuge in this cave system near the Flood Road."
"Thinking the caves might hold some items of value, if not some deeper secret, I set out to stake may claim. After this long, I know that any bodies would likely be gone, but I had hoped that I might find historic relics they left behind, or perhaps another ancient ruin of some kind to which they had fled. I believed that I was on the cusp of an important breakthrough in understanding the history of the dwarves of Koldukar when I came here. However, in my eagerness to discover something significant, I recklessly allowed myself to become trapped and unable to escape. That was two days ago."
"If not for your arrival, I likely would have soon been dead." she laments, her pride fading. "Ironic, in a way. For, it is the looming threat of the recently freed undead overlord known as the Whispering Tyrant and the danger posed by his undead armies along Belkzen’s borders, that has driven my research, causing me to seek out artifacts, magic items, anything that might help overcome the hordes of unliving. Instead, in my zeal, I nearly fell prey to joining them."The woman looks down for a moment, then stops. Her expression changes to one of concern.
she cries, the sound echoing off the walls of the chamber. "Where is it? It isn't here! It holds my journals--my research--!"
She turns to the party with some suspicion. "Tell me, do you have it? Have you seen it?"
”We have not seen your backpack sorry. Is it important? If so we could try to find it. Do you think you dropped it or… has something taken it?”
Uzgrin pulls her dagger out of the remains of the spider. "It is quite important. It holds my notes--my research! Not to mention some healing potions that could be of some use."
She eyes the party warrily, then concludes. "I believe I dropped it somewhere in the caves, but..." She closes her eyes, clearly struggling somewhat after her two-day ordeal. "I don't remember exactly where."
Pausing a moment to assess her situation, she continues. "I... could use your assistance in recovering my backpack and the journal within it. The journal also notes where I have stashed some extra supplies--including the gold in my note. Help me recover the journal and you will have the reward, as well as the eternal thanks of the Urgir Society of History."
”Did you spot anything else in here other than the spider?”
"Nothing alive." Uzgrin notes. "Although I have seen a number of insect and arachnid husks around as well as the bones of a few small mammals. I was examining some that I had spotted here in the water when the spider attacked."
Uzgrin gazes thoughtfully at the corpse of the spider. "Clearly, it was able to find enough food to sustain it within these tunnels. However, it was likely the aprex predator here. While these caves seem more extensive than I initially had thought, it seems unlikely that there would be enough prey within them to sustain the presence of more than one predator of that size. I suspect their kind may be highly territorial. Yet, if a predator weren't around to patrol its territory for a couple of days it is possible that some nearby threats might--AHHH!"
Uzgrin releases a cry. "
From her vantage in the middle of the room, she spots a pair of child-sized spiders approaching the chamber from opposite ends. Their blue-and-yellow-striped abdomens shimmer as each scuttles along the cave floor. Drops of thick purple venom drip from their mandibles.
The adventure does not provide starting points for either the PCs or the creatures (spiders, determined randomly). At a face-to-face game, I might have paused and asked the PCs where they wished to be while speaking with Uzgrin, but I think it would be too clunky and time consuming to try to do that in PbP, so I chose to have the PCs be standing at the last place their tokens were.
Deciding, then where to put the creatures is the next step. I decided that, given Uzgrin's discussion of the nature of predators and to comply with the "logic" of the world, the two spiders should approach from opposite ends, suggesting the two may be rivals (as I am unaware of many spiders that hunt in "packs"). Also keeping with the story, as I had Uzgrin retrieving her dagger from the spider body, that put her in a position where she could see "behind" the party and also in the other entrance, allowing her to sound the alarm for the fight--interrupting herself as suggested. I chose "starting" places for the spiders that she could see that the party may have difficulty seeing.
I suppose I could have positioned the spiders where the party could see them first, but then the logic sort of requires the PCs to use Perception for initiative, when it is clear that at least one prefers Stealth.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I think "surrounding" the party simply makes for a more challenging, interesting, and memorable combat as it forces each PCs to decide who to engage first and is less likely to "jam up" the combat in front of a single narrow entrance where the fighting front is a 5 or 10 foot area, which can easily occur in dungeons and cave fights, but can make for a more frustrating combat.
The description of the spiders were drawn from their 1st edition entry.
The woman's warning is enough to spur the Pathfinders to immediate action!
DEATH BY A LOT OF LEGS! - Round One Begins!
Siyokoy Sa Lupa
Vamasu
Lem
Spider (red)
Mandy the Monkey
Spider (blue)
At the sight of the spiders, Lem starts up a battle theme, attempts to extend it but fails (but doesn't then use the focus point) and then tries to scare the spider!
◇ lingering composition
◆ courageous anthem (+1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects.)
◆◆ Cast fear on blue spider DC 17
Vamasu misses with the katana, but connects with the wakizashi strike.
DEATH BY A LOT OF LEGS! - Round One Cont'd!
Siyokoy Sa Lupa
Vamasu
Lem
Spider (red)
Mandy the Monkey
Spider (blue) -7 HP
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Siyokoy without hesitation opens the gate to the Water Plane channeling cold water from his gate and blasting it to the blue spider.
vs Blue Spider
cold damage
He blasts the same spider with the same water once more.
vs Blue Spider
cold damage
He then recalls the cold water back to himself and forms a shield shaped into a disk.
◆ Channel Elements
◆ Elemental Blast
◆ Hydraulic Deflection (+1 to AC)
↺ Deflecting Wave (if he would take acid, bludgeoning, fire or slashing damage)
Siyokoy without hesitation opens the gate to the Water Plane channeling cold water from his gate and blasting it to the blue spider.
The cold water pounds the spider , killing it!
Climbing along the wall, the other spider approaches.
It shoots a web lines at Mandy and Lem.
The halfings are covered in sticky webbing that drips with thick, purple venom.
DEATH BY A LOT OF LEGS! - Round One Cont'd/Round Two Begins!
Mandy the Monkey
Siyokoy Sa Lupa
Vamasu
Lem
Spider (red)
Mandy the Monkey
Spider (blue) -21 HP
Engulfed by the sticky webbing, Lem will start to look a bit distracted
He will try to ◆ escape using acrobatics
and assuming that works will try again to sing for the party
◇ lingering composition
◆ courageous anthem (+1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects.)
◆ and then draw his bow