TJ5 Sometimes Even a Dragon Requires Help... Part 1

My experiment in using modules for older D&D versions continues. This time an adventure module from the old German RPG magazine ZauberZeit #2 (Auch ein Drache braucht mal Hilfe). I've DMed this adventure several times already, once with the D&D Rules Cyclopedia and twice with Tunnels & Trolls.

Notes: The full Player's Handbook is used together with monsters from D&D Basic for DMs V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Aethelric, male half-elf warlock (criminal/spy)
• Bangrimm, male hill dwarf cleric (acolyte)
• Bjarne, male human fighter (soldier)

On his travels from Rakurstada to Knuivigi, Bangrimm meets two other adventurers: Aethelric and Bjarne. Together they continue their travels to find safety in numbers this close to the Weathered Heath. In the evening, they arrive at Knuivigi and decide to rest at the Dancing Boar Inn. The locals tell them about a sighting of five dragons near the ruins of Castle Raven's Aerie. The next day, the three adventurers leave for the castle.

As they arrive at the castle, they don't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Just a ruined castle standing seemingly abandoned on the Weathered Heath. Cautiously they investigate first the outer, then the inner courtyard. As Bjarne moves into the inner courtyard, he is attacked by a vicious brown bear and heavily wounded. During the battle, Aethelric discovers a sleeping green dragon resting in the adjacent courtyard.

After defeating the black bear, the three try to leave before the green dragon notices them. But they are unsuccessful. Aethelric withdraws into the outer courtyard, but Bangrimm and Bjarne are detained by the green dragon. Reluctantly Aethelric moves back in. The dragon explains that he needs heroes to investigate a crypt. He is too big to fit inside, and the first party he sent in failed to return. The green dragon is looking for the Scepter of Yragael, a warlord who lies buried in the crypt. He points them to three healing potions and then herds them down into the crypt. Besides the entrance to the crypt, a temple to Celos, god of the sun and wisdom, sits in the smaller courtyard and adjacent to it lies a small graveyard.

The adventurers enter the crypt cautiously. The find a big entrance hall, where three doors lead deeper into the crypt. Each door guarded by two skeletons. After a short discussion, Aethelric attacks one skeleton with an eldritch blast. All six skeletons start moving and attacking the adventurers. A pitched battled ensues. The tide only starts to turn when Bjarne goes from a purely defensive stance to the offense.

After the battle the group investigates the door to the left and find an old chest containing two jewels. Aethelric investigates one wall and finds two indentions. They put the jewels there and find a hidden room. There, they are attacked by two giant centipedes. After defeating them, they find some more treasures.

Then they listen at the door to the right and hear squabbling squeaky voices. Entering the room, they see eight kobolds engaged in a heated discussion. Another battle is quickly finished, when Aethelric casts shatter in to the room. They find nothing of value and decide to take a short rest before proceeding into the dungeon.

As they continue their explorations, Aethelric discovers a suit of armor that animates as he tries to retreat. As reward for defeating the animated armor, Bjarne takes the jeweled greatsword that the armor was wielding.

Then they arrive at a staircase that leads down into the lower levels and a big double door that leads into a further room. There they discover a strange dimensional door that deposits them right outside the courtyard again. The green dragon ushers them down into the crypt again, as they tell him that they don't have the scepter yet.

The staircase down to the next level is filled with cobwebs. They proceed through the cobwebs and reach a room with a fountain. The fountain bears a small inscription: "Drink and forget all your sorrows forever." Somehow the party doesn't want to be relieved of all their sorrows and continues onward.

Bangrimm falls into a trap where he's attacked by a giant poisonous snake. Aethelric prevents the trapdoor from closing, and Bjarne rescues Bangrimm from the snake. His dwarven resistance to poison definitely helps him survive the attack. While in the pit, he has spied two scroll cases stuck in a skeleton, but didn't manage to grab them.

The group presses on into a large room where a bronze double door leads onwards. First, the decide to take another short rest. Then they try to pry the door open. It is stuck, and won't move. Aethelric has an idea: they use torches to heat the metal and then cool it rapidly with water from the fountain, thus turning the bronze brittle. After that they successfully force the door open.

Behind the door, a corridor filled with spider webs stretches into the dark. They decide to be more careful this time and burn down the webs. Out of the burning corridor they are attacked by two burning giant spiders.

After defeating the spiders, they decide to take a long rest.

To be continued...

TJ4 The Swamp of Dying Dreams Part 2

This is a direct continuation of the first part: TJ3 The Swamp of Dying Dreams Part 1. I consider this part of the same "module", therefore it is still TJ3. Tanris, the rogue, unfortunately couldn't make it to that game session.

Notes: This session used the full Player's Handbook (in practice the heroes were still all built with D&D Basic) and monsters from the web supplement for "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" and the D&D Basic DM Guide V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Bangrimm, male hill dwarven cleric (acolyte)
• Brim Smallcare, male lightfoot halfling fighter (folk hero)
• Taklinn Frostbeard, male mountain dwarf wizard/fighter (soldier)
• Tendrak Talis, male human fighter (soldier)

On the next morning, the heroes eat breakfast and encounter a bar maid that has apparently slept very unwell. She tells them that everyone is having bad dreams and a restful night is something from the past. They then decide to interrogate their lizardman prisoner again. After some intimidation by Taklinn, he spills the beans in Draconic which only Bangrimm can speak. Taklinn uses comprehend languages to listen in. The lizardman tells them that they are planning to return the swamp that was drained during the founding of Rakurstada to its proper place. He claims that they need the captured townspeople for a ritual to drown the town. He also tells them under duress that the other lizardmen are hiding somewhere to the north of the town within one mile of its walls.

Then the heroes go into the town of Rakurstada to complete some business. Bangrimm goes to town in order to visit the temple of Nastruhal, deity of smiths and craftsmen, for some advice. Taklinn wants turn over the lizardman to the authorities. Tendrak and Brim want to visit the temple of Waradin, deity of war to get some advice and healing potions.

Bangrimm is met with incredulousness by the local clergy when he tells them about the plans of the lizardmen. But in the end, he browbeats them into promising him a reward, if he can prove his story.

Taklinn meanwhile is surprise by the swift justice of the Jarl's huscarls. Their leader simply executes the lizardman on the spot, and tells Taklinn that their heads a worth 2 gold pieces each. Taklinn gets those two gold pieces. Also, the leader of the huscarls is not very convinced of the story told by Taklinn.

Tendrak and Brim fare a little better at the temple of Waradin. A cleric tells them that indeed the town was founded on a swamp and that the swamp was drained. Then he sells them healing potions and emblems of Waradin. Even Brim gets a healing potion after Tendrak testifies that the halfling is a mighty warrior.

The group meets up at the marketplace and decides to check on the resident wizard. Maybe he can tell them more about the ritual. He isn't at home and they just meet one of his apprentices, the girl Ysra. She can't really help them, except tell them that the wizard is the eldest son of the Jarl and not very well liked by his kinsmen. Brim suspects that he maybe in league with the lizardmen.

Finally, the group leaves town. And indeed, the captive lizardman didn't lie to them. There is a small hill by a stream just outside of town. Brim scouts ahead to a ruined hut, but there he is discovered by a lizardman guarding the approach to the hill. He calls for reinforcement, but even four lizardmen don't stand a chance against the heroes. During the battle, they even try to drown Tendrak in his armor. Brim and Tendrak set two of the lizardmen on fire, but the fourth can escape.

Afterwards, they try to cross the stream. Brim finds a tree on the other side of the stream at the entrance to a cave into the hill. He slings a lasso around a branch of the tree and does some impressive tightrope walking to the other river bank. Unfortunately, the tree is alive. It jerks the rope and Brim goes tumbling into the water. At the same time two lizardmen throw javelins at the group. A lengthy combat ensues. The lizardmen are backed up by some sort of shaman or druid who casts spell after spell at the group. Melf's acid arrow wounds Taklinn heavily, Brim and Tendrak fight underwater against the two lizardmen, then a stinking cloud incapicitates Bangrimm and Taklinn. But too late, they take down the awakened tree and finally reach the other side of the stream. The day is won! But the druid escapes through the water,

Inside the cave they find maps and ritual scrolls that could indeed return Rakurstada to a swamp. Also, they find the missing townspeople and some treasure (money, spell scrolls and healing potions). The ritual scrolls are enough to convince Bangrimm's superiors of the validity of the threat and they also reward the party. Taklinn collects on the lizardmen's heads.

TJ3 The Swamp of Dying Dreams Part 1

Again a Google hangout session with some of the folks from the previous hangouts.

Notes: This session theoretically used the full Player's Handbook (in practice the heroes were still all built with D&D Basic) and monsters from the web supplement for "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" and the D&D Basic DM Guide V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Bangrimm, male mountain dwarven cleric (acolyte)
• Brim Smallcare, male lightfoot halfling fighter (folk hero)
• Taklinn Frostbeard, male mountain dwarf wizard (soldier)
• Tanris, male human rogue (criminal)
• Tendrak Talis, male human fighter (soldier)

The characters are travelling (as always) as caravan guards with Sorrenson and his beautiful daughter Ingdis from Svarturvigi to the remote town of Rakurstada on the outskirts of the country of Tjalmar, adjacent to the Weathered Heath. On their way to Rakurstada they are attacked by a trio of Perytons that they are able to defeat, but Tanris manages to turn over the lead wagon and the oxen break free. Brim captures the oxen and the caravan continues on. During the fight everyone was very protective of Ingdis, but Tanris was knocked unconscious and the cleric had no spells left to heal him.

As they arrive at Rakurstada, the gates to the town proper are already closed. So they have to stay at the Burning Rooster Inn (so called because it burns down a lot) in the foregate. Bangrimm is greeted by the townsfolk who are in dire straits. People keep disappearing at night on the streets.

Meanwhile, Brim settles Tanris in a separated sleeping quarter so that he'll awake rested and relaxed. Tendrak pays a bar maid to listen to his stories, but wants it to appear as if they were doing more than talking. Taklinn has a run-in with a group of hill dwarves who don't seem to be overly fond of their mountain dwarf cousin.

After Tanris is awake and the heroes have taken a short rest, Brim dresses up as a helpless maiden to act as bait for the unknown kidnappers. The plan works, even though Brim is overacting more than a little bit. A trio of lizardmen appear to kidnap him and are defeated by the heroes. One lizardman is left alive and interrogated by the cleric. So far, it hasn't told them much. Brim plans to turn the lizardman over to the town's watch in the morning. The party ties up the captive securely and go back to the Burning Rooster for a well-deserved long rest.

[Here we made a break since it had gotten late. The initial fight with the perytons took a lot longer than anticipated. The story continues with part 2]

TJ2 Against the Spectre Queen

This is a continuation of the previous adventure "TJ1 The Barrow of the Dwarven Queen" that I DMed via Google Hangout. The adventure is loosely based on my Dungeon World adventure "Against the Spectre Queen".

Notes: The session used D&D Basic V0.1 and monsters from "The Lost Mines of Phandelver".

Cast of Characters:

• Aelar, male high elf wizard (spy)
• Grimbolt Doomhammer, male mountain dwarf fighter (folk hero?)
• Maedric, male human cleric (soldier)
• Tanris, male human rogue (criminal)
• Tendrak Talis, male human fighter (soldier)

The characters are staying at the Silver Cat Walk Inn in Svarturvigi. Some (Tendrak, Maedric) have traveled together with Sorrenson the merchant and his beautiful daughter Ingdis from Solacebury to the fortress of the dwarven king Rafnar the Black. The others are guests at the inn. In the morning, Sorrenson finds that his daughter has disappeared (again). He asks the characters to help him find her and (again) offers a generous reward.

The city streets are patrolled by grim hill dwarfs in the service of Rafnar. Maedric first suspects Haddun, a fellow caravan guard of eloping with Ingdis and thus the group searches the gates and the harbor. But they do not find a trace of her, but manage to alienate the townguards (or at least Maedric manages that). Aelar even visits a brothel because a town guard insinuates that Ingdis might have gone there. Embarrassingly, it turns out to be a brothel for dwarfs, halflings and gnomes. So as mistress Roshildur informs him, the elf won't be served here - even though she finds him cute.

After trying the harbor, they investigate the old city cemetery that is protected by wards designed to keep something in as Aelar discovers. But apart from ancient tombs and catacombs dug into the mountain side of the actual black fortress they don't find anything there.

With empty hands the adventurers return to the inn. There, they decide to search Ingdis' room. Apart from a smashed mirror they don't find anything. But it dawns on them that she might be possessed. Tendrak asks a serving girl about Ingdis. And indeed the girl saw her leave in the early morning - alone, no with Haddun - for the temple of Nastruhal, deity of crafts and smithing.

The group goes there as well and finds massacred dwarven priests, and a break-in into a secret crypt beneath the altar. In the crypt they are confronted by skeletons and zombies. After defeating them, they discover that whoever was down here, stole a book that was chained to a lectern in the crypt.

As they leave the temple, they see a massive storm gathering over the city that is centered on the cemetery. They rush there to discover Ingdis inside chanting from an ancient book made out of stone. As the group attacks, the ritual is interrupted and a wraith leaves her body to attack the party. In the fight, Grimbolt is killed by her touch, before the combined might of the surviving heroes can defeat and banish the wraith. The storm breaks and the heroes return Ingdis safely to her father. Aelar takes the book with him. He later discovers that it is the Treatise of Stone, containing rituals and spells of the First Dwarfs, those who are now known as derro dwarfs.

Grimbolt Doomhammer is honored with a funeral pyre at the temple of Waradin, the deity of battle, to prevent his soul from returning as a wraith.

TJ1 The Barrow of the Dwarven Queen

This is the very first adventured I DMed for D&D 5e, two days after D&D Basic V0.1 was published. Since I didn't really have time for preparation, I reused the Dungeon World adventure "The Barrow of the Dwarven Queen" from two years ago.

Note: The game was based on D&D Basic V0.1 and the monsters of the last playtest package by WotC (back from September 2013).

Cast of Characters:

• Brim Smallcare, male halfling fighter (folk hero)
• Haddun, male human rogue (criminal)
• Maedric, human male cleric (soldier)
• Tendrak Talis, human male fighter (soldier)

The adventure basically followed the plot of the Dungeon World game. The characters are on their way from Solacebury to Svarturvigi, the fortress of the dwarven king Rafnar the Black. They are guarding the caravan of Sorrenson, a merchant from Solacebury. He is as always accompanied by his beautiful daughter Ingdis. The main stretch of the journey takes them through the dangerous boreal forest of Skogurhörmullegur. Haddun is scouting about 450 feet ahead, while the other three adventurers stay with the main caravan. 

As expected, they are attacked by gnolls. It is a tough fight for Brim, Maedric and Tendrak. Only Maedric's healing words save them from certain death. Meanwhile, Haddun confronts a lone gnoll scout ahead of the others. They have a rather dynamic, somewhat ridiculous fight that doesn't end well for Haddun. Fortunately, he stabilizes by himself. The others would have found him too late otherwise.

When they return to the caravan, Sorrenson tells them that his daughter has been abducted by the vile gnolls. At first, Maedric is somewhat reluctant about saving her, seeing the larger danger to the caravan. But Sorresenson pleads with them and offers gold and healing potions. Mercenary as they are, they set out after a short rest to find the gnolls.

Brim successfully leads them to a barrow in the middle of the woods. The top of the barrow is guarded by two gnolls that are taken out by some smart tactical fighting on part of the group. Then they enter the barrow. The group remembers that this might be a barrow of a cursed queen of the first dwarves who were infamous for consorting with demons. Later, the mountain dwarves and hill dwarves rose up against their successors and defeated them. The queens were imprisoned in barrows such as this.

In the lower level of the barrow, the group finds itself confronted by the ghosts of two hill dwarves that were guarding the tomb. They rise up as their remains are disturbed. After a short battle, the adventurers the ghosts are defeated. Tendrak exchanges his armor against the plate mail worn by one of the dwarven guardians. It seems to be a fine set of armor indeed (plate mail +1).

Then they break into the inner sanctum of the barrow where they interrupt a dark ceremony of a gnoll priest. Apparently, he tries to use Ingdis for some nefarious purpose with the spirit of the dwarven queen. The adventurers attack and defeat the priest. Then they proceed to loot the tomb. Brim graps the chain shirt of the dwarven queen's remains. Maedric revives Ingdis, but fails to note something very important about her.

Then the group reports back to Sorrenson to collect their reward and finally see the caravan safely to Svarturvigi.

Note: The player of Tendrak Talis has posted a play report/review on his web site in German.