Group Level: 11
Aldoran – Wood Elf Druid/Ranger
Chamele – Gray Elf Infiltrator/Wizard/Rogue/Arcane Trickster
Vorian – Human Fighter
Kascannia – High Elf Fighter
Casandra – Human Bard, cohort of Vorian
On Friday, March 7th, our regular Kingdoms of Kalamar group met. In tribute to E. Gary Gygax, I decided to run Tomb of Horrors, which has a D&D 3.5 adaptation on the wizards.com website.
The group had just defeated a cleric that they didn’t know much about, and a bugbear mage. The cleric disappeared before he died, but they found some interesting information in his room.
His journal, which also had correspondence inside of it, told hold the elves were being held as a possible profitable venture, as elven slaves sell for much more in the Pel Brolenese slave markets. It identified the cleric as Aldrel, a cleric of the overlord, but his writing companions name isn’t revealed.
The group remembered that they had interacted with the Pel Brolenese theocracy before, when they rescued a group of would be slaves, including Prince Cardor on the border of Pel Brolenon and Brandobia.
Apparently, Aldrel was looking for a magical artifact in the tomb of a lich, which is supposed to have significance to their religion. The item itself isn’t named or explained, but Aldrel’s writing companion places great emphasis on it. Aldrel was not able to find the tomb, but the elves that he had captured knew it’s general location, and share it with the group of adventurers.
After resting with the elves in a more secure elven settlement, the group heads out to find the tomb, and either find or destroy the artifact to prevent the clerics of the overlord from retrieving it.
They find the tomb, which seems to be overgrown with plants, and at first glace seems to be a raised, strange shaped hill. Aldoran uses a spell, and asks the plants what they have seen, comings and goings, etc. The shrubs tell him that nobody has come recently, and the most recent group was about two dozen dwarves.
The group then tries to find an entrance. Aldoran and Chamele begin searching, and find an entrance. This one turns out to be false, as the door at the end of the corridor opens into a blank wall, and would have collapsed the tunnel if Chamele hadn’t disabled the trap previously.
They find another false entrance as well, but disabled these traps as well.
They eventually find the true entrance, after about 4 hours of digging total.
They find a cryptic message disguised in a red mosaic path on the floor, which they read only after disarming several traps. They find a archway filled with mists, and big green faced demon, with a gaping maw.
Trying to read the clues in the floor, they begin discussing the best course of action. Chamele realizes that there is a secret door behind a seemingly painted door on the wall, and scrapes a little bit of paint of with her dagger. They think that this is the best way to go, but not before opening a pit in the floor and lowering Chamele down it. She searches the pit, and finds nothing.
Once through the secret door, they find themselves in a 10 x 20 foot corridor, with another door at the end. They open the door, and a four-armed gargoyle with a horn on it’s head immediately springs into action.
Vorian and Kasca rush in, while the rest of the group remains in the small corridor, shooting arrows and casting spells. In very short order, Vorian is down and Kasca is hurting.
Aldoran and Casandra rush in the try to pull them back, and just barely succeed. Aldoran uses his druidic powers to make the stone walls seal the doorway, and they retreat back into the main entryway to regroup.
One the gargoyle breaks through the door and rushes through the doorway, Casandra holds it in place, and Vorian slams into it, slaying it.
The group then decides to stay in the room that gargoyle was occupying to heal up, as it has doorways which they can defend.
Overall, I have a mixed reaction. The fighters who rushed in deserved what they got, and probably shouldn't have complained if they died. However, I think it teaches them the lethality of the locale.
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