While the group’s main characters headed for the metal cave disgorging the terrible creatures plaguing the Grand Duchy of Geoff, the B-Team went to secure a tower for Rolen. The lieutenants were eager to prove themselves, but first had to cohere as a team and rise above petty squabbling.
They’d pushed into the main floor of the tower, and defeated a swarm of vegepygmies.
All along, Zoltan the barbarian and Venlana the warlock (“Witch”, as Zoltan called her) traded insults. Zoltan wasn’t content with that strife, as he and the other dwarf Starkin traded barbs and set to out-do one another. Del-Li was beset by feelings of inadequacy (poor rolls throughout session 1 and 2).
We are continuing on the Tower of Mourning (The most excellent map is by Dyson Logos.)
The party had noted several ways up and down, but decided to explore the trap door they’d located in the northeast quadrant.
Starkin found steps that paused at a landing, and continued downward, quite a bit deeper than he’d reckon for a basement. They’d skipped a level, he surmised. These steps had seen little use.
There was a door at the bottom. Del-Li checked if it was locked (it was not) and if it was trapped (his roll was terrible; player said he was confident there was no trap.) Starkin pushed the door open (which indeed did not actually have a trap!) Two animated skeletons waited in the room beyond.
The skeletons shambled forward, herky-jerky even by skeleton standards.
The party quickly found that piercing weapons were not great against them, but bludgeoning weapons were very destructive versus the skeletons. Wil-Li’s staff-sling hit hard. The skeletons hit hard too.
First one, then the other went down in a pile of bones. Starkin noted something odd.
The bones had been held together by fine wire and metal connectors. The paladin sensed no residual necromantic magic. Del-Li, with a background as an artificer, said these were definitely automatons of some sort. But the metalwork connecting the bones was superior to any artificing he knew.
The party harvested the wire from the bone debris.
The room was large. A disused shrine had coins heaped on top. Zoltan the barbarian approached hesitantly.
Greed finally won out, and Zoltan began shoveling the coins into bags. 6,000 gold pieces, and 1,200 platinum. They left the base coins.
Pushing west through a door (also checked for traps, failed verified safe by Del-Li), the party found a mostly empty room, save for a suit of fine banded mail.
Starkin examined the banded mail, and found it was of very fine make. Indeed, he determined that – through various clasps and folding pieces, the set could be adjusted to fit a human, dwarf, or elf. The paladin claimed the suit, and found it to be an impressive replacement for his chainmail.
The party continued to the door to the north. It was locked. Del-Li failed to unlock it, so Ada had to assist.
The room beyond was empty.
But appearances were deceiving.
More of those automaton skeletons stepped out from the stairs to the east. A fight ensued.
The fight was tough. Zoltan and Venlana took a beating. Starkin fought exclusively with his morning star and loaned Zoltan his flail. More wire was harvested from the bone piles. No treasure was found otherwise.
The party took a short rest and performed some healing. But they were far from 100%.
Opening the door to the north, they found yet more of the strange metal wire bone golems.
Zoltan moved to pull the door shut, but the front skeleton grabbed the door. A test of strength ensued.
With a burst of strength, Zoltan slammed the door.
The party conferred, and came up with a plan. While Zoltan and Starkin opened the door, and held the entrance (Starkin cast Bless on the pair), Venlana cast Hunger of Hadar into the skeleton room.
Hunger of Hadar
Conjuration 3
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 150 feet
Target: A point within range
Components: V, S, M (A pickled octopus tentacle)
Duration: Concentration Up to 1 minute
You open a gateway to the dark between the stars, a region infested with unknown horrors. A 20-foot-radius sphere of blackness and bitter cold appears, centered on a point with range and lasting for the duration. This void is filled with a cacophony of soft whispers and slurping noises that can be heard up to 30 feet away. No light, magical or otherwise, can illuminate the area, and creatures fully within the area are blinded. The void creates a warp in the fabric of space, and the area is difficult terrain. Any creature that starts its turn in the area takes 2d6 cold damage. Any creature that ends its turn in the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 acid damage as milky, otherworldly tentacles rub against it.
They closed the door and waited for the spell to run its course.
Worked great, the skeletons were destroyed. [But I made sure to tell the group that the pair of Boots of Striding and Springing in the corner were also destroyed! Oops.]
They’d cleared quite a bit of this level, with many potential paths to follow.
See also:
Great write up! Look forward to the next!
I’m really enjoying following this. Especially since I hope my players end up playing it at some point. “Metal skeletons”, indeed!
They’re just golems, I promise! ;^)
I was curious why they decided to keep the wire, but with the Artificer in the group that probably makes sense. But otherwise I wonder if they were planning to sell it or use it?
The wire was of incredibly fine make, uncannily flawless, better than from any artificer. So they reckon its valuable!