Winding Down the Session (Part 1)

[continued from here]

I’m going to wrap up the rest of Thursday’s session pretty quickly now…not because it’s not fun to write these session reports, and not because people don’t have fun reading them, but because I want to get to some of my thoughts on the evening’s events and certain “outside the game” conversations, and my impressions of those.

Farnsworth backed down from Alster…asked if he wanted to attack a fellow party member for a chance at Blackrazor his response was almost an immediate, “No, no” (though like Gustav and his lust for a polar bear hat, I could tell AB was a little disappointed at being thwarted).

The characters gathered up all the bodies and entrails…including Quentin’s remains…and sloshed it into the bag of holding. They then continued their march out of the dungeon, loot in hand.

Turning a corner they were again surprised, this time by a bugbear patrol armed with pikes. Pole arms have an advantage in these tight corridors with their ability to attack from the “second rank.” Farnsworth took a hit and Gustav took multiple…it appears his new magic armor provided the same amount of protection as porous cloth. Uh-oh!

However, they were still able to cut down the front rank of bugbears, who promptly failed their morale check and made a break for it. The party pursued and the bugbears ended up making a last stand in the frictionless room. The two bugbears remaining tried to grapple with Brian and Farnsworth, attempting to wrestle the PCs into the pit. The PCs didn’t waver, though, and slew the whole lot, even Alster registering a kill with a sling bullet through an eye.

After THAT, it was a relatively easy walk out…no more wandering monsters and the PCs were able to make their way back to Dead Gnoll’s Eye Socket where their mounts and gear awaited them.

Over the next several days they travelled and attempted to raise their companions (and discovered that Terril and Sly were hopeless). Sweet Tito was raised for the 2nd time, and they even brought Quentin back (after first securing Blackrazor, O So Carefully). This surprised me a bit, especially as I'd given him a good bit of loot for the party members. However, I decided he was grateful enough (and remorseful enough regarding his actions) that he’d voluntarily part with some of his magical items. Quentin was a good guy…just rendered a tool of destruction by the power of Blackrazor.

The party removed Gustav's cursed armor and picked up a couple of new player characters…Heron taking up an elf and Vince creating a new thief named Sly Junior. Yes…the son of Sly. Although only 6th level, Sly Jr. had better ability scores than his father, and the party was gracious enough to present him with his father’s accoutrements including (after Matthew left for the evening) his father’s gauntlets of ogre power.

[oh, yeah…the elf’s name is Weasleteets. I don’t recall the new PC’s hats and such]

The characters, refreshed and recuped from a couple weeks in town (though no Restoration spells were available for Borgnine the dwarf), gathered up their new companions and once again embarked on their quest, braving the depths of White Plume Mountain.

This time, they chose the middle corridor of the three-way fork.

Down the dark hallway, everyone ready for whatever Keraptis threw at them next. A small alcove opened off to their right. Farnsworth decided to check it for secret doors. Farnsworth disappeared out of sight once again because of a drop-off in the floor (damn that foot of water covering everything!). Farnsworth flailed to the surface and Sweet T’s continual light-enhanced dagger was used to plumb the depths. A great iron wheel was set into the wall below. Farnsworth and Sly (our boys with the 18 Strength) managed to turn the wheel and the party was rewarded as the water began to drain from the corridors. Soon (hopefully), the lower halls would be dry and tidy.

Back to exploring…the characters continued down the corridor, the passage eventually opening into a large water-filled chamber. Sweet, using his 8’ pole, probed the floor finding another steep drop-off with a ledge running around the edge of the room. While the rest of the party stayed at the entrance, Sweet T did a circuit of the room, carefully picking a path with his probing pole.

And then the DM called for a surprise roll, which the party failed.

A pale, siren-like form broke the surface of the water near Sweet Tito, beckoning the elf to her. The elf failed his saving throw and promptly hopped in the water to meet her embrace. Over where the party waited, a 2nd nymph appeared, this time beckoning to Farnsworth who likewise dropped his flaming sword and swam to the woman’s watery embrace.

A few magic missiles from Weasleteets blasted holes in the creature dragging Farnsworth to the bottom, and Brian the Halfling dove into the pool, fighting to rescue the fighter who (underwater) seemed to simply be entangled in a man-sized clump of seaweed. Fortunately, the big guy was freed before he could drown.

Sweet T wasn’t so lucky.

“I’m dead again?!” Randy’s elf had now died three times. The knowledge he could be raised (should the party recover his body) was little consolation. So much for going soft!

; )

And that’s how the session wrapped up!