A Fantasy Adventure – Act 16b.

This is episode two of a fantasy dungeon crawl using dungeon tiles from DMB Games and the Swords and Wizardry “Old School D&D” rules.

The party consists of 6 fifth-level adventurers: GIMLIT SON OF GROIN (dwarf fighter), ST.JOHN WILDBLADDER III (human paladin), BELWINA (human female ranger), KRANOVAL (half-elf magic-user), THE BISHOP OF BATHENWELLS (human cleric) and FRITO BUGGER (hobbit thief).

Additionally there is Frito’s dog FIDO, KOBBE the Kobold who had attached himself to Kranoval and MISDORA BONRYNSDÖTTIR OAKENSHIELD the dwarven bard who had attached herself to Gimlit in the hope of writing some epic songs or sagas.

The party were in a dungeon under a stepped temple on an island.

They had opened a secret door and could see a 50 ft long 40 ft wide chamber. The roof was supported by 4 pillars and in the far wall was a large double door. In the middle of the chamber was a coffin. Chained to the walls, by neck, wrists and ankles, are 12 skeletons probably dead prisoners.

The party entered the tomb and examined the coffin; Frito and Fido waited outside with Eeyore.

Misdora tried to open the coffin, but it was too heavy for her. So the Bishop of Bathenwells stepped forward and pushed the lid aside. Up from the coffin rose the mummy of a king, on its head it wore a golden crown. It immediately attacked Bathenwells.

In the same instance, the chains fell away from the skeletons and they started coming to "life".

Bathenwells pulled out his Holy Symbol, held it up high, and shouted "Flee before the power of LAW, foul undead things of Chaos!". The three nearest skeletons crumpled to dust.

Gimlit, Wildbladder, Frito and Fido attacked the remaining skeletons.

Kranoval, Belwina and Misdora continued to fight the mummy, both Kranoval and Belwina taking nasty wounds.

Having finished off the skeletons, the rest of the party returned to help Kranoval, Belwina and Misdora fight the mummy. A final blow from Bathenwells magic mace was needed to finish off the king.

Wildbladder picked up the golden crown and placed it on his own head.

The party left the tomb by the double doors which opened in to a short wide passage terminating at another set out double doors.

On the doors was a brass plate inscribed with a text and 13 symbols:

After some discussion, Kranoval deduced that the odd one out was the Norse TH rune, when he pressed and the doors swung open.

The doors opened in to a short wide passage terminating at yet another set out double doors. Written above the doors in ancient glyphs was the text: “Here lies Yohualli-Ehecatl master of the hounds, who is like the wind and the night!”

When Frito opened the doors, a crypt was revealed. It was 50 ft by 40 ft, at the far end was a sarcophagus, standing along each wall are 4 large bronze statues of hounds. In the right wall was a passageway blocked by a large stone block.

The party except for Fido and Eeyore entered the room and examined the sarcophagus. Before touching the sarcophagus, Bathenwells and Frito went round the bronze statues of the hounds and tied silken rope round the statues legs, to hamper them if (when said Frito) they came to life.

Gimlit pushed aside the lid and Yohualli-Ehecatl rose up from the sarcophagus.

At the same time, the bronze statues started to come alive.

Kobbe hit the dirt when he saw Kranoval drawing his wand; a bolt of lightning flashed only a fraction of an inch above Kobbe's head and hit Yohualli-Ehecatl in the chest.

Frito drew his Silver Horn of Valhalla and blew four long clear blasts. Four berserkers appeared and on Frito's command attacked the nearest hounds.

Yohualli-Ehecatl was defeated but not until both Gimlit and Wildbladder had taken serious wounds. Upon being defeated, Yohualli-Ehecatl turned to smoke and returned to his sarcophagus. At that same second, the hounds turned back into brass and teleported back to their original positions.

Frito examined the inside of the sarcophagus, he found a staff of striking and a lever. He gave the staff to Kranoval. Then he pulled the lever which caused the block in the passage to the right to slide to one side, with a loud squeaking noise, leaving the passageway open.

The party followed the passage which then turned left, inclined upwards and then came to a stairway. Just after the bend Frito noticed a pressure plate in the floor, which the first half of the party jumped over without trouble.

When Frito and Gimlit went up the stairs, they stood on a pressure plate which caused a stone statue of a dragon to roll forward. They continued to walk up the stairs causing a jet of steam to shoot out from the statue's mouth, burning the first half of the party.

Frito managed to climb up to the statue using handholds on the wall. He tried to push it back but wasn't strong enough. So Gimlit and Bathenwells charged up the stairs to join him, unleashing a second jet of steam on the party.

Once up the stairs, Gimlit and Bathenwells could push the statue back to whence it came and the rest of the party could climb the stairs in safety.

Eeeyore tramped on the pressure plate by the bend and the loud squeaking noise of the stone block sliding back into its original position could be heard by the party.

To be continued, next week, same time, same place, same channel...