Trollopulous Adjusted Session 148 (Machodor #99): The Return of Za'rathul

            

Introduction

After an unexpected detour to Minas Mandalf, the heroes return to the Lair of Lord Inferno to cash in, if they can.

Timekeeping

This session began on February 26th, with the player characters adventuring until the 28th. Downtime for these characters begins on the 1st of March.

Player Characters Present

Sever the Wrathful (Level 10 Pegasus Corps Ranger Lord of Machodor, wielder of Were'shbane and the Rod of Lordly Might, wearer of the Girdle of Cloud Giant Strength, rider of Mustang) with henchman Thomas (C7), Poindexter (M6), and Rabbit (FMT556)

Fluid the Druid (Level 9 Druid, "Scourge of Trollopulous", former wearer of the Ring of Kings, current wearer of the Cloak of Druidish Awesomeness)

Giuseppe (Level 8 Paladin of Rome, Brovenloft, wielder of Sanctus Draconis Interfector and the Shield of Protection from Missiles, rider of Bonecrusher) with henchmen Bishoy (F6), Tawadros (F6), Steelvein (F6), Rhoikos (M6)

Donny (Level 5 Monk of Machodor)

Downtime

Downtime, which began a few hours after session 98 ended, saw Connor pull another card from the Deck of Many Things they had retrieved from the treasure cavern. Having drawn two very bad options previously, he clearly felt his luck had changed; it had. The Moon card gave him one Wish (it could have been up to four).

"I wish to safely transport the treasure, party, and rescued prisoners to Minas Mandalf."

Arriving in the middle of a Valentines Day crowd was not appreciated by everyone in the party.

Gurt now claimed the Deck for "safekeeping," but then declared he would draw three cards. One of those was the Void, which sent his soul to some unknown outer plane and also caused the deck to disappear. His empty shell of a body is now being looked after by his henchman Cedric in the halls of the Machodor Planarcorps.

The Wish had interpreted "rescued prisoners" broadly, which meant everyone from Echellet to the four firenewts, Thalrek, Ssethkar, Vesthra, and Zharuuk, had been brought along with them. These were promptly arrested and placed in a secure location in the city.

This new situation meant the adventurers could cash in their loot, which turned out to be a bit less than hoped. The treasure was protected by an illusion ensuring that, no matter how careful, coins were brought out in a ratio of 1000 copper, 100 silver, 10 electrum, 5 gold, and 1 platinum piece (see the end of session 98 for details).

The remainder of downtime was used for training and to get PCs into position for the next session. Giuseppe, who as a paladin has an enormous XP requirement, instead visited his family in Rome, Brovenloft, with Echellet. 

Session Report

Staging at Fort Wrath, the party prepared to retrace their steps: flying to a hidden cave about a mile from the entrance to King Snurre's halls, then travelling along a 3-mile lava tube back to Cthugarak and on to Lord Inferno's Lair.

News came in that a favourite son of Fort Wrath, Harold Wolfshead, had been ambushed and killed by dragons in an attempt to approach Castle Irish. Sever did not shed a tear. 

Many thanks to Bradford C. Walker for playing Harold all this time.

The trip back to Cthugarak was relatively uneventful. They had one problem, because of being teleported out they had not exchanged their heat cloaks for pendants, which in return they would be expected to trade in again at the Basalt-Gate Tower. Sever blustered that they had, in fact, forgotten something, and were therefore aborting their plans to leave the city; somehow the bailif bought it.

They entered the city and spent the night at the same inn as their last visit, the Drake's Ember Rest, an opulent four-storey caravansary on Westflame Boulevard. Fluid was recognised by the barkeep, Vsskara, but they had moved on again before he could make his move on her.

The next day, after a walk through the bustling streets, they used invisibility and Sever's Wings of Flying to get over the wall and onto the causeway to the Island of Sacrifice, and were soon back in the Lair of Lord Inferno. His illusion on the throne, previously disbelieved, had returned. The players were ignoring it and moving on when the head turned to face them and delivered an involved speech. They were courteous enough not to interrupt, though I had prepared for that possibility with multiple magic mouth spells. The apparition forewarned them that it had taken the "dragon orb" for their own safety (!) and challenged them to find a certain similar looking item among the treasure that would give them the ability to challenge him in his current location: a quasi-plane of existence, one that combined properties of the Positive Material Plane and the Plane of Fire.

"You broke into my house, stole my property, murdered my servants,
and my PETS! And that is what grieves me the most! You killed my dragon."

They discussed the ramifications of this information as they moved through their former bedroom area and discovered that the "Soul Gem" was gone; presumably Za'rathul or one of his agents had been through and collected it, as he had also done with the "draconic sphere" they had found previously.

They then re-entered the treasure cavern. This consisted of 6 sub-caverns, two of which, 1 and 4, they had cleared previously.

As soon as they stepped into sub-cavern 2, they had the familiar sensation of something "alive" within the heaped coins: coin golems.

To manage searching, I had broken each sub-cavern up into 20 sections. The treasure was overlaid with several kinds of magic: one hid the true nature of any coins collected, as detailed above, while another allowed the coins to shift and hide special items. When this was in play, each section required 6 turns to search before a roll could be made on the table to find something. There was a table of items that could appear in any sub-cavern, and items specific to the each. If any of these special objects were found and moved from the sub-cavern, a guardian golem would manifest from the coins; if the golem was defeated, the sub-cavern could then be searched in 1-turn increments.

Thus began a long search of the sub-cavern. After some hours, Fluid discovered a wooden staff and Rabbit found a fine cloth robe. Later, Giuseppe found two linked golden skulls, an item reputed to open the sealed doors under Castle von Necro. When the paladin tried to move them out of the sub-cavern, a great mass of gold "dust" suddenly flew up from the coins, blinding anyone who failed their save (a version of the 2e spell glitterdust). Those who were not blinded saw a golem take shape from the gold coins.

Combat#1: Gold Coin Golem

Rounds: 2

Result: Party win

Highlights: After winning initiative and dealing a flurry of damage all around it, the fearsome construct's magic resistance let it down in the first round: it was slowed while prayer went up, followed by a barrage of magic missiles. As well as the casters, enough of the party's big hitters had made their save against the blinding dust to cause significant damage. Though only a few of the fighter types had +3 weapons and could hit the thing, the melee damage, combined with the spell damage, was significant. The golem was soon reduced to broken rubble of precious metal.

The party pulled back out of the treasure caverns to the bedroom area to regroup and heal up. Once they had done so, they returned to sub-cavern 2, where Bishoy was rewarded with the discovery of a fancy longsword. After more searching turned up nothing interesting, they moved on.

Sub-cavern 3 immediately posed a quandary. As well as the "feeling" of something in the coins, there was a sphere apparently hovering over the treasure:

a 2' diameter sphere of absolute blackness.

After a little discussion, they decided not to mess with this ominous item (shame!) and moved on to sub-cavern 5. Searching here turned up much treasure: a saddle made of red dragon leather was found by Sever, Donny found a bit of polished agate that took his fancy, and some potions were also recovered. At the sixth hour, Giuseppe found a clearly magical tome of some kind, sitting among the coins, open to a page of writing he could not read. He closed the book, and it disappeared at once, leaving its true nature a mystery.

Finally, Sever uncovered something large buried in the coin. When he stood it up to see what it was, a mirror, his reflection took form and emerged to attack!

Combat #2: Sever Clone

Rounds: 2

Result: Party win

Highlights: With a copy of the most powerful player character under my control, I gave an evil laugh and tried to do as much damage as possible. I went immediately to the charged powers of Sever's Rod of Lordly Might and used the fear effect. Sadly, everyone but Bishoy made their save. 

 

Instead of blindly charging in, the players were clever: they manoeuvred around the mirror, attempting to tip it over before more images could emerge, all while helping Sever deal with his evil twin. A well-placed dispel magic from Rhoikos sent me pulling out the DMG, where I found this: 

If this spell is cast upon a magic item it most certainly will have the effect of causing it to be non-operational for 1 round thereafter if the item does not make a saving throw — if the item is not in the possession of any creature, then the item gets no saving throw, and it is non-operational for 1 round. Note that artifacts and relics are NOT subject to this effect. Any dispel magic spell must be cast directly at the object, not anything or anyone else, to be so effective.

— DMG, p. 41

I decided to split the difference here and treat the item as being in the possession of a creature (the as-yet-unformed body of the golem in this area). The percentage roll went the party's way, and this prevented an evil Giuseppe from stepping forth. Before it could return to operation, Rabbit knocked the mirror face down. Then the party used their magic weapons to smash it to bits.

Bishoy returned later after shaking off the fear spell and sheepishly joined the search for more treasure. By now the heroes had noticed that certain magic items were somehow tied directly to the defences in each cavern, and that trying to remove them would cause a golem to attack. This knowledge allowed them to take precautions to keep the weaker party members safe.

Combat #3: Silver Coin Golem 

Rounds: 4

Result: Party win

Highlights: The party had organised their formation to limit the chances of the henchmen magic-users getting killed, and that was just as well, since this enemy had 4 long, chain-like appendages that could reach as far as 40' to strike. Both sides exchanged blows in the first round, and Bishoy was disappointed to find that his newly found blade was not strong enough to damage the enemy. On the next round, the golem split fully into four cloud-like zones of sharp, spinning coins that inflicted damage on anything they hit, without apparently being able to take any damage in return, including from magic missiles. However, Rhoikos brought out his new spell, wall of ice, which he dropped horizontally on the swarms; they collapsed under the pressure, proving that wide-area spells did affect them (which was my idea all along, and it was good to see the players catch on quickly). The golem was forced to reform its body to get out from under the ice and found itself taking damage from the big hitters, Sever and Giuseppe, who could not seem to miss (his trip to Rome with Echellet in downtime having done the paladin a world of good). This plus magic missiles saw the golem destroyed in 4 rounds.

Right as the golem was destroyed, Bishoy's sword leapt from his fingers to "dance" in the air for several rounds before returning to the surprised henchman. Giuseppe would later compensate Bishoy and give the sword to Steelvein, since the latter's mutation forces him to eat food in the 5th round of combat; it is the perfect weapon for him.

The golems have been a lot of fun to play, and the attentive reader might guess there are still more to come in this location. I generally don't make up monsters that are so different from anything in the Monster Manual, but this lair seemed to call for something out of the ordinary. Their base abilities are all sourced from iron golems, which is interesting, since a single one of those constructs gave the whole party a big scare not so long back.

With another day over, and another two dead golems and some treasure to show for it, the heroes retreated again to rest, recuperate, and plot their downtime actions. 

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel:  33 Miles

Downtime begins on: 03/01/26
Combats: 3
Rooms mapped: 2
Combat rounds: 8
Losses: none

Treasure & Items

Many sacks of coins transported out of the treasure cavern for later processing

Staff

Gold Skulls

Sword of Dancing

Feathered wings

Monsters

Gold coin golem 14,550xp

Silver coin golem 14,550xp

XP & GP Assignment N/A, carried into session #101

Sever (E) 

and Thomas (E)

and Poindexter (E)

and Rabbit (E)

Fluid  (E) 

Giuseppe (E)

and Bishoy (E) 

and Tawadros (E)

and Steelvein (E) 

and Rhoikos (E)

Graveyard

Gurt the Green (Paladin Level 7), drew the Void card from the Deck of Many Things in downtime after session #147

Rhoikos (Henchman Magic-User Level 6), caught in the explosion of the dying gem coin golem in session #147

Marco Valtieri (Fighter Level 4), immolated and burnt to a crisp by Vyrathax in Lord Inferno's Lair in session #146

Oblate (Illusionist Level 3), killed and eaten by the Nathruk in the Skalrath in session #140

Eniac (Magic-User level 1), killed by a poisoned Grothak spear in session #137 

Rhoikos (Henchman Magic-User level 4), smashed by a Mummy fist in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Thomas (Henchman Cleric level 6), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Josef Ironbeard (Dwarf Fighter level 1), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126.

Matthias Steelvein (Henchman Fighter level 4), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Sever the Wrathful (Ranger level 9), Killed by two pains in the Annis in session #122. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Anri (Henchman Magic-User level 4), found dead with a ghastly chest wound in the Ice Castle, with her heart missing she was unable to be revived, in downtime after session #122 

Symeon (Henchman Cleric level 2), Only strong enough to wear studded leather, he was torn to shreds by Troglodytes in session #121

Paul (Henchman Paladin level 3) Effected by the Imprisonment spell touch attack from a Styx Devil in session #117. Might not be dead, but is definitely at least six feet under for all intents and purposes.

Gurt the Green (Paladin level 6) killed by a poison needle trap in session #114 RAISED FROM THE DEAD (with a roll of 94!)

Solaire the Fallen (Henchman Fighter (paladin) level 3) killed by Stone Giants acting as catapults in session #114

Paul (Henchman Paladin level 1), reduced to 0 hit points by white dragon breath when climbing down a rope ladder in session #108. Killed not by the fall; but by the sudden stop at the bottom. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Ignatius the Smiter (Cleric level 1), horrifically mutilated and killed by double hit from a Shoggoth in session #106

Domby (Henchman with Dex 5), double surprised and turned into a pin cushion in session #87

Luke (Half elf Fighter/Cleric level 1), tragically killed by a normal hydra while trying to cauterise one of its neck stumps in session  #86

Gurt the Green (Paladin level 3), killed by a hydra bite in session  #86 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Pleasance (Footman level 0), killed by a phase spider bite in session #81

Siegward (Henchman Fighter level 1), killed by a phase spider bite in session #81

Tawadros (Henchman Fighter level 4),  killed by a phase spider bite in session #81 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Patria (Footman level 0), killed by a two headed snake bite in session #81

Deltacron (Dwarf Fighter/Thief level 1/1), threw his last flask of oil at, and was level drained to death by, a Vampire in session #76

Petrov the Prestidigitator (Magic-user level 1), wrong place, wrong time; killed by Sever the Ranger in session #72 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Petrov the Prestidigitator (Magic-user level 1), killed again by the toxic gas of an Achaierai in session #72

Red (Paladin Level 1), always popular with the ladies, he was eaten up by a female Roc in the Pizza Slice of Doom during session #67

Jacques Ocular (Magic User level 1), a fat green worm burrowed into his head and turned him into a Son Of Kyuss in Brovenloft in Session #43

Pino (Dwarf Footman level 0), Killed by a Frost Giant axe to the head in session #39

Paro (Dwarf Fighter/Thief level 2/2)  Killed by Winter Wolves and frozen in session #39

Zabib (1/2 Elf Fighter/Magic User level 1/1), Killed by Frost Giant rocks in downtime prior to session #39

Trollopulous Adjusted Session 147 (Machodor #98): Lord Inferno's Treasure

         

Introduction

Last session the heroes of Machodor slew two great dragons — Vyrisara and Vyrathax — in the depths of Lord Inferno's Lair. Now they turned their attention to what every adventurer fights for: the hoard. But, as Echellet had warned them: the treasure itself was a deadly enemy.

Timekeeping

This session began on February 19th 2026, with the player characters adventuring until the 12th of February in game time until the 14th. Downtime for these characters begins on the later on the 14th

Player Characters Present

Sever the Wrathful (Level 10 Pegasus Corps Ranger Lord of Machodor, wielder of Were'shbane and the Rod of Lordly Might, wearer of the Girdle of Cloud Giant Strength, rider of Mustang) with henchman Thomas (C7), Poindexter (M6), and Rabbit (FMT556)

Slippery Pete (Level 10 Master Thief, wearer of the Hat of Disguise and wielder of the Black Dagger)

Fluid the Druid (Level 9 Druid, "Scourge of Trollopulous", former wearer of the Ring of Kings, current wearer of the Cloak of Druidish Awesomeness)

Sheamus (Level 9 Irish Fighter Lord from Brovenloft, rider of the Rocket Cycle and wielder of the Drewblade)

Giuseppe (Level 8 Paladin of Rome, Brovenloft, wielder of Sanctus Draconis Interfector and the Shield of Protection from Missiles, rider of Bonecrusher) with henchmen Bishoy (F6), Tawadros (F6), Steelvein (F6), Rhoikos (M6)

Gurt the Green (Level 7 Paladin of Machodor, wielder of the Liberator, bearer of the Fabled Ice Jewel of Frigia, rider of Artax) with henchman Cedric (C5)

Connor Lugh (Level 4 Irish Fighter from Brovenloft)

Downtime

Victory in Lord Inferno's Lair had been won in blood and fire. Vyrisara and Vyrathax, dead and consumed by the fire that sustained them. But the party now found themselves in possession of something of more enigmatic danger than a dungeon full of hostile creatures: the private chambers of a dragoness and the sorcerous artefacts that had kept her alive.

Examination of the great cavernous chamber had revealed the following:

Vyrisara's bed — an enormous bed similar to what humans would use, only scaled for a huge ancient red dragon. Beside it, more modestly, Echellet's own sleeping place.

The Soul Gem — a gem of unusual depth and lustre, housed in a crystal box on a stand positioned between the two beds. This was the mechanism by which Inferno's sorcery had merged Echellet's soul with the body of the slain Vyrisara. 

Two pillars of living flame — vertical columns burning with the supernatural fire drawn from the quasi-plane of Living Fire. Each contained a dragon heart, still beating. 

The party confirmed that summoning magic functioned normally in Area 5, unlike in the sacrifice cubes of Area 1. The would not starve.

A considerable portion of downtime was spent probing the various sections of the lair rather than plundering it. The party had Echellet's own warning ringing in their ears:

"Beware! Inferno is no ordinary wyrm. His power is vast, but his lair itself may prove deadlier still. Wards of ancient sorcery guard treasures there — relics, artefacts, bindings — that could turn a hard-won victory into defeat. Do not enter lightly; the hoard is not mere gold, but instruments of dominion that whisper and hunger."

They also found:

• The treasure room (Area 4) comprises roughly six distinct caverns, each containing items radiating both magic and evil in unsettling combination.
• The door to Za'rathul's laboratory in Area 3 was sealed by a mechanism none in the party could identify, let alone bypass.
• Detect magic was of no practical value in Area 4 — every cubic foot of the place radiated magic.

Freed from the draconic curse, Echellet was herself again — mostly. But ordeal had left its mark. She suffered from bad dreams she could not recall upon waking. She felt, with unnerving certainty, that some connection still existed between herself and Vyrisara — and that Vyrathax's fate was still an open question.

One night, Sheamus and Giuseppe followed her closely as she walked — eyes open but not seeing them — through the living-fire door into Area 2, the throne room, and south into Area 1. There she opened one of the sacrifice cubes, displaying an affinity with the living fire that was stronger even than theirs, releasing the prisoners inside. She appeared to be reliving a memory — whether hers or Vyrisara's was impossible to say — of a time when she had desperately wanted to get into that cube.

While Sheamus and Giuseppe were occupied following Echellet, Fluid attempted to extinguish one of the two pillars of living flame using pyrotechnics. The spell did not touch the supernatural fire; instead it filled the bedroom chamber with thick, billowing smoke.

Slippery Pete, never one to waste an opportunity, used the obscuring smoke to "examine" the Soul Gem in its crystal box. When the smoke finally cleared, the thief was unconscious on the flagstones. And deep within the gem — in a place that had certainly been empty before — a strange image could now be seen by anyone who looked.

The episode was wrapped up when Giuseppe managed to dispel the effects of the gem and return Slippery Pete's soul to his body.

With the lair secured and intelligence gathered, Sever and Giuseppe made the descent back to Cthugarak and collected Gurt and Connor Lugh, who had been waiting in Fort Wrath. The full party was now assembled for what was to come.

Session Report

Surprisingly, with a treasure hoard right next door, there was considerable discussion before the party decided to go there at all rather than somewhere else entirely not somewhere else in the lair.

At first the going was easy. In the section right beyond the door everyone started filling sacks as they went, giving a preference for jewellery and gems over coins; but they were also looking for useful magic items— and for the golden skulls rumoured to serve as the key to the dungeon under Castle von Necro.

DM Note: I had set up a search method similar to the bone cave in the Hill Giants' Steading from module G1. Each cavern had 20 subsections that could be searched; each search generated a roll on that cavern's treasure table.

Systematic searching proved impossible — the coin piles simply flowed back to fill every gap they made, and with the whole cavern blazing on the magical spectrum, detect magic was useless. Worse than that, the heroes sensed a strange presence in the coins, as though they were moving in such a way as to actively conceal more valuable items.

Eventually they found a metal bottle, which Gurt bagged but did not attempt to open (sigh). Not long after, they found a book — this too was bagged without examination. At last, after a full day's searching, Giuseppe turned up two flasks of what appeared to be potions.

They retreated through the living fire door into Area 5 to regroup and rest for the night. However, though their sacks were bulging with coin, the items they had gathered were nowhere to be found. This caused much groaning and speculative looks at Slippery Pete, who protested his innocence in the strongest fashion. There was nothing for it but to sleep and try again in the morning.

Come morning they pushed back through the living fire door. This time, their sacks already near-full of coin, they simply raked through the hoard looking for items of more value. After many hours they turned up a tome — in fact, the tome — that they had bagged and lost the day before.

Slippery Pete immediately took the tome to a corner and began to read. Nothing untoward happened, so the others continued searching.

Then it was Connor's turn to find something — a Deck of Many Things. The deck was immediately recognisable for what it was; drawing from it would have consequences, though of what kind no one could say.

Connor drew two cards, one at a time: Ruin (K♠) — "Immediately lose all wealth and real property" — and Flames (Q♣) — "Enmity between you and a devil." Both draws were bad, yet neither was instantly fatal. Connor, as a journeyman adventurer, had little accumulated wealth to lose — but what he did have was gone. He decided that was quite enough and pocketed the deck.

At the tenth hour, Sever found the same pair of potion flasks Giuseppe had found the day before. Convinced the whole thing was some sort of illusion, he didn't touch them.

As they began to retreat for the second night running, Connor noticed a hand — made entirely from coins, connected to a tentacle of the same — reaching for the deck of cards in his pack. The fighter grabbed on tight; quick-thinking Sever slashed at the coin tentacle.

The moment it was cut, the treasure pile shuddered — and then, slowly, something within it began to rise.

 

Combat #1: Electrum Coin Golem

Result: Party win

Rounds: 4

Highlights: The coin tentacles functioned as evard's black tentacles from Unearthed Arcana, adapted to allow pickpocketing — which explained the disappearance of the items the party had gathered the day before. Discovered at last, the golem abandoned concealment and attacked. Several characters were caught in the grasping tentacles and held fast, while the golem itself moved through the coin pile with unnerving ease, smashing anyone within reach.

Sheamus was engulfed in a fist of swirling coins; the force of the blow tore the Drewblade from his grip. It skittered away and was lost among the shifting coins. Casting about for any weapon, he closed his hand around something that felt like a sword hilt, pulled it free of the clinging coins, and rejoined the attack.

The party soon found that only magic weapons could harm the golem — but after several hard rounds they prevailed and the creature came apart. Whatever presence had inhabited this section of the cavern was gone with the destruction of the golem. 

The heroes pulled back out to the bedroom area to regroup and heal up from the battle. Once they had done so they were ready for more. 

In the second cavern — the one that had held Vyrathax — they found something that jogged their memories of session 30: a diorama depicting each kind of giant standing in a circle around a central figure of a titan. Within it sat an orb of carven white jade radiating evil so strongly that not one of them was willing to lay a hand on it. In the end, Giuseppe asked his henchman Rhoikos to shift it with unseen servant. There was some question as to whether the orb came in under the spell's weight limit (200 gp weight), but even as it started to move, the coins and gems around it began to lift into the air, forming hypnotic patterns that snared the attention of most of the party — leaving them standing there staring like idiots.

The flying coins and gems began to coalesce. By the time anyone realised what was forming, the golem was already upon them.

if only it came with more brains

Combat #2: Gem Coin Golem

Result: Party win with losses

Rounds: 3 
Highlights: Sever shook free of the enchantment and attacked; Fluid cast insect swarm; and Slippery Pete bravely put his book down and fired off a shot with his hawkman pistol. 

Had the golem been intelligent, I would have had it target a hypnotised opponent, granting automatic hits at full damage against a helpless target — enough to kill almost anyone. However, it was not smart, so I rolled normally to determine its target, and Sever's number came up.

Like the first golem, this one could only be harmed by sufficiently powerful magic weapons — but as they struck it, they could see gems being destroyed. They were literally fighting the treasure. When it could take no more, the golem exploded in a cloud of shrapnel, catching Rhoikos and blowing him to pieces.

As with the previous combat, they retreated to the bedroom chamber and rested. With sacks full of treasure they had every incentive to pull out — but they now had many human prisoners with them and no ready means of getting them safely out. The session was over.

Addendum:

When the players awoke and logged on discord, they found this update:

Weary and battered, you trudged back to Room 5 — Echellet's chamber — after the Gem-Coin Golem's defeat. You obtained much treasure, sacks full, but victory tastes bitter: Rhoikos lies dead, shredded in the final glittering explosion that rent the hoard asunder. Connor, hollow-eyed, pulls the Deck of Many Things from his pack. "One last draw, lads — for him."

The Queen of Diamonds gleams in his grip. A wish, but he must use it fast. The warrior looks around and mutters something that sounds like this: "I wish to safely transport the treasure, party, and rescued prisoners to Minas Mandalf."

And just like that, you are no longer in Lord Inferno's lair, and neither are:

38 humans (Irish fighters, Cthugarak foreigners, criminals, slaves, etc.)

4 Firenewts: Thalrek (Ignisalam), Ssethkar (Scorchviper), Vesthra (Pyrotoad), Zharuuk Embercoil (Emberdrake merchant, low-rank trader)

2 lava children, 1 ophidian

You find yourselves in the middle of Minas Mandalf's Cathedral Square, noon.

Your sacks of glittering treasure thud to the flagstones around you. Pilgrims streaming from the cathedral doors post-Mass, arms laden with roses for the Feast of St. Valentine — still solemnly observed in Machodor — halt in stunned confusion. Agamanon  himself  (NPC Cleric level 12) pauses mid-benediction on the steps, crozier raised, eyes widening at the sudden arrivals.

Gasps ripple; a rose-petal shower halts mid-air. "Miracle!" one pilgrim cries; guards double-time from alleys, halberds low — then raised in a passable salute as they recognise some of you. Agamanon descends, voice booming: "By the saints — what vision is this?"

Chaos swelled to cheers as word spread — and the flag of Machodor flew overhead in a winter sky already showing the first signs of spring.

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel:  0 Miles

Downtime begins on: 15/02/26
Combats: 2
Rooms mapped: 1
Combat rounds: 7
Losses: Rhoikos

Treasure & Items

The treasure was covered by an illusion, when this faded its true worth was revealed!

20,000 copper pieces

2,000 silver pieces

200 electrum pieces

100 gold pieces

20 platinum pieces

Along lots of worthless paste gems and brass jewellery.

However, the illusion was not able to prevent the adventurers collecting some worthwhile items:

2000 gp Amethyst, 2000 gp Topaz, 3 gp Hematite, 30 gp Turquoise, 300 gp Rock Crystal, 400 gp Rock Crystal, 450 gp Sapphire = 5,203

11000 gp Brooch, 6000 gp Necklace, 7000 gp Statuette = 24,000

Eversmoking Bottle 2,500gp

Tome of Understanding 8,000xp (read by Slippery Pete who turned over 8,000gp and left)

Deck of Many Things (is actually 0 XP and disappeared, see downtime in session 99)

Magic Two-handed Sword 7000xp (Sheamus)

Monsters

#97 Vyrisara 10,758xp

#97 Vyrathax 10,758xp

#98 Electrum coin golem 14,550xp

#98 Gem coin golem 14,550xp

97,819 XP & 40,203 GP Assignment

Sever (E) 11,226 xp & 4,467gp

and Thomas (E) 5,561 xp & 2,234 gp

and Poindexter (E) 5,561 xp & 2,234 gp

and Rabbit (E) 5,561 xp & 2,234 gp

Fluid  (E) 11,226 xp & 4,467gp

Slipper Pete^3 (S) 2445 xp & 0 gp

Sheamus^1 (E) 9,307xp & 4,467gp

Giuseppe (E) 11,226 xp & 4,467gp

and Bishoy (E) 5,561 xp & 2,234 gp

and Tawadros (E) 5,561 xp & 2,234 gp

and Steelvein (E) 5,561 xp & 2,234 gp

and Rhoikos^2 (E) 4,652 xp & 2,234 gp

Gurt^5 N/A

and Cedric (E) 4,339 xp & 2,234 gp

Connor ^4  (E) 8,695 xp & 4,467gp

^1 asleep for the Gem Golem fight

^2 killed in the Gem Golem fight

^3 fought in session #97, but spent most of #98 reading, refuses any share of the treasure (most noble)

^4 not in session #97

^5 gone before XP allocated

Graveyard

Rhoikos (Henchman Magic-User Level 6), caught in the explosion of the dying gem coin golem in session #147

Marco Valtieri (Fighter Level 4), immolated and burnt to a crisp by Vyrathax in Lord Inferno's Lair in session #146

Oblate (Illusionist Level 3), killed and eaten by the Nathruk in the Skalrath in session #140

Eniac (Magic-User level 1), killed by a poisoned Grothak spear in session #137 

Rhoikos (Henchman Magic-User level 4), smashed by a Mummy fist in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Thomas (Henchman Cleric level 6), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Josef Ironbeard (Dwarf Fighter level 1), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126.

Matthias Steelvein (Henchman Fighter level 4), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Sever the Wrathful (Ranger level 9), Killed by two pains in the Annis in session #122. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Anri (Henchman Magic-User level 4), found dead with a ghastly chest wound in the Ice Castle, with her heart missing she was unable to be revived, in downtime after session #122 

Symeon (Henchman Cleric level 2), Only strong enough to wear studded leather, he was torn to shreds by Troglodytes in session #121

Paul (Henchman Paladin level 3) Effected by the Imprisonment spell touch attack from a Styx Devil in session #117. Might not be dead, but is definitely at least six feet under for all intents and purposes.

Gurt the Green (Paladin level 6) killed by a poison needle trap in session #114 RAISED FROM THE DEAD (with a roll of 94!)

Solaire the Fallen (Henchman Fighter (paladin) level 3) killed by Stone Giants acting as catapults in session #114

Paul (Henchman Paladin level 1), reduced to 0 hit points by white dragon breath when climbing down a rope ladder in session #108. Killed not by the fall; but by the sudden stop at the bottom. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Ignatius the Smiter (Cleric level 1), horrifically mutilated and killed by double hit from a Shoggoth in session #106

Domby (Henchman with Dex 5), double surprised and turned into a pin cushion in session #87

Luke (Half elf Fighter/Cleric level 1), tragically killed by a normal hydra while trying to cauterise one of its neck stumps in session  #86

Gurt the Green (Paladin level 3), killed by a hydra bite in session  #86 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Pleasance (Footman level 0), killed by a phase spider bite in session #81

Siegward (Henchman Fighter level 1), killed by a phase spider bite in session #81

Tawadros (Henchman Fighter level 4),  killed by a phase spider bite in session #81 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Patria (Footman level 0), killed by a two headed snake bite in session #81

Deltacron (Dwarf Fighter/Thief level 1/1), threw his last flask of oil at, and was level drained to death by, a Vampire in session #76

Petrov the Prestidigitator (Magic-user level 1), wrong place, wrong time; killed by Sever the Ranger in session #72 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Petrov the Prestidigitator (Magic-user level 1), killed again by the toxic gas of an Achaierai in session #72

Red (Paladin Level 1), always popular with the ladies, he was eaten up by a female Roc in the Pizza Slice of Doom during session #67

Jacques Ocular (Magic User level 1), a fat green worm burrowed into his head and turned him into a Son Of Kyuss in Brovenloft in Session #43

Pino (Dwarf Footman level 0), Killed by a Frost Giant axe to the head in session #39

Paro (Dwarf Fighter/Thief level 2/2)  Killed by Winter Wolves and frozen in session #39

Zabib (1/2 Elf Fighter/Magic User level 1/1), Killed by Frost Giant rocks in downtime prior to session #39

Trollopulous Adjusted Session 146 (Machodor #97): The Lair of Lord Inferno

Spoilers

  

Introduction

In session 96, the party travelled to the firenewt city of Cthugarak. They used captured brooches, an introductory letter, and Sheamus disguised as a Fire Giant to gain entry and participate in the monthly sacrifice to Lord Inferno, ending the session in a cube in area 1 of his lair. As noted in that session report, timing was an important factor: the sacrifice corresponded with the full moon on the real-world calendar. For the first time, I allowed only the days actually used for downtime to pass before the next session began; the party was effectively in a bubble, and there was no reasonable explanation for their waiting around for the exact day of this session. By the same token I had secretly decided that, had a major fight been unable to conclude within the session, I would pause time between sessions and allow the fight to conclude next session. In the end this contingency was not required, and the gods of the BROSR were not greatly offended.

The roster meant that the players of Fluid, Sheamus, and Giuseppe each had two characters present. With the prospect of a significant haul of treasure, this was no trivial matter; it was resolved by allocating various secondary tasks to the additional characters. A player absent the previous session was offered a character from the human prisoners in the cube and graciously accepted.

Timekeeping

This session began on February 5th 2026, with the player characters adventuring from the 3rd of February. Downtime for these characters begins on the 4th of February.

Player Characters Present

Sever the Wrathful (Level 10 Pegasus Corps Ranger Lord of Machodor, wielder of Were'shbane and the Rod of Lordly Might, wearer of the Girdle of Cloud Giant Strength, rider of Mustang) with henchman Thomas (C7), Poindexter (M6), and Rabbit (FMT556)

Slippery Pete (Level 10 Master Thief, wearer of the Hat of Disguise and wielder of the Black Dagger)

Fluid the Druid (Level 9 Druid, "Scourge of Trollopulous", former wearer of the Ring of Kings, current wearer of the Cloak of Druidish Awesomeness)

Sheamus (Level 9 Irish Fighter Lord from Brovenloft, rider of the Rocket Cycle and wielder of the Drewblade)

Giuseppe (Level 8 Paladin of Rome, Brovenloft, wielder of Sanctus Draconis Interfector and the Shield of Protection from Missiles, rider of Bonecrusher) with henchmen Bishoy (F6), Tawadros (F6), Steelvein (F6), Rhoikos (M6)

Karshe (Fighter Level 6, wielder of the Military Trident, Machodor order of the rising sun)

Marty O'Tool (Level 5 Cleric, wielder of the Mace of Saint Patrick and the Aegis of the Dire Wolf)

Marco Valtieri (Fighter Level 4, formerly of Sir Troland's guard at Castle Irish)

Downtime

While confined to the cube for several days, the party investigated and interrogated their fellow sacrifices: a group of humans and three Firenewts from disparate noble houses — Thalrek, a disgraced Ignisalam priest; Ssethkar, a Scorchviper slave from the outcast quarter; and Vesthra, a female Pyrotoad alchemist.  The heroes left no method of interrogation untried: Sever used intimidation, Giuseppe persuasion, Sheamus conversation, and Fluid flirtation.

They found that summoning magic such as create food and water did not function inside the cube, if they did not get out they would starve. At one point they overheard a one-sided battle taking place somewhere beyond the cube's walls. Vyrisara tormented Giuseppe with nightly visions, though the paladin kept this to himself.

Karshe passed along intelligence gathered by his henchman I.T. — wrung from the robot head looted from the Pizza Slice of Doom — concerning the association of various characters with elemental affinities, particularly fire. It sounded important, but what did it mean?

Finally Thalrek provided information that led them to remember this from Machodor session 13.

"That fungus, which until now the PCs had been very careful not to let touch their skin, was landing in clumps all over the place… the fungus immediately sank into any exposed skin; but the only effect they could notice was a reduction in any surface abrasions they may have already had. Then the penny dropped: the fungus was healing them… somehow, exposure to the magical living fire had granted the fungus these unusual properties."

The key discovery was that Sever, Slippery Pete, Giuseppe, and Sheamus each possess an affinity with the Living Fire — traceable to that long-ago exposure to the fungus — which allowed them to step into the brazier of living flame in the cube, transport back to Cthugarak's Island of Sacrifice, and return. They also discovered they could share this ability with another person by holding hands at the moment of entry.

Sever: "Sever will try to hold hands in a very masculine and non-gay way and escort his henchmen through the portal."
DM: "This works! You immediately release hands and avoid eye contact."

Session Report

Thalrek, eager to make himself useful, explained that only the "rubes of the Bandit Mountains" thought that "Lord Inferno" was a name that referred to the red dragon. It was actually a title that belonged to the dragon's master, the efreeti prince Za'rathul. This worthy had not been seen for over a century but was reputed to be the founder of Cthugarak. The name of the dragon they had spent so long hunting was in fact Vyrathax.

After taking all that in, they were still trapped in the cube and so put their minds to that issue. Realising that they had seen far more sacrifices than were here with them, they concluded that there must be more than one such cube. So, the characters travelled back down to the island once again and tried to "will" themselves to appear elsewhere in the lair. It worked, they found themselves in a cube — but a different one. Here they found a similar assortment of humans and other creatures, and the adventures brought the humans back to their cube. Karshe was put in charge of keeping watch for those who might prove hostile.

They repeated this process until they arrived in a cube that was empty. One wall, however, opened onto a larger area beyond; at the far end, the wall was pierced by what appeared to be a "door" of living fire.

The dimensions of the open area — about 100 by 100 feet — implied that all six cubes had one face bordering it. The previous occupants of this cube had gone through the opening and had been killed and eaten in the open area; it called to mind the sounds of one-sided battle they had overheard from within their own cube.

 Za'rathul the Efreeti Prince

Giuseppe and Sever approached the "door" and examined it before attempting to go through. It seemed that their affinity with the Living Fire allowed them to pass. Beyond was a cavernous hall (area 2), the far wall of which was a continuous vertical river of molten lava. Vast basalt pillars rose to an unseen ceiling. At the exact centre stood an enormous throne of obsidian and hammered gold, twenty feet tall. Before the throne burned another brazier with living fire.

On the throne sat a powerful efreeti. The figure looked directly at them but gave no sign that it saw them — at first. Was this Za'rathul?

"Mortal offerings," his voice boomed, echoing from stone and lava alike: "You stand before Za'rathul, Lord Inferno and Herald of Cthugha. Kneel… or burn."

The figure took no further action. They retreated to tell the others what they had found.

Unsure what to do next, Giuseppe attempted to issue a mental challenge through Sanctus Draconis Interfector, daring Vyrisara to come and face him.

This alerted Vyrisara, who knew that Giuseppe possessed a connection with Echellet and herself via one fragment of the holy sword — but not that he now carried it whole. She came out of area 5 through a secret door into area 2 and set up to attack them, hiding behind a pillar and using audible glamour and phantasmal force to create a convincingly real image of Echellet standing before the doorway.

Invisible, the party came back into the throne room ready to fight. Before we went on, I realised that a misconception required clearing up: the heat cloaks obtained from the Firenewts did not provide true protection from fire, as resist fire or protection from fire would. The cloaks were sufficient to dull the ambient heat of the city, but no more than that. With two mid-level clerics and a druid, they had plenty of such spells to go around. With this correction out of the way, the adventurers ensured that everyone — except, tragically as it would turn out, Marco — had this protection.

Returning to the throne room, Giuseppe was immediately confronted with the illusion of Echellet, pleading with him to hand over his sword: "...and it will all be over." The heroes were not persuaded to buy what she was selling.

I missed an opportunity here to play this enemy more effectively, Vyrisara could have had fire charm running on the throne room brazier at the outset, which would have dramatically complicated the party's approach. Instead, I gave them a 1-in-6 chance of spotting where she was hiding; one character succeeded, and her ruse was over.

Giuseppe brandished Sanctus Draconis Interfector and Vyrisara recoiled: 

 

Combat#1: Vyrisara 

Rounds: 1 

Result: Party win

Highlights: “It cannot be! That sword… it was broken! Luigi’s bane lies in fragments! How… how do you wield it whole?! 

The main front line of Sever, Giuseppe, and Sheamus charged Vyrisara. Giuseppe used his holy sword's ability to excorcise the connection between the dragon and Echellet, while the others slashed away at her suddenly soulless husk. 

 

It was over in one round; but a very damaging round it was, the dragon was wreathed in living fire, which acted like a fire shield spell — inflicting double the damage received on her attackers. Even with their fire protection spells, the heroes were taking damage equivalent to what they were inflicting.

During the fight Rabbit tried to backstab the efreeti and realised that the seated figure of Za'rathul was only an illusion. 

After sufficient healing, Giuseppe concentrated and Sanctus Draconis Interfector indicated the presence of a dragon directly ahead, in the direction of the lava wall. Perhaps there was a room beyond? To reach it they would need to pass through either the living fire door to the east or the open secret door to the west. They chose east and passed into area 3, the laboratory. The heroes decided not to investigate the laboratory itself, which was behind a locked door and in the opposite direction of the dragon signal, but pushed on through the next fire door into what was clearly a great treasure room (area 4).

"Steps lead down from the doorway into a veritable lake of coins, depth unknown: there must be millions of them. Scattered among the coins are statues, weapons, chests, and countless other items. Directly ahead, atop the hoard, reclines a colossal red dragon — scales like fresh-forged armour, wings folded, eyes closed in sleep. The dragon's chest rises and falls in slow, deep rhythm."

Already alert to illusions, Giuseppe was not taking the scene at face value. He once again used his sword and sensed a dragon ahead, but further ahead than the one he could see. The treasure room consisted of six interlocking caverns, any one of which could hide the dragon. A d6 roll had determined that Vyrathax was sleeping at the furthest reaches of the chamber — in a straight line with Giuseppe and the decoy illusion.

The heroes fanned out but found the footing treacherous, the coins shifting underfoot with every step. Per the standard dragon rules, each round brought a 1-in-6 chance of Vyrathax waking. But the party yelled a challenge; the dragon awoke and cast ventriloquism, then proceeded to taunt them while continuing to build his defences: mirror image, enlarge, haste. Slippery Pete snuck around to where the voice was coming from but found nothing. The psychological battle was going the dragon's way. 

Then Sheamus yelled out: "We killed your *@%&$!"

I rolled 2d6 to determined the success of the taunt. With a result of 12, the dragon reaction was fury.

 

Combat #2: Vyrathax 

Rounds: 5+1 

Result: Party win

Highlights: “My mate. My queen. The Ashen Queen lies dead!? You shall all burn in the everlasting fire!” 

With that, Vyrathax sprang from beneath the treasure pile and attacked. Then everything happened at once — initiative was tied. What looked like four enlarged dragons launched themselves into the centre of the room and filled the area with flaming breath. Protection spells saved most from instant immolation — but not Marco, who was burned to ash where he stood; incoming arrows were incinerated in the same breath. Giuseppe's sword provided complete protection.

Attacks from Sever, Sheamus, and Giuseppe rained down, but the mirror images did their job and much of the damage was wasted. From the flank, Slippery Pete hurled a flask of toxic material recovered from the Pizza Slice of Doom. A desperate throw at long range; he rolled a 20, only for the flask to sail through a mirror image and splash harmlessly below. That image was gone, however, and that proved decisive; the follow-up attacks from Giuseppe, Sheamus, and Sever brought the dragon to zero, while the Living Fire's damage shield simultaneously drove the party's own hit points to critical lows. The fight was over in a single round. Had there been a second, several heroes would not have survived it.

Giuseppe, forewarned of terrible traps in the area, advanced into the next room (area 5). There lay the real Echellet, on a bed near a strange gem suspended in a crystal container. 

Her eyelids fluttered open: "Giuseppe…"

So ended a sequence that had begun with Echellet's capture in 2024. This session was the culmination of many threads and no small amount of downtime. It felt good. The campaign story would continue, of course; at a minimum there was treasure to loot. With no prospect of returning to civilisation after the trials of the day, the party occupied the chamber and rested.

Original lair map

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel:  0 Miles

Downtime begins on: 05/02/26
Combats: 2
Rooms mapped: 4
Combat rounds: 7
Losses: Marco 

Treasure & Items

Monsters

Vyrisara

Vyrathax

Rating (E,S,F,P), 0 XP & 0 GP Assignment

Sever (E)

and Thomas (E) 

and Poindexter (E) 

and Rabbit (E)

Slippery Pete (E)

Fluid (E)

Sheamus (E) 

Giuseppe (E) 

and Bishoy (E) 

and Tawadros (E) 

and Steelvein (E) 

and Rhoikos (E) 

Graveyard

Marco Valtieri (Fighter Level 4), immolated and burnt to a crisp by Vyrathax in Lord Inferno's Lair in session #146

Oblate (Illusionist Level 3), killed and eaten by the Nathruk in the Skalrath in session #140

Eniac (Magic-User level 1), killed by a poisoned Grothak spear in session #137 

Rhoikos (Henchman Magic-User level 4), smashed by a Mummy fist in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Thomas (Henchman Cleric level 6), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Josef Ironbeard (Dwarf Fighter level 1), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126.

Matthias Steelvein (Henchman Fighter level 4), Killed by a Symbol of Death in session #126. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Sever the Wrathful (Ranger level 9), Killed by two pains in the Annis in session #122. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Anri (Henchman Magic-User level 4), found dead with a ghastly chest wound in the Ice Castle, with her heart missing she was unable to be revived, in downtime after session #122 

Symeon (Henchman Cleric level 2), Only strong enough to wear studded leather, he was torn to shreds by Troglodytes in session #121

Paul (Henchman Paladin level 3) Effected by the Imprisonment spell touch attack from a Styx Devil in session #117. Might not be dead, but is definitely at least six feet under for all intents and purposes.

Gurt the Green (Paladin level 6) killed by a poison needle trap in session #114 RAISED FROM THE DEAD (with a roll of 94!)

Solaire the Fallen (Henchman Fighter (paladin) level 3) killed by Stone Giants acting as catapults in session #114

Paul (Henchman Paladin level 1), reduced to 0 hit points by white dragon breath when climbing down a rope ladder in session #108. Killed not by the fall; but by the sudden stop at the bottom. RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Ignatius the Smiter (Cleric level 1), horrifically mutilated and killed by double hit from a Shoggoth in session #106

Domby (Henchman with Dex 5), double surprised and turned into a pin cushion in session #87

Luke (Half elf Fighter/Cleric level 1), tragically killed by a normal hydra while trying to cauterise one of its neck stumps in session  #86

Gurt the Green (Paladin level 3), killed by a hydra bite in session  #86 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Pleasance (Footman level 0), killed by a phase spider bite in session #81

Siegward (Henchman Fighter level 1), killed by a phase spider bite in session #81

Tawadros (Henchman Fighter level 4),  killed by a phase spider bite in session #81 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Patria (Footman level 0), killed by a two headed snake bite in session #81

Deltacron (Dwarf Fighter/Thief level 1/1), threw his last flask of oil at, and was level drained to death by, a Vampire in session #76

Petrov the Prestidigitator (Magic-user level 1), wrong place, wrong time; killed by Sever the Ranger in session #72 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

Petrov the Prestidigitator (Magic-user level 1), killed again by the toxic gas of an Achaierai in session #72

Red (Paladin Level 1), always popular with the ladies, he was eaten up by a female Roc in the Pizza Slice of Doom during session #67

Jacques Ocular (Magic User level 1), a fat green worm burrowed into his head and turned him into a Son Of Kyuss in Brovenloft in Session #43

Pino (Dwarf Footman level 0), Killed by a Frost Giant axe to the head in session #39

Paro (Dwarf Fighter/Thief level 2/2)  Killed by Winter Wolves and frozen in session #39

Zabib (1/2 Elf Fighter/Magic User level 1/1), Killed by Frost Giant rocks in downtime prior to session #39