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| A hand drawn extravaganza |
Introduction
The party travels a newly discovered underground river on rafts through the Bandit Mountains in the harsh depths of a February winter, in search of a route to Minas Mandalf or wherever fate might carry them.
Timekeeping
This session began on January 15th, with the player characters adventuring until the end of the day and then travelling to Minas Mandalf. Downtime for these characters begins on the 16th.
Player Characters Present
Sever the Wrathful (Level 9 Pegasus Corps Ranger of Machodor, wielder of Were'shbane and wearer of the Girdle of Cloud Giant Strength, rider of Mustang) with henchman Rabbit (FMT 445) and MooDeng (M 1)Fluid the Druid (Level 9 Druid, "Scourge of Trollopulous", former wearer of the Ring of Kings, current wearer of the Cloak of Druidish Awesomeness)Gurt the Green (Level 6 Paladin of Machodor, wielder of the Liberator, bearer of the Fabled Ice Jewel of Frigia, wearer of the Armour of Most Superior Defence, rider of Artax) Connor Lugh (Level 3 Fighter)
Downtime
"My lord Sever,The northern cliffs of the Valley of Fear guard a relic of lost industry—an abandoned cinnabryl mine. Past spent seams and silent galleries, down into the depths—I found their final secret: a ruined wharf of splintered timbers, leaning over a sheer 40‑foot shaft.Below stretches a vast still pool, black as midnight, with the barest whisper of ripple stirring its depths. High water scars the dripping walls; they carved true to the river's ancient course—but it has since retreated lower. Frayed ropes dangle into the hush, air thick with cavern chill and far‑off sounds.A raft might serve. Poles could probe those depths and propel you toward whatever lies beyond...Your eyes in the Valley,Moo Deng"
Session Report
On a snowy winter's day, Moo Deng led the group back to his discovery: an old mine of some unusual ore tucked into the north end of the Valley of Fear. The mine's passages wandered in various directions, following the ore seams, with one passage terminating at a river dock. The river had since receded far below, leaving the dock itself suspended precariously 40 feet above the current waterline.
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| a three hour tour |
Section One
The party lowered their three rafts by rope into the water below, which proved too deep for poles. Each PC manned a raft, with henchmen and mercenaries making up the numbers and relying on their betters to keep them alive. Fluid shape-changed into an otter and scouted ahead, finding the shaft to be roughly 40 feet wide and 20-40 feet deep, with a slate-smooth riverbed. The ceiling rose some 80 feet overhead. The channel curved away to the north, limiting visibility.
After navigating 600 yards of clear, cold water, the rafts reached a dam-like wall. Similar in function and construction to the lock systems encountered on the other side of the Bandit Mountains near the River Dungeon, it featured an integrated lock system with two counterbalanced 20×20-foot lift chambers. The lock doors opened, the party paddled in, the doors sealed behind them, water flooded the chamber from hidden channels, and the rafts rose 20 feet before the outer doors released them into the next section.
Section Two
This section initially appeared much the same as the first. Fluid dived and confirmed 40 feet of depth. The section ran 2,000 yards, the channel widening from 50 to 80 feet as they advanced. The ceiling climbed from 80 feet to a staggering 140 feet at its highest. Midway along, a 400-yard open-sky stretch let in the full fury of the winter storm above; torrents of snow cascaded down onto the rafts and their shivering passengers. Like the first section, nothing living could be found beyond small fish, but unexplained sounds from the dark water raised the tension steadily.
Section Three
The next lock raised them a further 60 feet. This time Fluid dived and could find no bottom at all. The 1,800-yard section stretched 100 feet wide, with a brief 200-yard open-sky patch near the start; a ragged wound in the cave ceiling through which snow fell silently onto the black water below. But beyond that, things began to change in ways that went beyond the merely physical.
Here and there along the right-hand cavern walls was an otherworldly sight, what they called chaos windows: swirling colours, geometric fractals, and iridescent mists that hinted at forms that should not be contemplated.
Combat #1: 3 Red Slaad
Rounds: 3
Result: Party victory
Highlights: Each of the three monsters erupted from the windows and landed on a different raft, confronting Sever, Gurt, and Connor simultaneously. Embedded beneath each creature's claws were glands producing small infectious pellets; Connor was struck by one. Fortunately for the young fighter, Gurt was on hand to exercise his Paladin's Cure Disease ability before the infection could take hold.Red Slaad are formidable opponents, but overconfidence and poor fortune undid them. Only one attempted Power Word: Stun, targeting Sever; the Ranger had entirely too many hit points and shrugged it off. Bad initiative rolls did the rest. The creatures were defeated in short order, though not before landing several blows on Gurt in his new armour—something Sever noted with quiet curiosity.
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| They gathered several unusual pendants from the bodies |
This section ran 2,400 yards; initially a shallow stretch of only 5–15 feet of depth, 100 feet wide, with the ceiling dropping to a claustrophobic 20–30 feet. Overhead, three enormous chaos windows dwarfed anything seen in Section Three, their swirling colours reflecting in the water below. Dread shapes stirred within. The party navigated carefully, finding a route that allowed them to advance without passing directly beneath any of the windows.
They encountered a patch of strange mucous mixed into the water; at that point the depth dropped beyond any measure they possessed. Fluid had no inclination to investigate further. They skirted the mucous, skirted the windows, and pressed on toward the next lock.
Drifting into view on the sluggish current came a grim sight:
The party salvaged what they could from the wreckage before passing gratefully through the next lock, happy to leave the weirdness behind — or so they thought.
Section Five
The final 1,000–1,500 yards brought a dramatic change. River water diminished to 3 feet, then dried entirely into a steaming obsidian riverbed as lava breached the eastern cavern walls. A stepped wall of basalt contained a channel of slow-moving lava; from above, water poured down from what would have been the next section of the river, that upper reach no longer underground but fully exposed to the freezing conditions outside. Where the two forces met, steam erupted in billowing clouds.
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| Not easy to visualise |
The lava itself originated from a vast tunnel stretching away into the mountains to the east, worn smooth by long use. Behind them, beyond the last lock, the river continued into a region completely locked in ice, the water frozen solid from wall to wall in the killing cold above.
And there, distant in the volcanic haze, glimpsed for the first time from the ground rather than from the back of a Pegasus: the colossal obsidian double doors to the Hall of the Fire Giant King.
The Return
By the time they had taken in the sight the sun, as best they could judge through the snowstorm above, was past its zenith. The choice was stark: push on and camp somewhere in this volcanic hellscape, or retrace their path to Fort Wrath. They chose the latter. The return journey through all five sections was uneventful. They noted the chaos windows again and wondered at their purpose and meaning, if this phenomenon could be said to possess such things.
Session Statistics:
Combats: 1
Combat rounds: 3
Losses: none
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