Trollopulous Adjusted Session 145 (Machodor #96): Cthugarak, City of the Firenewts PART 2

 

Make sure you have your heat cloaks

      

Introduction

I mentioned in Part 1 of this session report that it seemed unlikely anyone was wondering why the party had not returned to the firenewt city for over two years. In contrast, I would be interested to know if anyone has been wondering why nothing has been done about the fall of Castle Inferno, formerly Irish; the monsters have it now, so they get to name it. Knowledge of the occupation had reached the heroes; yet to all appearances they were ignoring it. 

This is not a conventional campaign with a "story-beat" pre-planned where the heroes retake the castle. 

Something was being done, though perhaps not even all the characters involved fully understood it. The recent sessions had been driven by three aims: obtain the shards and re-forge the holy sword Sanctus Draconis Interfector, find a new route to Lord Inferno’s lair, and, while the firenewts’ forces were stretched across Castle Inferno, strike at Inferno himself.

This session also saw a completely unplanned convergence between the downtime actions of a group of other characters and the party’s exploration of the volcano.

Timekeeping

This session began on January 29th, with the player characters adventuring until the 1st of February. Downtime for these characters begins on the later on the 1st.

Player Characters Present

Sever the Wrathful (Level 10 Pegasus Corps Ranger 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)

Sheamus (Level 9 Irish Fighter 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)

and surprise guests

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

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)

Downtime

Apart from those characters in Part 1, there were other characters whose downtime actions since the end of November became important and relevant in Part 2. Having survived Day 1 of the takeover of Castle Inferno: Slippery Pete, Karshe, Marty O'Tool, along with Karshe's henchman I.T., continued to protect the secret location of the Hawkman technology in the basement of the brewery. It was vital that the energy transmitter kept sending power to their various weapons and items, particularly the rocket cycle of Sheamus, which was top priority. 

Not content with merely playing defence, however, they also went about various missions which I adjudicated using the Spying rules in the DMG. Slippery Pete, using his Hat of Disguise to pass as a firenewt, was very effective here. Gradually as time passed, they found out more about the occupation forces and eventually that human prisoners were being taken back to the firenewt city as slaves. The method was unknown; all they knew was that prisoners brought up to the castle from the town were never seen again. 

This was one update among many, and I had no particular sense of what they would do with the information, or if indeed they would take any particular action at all; but the players locked onto the issue with prisoners being taken away and committed to investigate. 

While thinking on this, they suddenly remembered that in session 10 they discovered that the castle has a secret escape tunnel. It was a treat to read that in the discord channel. The facts supported a hypothesis that the firenewts were using that same tunnel to extract slaves, and quite possibly had used it in their initial attack as well. 

There was a lot of back and forth on exactly how they would investigate and prove this, as any DM can imagine, culminating in the decision to leave I.T. to keep the lights on while the three PCs planned to:

"...wait for nightfall and begin to sneak your way through the town with all your gear, until you reach the gate, then somehow get past that, then up the road past the Arena, all the way up to the heavily guarded castle and inside: then look for the way prisoners are being moved out of the castle."

I evaluated this order as a "difficult" Spy mission, and here is how it went:

Disaster! The spy mission failed and you were discovered and captured! 

 You awaken groggily, heads pounding, the acrid tang of some alchemical gas still burning your nostrils. Your hands are bound tight behind you. A filthy hood cakes your face in sweat and grime, but your ears catch the groans of many more like yourselves, their voices echoing off the close walls of what you sense is an underground passage. You are dragged to your feet and soon realise that you are being marched somewhere, under heavy guard. 

 You begin in what you guess must be the escape passage under Castle Irish. After a while it gets a lot colder, but you do not feel that you are outside; the guards hurry you along and prod you with spears to make the point. Soon, the air warms again. After what seems like hours there is a short break. You are given water and allowed to lift the hoods to drink. You see your fellows looking worse for wear and other prisoners. It looks like you are in the process of discovering what happens to them...

Slippery Pete whispered, "This is great, they are taking us right where we want to go. Just play along with them."

Session Report

Some time later in Cthugarak, the party, in their guise as fire giant emissaries, had settled into adjoining rooms in the Drake's Ember Inn. The casters rested, Sever tasked Rabbit with exploring the city, and Fluid went with some of Giuseppe's henchmen to mingle in the bar.

A note on timing. The players knew at this point that they had a couple of hours of real time left in the session; the characters knew they had one day before the full moon sacrifice on the 1st of February. The real-time pressure would naturally arrive before the in-game deadline, and yet they had barely scratched the surface of the city.

Given the time issue, in my view it was elite play to send henchman Rabbit out to scout the place and pick up rumours. This mission was essentially a session's worth of recon handled by an NPC with a roll on the Spying table to determine success or failure, and then a Brig style 2d6 result to determine the knowledge gained on a success and then the same for Fluid in the bar. Because session time was running short I was happy to use such a method. Though it was not a very difficult mission, it carried real risk and could have resulted in disaster for Rabbit — and might next time.

He returned safely the next morning.

The combined intelligence gathering allowed them to establish:

- The city was abuzz with the imminent full moon sacrifice.

- Slaves were required by sponsors to participate in the sacrifice.

- A licence from the Blazenewts in the Slave Quarter was required to purchase slaves.

- A licence from the Ignisalam priests in Temple Quarter was required to participate in the sacrifice.

Although they knew of two ways to get to Lord Inferno's lair, it was only the Island of Sacrifice that seemed like an achievable option with the information they had, and this remained within reach. They decided to go for it before the session ended.

First they went to the Slave Quarter. And here is where the convergence happened. The party just needed to buy some slaves — any would do.

In Discord I sent this to the Irishtown Underground group chat:

After some more days of travel, finally your hoods are removed in the sweltering heat of a firenewt city!

Now the party of Sever, Sheamus, Giuseppe, and Fluid had a choice of buying the random slaves on offer, or ones that looked rather familiar: Karshe, Marty O'Tool, and, of all people, Slippery Pete. The decision was not instantly agreed upon — particularly by Sever's player, the only one at the table who did not know what was going on.

There were other buyers as well; an Efreeti took a particular interest. The heroes managed to outbid the competition and gathered their "slaves." Now they would need a licence for the sacrifice ceremony itself. This was obtained with some difficulty in the Temple Quarter; Sever literally bumped into a high-ranking priest, who was forced to acknowledge that the ranger's Ignisalam brooch gave him the right to be there.

Finally, the day of the full moon arrived. The heroes, their "slaves," and a multitude of others went out through the Gate of Sacrifice and onto the causeway to the Island of Sacrifice. Once they had shown their pass, all formality appeared to be over. A seething mass of nobles and others, with their slaves in tow, sought to push their way out onto the island and throw them into the pillar of "Living Flame" that climbed from the centre of the island straight up until it disappeared in the heat and some haze above.

Downtime begins here.

Once close, the adventurers observed that the sacrifices had their heat-cloaks removed before being thrown into the flames. Weapons and equipment that might have belonged to them before their enslavement were also thrown into the fire. Apparently the firenewts considered the weapons and such part of the sacrifice as well.

The party made use of the chaos and rushed into the flames as soon as they were close enough to do so. This would not otherwise have stood out, but "Gorvak, the giant emissary" was certainly noticed throwing himself in. Nearby firenewts could be heard exclaiming their admiration for the act. The party disappeared into the rising column of fire.

Just as they had been told to expect by Giuseppe's informant, the flames caused them no harm, and in moments they found themselves somewhere else entirely — Lord Inferno's lair, they assumed. But this was no dragon's hoard, and there was no dragon. Instead they were inside a cube of black basalt shot through with seams of lava, sealed on every side with no way out. A brazier of the same living fire sat at the centre of the floor. Along with them were other unfortunates who had also been sacrificed — humans like themselves, and even some firenewts that must have fallen foul of the authorities.

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel:  33 Miles

Downtime begins on: 01/02/26
Combats: 0
Rooms mapped: 
Combat rounds: 0
Losses: none, yet.

Treasure & Items

Monsters

Rating (), 0 XP & 0 GP Assignment

Sever (E)

and Thomas (E)  

and Poindexter (E)  

and Rabbit (E)

Fluid (E) 

Sheamus  (E)

Giuseppe  (E) 

and Bishoy  (E) 

and Tawadros  (E) 

and Steelvein  (E) 

and Rhoikos  (E)

Karshe (E)

Marty O'Tool (E)

Slippery Pete (E) 

Graveyard

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

Downtime between Machodor sessions #90 and #91: The Dragon Cult Leader Attacks!

 

THE FALL OF CASTLE IRISH

Sunday, 30th November, 2025. Day 1. 

Introduction

What follows is the account of a major offensive ordered by the Dragon Cult Leader against the human settlement near the centre of the Bandit Mountains known as Castle Irish — adjudicated entirely from actual events played out in multiple simultaneous Discord chats, with no preconceived plan for what the players would do, and with the players themselves not immediately aware of the others. I simply checked my calendar, determined who was present, and sent messages. What happened next eclipsed normal down time activity entirely. The only thing I knew going in was the attacker's order of battle. Everything else was the players.

Notable NPCs

Lady of Dragons, apparent overall commander of the Dragon Cult Leader's forces. Her true identity is unknown; she operates behind a hideous ornate dragon mask, with long flowing hair the only visible personal detail. 

Sir Troland, Paladin and overall commander of the Castle.

Sarumin, Wizard and henchman to Sir Troland, he was away doing his own secret business.

Errol the Ettin, a charmed two-headed giant guard, owned by Sarumin and kept in the basement at the entrance to escape tunnel.

Also a number dignitaries and representatives from other places in the mountains, notably Schloss Ragnar and Guarda.

PCs

Karshe (Fighter Level 6, wielder of the Military Trident, Machodor order of the rising sun) and his henchman Isaac I.T. Tremain (a cleric with a gamma-world mutation that made him a wiz with technology)

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

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

---

DAY 1 — 0845 Hours — Secret Escape Tunnel under Castle Irish, Firenewt Assault Force

The warm lava tube was two miles back, the cool stone beneath his feet told him he was close. Vrassik led from the front. Behind him, sixty Blazenewt assault troops moved in single file, scale mail bound tight, hand crossbows loaded. No torches. Firenewts needed none.

The tunnel curved north and the stone underfoot changed — they were beneath the castle now. Then the signal ran back down the line.

Vrassik moved up.

The tunnel opened into a low chamber. And there on the floor, filling most of the space, its two heads lolling back in a stupor— the Ettin, breathing slow and deep.

Both heads. Asleep. Just as the surface woman had said.

Vrassik raised his fist. 

---

DAY 1 — 0900 Hours — Brawling Brutes Tavern Stables, Slippery Pete

The stable was cool and dim despite the clear sky outside. Shafts of pale light cut through gaps in the planks, striping Pepper's flanks with dusty gold as she snorted and stamped, eager for the road.

Slippery Pete cinched the saddle and checked the loops where his coil of rope, crowbar, and bulging purse rode. His Hat of Disguise sat low on his brow, showing today the forgettable face of a freckled drover. Outside the half-open stable doors came the quiet life of Irishtown on a Sunday, and the ordinary peal of St. Patrick's bells calling the faithful to mass — which, this morning, he had every intention of missing.

He had just enough time to feel pleased at getting away clean and early, then he heard something out of place. 

---

DAY 1 — 0900 Hours — St. Patrick's Church, Marty O'Tool

The lofty church filled with the murmurs and rustling of devout parishioners beneath soaring stone arches. The scent of incense and polished wood settled in the air. The choir's hymn rose in sweet harmonies.

Marty O'Tool's hands were folded in quiet devotion as Father Cormac intoned the sacred rites. Around him the Irish Candy Army lads filled the rear benches, the town's civilians packed in the middle.

Meanwhile, Sir Troland was at mass in the castle chapel

---

DAY 1 — 0900 Hours — Brewery Basement, Hawkman Technology Room, Karshe

Deep beneath the Irish Brewery, the room hummed with the quiet pulse of arcane machinery — strange fusings of ancient runes and salvaged sky-city gears, their soft glows casting flickering shadows over racks of humming crystals, wires, and mechanical parts. Above, the warm scent of brewing stout and fresh malt drifted faintly down the worn stone stairwell.

Isaac Tremain, known as I.T., pored over arcane schematics, muttering in his mechanical monotone, hands moving deftly over the dismantled robot sentry head they had captured in session 60.

Karshe was sharpening his trident, hoping to soon get a chance to use it.

---

DAY 1 — 0901 Hours — Brawling Brutes Tavern Stables, Slippery Pete

The ground under Pete's boots shivered. Dust sifted down from the rafters. Pepper threw her head up with a shrill, terrified whinny — drowned a heartbeat later by the brazen clash of alarm bells from St. Patrick's. No church-peal this. The frantic, irregular hammering that meant one thing.

Shouts from the street: "Firenewts! It's the firenewts! They're everywhere!"

Pete peered outside. A unit of Giant Strider cavalry ridden by firenewts was shooting fireballs at the gate guards. From the commotion he was certain the firenewts had already gotten inside the town by some other means. This attack on the gate was a feint.

(safely outside, I was sure he would exhibit the better part of valour, but he chose differently)

He had one immediate problem. The way the town was wedged into the mountain, there was no riding from one gate to the other without entering the town itself. He could not ride to warn Castle Irish (he did not know it was already too late for that). He loosed Pepper's reins. She was very happy to take off without him, particularly when a red dragon came into view flying over the town.

He made for the wall.

---

DAY 1 — 0901 Hours — St. Patrick's Church, Marty O'Tool

A harsh toll interrupted the service. The lower bells of St. Patrick's pounded in alarm. Whispers swelled to shouts. The choir faltered. The sounds of clashing steel broke over the cathedral's stone threshold.

Marty O'Tool rushed outside. Immediately the troops there rallied to him in front of the church.

From this vantage he could see that the gate to the road up to Castle Irish had been blown away by fire. Firenewts were streaming into the town from that road — from the direction of the castle.

To his horror he realised it had already fallen.

He stood his men in front of the church and waited.

---

DAY 1 — 0905 Hours — Brewery Basement, Karshe

The chime of St. Patrick's bells sliced through the clangour of the workshop, shifting abruptly to a heavy, uneven peal. The ground faintly trembled. Muted shouts rose from the street above.

"Firenewts! They're everywhere!"

"Finally, some action," Karshe looked at I.T. "Do we have any anti-Firenewt devices?"

He grabbed his weapon. I.T. powered on his laser carbine. They went upstairs.

From inside the brewery they observed the battle through the windows. There were hundreds of Firenewts already inside the town. Organised resistance had been reduced to the group standing with Marty O'Tool at St. Patrick's across the square. As they watched, a red dragon flew overhead and Karshe ducked back from the window so as not to be seen. There was a woman riding it — long flowing hair, a hideous dragon mask. The leader? To be successful this swiftly the attack must have been well planned.

His thoughts turned to the pigeon coop on the roof, and to the hidden basement below his feet.

---

DAY 1 — 0910 Hours — Irishtown Palisade Wall, Slippery Pete

Pete made for a section of wall and had just started climbing when he remembered overhearing something about Marty O'Tool spending months casting glyph of warding all over the walls to prevent just what he was trying to do.

how is this pronounced?

He stopped dead, clung on and looked about him, studying the stonework carefully. He was lucky, his thief knack for reading arcane writings saved him, he managed to decipher the glyphs and pass safely through them.

When he got to the top of the wall he had a good view of the town. The gate to the road up to Castle Irish had been blown away by fire. Firenewts were streaming in from that road — and back out again with prisoners. They were coming from the direction of the castle. It had already fallen.

Some few troops had rallied to Marty O'Tool in front of St. Patrick's. Everywhere else it was a mop-up operation.

A red dragon flew overhead. Pete managed to suppress the urge to cringe in fear. It had a rider. Long flowing hair. Hideous dragon mask. She was preparing to address the last resistance.

He pressed himself flat and hid in the shadows, eyes peering out. He began to count. Hundreds of firenewts. Perhaps a thousand. Giant Striders pouring in through the undefended gate — perhaps a hundred of them. Plus whatever force now held the castle.

This is no raid. Someone very big is behind this.

---

DAY 1 — 0915 Hours — St. Patrick's Church, The Square, Marty O'Tool

The sounds of battle, and pillage, and terrified townsfolk petered out across Irishtown.

A voice resonated with feminine malice from behind the dragon mask, carrying across the silent square:

"Now hear, everyone, the Eternal Avarice of your new Master, the Lord Inferno, who now counts these lands among his own Treasures, and You among his Hoards, and this place which he now calls Castle Inferno. From here on, your lives are in service of Lord Inferno! Now you shall tend his treasures and worship his Mightiness and receive even greater treasure as your reward! Even YOU, prospective zealots of our lord, are jealously valued as precious crude ores — to be purified in the fires and become the Gilded Zealots of the Lord Inferno! Today you hear the voice of the Eternal Avarice through me, the Lady of Dragons! Now raise your voices, Zealots, and your arms in allegiance to me!"

A pause. She bellowed: "Raise your voices!"

To Marty's shock, a local voice answered first: "Hail Lord Inferno!"

The Lady of Dragons was pleased. "Good. Follow this example. Raise your voices!"

A smattering from the terrified crowd: "Hail Lord Inferno!"

He didn't blame them. None of his own men joined in.

The face in the mask turned toward the group in front of the church. The eyes found Marty's.

"And you, priest — what is your answer?"

---

DAY 1 — 0910 Hours — Brewery Roof, Karshe

Karshe slipped up the series of ladders to the roof and found the dove keeper. He whispered his orders urgently.

"But we don't have any nodes set up yet!"

"Shush. They will find Dusty. He will get help."

He pressed a roll of parchment into the keeper's hand. 

DRAGON ARMY INVADED IRISH. GET HELP.

The pigeon was released into the clear morning sky, over the rooftops and the smoke, away north-west towards — roughly — Schloss Ragnar.

Karshe came back down the ladder. From the square below came the Lady of Dragons' voice, and the long silence before the priest's answer. He watched for it from the nearest window.

---

IRISHTOWN PALISADE WALL

0916 Hours

From the wall Pete watched the woman on the dragon address the square. He stayed in the shadows and listened to every word. He filed it all away.

The face in the mask turned toward the men standing in front of the church. Toward the priest in the armour.

Pete watched Marty's lips move. Watched the dragon's maw open in response.

He looked away.

---

DAY 1 — 0916 Hours — St. Patrick's Church, The Square, Marty O'Tool

Marty O'Tool looked at the woman on the dragon. He looked at his men. He looked at the hundreds of firenewts ringing the square.

He had one spell that could work, command. One word to choose.

"Fall."

Before he could see the effect on the Lady of Dragons, the red dragon's maw opened, sucked in a lungful of air, and breathed out an inferno.

The last thing Marty saw was a world on fire.

---

DAY 1 — 0918 Hours — Irishtown Palisade Wall, Slippery Pete

The fire came down. 

The Lady of Dragons' voice rang into the silence:

"So is the fate of all who oppose my Lord Inferno! Amongst you, impurities still hide. The strongest and most cunning among you will be given authority. Any who work to reveal the impurities which remain among you will be called the most useful vessels in the Lord's treasure troves. Cowards — even you are paltry stones in his service. Carry on what you have heard here into the mountains and lands beyond! All surrounding villages must know of their new Lord! Send an offering to Castle Inferno within a week — treasure, or able-bodied men. This month will be a month of offerings, demonstrations, and celebrations! Now run fast, cowards!"

To her firenewts, one final command: "Search every building for hidden enemies. Bring anyone of note to me at the castle."

With a flourish, she flew off. In her wake, St. Patrick's caught fire and became a conflagration.

Pete stayed in the shadows and kept counting and watching. The dragon looked to be adult size. Perhaps a thousand firenewts in the town. A hundred striders. Plus whatever held the castle. A huge force. He filed every detail away and waited.

Then, through the smoke of the burning church, he saw something move across the square from the brewery — the fighter with the magic trident, what was his name? Cart or something, running low through the smoke toward the burning pyre where Marty's armour-clad body lay. He dragged Marty clear and pulled him back into the brewery before any of the firenewts, perhaps thanks to the smoke, saw what he was doing.

Pete marked the brewery. He settled deeper into the shadows and waited for dark.

---

DAY 1 — 0925 Hours — Brewery Basement, Karshe

Karshe got Marty down the stairs and onto the worktable. I.T. was shocked at the condition of him.

"Get him on that table!" He swept the desk clean of wires and bolts, dropping them clattering to the floor. "It's bad, man."

"He took a dragon's breath full on. I didn't have time for first aid."

I.T. nodded and got to work, peeling scorching hot armour plates off with a pair of tongs and dropping them hissing into a water trough. Then he laid his hands on the cleric and prayed.

"Lord of mercy and might, look upon Your servant, scorched in the trial of fire yet not forsaken. By the wounds of Christ and the sign of His Cross, let this burning flesh be cooled, these shattered nerves be knit, this pain be driven out and turned to penance, not despair. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."

Cure light wounds. The holy power entered Marty's body.

"His body has received the holy power. I think he will make it — but he needs rest."

A pause.

"We can rebuild him. We have the technology."

(having reached -7 hit points before being saved, Marty is now permanently disfigured)

Upstairs, the brewers surrendered quietly to the searching firenewts and gave them no cause to look further. The hidden basement held its secret. Karshe listened to the footsteps above until they moved on, and thought about the pigeon — it was their only hope.

---

DAY 1 — Night — Brewery Basement

That night Marty O'Tool awoke with a start, eyes darting wildly, ready to shout. I.T. called for Karshe, alarmed.

Karshe put his hand over Marty's mouth. "Shush. You are alive and we are safe — for now."

Marty collected himself and prepared his spells. Then: "Karshe, are we safe here? How long has it been? What's been happening? Do we need to move?"

"It has been several hours. The dragon cultists know nothing about this basement. We should be okay for now — but we must leave if we are to get help."

"Guarda? Schloss Ragnar? Machodor?"

"Ragnar is closest, and I have a man there."

"Then Ragnar it is."

"The problem," said Karshe, "is that you were on death's door, lad."

The scale of the damage to his burned body settled the argument. Marty was not going anywhere for seven days.

Then they heard footsteps on the floorboards above — light, stealthy. Only the timber warped from years of spilled Guinness made them audible at all.

"I can't make it out," said Marty. "Does it sound like heavy four-legged footsteps — a horse or a firenewt? Or a man?"

A man. Moving carefully.

"The brewery was locked up," said Karshe. "Whoever is inside might be a burglar." A pause. "Let's surprise him. Marty — Hawkman helm, rifle, point it at the door if anyone comes in."

Marty took the helm and the rifle and stacked up behind I.T. Karshe propped the basement door open a crack and killed the lights.

"It is probably Pete trying to loot the place for himself," Karshe muttered with confidence he didn't feel.

Marty kept the rifle levelled. He hoped who ever was there would not see that he was still far too weak to pull the trigger.

---

DAY 1 — Night — Brewery, The Cellar, Slippery Pete

Pete worked his way carefully down toward the cellar, trusty continual light imbued coin hidden in his mouth, one hand on the Black Dagger. He had seen the man with the trident drag Marty's body in here hours ago. Whether either of them was still alive, whether the firenewts had found them during the search, he did not know. The place had been quiet when he came in. Almost too quiet.

He had taken perhaps three more careful steps when the darkness in front of him resolved into shapes — a helm, a rifle barrel, maybe three figures stacked up together.

Marty whispered: "Karshe — is it one of them firenewt bastards?"

"Yeah," said Karshe. "Open fire."

Pete smiled. He opened his mouth and let the light coin shine out from between his teeth, illuminating his face in the dark.

"It'sh mesh — Pete'sh. I wash in sha shtables whesh thesh attashes."

He looked at the rifle, at the terrible burns on Marty's face. He spat the coin into his belt pouch stuck and his hand in after it.

"Do you need some healing?" He held out a potion.

Karshe allowed himself a thin smile. "Hell of a time and place to be, Pete."

Outside, the square was dark and silent. The charred ruin of St. Patrick's glowed faintly.

---

The battle for Castle Irish — no, Castle Inferno — was over. But the struggle was only beginning.

I can't stress enough how much fun this was to adjudicate. As always, it is the most fun when as a DM you have no preconceived plans for what the players must do. With the Dragon Cult Leader player giving me orders and lines for his Lady of Dragons, it was as close to experiencing a real story unfolding as reading a novel — so much so that I've tried to bring out that experience here.

After the events of this report I created a separate Discord channel for the characters, and they had many more adventures. This is only the beginning of their tale.

Trollopulous Adjusted Session 145 (Machodor #96): Cthugarak, City of the Firenewts PART 1

Firenewt city circa 2023 (concept "art")

       

Introduction

What is it like to read these session reports in sequence? Does the reader get any real sense of the campaign’s flow over time, or why the players have been taking the actions they have? Maybe, but I doubt anyone was sitting there wondering when the party would finally return to the firenewt city they first spotted while attempting to find the lair of the red dragon Lord Inferno back in session 31. Fast forward two years and it is a long time to leave such a threat just 30 miles from Minas Mandalf. I am still not sure what put the players off going back sooner, but eventually I set about creating a clear incentive for the adventurers to return and close the loop through Giuseppe and Echellet. This is the session where they finally do.

As I sat down to write this report, it became clear that a great many loose threads were converging here in ways that would be hard to follow without a run of supporting posts, four of which I have posted since session 95 and recommend reading. Now, at last, we arrive at session 96.

As the sketch above shows, I had, quite literally, only outlined the city of the firenewts and not even given it a name. I had decided that the island with the column of flame would be the key to reaching Lord Inferno’s lair, and my original idea was that the players would discover that the firenewts’ giant striders could run across the lava surrounding the city, capture some, and ride directly to the island. At the time of that first discovery one of the players had already captured and tamed a strider, but the realisation of its potential use never quite landed at the table.

That left me with the problem of how to flesh out the city. By chance, someone on Twitter quoted a line about the drow city in D3: Vault of the Drow along the lines of “How do you deal with a whole city of drow?” I thought, “Yes, how do you?” and reread it with an eye to mining material for my own purposes. It turned out to be almost exactly what I needed. I already had some sense of the components I wanted for the city, but the firenewts themselves were still a monolith in my mind; the noble houses in D3 were the perfect structure to borrow.

It is an amazing place to adventure, but in the original module there is very little to support actually coming and going from the city. Physically, it is sketched in over about a page before the text moves on to the noble estates. My impression is that most tables blaze through the city on their way to the next module in the series, and much of the implied detail around passes and cloaks ends up unused. I wanted almost the opposite: a place that could support adventures across as many sessions as the campaign would bear, and a level of detail that would also serve as day‑to‑day background for the Dragon Cult Leader as king of the city.

That sent me down a rabbit hole of later versions of Erelhei‑Cinlu, Dragon Magazine articles and a later publication, and sure enough, those efforts included a much more detailed map, which I adapted with some thematic changes. The key idea I borrowed was that the noble houses are each nominally responsible for one of the city’s eight quarters; by putting that information directly on the map, it becomes a very workable tool at the table. I also tried my hand at a replacement reference document good enough to use alongside the original; that experiment was more hit and miss, so in practice I used both together. By the time I was done I was reasonably confident I had built a fun place to adventure, and this session was where I began to find out.

Timekeeping

This session began on January 29th, with the player characters adventuring until the 1st of February. Downtime for these characters begins on the later on the 1st.

Player Characters Present

Sever the Wrathful (Level 10 Pegasus Corps Ranger 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)

Sheamus (Level 9 Irish Fighter 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)

Downtime

Follow‑up investigations into what the party had encountered in sessions 94 and 95 led to significant discoveries regarding the chaos windows and Cthugarak. 

By now Sever’s fame had spread far and wide. Ranger Lord Sever, Pegasus Scout of Machodor and master of Fort Wrath, attracted around a dozen special followers who flocked to his banner (as per DMG pp. 16–17). Some of them were very special indeed.

Giuseppe, meanwhile, revealed that he had a source of information close to Lord Inferno. The source had told him of:

Two ways ascend into Inferno's lair: one, to an audience hall, is connected to the palace of their Dragon-King, the Dragon Cult leader, heavily guarded at all times, yet you might prevail by force of arms or guile.

The other from an island Temple just outside the city, guarded no less heavily. Here providence has aligned our fates once again. Sacrifices to Lord Inferno are made on every full moon — yes, the one time I am able to aid you. And more, the living fire that supposedly burns the sacrifices is in fact a portal to an annex in the lair where the dragon can consume them at its leisure.

Infiltrate the city — disguise, subterfuge, alliance with a discontented noble house perhaps — and use one of these methods. It will not be easy; the newts guard their secrets with fire and fanatic zeal.

Poindexter's idea

This was a big reveal, but the other players kept their thoughts about it to themselves.

With the pendants, the map, and a letter of introduction, the party now had a plausible means of infiltrating the city. They had the intent, but who could pass for a fire giant? Poindexter made a suggestion to Sever: “Boss, it doesn’t read like the firenewts in the city have ever seen a fire giant up close — just the basics: tall, strong, red hair. I’ve got a crazy idea…”

Session Report

Now, Sheamus is tall, but not as tall as the giant Gorvak Ironbrand, presumably the leader of the giants they had slain last session. Could he really pose as a fire giant? That was up to the players to decide, and it turned out that they had the spells required: enlarge, resist fire, and plenty of them.

It had been a particularly harsh winter in and around the Bandit Mountains, and the 29th of January was no different. The whole area lay under deep snow, and it kept falling throughout the day, spoiling their travel plans. Thankfully it cleared on the 30th, and they set off two days ahead of the full moon. They flew to the hidden cave discovered last session, landed, disabled the rocket cycle as usual, and left Sever’s henchman Roger with orders to return daily with the pegasi until their return. They crossed the dam wall that cut off the underground river and entered the primary lava‑tube passage indicated on the map. The tube was split evenly by a channel in which lava flowed periodically, with a raised ledge on either side. At the dam they had to choose which side to travel; they chose the south ledge.

They travelled invisibly, but not knowing when their ruse might be needed, kept Sheamus enlarged and towering above everyone else in his role as Gorvak.

The lava‑tunnel journey to Cthugarak was one I wanted to move through quickly, to leave space in the session for events in the city itself. As it was the party’s first time travelling this way, though, even with a map they needed to move with caution, and I still had to account for the likelihood of encounters along the route. There is always a tension between keeping real‑time play moving and respecting time in the game world. In future sessions, once they were familiar with the tunnels, the trip could be resolved with just a few rolls — if they were lucky.

The versatile henchman Rabbit scouted ahead to make use of his infravision. As they approached a junction in the primary passage, he spotted something high up off the path.

Encounter #1: Shriekers

Rounds: N/A 

Result: Party evaded

Highlights: A cluster of shriekers clung to the tunnel wall just close enough to the path that the party’s light would have set them off despite their invisibility. Rabbit’s careful scouting picked the fungus monsters out in time, and he guided the others around them, avoiding both the shrieking itself and whatever might have come to investigate.

Passing up the chance to leave the primary passage here and explore down a narrower secondary passage, the heroes kept on moving. Later, at another junction, they heard the tell‑tale sounds of combat and the screams of monsters echoing from some indeterminate distance. This too they ignored and pressed on. Some time later there was the sound of something large running towards them along the primary passage.

Like this, but upside down

Encounter #2: Female firenewt merchants

Rounds: N/A

Result:  Party evaded (watched them go past)

Highlights: A string of giant subterranean pack lizards came pounding along the ceiling of the lava tube, their riders clinging easily to the inverted saddles. This was the first time any of the party had seen female firenewts — the Fiend Folio only pictures males. At some point while I was working out their society it occurred to me: what if the females had giant cans? And the rest is history. I had not originally intended to introduce them by having them ride past upside down; there were meant to be some at the end of the underground river in session 94, but the heroes never crossed their path there. Only Fluid suggested calling out as the merchants hurried by, but the others ignored him, and so we will never know what might have happened if he had.

In the last stretch of the primary passage, things suddenly went crazy. Huge creatures with iron-like claws and large ivory coloured mandibles, possibly sensing the party’s movements from the vibration of their footsteps, erupted from the southern wall of the tunnel as they passed.

 

Encounter #3: 2 Umber hulks
Rounds: 3
Result: Party fled 
Highlights:  The heroes won initiative and sprinted ahead. Three rounds later they were well out of sight and able to make use of the Evasion rules. They got away clean while the monsters were left wondering what they had been chasing, and, thanks to this course of action, the party remained invisible as they continued their journey.

 

Soon after eluding the umber hulks, the primary lava‑tube passage opened out into the vast caldera at the heart of the active volcano. The city of Cthugarak sprawled on a raised island of volcanic rock before them, surrounded by a sea of molten magma. At last the adventurers had reached their penultimate destination, and it was time to try their ruse with Sheamus. They dropped out of invisibility and approached the cylindrical watch‑tower known as the Basalt Gate‑Tower.

Encounter #4: Cthugarak

Rounds: N/A

Result: Party Infiltrated

Highlights: Sheamus displayed the brooch indicating the favour of House Ignisalam (randomly determined on the slain Fire Giant, with long‑term consequences), together with the letter of introduction. It just so happens that the firenewt language is a dialect of Lizardman, which the fighter had spent considerable time and effort learning from his henchman McScales; now he finally saw a payoff he had never anticipated. The bailiff responded immediately and positively to “Gorvak Ironbrand”, had the paperwork expedited, issued heat‑cloaks for “Gorvak’s servants”, and assigned his lieutenant to escort the party across the causeway bridge to the Foreigner’s Quarter. Lieutenant Vraks was absolutely full of information about his city, most of which streamed past the players’ ears, though they did latch onto the three levels of accommodation available in the quarter and elected for the most expensive option after hearing what passed for “suitable” among the cheaper establishments.

The streets were packed with a menagerie of fire‑using creatures: as well as the ever‑present firenewts there were slaves of many races, and even the occasional salamander and efreeti. Giuseppe drew his heat-cloak’s hood down and kept his eyes lowered. The party took adjoining rooms in the Drake's Ember Rest and were relieved to find them properly temperature controlled, and much cooler than in the streets outside. Sheamus stayed indoors and allowed himself to return to his usual size. With so much evil all around them in need of smiting, the ranger and the paladin in particular were on tenterhooks, but they stayed on mission and sent their henchmen out to gather information.

The casters rested. Sever tasked Rabbit with exploring the city and reporting back in the morning, while Fluid and a couple of Giuseppe’s henchmen went down to mingle in the bar.

Of course, the druid took one look at the barkeep and was in his element.

The next part of the session, after about two hours of play to reach this point, was pure payoff for a DM. I had no idea how the players would achieve their goal, but I had everything I needed to adjudicate their actions, whatever they tried.

To be continued.