Trollopulous Adjusted Session 153 (Machodor #104): The Pizza Slice of Doom, a New Beginning

 

The most "Machodor Sessions" image ever created

Introduction

Following up on information gathered from Firenewt slavers in the previous session, the adventurers assembled a team and returned to the Pizza Slice of Doom for the first time in over a year. When they were last there, they had defeated the Lovecraftian horrors that had taken it over. Who, or what, would they find on their return? (Another restocking exercise for my favourite dungeon.)

Timekeeping

This session began on April 9th 2026, with the player characters adventuring all day and returning to Minas Mandalf. Downtime for these characters begins on the 10th.

Player Characters Present

Sheamus (Level 9 Irish Fighter Lord from Brovenloft, rider of the Rocket Cycle and wielder of the Drewblade) with henchmen McScales (Lizardman F7), Colin Farel (F2), Sinead O'Connor (C2)

Steelvein (Level 7 Fighter, Henchman of Giuseppe, mutant) with henchman Rhoikos (M6)          Connor Lugh (Dual class bard hopeful Fighter Level 5 Thief Level 1, strummer of Fochlucan Bandore)

Downtime

Giuseppe and some other characters continued recovering from their bout with the Mezzodaemon in Cthugarak. Sheamus recruited some new henchmen in Minas Mandalf in preparation for the delve into the Pizza Slice of Doom.

Session Report

The heroes dug through their old backpacks in search of maps they had made on previous journeys into the piece of the crashed Hawkman sky city known as the Pizza Slice of Doom. While they did that, I was doing the equivalent with my physical maps. Once they were ready they took everyone they could fit on the Rocket Cycle and flew off into a nice clear spring morning. By late morning they were approaching their destination, trepidation grew as they passed the cyclopean city sited on the glacier atop the dormant volcano. Mel Gibson's eyes watched impassively as they went. From the air they could see that someone had dismantled the abandoned Irish lift platform, setting up part of it right at the "mouth" of the Pizza Slice. Clearly this rope was being used by some denizen of the place to come and go.

They went in and, for practice's sake, had Connor, who had never been here before, check the doors for traps. There was some wry asides about him being "no Slippery Pete," but he got the job done. There was nostalgia all around as the players remembered their way around the maintenance level, passing well-known locations like the place Sever intimidated a pair of nine-foot-tall Boobries, the place they were attacked by metallic beetles, and the place Sever accidentally killed a PC he suspected at the time might have been Slippery Pete in disguise. Ah, good times. But their interest was piqued at something new: evidence that someone had been cleaning the place up, even going so far as to put up a warning sign over what had once been an open pit.

Soon they had retraced their steps to the level and area where they had been ambushed by Old Ones riding Shoggoths. Sheamus was jumpy, and remembered various terrible things that he had been trying not to remember for over a year. One of these was the presence of a large number of cyclopean stones of the kind previously only seen in the city outside. I peered at my map very closely before I could make out that I had written "groined ceiling" in this corridor. That was enough to bring back the memories, but by now most of these stones had gone, returned to the city outside, perhaps. Who knows. In any case, the party was able to advance in a direction that had been blocked off before, and as they cautiously explored, a group of Lizardmen rounded the corner and took them by surprise.

Encounter #1: Clopper Dapnab

Highlights: Lizardman leader Clopper Dapnab was overwhelmed to see McScales with the party. He lowered his Hawkman weapon and looked them over. It seems that in his absence Sheamus's henchman had developed quite a reputation as the "lucky hatchling" among the remaining Lizardmen.

Clopper explained the situation in the quadrant of the crashed Sky City known as the Pizza Slice of Doom. All of this was done in the Lizardman language, so what it actually sounded like was this:

"Oie! OIE! Yousa hair! Yousa actually... meesa been tinken yousa was a story, but yousa REAL! Da lucky hatchling. Longo time, yesa? Berry longo time."

But I will spare readers a full session report rendered in this fashion, "Meesa nice DM".

At the start of the session I recapped the background of this place for Connor's player. The Pizza Slice of Doom is the name given by the locals to a part of the crashed sky city, which was once run by King Vultan and his Hawkmen, with Lizardmen as slaves. Then the Old Ones took over and enslaved the remaining Hawkmen and Lizardmen. Then heroes from Machodor killed the Old Ones, incidentally freeing the Lizardmen, who were happy to take over the place and began to live in peace, even bearing new young. Clopper then went on to bemoan the invasion by Purple Worms from deep below, which rampaged around inside the structure. In doing so, some of them were exposed to the gloopy-goopy stuff, the same radioactive waste that Slippery Pete was exposed to that made him shrink down to halfling size. However, the effect of this material on the worms was dramatically different: three worms in particular became much more powerful, and have made their home on the middle level of the part of the PSoD the Lizardmen were living on. This resulted in the 1,000 or so Lizardmen being split into groups: 300 or so with Clopper, unable to reach the 600 or so, including women and young, in the lower level, and leaving perhaps 100 Lizardmen somewhere in the middle level, if they were in fact still alive there.

Right before the worms made themselves known, however, Firenewts had used their tunnels into the PSoD from the lava tube below to invade and capture Lizardman slaves.

From all this the heroes realised that if they could take care of the problem of the mutant worms, they would not only help a potential ally faction in the Lizardmen, something that appealed to Sheamus in particular, but they might also find another way into the lava tube.

Clopper was beside himself: "... Yousa sayen yousa gonna fight dem. All tree of dem. If yousa serious, and yousa LOOKIN serious, meesa show you da way."

He roughly sketched out the layout, accessible from the drain in the area the adventurers had taken canoes down in past sessions. The giant worms were territorial and did not work together; each had a different name among the Lizardmen: Da Crusher, known to bring the roof down on its prey; Da Bleeder, known for creating wounds that keep bleeding, and also for pretending to be dead; and Da Gaper, unpredictable, fond of lying in wait to attack from below, and possessed of something else Clopper could not rightly explain.

The party made day way their way down to the lower level and found that the water there had long since receded; they were able to walk along the bottom of what had once been a river. Once again there was reminiscing, this time about the session Gurt was swallowed by a Purple Worm.

At last they found the new area, an entire ecosystem.

Though it was clear that the main passage was the most likely location to encounter a worm, the party hugged the wall and peered down the smaller side passages as they passed. Right near the second side passage they heard ahead of them a strange sound, like a tree falling over slowly into soft wet soil. Instead of continuing toward the sound, they went down the side passage, finding that it terminated in a collapse after 60 feet. However, right beside the blockage was a door, so they set Connor to work on it. No sooner had the thief eased the door open with a soft whoosh than he saw the room ahead: no bigger than a broom closet, and filled with debris and vegetation almost to the threshold. Then some of the vegetation moved!

Combat #1: 2 Shambling Mounds

Rounds: 7 and a surprise segment

Result: Party win

Highlights: The party had no ranger this week, and were surprised on two occasions. Make of that what you will. This time it was going to cost them. It could have cost them Connor, but at the last second, after I had rolled and hit him twice as it happened, I remembered to check his Dexterity. Sure enough, it was high enough to negate the segment of surprise. In fact, everyone nearby but Sheamus had a Dexterity bonus, so the attack had to fall on him. He managed to avoid being hit twice, which was very important, as being hit twice by a Shambling Mound would take him out of the fight completely. The first full round of combat followed, and the trio of Sheamus, McScales, and Steelvein, all with three attacks every two rounds, smashed into the mound of moving vegetation as Connor scrambled out of the front rank to the back of the group. He was just in time to see the other mound of vegetation shambling down the corridor towards them; they were trapped between the two.

The creatures were incredibly hardy, translating to AC 0 and half damage from melee weapons. The front three had been confident, but another monster on their rear spelled trouble. Connor weathered the initial round, only being hit once. Sheamus's new henchmen Colin and Sinead jumped to help. The cleric readied a cure light wounds spell for the next round, but the monsters won initiative (they won five out of the seven rounds) and she was hit twice and swallowed up by the creature, dead. Round four the same thing happened to Connor, but unlike Sinead he still had some hit points left and was fighting for breath on the inside of the monster.

By the start of round five the front rank had killed the first of the two creatures: Rhoikos was actually the MVP here with a constant stream of magic missiles, against which the Shambling Mound had no special resistance. But now Steelvein's mutation kicked in; he had to stop fighting and eat something. This was the first time it had happened since acquiring a Sword of Dancing, so incredibly he could stop for a break and still have the sword fight on for him.

This was just as well, as Sheamus was next to be swallowed whole by the same Shambling Mound that had killed Sinead and was currently killed Connor; causing me to wonder if there is some sort of limit to how many people can be eaten by one in the same battle. 

Rhoikos declared he was going to cast invisibility on himself next round.

Round seven started, and the party won initiative, crucial, since it wasn't a multi-attack round; Connor was going to die if the creature survived it, and Sheamus was not looking much better either. McScales saved the day with his spear, and the party breathed a collective sigh of relief that the toll had not been worse than a single casualty, sad as it was for Sheamus's new henchmen to fall so soon.

It wasn't a total loss, however, as poking around inside the vegetable matter in the room turned up some shiny jewellery, and a timely detect magic from Rhoikos turned up a potion and a ring. But they were battered; there was no way they could continue and take on the mutated Purple Worms, and so they retreated to where Clopper waited, explaining to him what had happened and how they would need to try again in the future.

"Da mutant purple worms issa still down dere. Deysa not goen anywhere. Yousa comen back right? Yousa just... yousa bringen more people next time, okeyday?"

Those words rang in their ears all the way back to Minas Mandalf.

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel:  60 Miles

Downtime begins on: 04/10/26
Combats: 1
Rooms mapped: 3
Combat rounds: 7
Losses: Sinead

Treasure & Items

Jewellery * 4

12,000 platinum + gems

5000 gold +gems

2000 silver+gems

13,000 platinum +gems

Potion of Diminution 300xp

Ring of Protection +2 or more 3000xp Rhoikos 3000xp

32,000gp equivalent

Monsters

2 Shambling Mounds 4610

39,910 XP & 32,000 GP Assignment

Sheamus (E) 9099 xp & 8000gp

and McScales (E) 4549& 4000gp

and Colin (E) (E) 4549& 4000gp

Steelvein (E) 9099 xp & 8000gp

and Rhoikos (E) 3549  xp & 0 gp

Connor  (E)  9099 xp & 8000gp

Graveyard

Sinead O'Connor (Henchman Cleric Level 2), Nothing compares to be engulfed and consumed by a Shambling Mound in session #153

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 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

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 152 (Machodor #103): Against the Slavers of Cthugarak

  

          

Introduction

Some sessions are defined by what the party kills. This was not one of those sessions. Instead it was defined by what the party found out. When operating in a hostile city without a definite picture of what you are looking for, every conversation could provide valuable information, or end in combat and death.

This was a very interesting session to DM in that everything came together out of player character scheming and applying the knowledge they had already gained, combined with the desired to answer certain questions to set up future actions elsewhere in the world.

Timekeeping

This session began on March 26th, with the player characters adventuring until the  28th. Downtime for these characters begins on the 29th 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 Libertas) with henchman Thomas (C7), Poindexter (M6)

Steelvein (Level 7 Fighter, Henchman of Giuseppe, mutant who requires constant feeding)

Dead-eye Donny (Level 6 Monk)

Connor Lugh (Dual class bard hopeful Fighter Level 5 Thief Level 1, strummer of Fochlucan Bandore)

Edvard L'Claire (1/2 elf Cleric/Fighter/Magic User 2/2/2)

Downtime

Giuseppe finally reached the 350,001xp required to train to the level title of Paladin, also known as name level, but, like many of the party, needed rest to recover from the "wicked blade" wielded by the mezzodaemon last session before he could do so. His henchman Steelvein took the paladin's place in the line-up, an option always available under the AD&D rules.

Fluid, also wounded, went to rest and check on his family at his secret compound in the jungles east of Trollopulous. A new half-elf, Edvard L'Claire, a relative of Sever's henchman Rabbit, stood in for him.

While recuperating with Sheamus in Minas Mandalf, the heroes discussed locating the means by which the Firenewts had invaded Castle Irish, also known as Castle Inferno. It was likely via the castle's secret escape tunnel, since this was the method the Firenewts had previously used to move out prisoners (see the downtime section of session 96 part 2); they reasoned someone in the Slave Quarter in Cthugarak would have to know the details. If they went in posing as slavers themselves, perhaps they could extract the information without getting caught. Sheamus wished them the best of luck and went back to resting.

Session Report

The party followed their usual route out of Minas Mandalf. It was a foggy day, so they soared above the cloud cover until reaching the hidden cave approximately a mile south of the Halls of the Fire Giant King. From this vantage point they observed, in the middle distance, twenty mounted figures being admitted through the great onyx doors. The temptation to intervene was noted, discussed, and set aside; they had a job to do, and the lava tubes were waiting.

After last session, where their heavy footfalls had drawn the attention of purple worms, the heroes decided to leave their giant subterranean lizard mounts behind in the cave and proceed on foot. A merchant caravan passed them in the primary passage of the lava tube, but as the adventurers were travelling invisibly and chose not to react, nothing came of it. They made it all the way to the Basalt Gate Tower without significant incident.

Basalt-Gate Tower

Sever, operating under the pseudonym Lance, was in the middle of talking his way past the bailiff at the Basalt Gate Tower when Edvard, new to the operation and apparently unaware that the situation was already under control, cast friends.

The spell worked. On the bailiff. He waved them through with considerable warmth. The lieutenant standing beside him, however, made his saving throw, and the spell produced its well-documented opposite effect on him: he became noticeably less well disposed toward the party than he had been just moments earlier.

The party were back outside and crossing the causeway to the city before this presented a problem. Whether this is the end of the matter is a question for another session.

The party made for their usual lodgings in the Foreigner's Quarter, the Drake's Ember Rest, an establishment that has seen enough surface-worlders pass through its doors to have developed a professional incuriosity about them. Most of the time.

Vsskara Emberdrake, the barkeep, welcomed them back with the particular warmth of someone totalling up what they were about to spend. Her eyes moved across the group with the practised sweep of someone who knows every regular face, perhaps checking for one that was not present. Whether she was looking for Fluid specifically was not confirmed, but one player was certain anyway.

In the morning the party crossed into the Slave Quarter and sent word to Chandrar. The factor was more than happy to leave his desk; the previous 100gp gem bribe had apparently made a strong enough impression that he greeted them in person, and with genuinely feigned warmth. Once he understood their goal, securing some of the Irish prisoners they had seen on a previous visit, he was all business. For another 100gp gem, Chandrar laid out three options, all of whom had come in with slaves and were still in town:

• Vrassik the Boaster, a Blazenewt soldier known to frequent the Soulforge Saloon on Slavers Path. He had been on the Castle Irish operation and had not yet learned to keep his mouth shut about it.

• Ssavarka the Meticulous, a licensed Firenewt factor at the Chainstreet Licensing Office, a few floors up from Chandrar, who handled paperwork on the cavalry lot and could potentially facilitate a legal transfer, given the right introduction.

• Gruthakk the Restless, another Blazenewt veteran of the Castle Irish assault, currently drinking his way through the Strider's Hoof on Stable Causeway.

The adventurers decided Vrassik sounded like the easiest place to start.

Vrassik the Boaster, boasting.

City Encounter #1: Vrassik the Boaster
Rounds: One long morning
Result: Party win

Highlights: The Soulforge Saloon was exactly as Chandrar had described. Vrassik sat in his corner with a large black drink in front of him and no suspicion that a group of surface-worlders in heat-cloaks were about to debrief him across a table of Efreeti Blacks (local top-shelf alcohol).

As usual, it was Donny who did the talking, a man of considerable foresight for having learned Lizardman from McScales over the course of a year, a skill that pays dividends every time the party visits Cthugarak. Donny spoke throughout as the representative of his master Lance, deferring at key moments to Sever, who would occasionally grunt in a manner befitting a wealthy and slightly disinterested surface-world employer. It was a convincing performance. Steelvein enquired with the barkeep as to food and drink recommendations, purely to soften up Vrassik and not at all out of personal interest in the menu, and she suggested the hot wings.

Edvard and Connor cased the joint and kept an eye out for trouble. The division of labour suited everyone.

Vrassik talked, and talked, and talked. He had led the initial assault through the secret tunnel, and he told them about the southern extent of the north/south lava tube, beyond where the party had explored before, which led to a junction where several branches split the tube, with one going nearly all the way to Castle Inferno, where it had been connected to the supposedly secret escape tunnel by firenewt engineers directing purple worms. The party extracted so much information, at the price of more bat wings (revealed to be bat, not chicken, just as Steelvein was tucking in—it did not stop him) and Efreeti Blacks, that they were soon looking for a means of getting him to stop. 

Then everything changed.

Edvard shows his mettle

City Encounter #2: Ssavarka the Meticulous
Result: Party (Edvard) win
Highlights: Having chosen to investigate Vrassik, the heroes were not expecting Ssavarka to interrupt them. Tension immediately spiked when she arrived at the Soulforge Saloon, but it turned out she was there for the entirely mundane purpose of getting him off his stool and down to the Chainstreet Licensing Office to sign his portion of the auction paperwork before the morning's bidding commenced. She was oblivious to the party at first.

Then she noticed them.

The conversation that followed was brief and carefully conducted on both sides. At some point the name Lance was mentioned, Chandrar having apparently described him and the party to her earlier, and the moment Ssavarka connected the name to the group before her, her manner shifted entirely. She became all business and moved to drag Vrassik out of his seat before he could give away any more inside information on the slave trade to the surface-worlders.

Edvard L'Claire took Ssavarka's hand and kissed it in the manner of a surface-world courtly greeting (a move I was certain would start a fight). I commented that I had thought such behaviour was a Fluid (the character) thing, but apparently it was a Fluid (the player) thing. He got a ridiculously positive reaction roll instead, and the firenewtess actually seemed to blush.

Encounter #3: The Slave Auction

Rounds: One auction session

Result: Costly Victory 

Highlights: The square was packed with Firenewts of every description: arena buyers in Flamesaur colours, others in Blazenewt livery. A sorry-looking group of twenty Irishmen was brought out to display, former cavalry with three officer knights showing defiant faces among them. And, bidding on the cavalry lot with quiet focus, a fire salamander of unknown affiliation, large, imposing, and looking quite out of place at the auction.

For some reason, Donny had laden Sever down with enough spare loot to win the bidding at 6,000gp, should it come to that (it did).

Sever faced the salamander down across the bidding floor and outbid it, shouting and gesticulating in an attempt to intimidate the creature. It made no scene; if anything, it seemed confused by Sever's antics and had no wish to cause a scene of its own. The exchange was brief and entirely without resolution; the salamander's identity and purpose remain unknown, though it will remember Sever.

The chief auctioneer of the Slave Quarter, the Venerable Fleshpeddler, ancient and apparently entertained by the surface-world competition, brought down the hammer. The party collected their twenty Irish captives and set off with them to their warehouse in the Outcast Quarter.

Encounter #4: Orrathis & Morodio
Highlights: Waiting at the warehouse was Orrathis the Rake, a half-human, half-reptilian intelligence broker. He had come to thank the party for dealing with the mezzodaemon that had been extorting and killing his people in the Outcast Quarter. The party had first encountered him during downtime, and this was the first time his name had to be pronounced aloud at the table. The obvious reading sounded uncomfortably close to "orifice," so, on advice from the table, the emphasis was shifted to the middle syllable instead.

The party then turned their attention to their expensive acquisition: twenty men in varying condition, all bearing the marks of Cthugarak's processing. Their commander, Morodio George, was far from certain of the intentions of those who had just purchased him at auction. The atmosphere changed the moment Morodio understood that Lance was, in fact, Sever the Wrathful, a name well known by reputation to the knight.

The heroes departed Cthugarak with the freed captives on the morning of the 28th, and reached Minas Mandalf without incident. The session ended with no combats at all, even though any one of the encounters except the last could easily have produced one. All three slavers had bodyguards, and I fully expected some sort of fight, maybe an ambush in a back alley, but the heroes kept the big picture in mind and did not want to risk being shut out of Cthugarak.

Session 103 brought to you by Efreeti Black, on tap at the Soulforge Saloon; 200gp worth of Chandrar's goodwill; and the continuing question of what a fire salamander wanted with twenty cavalry troopers.

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel: 74 Miles

Downtime begins on: 03/29/26
Combats: 0
Rooms mapped: 0
Combat rounds: 0
Losses: 6000gp

Treasure & Items

None

Monsters

None

 XP &   GP Assignment

Sever (E) 0 xp & 0 gp

and Thomas (E) 0 xp & 0 gp

and Poindexter (E) 0 xp & 0 gp

Steelvein (E) 0 xp & 0 gp

Dead-eye Donny (E) 0 xp & 0 gp

Connor (E) 0 xp & 0 gp

Edvard L'Claire (E) 0 xp & 0 gp

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 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

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 151 (Machodor #102): A Milk run to Cthugarak

 

Map to Cthugarak with today's encounters on the way

           

Introduction

This session was driven by logistics, encumbrance, and random encounters. The party had hauled out a vast amount of treasure during downtime, but plenty still remained in Lord Inferno's lair — the classic "dragon lair" problem I'd envisioned: glorious loot, and not nearly enough hands or pack animals to shift it all at once.

Timekeeping

This session began on March 19th 2026 AD, with the player characters adventuring until the 22nd. Downtime for these characters begins on the 23rd 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 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 henchman Rhoikos (M6)

Sheamus (Level 8 Irish Fighter from Brovenloft, rider of the Rocket Cycle and wielder of the Drewblade) and henchman McScales (Lizardman F5)

Snorri  (Level 3 Dwarf Fighter)

Downtime

Getting a prison train going out with the loot and freed human prisoners from Cthugarak was no hand-waving exercise. The details are here for completeness, but can be skipped.

At the end of last session, the party purchased a bunch of pack lizards and occupied a warehouse in the Outcast Quarter. Sever, in the guise of "Lance the Slaver," was the face of the party, while the others — especially the paladin Giuseppe — kept their heads down and planned to destroy the entire city of evil when they could, later.

On the 14th, Silus of House Emberdrake meets the rest of the party in the Foreigner's Quarter with the paperwork. He brings a scribe from the Scholar's Quarter to officiate. It all looks above board. You take possession of the warehouse in the Outcast Quarter, after handing over 250gp. It is ready as promised. The warehouse is 50' wide, 100' long, and 25' high. Despite appearances, it does not abut the city walls — there is a narrow alley separating them. There is no sign that the interior was recently used for anything. The place must be situated over the sewers, for there is a rank smell that is periodically flushed out by a lava flow that passes under the city to vent into the great lake of lava beyond its walls.

They wizard locked the sewer grate and then grilled Rabbit about the possibility of using it to travel undetected via the sewers. The half-elf said he had seen no firenewts down there in his previous flight from them: "But doc, the place is lousy with firesnakes and firetoads. Different bits go off at different times, see. And the snakes get all excited when it's about to happen. Phew, glad I was invisible."

On the 15th, a firenewt patrol came to ensure everything was above board in the warehouse (i.e. to make themselves sufficiently annoying to get a bribe to go away — which is exactly what happened).

The warehouse on Ash Lane has no windows, only a set of large double doors, with a smaller access door set within them. You watch the patrol leave and take in the local ambience: the Scorchviper Outcast Quarter is well awake.

The perfect hide out?

Ash Lane is narrow here, barely eight feet between the warped obsidian walls, and it runs thick with the usual morning traffic of the desperate and the dispossessed. A line of branded lava folk hauls a cart of slag toward the Chattel Quarter. Three glassy-eyed beggars work the lane. You notice the chalky lesions on the skin of at least one of them, best given a wide berth, unless you want to catch the 'Drooping Member' disease, or worse.

Giuseppe could smell Evil

Expecting a delivery of slave collars and heat cloaks, they kept the door open and well watched, but it was unpleasant work.

From the direction of Scorch Avenue you hear something approaching. The heavy, rhythmic knock of clawed feet on basalt. Pack lizards moving at a working pace. A moment later they appear at the alley mouth: four of the beasts, each the size of a draught horse, their hides scarred from harness work, hauling a flatbed cart stacked with crates. A single Emberdrake factor's agent walks beside them — a lean firenewt in a merchant's brooch and light armour, moving with the clipped efficiency of someone who wants to be somewhere else as soon as possible. He produces a chit from his belt pouch and holds it up without looking at you. "Eighty collarsh. Eighty cloaksh. Mark ish on the manifest for one Lanshe. Shign, provide payment, and I am gone."

The crates are heavy. It takes effort to shift them through the warehouse door. The agent is already turning away before the second one clears the threshold. The pack lizards follow him back up the lane without a backward glance. You crack them open to check the merchandise.

THE HEAT-CLOAK — A Closer Look  

You have worn these cloaks since the guards at the Basalt Gate Tower pressed them into your hands — heavy, leathery things that stink faintly of sulphur and old char. You have been grateful for them without thinking much about how they worked.

Now, in a quiet moment, you examine yours properly. 

The outer hide is thick and rough, cracked in places like old volcanic rock, stitched with coarse thread that seems almost too fine for the hands that must have made it. But it is what lies beneath the surface that arrests you. Dozens upon dozens of small, rounded cylinders, each the size of a fat finger, sewn into channels of leather so that they lie flush against the body when worn. They are made of glass, seamless and smooth, rounded at both ends, and inside each one sloshes a thick liquid — a deep, saturated orange that seems to glow faintly from within. You hold one up. The goop inside moves sluggishly, like something between honey and hot tar, and tiny bubbles crawl slowly upward through it. The contents maintain a constant temperature even in the heat of Cthugarak. You notice a marking etched into the glass: a fat toad wreathed in green flame. House Pyrotoad's mark. You wonder exactly what is in that liquid — and what would happen if one of the cylinders broke.

Orrathis the Rake

Not long after this, the heroes had a visitor: a half-human, half-firenewt hybrid named Orrathis. He told them that a number of the cloaks they had just received — made cheaply for slaves — would fail within a week of use.

He introduced himself as a member of the "Rakes," a faction distinct from the thieves, but equally despised by the nobles. The party were immensely suspicious of him, but after he submitted himself to every detection spell at their disposal, the heroes — particularly Giuseppe — were disposed to trust him a little; he was unlike any denizen of Cthugarak they had yet seen. He left them with much to think about.

Now there was a lot of tense scheming as to exactly how to get the human prisoners and loot from the lair into the warehouse. Ultimately, they made use of the sewer connection, along with levitate and invisibility 10' radius, to get the job done. From there, they allocated collars and heat-cloaks to the "slaves" and marched out of the city as though going about their business like anyone else.

From there, they made it back via the lava tube to the hidden cave west of the volcano, stashed the pack lizards, and flew the prisoners back to Fort Wrath. By the 17th of March, prisoners and loot had been transferred to Minas Mandalf. On the way, they picked up dwarf fighter hopeful Snorri from Schloss Ragnar, where he had been staying the last few months. All of this back and forth was done over Discord, leaving everything ready for a return to grab more loot in session time on the 19th.

After all this, several henchmen were ready to level, so the party had less support than normal this week.

Session Report

They party flew back to their hidden cave west of the lava tube that led to Cthugarak, finding their 12 pack lizards as they had left them, happily munching on fungus in the area. Given the beasts' carrying capacity, they decided to ride them back to the city of firenewts. Not intending to start any trouble, they set off invisible down the primary lava passaged, hoping to make a quick turnaround with the treasure.

Combat#1: 2 Purple Worms
Result: Party win

Rounds: Surprised for 1 segment, 2 rounds
Highlights: Having detected the vibrations of the pack lizards as they walked along the lava tube passage, the worms achieved surprise, attacking both the front and rear of the column. This resulted in them swallowing one lizard whole and nearly doing the same to another. Fortunately, neither lizard victim had a rider. After a minute of panic over whether to fight on lizard-back or on foot, the heroes swung into action and dispatched the worms in two rounds of combat.

The pack lizard train lumbered forward again, their riders now visible after the short fight against the worms. As the party approached the last stretch of the lava tube before the city, ahead they saw a group of horrible undead feasting on the remains of a firenewt merchant train. So intent on their feasting were the monsters that they did not see the heroes approach — leaving them both surprised and aghast.

Combat#2: 8 Ghasts

Result: Party win

Rounds: 2 surprise segments, 1 round
Highlights: Rhoikos softened up the enemy with a fireball, while Sever and Sheamus charged in and wiped out the survivors before they could form any effective defence.

After this second incident the way was quieter, they made it to the city, registered their stay, and exchanged pendants for heat-cloaks at the Basalt Gate Tower, then entered Cthugarak and rested at their usual inn in the Foreigner's Quarter, the Drake's Ember Rest, stabling the pack lizards nearby. 

The next morning, they saddled up and moved out. On their way across town, the party encountered a slave column heading towards them. The downtrodden slaves were marched right past the column of adventurers intent on loading up with more treasure. The heroes chose to do nothing, promising vengeance later.

They reached the Outcast Quarter and turned off into the side street that held their warehouse. But marching towards them as if it owned the place was a powerful and demonic-looking creature. It would not yield right of way to them. Perhaps to release the frustration generated in the previous encounter, Sever decided not to let this slide, and the others backed his play.

I took one look at the Fiend Folio entry for this monster (p66) and declared a "five-minute recess," like I was in a courtroom drama. It's not that I was completely unfamiliar with the monster, but it was just so complicated that I did not want to launch into the combat without really understanding what I was dealing with. I've since done similar timeouts a few times, and I think it really helps with the execution.  

The magic resistance alone was a head-scratcher: 95% resistance to first-level spells, 90% to second-level, etc. I saw that they like to wield magic swords and shields, and so selected something that I innocently thought was appropriate without being overpowered: a Longsword of Wounding. I described it to the players as a "wicked blade."

What followed was a titanic battle that drew on the reserves of the whole party.

Combat#3: Merx the Mezzodaemon
Result: Hard-fought Party win

Rounds: 19
Highlights:The party won the first round's initiative, and Sever, Sheamus, McScales, and Giuseppe all attacked together. The casters let off magic missiles to no effect, while Snorri kept a watchful eye on their surroundings in case the fight drew in a patrol, or worse. As is usual with this melee-heavy group, they had practically killed the thing in the first round.

Round 2, Merx won initiative and disappeared. The heroes had no idea where he had gone, but he had dimension doored up onto the roof of their warehouse. The party sensed their foe was still nearby, and as they cast about using detect evil and the like, I kept ticking off the rounds. Finally, they retreated into the warehouse. Meanwhile, Merx had been busy: using polymorph self to heal up, ESP to read the minds of his opponents, and even unsuccessfully trying to magic jar Sheamus. The party were discovering that their wounds from the wicked blade would not heal — neither lay on hands nor cure light wounds worked.

Time ticked on. There was a knock at the door, a firenewt patrol had responded to the commotion: "Allo allo allo, what's all thish then?"

Sever bribed and threatened them into leaving, and they did.

Now, like a horror movie, it dawned on them: their enemy was above them, on the roof of the warehouse. In response, Sheamus and some others climbed a ladder to an access hatch, while Sever activated his Wings of Flying and went outside. Fluid changed into a bat and joined the ranger. Merx prevented Sheamus from getting out by standing on the hatch, but was drawn away by Fluid. This small advantage was soon outweighed by a downside: an obscurement spell, which I think the druid thought would help in some way to stop any firenewt authorities from observing the fight atop the warehouse, but in practice made the rest of the fight more difficult.

The squishy casters stayed inside while the fighters got onto the roof. Merx played cat and mouse with them, as though his vision could cut through the obscurement, while only Snorri among the party could do the same — though to a more limited degree. Giuseppe used detect evil to get a bead on the monster, and finally it was trapped between them; they all charged.

But Merx pulled a trick, changing into a rat just as the party closed in and swung at a spot they could not see clearly. I ruled that they still made attacks as normal, but could hit each other. Which they did. Sever dived from above to join the attack, nearly killing Sheamus.

At this point Merx could have made his escape — I made a reaction roll, and he decided to keep going. Several more rounds passed with damage inflicted on both sides, but by now Snorri knew what to look for: the polymorph-into-rat trick failed, and Merx met his end at the point of Fluid's spear.

Having finally won an exhausting victory, the heroes took shelter in their warehouse and licked their wounds — which, having been hit by the Sword of Wounding, was all they could do about them. Having come here for the sole purpose of filling their packs with loot from Lord Inferno's lair, that task was handled in just a few minutes of game time, and they returned via the same route to Fort Wrath without further fuss. The costly exchange with the Mezzodaemon — and particularly its "wicked blade" — would demand payment in the most valuable of currencies: time.

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel: 74 Miles

Downtime begins on: 03/23/26
Combats: 3
Rooms mapped: 0
Combat rounds: 23
Losses: two pack lizards

Treasure & Items

100,000ep

50,000gp

10,000pp 

Gems: 2,300gp from lair 

3,795gp from purple worm guts

Jewellery: 11,500gp

Evil sword of wounding 5000gp (exchanged for reward in Minas Mandalf)

Shield +2 500xp (Snorri)

Total: 172,595gp eq. for xp purposes

 (currency exchange fee of 15,000gp, forgot this last time so catching up this time)

Monsters

2 Purple Worms 13,400xp

8 Ghasts 2,190xp

Merx the Mezzodaemon 4,100 xp

Rating (E,S,F,P), 192,285 XP & 157,595  GP Assignment

Sever (E) 29,582 xp & 24,301 gp

and Rabbit (E) 14,791 xp & 12,150 gp

Fluid  (E) 29,582 xp & 24,301 gp

Sheamus (E) 29,582 xp & 24,301 gp

and McScales (E) 14,791 xp & 12,150 gp

Giuseppe (S^) 29,582 xp &  24,301 gp

and Rhoikos (E) 14,791 xp & 12,150 gp

Snorri (E) 29,582 xp & 24,301 gp

^made no effort to help when confronted the slave column in Cthugarak

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 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

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 150 (Machodor #101): Pulling a Rabbit out of Cthugarak

           

There he is, but where is he?

Introduction

Sent alone into Cthugarak to steal heat-cloaks for the eighty or so humans rescued by the party last week, Sever's henchman Rabbit fails to return.

The night before a session I like to do a little mental exercise I think of as "convergence thinking" about the campaign state, along with making any necessary adjudications ready for the next day. The part of my brain that is always running the campaign in the background suddenly spits out abductions for me. It's a really good way to prepare the mind for what might happen; it's also a good middle ground between "no-prep" and "just-in-time prep". In this case, almost like reading a book, I knew what had happened to Rabbit and set about being ready for the party to try and find out.

Timekeeping

This session began on March 12th, with the player characters adventuring until the 13th. Downtime for these characters begins on the 14th 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)

Dead-eye Donny (Level 5 Monk)

Downtime

Rabbit, henchman of Sever, was rolled up precisely according to the rules for henchmen on page 35 of the DMG by me, he ended up with exceptionally good stats and so qualified for Fighter/Magic-user/Thief. My running joke about this is that he is "too good" to stay in the party. Perhaps as payback, Sever's player Brig has been setting him tasks that would be challenging for any normal henchman. In this case I evaluated the mission as difficult, and the roll did not come up in the half-elf's favour. Instantly abductions filled my mind, and in moments I had decided on this outcome: trapped in the Drake's Ember Rest after suspicious patrons called in a patrol, Rabbit escaped via the sewers. Incidentally, I had been hoping someone would go down there as they are a unique feature of the city: instead of water, they are flushed out by periodic lava flows.

Cthugarak sewers

Avoiding fire snakes and fire toads, not to mention the lava flows, Rabbit found himself driven into the arena quarter, where he was captured and forced to fight in the gladiatorial games! I opened my copy of ACKS: Capital of the Borderlands, and turned to a section that would work for this situation.

Unrelated to the above, some other crazy stuff happened that I still can't reveal, but when I can I will come back and link it here.

Session Report

Sever was clearly worried when Rabbit failed to return, but what would he do about it? I certainly had no set idea; but I did know what information was available. I expected them to go to the Drake's Ember Rest and ask questions there. However, the ranger chose a totally unexpected method: the crystal ball retrieved from the treasure vaults.

At 10th level (Ranger Lord), rangers are able to employ
all non-written magic items which pertain to
clairaudience, clairvoyance, ESP, and telepathy.— PHB, p.24

The major function of this device was to give its possessor greater control over transportation via the living fire braziers and a limited scrying capability; would it work for this? Rhoikos, the magic-user who was the keeper of the sphere, tried to find Rabbit, but failed. The players decided this was due to the fact that the lair was in a different plane of existence. But what if it was used while standing in the pillar of living fire on the Island of Sacrifice? Who knew? But sending Rhoikos down with it was deemed unwise; Sever would do it himself. And, yes, rangers can do that, you know:

I can safely say I have never seen this rule come into play before. Now Sever tried to find Rabbit and it worked: he saw the image at the top of the session report. Though relieved to see that he still lived, in some kind of cell with a motley variety of other prisoners—though uniformly tough looking, the crystal ball was of course not able to pinpoint his location. Sever kept viewing and at one point observed firenewt guards come in and leave with one of the other prisoners. These wore a tabard bearing the image of a saurian figure in coiling flames. Meanwhile, Rabbit had detected the tell-tale distortion caused by the scrying and responded by pointing to a sewer grate in the middle of the floor of his cell: an attempt to indicate how he had gotten in, but would the party understand?

Sever returned to the lair and explained what he had seen. In fact they showed remarkable study of the city and soon came to the conclusion that everything pointed in the direction of the Flamesaur controlled Arena Quarter.

ACKS

Leaving the freed human prisoners behind in the lair, the party used invisibility 10' radius and travelled back down to the island, crossed the causeway to the city, and had Sever carry them one by one over the walls using his Wings of Flying and super strength. Soon enough they were making their way through the city down Eastpyre Avenue. The imaginatively named "Arena Quarter" was soon before them. They set off into the side streets optimistically; however, the warren-like streets were difficult to navigate—even with the Arena towering over the tops of buildings clearly visible—touts of various unsavoury kinds tried to lure them off the path into their establishments, but these were consistently rebuffed. Finally the party arrived at the centre of Cthugarak's entertainment, the Arena.

Now, all along I was expecting this to turn out to be resolved by violence, either directly via infiltration and then fighting their way out, or perhaps going undercover and having to defeat gladiators themselves. Instead, they went to the ticket stalls and purchased tickets like anyone else in town. Talk among the other customers was all about the new "knife-eared" fighter who was undefeated in the arena. Sever buttonholed the ticket seller and chose to play the part of an aggrieved slave owner who had heard his slave was fighting as a gladiator. After being handed off to progressively more important functionaries, the adventurers were given VIP seats in the south section of the main stands, with a good view of the "King's Box" if he was to attend today. He did not. I used a table in the ACKS supplement to generate various fights which the heroes watched over the rest of the morning. Then finally Rabbit himself came out and won another victory, over a half-ogre. The crowd went wild.

Afterwards, Sever confronted the Flamesaur overseer, Maximus, in the basement of the arena and made his case that Rabbit "belonged" to him. The super-tough but not overly smart firenewt was unable to prove otherwise in the face of rival-house Blazenewt troops present serving as guards for the arena who, apart from military responsibility, were also responsible for regulating the slave trade. The Flamesaur was forced to admit he had captured Rabbit when the henchman had trespassed, and, after sufficient recompense the ranger was able to retrieve his "slave." This was a really fun side mission that amazingly was resolved peacefully.

Now the party returned to Lord Inferno's lair and for the first time fully investigated things in the laboratory area. Previously, unable to open the door and unwilling to force it, the heroes had only observed from the outer walkway the endless rows of towering columns stretching into shadow-cloaked depths, each a massive rotating carousel that could turn to display its stacked pods – four or five levels high, man-sized orange-glass cylinders gleaming faintly with ember-streaked fluid and the coiled silhouettes of lizard-things within. Now, it was in ruins.

The wall on either side of the door showed clear signs of being dug through by umber hulks; within, they found the trashed remains of what appeared to be breeding experiments. They found evidence to suggest these breeding programs were responsible for the creation of many of the evil creatures which plague the Bandit Mountains: first and foremost firenewts, but also firedrakes, lava children, and also experiments on existing creatures such as ophidians and presumably also umber hulks. The walls were stacked high with cylinders containing the remains of such experiments, all stamped with the sigil of Za'rathul, the true Lord Inferno: three linked rings from which a single ember dangled, with the words N'gha Fomalhaut below.

Whatever had gone on here, the heroes had missed it, or most of it, they soon concluded. But there was something going on in a far corner: an umber hulk-dug hole going down. Cautiously they descended into the hole, down a tunnel, continuing until they reached a chamber that was fed by other similar tunnels and in which a fight was already going on.

Combat#1: 4 Umber hulks vs Ophidians

Rounds: 3

Result: Party win

Highlights: 

Highlights: Fluid using sticks to snakes against snake people. Sever using speak with animals to tell the snakes not to target the party. Essentially creating a combination spell that Giuseppe called speak with sticks. The ophidians were fighting the umber hulks and the heroes soon joined in targeting the latter. Soon they discovered what the issue was between the two groups: the umber hulks were trying to dig further down and the ophidians were trying to stop them, and failing. Rabbit went around to backstab and found another tunnel going down, but he soon came back running when he saw an umber hulk down there breaking through the bottom of the ground and apparently right into the Plane of Fire!

Several players had previously guessed that the whole lair was an artificial construct sitting in another plane. Now, with a massive incursion of searing flame from the breach the umber hulk had made, they had proof. Too late to stop the breakthrough, the party fled the way they had come, while the remaining ophidians tried to exit through a different tunnel. The party made it back up to the lab and dived for cover to avoid the sudden blast of fire and pressure; the ophidians were not so lucky.

It was clear that the very structural integrity of the place was now in question (later Fluid would stabilise the fracture, for a time, using the combination of mud to rock and rock to mud). This made bringing out the prisoners (and loot) all the more urgent.

The heroes now returned to Cthugarak and searched for a good place near the walls they could rent out and use as a staging area to bring the human prisoners before taking them out of the city disguised as slaves. The two closest quarters were the temple quarter—run by House Ignisalam—and the Outcast Quarter, run by the Scorchvipers. They chose the latter and, after seeing off a mob of thieves, they found a warehouse near the city wall that suited them. Securing this facility involved all the paperwork the city's bureaucracy could bring to bear, featuring one Chandera Emberdrake, a mid-level clerk with an evident taste for bribes, and that was a lot. The details were finalised in downtime and will be covered in the next session report, but the loot and XP for the last few sessions up to this one are included below.

Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel: 0 Miles

Downtime begins on: 03/14/26
Combats: 1
Rooms mapped: 
Combat rounds: 3
Losses: None

Treasure & Items

100,000ep

50,000gp

10,000pp

Gems: 1000 gp Peridot, 1000 gp Ruby, 110 gp Onyx, 110 gp Zircon, 12 gp Malachite, 120 gp Smoky Quartz, 1000 gp Black Sapphire, 1000 gp Diamond, 1000 gp Emerald, 1000 gp Garnet, 1000 gp Pearl Total: 7,352

Jewellery: 7000 gp Medallion, 6000 gp Pendant, 8000 gp Ring, 1600 gp Arm Band, 300 gp Goblet, 200 gp Bracelet Total: 23,100

180,452gp equivalent.

Scroll (MU, 4 spells) 600xp (divided between henchmen magic-users)

For the following items, readable impressions been have blended into those of the characters who have possessed them, so Identify spells can't be used. In places I've listed what you have determined about their abilities from trial and error.

Ioun Stones * 6 (currently with Donny) all are 300xp (Psicorps will give you 5000gp for the grey one)

• pink & green sphere adds 1 point to charisma (18 maximum)
• pale blue rhomboid adds 1 point to strength (18 maximum)
• incandescent blue sphere adds 1 point to wisdom (18 maximum)
• dusty rose prism gives +1 protection 
• scarlet & blue sphere adds 1 point to intelligence (18 maximum)
• dull grey arrow head burned out, “dead” stone

Circlet of Insight (currently with Rhoikos, see discord for details) 1000xp 

Stone (currently with Donny) No obvious properties 3,000xp 

Crystal Sphere (M) (currently with Rhoikos) allows limited teleportation and scrying when standing in a column or brazier of Living Fire. 1000xp 

Longsword of Dancing (currently with Bishoy) 4,400xp

Spear (currently with Fluid, he knows what it does) 2000xp

Greater Identify used on these:

Scabbard of Nerfing(F,T): This magical scabbard causes any blade drawn from it to become a harmless nerf-sword. However, the sword in that form will damage muppets, and does double its normal damage dice when doing so. 1000gp

Wings of the Fearful Charge(F,C) (currently with Giuseppe): When worn by a rider on a charging mount, these feathery wings generate a fearfully loud rushing wind. Enemies so charged must save vs spell at -2 in order to stand and face the wearer's attack. A failed saving throw will cause the opponent to turn its back to flee at the last moment, providing the wearer a +4 bonus to attack it from the rear and causing any nearby confederates to also make a similar saving throw or follow. 

In mass combat these wings invoke a powerful illusion, if worn by a lone rider the illusion will take the form of 19 other similarly armed and garbed riders wearing like wings. If the wearer is in a unit of cavalry, the entire unit will appear to be wearing the wings. The effect will cause any unit charged by the wearer to make a morale check, with a penalty based on the relative difference in apparent strength of the units. Your DM may need to adjust these effects based on the situation at hand. 1,500xp 

Saddle of the Efreeti Prince (currently with Sever): This magical saddle can change shape to fit any mount from a small pony to a huge ancient dragon and accommodate a rider of up to storm giant size. For combat, the pommel extends to support a shield and lance in such a way as to increase the average damage from a successful hit: if the weapon damage is 3d6, find the maximum possible result of 3d3 (i.e. 9) and add 3d3 for a final damage formula of 9+3d3.

The saddle can also magically adjust to:

. accommodate up to 6 additional human sized passengers, or 

. alternatively, it can change shape allow carrying freight below the mount. 

The saddle also performs as a Ring of Feather Falling on both mount and rider(s). 

None of these abilities give the mount any additional weight carrying capacity beyond the normal amount. 1,500xp

Pair of Golden Skulls: as Chime of Opening 3,500xp 

Robe of Magic (M): Serves as armour equal to AC6. Adds +1 to saving throw scores. Damages non-magic-users who touch it. 1,500xp 

Monsters

Gold coin golem 14,550xp

Silver coin golem 14,550xp

Coin Dragon golem 14,550xp

Platinum coin golem 14,550xp

4 Umber Hulks 5,728xp

271,280 XP &  186,452 GP Assignment

Sever (E) 36,171  xp & 24,860 gp

and Thomas (E) 18,085 xp & 12,430 gp

and Poindexter (E) 18,085 xp & 12,430 gp

and Rabbit^ (E) 19,085 xp & 12,430 gp

Fluid  (E)  36,171  xp & 24,860 gp

Giuseppe (E)  36,171  xp & 24,860 gp

and Bishoy (E) 18,085 xp & 12,430 gp

and Tawadros (E) 18,085 xp & 12,430 gp

and Steelvein (E) 18,085 xp & 12,430 gp

and Rhoikos (E) 18,085 xp & 12,430 gp

Donny (E)  36,171  xp & 24,860 gp

^Extra 1000 XP for his gladiator side-hustle

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 RAISED FROM THE DEAD

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