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| The Skalrath |
Introduction
Happy New Year and apologies for the extended delay in publishing session reports. I will be playing catch up for the next little while. As sufficient time has passed since this session happened to avoid spoilers, I'm going to give a bit of extra background that might help set the scene. In 2022, the Brovenloft domain leader Kangsta Wrapper was famously defeated and killed at the battle of Sesilvania. However, less well known is that before the battle the great mummy lord made a discovery within the deserts of the dry domains: the burial caves which we've been calling the Skalrath*.
Kangsta was vastly more powerful than everything in the place, so I tracked him as he went from tomb to tomb, binding every mummy he found in service him, and scrawling his own graffiti in various places. Then he went to the most powerful denizen of the place, wiped the floor with it, and in its place secured a weapon system he had created, to keep it hidden while he was away. Alas, he never returned, but the changes he made were still in effect when the Frogmen unwittingly breached the entrance with their swamp-making magic item—and were drawn inside. They decided that this was a great place to keep the Nathruk (aka Froghemoth).
However, the evil nature of the place has a way of raising the dead as its undead guardians. One of these was the soul of J. Jumper Jameson, erstwhile muppet reporter whose soul was consumed by the Froghemoth in a previous Braunstein. When he got raised as a ghost-muppet he unknowingly retraced Kangsta's journey around the tombs. Being quick on his feet, he managed to convince the various mummies that he was working for the mummy lord whom they served.
It was this host of mummies and other undead that in session #90 defeated the players, delivered them to the Nathruk to eat, and dropped their weapons into its pool. However, by now Nachfortha, the most powerful of the mummies—a high-level magic-user cleric—had begun to suspect he had been duped by the former news-frog.
* The source I used as the basis for the Skalrath was the excellent ACKS module: Secrets of the Nethercity. In the module the entrance is under a sewer with sewer sludge draining down into it, so it was easy to instead make this water draining from the swamp, and then change everything else sewer related inside to a swampy equivalent. I changed the ancient elves for humans, and the writing system to Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Timekeeping
This session began on December 4th, with the player characters adventuring in Brovenloft until the 7th. Downtime for these characters begins on the 8th.
Player Characters Present
Fluid the Druid (Level 9 Druid, "Scourge of Trollopulous", former wearer of the Ring of Kings)Giuseppe (Level 8 Paladin of Rome, Brovenloft, wielder of the Dragonslayer and the Shield of Protection from Missiles, rider of Bonecrusher) with henchmen Bishoy (F6) and Tawadros (F6) and Rhoikos (M4) and Steelvein (F4)Sheamus (Level 8 Irish Fighter from Brovenloft, rider of the Rocket Cycle and wielder of the Drewblade)Gurt the Green (Level 6 Paladin of Machodor, wielder of the Liberator, bearer of the Fabled Ice Jewel of Frigia, rider of Artax) with henchman Cedric (C4)Oblate (Level 3 Illusionist)Connor (Level 3 Fighter)
Downtime
Session Report
Once both groups swapped stories of their recent adventures, they were ready to once more sally forth to the Skalrath, this time with the renewed urgency of reclaiming their weapons and items lost in the previous session's debacle. Having returned to the dervish by plane hopping via Machodor, Sheamus' invisibility bracer had recharged; so the main risk in slipping through the ranks of the besieging frog army was someone accidentally stepping out of the 10' range of his bracer while they couldn't see themselves.
They reached the Skalrath without incident and retraced their steps (starting from A1 on the map: down to A4, then D1 to D3, then D6a) into the exact area where they were ambushed last time. This time they were careful to eliminate skeletons as they went, rather than leaving them lurking in their rear.
Combat #1: 20 Skeletons
Rounds: 2
Result: Party victoryHighlights: Successful turning from the party saw most of the skeletons flee down the corridor while the remainder were smashed to pieces.
Halfway along the corridor was an alcove where a broken marble bust had toppled from a pedestal, opposite that was a bas relief image of the warrior mummy they had killed some weeks back—depicted in life. There were Old Kingdom hieroglyphics that were obviously original, but nearby was scrawled a New Kingdom glyph (by Kangsta when he passed through). It depicted a female looking figure with subtle indications that it was male, which the players recognised to mean—"Trap".
They decided to leave it alone, missing out on opening the secret door and the treasure beyond (oh well). When they reached the next section they deliberately antagonised the skeletons there so as not to leave them at their backs.
Combat #2: 20 Skeletons
Rounds: 4
Result: Party victoryHighlights: An almost carbon copy of the first combat—successful turning from the party saw most of the skeletons flee down the corridor while the remainder were smashed to pieces.
They pushed the door open and took in the scene of their previous defeat. This time the area was unguarded and empty of life (and un-life).
They pushed open the heavy cedar door into D7—a cold shiver ran through the company as they recognised the balcony where they'd been routed—thankfully now deserted. The stone balcony ran north-south across a 50'-wide cavern floor 20' below, its balustrades were intricately carved with Old Kingdom motifs. Magma stalagmites hung menacingly from the 30'-high ceiling like frozen ripples; while swamp water flowed below from the west, splattering eastward over a precipice save where it dribbled down 10-wide steps.
With no further opposition, the adventurers pushed ahead into D8, crossing the bridge and going down a staircase beyond into the cavern below (C2B). From here they were able to follow the water without having to wade through it (L1), finally Giuseppe sensed his sword down a sunken stair on their left.
When the party realised the stairs ahead led down into flood‑black swamp water (L2), Oblate quietly shifted himself to the very front of the marching order, staff probing each step like a blind man’s cane. Whether it was selfless courage or simple foolishness, the effect was the same: a perfect target for the hidden Nathruk’s tongue.
Combat #3: Nathruk
Rounds: 1 surprise segment, 6 rounds
Result: Party VictoryHighlights: The Nathruk erupted from the black pool, its barbed tongue lashing out 10' to snag Oblate and drag him into its huge maw—failing to swallow him whole, but this was no mercy—his fellows could only look on in horror as the illusionist was chewed up for over three times his maximum hit point total.
The monster was now exposed to view from the waist up, its yellow underbelly just under the surface. Giuseppe moved forward bravely to draw its attention, but that wasn't his only motive. The paladin sensed within the water his sword that was magically attuned to a matching item he had won in Trollopulous recently—he called to it and the weapon appeared dramatically out of the swamp water and landed in his hand. Now the paladin faced the monster's full fury, besieged by its four tentacle-like arms.
Gurt and Sheamus waded in hoping their weapons had also been dumped there, but had no immediate luck—and then found the Nathruk was not alone; ten undead Grothak Frogmen rose from the depths, brandishing spears.
Henchman Rhoikos knew their tactic: leap into the party's ranks from above. His player declared the magic-user would cast Web squarely in their flight path, anchoring it to the cave walls overhead—high enough not to split the party's casters from the fighters around the Nathruk as it eyed Giuseppe for second breakfast.
This was a calculated risk: leaping attacks count as a charge, meaning their long spears would go first against melee defences—regardless of initiative outcome—but against a spell it is a different matter; "the speed factor of a weapon also determines when the weapon strikes during the course of the round with (opponents casting spells) DMG p66". The initiative result favoured the party, the spell went off and most of the Grothak were caught in the web, helplessly flailing at their enemies below.
Fluid cast Summon Insects. The Druid had always wanted to summon giant ants with this spell, a 30% possibility "if they are in the area". The original module has a colony just a few rooms over. Sure enough, giant ants appeared and swarmed along the Nathruk's outstretched tentacles, harrying the beast's body.
Giuseppe had the monster's attention and the other henchmen dispatched the webbed Grothak. Soon Gurt had retrieved his sword from the water as well, and the party were getting on top. It was then that the ghostly form of J. Jumper Jameson appeared. I explained to the players that the usual magical aging and fear effects attendant on seeing a ghost did not apply to humans viewing the ghost of a muppet, which was received with general approval. Of course it wouldn't.
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| Does it get more BROSR than this? |
The apparition pleaded with the party not to kill the Nathruk, as doing so would in turn cast his soul into oblivion. Whether this was true or not, the heroes were not convinced to change their course of action. In response, Jameson tried to use Magic Jar to take over Giuseppe. This failed, but the attempt was enough of a concern that Gurt used his ability—as a member of the Machodor Planar Corps—to go Ethereal; he knew that in that form he could attack the ghost with his sword and hit him hard. Now Jameson turned his attention to Sheamus, the Irishman had found the Drewblade in the pool and was lifting it—with the proper form—required to activate its Strength power. This gave him 18/00 Strength just as the Magic Jar succeeded; causing him to turn his blade on Giuseppe.
Sheamus has a history of running amok when charmed, this situation was no different, and he laid into the paladin with gusto.
One more round and Gurt defeated Jameson's ghost in the Ethereal plane, and Giuseppe held off Sheamus while finishing off the Nathruk with the help of the others. But the danger was far from over, Nachfortha—invisible—had been watching the whole fight, gauging the strength of the party.
Scarabs started appearing from nowhere, they moved onto the cavern floor and began using their bodies to form words that the PCs could read (I'm thinking about that scene at the end of Flash Gordon with the flying Hawkmen). The words said:
Finally, the scarabs spelled out this dismissal:
There was some muttering among the heroes about searching for this guy, but instead they grabbed the Vreshka (the swamp-generating magic item that must be destroyed to return the land to normal) from around the neck of the dead Nathruk, and began the return trip to the dervish camp. Outside the Skalrath, the swamp was already starting to recede, and when they reached the dervish caves the siege had lifted and they were received as heroes by Reverend Mother Ramallo. She was overjoyed that her younger sister, Sheena, had somehow survived. Bishoy and Tawadros were awarded magic scimitars and, their prophecy fulfilled, the portal opened to allow the party to return to Trollopulous.
Session Statistics:
Combats: 1
Rooms mapped: 2
Combat rounds: 0
Losses: Oblate
