Tuesday, 29 October 2024

Trollopulous Adjusted Session 86 (Machodor #46); The many heads of the Hydra

  

Local map for the session

     

Timekeeping


This session took place on 19/09/2024, and the PCs adventured for 7 days.

Player Characters Present


Sever (Level 7 Pegasus Corps Ranger of Machodor, wielder of Were'shbane and wearer of the Girdle of Cloud Giant Strength)
Giuseppe (Level 7 Paladin of Rome, Brovenloft, wielder of the Dragonslayer and the Shield of Protection from Missiles)
Gurt the Green (Level 3 Paladin, wielder of the Longsword+3
Luke (Level 1 Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric)

Introduction


The party was keen to serve up some payback to the forces of evil running loose in the mountains, and were not keen to follow things up in the PSoD. 


Downtime


Some days ago the party learned that the town of Guarda had suffered and attack by Gnolls, led in some manner by humans (knowns as the Talibandits). During his wanderings Giuseppe had found an alternate and faster route through the mountains near Castle Irish.

Session Report

It was a rainy day as they set off, soon passing through a passage in the mountains that Giuseppe had found. Within was the dwarf fort settlement of the Gumli Clan. They charged a modest fee to pass, which included access to the interior of their fortifications and the common area. The players took a break in the "Short Inn" and found the locals to be enigmatic, then carried on south. They reached the area where the Merchant Company, the Lilac Leaf, had been attacked and largely destroyed by bandits, and here they examined the site, looking for clues. They found some strange ones, including what looked like the claw marks of a very large flying creature on the ground nearby. However, nothing pointed to any particular direction they could find the bandits.

As a plan B they figured they could hunt a hydra that in previous times they had noticed living in the area, it was on the way to Guarda anyway and perhaps there would be more clues to find there.

They spend the night in a narrow gully near the valley the party expected the Hydra to be in, and the next morning the rain that had been falling was cleared by a strong wind. They caught the beast as it was heading out for its breakfast.

Hydra baby photo
Combat #1: Hydra with 11 heads (MM)

Rounds 4: Monster, Party, Monster, Monster

Result: Costly (in  more ways than one) Party victory

Highlights:  These creatures can really absorbed some damage and dish it out. Luke and Gurt killed in battle.



The party had grown much more powerful since the first time they had encountered this hydra; but, as it bore down on their well prepared ambush, they saw that it too had grown. The monster now had 11 heads!

Giuseppe sent his henchmen out to fire from horseback on the creature from its flanks, then he bore in on Bonecrusher. Sever charged with Convess, and so did Gurt on his mount; with Luke, safely at the back of the formation, preparing fire to use on the creature. 

Heads were chopped at a steady rate, but the long writhing necks enabled the remainder to snap at anyone in melee. There was also the (well founded) fear that the heads might grow back, Luke went in to try and cauterise a neck stump, but was sadly bitten in two by one of the still intact heads. Then Gurt got piled on and went down with the exact amount of damage that was enough to kill him, his luck had run out. The mood shifted and the surviving party members grimly continued until the last remain head was severed and the creature went down, not to rise again. It was not the regenerating kind.

With the loss of two party members, thoughts turned to Raise Dead. Logistically they had to get the bodies to either Minas Mandalf or St. Raul, and then find a caster high enough who was available; there was a better chance of cleric availability at the Capital. Another matter was cost, funds were low, they needed to find the Hydra's lair, if they could, and secure any treasure it may have been hoarding. Sure enough, Sever was easily able to follow the creature's tracks to a cave entrance. Inside was an area the Hydra has been using for a bed, it was strewn with shiny objects, and nearby were the remains of what once had been a hidden room; but now the wall separating it from the cave was gone, probably battered down at some point by the hydra moving around. Here there were some clay pots, that turned out to be trapped, but the fighter heavy party just absorbed the damage through the selfless Giuseppe. Inside the pots were a lot of low value coins, some gems, and two pieces of jewellery. Was there enough here to pay for Raise Dead?

The party carried on to Guarda with the bodies of their slain companions, the locals kept a respectful distance, but did let them know that one unit of militia had prepared and stood read to go with them into the mounts to try and exact vengeance on the Gnolls and the Talibandits. Such matters were no long top priority to the party (but that would change later). Here they were joined by Comfort Road and then they travelled to Schloss Ragnar (known for the best prices on gems and jewellery). Their gains turned out to be enough for Gurt, but not poor Luke, the latter was buried in a ceremony befitting the demi-human.


Sever flew to Minas Mandalf with Gurt's heavy body strapped to Convess. Landing at the Scout Regiment level of the Pegasus Corps Tower in the heart of the city, he then rushed to the duty Cathedral. There was a quick check of the resurrection survival table in the PHB, and with Gurt's Constitution of 16 it was an easy roll to make. Now there was a short discussion as to whether this meant the Paladin had lost a point of Constitution; we all seemed to remember it this way. However, but we couldn't actually find a justification for this in the rules. It seems that AD&D 1e doesn't say anything about losing a point, just that your lifetime limit for Raise Dead is your Constitution. 

When Gurt had fully recovered, on September 24th, Sever flew him back to the party at Schloss Ragnar. Feeling like a new man, Gurt had an idea that they could hunt big cats west of Schloss Ragnar (who knows why?) but when the day dawned it was foggy. This wasn't ideal for hunting, but rather than waste another day, the party decided to try their luck anyway. Sure enough, they found something, and it found them. 


Combat #2: 13 Wolves (MM)

Rounds 2: Tied, Monsters win 

Result:  Party victory, 8 wolves retreated into the fog.

Highlights: Comfort Rod, Luke's player's other character, lost his horse.


Using my compass dice, I found that the wolves were approaching from the north west, and so was the wind. This helped explain why they had no inkling of the party's presence until they stepped into view. Sever tried his best to intimidate them, but once they saw horseflesh they attacked. After the victory the party set about butchering and skinning the wolves, and while they were doing so ten Trolls rolled up on them from the East.

The PCs were not about to take on this group
and evaded them before returning to Schloss Ragnar.


Session Statistics: 

Wilderness travel: 51 Miles

Combats: 2

Combat rounds: 6


Treasure and XP


Trollopulous Adjusted Session 86 (Machodor #46)

Treasure & Items

2 Jewellery
6000 gp Ring
8000 gp Comb
Total Value: 14000 gp.

7 Gems 
10 gp Blue Quartz, 10 gp Hematite, 10 gp Turquoise, 150 gp Jasper, 20 gp Moss Agate, 200 gp Star Rose Quartz, 50 gp Hematite. 
Total Value: 450 gp.

3000 cp
3000 sp
5000 ep
200pp

Wolf Pelts 50gp
Hydra hide & heart(250 gp from Professor Dorol)


Monsters
1 11 Headed Hydra 4285 XP
5 Wolves 325 XP
8 Wolves Escaped
10 Trolls Evaded

Total XP

23,025 XP & 18,415 GP Assignment

Sever (Level 7, E ) 7675 XP &  2638 GP
Giuseppe (Level 7, E) 7675 XP & 2638 GP 
  with henchmen Bishoy and Tawadros (F4, E) 3837 XP & 3069 GP
Gurt the Green (Level 3, E)  65 XP & 10 GP  -- wolf battle only
Comfort Rod (Level 4, E)  65 XP & 10 GP -- wolf battle only


Graveyard


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), killed again by the toxic gas of an Achaierai in session #72

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

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 in 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

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