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.

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.

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 variation on the table in the ACKS supplement to generate various fights which the heroes watched over the rest of the morning, and 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!

Too late to stop the breakthrough, the party fled the way they had come while the remaining ophidians tried to exit through another tunnel. The former made it back up to the lab and dived for cover to avoid the massive influx of flame and heat; the latter 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