Vapourware RPGCodex plays Dungeon Crawl Classics

[Monstrous Bat]

OoC thread; character sheets

THIS IS THE PBP THREAD OF A PNP GAME. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS THREAD UNLESS YOU'RE ONE OF THE PLAYERS SIGNED UP IN THE RECRUITING THREAD. IF YOU WISH TO COMMENT ON THE GAME, PLEASE GO TO THE OOC THREAD.

All actions should be described in third person. Use invisiblecastle for dicerolling.

Party XP: 10

Party roster & killboard:

Spoiler

Nicomedes the Wainwright (L 10) (Nikolokolus)
Cepheus the Woodcutter (L 1) (Nikolokolus) Killed by a firebolt
Hob "Knucklebones" the Halfling Chicken Butcher (L 13) (Nikolokolus) 3/5
Siegbert "the Younger" the Dwarven Miner (L 8) (Nikolokolus) 3/6

Wesker the Elven Sage (L 4) (Siveon)
Barry the Woodcutter (L 10) (Siveon)
Samuel the Wizard's Apprentice (L 5) (Siveon) Slain by a crystal creature
Pobbin the Dwarven Rat-Catcher (L 11) (Siveon)

Hep Dirthum the Confidence Artist (L 12) (Deuce Traveler) 2/3
Slolth Lavie the Guild Begger (L 15) (Deuce Traveler) Roasted by bolt of fire
Aug Silverpurse the Jeweler (L 5) (Deuce Traveler) Punched out by a crystal-man
Poul Bun the Woodcutter (L 6) (Deuce Traveler)

Gylan the Ostler (L 10) (Alchemist) 2/3
Ogin the Radish Farmer (L 10) (Alchemist)
Zehal the Elven Navigator (L 9) (Alchemist) Skewered by thrown spears
Arbin the Halfling Dyer (L 11) (Alchemist)

Rosario the Locksmith (L 11) (Don Peste) Eaten by a grue
Bob the Barber (L 5) (Don Peste) Shot by bolt of fire
Timmy the Trapper (L 14) (Don Peste) Exiled into Oblivion
Samuel Stuart the Scribe (L 14) (Don Peste) Existance erased

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Introduction

For long years, you labored in the fields like all peasants, sweating hot and dirty in the summer, only to shiver under threadbare hides when winter came. This year's harvest has ended like all the rest, and autumn's work was hard on Old Man Robert. When the fellow villagers visited his bedside at the end, he spoke in labored breaths of constellations that hadn't been seen since he was a young lad. The last time the Empty Star had risen in the sky, it was more than fifty winters past, he said. Under the light of that strange star a portal had opened by the old stone mounds. He'd seen jewels in there and fine steel spears and enameled armor, but he'd run when the iron men had attacked. Now, old and dying, he wishes he'd taken the chance on a life of adventure. The Empty Star is once again rising, and a young man with courage could be more than just another peasant – if only he'd take the chance Old Man Robert hadn't.

And so here you are. Driven by greed, desperation or ambition, a group of peasants and vagabonds have decided to band together and venture into the enigmatic construction of which Old Man Robert spoke...

Now you stand before the monolithic rocks of the old stone mounds, under the dark light of a starry sky. The Empty Star is clear and bright above you. Three of the large stone blocks lean haphazardly together to form an upright rectangular portal about the size of a man. They seem to be placed directly beneath the star's path. As the Empty Star ascends to its brightest point, its light catches in the portal, and a shimmering stonelined corridor is visible through the stones, but only from one side of the opening. You took a deep breath, your eyes fixated on the strange portal. At this particular moment, you're closer to wealth, magic and an adventuring life than you have ever been. All that is left is to bring yourselves to step beyond this magical, shimmering gateway before you...

 

[nikolokolus]

Nicomedes stands just outside of the ring of standing stones, eyes wide with wonder, his stomach gurgles as a wave of dread mingled with excitement washes over him. "You there, Cepheus, what do you make of it?" The rosy cheeked and fat-faced woodsman shrugs stupidly, "I dunno Nico, but I'm not sure I want any part of it. T'aint nature-al." Nicomedes tries to hide a slight smile, "C'mon man, where's your courage?" With his manhood questioned, Cepheus seems to steel himself and takes a step forward toward the yawning blackness. "Siegbert, come afore, I be needin' yer lantern."

Siegbert the dwarf, standing just behind the pair, turns and shakes his head at Hob the Halfling. Hob shrugs his shoulders and they each roll their eyes and share a knowing look; this isn't the first time Nicomedes has goaded his "friend" Cepheus into doing something he probably shouldn't, nor is the first time they've been taken along for the ride.

Marching order:
1 Cepheus
2 Siegbert
3 Hob
4 Nicomedes

 

[Monstrous Bat]

With Cepheus in the lead, four of the fortune-seekers marched bravely into the portal. Though you couldn't help trembling as you stepped beyond the strange gateway, you were relieved when you emerged from the portal into a dark, dry hallway with all your body parts intact. You look back at the portal you had just passed and found out that you can apparently still see the outside world through it. You could see your companions outside, and you could hear them talking, as if this is just a normal construction connected with the outside world by mundane means. How strange.

Even though the hallway is visible from only one side of the portal, you tread on solid flagstones. The starlight fades as it reaches into this hallway, which dead-ends not far ahead at a stout iron-banded door. Jewels or crystals in an odd assortment of star shapes are inscribed on the door.

 

[nikolokolus]

The intrepid band looks back and waits to see if anybody else is coming through before doing anything else ...

 

[Alchemist]

Ogin the burly, bearded farmer grinned widely - eyes alight with wonder at the sight of the portal. Shortly after the first four entered he eagerly followed, wth pitchfork in hand and his goat named Gilly by his side - filled with perceptible awe as he stepped through. The elf Zehal peered into the portal with his spyglass. "They seem to be OK over on the other side. And I do believe I see some gemstones glinting in the distance - embedded in something..." he told the others as he followed.

"Well then, what are we waiting for lads? Lets get at those jewels!" said Gylan, a lanky fellow with a wily and mischievous look about him. Gripping his crowbar in hand he says "I'll make short work of 'em with this... heh heh". The well-dressed halfling Arbin perked up at word of jewels. "Hum... maybe this will be easier than I thought. Grab a bit of treasure and be done with it quickly, with nary a need to sully my overcoat." I'll let these uncouth fellows handle the dirty work in any case, Arbin thought to himself.

He waited just a little bit longer for the others to enter and be assured there was no imminent danger, then he followed the group into the portal, his finely wrought, fashionable walking stick tapping the ground as he went.

Marching order:

1. Ogin
2. Zehal
3. Gylan
4. Arbin

 

[Don Peste]

You hear that? JEWELS! There's treasure! It's like in a pirate's tale! C'mon, I don't wanna miss it! Said little Timmy to others, while he ran to the portal.

Well, to Hell with it! I'm not less of a man than this little boy! I mean... Ehm. Rosario followed.

Samuel Stuart looked at Bob. Would you mind helping me a bit, young fellow? Just a bit, just to cross this sacred, ancient gateway. Bob ignored him, and ran to catch the others.
Curse you all, you bloody sacks of fff. I'll teach you... Steady but slowly, Samuel Stuart joined the company to the other side.

Marching order:

Spoiler

Timmy

Rosario

Bob

Samuel Stuart

:Monstrous Bat What does "(L 11)", etc. mean?

 

[nikolokolus]

Luck

 

[Deuce Traveler]

"Treasure enough for all of us that make it through, that is," the ugly face of Hep spouts. "I reckon it be dangerous in there. You wimpier ones best reconsider whether you got the guts for this."

Slolth knew that jab was meant for him. The plump man looked sharply at Hep with pig-like eyes and answered, "We'll see, Hep. I figure a man has about the same amount of time to live if he gets skewered by more than an inch of steel regardless of how meat-headed he might be."

The thin, bird-nosed Aug stated in exasperation, "Oh come off it, both of you. Just the mundane relics we may find will be worth something to a collector. No reason to stick our necks out if it gets too dangerous."

The bearded woodcutter named Poul simply shrugged. With a booming voice he added to the discussion. "Let's not rub each other the wrong way. We're each loners of sorts and we lack in what some might call the people skills. Let's watch our friend over yonder attempt to enter the portal and see what's what."

 

[Siveon]

"That fellow seems to have the right idea." Barry manages to whisper to the rest of his compatriots. "I like treasure as much as the next man but isn't this...perhaps a little hasty?" Barry shivers between his words, his cowardice showing more so than usual. "Kid, it's either that, or spending another day trying to teach Wesker how to hold an axe" Pobbin points towards his somewhat hunched elven friend. Wesker nods, "Not even I would want to go through that again, I'm in. Sammy boy, do you have any thoughts?"

The team turns towards the young apprentice.

"You bastards are gonna get me killed aren't ye?" Samuel scowls. "Most likely," Pobbin smiles. "Don't act like you aren't a little excited." With a disgusted look, Samuel scoffs "Yeah, if I had a death wis-" Wesker cuts him off, "There's gold involved."

"Oh, right. I'm in." Samuel's frown turning into a greedy smile. "Well that just leaves you, Barry." said Samuel, quick to point out the obvious. All eyes now fall on the skinny woodcutter. Barry looks at Pobbin, wearing a giddy grin unfit for such a stout dwarf. He then turns towards Wesker, more curious than anything else, Barry couldn't pinpoint why Wesker was so forward with this plan. Lastly, he looks to the brat, with a more sinister look in his eye, no doubt imagining Barry's untimely demise should he agree to join the trio.

Barry sighs, he couldn't imagine a life in which he turned down such an opportunity. "Okay, okay, we'll go in like the idiots that we are." Pobbin throws a hearty laugh, "Finally! There is no time to waste lads, before someone takes the bounty from right under our noses!"

Marching Order:

Spoiler

-Barry
-Samuel
-Wesker
-Pobbin

 

[Monstrous Bat]

One by one the adventurers entered the portal, and one by one they emerged safely on the other side. Looking around the ancient hallway around you, you estimate that it's approximately 14 foot wide and 40 foot long. Fitting all twenty people into this hallway is actually proving to be somewhat of a challenge, and those who came through the portal late are having problem getting a clear view on the jeweled door ahead.

You see some cobwebs hanging around, but there's no trace of the spiders who had presumbly weaved these. The stone walls appear ancient and somewhat crude, although this place is less dusty than you had expected.

Spoiler

Don Peste , it represents the current luck score of the character.

 

[Don Peste]

Ok, people —Says Bob, listen to me everybody. LISTEN UP!
This place is in ruins, but it's obvious there are some valuable things left. We don't need to rush, we are a team here, ok? Now, I know some of you are miners, or masons. Why don't you take a look and begin to extract any precious stones or gems you can see? Ok? I will help you counting what you find.

I reckon there might be some vermin hiding. Don't you think? —Rosario asks. Someone should take a look, too.

 

[Alchemist]

Gylan says: "I'm no miner but I've got this 'ere crowbar that'll pry them gemstones out right quick." And he weaves his way closer to the door. He hesitates to touch anything yet and looks closer at the shapes and patterns the jewels / crystals are arranged in. "Can anyone make any sense out of these shapes they're arranged in eh? Must mean something.... anyone got any ideas afore I start prying them out?". He also looks closely around the area of the door (and door itself) for any visible handles or latches that would assist in opening it.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Gylan moved forward to take a closer look at the door and the crystals on it. It's a sturdy-looking wooden door, with a single metal handle on the right side. There's quite a lot of cobwebs in the corners near the door; evidently nobody has opened the door in a long time. No keyholes are visible.

Gylan's Int check (1d20+1=16)

Gylan took some time to carefully inspect the gemstones inscribed on the door. Without a source of light it's hard to make out the details, but Gylan was able to determine that the gems are blue sapphires. One does not have to be a master jeweler to tell that the crystals are of lesser quality; Gylan can even see small cracks on some of the sapphires. The gemstones are also a bit smaller than you would have hoped. Still, one of these crystals should fetch at least a silver, and there's quite a few of them.

As Gylan studied the arrangement of the jewels he felt that the pattern looked vaguely familiar. The star-shaped crystals on the door looks just like a starry sky. In fact, it looks very similiar to the star pattern visible tonight.

 

[nikolokolus]

In the press of unwashed bodies, Siegbert the dwarf pushes himself forward and holds his lantern aloft, peering up at the cluster of gemstones and crystals. To Gylan he says, "Easy wiff dat prybar laddie. No tellin' what da maker uff dis place left behind. If'n it were dwarfkin, like meself and Pobbin, it's like as not dere be wards and some nasty trap meant to curb da "enfusiams" o' any interlopers ... such as our selfs." That said, Siegbert begins looking over the stone work of the door frame, looking for any oddities - small holes, unusual gaps, cleverly disguised hidden buttons and the like.

 

[Alchemist]

A look of sudden worry comes across Gylan, who then hesitates and replies, "Erm... eh.. traps you say? Hmmm... well then, I'll defer to your dwarven expertise here. The gems don't look extremely valuable in any case - merely sapphires, and small imperfect ones at that. I suppose we'll take 'em once we made sure it's safe, add a bit to the treasure pile eh?" He steps back several feet and lets Siegbert have plenty of room to examine the door and frame, looking on nervously.

"I did notice something about the jewel pattern. It looks just like the night sky we arrived here under... the star patterns are the same." says Gylan.

Zehal perks up and says, "The bright Empty Star showed us the way in here. Maybe it's jeweled counterpart on the door has some significance?"

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Aug, the jeweler, steps up to look at the jewel pattern and place his own expertise on either traps or value. "It doesn't matter how big or small the gems may be, nor how imperfect. I should be able to find a buyer for us, regardless."

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Siegbert's search check (1d20=12)

Siegbert inspected the door as throughly as he could without putting himself in danger, but found no interesting things other than the door handle and the sapphires.

Meanwhile, Zehal, in his attempt to find the counterpart of the Empty Star on the door, spent some time studying the arrangement of the gemstones and the star pattern. Soon, Zehal concluded that Gylan was partially right; if one would look back through the portal from the reverse end of the hallway, the view of the star pattern will be very similiar to that inscribed on the door. They're not completely identical, however - some of the gemstones near the edges of te door can't be found in the sky, and some stars visible in the sky apparently doesn't have a counterpart on the door. Finding the Empty Star on the door was not too challenging, however, as it's apparently represented by a crystal somewhat larger than the others. Other than that, the explorers saw nothing special with this particular gemstone.

Aug, after inspecting the jewels on the door, was able to appraise the blue sapphires. These gemstones varies a bit in terms of size and quality. The better ones should be worth at least four silvers each, while the worst ones could barely be considered to be worth a single silver. Whether there's a trap assciated with these crystals is beyond you, however.

 

[Alchemist]

Zehal says, "Ahh there it is - the Empty Star's crystal. Now I wonder, if we manipulate the crystal in some way might it offer us safe passage through the door? A twist or a push maybe." He chuckles, "or we can just pull the door handle and hope for the best.". He does nothing yet... seeking any last minute input from the others...

 

[nikolokolus]

Siegbert shrugs noncommittally, "I doon know nuffin 'bout gemstone buttons, but if'n ye fink dere be some significance to it, then 'ave at it." He takes several steps back, "orite laddies, back up a span, an gie Zehal 'ere some room." Siegbert, Cepheus, Nicomedes and Hob edge back 10 feet or so.

 

[Alchemist]

Gylan, Ogin and Arbin heed the dwarf's caution and stay well away from the door, keeping a similar distance as Siegbert's group or further, space permitting.

Zehal says "Well then, I suppose we'll get nowhere unless we take a few chances..." And he attempts to push at the Empty Star crystal. If nothing happens, he'll try to rotate it clockwise and counter-clockwise.

 

[Don Peste]

Rosario aproached Zehal and said: Ok, boy! I'm with you. He gave him a nice pat on the back and a big smile, and with a small hammer ready in his hand, said: Open it, do it! Whatever we find it'll be ours!

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Zehal tried pushing the Empty Star crystal, but to no avail. The crystal did not move at all. Closer examinations revealed that all gems on the door are embedded in sockets that matches their shapes very exactly; you're fairly sure that the crystals can't be rotated at all.

 

[Alchemist]

Zehal shrugs and says "Okay maybe I'm over-thinking this.... and anyway Siegbert claims it's clear of traps - so here goes!" and he grasps the door handle and pulls on it, trying to open the door normally.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Try as he might, Zehal can't seem to get the door to open. The elf pulled and pushed, but the door did not move one bit. It seems like the door is locked or held by other means.