Barrowmaze Campaign Diary, Session 6 - A Paladin in Peril

This is part of my on-going diary series for my Doom of Barrowmaze campaign run using Old-School Essentials.

Session 6: A Paladin in Peril

This week the party consisted of...

	Barry, Barbarian 4. Formerly of the "Buff Bastards" adventuring group. Expedition leader. Played by Zi.
	Kazrik, Dwarf 2. Dwarven shipwright of Clan Boatstone. Played by Ryan.
	Psteve, Cleric 1. Enigmatic prophet haunted by eldritch whispers. Played by Andy.
	Thaddeus, Paladin 3. Holy warrior in search of wisdom. Formerly of the "Buff Bastards" adventuring group. Played by Todd.

Hirelings
	Harvey. Porter/Torch-bearer.
	Jules. Porter/Torch-bearer.
	Ofilia. Porter/Torch-bearer.

Expedition #4, part 2

The session began in the dungeon, with the party having just defeated two Sapphire Skeletons. Narion and Francis, shaken by the sight of adventurer corpses, retreated to the stairwell. The group's first task was to breach a bricked wall, revealing alcoves filled with remains and fire beetles. They split up to search for treasure, and Thaddeus was attacked by a hidden grey ooze, which they swiftly defeated. They uncovered a jade idol of a three-eyed bird creature before proceeding north.

In the northern passage, the group found shattered tombs with a lone zombie emerging from the last one. They dispatched the undead before heading through the passage's north door.

Hall of the Giant Snake

In this grand chamber, they noticed a glint of coins beneath rubble, but Thaddeus, ever-cautious, scouted the room. He stumbled upon a massive (10 foot long) rattle-snake, and was bitten multiple times. Kazrik killed the snake and administered anti-venom, saving Thaddeus. They cleared the rubble and discovered a body with a sack of gemstones.

With mounting injuries and dwindling supplies, the party decided to return to Tamhill.

The party's map after delve #4

Return to Tamhill

On their way back, they encountered a rock troll named "Chompy," accidentally revealing Tamhill's location. Chompy, more interested in donkeys than hostility, thanked them. Later, there were reports of horse and donkey thefts in the area.

After returning to town, the accumulated experience from the delve resulted in Psteve and Thaddeus each gaining a level.

Downtime Activities

Immediately upon their return, the party set about experimenting with their newly found magical items. They determined that the ring they discovered was magical. The gloves were determined to be gloves of swimming and climbing. After numerous odd attempts to figure out the ring's purpose, it was determined that peering through the ring of arcane vision revealed the presence of magical auras.

The party took several days off to heal and resupply. Ser Thaddeus traveled to Murkwater and procured two healing potions, while Psteve scribed two scrolls of Cure Light Wounds. Kazrik engaged in some light carousing, and Barry foraged enough supplies to make one dose of anti-venom poultice.

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Final Thoughts

I had hoped that with the group being down two players, they might have made notable progress in their exploration. Unfortunately, combat took its toll, and the group wisely decided to retreat. The party discussed improving their delving methods and planning supply caches within the dungeon. They also considered establishing a safe room in the Barrowmaze for resting instead of returning to town. Concerns were raised about combat tactics, but no significant changes have yet been made.

Poor Ser Thaddeus was twice the victim of ambush predators this session, the first time by chance and the second by choice of action. The giant snake did manage to bite him four times during the combat, but he made the first three saves before finally failing on the fourth attempt. The group's planning to keep a supply of anti-venom on them proved useful once again, and thankfully multiple characters weren't bitten, so they didn't have to decide who lives and who dies.

Chompy the troll was a fun random encounter during the trek home, especially once the reaction dice determined that he was not hostile to the group. There's a decent chance that in the future a bounty for a donkey-eating troll could show up from the Baroness.

With most characters reaching level two, I expect the delves to ramp up in their efficacy. The group seems eager to start making more noticeable progress in uncovering the secrets of the Barrowmaze, and with their new plan of action, I expect we might start seeing large swaths of the map get filled in over the next few sessions...assuming they don't get sidetracked or killed.