Barrowmaze Campaign Diary - Session 8: The Temple Raid

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

Session 8 - The Temple Raid

This week the party consisted of...

	Barry, Barbarian 4. Duvari polymath and would-be warlord. Expedition leader. Played by Zi.
	Kazrik, Dwarf 2. Dwarven shipwright of Clan Boatstone. Played by Ryan.
	Narion, Elf 1. An unusual elven smith and tinkerer. Played by Andrew.
	Psteve, Cleric 2. Enigmatic prophet haunted by eldritch whispers. Played by Andy.
	Thaddeus, Paladin 4. Eccentric holy warrior in search of wisdom. Played by Todd.

The Foaming Mug Tavern

After witnessing three bipedal, reptilian creatures vanish into the abandoned building near the blacksmith and carpenter's houses, the group made a plan. They sent Francis to tail the mysterious figure in black while they ventured into the boarded-up structure, once known as the "Foaming Mug Tavern." Finding the cellar door ajar, the party descended into the dank, fetid cellar.

Within a small tool room, the party was ambushed by the Troglodytes, slimy reptilian beings camouflaged against the walls. These creatures emitted a vile stench, but the majority of the group resisted its effects. A brief but intense battle unfolded, resulting in the defeat of all three Troglodytes before they could escape.

Upon exploring the upper floor, they encountered a gruesome scene of damaged furniture and long-dead bodies. It appeared to be the aftermath of a botched abduction, which the had been covered up by sealing off the tavern, making it seem abandoned.

Quick Conversations

Returning to the mayor's residence to report their discoveries, the group encountered two high elves, Celevon and Llinnithel, who had been residing in a nearby cottage. The pair had been investigating the town's issues at the mayor's behest for several weeks. The elves shared their suspicions with the group, but the party found the elves' slow progress and lack of action unimpressive, and excused themselves from the conversation.

A brief discussion with the mayor followed, during which he approved of the group's intent to investigate the Church of St. Merrika for any sinister activities. When presented with the party's evidence, a severed troglodyte head, the mayor was incensed, and requested the head be quickly disposed of to avoid causing further commotion among the villagers.

Raid on the Church of St Merrika

The party made their way back to the church and found Misha in the central sanctuary. The cleric demanded they leave, but when the party refused, she made a hasty retreat. An attempt by Kazrik to stop her resulted in his being blinded by a Darkness spell.

The party attempted to surround the priestess, but finding no sign of her in her quarters, and assumed she had escaped upstairs. On their way to the second floor, Narion noticed a secret door in a wall and the group investigated. The ensuing hallway was filled with small chambers, each housing crazed monks who attacked the party but were swiftly defeated. After checking additional rooms on the lower level, the group proceeded to the second floor.

Upon entering the room containing eight skeletons that Psteve had seen previously, the skeletons animated and attack (as the party had suspected). Psteve turned the undead, enabling the group to vanquish them. Moving through a door, Narion once again spotted a secret door, which Barry kicked open, much to the surprise of the orcs who were watching through peep holes in the wall. The group rushed into the room and cut down the haggared, enthralled grey-skins, and discovered more secret doors that the orcs intended to use for an ambush.

After a brief stop in a defiled room filled with torture equipment, the party entered a long stone hallway leading to the head priest's ruined chambers. They heard hurried footsteps and the sound of a stone door being closed further down the hallway. Searching the area revealed a secret door in the eastern wall, which they opened using a hidden switch in the priest's desk.

Mad Priest Showdown

The party entered the secret chamber, filled with rough statues, a small metal cage, and a magnificent jade statue depicting a snake with a human face. Abramo, the chief priest of Saint Merrika, attempted to cast several spells at the party but was repeatedly foiled. Eventually, the mad priest managed to wound Barry and instill fear in him with a Fear spell, driving the barbarian away. He then knocked out Ser Thaddeus with a powerful blow to the paladin's head. Just as things were looking dire, Kazrik, still blinded by the Darkness spell, charged the priest, knocking him to the ground. Narion was then able to stab the priest to death with his spear.

A teenage girl named Cirilli was discovered in a cage in the room. Upon release, she grabbed a dagger and vented her rage on the priest's corpse. After calming down, Cirilli revealed that the jade statue depicted a creature known as Explictica Defilus. Months ago, she and her family had been captured and brought before the "snake mother," who used a hypnotic gaze to enslave victims. Cirilli resisted this power but was taken by Abramo, who had taken a liking to her. She refused to return to the creature's lair or venture out into the moors for fear of being recaptured.

The group searched the chests in the room, finding them nearly empty, as their contents had recently been taken to the lair of the serpent god. Upon regaining his sight, Kazrik studied the evil masterwork, the jade statue, and determined that it was worth as much as 7,500 gold pieces and weighed 750 pounds. Their raid seemingly complete, the party must how decide their next course of action.

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Final Thoughts

In his blinded state, Kazrik turned out to be far more dangerous than when he could see, managing to hit nearly 2/3 of the time when throwing his hammer as directed by his party members!

The battles with the troglodytes, monks, skeletons, and orcs proved relatively tame, as the party's superior levels and gear proved too much for the swarms of less powerful creatures. Abaramo, however, proved just how dangerous magic is when used against the group. Thankfully the encounter with the priest had no other enemies, or it could easily have turned deadly. Experience in the system showed, as both Todd and Zi were instantly concerned when the cleric attempted to cast spells, knowing how dangerous that can be.

After Barry and Thaddeus were incapacitated, we might have ended the session with a few dead PCs. Luckily, Ryan cleverly chose to have Kazrik bull rush the priest, taking advantage of the house rule that grants auto-hits in melee against prone enemies.

The party now knows the underlying cause of the madness that has overcome Bogtown. It is now a matter of deciding what they wish to do about the situation. Will they attempt to track down this "snake god" and free the village from its enthralling gaze?