Session 2 - 7/3/19 - Chris's Group

General Summary

This session is a continuation of Session 1 (Chris's Group) and Session 1 (Matt's Group).
We were missing a few players so we decided to combine to form one larger group. Next week we'll likely split into two groups again.

Last Time...

The group finished exploring the ground floor and the wine cellar underneath the kitchen. The upstairs areas of the house remained unexplored, but the party decided to first check out the area beneath the mysterious trapdoor.
When the party first investigated the trapdoor, a mysterious voice uttered "Welcome, fools -- Welcome to your deaths!" followed by booming fiendish laughter. It was a pretty obvious sign to stay away, but the party decided to check it out despite the warning.

The Barracks

Beneath the trapdoor, the party found a large torchlit chamber that was once a large cellar, but had since been converted into living quarters. Ten crude beds stood along the south wall, each with a wooden locker at its foot. A long wooden trestle table ringed by rickety stools dominated the center of the room. Metal cutlery, cups, and dirty plates sat atop the table. A cookstove was installed near the table, and evidence of recently cooked meals sat in pots atop it. A large ham hung from a loop of twine near the stove.
Also in this room were a number of people. Bandits likely. And they were ready for the players entrance. They stood with weapons drawn ready to fight. When Stout Kegsworth tried to parley with them, the retaliated with combat.
Eventually the players dispatched all of the squatters. Varis, Dvun, and Tobor managed to get all of the lockboxes open, each of which contained the personal effects of the squatters, including coin purses.
There are two doors visible down here. One was clearly barred and labeled "DANGER" in chalk. A few members of the group investigated the unmarked and unbarred room.

The Unmarked Room

The unmarked room appeared to be a well cared for bedroom, containing a comfortable-looking bed accompanied by a footlocker, a wooden table with a small wooden box under it, a shelf containing three books, and a closed wooden wardrobe.

• The shelf contained three books.
  • A volume of poetry.
  • A naval almanac listing tide times for the area of coast around Saltmarsh (a total of one hundred miles of coastline is covered)
  • A treatise concerning the demigod Iuz and its minions. This book contained a slip of parchment featuring a few simple words and phrases in the Common tongue and their equivalents in Goblin. The words include “stop,” “fight,” “lift,” “come,” and so forth.
• Under the table is a small wooden box that contained twelve candles, flint and steel, and a piece of parchment. The parchment appears to describe some kind of code:
  • Long-short-short-short: "Is it safe?"
  • Short-long-short-long: "Everything safe."
  • Long-long-long: "Ready to unload; come to the ship."
• Additionally under the table is an unlit bullseye lantern with a movable shutter, allowing you to temporarily stop the lantern from emitting light, without having to relight the lantern every time.
• The wardrobe contained a fancy floor-length oilskin coat. Its sleeves contain numerous (empty) pockets and it's trimmed in iridescent green silk. I believe this item was claimed by Dvun.
• Hidden in a secret compartment, the party found a spellbook containing the spells: charm person, color spray, magic missile, silent image, Alistair's ghostly disguise, magic mouth, and scorching ray. The name "Sanbalet" is written on the inside cover.

The Secret Bookcase

While some members of the party were investigating the unmarked room, Smakk Hislore stumbled upon a secret passageway behind a bookcase in the barracks area. This bookcase opened up to reveal a cavernous area, well lit by torches attached to the walls of the cavern by crude brackets. The walls appear slimy and the floors are moist. Smakk does not explore this cavern further without the aid of her fellow party members.

The "DANGER" Room

As soon as the party opened unbarred and opened the door to this dark and dingy room, a number of skeletons and ghouls animated to life. Stout Kegsworth charged into the room, which made him an easy target for the undead, but prevented any of them from getting to his allies. What proceeded was a long and challenging battle against the undead. Several members of the party were knocked unconscious and were bleeding out, but were revived by quick action from other members of the party.
A few rounds into the combat encounter, a panel on the wall started to glow blue around its edges. Shortly after, it opened. A hunched corpse wearing a pointed hat and dressed in a robe embroidered with mystic symbols crossed through the hidden door. Thin wisps of beard floated from its bony jaw.
Eventually, the skeletons, ghouls, and the skeletal alchemist were defeated. The alchemist wore a shoulder-bag that Dvun recognized as a bag of holding. Contained within the bag was a dull gray and black river stone with a rune on it.

The Alchemist's Laboratory

Through the hidden door that the skeletal alchemist emerged from was a laboratory, full of jars of powders and liquids and several pieces of chemical apparatus.
On a table appears the following items:

• A book titled Ye Secret of Ye Philosopher's Stone, with no author credited. Though it is written in Common, the book is too profound and recondite a work to be fully understood by anyone other than the appropriate specialist, but a character might be able to deduce the general subject matter after dedicating enough time studying it.
• An apple made from solid gold.
• A rose made from solid gold.
• A set of five small discs (balance weights) made from solid gold.
• A human skull made from solid gold.
• A few small stacks of gold coins.
• The alchemist's spellbook, containing his known spells: dancing lights, comprehend languages, floating disk, and shatter.

Next Time:

The party has yet to explore the upper floors of the house, and also the caverns hidden behind the bookcase in the barracks is also unexplored. What will our party find next time?

Player Characters

• Stout Kegsworth
• Smakk Hislore
• Dvun Elekath
• Arostaer
• Tobor
• Rendar Goldrudder
• Lou Scannon
• Varis

Rewards Granted

Every player character who participated in this session receives:

• 2 Apprentice-level Artifice Coins (provided by the adventurer's guild when you return from the adventure)
• 5 downtime days.
• 50 gold pieces (earned from selling the golden objects).

In addition, the party has found a number of items.

• Several books, including two spellbooks (see above).
• A few pieces of parchment, one with a few words in both common and goblin, and one describing some kind of code (see above).
• A few items made out of solid gold. (see above)
• The Skeletal Alchemist's Bag of Holding
• The Gray and Black River Stone that was found in the bag.

Related Reports

The Haunted House Adventure:

• Session 1 (Chris's Group, Matt's Group)
• Session 2
• Session 3

Report Date

03 Jul 2019

Primary Location

Haunted House