Written and Directed by Chris Bailey
Adapted for Session Report by Keith M. Sandler (Slight Misplay)
DM – Chris Bailey
Wruze “Roo” – Gab-tron
Osrick – Clark
Phalxen Phlox – Laura
Sawiya “Boo” Bu – Sarah
Captain Valla – Erin (not present this session)
Jarren – Keith
Scene i
Int., Dungeon, Day/Night???
JARREN: Guys! We could use a little help in here?
Jarren fires his crossbow at the approaching gelatinous cube. Osrick does the same before falling back behind Jarren toward the two doors.
JARREN: So help me if you open that other door, Osrick.
Osrick eyes the other door as other party members come to assist, shooting at the disgusting but geometrically organized intruder. The cube puts forth a hand… tentacle… thing towards Jarren, attempting to throttle him. Jarren is too quick and dodges beneath he pseudopod, slicing at the strangeness with his pair of short swords.
SFX: Phlip!!!!
A new cast members appears in the large room where the rest of the party originated in this dungeon theater. She is short. She is plucky. She has a whip. She is extremely disoriented. She is Phlaxen Phlox.
The gel cube pursues Jarren further down the hall, cutting off the door to the south. His only remaining choices are to go through the door to the north, be squished and absorbed by the gel, or… fight his way through the cube? He steels himself for just this, when his comrades from the south door are able to reduce the gelatinous abomination to a puddle of inert but still caustic goo.
“What colour is the gelatinous cube?”
“Clear.”
“Oh, gods… it’s not even flavoured Jell-o. No grapes. No tangerines. No marshmallows. What sick and twisted fiend would create such a thing and let it loose upon our world?”
“…”
Jarrin wipes the ooze from his weapons and snatches up the amethyst which is now lying on the ground before him. He also finds the sword which Osrik has been eyeing and hands it to him.
JARREN: This what you were so interested in?
OSRICK: Yes!!!
Jarren rolls his eyes. Osrick does not notice or does not care. The rest of the party collects the other shiny bits (gems and coins) found in the disintegrating remains of the gel, the acidic sludge burning several of their fingers as they do so. The party regroups back in the mannequin room… except for Osrick who decides to open the north door in the hallway, and Osrick Jarren who follows him with an audible sigh… which Osrick again does not notice or care about.
Scene ii
Osrick opens the door. The room beyond seems well appointed, containing a bed, a table, and a tapestry on the east wall. It also contains two hyena-headed demonic-looking humanoids muttering about “killing them all.” They spot Osrick, so they’ll start with him. Battle ensues!
Again, Jarren calls out to his comrades for help. Phlox has recovered from her teleportation sickness and joins the rest of the group in the hallway as the beasts emerge from their room to combat the party. Osrick falls back out of the fancy room into the hallway, followed by one of the nasties who is taking up the doorway. These baddies are much harder to hit than the gelatinous cube. Because they’re not just semi-sentient jell-o.
Roo takes a shot with her hand-crossbow, trying to thread the needle and shoot past Jarren. She critically fails, hitting Jarren in the thigh.
Boo contemplates faerie fire, but it doesn’t seem to be worthwhile due to the positioning of everyone, so she casts Sacred Flame, hurling a ball of divine fire at the beast in the doorway. Phlox lashes out with her whip at the assailant, trying to spin him back into the room behind him at Jarren’s urging. It doesn’t work out, but she does give the creature some severe whip-lash. (Hey-o!) Roo bests the creature, and the one remaining in the room advances on Jarren who had flung a hand-axe at him unsuccessfully a moment prior. The two spar for a moment before the beastie decides we’re not worth dying for, at which point he turns and flees. Jarren takes the opportunity to throw a dagger into the back of his neck, taking him out.
Jarren gives Roo back her crossbow bolt after extracting it from his leg.
JARREN: I believe this is yours?
The group is now a bit worse for wear and explores the chamber ahead with an eye for defense to see if they can take a quick breather before further exploration. Their efforts prove fruitful— a potion is found, as well as some loot on the fallen monsters including the third amethyst! Yoink! Also, the tapestry conceals a hidden door! There are no plates on the wall near this one, the party notes. Also, Roo’s keen eye for Under-architecture detects the presence of a secret door on the west wall, apparently operated by a moving brazier beside it.
Roo gives Jarren the remains of her healing potion, and the group takes a bit of respite after sealing off the doors as well as possible to prevent any intrusions and pulling down the tapestry to gain a clean view of the door in case any unwanted visitors should call upon us.
Scene iii
After the rest, Roo opens the secret door.
A battle rages within the large chamber beyond. A group of gray-skinned deep gnomes (svirfneblin!!!) are engaged in combat with more of the hyena-demons (gnolls) including a larger one who appears to be their leader. Jarren wants to explore the north door to see if the party can flank whoever emerges victorious, but Roo’s hatred of the deep gnomes gets the best of her, and she fires her hand crossbow at one of the svirf’s (Larff) provoking a cry in Undercommon:
“What the fuck?!”
The party then closes the secret door, hoping to wait out the battle. Roo explores the door beyond where the tapestry had been. Jarren proceeds north to look for a tactical advantage.
In Roo’s room, she discovers another amethyst (wait… a fourth???) with a note attached to it with alchemical advice. Roo also finds a costume jewelry crown.
Jarren’s room is well-appointed as the previous one was, with a door on the west wall, apparently leading into the chamber with the gnomes and gnolls. (That’s a lot of gn-words, but we haven’t seen any gnu’s yet.) That’d be gnarly.) Upon the table in this room is some sort of seeing stone, containing within a scene of a monologue apparently cut short by the performer’s flight from the stage. Jarren searches the rest of the room, but as he does so, the door to the battle chamber is forced open. Jarren slams it back shut, overpowering those on the other side. Once again…
JARREN: Guys! I could use some help here…!
To be continued….