Dalnor/Campaign1/session-4
A Single Light in the Darkness
Session Date: November 1, 2008
The grue is a sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth. Its favorite diet is adventurers, but its insatiable appetite is tempered by its fear of light. No grue has ever been seen by the light of day, and few have survived its fearsome jaws to tell the tale. -- The Great Underground Empire: A History, by "Froboz Mumbar"
Harvest 5, 53
The party enters the cave entrance and heads down the tunnel that leads to the Honeycomb. The tunnel is wide and smooth enough to allow passage of a surface cart. The tunnel has few side passages and is easy to follow. After a mile the party arrives at the section of the Honeycomb know as Main Transfer.
The guards at the entry into Main Transfer stop the party and ask their business. Safiria says that the party is a group of prospective merchants and follows this up by saying that she recruited them because trade has dropped off since the merchants that trade between the honeycomb and the surface have gone missing. The goblins give Safiria a weird look as if to say: This heavily armed party is a group of merchants? Safira replied saying that all of the wimpy merchants weren't up for the challenge and the party were the only people willing to give it a try. The goblins accept this and tell the party the basic rules of the Honeycomb. The goblins also relate some traffic and hazard updates (there may be a cave fisher in the back areas of the The Reaches). The party takes a moment to digest the fact that the hazards in the underground are very different from the surface.
The party exists Main Transfer and takes the tunnel to The Reaches. The party slips through the Reaches and immediately takes the tunnel into the Way Point.
When the party arrives in Way Point they take a quick look around as they pass through. A couple of the party members openly ask how the space gets fresh water as they walk.
Party works its way though Way Point and stops at the Dripping Stalactite. Party talks to Stan. Stan admits the party into a private dining room and excuses himself. Several minutes later he brings in a sneak thief named Grithtak. Grithtak gives some information, is paid and promptly scurries off. The party decides to use the knowldge Grithtak sold them before he turns around and sells them out.
Using Grithtak's information, the party goes back to The Reaches and finds a tunnel marked UNPATROLLED. Varien indicates that this is the route to the checkpoint.
Party starts down the tunnel. During the descent, the party decides to use their light sources sparingly. After half an hour of traveling the party sees a goblin merchant party coming up. The party lights their lamps, and everyone can see each other. The two groups trade pleasantries and move along.
Further down, the party decides to lay in wait, looking for a trade party they can pick for information. This plan almost backfires when a small, heavily armed, drow hit squad comes up the tunnel. The drow warband (consisting of several warriors, a wizard, a cleric and a drider) sees the party from a distance off (drow having darkvision). After a quick conference within the warband, the warband leader states that they don't have time for casual entertainment and why doesn't the party go looking for something a little easier to mug in the dark? The party realizes that they are way out of their league. The party lights their lamps, and everyone can see each other. Tucking their tails between their legs, the party very carefully lets the war band pass without any further delay.
A little further down the party encounters a mix merchant group just outside the checkpoint. The party lights their lamps, and everyone can see each other. The two groups trade basic pleasantries and keep going.
The party sets up watch outside the check point for a little bit. Finally growing bored they approach the checkpoint. At the checkpoint door, they knock and are admitted by several kobold guards.
Once inside the checkpoint, the party is directed to talk to the Duergar at the customs table. Subtle probing of the duergar breaks out into open violence when Safiria inquires about the missing merchants. The kobolds let loose a fire beetle. The Duergar surprises the party by hulking out after the party wounds it. The party kills everyone except one of the kobolds.
Party attempts to interrogate the captured kobold, who shows Safiria a great amount of insolence (while tied up, it managed to flip her off). Safiria in a peak of anger kills the kobold. After some quick reviving by the party, they attempt to interrogate the kobold again, who lets loose with a blood curdling scream. The party promptly puts the kobold down because they hear noises deeper inside the checkpoint.
Kobolds that were in the kitchen and mess hall adjoining the checkpoint move to investigate the scream. The party acts to kill them as quickly as possible. During the melee a couple of kobolds escape out of the check point into the lower tunnels.
The party raids the checkpoint office. In the course of searching the desk and office they find some log books and a trap door in the ceiling. Despite numerous attempts to open the trapdoor, the party only manages to break the desk instead of opening the trapdoor. In a bedroom off the office, the party finds a strong box. In looking it over Alex finds a trap but cannot disarm it. In the process of opening the chest the trap is sprung. The trapdoor in the ceiling opens and releases an ochre jelly that had been set in the ceiling. The party fights the ochre jelly and defeats it.
Party decides to take a break.
Previously: Happiness for All
Continued in: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Campaign 1 Index
