So, I’m a bit behind… We had session 18 last Wednesday. We also played a evening of White Plume Mountain, which I hope to write about… but I’m starting in a new job, and with a 6-month old at home, there is a lot less time and energy. My main hope and priority is to continue the development of the campaign.  I hope I can keep up the blogging!

Our first session after the summer holiday, was a solid session with a couple of fun encounters and some clever use of spells, but wasn’t a session that pushed the plot much further. Therefore, this recap will also be relatively short. From a challenge perspective, the encounters could have been ramped up a bit, to put the big group in real danger, but on the other hand, I don’t mind that every encounter doesn’t feel hard. It puts the hard ones into perspective.

One of the things I really enjoy is that the players and character begin to get some clues about the history of the world they are in. They can see for example that this magic is very advanced, compared to what they know, and they begin to speculate about the civilization that came before – sometimes correctly, and sometimes not at all. [More on that in session 18…]

Descent…

The seven adventurers descended deeper into the mine, instead of moving through a horizontal shaft at their level. They ended up in a large cave, where couple of piercers dropped and a Roper ensnare three characters, and started to reel them in.

[I had placed the roper in the ceiling, but even so, they managed to get through its almost 100 hit points in short order.]

The druid was the final character, who was just about to be eaten 40 feet above the cave floor, when the Roper was killed, and the wizard had cast levitate on the druid, so he didn’t fall.

They explored the big lake in the cave and found a smaller cave with a dragon skeleton. Initially, only the gnome rogue and the druid went to the cave, and the rogue left in a hurry, when the dragons vengeful spirit (poltergeist with extra HD) attacked him. They went in the whole team wearily, and I rolled miserably, so the spirit was also killed, and the small dragon hoard taken.

From the cave, which was semi-natural, but with some signs of mining activity, they finally began moving back in the direction they believe they entered the mine from. The tunnel led to a large gate, which was protected by a double ward (dispel magic and fireball). They managed to set off the ward and move through the gate before they recharged. Inside they found a small foundry and the workshop where they built all the automatons they had encountered, including two new guardian automatons, which they defeated. Inside the final part of the workshop, they discovered a dial, which was like the lock on a safe. The gnome first failed to open it, and the room was filled with a Cloud Kill. That gave some serious damage, but they moved the cloud with a Gust of Wind, and decided to let the rogue try again (and he rolled nat 20). The lock opened a secret door to a room with an elevator, but it wasn’t powered.

The group figured that something must power the magical mine carts and the foundry and everything, and they were right. They rested in the foundry, Abbott, the group’s warlock talked about trusting Jarn, and Jarn explained how his order views users of magic, who have no code or creed or control, as witches that needs to be destroyed.

After a full rest, they moved on, an entered a room with a giant machine, guarded by more metal automatons.

Session 18 begins by rolling initiative! (which I view as the best way to start a gaming session)