Realizing the fort is a trap to prevent people from finding the sword, Barston and the others have returned to the surface to look for clues.
This one is going to be a slight bit different than the usual pattern of "draw two cards, mash them together into a scene." What we'll do is draw a card and then figure out how it makes sense, then do a "search test" to see if they figure out that the sword is held in the fist. From there we might need to figure out how to actually open the fist.
The first encounter/complication is...
- 69 - 1d3 Ghouls.
We'll use the OG ghouls from Out of the Pit (page 57). 8/7 undead with 2 attacks. Medium claws for weapons. No armor. No morale/etc. They simply attack and seek to feed. If any character takes four hits, they are paralyzed. It doesn't give more details than that. In the Warlock of Firetop Mountain (section 230), the Ghoul is described pretty much exactly as this. I'll say that paralysis lasts for one hour per hit cumulative starting with four: four + five + six, etc.
How many are there? Just a single one. Something of a surprise attack, then.
Against {B | D | F} → Barston.
Barston is pulling up a rotted piece of wood...
Awareness check. He has 7 Skill + 2 ranks in Awareness. 2d6 = 8. That's 17. He will see the ghoul before it attacks.
...and jumps back as a rotting corpse pulls itself out of a hollow underneath and approaches. Barston takes no time to defend himself.
Ghoul has two attacks and one target. Therefore it gets +2 (total of 10) until either Derron or Faruin can join.
- B vs G: 7+11* vs 9+10. The ghoul wins. It does (medium claws) 5 (4 Stamina) while Barston blocks 6 (3 from Breastplate +1 from Shield). Barston takes no damage.
- Quick check: Can Derron join next round (50/50) → 76. No. Can for sure on round three.
- Can Faruin? (50/50) → 30. She can.....but, she still has no weapon. She's going in swinging with a rock she finds on the ground.
* This is different from his attack value in recent sessions. I have decided to retcon the "Max Special Skill = 1/2 Skill (or Magic)" rule. The only one violating it was Barston. I refunded the 50xp for him.
Barston calls out as the undead thing slashes claws across his armor. Derron, on the other side of the fort, shouts back and starts making his way, there. Faruin grabs up a rock and rushes to join in.
- ROUND TWO
- B and F vs G: 11+11 [22] vs 3+8 [11] and 11+7 [18] vs 9+8 [17]. Both hit the ghoul. Barston scores a Powerful Blow. Does (Mace) 2+1=3 (3 Stamina * 2 = 6). Faruin does (Improvised Weapon) 1 (1 Stamina). That's enough to destroy the ghoul.
As Derron is rushing up, the ghoul is collapsing after having its head bashed in by Faruin's rock.
The three poke in the hollow...
We doing treasure, people. Ghoul = Standard Undead. Rolled a 10. That's worth 1d6 gp (1gc), 1 item (), 1d6 gc worth of treasure (5), and one magic item ().
Treasure is (1) Scattered. We'll say in the pit where it has been dragging its occasional.
The coins are (5) standard.
The gear is (5) food and drink. I rolled 6, 2, 3 for "Rat gizzard soup." I'll just say there are lots of rat carcasses, his primary source of food.
Treasure is (12) eggs. Hmm. It's an Arena Beast egg (1,3). That's...I mean, I like it. Picture something like a raptor from Jurassic World. Derron is...good...with animals.
Magic is (4) a Potion. It's an Aylmer's Elixir. It essentially gives a priest +2 devotion before the use of their next power.
That can be for Faruin.
And you are dang right that I am going to treat the egg as if it is viable to hatch. I don't care. Derron is getting a pet, dang it.
...and inside they find a single gold piece, a jar of some sort of elixir, a huge quantity of rat bones, and a fair sized egg. They also spend some time discussing plans to avoid getting sneak attacked in their continued search.
+2 to Awareness checks vs Surprise.
Excitement aside, they spend the rest of the afternoon looking for clues...
Lowest to highest Awareness.
- Derron (0 ranks with 8 Skill): 10+8 = 18.
- Faruin (1 rank with 7 skill): 7+8 = 15.
- Barston (2 rank with 7 skill): 7+9 = 16.
We'll say the people who hid it had a collective Skill of 10. 10+8 = 18. Derron manages to tie. He'll get +2 in the morning.
...but though Derron feels like he is making great progress, he finds nothing. Just a sense of how the people who ran this anti-mage fort thought in the latter days of their war.
-1 Provision for each.
- 96 - Bone Golem.
Bone Golems (Return to the Pit, page 97) are a tricky fight to fight. They are only 8/9 with a special Runesword weapon (3 stamina, cuts through armor...but we'll say not Dodge) and they rebuild until their bones are actually broken down.
In this light, we will say damage from the Bow cannot be healed but it's not like the team will know this. At least not at first.
Who is keeping watch at the time? {D | F} → D.
That night, Derron is perched on a rock slab near the pair of tents...
Awareness Check: 8+9 = 17. He spots it.
...when he sees a strange, pale shape making its way for the tents. Looking closer in the moonlight, the creature looks to be made out of human bones but beyond that does not look human. It has three heads and four arms. There is an extra joint in its legs. It is currently crawling with claw and a glowing green blade extended.
Derron times his leap from the rock and attempts to land on the back of the creature...
Derron's jump test: 6+9 = 15. That's success. I'll give him +3 damage the first round.
Is there enough light for Derron to see clearly? (50/50) → 76. No. He'll be at a -2 penalty to hit, though.
- D vs BG: 4+12-2 = 14 vs 7+8+2 (for the free arm). Bone golem blocks the leap attack but D's lightning strike means he is in charge of the first round. I'll pay the +3 forward to the next round for either damage or dodge, but drop it to +2.
- Derron shouts to wake folks up. 1 round before they can join.
- D vs BG: 8+12-2 = 18 vs 7+8+2 = 17. D lands a hit for (martial arts 4) 3+2+1 = 6 (4 stamina). Golem blocks (medium armor) 5 (2 of that). Takes 2 stamina out of 9.
- D vs BG: 10+12-2 = 20 vs Critical hit. Dang. Golem gets 3 stamina and knocks Derron down. Because it was a Crit, I'll say it negates the dodge altogether.
...and after a couple of quick exchanges of blows finds the creature grabbing him by the ankle and tossing up against the rock. The green-hued blade has sliced through his leg without even damaging the cloth of his robes.
Derron hears Faruin and Barston join the fight.
The bone golem has two attacks: one with rune sword, and one with medium claw. It just knocked Derron away, so we'll say sword goes to {B|F} → B. F will be unarmed fighting the claw.
- ROUND FOUR
- B vs BGs: CRIT vs 9+8. For the Crit, Barston gets 5, which says the target is bleeding badly. Is this applied to the Bone Golem in some way? (50/50) → 44. Random Event. 93 Stop 40 Enemies. We'll...say yes, as he damages the bone golem, strange dust starts pouring out of it. In exchange, the Golem will get +1 to its attack as time is running out. That being said, 23 total vs 17 total is a Powerful Blow. Barston scores (Mace+1) 5+1 for 3 stamina. Times 2. The bone golem's "armor" prevents (Medium Armor) 1 (0) of that. 6 Damage + the 2 it already has has it almost dead. It will be so at the end of the turn.
- F vs BGc: 9+7 vs 8+8. She blocks the claw with her arm but gets no damage in.
- Bone Golem takes 1d3 damage, so loses the last stamina.
Before we close the combat, though, let's ask: Is the Rune Sword something that can be de-attached? (Unlikely) → 73. No, it fades with the golem. Well, the magic does. This way Faruin can have a sword but we'll say it is -1D from rust.
Just to keep the "treasure train" going, we'll say it has a necklace worth 3d6 gc on it: 16gc. It will have to be sold, of course.
As the creature fades into dust, the light of its sword also fades. No longer a glowing green blade, it is now a simple rusted sword with runes etched into it.
Faruin picks it up. It will do in a pinch.
Around its neck, at least where it was, the creature was wearing a necklace of a fist. While the ghoul might have been coincidental, or drawn here to the ancient magics and anti-magics lacing the area, this creature seems like it was designed to protect the ruins of the fort. Likely helping the ghoul to find victims in the process.
"Get some sleep," Derron says. Holding his wound. Faruin whispers a prayer over it and it closes back up, leaving only dried blood where it was.
The next morning, the party looks around once more for the sword's resting place...
B: 6+9 [15]. D: 7+8+2 [17]. F: 9+8 [17]. None pass the 18 threshold. Next session, we'll have another encounter of some sort and then do another "midday" check but now everyone will get an additional +1.
...but find nothing yet. However, more and more they feel like they are unearthing the secrets of this place.
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