Return to the Tomb of Horrors
In the beginning II

Prelude

Dave: Which part of DF is unclear to you?

John: I have +3 to hit and +5 to damage and my AC is -4
Steve: I thought you were a wizard...

Mike: Mind if I use your copier?
Steve: Nope, you can't. Never mind that I got it pretty much for gaming or that you've used it dozens of times or that everyone else has already used it, I'm just feeling a little peavish!

Sorry, couldn't resist...

Adventure Summary

The various members of the group were in town following a recent festival. Some had been drawn by the festival, some by the opportunity for trade and a few by rumors of a great evil rising in the town. All of them were resting comfortably at a peaceful waterfront inn called Kale's Corner when the night was suddenly split by a shrill, blood-curdling scream.

Rushing into the street they were enveloped in an unnaturally thick mist which obscured their vision and chilled them to the bone. Were that not enough, they soon found the body of the man who had screamed just moments earlier. He had been horribly gutted and his evil killer confronted the group, ready to strike again.

It was a hideous, water-logged sailor. Clearly he had been killed before but had somehow survived to exact a horrible vengeance on the living. Worse yet, the rest of his crew was behind him. Albion moved to protect the priest, but his gesture was in vain -- with a commanding voice and a looming presence, Harper commanded the dead men to depart and trouble the living no longer. Four of them crumbled to ash immediately.

The rest of the group engaged them in combat and within a matter of moments, eight more of the creatures had been dispatched. Just as the last of them departed for the lands of the dead once more, the town guard arrived. They seemed skittish, but they thanked the company for their efforts and, when asked a few questions about the walking dead, suggested the company speak with their captain in the morning. The only clue they found as to the origin of the walking corpses was a tatoo of a pearl on the shoulder of one man.

Deciding to find the ship and see if there were any more of the creatures, the group searched the docks until they found "The Pearl", a rather squat ship looking as though it had been neglected for a while. A check of the captain's log revealed nothing unusual, but the entire ship was empty, with not even a single sailor on watch.

Back in the tavern, introductions were made and Albion bought a round of drinks to thank the others for saving him. The innkeeper overheard their whispered conversation and suggested they speak with Paven, a captain who maintained his entire crew had been kidnapped from the decks of the Pearl. The captain could be found at another, less savory tavern further down the docks.

The group converged on the tavern, joined by the wizard Conner. Rather than frighten Paven off, it was decided that only Marduke and Albion would speak to him initially. The rest of the company surrounded the place, covering the doors and windows which Albion remembered from an earlier visit.

The tavern was nearly empty and within moments, Albion had convinced the owner to close up early and leave the group to tend to their business. Paven, strengthened by their belief in him and a steady supply of ale, told them his tale.

"I went ashore to make some arrangements. When I got back, my whole crew was gone. I looked around but didn't see any sign of them. I suddenly became aware of something watching me, from up in the rigging. It was large, I think, and had two glowing red eyes. It told me I could leave or I could stay and The Devourer would get me. Well, I jumped clean off the ship and I haven't been back, I'm never sailing again."

Satisifed that he had shared what he could, and that he was telling the truth, the group returned to the inn, taking Paven with them. Kale wasn't too happy to see the drunken captain, but agreed to look after him. He remembered the devourer too, but not what it meant. He suggested they see a sage in the morning, naming a couple in the bizarre who might be able to help them. As a precaution, Albion insisted they search the waters beneath the ship to see if there were any clues there. They found several swords and coin purses which looked to have been lost recently, but nothing else of note. Their work done for the evening, the group headed for bed.

After several hours sleep and a warm bath, the group went to see the captain. He again thanked them for their efforts and told them that there had been similar encounters outside the city, but none inside until now. He accepted their offer of help and suggested they speak with a sage named Peter for more help.

Peter proved less than helpful, but he directed them to Arrons who did give them some useful advice. He didn't know much about The Devourer, but he had done some research for a wizard named Desatysso years earlier. He gave them what he knew and a map to Desatysso's keep.

The group assembled a small band of guards and headed for the keep. When they arrived, both the keep and the road to it were in ruins. While their men-at-arms set up camp, the group began their assault on the rugged mountain terrain surrounding it. The first part of the climb was mostly uneventful, thanks in no small part to Captain Stone's mountaineering skills.

As the group readied themselves for the second phase, disaster struck. Two giants appeared on a ledge above them and pelted Sir Goddard with rocks. While he wheeled to attack the giants, Calvair Cindermoon and Conner launched a volley of lightning bolts at them. While the rest of the group scrambled to aid Goddard, he killed the two giants with two blows from his holy sword.

The assault continued and the group found themselves at the ruined gatehouse of the keep. Spotting a giant behind a closed door, Captain Stone immediately hurled his hammer, leaving it badly wounded. The other giants behind the door pushed it shot and leaned on it. A brief parlay ensued in which Albion asked the giants if they could see some of the wizard's effects. One of the giants left to pursue the matter with the tribal elders.

While the giant was gone, Calvair Cindermoon grew bored and found another way into the keep. He immediately charged the giants and was very surprised when they struck back in force. Albion joined him inside and managed to distract the one at the door sufficiently to let the rest of the group enter the room. The battle was fierce and deadly, and when it was over, five more giants lay dead.

The group found a key in the wreckage, but nothing else of value. They started up a long, winding ramp which led up to the top of the mountain. A few minutes into their hike, they heard a loud rumbling sound and looked up to see a ten foot boulder rolling at them. Calvair Cindermoon leaped it, Albion pushed the priest to the ground against one wall, Conner used a spell to jump it and Marmaduke drank a potion of flight. Of the group, the dwarf alone stood up to the wrath of the stone. Everyone watched in horror as the massive boulder struck the dwarf; they were shocked to see him stand up and dust himself off after it passed.

They charged up the hill hoping to avoid a second such stone. As they reached the top, they joined Sir Goddard who was already trying to slay the two guardians there. With battle looming, the matriarch of the Mountain giant clan called for silence and terms were struck. She had one box which belonged to the wizard that they had never opened. She would let the group take what they were looking for from it, but they would have to give the rest to her.

The group agreed and Albion was able to open the chest using the key they'd found earlier. Most of what was inside had been destroyed by acid, but they found a handful of gems and a tattered journal. All but one of the gems was given to the giant - although he hadn't realized it at the time, one of them had fallen into a fold of Albion's cloak and by the time he did realize it, they were too far from the giant's lair to make returning it practical.

The book was restored and the group headed back to the city.

Quotebag

Captain Stone: I stand guard outside the sage's tower.
Joe₁: Hey look, he's got a lawn gnome!

Harper: Why is a merchant so eager to battle against evil?
Albion: Evil is bad for commerce!

Sir Goddard: Very generous of you.
Albion: I spare no expense in the pursuit of evil.

(At the guardhouse, they find a man who can't sleep because his neighbor's cat is too loud)
Albion: Here's a gold, buy earplugs.
Marduke: Here's two, buy a big dog.

Albion: Join us! We need to be in pairs for the climb.
Conner: But that would makes us...
Albion: Shhhh!

Dave: I dance into the room and kill him eloquently

Dave: You got rolled over by a boulder?
Tim: yep
Dave: Henhehhenhehenhenhenhenk

Treasure

Ioun stone of spell absorption

Desatysso's journal

Experience

1. Used in this instance to reward a non-linear approach to the monsters. In the future, single combat or "sneaking around back" may result in your untimely demise.
2. I'm really glad your character has a flying saddle. I'm glad he has a holy avenger. Until he had the saddle, he rode a horse. Just like everyone else. No xps is a better solution than removing the item. The simplest way to deal with a problem item is to remove it from your character. The next time it happens (anyone) the item in question just disappears--sorry but I don't have the time or inclanation to listen to how you think you're going to mix/max after I let everyone have carte-blanche. I'm not taking a survey.
3. Nice class/alignment violation.
   If you wanna play a paladin,
   don't lie.
   Don't cheat.
   Don't kill out of hand.
   You get fun powers, you diety takes em away. If you have any questions, see item #2.