Day 7, Part 2: Vytor the Gasser

The party fights their way to the east tower of the fortress, but the hobgoblins start an oil fire and smoke them out. They ascend to the roof and see Vytor standing on the roof of the central keep, not far away. He is full of nonsense about the divinatory power of mists or something, but he casts a deadly Cloudkill spell, and the party has to climb quickly down the tower on ropes to evade it.

Inside the keep, the party fights their way to Vytor's inner sanctum. Gwindle rushes ahead and is knocked out with a Sleep spell. The rest of the party kills Vytor after a long and difficult battle.

Chumsalt puts on Vytor's robe and wizard hat and dismisses the hobgoblins remaining in the keep with a clever ruse. The party loots Vytor's room and sets off a poison gas trap. Attempting to heal the victims, Grabathor feeds them unidentified potions. Chumsalt is temporarily transmuted to gaseous form. An inventive application of the Create Water spell saves the other victim, Gwindle.

Meanwhile, the hobgoblins who were out raiding return to the fortress.

The party goes downstairs and fights more hobgoblins, briefly explores the basement (a giant arachnid motivates them to leave), then finally makes their escape by casting Light as a distraction and running like hell.

Outside, the party finds their horses, but discover that Geen has died from wounds sustained from combat with hobgoblins. They transport her body back to Guffin.

Accounting:
Utter uses up 2 bandages, 3 sling bullets. 
Gwindle loots an old book (A Sojourn Through The Outer Planes, by Aelfmathar the Younger), uses up 2 arrows.
Grabathor uses up 1 oil flask, 8 arrows, 1 rope, 3 iron spikes.
Hinonk loots a shortbox and 6 arrows, uses up 6 arrows.
Chumsalt uses up 1 rope.
Gnaurm uses up 1 rope, 1 bandage.

All party members consume 1 day of rations.

The party loses their wagon but acquires a rusty key, 1 pack, 1 blanket, 1 shovel, 1 lantern, 2 oil flasks, 1 waterskin, 4 standard rations, 1 portable Balder shrine, 557 GP, 134 SP, 15 CP, 20 arrows, 8 assorted gems worth 1500 GP, 2 diamonds worth 1000 GP, a pearl necklace worth 300 GP, a ruby brooch worth 475 GP, 2 gold goblets worth 300 GP (as a set), a silver case worth 10 GP, a fine carpet worth 100 GP, a brass telescope worth 100 GP, some fine clothes worth 80 GP, a mildewy book protected by a heavily-trapped strongbox, 4 scrolls (Cloudkill, Conjure Elemental, 2 Stinking Cloud), Vytor's golden crook-ended staff, Vytor's Parzian scarab headdress that functions as a Helm of Comprehending Languages and Reading Magic, Vytor's quilted embroidered robe, Vytor's silver ring, Vytor's silver and jade amulet, an inscribed ceramic dagger, 4 glass vials, an ashwood wand, a yew wood shortbow, an iron mace with a ram's head, and a chamber pot holding Vytor's severed head.

All party members gain 4,847 XP each.

All party members except Gwindle gain 50 XP.

Day 7, Part 1: Geen Vangiarda

The party awakens to find themselves confronted by four teenagers from Favor, the village they camped near. They ask what the party is doing there and explain that several of their family members were recently lost while traveling to Clover, a village on the Plain on the way to Oracle Rock. After the last group of searchers disappeared they sent a messenger to Guffin to ask for help, and were promised that somebody from the Guild would investigate. The party assures them that they are there to help. The villagers send them off with breakfast.

On the Plain, the party finds several fresh graves with wildflowers laid on them. They dig one up and find a hobgoblin who died from a deep slash to the chest.

From a distance, the party sees a burning building in Clover. They arrive and investigate to find the village devoid of life. Livestock lie dead in their fields. The burning building is full of the bodies of villagers who died violently. Inside some of the houses, other villagers lie dead with no obvious wounds upon them. They loot spare change from the houses and find a diary that speaks of hobgoblin raids, and a last stand from the villagers capable of fighting them.

Moving on to Oracle Rock, the party finds the doors to the Temple of Apollo bashed in, and all the human and elf temple staff dead in a heap inside. The idol and altar have been desecrated, the temple valuables plundered, and a message has been painted on the wall: "YOUR GOD IS VAPOR." The party tries to explore the cavern where oracles are spoken, but a cloudy, foul-smelling gas prevents them from going more than a short ways inside.

Proceeding to the fortress, they run into Geen Vangiarda resting behind some trees, and she informs them that their wagon is loud and noticeable and hobgoblin riders are on their way to investigate. She charges ahead and beheads one of the riders before they can engage the party. The hobgobglins are defeated, with one taken prisoner. Grabathor impulsively maces his head in, to Geen's dismay.

Geen has a plan to attack the fortress while the bulk of the hobgoblin force is out raiding. She intends to distract the remaining hobgoblins while the party enters the fortress. The party goes along with this plan, fighting off five hobgoblins on their way in. Chumsalt is seriously hurt, but Gnaurm heals him. The party attempts to enter the east tower, but a hobgoblin blacksmith and his two assistants burst out of the door. The party defeats them, and they go inside...

Accounting:
The party loots (converted) 50 GP, 9 SP, and 3 CP from the houses of the dead in Clover. They also find a book of devotional woodcuts about Balder and a diary in Clover, and loot 6 oil flasks and 10 days of standard rations in Oracle Rock.
Chumsalt receives 6 arrows from Hinonk, who found them in Clover, and fires 4 arrows off fighting hobgoblins.
Grabathor uses up 1 flask of oil trying unsuccessfully to burn off the gas in the oracular cavern, fires off 4 arrows, and donates 2 tokens of Balder to a hobgoblin grave.
Utter expends 2 sling bullets.
The party loots 29 arrows from dead hobgoblins.
All party members gain 68 XP each.

Campaign World History

I've dropped a lot of passing references to the world this campaign takes place in, and I thought maybe it'd be a good idea to summarize it here. This world is based on, in rough order of influence, Europe in the Dark Ages, a half-baked fantasy world I sketched out for a novel I never ended up writing 10+ years ago, the D&D setting some guy who dungeon mastered for me on a camping trip (when I was, like, eleven) dreamed up, and contributed ideas from the player characters' backstories. It's generically dungeons-and-dragonsy by design. This post will outline the history of the world, abnd I'll follow it up with a post about the geography.

A History of the Werld

This world, known as Werld to astral travelers and spelljammers, is a temperate planet a little smaller than Earth but with the same physics and climate etc because Magic. It orbits a yellow sun known as The Sun and has one satellite known as The Moon. The Moon is speculated to contain labyrinths, demons, eldritch temples, and so forth, but nobody from Werld has been there yet.

Civilization arose in the land of Parz about 10,000 years ago. Parzian culture spread to Saien to the north and Hafer to the west but was mostly ignored by the cave-dwelling barbarians living elsewhere. Eventually Parz did what all great ancient world cultures do, they delved into forbidden magic they could not control and, failing to check themselves, wrecked themselves.

About 5,000 years ago, Parzian culture and philosophy was rediscovered by the city-state of Mez on the north shore of the Mezzoterranian Sea. They proceeded to form a great and prosperous republic with their neighboring city-states, and maintained friendly relations with the elves of Suprora to the west, and eventually Mez did what all great ancient republics do, they turned into a conquering empire. They siezed holdings in Hafer, retook the coastal cities of Parz, established a thriving presence on the wild and primordial island of Bload, and pushed against the borders of the great nation of Saien, but they could never gain a foothold to the northern countries of Engol and Jerma, where dwarves and orcs and savage men fought off their incursions.

However, about 1,000 years ago, the emperor Panseres succeeded in bringing Engol and Jerma to heel. His triumphs and popularity earned him many enemies in Mez, and he spent his final years ruling from the ancient castle of Engolan kings at Tar-Eng. When he died, a succession of incompetent rulers left the Mezan Empire weakened, and eventually they did what all aging empires do, they got overrun by raiding tribes of horsemen and orcs and goblin hordes, and over the next few hundred years local rule was restored to all of their colonies.

Currently, Engol is ruled by the High King at Tar-Eng. The great elven forest of Suprora on the southwest peninsula is technically part of Engol, but self-governs. Jerma's government is a confederacy of orcish tribes led by a Supreme Overlord, dwarven nations ruled by a Grand Council, and a High King of the human holdings. There are elves in Jerma but they have opted out of this arrangement. What once was the original Mezian Republic consists of a large number of small, warring city-states ruled by warlords and princelings. The original city-state of Mez is mostly ruins and is currently the stronghold of an archmage. Bload has been under the rule of a demented lich since shortly after the death of Panseres.

The kingdoms of Hafer are prosperous and engage in trade with the northern countries, but significant cultural exchanges have been few and far between since the fall of Mez. Saien is a vast and technologically advanced empire in its own right at this point, but keeps itself largely isolated. It it believed to have established colonies in Parz, which has not been visited by the western countries in many years, and of which little is presently known.

Update: here's a rough map of the world.

Day 6: Imperial Road

In the morning, the party members split up to shop for new gear. Chumsalt finds the half-orc girl he hired to spy for him. She reports that the priest of Balder is engaged in many strange, nefarious, and not entirely plausible activities.

Meanwhile, Darren comes to realize that despoiling sites of cultural heritage and murdering members of the goblinoid races is not where his true path lies. He leaves the party for now to seek out his ogre heart.

The party meets at the Golden Trestle Antiquities Exchange. Inside, they meet Drimmo Woolfoot, who turns out to be the halfling they captured and interrogated in the marsh on their previous adventure. He blackmails them into either assassinating a rival Guild member sent to root out an evil ex-Guild wizard who has taken up residence in the Fortress of Narzod to the southeast, or completing the task out from under her, thereby humiliating and discrediting her. He also demands a large sum of GP as their buy-in to the Guild, stating that it will have to be considerably larger if they take the non-assassination option.

Gwindle asks around about the wizard and learns that hobgoblins have been spotted around the vicinity of Oracle Rock, a small but notable religious center near the fortress.

On the way out, the party meets Hinonk, a gnome illusionist and thief who asks to travel with them to Oracle Rock.

The party travels south along the Imperial Road, and stops at a roadside inn where they meet a half-orc mercenary headed back to Guffin after plying his trade for the warring city-states of what remains of Mez. He declines an offer to join them, but buys them a round of drinks.

Further down the road, the party finds a small village and sets up camp for the night nearby.

Accounting:
Chumsalt pays 21 GP, 1 SP, and 9 CP for a stylish ranger's hat, 5 standard rations, 5 iron rations, 60' rope, metal foreceps, chainmail gloves, 10 bandages, 5 small cloth sacks, a hand mirror, sausages for the half-orc girl, and roasted potatoes.
Grabathor cashes in his 300 GPV sapphire and from the proceeds, buys one wagon and two outfitted horses (named Spike and Moldy) for 236 GP. He also pays 11 GP and SP out of his personal funds to buy a cap, 12 arrows, a larger quiver, 2 flasks of oil, 10 iron spikes, a tinder box, 7 days iron rations, and a round of drinks.
Gwindle pays 12 GP and 7 SP for 7 days standard rations, 1 barrel, 1 fiddle of decent quality, 1 weeks' supply of pipeweed, and bribes to city guards.
Utter pays 6 SP for 10 bandages and a spare cloak.
Gnaurm pays 6 GP, 8 SP, and 5 CP for 100' of rope, 5 bandages, 3 flasks of oil, and 7 days standard rations.
Utter pays 9 SP for 10 bandages, a spare cloak, and a roast chicken.

Another new character

The party has acquired a new member. Here's his character sheet.

Day 5: Return to Guffin

The people of Thantry ferry the party across the river, and they walk back to the hut of the Jermal eel fisherman to retrieve Thrim the mule. Heading south through the marsh, the party encounters a pair of axebeaks, who rush in to attack and nearly kill Gwindle. Darren neutralizes the threat with a sleeping spell.

On the road to Guffin, the party meets a bard and artist who calls himself The Snail. Gwindle buys a sketch of the party from him.

Outside of the city, the gnomish Juiblex cult is having a tent revival and potluck. Attempting to persuade them to follow the dwarvish goddess Bastion instead, Gnaurm informs the gnomes that chaos and destruction is the way of Juiblex, and the gnomes respond by rioting and letting the tent burn down. Chumsalt persuades Fnib, the de facto cult leader, to take his followers north to the barrows and clear out the Tumulus of Chalmaber to be used as a shelter for the homeless. Fnib agrees, with the caveat that they also convert it to a temple of Juiblex.

Back in Guffin, the party revisits the Many-Legged Flagon. Torvir is gone for the day, but a drunkard sells them his home address for 3 GP.

Torvir is saddened and disturbed by the state of his friend's remains, but he writes the party a letter of introduction to the Guild, as promised, and tells them to bring it to a fellow named Drimmo Woolfoot at the Golden Trestle Antiquities Exchange, a well-known establishment in the mercantile quarter. He also gives them 20 GP each as a token of his gratitude. The party returns to the Flagon to spend the night.

During the night, each party member receives a mysterious gift: a cloak for Utter, a sapphire worth 300 GP and a silver foreman's whistle for Grabathor, a silver arrow for Chumsalt, a cone of musky incense for Gnaurm, and a new staff for Darren.

 

Accounting:
Utter loses 1 sling bullet and receives a new blue cloak.
Gwindle pays 1 GP for a sketch of the party.
Grabathor receives a 300 GPV sapphire and a silver whistle.
Gnaurm receives a cone of incense.
Darren receives a staff.
Chumsalt receives a silver arrow.
The party pays 5 GP from its shared coffer for Torvir's address and food and lodging.
All party members gain 18 XP and 20 GP each.

Day 4: Chalmaber's Crypt

Gnaurm finds the party sleeping in the sarcophagus room, wakes them up, and after some discussion, agrees to join and help them, for the time being.

In the morning, the party explores a room containing a basin full of water and four altars. Six larvae are sleeping in the basin. They awaken and attack the party. Injured, Gwindle drinks the potion they found in the furniture room, and it heals him.

The party opens a set of iron double doors and finds a tall, hairy, skeletal creature with a horned serpentine head inside, sealed within a triangle drawn on the ground in powder. He implores Utter and Gwindle to release him, but his manner of mental speech confuses them and they fail to strike a bargain. They close the doors on the demon and leave him there.

Searching the sarcophagus, the party finds four linen bundles and a jar. They open the jar and pour out a small octopus preserved in embalming fluid.

Unsure where to go next, the party searches the burnt-out furniture room again, and finds needle hidden by illusion that opens a secret door when Grabathor pricks his finger on it. Beyond the door is a hallway covered, floor and walls, with a thick, toxic carpet of black mold. Utter pokes at the mold with Darren's staff, and the mold swiftly destroys it, but not before they discover a halfling skull and some of the purloined goods from the furniture room hidden beneath the mold. Eventually, the party decides to wrap their boots in pieces of their cloaks and run across the mold as fast as they can.

Past the moldy hallway, the party descends more stairs and comes to a circular chamber with a labyrinth pattern on the floor, surrounding a small pit containing a skeleton. There is a man with a strange head injury next to the pit, and a wraith tracing the path of the labyrinth. Chumsalt soon discovers that trying to walk across the room without staying on the labyrinth path results in a violent blow from an invisible force. Strangely, the wraith approaches Chumsalt and casts Cure Light Wounds on him.

Identifying the wounded, incoherent man as Torvir's friend, the party has Darren cast Unseen Servant to snare him in a lasso. They try to drag him to the door, but the invisible force strikes him several times. The wraith heals him, but he's no longer conscious. When they leave the room with the body, the wraith screams and pursues them. Grabathor tries to fight the wraith with the dagger they found (now understood to be enchanted), but the wraith flies directly for Chumsalt, carrying the body. Utter races back to the pit to smash the skeleton, in the hopes that will stop the wraith, but it doesn't. Chumsalt throws the body into the mold, where its flesh is quickly consumed. Once the body is dead the wraith loses interest in it and floats back to its labyrinth.

Gwindle fetches an urn from the furniture room to keep the moldy bones in. Despite some mishaps, the party makes it to the hallway with the cursed ledge and the spike pit. Gnaurm falls into the pit when he attempts to cross, and Grabathor falls in after him in a botched rescue attempt, grievously injuring himself. The party waits until Gnaurm can heal him.

When Chumsalt tries to cross with the urn tied to his back, he slips, and the urn falls into the spike pit, shattering. Utter descends into the pit, avoiding the pressure plate gas trap, and collects as many of the bones as he can, along with the identifying necklace and bracers.

At long last, the party emerges from beneath the Tumulus of Chalmaber and follows Gnaurm back to Thantry, where they receive food and shelter, along with clothes, packs and boots to replace what was destroyed by mold, by Gnaurm's missionary friends. Darren identifies the necklace and bracers as magical items.

Accounting:
The party recovers most of the bones of Torvir's friend, along with his engraved bracers and silver necklace, and carries them in a large urn of negligible value.
The party identifies the bronze dagger they found as a dagger +1, and the liquid in the vial as a potion of healing, which Gwindle consumes.
Gwindle gains 1,369 XP.
Utter gains 1,069 XP and uses 1 bandage.
Grabathor gains 969 XP and loses 1 arrow and 1 token of Balder experimenting in the labyrinth room.
Gnaurm gains 869 XP and gives 5 of his torches to Darren, who uses them up.
Darren gains 869 XP.
Chumsalt gains 869 XP.
The party leaves one rope behind in the tomb.