The Party
Longo Lightfoot, Halfling Thief, wears a sky-blue headscarf. Played by CaptainSabatini.
Corby the Joyful, Human Cleric of Sucellus, wears a short, conical hat. Played by diregrizzlybear.
Idred the Most Omniscient, Human MU, wears a full-visored greathelm. Played by David Perry.
Boroth Swinney the Joyous, Human Fighter, played by Justin Hamilton
Lisette the Lucky, Torchbearer who had been on a previous expedition to the castle, and saw most of her companions butchered.
Willemot the Wary, Light Footman.
Stanislas, Light Footman.
Francois, Light Footman, and his hunting dog Fideaux.
Aymeric, Heavy Footman, boasts about the bonuses the party will pay him once he saves their asses.
Ysabeau, Heavy Footman, wants to start his own adventuring company once he has the funds.
Ranucci's player couldn't make the session, and likely will not be in the game going forward. Our nigh-omniscient wizard is now a crazy NPC under GM control.
Loot
Opal-inlaid diadem, 1000gp
Gold-rimmed spectacles, 170gp
Arrow, fletched with red and purple feathers
Silver dagger
2 bottles of brandy (as potion of healing)
2 bottles of champagne (as potion of heroism)
Bottle of aquavit, unknown effect
Casualties
No deaths, no injuries
The Game
- The party stood 20 feet across from a procession of dark monks. They announce, "Begone, defilers! You will not blaspheme in this place!" The party maintained their cool, and Corby even tried to make peace with them with an offering of wine, observing the fresco behind them depicting a vineyard.
- The lead monk spat on Corby's offering and threatened to rip the party to shreds. The party decided that discretion is the better part of valor, and backed out of the room, leaving Hortensia in the care of the monks. For the moment, their wedding plans are dashed.
- The party explored the nearby area more thoroughly. Longo's curiosity was piqued by a cramped closet converted into a bedroom, from which a dripping sound issued without an obvious source. An adjacent bedroom contained a tall, soot-covered mirror, which when cleaned showed the party as barely-visible shades, but the remains of the dead reflected clearly. This item became an object of fascination for them.
Idred: I like this room, but's let's leave.
- In the corridor, the party observed a pinpoint of rainbow light float and bob through the air. They stood-stock still, and the dancing light seemed to ignore them.
- The party continued east, and came to a giant vestibule, with a vaulted ceiling, stone pillars, and a floor covered entirely in guano. This was the entryway Lisette remembered from her previous expedition: the killer hat was still perched on its rack in the corner.
- A ghost slumped against one of the pillars, but stood up and composed itself as the party approached. It introduced itself as James Honore Malevol, butler to the Malevol estate.
James: Please, may I take your hat and cloak?
Corby: Sure. He hands off his trademark conical hat.
James: Oh, how fashionable. You must hail from far Pneumonia!
Corby: Yes, from around there.
James: Tries to take the hat, which passes through his hands and falls to the guano-encrusted floor. Oh, what a strange accident. I'll have one of the maids clean it up.
- The party spent a good deal of time speaking to him, learning the layout of the castle. He danced around certain subjects and refused to reveal any private information about his patrons. All in the most polite way, of course.
- James directed the party to a sitting room just nearby for them to occupy while he got the maids to set proper lodgings for them. They found themselves in a ratty room lit by an oil lamp that swung back and forth under some strange force. They experimented and determined that some metal items were attracted to, and might get stuck, to the ceiling.
Ranucci: I know how they work!
- Longo left his metal equipment at the door, and managed to slip across the room with no issue. In the next room, he found a long oak table and several chairs, with a decapitated corpse sitting in one. The whole place was scratched and smashed to oblivion. In the wardrobe in the corner, he found an orderly collection of human skulls. One of them was still wearing a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles, which Longo looted.
- A curtained archway led beyond, and Longo found a gambling room set up. Luxurious seats, a card table, a liquor cabinet and a wall covered in weapons. Longo opened up the liquor cabinet and retrieved some brandy, champagne and aquavit.
- He reported back to the party, and they were intrigued by the twenty-odd weapons (mostly swords). They came up with a scheme using a length of rope to carry them across without the blades sticking to the ceiling. They successfully removed a cutlass, and the Longo turned his attention to the gem of the collection: a wicked two-handed number with a plaque labeling it 'The Blade of Rel'.
- Immediately upon touching the blade, it jumped off its pegs, and placed itself at Longo's throat. At the same time, each of the other weapons on the wall levitated and surrounded him. The Blade of Rel pushed slowly against his artery, and Longo's attempts to negotiate did nothing to calm it. At a critical moment, Longo dodged to the side as the sword pulled back to deliver a decapitating blow. He exploded back through the curtain, over the table, through the doorway, and slammed it shut. An instant later, a dozen blades stabbed into the wood. The party evacuated the room as the door was broken down, and the blades were stuck to the ceiling.
- Taking a detour to the north of the vestibule, the party found themselves in a hall of portraits, with stairs leading upstairs and the statue of a roaring gryphon. The statue had a plaque on it which read: Courage Vindicated. Ranucci reached into its mouth and retrieved another bottle of champagne.
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| By Jerzy Bąk |
- The party examined the portraits in turn. Each had a nameplate underneath, and the images animated and spoke to them. Philomene Malevol invited the party to her upstairs suite. Girolamo demanded paperwork. Marcel demanded food, and grew more malnourished as he ate. The portrait of Hubert the Huntsman fired an arrow though the paintings, barely missing Corby. The party took the red and purple-fletched arrow for further inspection.
- The party returned to the servant areas. Another lush sitting room hosted the corpse of a noblewoman, staring into her reflection in a hand mirror, wearing a beautiful jeweled diadem. The party carefully knocked it off with a pole, and the woman's head fell off her neck like a ripe apple falling off a tree, landing on the floor with a hollow noise.
- Not far away, the party heard swirling water and loud croaking behind another doorway. They burst inside and found several tubs of water, with a giant toad lying inside one, grinning. When asked if anybody spoke Frog, Ranucci jumped up and announced that he did.
Giant Toad: Croak, croak.
Ranucci: I am the crown prince Izalor!
Giant Toad: Croak.
Ranucci: I require the greatest and most steadfast allies to aid me!
Giant Toad: Ribbit.
Ranucci: I have a quest, a quest of conquest! All the land from Xyntillan to Chamrousse shall fall under my sway!
Party: What does he need us to do?
Giant Toad: Croak.
Ranucci: ...
Party: ...
Ranucci: I'm rusty, okay!
- The giant toad croaked sadly and opened its mouth further, but made no aggressive motion. The party left the animal to its own devices. They returned to the eastern wing of the castle, continuing on from the portrait hall. They soon found themselves in front of an opulent door with a strange lock, made of black iron and shaped like a bat
Idred: Yeah, we know whose room this is. Let's leave it be.
- They kept south, and found a room covered in acid-spewing slugs, which the party quickly noped out of.
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| By Kory Cromie |
- They turned, and immediately came face to face with three monstrosities as the edge of their torchlight. Hulking bird-headed humanoids, which shrieked and charged them. The party beat a fighting retreat through the narrow corridor, their first line of hirelings keeping the monsters from the squishier party members. They got lucky, with only a couple of the hirelings getting hit, and none of them were permanently injured. After putting one to sleep and beating another almost to death, the party fled, hiding behind doors and running through twisting passageways.
- Returning to the mirror, the party examined their hard-won loot in the reflection, trying to figure out how the mirror worked. The session ended there, with the party scratched but enriched with gold and information.
Takeaways
I'm still working out a good description and mapping procedure. The map of Castle Xyntillan is intricate, and accurately describing the twists and turns to create an accurate map takes time.
I was given permission by Ranucci's player to let the party use him as their guinea pig for any traps or weird items. I even have a few specific options to kill him off in humorous, player-approved ways.
I think my diction has improved slightly, likely because I was careful to drink a lot of water before the game and not to drink.
There's a little quirk in the Swords and Wizardry combat system, where the party that wins initiative must move or lose their chance for the round; they can't wait to see what their opponent does. Weirdly, this means that the party which loses initiative can retreat from a melee and keep ahead of an equally fast enemy. This allowed the party to escape the reach of the Stygous birds.
Next Chapter: Crusaders and Carousing
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