Lizardmen and Goblins
Date: Wednesday December 8th, 1999
Adventurers:
* Nialis: high elf, enchanter, Mage 4, LN
* Grumbleduke, dwarf, male, fighter 4, LG
* Rodan the Billet, human, male, Priest (of St Cuthbert), 4, LG
* Ulthran, half elf, male, bard 4, NG
Godsday, Coldeven 25th, 581
The adventurers have captured the Sea Ghost and her crew of
smugglers. Aboard they find a cargo hold full of supplies,
including many casks of wine and brandy as well as bolts of good
quality silk. Eventually they locate a secret compartment that
contains 40 crates loaded with weapons. Other revelations include
a small dragon-like creature in one of the cabins and which
refuses to budge despite the coaxing of Ulthron, and a sea elf,
named Oceanus who is bound and gagged in another secret
compartment. Once freed the sea-elf informs the party that he had
been watching the Sea Ghost unload cargo to a lizard man
community and had then slipped aboard to investigate but had been
captured by the pirates. He was very happy to be freed and agrees
to show the adventurers where the lizard man camp is.
The following morning Rodan and Shadowblade row back to Saltmarsh to get the sheriff and some excise men to act as crew as the adventurers can't sail the Sea Ghost. About lunchtime the ship arrives at port and an inventory of the cargo is taken. One quarter of the cargo is handed over as tax but the rest is given to the party, as is the pirates vessel. The ship is then sailed back along the coast and moored off Milthorpe Manor and the cargo transferred to the secret rooms beneath the house.
Earthday, Coldeven 27th, 581
The past couple of days are quite hectic as the adventurers make
preparations to attack the lizard man lair. The rescued sea elf,
Oceanus agrees to guide the ship and the local council, alarmed
by the presence of the lizard men near their town, provide a crew
for the ship. The council also provides the party with two
scrolls each which contain three spells, to aid the adventueres
in their mission.
About midday the ship is anchored off the mouth of the Dunmarsh River and Nialis, Ulthran, Rodan and Grumbleduke row ashore. As they land six lizard men appear out of the swamp and start talking in their guttural language and demanding the weapons. After a few minutes the adventurers attack with spells. Five of the lizard men fall to hold person spells and the last to Grumbleduke's blade. The party then heads into the swamp, following a trail that ends at a ruined temple. Rodan cautiously approaches the structure, covered by the others but it appears all clear so the others join him on the steps. Creeping from pillar to pillar the adventurers close in on a curtain made of shells. Ulthran pushes the screen aside to peer into the chamber beyond and sees ten lizard men gathered in a circle talking quietly amongst themselves. Nialis uses a fireball from one of the scrolls and kills all the humanoids before the party advances to investigate the large chamber. There is a blood stained altar at the back of the room, three stagnant pools of water, and a fresco on the wall of a giant lizard man.
Examining the rear wall Grumbleduke locates a secret door and opens it. He and Rodan step into the room beyond, disturbing its slumbering occupant, a large reptilian creature. At this point Rodan, Grumbleduke and Nialis - mistaking the reptilian creature for a dragon-crap themselves and believe that their number is up. It is only after the battle is over that they realise that it is in fact something else, something they'd never heard of, or seen before (a behir). Ulthran takes cover behind one of the pools and starts to fire on the creature as Grumbleduke and Rodan attack. Rodan is blasted by a bolt of electricity the creature spat at him while Ulthran is almost dragged into the pool by a watery creature (water weird) and decides that hiding behind the lip of the pool wasn't such a good idea afterall.
A nasty battle follows and Rodan is almost killed before his companions come through and win the day- which is mainly thanks to Grumbleduke's deadly axe. The creature falls over the battered and bloody remains of the cleric who had almost been bitten in half by the behir. Ulthran uses a potion of healing to restore his companion to health before they loot the lair. It's treasure including a magical flail (+1), a longsword (+4 defender), and a potion as well as numerous gems. But they fail to find any other secret doors so turn their attention to the pools in the main temple area. Tying a rope around Rodan he approaches the first pool but is hauled back when the water weird tries to attack.
Deciding that they can't harm the weird with weapons Rodan calls upon St Cuthbert's power and casts a purify water spell killing the creature. The pool is then searched but nothing of interest is found. So they move onto the next pool, with similar results. By the time they reach the third pool Rodan is out of spells so they decide to call it a day and retreat back to the boat and sail back to Saltmarsh.
A conference is held with the town council and it is decided
that the lizard men pose no serious threat at present. Although
the party hadn't discovered their true numbers the fact that the
ship carrying supplies had been taken and the lizard men sent to
meet it killed it was likely that the smuggling operation, and
any alliance had been the pirates and the lizard men, had been
broken. Also, as it was more than thirty years since the lizard
men had attacked Saltmarsh and they had been defeated and
slaughtered in their hundreds it was unlikely that they had
recovered in numbers to pose a threat to the region. But the
council would look into the matter further and keep an eye on the
swamp, just in case.
Moonday Wealsun 3rd, 581
More than two months have passed since the party last adventured
together. They have spent the time productively training in their
specific skills and supervising the restoration of their manor,
which is now finished. Spring has turned to summer and the crops
are growing in the fields and everyone is confident of a
bountiful crop come autumn. On the northern verge of the Southern
Marches trouble is brewing though. A week ago a silver mine
belonging to Grundel Tallow, a merchant from Burle, was overrun
by goblins. The merchant summons the adventurers and asks them to
investigate the attack. Growing bored and restless from their
recent break they readily agree to the request.
Godsday Wealsun 4th, 581
Dawn finds the party already on the road, accompanied by a squad
of soldiers, and by mid morning they've reached the miners camp
on the forests edge. With Grumbleduke leading the way they
approach the boarded up entrance, noticing a crudely written sign
as they do so, and before long the stalwart dwarf has removed the
boards and the party enters the mine.
Before long they find signs of a struggle but no signs of any goblins, or miners for that matter as the examine the mine shafts. Finding nothing of interest in the mines they spot a poorly concealed secret door that leads into a narrow, cramped tunnel which Grumbleduke immediately recognises as being of goblin make. Nialis is none to happy at the thought of having tonnes of rock over his head but Grumbleduke feels right at home and leads the way into the goblin warren.
Before long the tunnel widens into a small room with only one exit. Rodan, obviously on a mission from god, purposefully strides across the room only to fall into a pit concealed by an old piece of canvas. At the bottom is a shrieker which lets off a piercing scream that reverberates through the tunnels. Ulthran tries, but fails, to sooth the creature with his flute so in the end Rodan bashes it to death with his flail with the help of a melf's acid arrow cast by Nialis. The silence is soothing following the death of the shrieker is comforting but doesn't last long. Before long the adventuers hear the sounds of drums reverberating through the corridors of the lair. If the goblins weren't alerted to the intruders when they entered the tunnels, they are now...
The passage beyond the pit is a dead end but Grumbleduke finds a secret door in the small room with the pit and leads the way deeper into the lair. Before long the way is blocked by a portcullis and as he peers into the room beyond Grumbleduke sees a pair of red eyes staring at him but before he can do anything the creature has disappeared. A guard?
With the aid of Rodan and Ulthran he lifts the gate and the way is once again clear, but for how long? Before long they find themselves in a corridor protected by several covered pits but shuffling their way forward Grumbleduke and Rodan spring the traps without incident. However the doors at the end of the corridor are trapped and a further alarm is sounded when a pile of rocks falls onto a couple of well placed shields.
Still, the adventurers haven't found any goblins and are growing frustrated with the narrow, twisting goblin tunnels. Before long they find themselves in an old abandoned temple which is now home to a flock of stirges. The vampire birds attack but with the help of a sleep spell from Ulthran and a burning hands spell from Nialis the birds are quickly defeated. In the temple they find an old statue of Suuloise origins which bears a strange inscription in the ancient language of the Suel. Utlthran copies it for later translation.
Retracing their footsteps they follow stairs down to a moss covered passage and after much delay they cross the corridor, by now paranoia is starting to take it's toll. After checking the stairs for traps and roping themselves together they cross the passage and ascend the stairs beyond. The drumming is getting louder and as they reach the far side a wall of water rushes through the passage blocking their escape route.
Part of this adventure was based upon Tallow's Deep, © Dungeon Magazine No. 18, 1989.