Dolmenwood 2

This report covers session two of a Dolmenwood campaign refereed by the fantastic inner_blaze. Read the first session report here. Spoilers abound. Some details may have been lost in translation.

Characters

• Brom Tolmen, 1st level human knight (played by yours truly)
• Impudence-Hath-Victory, or “Ivy,” 1st level elf enchanter
• Kitty Pouncemouse, 1st level grimalkin magician
• Kungus Cobwallop, 1st level woodgrue enchanter
• Marib Twiggler, 1st level mossling friar

Ice & Fire & Ice

The party began to explore the dungeon below the keep. They came across an ice-coated sundial with an inscription: “On the slow creep of eons, Mallowheart’s mercy may shine.” A relief on the wall behind the sundial depicted an elf man with a crown of thorns whom Ivy recognized as Prince Mallowheart. Kungus stood on Marib’s shoulders to investigate the sundial while Ivy told a grand and convoluted tale about Prince Mallowheart and the Cold Prince.

Stumped by the sundial, the party moved on, discovering a guano-streaked room occupied by stirges and a dessicated corpse. In a large room, the party examined a series of frescoes depicting half a dozen elves, including Prince Mallowheart, or Seven-Past-Noon, and one human. The party returned to the sundial and figured out that light shone from an angle as if cast by the sun at seven-past noon proved particularly effective at melting the ice.

With a deftly thrown grappling hook, Brom retrieved the dessicated corpse without provoking the stirges. On the corpse, which Kitty recognized as that of a Drune cottager, the party found a golden torc, a spell scroll, a platinum ring, and a tiny orange crystal. Upon touching the crystal, Brom experienced a vision of a slime-coated stag skeleton encircled by seven candles. He also heard a grim voice: “Ill omens at the Whything Stones; winter cometh.”

The party investigated a pair of prison cells to the south. The first held the skeleton of an elf. Scratchings on the walls read, “Mallowheart be cursed,” and, “Hound-baker Famine Whistle be doubly cursed.” As the party approached the second cell, Brom urged the piper within to continue playing so as not to arouse suspicion. Attempts to open the cell door were stymied by harmless blue flames—a magical barrier. Through the grate, however, the party could see a frost elf man clad in rags with wild thistledown-like hair, long claws, and a pipe fashioned from rat bones. They recognized the elf as one of those depicted in the frescoe hall: Famine-Whistles-Wither.

The party promised to return, then entered the last unexplored room below the keep. Within, they found a burly crookhorn crouched at the center of a ring of candles, eyes closed, inhaling deeply. Huddled against one wall and bound with rope was a teenage boy. With help from a clutch oil flask thrown by Marib, the party dispatched the crookhorn without suffering injury.

Kitty cleverly bypassed a trap on a sturdy chest, finding a note written in Gaffe within along with bountiful treasure. Marib unbound the boy, presumably Arda, who was incoherent, perhaps drugged. When Arda later began to return to his senses, Marib spoke to him and learned that the crookhorns had wanted to know about the activities of the duke’s soldiers.

The party then informed Famine-Whistles-Whither that the party had slain Grognott. However, the magical barrier remained, preventing her from opening the cell door. They reminded Famine-Whistles-Wither of his name, which the elf seemed to have forgotten during his imprisonment. FWW claimed he’d been wrongly imprisoned by Mallowheart and left to rot for eons. The elf promised the party to show them a secret room if they were to free him. Uncertain how to proceed, the party promised to return before leaving the elf.

Before leaving the keep, the party searched through heaps of broken crates in the room where they’d slain Grognott. Their search uncovered a secret door, beyond which they found an icy cold room with snow drifting from the ceiling. At the center of the room was a ten foot wide pool of ice, its stone rim carved with images of stags’ skulls. At the bottom of the frozen pool lay a glittering, pellucidium chalice…

Read the report of session three here.