Maure Castle: Scrappy's Doom
Contents
About the Saga
A horrific doom befalls Gaiseric as the party continues their exploration of the ruins of Maure Castle.
Timeframe
- Greyhawk Date: Readyreat 28, CY 591
- Real World Date: 2005-09-23
- Read other Blackrazor Guild Sagas
Cast of Characters
- Ian, a lethal combatant
- Rex, Shamus' bodyguard
- Charybdis, the cleric-rogue of Ralishaz
- Gaiseric, aka Scrappy the Rogue
- Shamus, the wizard "monk"
Notable Quotes
- "Oh, you're stunned? You're in deep shit." -- Ian, to Rex and Seamus, after the tyrg's roar stuns them, and they're surrounded by the wolf/tiger's companions.
- Sign at the Blackrazor Guild Hall: "We have gone 14 days without a raising or resurrection."
What Has Come Before
Adventure summary
The Saga
Ready'reat 28, 591
The party loots the bodies of the guards they'd killed earlier, and sends two of their number back to the first level to guard it. The loot includes:
- 6 masterwork bastard swords
- 6 masterwork light crossbows
- 6 +1 bucklers
- 6 +1 chain mail
- 6 amulets of natural armor
- 12 potions of cure moderate wounds
- 6 black surcoats with a blazon of a silver sun, worth 20 pp each
They take and distribute the potions among themselves, and then start exploring. They find a long corridor, its northern most end blocked by a pool of water, then find the seeker guard room, near the northern end of the dungeon. They also note, in the main corridor where they entered, a huge tapestry. Party explores several strange rooms painted silver, but otherwise abandoned.
Return to look at the tapestry. Scrappy peals it back and sees an engraved disk. Tossing it back further reveals a symbol of death, which kills the rouge outright, and then drops Seamus.
The party rests, then loots Scrappy's body taking his healing potions and wand of knock.
The Lady and the Tiger
After Seamus claws his way back from death's door (using his free death) the party loots Scrappy and cautiously continues their exploration. Moving toward the center of the dungeon, they find yet another room; opening it reveals an elven ranger and her tiger companion.
Charybdis evokes Rhalishaz, and casts bless. Then Seamus performs the "Spitting Breath of the Cobra" (acid fog) in the room, instantly slowing her. Ian slams the door closed, and immediately holds it shut. Little do they realize, however, that there is a back door.
The party gets suspicious, and starts spreading out. Charybdis is surprised when, after peaking around the corner, she's hit by two arrows, and pounced on by a tiger which lands one brutal blow, but then fumbles and is disoriented.
The cleric falls back and drinks a potion of healing while the tiger is off balance. Seamus the arcane monk runs down the opposite corner, looking to catch the enemy ranger from behind. Rex does the same. The ranger seeing the heavily armored fighter round the corner, steps back and unleashes a flight of arrows that does little damage to him.
Meanwhile, Ian shreds the tiger, then closes with the ranger Serini. The cleric, realizing she's alone, moves toward the others, quaffing a potion as she does so. The arcane monk Shamus rounds the corner and strikes a menacing monk pose, while Ian says simply "surrender".
Rex has none of it, steps and hits her, wounding her badly, but not fataly. After this, she surrenders, throwing down her weapons and equipment. Party decides to retreat to the pillow room where they interrogate her and she explains her role and who hired her. They also take all of her magic items. Ian takes quiver of Ehlona, Rex takes the longbow +2, dwarfbane, Crybdus takes the cloak of elvenkind and amulet of health, and Seamus takes gauuntles of ogre power and ring of protection +1. They take her back to the loot room to be guarded by their fellow Blackrazors.
The Tyrg Lair
Continue exploring; find the tyrg training area, then the priest unexpectedly finds the beasts themselves. One howls, stunning the "monk" and Rex. The creatures maul her, then overrun her and attack the others.
Charybdis , shocked, turns and runs into the lair, slams the door shut and quaffs a potion.
Suddenly inspired, Ian uses his hat of disguise to assume the likeness of the trainer, and use elven to send the creatures scampering. Two on Rex flee, while two on Seamus remain. One of those attacking the "monk" bites and tears, but the other bounces off the wall, dazing the creatures.
He then manages to talk down the remaining tyrgs and order them to back down. The rest of the party retreats, then Ian orders the tyrgs back into the pen, and locks the door with stolen keys. Party then wisely goes and gets the seeker tunics, then returns to continue exploring
A Refreshing Dip
Seamus decides to go investigate the acid pool. Closes in, sees that it isn't magical, finds the pitted area. He casts protection from elements … and jumps in the pool. Acid burns around him, boiling away the protective magic. He then casts fly and emerges from the pool, which promptly douses him again.
Experience
1,560 xp each (except Scrappy, who's dead)
