Thresher of Lost Souls - Episode 1

Some of the folks on my Discord server, Bad Accents n' Dice, have decided to embark on a classic AD&D adventure set in the classic Greyhawk campaign setting. If you're as much of a D&D nerd as I am, you'll remember that Greyhawk was the original setting invented by Gary Gygax during the early days of the hobby. While many additional settings have been added since the late 70s (Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Spelljammer, etc) Greyhawk remains my favorite due to its flexibility and generic high medieval themes.

The history of the nations of Greyhawk evolved over the years, especially as TSR headed into the 90s, when the trend of metaplot was exploding in high fashion, so rather than get too complicated I opted to keep our campaign confined to the original box set released in 1983. Our campaign will be somewhat unique in that there will be not one, but two parties adventuring in different lands. Eventually, I beleive their tales will intertwine in some interesting way, but it'll be up to the players to decide how that happens.

Without further ado, below is the summary for our first session:

Dramatis Personae

Tostig of Flint - Human Fighter (Mike M)

Belgos Baenre of House Barrison Del'Armigo - Drow Assassin (Hit)

Oehren - Half-Elf Druid (Dillon)

Hans the Younger - Dwarf Hireling (NPC)

Tostig of Flint, mercenary of the Iron Fist Guild, along with his companion the Druid Oehren and Hans, were hired by the elder of the village Littleton in the Flinty Hills to investigate the disappearance of several villagers. Many, including a Priest of Pholtus, were abducted by unknown forces.

Tracking their quarry, they arrived at a disturbing scene at the mouth of a cave deep in the Flinty Highlands. A female drow, an assassin named Quarra, guarded over several individuals tied to stakes at the base of the cave. A pile of burning corpses lay in a heap nearby. The stench and smoke rising into the air lent to the utter grimness of the scene.

Along with Quarra, a male drow named Drofryn also stood supervising some lizardfolk guards.

One of our heroes, a drow named Belgos, taken prisoner along with members of his family, was one of the individuals tied to the stakes. Groggily, he awakened just in time for Quarra to gloat over him:

“Well now, whelpling,“ she said, flipping her dagger menacingly in one hand. “ Soon you will join your kin. Consider this an honor to die at my hand. For a sniveling, traitorous dreg like you, this is the best you could have hoped for.”

Before she could slit Belgos’ throat, Quarra was interrupted by her companion.

“The incubation has started,” Drofryn said. “ We must make haste. The rest must be brought into the chamber.”

Ordering the lizardfolk to haul the bodies off the stakes and into the cave, Drofryn and Quarra retired inside, leaving a handful of lizardfolk guards to watch over the remaining prisoners.

"We can't get much out of them, anyway" - Tostig before grinding a lizardman into a juicy pulp

Tostig and Oehren decided to approach carefully on the right flank while Hans took the direct approach down the road.

As Hans approached, Tostig took up a position and wildly flung his handaxe at the nearest lizardman, but it clumsily struck a clump of moss several feet away. Angered, the lizardman charged Tostig, but was quickly dispatched by a swing from Hans’ warhammer.

The other lizardmen decided to beat a hasty retreat into the cave, turning and running for their lives.

Tostig, not content to let the brigands escape, quickly bowled one of the remaining lizardmen over, bashing in his skull with the pommel of his blade and fists.

Oehren also maintained a small wardog, Jenny, a disciplined hound if there ever was one. Jenny, though disciplined, panted and beckoned her master to release her, anticipation of the slaughter building. Jenny flew down the embankment and lept at a remaining lizardman, goring it to death quickly.

Hans dispatched the remaining guard and Belgos managed to free himself from his bonds on the stake.

Belgos conveyed his story to the party. Years ago, his family adopted the worship of a new god, Eilistraee. Eilistraee is a deity of song, dance and swordwork and daughter of the dreaded Lolth.

Worship of her was anathema to the drow of House Barrison. Lolth did not permit admiration of other Gods, as she was a vengeful and jealous deity, almost always ordering her followers to put non-believers to death. Belgos and his family were forced to flee the underdark city of Barrison, becoming fugitives from their own people.

Eventually, House Barrison ordered the death sentence be carried out and presumably sent their best assassin, Quarra, to ensure the deed was done. Yet something else entirely seems to be going on. Instead of being killed, they were captured, and several members of Belgos’ family, including his sister Inyl were placed in a strange trance.

Now that they were briefly acquainted, the party decided to continue the rescue of the remaining prisoners in the cave. Hans took up a position at the front of the party, followed by Tostig, Oehren and Belgos.

The party entered a cave dominated by a large pool and overhanging falls, the sound of the rushing water dominating all other noise. Hans made a left and entered a separate chamber. An iron gate fell behind them. Tostig nearly fell victim to a leg snare but managed to cut the rope of the trap seconds before he would have been hauled to dangle from the ceiling.

A hideous spider-like creature emerged from the darkness, intent on consuming the party. Belgos attempted to negotiate with it using his knowledge of underdark fauna to no avail. Surrounding it, the party managed to slay it without injury.

Finding the exit switch, the party collected a few items from the remains of expired adventurers that the Ettercap had accumulated.

After a few moments, they head the footfalls of additional lizardmen making their way into the cave. Deciding to ambush them, Belgos deftly hammered one with a javelin, pinning it to the wheel mechanism that controlled the iron gate over the falls.

Pursuing the lizardmen, they noticed they had additional prisoners tied to their back. Unfortunately, both lizard and villager went into the drink and were quickly consumed by an unknown beast that dwelled in the chamber pool.

Climbing the falls, the party emerged on the other side, this time continuing down a narrow embankment on either side of the river that flowed through this part of the cavern.

Here they met a strange gnome fellow who called himself Octavian, at least that was the closest thing he could think of that matched the Common tongue. Octavian paid no mind to the lizardfolk nor the drow who had passed through earlier. In fact, a few lizardmen corpses lay strewn about the chamber.

Octavian sat on a large chest, presumably filled with treasure, and bid the party to continue unmolested with the one condition that his wealth remain undisturbed. Wary of this strange gnome who somehow possessed the fighting strength of several large human men, the party decided that his demands should remain met and they carried on through the chamber.

They kept one eye however on the strange person who sat atop his chest smoking a pipe as if he was in one of the Royal Nyrondese Brothels and not lounging atop a pile of rotting corpses.

Finally, the party heard the drow Drofryn making hasty conversation with the lizardfolk in an adjoining chamber.

500 XP Award