Dubzaron Session 60: Aqualung!

Session was played on 05/25/22 and PCs can take actions again on 05/27/22 and after.

Foreword

Sixty sessions. Wow. Thank you to all players and patrons who helped make this possible. 

Session Report

The party was back to Lamalla's Temple. An unholy place sealed by the Tower of Knowledge in Turos Orn. The Patron in charge of Orn, Palatine Drakon, was pushing for PCs to clear out level 1 so he could have the Tower mages press the warding magic deeper and kind of clear out the place.

As such, the party explored around level one of this kilodungeon. Mapping as best they could. In the altar room near the front of the dungeon entrance they killed some fire beetles. Beyond that was a passage way behind a balcony that delved deeper and twisted around to be under the pit trap Daria had fallen into some weeks before. 

The party climbed out of the pit and continued down the natural cavernway that led to the aqualung room, a room with a music pool that is always playing the hit song "aqualung". Some watery looking beastmen were investigating the pool and were hostile. They were short and crazy but the party found they could only be hit by magical weapons!

It was Xanthos (PC Cleric Level 6) primarily who smashed these guys into weird gory puddles. 

The party explored down a north passage from there going down a 5 foot wide hallway for about 20 minutes before it opened into a dried up zaharan baths. The party carefully skirted around the dried bathing pool, assuming it may be trapped or magic or something?

This room had a double doors on the north wall which the party came to realize was locked with magic. There was some debate at this point about whether Xanthos should use the Scepter of Ammonar before tyring to cast Dispel Magic. The scepter is a powerful magic item the party found in the Nethercity some weeks back. Upon use it gives its divine casting wielder +4 levels for the purpose of casting spells once per day. This would make the Dispel Magic on the door much more likely.

Here is where the party was debating the risk/reward calculations. One can maybe assume there would be more treasure or interesting things beyond a wizard locked door. Their main goal was to "clear" and map level 1 of this dungeon but it doesn't mean the PCs didn't want to get paid. They decided Xanthos should spend his once per day magic resource and we rolled to see if the door lock was dispelled. It was! Much cheering on the mics.

 They went north down the hallway beyond and found an archway leading into a chamber, no door. A scythe trap came down in slices Mugsy (someone's henchman I think?) seemingly in half. Acton (PC Cleric level ???) realized it was just a flesh wound and Mugsy would only need 1 night of bed rest to be back on his feet. But he was through contributing to this particular delve.

The party continued past the scythe trap and now we were into a rat filled portion of the dungeon. Gross.

The first room had 10 giant rats eating a corpse; the party killed these. The next room has 13 rats just chilling but not hostile to the party; the party bypassed these. 

Finally the party came to a very large chamber which had stucco paintings of classic zaharan (evil) celebrities. There were also two more exits out of this room and the party realized they had about 6 directions they uncovered on Level 1 of the dungeon which they previously had not. Clearing out and mapping all these wasn't going to be workable by the end of this session, it was decided. So they decided they'd end at this room and turn around to go back the way they came.

Try again next time.

On the way out the party was attacked again in the aqualung room (a very busy place it seems!) by 5 lizardmen and a champion. The champion hit Egam (Hench mage to Daria) killing the nerd. Conor (PC Barbarian level 1) was surrounded by spear wielding lizardmen and stabbed down to the floor, receiving a mortal wounds to his legs. Martin (hench fighter for xanthos) was also killed but I don't remember the details of that.

The party escaped the dungeon with not much to show for it and were kind of bummed. It was a bit anti-climatic for a big session number like 60.

Afterword

I am generating this dungeon semi-randomly. I have bespoke random encounter tables and most of the floor plan worked out. It's been very interesting and engaging for me to generate some things on the fly and/or come up with story reasons for the various random things I placed in the dungeon but didn't really explain. I figured the explanation would come in play as needed.

Additionally, restocking on the fly has really changed things up as we go. Level 1 does not have a high re-stocking chance but even small things like those beetles in the altar room have helped give the dungeon life. The place isn't a video game dungeon with nothing happening when the PCs are away. It's always in motion.

Restocking gives an illusion of this when I don't have time to play out the dungeon like in real time like some sort of wargame. But there are real things I'm making decisions on week to week about what major bosses and such in the dungeon might be up to. Shiela the Dragon, which the pcs discovered some weeks back is a big one. Also the chief of the main beastmen the party has been killing has his own plans and goals which I'm making random determinations for now and then.

I'd advise DMs interested to do things this way, to have living dungeons which are primarily randomized, that it's not really that time consuming. You'd find that reading a module dungeon of this same size enough to understand it takes the same or more time.

As far as the anti-climax of session 60? It was indeed a bummer but things in the campaign have been very interesting these days. With a Patron player (and major NPC) instigating a lockdown on the main city of Dubzaron so they might hunt out chthonic activity there. Stay tuned for more on this!

Deceased

Dama (L1 Venturer) played by RR.  Current total xp: 75. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Darius LeVay (L1 Assassin) played by JB. Current Total XP:451. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Donald the Guardsman (L1 Fighter) played by MP. Current Total XP:570. DECEASED. Intra-party justice in Session 3.

Felix (L1 Thief) played by Nicholas. Current Total XP:431. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Hektor (L1 Paladin) played by Moai. DECEASED. Cause of Death: goblin warg rider throat removal surgery in Session 2

Leonidas the Inquisitor (L1 Cleric) played by RR.Current Total XP:498  DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Mard the Mage (L1 Mage) played by Nicholas. DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Yolo Baggins "My friends call me Swaggins" (L1 Gnomish Trickster) played by J. DECEASED. Paralyzed and eaten by ghouls in Session 12. Body not recovered.

Jack Filcher (L1 Thief) played by C. DECEASED. Shot full of arrows by Inthorn's brigands in Session 12. Body not recovered.

Swoleous Maximus (L1 Paladin). DECEASED. Captured then drawn and quartered by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.

Damianus (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Captured and beheaded by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.

Bucky (L1 Barbarian). DECEASED. Became a illegal pit fighter during his downtime. Had two bouts to the death, winning the first and losing the second. Was killed by Young Jack Sparrow who sashayed into the ring, drank rum, and mogged on Bucky before putting a dagger into his ribs, killing him. This happened during downtime between Session 17 and 18.

Broll Wolf-Eater (L1 Barbarian). Current total XP: 1079. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.

Brother Franklin (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Decapitated by a mad cultist of a Lovecraftian slime thing in Session 19.

Felix the Elder (L1 Bard). Total XP 825. DECEASED. Captured by mad cultists and fed to a Lovecraftian slime monster in Session 19.

Templar Flavius Africanus (L1 Cleric). Total XP 7. Killed by the claws and beak of mad harpies in Session 19.

Xendi (L1 Explorer). Total XP 6. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.

Yllmeeton (L3 Shaman). Total XP 4,563. Bludgeoned by the corpse of a bowmen by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.

Longinus (L2 Assassin). Total XP 2,036. Had his face ripped off by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.

Mandonio (L3 Fighter). Total XP 4,779. Charred to a leprous crisp by diseased Dragon breath in Session 22.

Corydon (L1 Joker). Total XP: 0. Burnt to a crisp by chimera breath so thoroughly his corpse wasn't even fit for the crows. Died with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. that's life and as funny as it seems... some people get their kicks, stomping on a dream... In Session 25.

Donny Keebler (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP 2,238. Had his legs burned completely off by chimera fire breath in Session 25.

Marina (L2 Fighter). Total XP: 2,204. Burnt into ash by a chimera fire breath in Session 25.

Gundro (L2 Gnomish Trickster). Total XP: 2,575. Had his mouth and tongue bitten off by a lizardman ambusher in the dank sewers below Cyfaraun in Session 26.

Polydoros (L1 Fighter). Total XP: 0. Had his legs ripped off and eaten by Akira monsters in the dark canopy of the Viaspen Forest in Session 28.

Odrum (L1 Explorer). Total XP: 287. Javelin to the heart from the hands of weird vine goblins hidden in the walls of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.

Garvin the Nutless Wonder (L1 Mage). Total XP: 0. Fell off the side of Ferigno's lair 20 feet to his death in Session 30.

Blackmoon (L1 Assassin). Total XP: 768. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while stealing treasure from Ferigno's dragon horde in Session 30.

Xanthus (L2 Cleric). Total XP: 2,364. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while hanging out on the roof of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.

Lord Zyklon (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP: 0. LORD ZYKLON DISEMBOWLED LORD ZYKLON upon finding himself on the losing side of the Desolation of Turos Tem.

Turin (L1 Cleric). Total XP: 0. Eaten by Wargs in Session 32.

Rat Face (L2 Thief) Total XP: 1,577. Seemingly grabbed in the dark by a Xenomorph in Session 36. In a sinkhole your party can hear you scream! 

Smarticus (L1 Mage) Total XP: 0. Captured by a Xenomorph in Session 36 for all the party to witness. Taken deep into a sinkhole.

Hearticus (L1 Cleric) Total XP: 0. Gored to death by giant horned beetles in Session 39 after projectile vomiting all over himself from the stink of sewer sludge.

Mickey Mouser (L1 Thief) Total XP: 0. Gored to death by giant horned beetles in Session 39 in the happiest place on earth: the Cyfaraun sewer!

Aenes (Level 1 Paladin) Total XP: 62. Swarmed by giant flies in the sewer beneath Cyfaraun in Session 40.

Acianus (Level 1 Mage) Total XP: 0. Chopped to pieces in Session 42 by a six armed demon statue from behind and quickly forgotten about by his compatriots who saved MadEye and lamented Hardar instead. But I'll never forget you Acinanu nanu...nanite... nananaa...

Hardar (Level 2 Mage) Total XP: 2,832. Chopped up in Session 42 by a six armed demon statue as he held his Darth Vader Choking Grip spell long enough for his compatriots to escape an unwinnable battle. His dream to become the most evil being in the universe suffers eternally the indignity of being remembered for self sacrifice and laying his life down for his friends.

Nubbs (Level 3 Thief) Total XP: 4,017. Swarmed by scarabs which bored into his ears and brain in Session 45.

Grummz (Level 1 Dwarven Vaultgard) Total XP: 0. Ripped limb from limb by a throng of skeletons and their undead golem leaders in Session 46.

Grommzs (Level 1 Dwarven Vaultguard) Total XP: 2,168. Torn to bits and eaten by trolls in session 48

Rapunzel (Level 4 Priestess) Total XP: 11,540. Torn to bits and eaten by trolls in Session 48.

Schizo (Level 1 Mage): Total XP: 0. Frozen to death by an assassin's guild ruffian bard wielding a Wand of Cold in session 54.

Marteen (Level 1 Thief): Total XP: 0. Fell to his death in Lamalla's Temple upon a pile of dragon horde gold. Corpse eaten by Sheila the Beautiful, an Ancient Blue Dragon in session 56.

Alexa this is so sad play "Aqualung" again and again and again