Dubzaron Session 63: Sunken Stone of Sakkara

This session was played on 06/29/22. Rest is required 06/30/22/ so PCs can take actions on 07/01/22.

Foreword

This will be a rather long foreword because I am going to explain as briefly as possible all the elements that went into play during the campaign's 1:1 Time downtime and Patron actions that led to the goal/mission etc of this session. The PCs session was all about securing and destroying the Sinister Stone of Sakkara; the titular artifact from the module of the same name from Autarch. This is the module we started with in session 1 and it took 63 sessions and like 20 months to "finish" the module. In our own weird BROSR way. 

so much trouble for such a small er... watermelon

Please take note that almost all of this happened due to actions taken by real players controlling PCs and Patrons in downtime. This is what you get get when you run a multifocal D&D style wargame in real time "in the background" of your regular weekly session play. Follow BROSR methods and you can have the same.

First let's start with the Scaled King. He was a Patron who retired from the campaign recently but, up to that point, was a major threat gathering forces and raiding out of the Viamir Marshes. Palatine Drakon, also a Patron, knew he wanted (had to?) kill the Scaled King but felt it might be easier to weaken the Patron first. So he decided to Drain the Swamp. 

Building a canal, eventually given the name Drakon's Ditch by the PCs, took a few months. The draining started and within a week or so the swamp itself was no longer considered Swamp Terrain, but Badlands terrain. 

During that time frame is when the Scaled King player retired from the campaign. I felt that Drakon attacking the Scaled King's forces, if controlled by me as an NPC, would be kind of boring and anti-climatic. So when the Frog King forces from another campaign came to me and offered to move his Patron to the Dubzaron setting I was stoked. I cooked up a story that the Scaled King did a ritual with the evil Stone of Sakkara that got botched and summoned the Frog King's forces. 

I ran a mass combat of the frogs vs the lizards and the frogs came out on top. So Froggo had the Scaled King's little fortress but, more importantly, he had the Sinister Stone of Sakkara. 

My players have told me I should mention how the Stone even got to the swamp in the first place. It is the titular artifact from the ACKS 1 introductory module that was the setting of my campaign since session 1. Darin the Mage (a Patron who Drakon killed some months back) secured the Stone from the dungeon of the module by marrying the evil big bad lady at the bottom of the dungeon. She was his evil kween and no one messes with Dairin's kween. Dairin took the Stone (and his kween) to his swamp abode before being killed trying to help Ferigno the Green Dragon (also a patron) from being killed by Drakon's army.

So anyway the Frogs were chilling in the scaled king's fortress until they realized the swamp was drying up (Drakon's ditch). So they went looking for greener pastures (muddier swamps?). That brought them to an island on a lake just outside the city of Dubzaron.

Rapunzel (PC Witch level 5 i think) got wind of this fact via rumors and Commune and used her swanmae cloak and a bunch of fancy sneak spells to fly out to the island, sneak into Froggo's tent, and steal the Stone. Froggo had painted the stone to look like a watermelon to disguise it. So of course that became part of all our jokes and memes and tweets and session humor.

Rapunzel flew as a swan back to Dubzaron and decided to go to a small man made lake in the fancy Lake District to sleep off her adventure; planning to take the Stone to interested parties the next day (Drakon was her first stop I believe) to see what pay-out they might give her for having secured it.

So I checked out the powers on this artifact in the module. Seems if it's not below ground it grows these crazy blood vine things across the land at a staggering pace if it has grown really big from blood sacrifices made to it. Well it's the size of a watermelon so yeah this was going to be wild. 

Rapunzel woke up on the island which had now become a Lovecraftian nightmare. What's more, since this was a fancy island for the city's rich folks to float their pleasure crafts around for fun, the richest and most powerful nobles in the city were angry and scared about their island looking like a terrifying jungle of pulsing blood vines. By the time Rapunzel woke up the nobles had already demanded the city guard investigate and had also demanded the Patriarch of the Temple fix the problem. The latter didn't take kindly to the demand and didn't show up until later.

Rapunzel saw some guards rowing out to the island and she cast Sleep on them and started digging up the place she just buried the Stone. Then she died. How?

One of the Stone's other powers is the ability to summon and demand service of those with Chaotic alignment. For unrelated reasons Leonard Smalls (Patron Assassins level 9+) was in Dubzaron that morning so was within range of the Stone's influence. He failed his saving throw vs spells and was enthralled by the Stone to secure and protect it. He had gotten out to the island just as Rapunzel was dealing with the guards and he was hiding in the bushes. When she was busy digging the Stone back up he backstabbed her doing like 45 damage. Dead af

If you'd like to know more about Rapunzel and her downtime mission with the Stone you can check out this link where the Player wrote their own session report thing. 

Smalls took the Stone and some noble folks (NPC) gathered on the shore noticed him carrying a big sack. He distracted them somehow (i don't recall the details) and jumped in the sewers. He had some adventures down there but was able to find his way out of the city before an APB was put out by the guards and eventually Drakon. Drakon, later that day, locked down the city completely with the permission of the NPC ruler.

The Patriarch eventually showed up at the Lake and burned the entirety of the island (just to be safe) including Rapunzel's corpse who was deemed a heretic for switching her class to Witch and for being on an island with evil vine things. NPCs assumed it was her doing. About 5 of the PCs were messaging me in downtime about "recovering Rapunzel's body" and "recovering her swanmae cloak". The Patriarch didn't like her so he was like nah brah.

Some PCs became involved in the hunt around the city during the lockdown and this became it's own big thing; including Billy (PC Explorer like 2 or so) getting arrested along with Timur (PC Barbarian level 5+) for trying to access the dungeons underneath the town's fortress. Both were acquitted about a week later.

It was all very funny to me since I knew Smalls was already out of town with the Stone. Unfortunately for him he blundered by going to Turos Orn to secure supplies for his escape into the wilderness (or wherever he was planning to go with the Stone). Turos Orn is the seat of Drakon's Palatinate and was on High Alert with like a million soldiers on hand mustering to march into the former swamp. I made some checks to see if they'd question or accost Smalls and the answer was yes. 

Smalls escaped towards the lake and used lycanthropy (he's a wererat thanks to PCs sending him into the sewers to hide a few months back) and was swimming all ratlike towards the island were the Frogs were seated; intending to bring it back to them for protection.

But Drakon's guards and his hench Cleric Lucia captured him. Before being captured Smalls dropped the Stone in the lake a mile or two away from shore, where it rested until the session play.

Smalls was captured and tortured for information until he admitted it was in the lake so Drakon's people had begun dragging the Lake to find the stone. Could the PCs claim the stone and their reward in time before the Patron nabbed it himself and would not pay out? Find out below!

Session Report

The party gathered horses and rode from Dubzaron to Turos Orn. Heading down to Lake Laman they found Legate Lucia, a hench of Drakon, commandeering fishing boats to drag the lake. The party convinced her to allow them 3 canoes and 3 rowers to do their own PC scheme to try and find the Stone of Sakkara in a grid pattern. She was happy to allow these Drakon irregulars their own irregular approach to the problem, Viaspenicus (BriarWhisper) being among the party helped.

Ambrose (PC Cleric level 2 i think) caught a bunch of fish while the party was discussing with Lucia. The fish were cursed mutants which screamed the names of every dead loved one Amrbose had ever lost. They also sand the melody of Thus Spoke Zarathustra when they tired o mocking the cleric.

The Party tried to Intimidate the fish and Speak with Animals to tell them where the Stone was. The fish were less than helpful (Neutral intimidation).  So the party tied a bunch of the fish on leashed (???) to a canoe and tried to gauge their mad reaction as a way of divining where the Stone may be underwater. Raven (Elven Ranger hench to Briarwhisper), with animal handling, gauged their reaction well enough to follow the fishes' mad movements and get a concept of where they might be trying to return. After an hour of searching the party's canoes were attacked by a cloud of stirges which Brian (PC Wonderworker level 1) killed with a Wand of Cold.

Lucia's grid was dragging the Lake by this time and may have "beat" the pcs to finding where the Stone might be. When the party felt close, thanks to Raven's animal handling the fish and said fish going bonkers like piranha on a feeing frenzy, Daria cast Detect Magic and sensed great magic at the bottom of the lake. The water was mucky so vision was unclear due to recent rains.

This is when Ambrose suggested something foolhardy/brave/mad/hilarious. Ambrose the Powerfist Cleric, wearing plate armor, tied a rope which BriarWhisper held in the canoe. He jumped into the water holding his breath and felt around on the bottom to find the Stone. Floor of the lake was a nightmare of pulsing blood vines and purple lightning, black ground. He began to get close to his end of breath held oxygen but saw something painted like a watermelon and grabbed it, and pulled on the rope for Briar to pull him back up. He fumbled the process, almost dropping the Stone, and was attacked by a school of fish which had mutated into an Abomination. The bites connected but Ambrose saved vs paralysis and successfully tugged the rope. Briar reacted quickly pulling him to the surface in one round. Brian cast Protection From Evil wherein the fish Abomination couldn't attack the party's 3 canoes. Two giant octopi came to the surface and attacked. 

Brian the Wonderworker fell pretty early in the fight but Marn picked up the Wand of Cold and was blasting it in the octopi's faces. Even so, the huge creatures were mad with rage to protect and re-acquire the Stone and they were strangling and gripping nearly all those who were part of the battle.

The canoes were swaying to rocking as octopi tentacles were severed and PC's blood was flying. Briar set up a rugby scenario and successfully passsed the Stone to the only canoe whose members were not engaged in life or death combat. Raven caught the stone, getting it out of melee and drawing off an abominable octopus. Daria by this point had cast Winged Flight and was as an angel looking down on the scrum. The Stone was tossed to her and she took off towards the shore and after a couple miles to the attention of Lucia's armada who followed her into landfall. The other PCs fought on.

Butchers bill of the combat was 2 of the 3 canoe rowers and Ambrose dead to constriction. Brian and BriarWhisper also fell but Marn was able to use healing prof to triage. He rowed the seriously injured party members back to shore even as severed tentacles flopped about on the boat.

Daria requested Turos Orn troops standing on the shore surround her in case forces of Chaos were in wait on the shore. Lucia's boats landed and her forces joined Daria. Lucia demanded they destroy the Stone immediately and Daria was not one to say no. Breaking the thing with warhammers and such was an extremely slow process as it had grown so massive with many hitpoints due to all the sacrifices made to it since the START OF THE CAMPAIGN. Daria said the names of some of it's honored victims upon each strike. "This is for Mandonio! And this is for Legate Valerian!" etc. 

The party's canoes arrived about the time the final blow had been struck. The stone broke into 3 equal pieces of the Tablet of Destiny, a portion of spacetime that had existed since the universe began. Lucia requested the pieces but the Party pointed out to me how might they even say no? Lucia honored Drakon's 10,000 gp reward. Party received Milestone XP of 10,000 for 'turning 3 pieces into the Temple'. 

Lucia threw a banquet for the party into the night celebrating this great success for the gods of the Empyrean.

Afterword

This extremely interesting and important session happened due to Patron Play and 1:1 time. Get both into your own campaign as soon as you can. You won't regret it.

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.

Ambrose (Level 2 Cleric): Total XP: idk. Strangled to death by cursed octopi in a canoe on Lake Laman claiming the Sinister Stone of Sakkara for Law and eventual destruction in session 63.

Alexa this is so sad play "Come Sail Away" by Styx