Solo 'Through Sunken Lands' RPG, Part 7 - the final chapter of this adventure

The final journey.

Time 9am 

Date 16th March
Weather - Overcast.

It is around 9am by the time the party are ready to set off on their journey.  Tilly makes sure her horse and cart are secure at the High Mountain Inn, they are treated to a hearty breakfast by Cooragh and Martisha makes sure that they have enough provisions to see them through their journey.  
Tilly leads the party over the mountains, the journey is difficult and slow but eventually the begin the decent to the grasslands on the other side.  Thankfully for the adventures this part of the journey is very uneventful, as evening approaches Tilly leads them to a cluster of ruins from ages long past.  The ruins are deserted like most of the land around here and the party set up camp for the evening, taking it in turns to keep watch although non of the group are able to get much sleep.

Time very early

Date 17th March
Weather - Very overcast.

Its early in the morning when the group of adventures prepare for the last leg of their journey, I ask the oracle if everything is as it should be, roll d20=13, d6=1, so a straight 'Yes'.

GM - Tilly tells the group that they are nearly at the place she believes the treasure she is seeking will be found.  There is a further two to three hours walk.  She explains that somewhere at the location she is heading to there is some kind of subterranean passage into which they need to go.
As Tilly leads you further east, the land becomes inhospitable, nothing seems to live in this remote part, you pass forests of dead trees, grass is brown and decaying and streams full of foul putrid water. 

I roll d6 to see if there is an encounter (1 in 6 chance) roll =3 

Your walk for 3 hours, although the journey is extremely unpleasant, you encounter nothing.  Eventually you come to a place with three barren hills, each just black bare stone.  Tilly stops and tells you that somewhere in the middle hill there should be a secret entrance to the underground cavern.  

Question to oracle, do we find the entrance, roll of d20=12, roll on d6=6, so a 'Yes' and +1 intervention point (now 2 intervention points)

GM - as you approach the hills, Tilly's rune sword suddenly begins to glow, surrounded with an aura of electric blue light and a doorway begins to appear in the front of the middle mountain.  Tilly holds up the sword and the entrance to the cavern becomes more solid.

ALRIK - is the entrance open?.

ask the oracle the question, roll on d20 = 3, d6 =1, so a straight 'No'

GM - no the entrance has a door barring its way.

DORANICUS - can we open the door?

ask question to the oracle, roll on d20 = 2, d 6 = 4, so a 'No (in order to')

GM - the door cannot be opened, in order to open it you seem to need a code word or a key of some kind. the door remains firmly shut.

MARIANNE - I will ask Tilly if she can use the rune sword to open the cave door.

ask the question to the oracle, roll on d20 = 10, d6 =4, so its 'No (apparently). 

GM - whilst the rune sword has something to do with the way in, it is not a key to open the entrance.

SANA - we have come this far, we cannot give up now, is there any lettering around the door.

roll on oracle d20 = 8, d6 = 5, so 'No (but).

GM - no, nothing that you can make out but there are ancient runes and symbols carved into the shimmering stone near the door.

ALRIK - I can read the ancient language, can I make out any words.

DORANICUS - so can Tilly and I, we can help.

I roll against Alriks Intelligence, with the help of Doranicus and Tilly he needs 17 or less to work out the letters, he rolls 16 of d20, so just makes it.

GM - You are able to work out that what you are reading is indeed from the ancient eldrich language but what you read makes little sense to you, it speaks vaguely of vanishing and another world.  Tilly gets out the old documents from which she discovered the caverns location in the hope it may help.

SANA - does it?

roll on oracle d20=17, d6 = 6, so 'Yes and another +1 intervention point, making 3 intervention points.

roll d6 on MUNE intervention table = 2, so we get an 'entity positive'.

Suddenly Alrik understands, he is able to work out from Tilly's ancient documents how to get into the cavern system.

ALRIK - the  symbols, they speak to me, if I can speak them correctly, I think the door will open for us.

roll against Alriks intelligence on d20 = 8 so.

GM - Alrik seems to go into a bit of a trance and utters words in an ancient long forgotten tongue, the door barring your way, shimmers even more brightly and opens up before you, allowing you all to step inside into a short corridor. Once you are all inside the entrance closes fast and you are plunged into complete darkness.

MARIANNE - do we still have the torches from the High Mountain Inn, if so we can light them to see our way.

Roll on oracle d20= 20, d6 =6, so 'Yes' and +1 intervention point (1 intervention point).

GM - yes, you still have the two torches and are able to light them, they give out just enough light to illuminate your way.  You are walking down a 10' wide corridor, it is about 60' long and carved, roughly, out of black granite.  

ALRIK - I will take on of the torches and draw my Eldrich Sword, I will take the lead with Tilly if she will walk next to me.

GM - Indeed, Tilly draws he Runesword and walks next to you.

SANA - I will walk just behind them, my spear at the ready, if need be I will us it to back them both up, I am sure it is long enough to do that.

DORANUS - I will draw my short sword and if Marianne will take the other torch we can both be rear guards.

MARIANNE- for sure, I will hold the torch in one hand and my dagger in the other and keep a lookout behind as best I can.

GM - you walk down the corridor for about 60' then it opens up into a large uneven cavern some 150'wide, 90'deep (location 1 on map).  Tilly suddenly disappears into the recesses of the crudely hewn cavern walls   

ALRIK - I will move cautiously forward, can I spot anything untoward in the cavern.

SANA -  I will move up beside Alrik, ready with my spear should there be an attack.

roll on oracle d20 =8, d6 = 2, so ;No(but)'. 

GM - you hear a 'fizz; then a faint grunt, closely followed by Tillys rune sword glowing blue as she wields it through the air and hits a vile looking humanoid creature, smiting it to the ground.  You just notice in time a group of 5 foul creatures running from the shadows towards you.

5 Chaos Children (lower)

Hit Dice 1d6 (4hp)
AC 12

Attack  +0 to hit, 1d6 damage (club)

Alignment Chaotic

XP 15

GM - Tilly rushes towards the 5 Chaos Children, lashing out at the nearest to her, her runesword still glowing electric blue in the dim light, rolling d20 = 6, she misses the Chaos creature, it rolls 11 to hit, not enough to touch Tilly.

MARIANNE - I will run ito the fray too, attacking one of the Chaos Children with my dagger, roll d20 = 6, I miss to.

SANA - I follow Marianne, using my spear to attack a Chaos Child, I roll d20 = 9, I have +4 to hit with my spear so that makes 13, a hit, roll d6 +2 for damage, I get a 3 +2 =5, one chaos creature down.

ALRIK - me likewise, I only roll 5 on d20 so a miss with my eldrich blade.

DORANUS - I attack one with my short sword, roll d20 = 2, terrible roll.

GM - They strike back, one hits Marianne for 4 hits, Sana is unhurt, Alrik is hit for 6 hits and Doranus hit for 3.
Tilly rolls 3 on d 20 missing again, her adversary also misses.

MARIANNE - I roll 16, a hit, roll for damage with dagger d4 =4, I fell my adversary, thankfully.

SANA - can I help Doranus?

roll on oracle d20=14, d6 =5 so 'Yes(if)'.

GM - if you use your spear, yes.

SANA -  I roll 13 +4 bonus = 17, a hit, d6 =5 for damage, another one hits the cavern floor.

DORANUS - Thanks Sana.

ALRIK - I roll 15 to hit this time, my eldrich sword does, roll d8, 6 points of damage, just the one Tilly is struggling to hit left.

GM - This time Tilly makes no mistakes and hit the last Chaos Child, it falls to the floor.

ALRIK - that was a little tougher than I would like, we will regroup, Tilly and I can lead the way, Sana behind us again, Doranus and Marianne last.

GM -  you are a little bruised from that action but all of you are able to carry on, there is another corridor leading further in to the cavern complex, it twists and turns but before long you enter a second cavern (location 2 on map).

I decide to ask the oracle if the room is empty. roll d20=12, d6=5, so a 'Yes(While).

GM - The room is empty, in the dim light of your two torches you spot the exit on the far wall, you will need to cross the room to get further in to the cavern system.

I decide it would be reasonable for the characters to cautiously cross the room, which they do, keeping close together, Tilly and Alrik leading, Sana just behind, spear in hand and Doranus along with Marianne last.

GM - while crossing the room, a stone object, shaped like a pyramid rises out of the ground, whilst an the same time a circle of flame surrounds you and the pyramid, the circle keeps slowly getting smaller, forcing you towards the centre of the room and the pyramid.

DORANUS - is there any way through the circle of fire, 

roll on oracle d20=3, d6=6 so a straight 'No' and another intervention point (now 2 intervention points),

ALRIK - I will head towards the pyramid rising out of the ground, it must have something to do with the circle of fire.

GM - the circle of flames gives you no choice but to move quickly towards the pyramid.  you can see that it is covered in ancient runes, Tilly tries to read them.

DORANUS - I will try to help her, that should give her a +2 to her Int.

GM - it does and Tilly rolls 10, so she is able to read the runes with Doranus' help.  She reads the following riddle

What breaths, consumes and grows but was and never will be alive.

You will need to roll against Int to see if you work it out before the flames engulf you all.

DORANUS - I have the highest Int, 18, so I roll d20 = 3, I easily work out that the answer to the riddle is 'Fire'.

GM - as you speak the word fire, the circle of flame vanishes and the pyramid, slowly sinks back into the ground.  Tilly says that she is certain from what she read in her stolen ancient documents, that tis is the place, she says that the runes told of passing a test of fire and just beyond lies riches untold.

SANA - we should quickly move on.

MARIANNE -  I will load my crossbow, I have a feeling I may need to be ready for a surprise attack.

I ask the oracle if the next room is empty, roll d 20 =13, d6=4, so a 'Yes(but)'.

GM - you walk down a winding corridor into the next rook, this one has been neatly and perfectly carved into a triangular shape, it certainly looks like the work of someone or some thing, the walls are black but very shiny, they almost seem polished.  The room though is completely empty but for some coins on the floor at the point of the triangle.

Tillys sword is glowing electric blue again.

ALRIK - is there another exit from the room.

GM - no, the only way out is the way you came in.  

MARIANNE - I am goint to see what the coins are.

GM - you find 20 coppers there and the remnants of a pouch, it looks like they have been dropped.  Tilly is upset, she thinks someone has found their way here already and the treasure she expected has been taken, she now believes the journey has been for nothing and that they may as well go back to the impossible city.

DORANUS - we can do a search to see if we can find a hidden exit, again I roll against my Int, d20 = 19, fail.

GM - if there was another way out you do not find it, it does indeed seem as if you have all travelled 5 days for 20 coppers.

I ask the oracle if they find anything else in the room, roll d20 =7, d6 =2, so 'No(if)

if there was anything else here Tilly is sure it is now long gone.

Actually, there is a secret door in this room, had they found it they would have been led to

Nebroz, Lesser Demon of Chaos

Nebroz, Lesser Demon of Chaos

Lesser Spirit.

Hit Dice 5d8 (23 hp)
AC 17
Attack  +5 to hit, 1d6 damage (claw or shove)
Alignment  Chaos
XP  480
Notes:  Although Nebroz can take any form, he choses to appear as a large, grotesque large purple humanoid with three odd shaped eyes, large drooping mouth, sharp teeth and many horns at the top of his head.

As a Demon of Chaos, any ordinary creature not prepared to see a demon must immediatly make a saving throw versus polymorph or be stunned for 1d4 rounds.

Any cantrip or ritual cast in his presence has a +3 bonus to succeed, any spell or other magical ability which causes or heals damage will do an additional 1d4 points of damage or healing when cast in his presence.

Demonic Powers, Furious Attack, can attack twice each combat round.  Immunity, can only be harmed by magical or eldritch weapons.

and to have defeated him would have given them a greater prize, I could for sure have just had them find the secret door but that seemed like cheating, so my band of adventures come away with nothing but a few coppers each.

Maybe Tilly will return one day but for now they return to the High Mountain Inn, Tilly get her horse and cart and decided to return to Jundarr, the part decide to go back with her but on their way they spot a strange oared galley ship moving through land.  The party decided to head to Karmble Hold and seek out Gedyel Moodlum and do part ways with Tilly the thief.

From a distance an old hermit watches them depart.