G92: Dungeon of Shifting Rooms

Played on 27 July 2011
DM: quendalon
PCs: a bunch of people

Summary

Dear Pritchard,

You won't believe it! Any of it! Well, maybe you can believe it. Hold on, there's a big noise —

So, we are camping on the shore of a strange place called Haddad-nan-Sherr, where the chaos of the world comes from. There's a creepy city that makes all sorts of noises and we're not allowed to go down any of the passages where you hear screams and wheels turning and whispers, that sort of stuff.

The priestesses of Ululaya are sitting quietly in their craft. We are here to find something called a heartless stone to solve the quest of the Grand Priestess lady, which is slightly weird, because wouldn't any of them do? I mean, I have never seen a stone with a heart to begin with. I think we are looking for a particular one.

So… um, let me go back a little bit. We left Ierendi city on the previous boat, got caught in this big old storm, and got blown overboard and keee-raccckkk! the ship was totalled. Sailors probably drowned. None of us did. Oh, some mules drowned. Sand covered and salt-watered, we marched back down the island to find another ship, this time the Wind's Honor with this lady captain named Blue Alice, who wasn't blue because she was sad but blue because she almost drowned once. So did we!

Robert and Richard grumpy, had to buy new paper and stuff because some got wet when we got dunked in the water, so I asked for some. That's why I am writing! I figure I can send the raven off with this, but everyone tells me that's a lousy idea, although I don't know why. Would you want to know all the fun you are missing? I can't figure out why my ideas are always lousy, but I guess they are!

It took us a long time to get to the Isles of Pearl. A couple weeks! Charlie and I played draughts most of the time, but then we hit a storm and all the pieces were blown overboard. Upshot: no sea dragons!

We landed on the far side of the Pearl Island, not shaped in any way like a pearl. Very disappointing. We met a very big statue with a bull's head that could translate the local language for us. He was very nice and we invited him with us. We sailed around the island on a fishing schooner to the big city of Ululaya Town (not its real name). After sleeping the night, we went to the majestical palace of the grand lady poobah of the pearls, Ululaya herself, who sat on a throne in a great hall with her viziers clustered around her.

She was scary! Very, very scary! While Martin and the others were throwing themselves on their knees scraping and bowing and Missus This and Missus That and Thou Great Holy, I might have been the only one to realize she was a moving mass of deformity with sharp teeth all cowled beneath a dark red robe! Ahh! Everyone had these weird lopsided face tattoos, though, which were kind of neat.

Some of us said what we were there for. Martin wanted to be tall as a human. Charlie insisted he wanted a pie. I almost lost my nerve and didn't say anything at all, but then told her I was a magical creature and should be able to turn from a boy to a girl to a boy at will. She nodded, yes, that makes sense.

Trooped off to the chaos hole, all of us. Some of the Spikes (the remaining: Anja Hammerhead drowned), the big statue, and the rest of us. Richard and Robert were too seasick to tag along. Too bad! More fun without spells!

Down a ten mile deep opening in the earth we went, stairs along the side, everything at this point made of glowy red stone. We started mapping the dungeons beneath before figuring out that the rooms shift and roam mysteriously, and one space overlaps another. I got jumped on by a banana colored ooze creature someone called an ochre jelly (it really was more of an ooze than a jelly) and it split up when some of us struck it, but finally it died. Martin got hit by a ballista bolt shot by a floor trap, but still we went on.

We ran into three fellow adventurers who spoke a strange language. They got scared and moved quickly away, while we followed, figuring they would trigger any more traps. They disappeared.

We fought a slew of giant centipedes. Right now we're pretty tough! Or… fairly. A lot of pointy sticks in our hands. But later on, facing a slew of giant rats, they got through our defenses and got some of us sick with their furry, nibbly bites.

In the meantime, though, we found a party of dwarves, who were nice (dwarves are pretty nice in general!), but were on their own quest for stuff. We went down a couple flights of stairs. We went down a trapdoor, then found this slender man dressed in robes and a strange hat humming strangely to himself. He was upset about our coming there and kept humming loudly while we talked loudly about him. Then he got so upset he put his hands into the gestures of casting spells. Yikes! What nerve! I sprinted to him and stabbed him a couple times and that was that.

Wait, just before then, we found a strange green gremlin-man named Zded Znav who talked funny and claimed to know exactly where the heartless stone was. He stole Charlie's Talisman of Protection right off the front of his shield - the one I gave him! And started running.

That really pissed me off! I wrapped the little man up with my bola and told him I'd chop his head off. He said he would lead us to the heartless stone place but lead us into a 10' x 10' room, where he said there was a secret. Well, he was right! We found under a loose stone a mysterious ring. We were anxious about it, but Half Chance put it on and it turned him invisible.

Zded Znav escaped his bonds and ran away and we couldn't catch him.

After that it was the giant rats and some of us getting sick. We did find some bags of platinum pieces, and by miracle found the exit. I guess it comes exactly when it's time to leave!

In a couple days, rested up, we will go back down there. Next time you may hear from us, we may be totally dead! Or we may have found the magical pebble and our dreams come true. I think I will amend my wish to make myself a huge giant, so I can cross the ocean in one step and get back to you guys faster. I miss you!

Your halfling,
Hanna.

Getting to the Isles of Pearl

  • Setting sail from Ierendi, a storm! Richard and Robert drown [seriously?] [no, not seriously]
  • Walk back to Ierendi with merchant priests
  • Set off again with Blue Alice on the Wind's Honor
  • Some two weeks later, arrive at the coast of the Isles of Pearl
  • Meet a living, talking statue in the village; he joins us!
  • Sail around the coast to the City of Pearl on a big fish boat … 100gp/player
  • Meet Ululaya and her courtier priests
  • Martin asks for his size back, Charlie asks for a pie, Hanna nearly loses her nerve
  • Quest: they will go to the Haddad-nan-Scher (notes) to the Well of Chaos to find the Heartless Stone
  • They are shipped there on a holy vessel, move through a strange city, told never to part from each other

In the Dungeon of Shifting Rooms

  • They wander, and wander
  • Many dice rolls are made to determine where they are
  • Hanna gets attacked by a banana pudding
  • Martin gets nailed with a giant crossbow bolt
  • They go down two flights of stairs, start following strange-speaking foreigners, who manage to escape
  • They get attacked by a whole bunch of giant centipedes
  • They encounter Zded Znav, a gremlin creature
  • Zded Znav steals Charlie's Talisman
  • Hanna bola's the gremlin and they tie him up; Martin wants to kill him; Ja wants to treat him well
  • Zded Znav leads the party to find a Ring of Invisibility (apparently), now worn by Half Chance
  • They are attacked by a whole bunch of giant rats; many team mates are infected with plague; they find some bags of platinum pieces
  • As soon as they decide to rest and head home, it seems they find the exit!
  • Martin Reveals that the priestesses gave him an "Anchor Pearl" which may help them escape the chaos of the dungeon

ALSO: encountered a party of Dwarves.

Losses and Loot

The party slew one ochre jelly, eleven giant centipedes, a meditating magic-user and thirteen giant rats. Treasure obtained included 1300cp, 300pp, a satchel of herbs and oils, and a magical ring that renders its wearer invisible.

For enemies slain and wealth accrued, each participant gained 244xp.


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