I was thinking about Left 4 Dead, which is a zombie survival game, where each level begins and ends with the players reaching a safe house, and locking the doors. I wonder about a megadungon, where the 'safehouses' in the dungeon are more distinctly indicated. While finding an empty storeroom and spiking the doors shut for the night is pretty classic, I wonder about occasional room that has a wards against evil creatures.

Also, one game I played (Diable? Dungeon Siege?) had pylons that when activated opened gates back to town. And then from town any of the activated pylons could be teleported back to. For something like Ran Lithby, it might be interesting if there was something like that, but only one 'pylon' could be active at a time. So each time PCs returned to the dungeon, they could either walk in the front door, or teleport to which ever magical access point the last party teleported out from.

Rates for hirelings are negotiable, and have ranged from 4-5 gp per day to sharing a full share with an adventurer. Typical fair wage is likely to be 3-4 gp for an expedition up front plus some percentage of the take (1-2%). Paying more gets you more loyal hirelings. I will keep track of hirelings and their success - it is possible for them to level (although they are not stealing exp from players).

A reputation for losing hirelings to the dungeon will make it harder and more expensive to attract new ones.

Currently in town there are:

Experienced delvers with at least one confirmed trip into Ran Lithby's Folly.

• Aleris, a fighting-woman who is very favorably disposed towards Daukai the Eloquent (he paid her over 60 gp after their last expedition together, enabling her to buy herself chain armor).
• Anixter, a female mage who has ventured into the Folly and survived a horribly belly wound dealt by a bizarre monster smelling of cinnamon and wielding two jagged swords. She claims to be able to magically lock doors, or to produce magical brilliance which can be used to light the way in the underworld.
• Gerke, who is a lay member of a holy order, not yet inducted into the mysteries of the faith. She survived an encounter with a medusa along with Hoyt.
• Seamus, tough-looking, plate and shield clad caravan guard. He bears a sword and a sling and claims to be able to hit an apple off a tree at 40 yards.
• Arthuri is ugly and not very bright, but seems tough as nails and is the only person in town wearing plate armor and an honest-to-goodness heirloom longsword. He must be some petty nobleman's third son.

Untested recruits, mostly veterans of recent border conflicts come to seek their fortunes:

• Gloadae is a well-spoken but clumsy young woman who seems to be expert with the spear that is always in her hand. She is a former imperial trooper.

The general background:

Ran Lithby, hundreds of years ago, was a powerful wizard and hero of renown. He retired to the mountains with his riches and followers and built a modest castle and outpost in a small valley. Legions of stonecrafters, artisans, and laborers marched into the valley but the castle and outlying buildings remained the same: it became apparent that Ran Lithby was building his fortress deep into the mountains. Years passed and the excavation continued. Reports from the site became weird, returning workers reported long underground marches through a veritable city before they got to new excavations, odder assemblages of hirelings were seen entering the works, weird and dangerous creatures were found wandering the mountains nearby. Ran Lithby himself was not seen in pubic, ever. Then, over a course of several years, the flow of money out and workers in stopped. Several decades passed and no one heard anything at all from the mountain. Ran Lithby and what had come to be called his Folly were forgotten by most.

But not by all. Tales began to spring up all over the land - always about the woodcutter's nephew, or the miller's uncle, or that old carpenter from two villages over - of those who had journeyed to the Folly, and come back with strange tales and rich goods. And tales of those who boasted they were going to the Folly and were never heard from again.

Now the Folly is one of the places that you go when you are ambitious, disaffected, or seeking adventure. A steady stream of fortune-seekers and the curious find their way to the nearby village of Inkwell to stage an expedition…

Brother Bro will speak to Arthuri about purchasing a bow or crossbow, and at least 1 or 2 silver arrows with his earnings thus far. Seamus will be asked to invest in platemail & shield, as his life was almost lost to a centipede eating through his leather, and also finding at least 5 or 6 silvered sling bullets.

"If you do not wish to do these things to ensure our survival, I will not make you, but I will hire those who will do as I ask. And, as you know, I pay everyone equally, which will amount to less gold for all of us."

Brother Bro will take his map and give a copy of it to a trusted associate (to be named later, should my PC die).

Session 2 - February 12, 2011

With hearty thanks to Adrian and Joe for helping me remember how to DM. With luck I will be able to run session three before another six months go by…

Players
Nairda (Adrian) F-M
Boffo (Joe) F-M (can jump 20' from standing; KF# 4)

Enemies Slain
1 giant rat
2 skeletons
1 skeleton captain

Treasure Gained
300 gp
500 sp
800 cp
finely crafted dwarven bodkin
fine dwarven lockpicks
3 jade discs
silver strongbox key

Experience
408 exp each to Boffo and Nairda
183 gp each

[And, so I can find it again should it ever come up…]

Session 1 - July 19, 2010

Player
Nairda (IO; 7th son of the 7th son of an elf, has 30' of elven nightvision and thief skills)

Enemies Slain
1 Goblin
1 Two bandits (aka other adventurers)

Treasure Gained
23 cp
2 sp
1 jade disc (used 2/12/11)
10 gp (including 2 gp wages re-gained from your hireling Slifka, upon his death)
Shoulder-piece of ermine or mink, worth 20gp

Experience
310 experience