(or, "They eat insects, don't they?")
(This is foner’s test drive of AD&D first edition, played entirely by-the-book. The module is “Trial by Fire” from Judges Guild.)
PCs
- Dragonfly, Human Monk, played by FredH
- Kalem, Elven Mage, played by BlueLightning
- Reggio Emilia, Gnome Illusionist/Thief, played by skidoo
- Torlock, Human Fighter, played by dorje
- Udayan, Human Cleric, played by Invincible Overlord
NPCs
- Kenny, a spear carrier
- Cael, a spear carrier
- Cartman, a linkboy
This time the entire party sets out, the confidence of past success fueling their ambition. Twenty platinum pieces! Minor humanoid harassment! This Secret Fortress is a cakewalk!
First on the itinerary is the room with two huge pillars, sculpted as warriors. Reggio Emilia is disturbed by the fact that the statues face the walls of the chamber, asses to the center of the room. He is mocked for seeking architectural logic in a dungeon, but is soon vindicated when the party discovers that the pillars do rotate. Udayan reasons that the pillars must open a secret door when faced toward one of the walls. The theory is tested, and a door is revealed in the west wall.
In the secret chamber are two chests, with long scuff marks in the stone floor, under a thick layer of dust. The party proceeds to the chest with extreme caution, and discover hundreds of platinum coins within the chests Udayan, excitable as ever, kicks one of the chests over. There is a low rumble. The party retreats just in time to avoid a stone slab smashing down upon the chests. Reggio slaps Udayan.
After lifting the slab and retrieving the biggest haul yet, the party decides to explore to the south. They come upon an ancient barracks inhabited by four kobolds. Reggio mistakes them for goblins, and fails to lure them out through the impersonation of another goblin. The party marches on the room, as the kobolds prepare for battle. Bloodshed is certain, but Dragonfly’s Buddhist principles drive him to stand between the combatants, pleading for peace. How can the party hold the moral high ground when they invade another’s home without cause? Udayan desires violence but agrees to allow Dragonfly an attempt to negotiate, with Kalem acting as interpreter.
This goes as well as you might imagine. In the ensuing negotiation, Udayan attempts to convert a kobold to Kali with a command spell for surrender, followed by a forced blood-sharing ritual. The other kobolds interpret this as a renewal of warfare, and are quickly dispatched to the Dark Mother’s four-armed embrace. The party ties up the remaining kobold, and orders it to divulge its group’s treasure, some vases of electrum. Udayan and Dragonfly argue party policy, and eventually Udayan agrees to let Dragonfly handle all further negotiations with the intelligent denizens of the fortress.
The party proceeds further south with their prisoner. After a brief examination of a (possible) false door, the party comes into a strange chamber. There is a chest facing away from the door, and beyond it the skeletal remains of three adventurers. The party forces their prisoner to open the chest from behind, lest looking upon the contents of the chest lead them to a Belloq-like fate. Instead, it’s only a giant snake. The snake bites the kobold, but does not kill it. The party rains down a hail of blows and magic missiles that which would fell a lesser snake, to no avail! The creature strikes down Dragonfly, Kenny and Cael the hirelings, and Udayan. Finally Kalem, remembers his magic scroll! He unrolls it and calls forth an ancient enchantment, and blinds the beast with a burst of light upon its eyes. Torlock and Reggio use this chance to retreat from the snake’s striking range, and with a last desperate volley, pelt and prick the creature unto death.
The party pays dearly for this chest of silver. Their prisoner is fled, Udayan and Cael are unconscious, and Dragonfly and Kenny are poisoned. Torlock wishes to end Kenny’s suffering with his Lucerne hammer. Dragonfly asks no such boon, and sits down to meditate in his final moments. Alas, the powerful venom racks its victims with unfathomable pain. Kenny departs with convulsions. Dragonfly, the most good-willed of all the party, dies with screams in his mouth and foam on his lips.
Overburdened with bodies of their still-warm wounded and cold, cold coin, Reggio and Torlock decide to inter their fallen comrades in the chamber for later retrieval. Using the illuminant snake-head to ward off opportunistic monsters, the party escapes to the surface.
Casualties:
Dragonfly – Dead. A brave PC who got in one good character scene before the end.
Kenny – Dead. A stalwart hireling. Oh my god, they killed etc.
Udayan – In a coma for four days, resting for one week.
Cael – Unconscious, resting for one week.
Treasure:
100 platinum pieces.
750 electrum pieces.
Monsters killed:
Three kobolds (killed)
One kobold (captured)
One giant snake (28 hp fer cryin out loud)
written up by skidoo