Session 16: Murder of the Snowman
Ref: EvilTables
Players: Roald, Porphryiana, Soterrani
Region: Caves of Intensity
Description:
- We decide to head back to the caves of intensity after the Scholar’s Tower investigation into the Greys.
- We take the boat down. We head to the caves
- we decide to find a position to watch the comings and goings of the west, looking for food processions to feed the shambler.
- We spend some time climbing to find a position to overlook and try to see a procession.
- From our position, the purple moss and the metal door.
- We take some purple moss and see a ripple extend deeper into the cave.
- We head through the metal door, northward.
- The smell of bacon wafts, and dozens of butterflies flutter around the ceiling.
- We head west, avoiding the Enchantress.
- The ground is frost-covered
- We see 2 giant blue beetles perched on the ceiling. They are defensive, looking to attack.
- Soterrani throws a ration, the beetles flinch but stand the guard.
- The beetles seem keen on keeping it us
- Porphyriana casts Sleep on the beetles; we kill the beetles, wanting to save them for scientific inquiry
- We see the cavern opening in the NW, thickening snow.
- We see a floor covered in 4ft of snow, a 14ft tall snowman with a beetle face and gem-set eyes. The base has 2 beetles of a similar color, building their legs
- Roald charges forth, attempting to knock the snowman over. He topples it!
- The beetles rattle their appendages in anger
- Roald attacks one savagely; the rest attack. I assist Roald, casting a spell to shear its carapace from its body.
- A beetle attacks Roald, hitting him, and a chill can be seen in the area that hit Roald
- More attack, Roald, more frost! Roald’s right foot begins to glow blue!
- Roald gets attacked again, as Soterrani falls on his ass. Porphyriana stabs!
- Roald kills a beetle, Soterrani and Porphyriana attack the last beetle, but it doesn’t fall to our daggers! Finally, we fell the Beetles and took the two sapphire eyes from the Snowman
- Roald uses his torch to warm his feet. Roald’s foot looks bad.
- The air is humid, and somehow snow forms. The temperature and wind oscillate in strange ways.
- Soterrani investigates the southern wall, looking for the wind that seems to howl from beyond.
- Faint chatting can be heard, Gregorian monophonic lines. We head southward and see an entourage of 7 pigeon folk heading west, one carrying a large blue sack.
- We say hi to the Pigeon folk and ask about the whereabouts of the Shambler
- The Pigeonfolk says the Shambler has some mail, and we ask to accompany the group. They are heading south, following them from behind.
- The Pigeonfolk head west, and the lead one stays at a distance. Throwing a parcel, the group looks afraid.
- Soterrani turns invisible, carrying the parcel deeper to the Shambler. I see the edge of the cavern. Many vines, movement sounds like many things rushing forward. A big green vegetal mass approaches, tendrils reach the package. It smells of rotted meat. The vines seem different, flowering plants, part cacti, a mesh of plants.
- We carry the beetles back to the Scholar’s Tower, research poison for plants, and attempt to heal Roald’s foot. We reach Fort Ray and sail back up to Scholar’s Tower.
- We look for the botany professor to inquire about how best to poison the plants. Seeking Professor Pocat at level 2.
- We have faint dreams of the caves, a temporal difference. We toss and turn in our sleep, waiting for Pocat.
- She tells us that if we disrupt the central node, we can root the plant. Salt and vinegar are said to be effective.
- We buy a barrel of salt and vinegar and the poison from Pocat.
- We wait a day and plan our approach back to the Caves
- We hang out a Fort Ray, arriving in the evening, Roald seeks a cleric to heal his foot, to no avail
- We continue to travel back to the Caves. The tide has come in quite far, and the access point we need to blocked by water. The temperature is warmer than outside.
- We swim across and see 15 halflings in cloaks, and they are setting up birdfeeders. They are 200-300ft away
- Porphyriana sleeps all of them, and we throw them (the halflings) off the cliff. The birdfeeders could fit 3 pigeonfolk.
- This giant ostrich-bird thing appears, so we hide in the shambler’s den to avoid it. FIND OUT NEXT WEEK WHAT HAPPENS!!!
Gold & XP: Two sapphire gems & 5 beetle carapaces
Special or Magic Items: XXXX
Written by: Jay
Session 17: The Shambler Cometh!
10/14/25
Ref: EvilTables
Players: Frid Gidd (Mr. Mann), Soterrani (Jay), Porphyriana (Idraluna), Jorcale (Roguewithwhimsy), Chuckles Fondly (dayglochainsaw)
Region: Caves of Intensity, Northern Strata
Description:
The session began immediately on the heels of last session, after the party had slain 15 halflings with two Sleep spells & sighted the Terror Bird on the cliff. The party opted to continue with their plan from last time: Soteranni cast Invisibility to look out for a group carrying tribute to the Shambler, while Porphyriana & others waited in the wings to cast Sleep.
Sure enough, a part of 7 Cavemen approached the Shambler’s cave with a large sack. Sleep was enough to neutralize 6, and the last, largest of the bunch was felled by Frid Gidd shortly thereafter. The sack was occupied by a beetle-person, who attempted to sell potato seeds & mentioned an auction taking place in the SE corner of the caves.
The party then set about butchering the corpses, and (in a move oddly reminiscent of Prof. Bateson), stuffed the sack full of limbs. Over these, they poured salt, vinegar, & herbicide. Frid Gidd bravely volunteered to present the pickled neanderthal offering to the Shambler, which ate it up greedily.
“Gooood, gooood. Stay…” it implored, “you are good chef”. Frid Gidd was thus offered a deal: either knowledge, wealth, protection, or rebirth in exchange for further gourmet offerings. Frid chose “wealth” and received a huge azure gem worth 5,000gp, along with some kind of shambler brand on his neck.
At this point, Chuckles Fondly the dwarf turned up to join the party. Their main mission complete, they resolved to warn the pigeonfolk about the potential disruption that could be caused by the shambler’s poisoning. At the door to the Pigeon post office, they introduced themselves as “Dirty Mike & They Boys” and hung out with Darryl the pigeon for a bit after delivering their message.
To kill even more time before returning to Ft. Ray, they sought out the beetle auction. Entering the beetle lair, they passed a garden where some beetles were growing potatoes. Frid Gidd took some damage from eating a purple potato, & Chuckles turned slightly green after nibbling a small red spud.
At the auction (held in the “broccoli room”), the party witnessed the sale of a pirate hat & a treasure map. The beetle they had freed expressed dismay at failing to purchase a parrot. Anxious to secure his new gem, Frid Gidd departed for Ft. Ray along with Chuckles & Jorcal. Porphyriana & Soteranni stayed behind in order to meet with a beetle interested in buying an elven blade (truck & barter are apparently banned outside of auction hours).
Then, disaster struck. Preceded by cries of “The Shambler cometh!” the Shambler cameth, psionically complaining of “indigestion”. Porhpyriana & Soteranni ushered the beetle children past a curtain divider and into a dead-end room. A Hold Portal spell was seemingly just enough to halt the Shambler’s advance — Porphyriana & Soteranni emerged unharmed into a scene of horrific carnage.
Rumors: If you are nice to the beetle people, they’ll give you seeds with which to bid at the auction.
Gold & XP: One azure gem worth 5000gp.
Written by: Idraluna Archives
Session 18: The Discovery of the Grey
10/28/2025
Description: The players investigated the hidden level of the Tower, sneaking by the gargoyles and finding and abandoned Grey child. They reported their results to Professor Michelet, who assisted them in returning it to the Grey outpost. Finally, they discussed with Michelet possible strategies towards confronting or ousting Professor Bateson.
Written by: EvilTables
Session 19: The Clinique du Mur
11/4/25
Players: Dyl, rogue, Idraluna, oldhawkeyes
Region: The clinic, mostly
Description: Begins: strange lights cause people to look stunned.
We head to the clinic. There is a swing set outside and we wait an hour checking the place out. Seven humanish figures, with limping steps and wearing pajamas, head out the door to the west and they slowly walk west.
We head to the east and climb a wall. We see some wolf-people in a cell. One is barking loud. We throw rations but the quiet one says that they don’t eat meat. They are trying to stop the people in the pajamas. Worse, there is a doctor of pure evil, he says. We can’t do anything about the lock without making a racket, so we tell the lucid wolf that we will be back.
We suspect that someone is feeding meat to the wolf. We stake out the cells and after ten minutes, we smell roast chicken and hear a commotion. We force a door and investigate. We find a bar stocked with cognac, four bottles worth 500gp each. There is wine too, but it is corked. We find tobacco too.
We open the door to a room with hospital beds, two humanoid creatures with nurses’ outfits and a man in a doctor’s outfit. They are beating someone. We turn undead and get the patients out. One says that our presence has been foretold by the Collective Unconscious. We Cure Light Wounds and he says that he needs his armor. He is a knight searching for The Archetypical Grail. He is Ean and his squire is paralyzed. He thinks there is a sarcophagi of Amonhotem the fourth. Within, is a map that he believes will lead to the archetypical grail. We leave them and ask him to scream if there is a problem. He says that he can shout bravely.
We find a room with a row of desks. There are fifteen metallic children with red eyes. They have two attacks each and get Porphyriana a bit. We run and five follow us into the hall. We kill them. The fighters’ cleave is powerful. We decide to confront the remainder at the door to their room. We kill them all. Jorcal has one Cure Light Wounds left.
Rumors: At the beginning, strange lights cause people to look stunned.
Gold & XP: Cognac x4 (500gp each), Sack of Tobacco (20g), Chairs (200gp each?) (thanks dyl)
Written by: roguewithwhimsy