Lacking Natural Simplicity

Attending

• T.K.B. — Labyrinth Lord

• T.A. played Arlow (an Elf) and Grimmin (a Dwarf), and also played James (a Thief), who was created by D.B.

• E.A. played Elsie (an Elf) and Leanna (a Dwarf), and also played Hermes (A Magic User), who was created by D.B.

• M.A. played John (a Cleric) and Zedd (a Magic User).

Actual Play

1st day: They all hunted, since Mad Sammy's stores were running low. They found 20 days worth of food, which they shared with Mad Sam.

2nd day: They went back to the crypt, to the room with the orange and green painted keyholes. The two shadows attacked them, but luckily for the PCs, by this point in the adventure many had magic weapons, and they were able to land some good solid hits. The shadows faded into the gloom, and then attacked again when the PCs attention was diverted. This time the party handily disposed of the shadows.

They then used the Green & Orange Rod Keys, and the secret door opened. The climbed down the chain (a couple slipped, but caught themselves) to the lower level and opened the double doors into what turned out to be the final room of the crypt. It contained two stone coffins with statues atop each. They were talking about pulling down the statutes so they could open the coffins when the statue on the left coffin attacked — it was actually a gargoyle. They killed it without much trouble, and turned to the statue on the right. That statue was firmly fixed to the coffin and they were unable to pull it down. They turned back to the other coffin, which opened easily. They pulled out the treasure and read the note wrapped around the ring, and heard the banging and screeching start in the right-side coffin, while simultaneously the statue from that coffin fell and struck two of the party glancing blows.

Despite the noises from the coffin, they opened it with the key none-the-less — the lid was pushed back, and a medusa sat up, surprising them all. All but one of the PCs were turned to stone by the baleful gaze of the medusa. Grimmin was the lucky adventurer, and he resisted the gaze once again, while he ran around behind the other coffin, where he quickly rifled through his backpack and found the silver mirror. Standing up with the mirror before him, he avoided the medusa's gaze, while she looked full into the mirror and was turned to stone.

Grimmin was left alone, surrounded by the petrified bodies of his friends. The Stone to Flesh scrolls they had found earlier were also, unfortunately petrified, as was all the treasure they had accumulated before this room. Fortunately, there was plenty of treasure in this room. After spending a night with Mad Sam, Grimmin set off for civilization to find more scrolls of Stone to Flesh and a novice wizard to accompany him back and read the scrolls to free his comrades. Eventually he did, but it cost him all the loot from the last room. He traveled back to the crypt with Harlan, his hired magic user, but as they came down the steps they were attacked by skeletons. Grimmin, knowing that if Harlan was killed it was all up for his companions, bravely threw himself in the path of the blow intended for Harlan, and was stuck by the other skeleton as well, and luckily survived both. After that, with help from Harlan's Magic Missile, it was easy to finish off the skeletons.

Once they got to the statues, the magic user read the scrolls and the PCs were restored. After a night's rest in Mad Sammy's basement they all (except for Sammy) set off for civilization. However, on the first night out, on the sleeping Grimmin's watch, they were attacked by wolves. Once awake they fought back valiantly. When the Guardian of the Crypt, a great glowing orb with one eye, appeared they were at first taken aback, and feared the Guardian had killed Harlan when it sent a bolt of magical energy into the tree where Harlan had hidden. However, Arlow ended up killing it with one Magic Missile, and they finished off the wolves without too much difficulty They returned to tell Sammy that his nightmare was over, and then all (including Sammy, this time) left for civilization.

Loot & XP

The loot for the final room was 5930 gp, all used to buy scrolls and hire Harlan to read them. The previous loot was 3108 gp, so everybody got 388.5 gp. Total monster XP for the whole adventure was 797 XP divided by eight PCs and rounded to 100 XP. Total XP with the loot (once they got it back to civilization), per PC, was 1230 XP each. Not even James the Thief leveled!

So ended the Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt!

Afterward

I pointed out to the kids that very little of their final XPs came from killing monsters, that most of it came from taking their stuff, and that if they could do the later without the former they'd be better off.

We talked about what game to play next, during the school year when L.B. isn't here, and they eventually decided on Evernight, the Savage Worlds campaign, at T.A.'s suggestion. That was fine with me!

Next week, when L.A. is in, we'll work on Keep on the Borderlands. We are getting near the end, and L.A. has said that she doesn't want it to end. I'll have to see what I can do about that. Perhaps I'll populate one of the dungeon maps I've drawn recently, and make it the Cave of the Unknown…