Adventure Summary

Players: Anne (Sillia), Brian (Shorty), Micah (Cormac), Rob (Kao), Patrick (Fonkin; DM)

The adventure started with the following Introduction:

Nearly a century ago, the arch mage Iggwilv sent her evil minions to conquer the lands around her abode. So successful was she that the Marches of Perrenland were subjugated for a decade, and great indeed as the loot brought to Iggwilv's lair. Legend states that the arch mage gained much of her prowess from discovering the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, wherein was hidden magic of unsurpassed might. It is certain that Iggwilv ruled her domain from these caverns. There she also conducted arcane experiments and rituals, trying to further increase her powers.

These experiments were her downfall, for during one she accidentally freed the demon Graz'zt, whom she had imprisoned and forced into servitude. There was a terrible battle, and although the demon was forced to flee to the Abyss, Iggwilv was so stricken from the contest that her powers and strength were forever lost. With the wane of her evil, Iggwilv's realm was sundered. Her former henchmen and slaves stole her treasure and scattered to the four winds in the face of enemy armies. The arch mage, however, used the last of her power to prepare a hiding place in the caverns for her remaining wealth. Legends say that this included several tomes of great power and the fabled lamp called Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn. What else might be hidden no one knows, for no one has yet discovered Iggwilv's hoard.

That Iggwilv is long dead and gone cannot be doubted. Until recently, though, the stories of her secret cache of treasure in the caverns were regarded as another grandfathers' tale to amuse the younglings. Cart loads of tapestries and rugs, statues, and rare objects have been recovered over the years as well as chests of precious metals, sacks of coin, and coffers filled with gems and jewelry. It was believed that all her treasure had been looted, and that no magic or wealth remained. However, recent investigations have indicated that the magical lanthorn did exist and that Iggwilv possessed it. Iggwilv's lair was definitely located somewhere between the gorge of the Velverdyva River and the hills east of the town of Krestible. The kingdoms in the outback, near the Peryton heights, have sent expeditions into the mountains, seeking the exact location of the caverns.

The company included Sillia the Wood Elf, Cormac MacBraun the Ranger, Shorty the Halfling Fighter-Thief, Kao the Monk, and Fonkin Hoddypeak the Moon Elf Fighter-Mage. They were chaperoned by Stan the cleric who has eleven kids.

The company, sent by Melruk to recover the Tomes from Iggwilv's lair to prevent them falling into enemy hands, journeyed to the caverns led by Shorty, who wears dreadlocks. They encountered a community of gnomes living in a vale in the mountains whom they befriended. The gnomes allowed the party to base their operations there. They traded with the party and pointed them the way to the caverns.

After a pleasant and relatively uneventful trek through the perilous Peryton mountains, the company discovered the cavern entrance. It was a wide cave entrance carved to look like a fanged maw. (Iggwilv had a flair for the dramatic.)

The party entered the caves and first encountered a gang of stirges in a side passage. Several of the party were bitten by the foul bat-like creatures with pointed beaks, but no one seemed to worry about getting diseases or deadly infection.

Next Cormac had an argument with several large faces carved into the wall of a large chamber, each face declaring the passage it guarded was not the way. The first passage they tried led the party traipsing through the truffles so to speak, actually a mushroom farm belonging to four trolls. The delvers butchered the trolls and took their loot (3 gems, 1 jewel, 2 potions, and 4 magic arrows).

Next the party encountered a room with a high ceiling from which dropped large bat like humanoids. They shrieked which stunned those below, but Shorty screamed with his nostrils unfurled, spread wide, like the bell of a trombone. Three of the Mobats were killed and the party discovered a river, which they did not enter.

The delvers then encountered a clay golem, which wounded Sillia--a serious deal since the damage can't be healed by time or any magic available to the party. Stan warned the intrepid intruders of their peril and they fled the automaton.

The party then headed down a long passage full of bats. Their torches disturbed the animals, which disturbed others...which quickly turned into a mob of literally thousands of bats flooding the passageway and dousing the two torches carried by the party. Fonkin hooded his lantern, but the company will surely get rabies out of this one...

Players: Anne (Sillia), Micah (Cormac), Keith (Dravma), Patrick (Fonkin; DM)

The adventure continued picked up with the adventurers in the hall of bats. They retreated from the bats, which swarmed them, but returned without lights once the bats were settled down. Without lights, the bats left them alone.

The party advanced down the passage until the reached a branch off to the left, where stood a figure casting a spell. After warning the figure to stop, the party introduced themselves to Dravma, half-orc cleric. After extolling the virtues of prudence, Dravma told them he was sent on a quest to find the magical lanthorn of Daoud, supposedly hidden with Iggwilv's lair. The company told Dravma that they themselves were after the Lanthorn, as well as several tomes of magic reputed to be part of Iggwilv's hoard. Dravma joined the company, and they proceeded.

After dealing with a group of cave morays, the company came upon the abode of two Formorian giants. The company entered combat with the hideous creatures, with Dravma causing fear on one of the beasts, making it flee screaming. The other giant was dispatched, and the one that fled was chased down and killed. The company found treasure including about 1500 gp, a bowl worth 750 gp, two ivory tusks worth 600 gp each, a magic cloak, and two pairs of magic boots. Sillia asked about trying on the magic boots, but was warned against it by Fonkin. Dravma praised her for prudence, once of the blessed virtues of his strange religion.

Dravma spoke with one of the skulls in the giant's cave, and the dead thing revealed that the Lanthorn was on the lower level of the caverns, and that the river was the way to get there. The company then returned to the riverbank where they met Dravma and camped, regaining spells and healing.

Exploring the river led to the discovery of an underground lake, and a magic boat which Sillia snagged with her grapnel and hauled to the shore. Fonkin summoned a water elemental which navigated the boat down one river exit from the lake. The river took them to a carved bridge, decorated with gargoyle images. They discovered a waterfall, and landed the boat at the bridge and proceeded afoot.

Soon they encountered a chamber wherein lived a Gorgimera named Chossos. Chossos told the company that he was trapped there by a spell which kept him from leaving the room. He claimed the only way he could be freed was to be kissed by a princess. Dravma cast detect lie, and found that the Gorgimera would not hurt Sillia if she kissed the creature, which she did. The company went out of the chamber with Chossos, who attacked with his petrification breath weapon as soon as he was within range of Cormac. Cormac was petrified. Dravma, Sillia, and Fonkin slew Chossos. Among the treasure was a potion of Stone to Flesh, which they identified by Dravma again speaking with the dead, this time the recently dispatched Chossos. Chossos' shade also revealed that the way down to the greater caverns was nearby, behind a pile of boulders. Chossos' treasure also included 7000 sp, 9000 gp, 800 pp, 21 gems, 2 pieces of jewelry, a potion, a scroll, a bag of holding, and a horn. They took it all of course.

The company then went to the pile of boulders Chossos indicated and moved them out of the way, discovering one that sounded hollow. Dravma broke it to discover a tablet with strange writing on it. He read the strange writing, which depicted some kind of protective ward around Iggwilv's hoard and mentioned seven tries to reach it. The tablet read in full:

The words on the tablet then disappeared. Dravma also found a ring with the tablet, which he immediately put on (failing to exercise the prudence for which he praised Sillia). He does not know what the ring does.

The boulders blocked the entrance to a staircase, leading down. The delvers descended 900 steps until they reached the greater caverns. There they made camp again and rested, while Sillia scouted the area using her cloak and natural stealth. Thus ends the second gaming session in...

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth

the two dagger images and the scroll image for previous, next, and home.