Session 17: In To The Tomb

Raig 30th 1518 TH

Level One

Part 1 of 3 Stream

The group send the night resetting in the the cave and Kallais sets up a bone circle, next to the entrance of the cave. After resting in the cave for the night and surprisingly not being disturbed, Vinessa examines the wall with the wards on it in the alcove. Eventually she finds that this is secret entrance and manages to find a secret lever that opens it.

GM Script

Opening the secret door you cough and splutter as countless years of dust bellow all around you. You are now sure that whoever killed the Trolls didn’t get this far. Looking ahead you see a long corridor for as far as your light permits. Walking down the corridor and you start to notice that you are going downhill, looking down at the floor you notice marks that look like something has been scraped along the floor. Looking more closely you can see intermittently a sticky viscous substance, possibly old grease. Maybe this was for a trap to make you slip and slide down to the end of the corridor?

This corridor used to be covered in grease so people walking down would slip and slide into the pit trap at the end.

Up ahead you can see there’s a Door, it looks wooden with horizontal and vertical, thick metal straps. You can also see a large keyhole in the centre, it doesn’t look to have been used for many years, as the door is covered in thick cobwebs.

Directly in front of the doors is a pressure plate, that opens downwards as soon as someone steps on it and at the bottom are a collection of spears.

​Pit Trap
Detection Difficulty: 7
Disarm Difficulty: 7
In a small alcove there is a hidden lever that disarms the pit
Trigger Condition: Pressure Plate
Trap Initiative: 10
Trap Effect: 8 meters fall for Step 15
Once the character hits the bottom, they trigger the second part

​Spear Trap
Detection Difficulty: 9
Disarm Difficulty: 7
Trigger Condition: Pressure Plate
Trap Initiative: 10
Trap Effect: Spears launch from the walls of the pit, inflicting Step 15

​DOOR: Can be picked: Lock Picking Target = 10

The lock clicks and the door can be freely opened. Shining a light down in front of you, you see a spiral staircase winding down. You can see that it’s been carved into the mountain itself.

After walking down the Spiral stairs, you estimate you have travelled approximately 50 meters or so. At the bottom of the stairs you see before you a short corridor going West, with a rick fall, and to the North an entrance to a room

The long corridor goes to a dead end with a rock fall, protruding out you can see a skeletal arm. The arm is holding a note that reads.

​Wyvern Room

The Wyvern’s are mechanical and are purely for show when the group enter this small room, they will activate.

You enter a small room and as you look to the west you see with shock what looks like two small Dragons. One Is Black and the other is White. They don’t appear to have seen or heard you as they don’t move. They are both perched an a pedestal and are facing each other

Pause and play this up as if they are going to get attacked. When they eventually enter

As you walk into the room. You hear a loud hissing and the sound of metal clanking together. You look at the Dragons and you see flames emitting from there jaws. They turn slowly, there wings slowly move up and down, to the sound of metal cogs screeching. At that moment two braziers behind the Dragons start to ignite and flames shoot out towards the ceiling.

The two Dragons, turn full circle, open their mouths, more flames are emitted. They flap their wings once more and return to the position they were in when you first viewed them.

Nothing else happens, if they leave the room and come back they will hear the mechanism try and start, then hear a loud screech and then suddenly stop

​Corridor One

You see another long corridor with alcoves on each side alternating the whole length, as far as you can see with your light source.

In each alcove there are movement sensitive quartz crystals contained within a hooded type lantern that squeaks as it open and reveals the light. as they get close the hood moves up and they emit a bright light.

As you continue to walk, you hear a just audible screech, then four eerie lights start to shine on alternate sides from the Alcoves.

Occasionally one of the group will step on a pressure plate and the sounds of cogs will be heard and a hiss of air from the pressure systems that used to throw out arrows, none work in this corridor.

As you move curiously down the corridor you hear a click and feel the stone beneath your feet move down slightly. You hold your breath for a moment then take a sign of relief as nothing appears to have happened.

Continuing down the corridor several more lights are activated automatically as they approach.

​Pit Trap Room

The pit traps here used to have snakes in them that had been imbued with magic’s to keep them alive for centuries, that time has long since passed and they have rotted away many years ago. But the pressure plate for the pit is still very much active and anyone triggering the trap will fall to the bottom.

​Pit Trap
Detection Difficulty: 7
Disarm Difficulty: 7
In a small alcove there is a hidden lever that disarms the pit
Trigger Condition: Pressure Plate
Trap Initiative: 10
Trap Effect: 8 meters fall for Step 15

​Corridor Two

Very much the same as the last corridor, however there are two traps in alcoves and their mechanisms still work and will fire out one sharp spike then hiss and cease to work. There are no light sources down this corridor. But they can see light at the end of the corridor coming from the North.

Looking down this corridor you in the first alcove a large spike jutting out, it looks rusted and broken. You can also see there is light being emitted into the corridor at the end. And although this corridor has the same alcoves as the one you have just traversed none of them have anything in them, such as light sources.

​Spike Trap
Large Spike Trap: Spike is 1.5 meters long
Detection Difficulty: 9
Disarm Difficulty: 7
Trigger Condition: Pressure Plate
Trap Initiative: 10
Trap Effect: One Large Spike juts out of the alcove inflicting Step 15

​Anti Room

Just out of the corridor you see a room, 8m X 8m, with a black stain on the floor, it looks like fresh oil has been spilled. Looking around you can see that the oil is leaking out of a crack in the wall.

Nothing of note, the oil here has leaked out of the mechanism for the Baby Dragons.

​Statue Room

Looking out of this small Anteroom you see a large and surprisingly well lit room. The ceiling of this room is covered in some kind of algae or fungus that is emitting light. And covers the whole of the ceiling and partially down the walls.

Along sides of the room, you can see 12 Statues of Warriors of various races. The are grouped together in twos intermittently spaced. Each pair are facing each other, one with it’s sword about to strike, and the other with it’s shield up as if defend against the blow.

At the end of the room you can see there is a corridor leading out.

Steelmen Attack

Part 2 of 3 Stream

Corridor Three

They come out of the wall between the corridors. These are based on Steelmen. But they were created prior to the Scourge so have not been corrupted by the horrors. However they are so old and haven’t moved for centuries that they have fallen into disrepair and have gone slightly insane.

​Combat Options

• Swords will shatter, which will reduce damage to Step 10
• Initiative is always 1 due to their decrepit state
  • You notice they seem to be moving very slowly
  • They movements seem to be restrictive
• Half Movement Rate
• Lose Step 6 Health / RND
• Hardened Armour: Extra Success are at +1 NOT +2
  • But only lasts first few rounds
  • Or after they have taken ~20 damage
• As they move you notice small cracks appearing in their suits of Armour
• Hits seem to be doing more damage than expected
  • Add 5 to all damage done
• How many of these statues are there?
• Each one will shout a battle cry when first attacking
  • For My King
  • For The Queen
  • Thystonius Grant Me Victory
  • For Garlen I Protect

By The Passions

Part 3 of 3 Stream

​Now they have finished off these Steelmen they investigate the statues and discover that all twelve of the Passions are represented and all are holding a bowl out to place offerings upon. The other thing of note is that the representation of the Mad Passions is as they were prior to the scourge, as they were before they became mad.

At the base of the Statue Of Garlen lies a skeleton with rusted metal armour and a beautifully gleaming sword by its side. It looks as if it was kneeling when it died many, many years ago.

You also see reflecting the light of the brazier a beautiful blue stone encrusted brooch with the emblem signifying Garlen.

​Magical Sword: Valorous

A beautifully crafted Broadsword with an exceptionally keen edge. The cross guards on the hilt are the wings of an eagle with a blue gem in the middle. Six smaller blue gems are inserted into the handle. Runes are etched down the blade in fine writing, what they mean you don’t yet know. Another rune is stamped into the pommel, this Rune is the symbol for Garlen.

It illuminates with a bright blue light when in the presence of Horrors or their constructs, without any threads being wielded to it.

The Circle Of Dawn make various offerings to a few of the Passions.

Fake Door

At the end of the corridor you can just make out a large stone door. The door directly in front of you is made from stone, with a keyhole in the centre of the door. There are also two wooden doors to both sides. They have no keyholes that are visible and have wooden handles

Door directly ahead is a fake door and is actually sealed against the wall. Can not be picked as it is just a hole, attempting to pick it will reveal this. But will also reveal that it used to be trapped. The two other doors are not locked.

​Storage Room

Door to the South leads into a room with several barrels and chests. The whole area looks to have not been used for many years, as it’s all covered in dust and cobwebs.

Some of the barrels have oil in them. The chests have various tools, hammers, metal bars, cogs and wheels, spanners and such things

​Lift Room

The door to the North leads to a room, some 20 meters long and 8 meters wide. Along one wall is mechanical contraption of some kind. It has various cogs and wheels and a hand wheel. It looks quite rusty. Against the opposite wall, there is a metal portcullis with a lever on the side wall. Against the wall opposite there is a thick wooden table covered in rags and an assortment of tools. And a selection of barrels against the entrance wall,

Let them investigate for a little while, then slowly reveal the details as they ask questions

• Several barrels scattered around
  • Most are empty
  • One is half full with oil
• There are rags and furs scattered around
  • Some on the floor
  • Some on the workbench
  • Most are oily
• On the work table there is a metal shaft
  • Half a meter long.
  • One end there is a cloth that’s been tightly wound around
  • At the other end, it looks scratched
  • Approximately 15 cm from that end is a notch (protrusion) that sticks out
• On the floor near mechanism are three cogs on the floor
  • Three different sized cogs
  • One of these cogs needs to put into the mechanism for it to work
  • Examining the mechanism they can see one cog is missing

The idea here is they have to oil the mechanism, put a few cogs back in place, then use the lever on the flywheel cog and turn it. When they do this a lift will slowly move upwards. When it arrives at the top the portcullis will open automatically and a lift will be seen.

To go down, they need to take the lever from the mechanism and place in to the flywheel in the elevator and turn it counterclockwise and the portcullis will close and the lift will slowly move down to the bottom.

The Circle Off Dawn all manage to get down the lift, but realise that getting back up won’t be so easy, but that’s a problem for later

GM NOTE

One main problem with this level was the fact that the majority of the action relied solely with one character, the Thief, Vinessa. I knew this before starting this session, but I had been concentrating on the other levels and ran out of time to change things up a bit.

I did plan to have a puzzle in the Fighting Statue Room, but I never got round to figuring out a fun puzzle to place there. I could still have played it by ear, but I got to regimented in my head and plowed on with what I had written. This is a constant problem that I encounter in many sessions and I need to try and remind myself to deviate more from the script. I do this sometimes, but that’s mostly when it’s initiated by the group and not when I start thinking things are getting statel, change something.

After the group defeated the Steelmen, I did the opposite to the above, I literally had in my notes, play it by ear and see what the group do. They did some cool things, but I think they could have done more. I could have also provided a more interactive scene, rather than it being one sided. I could have allowed them to role play somewhat more with the passions and if I had I think they would have spent considerably more time here. But when they realised it was just, make an offering, the Passion says something, gives you a small bonus and that’s that, they moved on.

Also during the Steelmen fight I let one of the Steelmen go to two health. What was the point in that? There was none except wasting a little more time in a combat that was already won. I have made sure I don’t do this again and in the next session it made the fight considerably more interesting as the enemies dropped like flies, none of this really low health status for no reason.

Lastly, and this has been remarked upon before, but I fallen back into doing it. I give the players way to much help, mainly to move them along, but it’s not necessary, so I have made a note to remind me not to do this. Similar to this, I also correct the players when they have misunderstood something. Sometimes this misunderstanding needs a correction, especially if it’s something their characters can see. But if it’s about a conversation they have had previously with an NPC, then I need to leave them to make this mistake.

The Group do go down to Level Two and do some minor investigations, but that’s more relevant for the next Session Post, Level Two

To see what happens watch the stream below. Should you enjoy it, please like, share and subscribe, so you don’t miss new episodes.

We stream every Monday Live on Twitch at 19:30 hrs UK. Then the Episode is uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday.

All episodes are also available as a Podcast versions on Anchor.

Stephen Blower

I’m Stephen the author of this website and and the GM in The Circle Of Dawn campaign.

CircleOfEarthdawn.com