These four sessions were played between October 2014 and February 2015. I have some notes and floor plans and I remember a lot about each session, including especially entertaining moments, but most of the time I can't remember who did what in specific fights or treasures they may have found. If any players (mostly Dave and Andy) recall, please leave a comment and I will record it into the session entry.
Revisiting these sessions, I realized there are many clues, items, and characters that have been/are/will be playing a role in the current campaign. Two secrets concerning events that have already occurred in the Crimson Empire campaign: one pertains to an artifact, and another even identifies the true identity/origin of a murderer, are subtly hidden in two of the mini adventures. Can you find them?
Mini Adventure 1
Heart of Darkness
Played October 2014 - Halloween Theme
Two players were present:
Mordain - Male Elf Wizard (Dave played two additional PCs)
Alfred - Male Human Cleric
Michie - Female Human Fighter
Globgums - Male Mycoind Avenger (Andy played two additional PCs)
Clarence - Male Drow Fighter
Jeeves - Male Drow Rogue
The twin Mummy Sorcerers, Demos and Damos, are attempting to bring an ancient Demon God back to life. Mordain (with his two human companions/slaves Alfred and Michie) and Globgums (with his two Drow companions/slaves Clarence and Jeeves) hope to stop the resurrection.
Approaching the tomb, The Heroes encounter four werewolves. A vicious battle ensues resulting in the demise of all of the Werewolves. Bloodied, The Heroes need to rest and recover before they continue. The Heroes enter the ancient tomb and discover a long corridor with a closed door at the end. A floating skeleton appears halfway down the hall. Mordain tosses a pebble down the hall and something quivers around the skeleton. As they approach, they realize it's a Gelatinous Cube. After an extended battle, where many were absorbed and regurgitated, the Gelatinous Cube exploded, flooding the hall with placenta and slime. Searching the Skeleton, Mordain finds a Medallion with an image of a dagger on it.
At that point, a boulder came rolling down the hall forcing The Heroes to flee into the room at the end. The Heroes entered a room with another doorway to a circular chamber with a lever. The room only fit one person at a time; each Hero entered and pulled a lever. A roll of a D4 let them exit in one of three different corridors, or back to where they started.
Globgums found himself in a short corridor which lead to a small room with a stone platform with three small alters with circular impressions on each.
Mordain ended up in a corridor that lead to a room that surprised everyone. Standing in an opulent room filled with crystal chandeliers, gold, silver, Persian rugs, and silk curtains (think stereotypic Arabian brothel), was a beautiful Eleven woman, Felicity, and her two equally beautiful servants. Felicity tried to entice Mordain to enter (wink), but Mordain thought something was odd. With a perception check, Mordain briefly glimpsed an image of a decaying and dusty room. Felicity notices the medallion Mordain is wearing and states that it is her sister's and asks why is he wearing it and where is she? Shooting a fireball into the room destroyed the mirage and revealed a typical rotting dungeon chamber. Felicity turned out to be a Night Hag and her friends shifted into zombie minions. Mordain and Felicity hurled spells at each other as the other Heroes slowly made their way to the corridor and battled the Zombie minions. With her minions quickly defeated, Felicity cast a spell and vanished as all of The Heroes regrouped and advanced toward her. Mordain found a bracelet that produced a +2 AC Sonic shield when tapped. Searching the dead minions reveals two more medallions; one with an image of a stone another with the image of a scroll.
The Heroes returned to the small room Globgums discovered. Randomly placing each medallion on an alter lead to lightning striking everyone in the room. After some debate, The Heroes figured out the order was: stone (rock), scroll (paper), dagger (scissors). A secret panel opened up and a huge Red Gem, as large as a fist, was revealed. Globgums quickly snatched it up.
Going back to Felicity's chambers, The Heroes discovered a hidden door that lead to another corridor. As they entered the room at the end of the hall, they saw a bunch of large scary looking puppets hanging from the ceiling that resembled them. The puppets began to cut their strings and attack. Although they were creepy, they were not too strong. After a short battle, the puppets were literally turned into kindling. Globgums found an enchanted +2 against undead ax, which he named Ax-Kisser.
The next door they opened was to an enormous summoning room. Surrounding a giant pentagram were the twin Mummy Sorcerers Demos and Damos with a dozen Skeletons guarding them. Inside the pentagram was a giant, Demon God materializing from another dimension. Demos and Damos began casting spells as the Skeletons attacked The Heroes. Alfred cast Turn Undead and destroyed most of the Skeletons (Note: Always have a Cleric when fighting Undead). Demos is destroyed and only one Skeleton and Damos survived the staggering attack. Globgums strikes Damos a killing blow, but as he dies, he gasps out one last word.
The Demon God materializes and breaks free of his pentagram, attacking The Heroes with brute strength and fireballs. The Heroes can't seem to inflict any damage on the Demon God despite their best efforts. Backed into a corner, low on hit points, The Heroes rally their defenses. Globgums notices that the red gem he found earlier seems to be pulsating faster and faster as the battle progresses. Realizing that the gem is the Demon Gods heart, Globgums smashes it into a million pieces against the floor. The Demon God topples and dematerializes back, back, back to the dark and shadowy past from whence he was summoned. The threat of the Demon God is neutralized, if only for today. . .
Mini Adventure 2
Jurassic Dark
Played November 2014 - Thanksgiving Theme. Introduced Horrible Pun Prizes.
Two players were present:
Mordain - Male Elf Wizard (Dave played two additional PCs)
Alfred - Male Human Cleric
Michie - Female Human Fighter
Globgums - Male Mucoind Avenger (Andy played two additional PCs)
Clarence - Male Drow Fighter
Jeeves - Male Drow Rogue
This chapter brought back a recurring villain, introduced a soon to be recurring NPC, and a mysterious ending. This was also the first chapter to introduce Horrible Pun Prizes. A Thanksgiving theme no less!
A Lich Wizard King hopes to rebuild his lost Empire by magically cloning an army of Dinosaurs and Neanderthals inside of a dormant volcano. Mordain (with his two human companions/slaves Alfred and Michie) and Globgums (with his two Drow companions/slaves Clarence and Jeeves) attempt to keep the past buried.
The Heroes are sent (General Sterling, was that you???) to meet up with two operatives who can assist them in defeating the Lich King: Clova Garlic, a Female Myconid Ranger who knows the area, and Rebecca, a Female Human Bard who knows the history of both the land and the Lich King. As The Heroes reach the rendezvous point, they see Clova and Rebecca under attack by two Horrible Thanksgiving Pun Number 1: bloated avian creatures.* The Heroes carve up the Birds fairly easily; however their meta gaming instincts go off, warning them that: "all NPCs are evil" (direct quote), even though THEY WERE DELIBERETLY SENT HERE TO MEET THEM!?!?!? Clova tries to hit on Globgums by telling him that they would go great together with a little butter. Globgums takes the flirtation with a grain of salt.
Reaching the entryway, in a foreshadowing of things to come, The Heroes push the two women ahead of them, making them open doors and search for traps. The first room they enter is an opulent room filled with crystal chandeliers, gold, silver, Persian rugs, and silk curtains (think stereotypic Arabian brothel). A beautiful Eleven woman, Felicity, and her two equally beautiful servants greeted them with disbelief. Accusing them of destroying her other palace, and now stalking her, she seemed to hold a grudge. Exasperated, Globgums again denied knowing anything about her sister. Felicity dropped the mirage and The Heroes and Night Hag and her minions began to fight. Once again, the minions fell in battle and the Night Hag cast a spell upon herself, disappearing as The Heroes surrounded her.
Pushing the women into the next room, The Heroes found themselves in the dark surrounded by large shadows and heavy breathing. Lighting a torch reveled Horrible Thanksgiving Pun Number 2: two large purple, gelatinous bruins.** Slicing through them, Globgums found a +1 AC helmet, a mushroom cap. Three different colored prisms were also found when they searched the room.
Again pushing the two women in front of them, The Heroes encountered a human mage and three Cultists. In a dual of magic and muscle, the Cultist fell before the might of the Heroes. Searching the room, they found three more different colored prisms. On the wall they found rectangular glass boxes with leather straps attached. Each one was the size of a bread box.
The next room had a heavy iron door on the far wall. In front of the door stood a circular dais with six holes adorning the perimeter. The Heroes bravely forced the women to place the prisms into the holes. When placed in the wrong hole, the person inserting the prism received an electric shock. After studying the prisms, The Heroes determined that the correct order was that of a color wheel: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple. The resulting light cast on the iron door caused it to open.
On the other side of the door, The Heroes discovered a long hallway filled with acid. After some debate, The Heroes went back to the other room and each picked up two of the glass boxes. Strapping one to each foot, The Heroes began to slowly walk across the acid.
The next room was fairly small. Filled with water, a wooden raft with a chain attached floated in the middle. Climbing aboard, The Heroes pulled the chain and allowed the water to recede, taking them down. At the bottom stood another iron, water tight door.
Quietly opening the door (pushing the women in first) The Heroes beheld a huge throne room. On either side of the door stands a large, unmoving stone elemental. Next to each is a series of levers and chains disappearing into the ceiling. On either side of the large chamber stands a huge arched doorway with an iron portcullis. The levers and chains seem to control each portcullis. Behind the portcullis on the left are dozens of large Tyrannosaurus Rex. Behind the portcullis on the right are hundreds of Neanderthals. In the center of the room, on a raised platform, stands the Lich King. His back is facing them and he appears to be contemplating, perhaps even talking to, a two foot glass and metal tube before him.
Jeeves slipped around and attempted to snatch the tube, but was suddenly engulfed in the Gelatinous Cube that was surrounding the tube. Alerted, the Lich King awoke the two large Earth Elementals by the door. The Elementals began to bludgeon The Heroes while the Lich King shot at them from afar with arcane, mystic bolts. The Gelatinous Cube began to move as well. Jeeves managed to extract himself with the tube. The tube was revealed to be a Brain in a Jar! At that moment, Rebecca stripped off her outer garments, revealing a skin tight leather body suit and grabbed the tube. Raven Redwing had made her first appearance! Jeeves tried to stop her by pushing her into the Gelatinous Cube. However the Gelatinous Cube absorbed Jeeves and the Brain as well.
Mordain was having a spell-off with the Lich King while the other Heroes battled the Elementals. With his death blow, the last Elemental swung and missed The Heroes, but smashed one of the levers and winches, freeing the Neanderthals. After defeating the Elementals, The other Heroes rushed to defeat the Gelatinous Cube and Lich King. Jeeves, thinking he was smart, pushed Raven out of the Gelatinous Cube on the other side so she was away from everyone else. However, under the combined attack of the other Heroes, the Gelatinous Cube exploded the next round, covering everyone in placenta and slime. The Brain in a Jar rolled away from The Heroes, coming to a stop under Raven's stiletto heel. Using a hand crossbow, Raven fired a bolt at the remaining lever, releasing the T-rexes. She aimed the crossbow to the ceiling and fired a bolt with a thin cable into the dark. Attaching the cable to a tiny winch, Raven snatched up the Brain and whisked toward the ceiling telling the Heroes their mission was complete and to leave before things got worst. Caught in the middle, The Lich King was trapped as The T-rexes and Neanderthals began to battle each other, neither side giving or showing mercy toward the other.
After some debate of whether or not to pursue Raven, The Heroes reluctantly agreed to go. They had finished their assignment, and no one had mentioned the Brain. They climbed back on the raft elevator and left the door open to flood the chamber for good measure as all of the combatants were soon entombed in an underwater grave.
*Bloated avian creatures. Bloated = stuffed; avian = bird - Stuffed Turkey (really Owlbears). (I think Mordain got something, but can't remember what.)
**Two large purple, gelatinous bruins. Purple, gelatinous = cranberries; bruin = bear - Cran-bear-ies (really Were-Bears). Globgums got a +2 AC mushroom cap for solving this.
Mini Adventure 3
Eye Opening
Played January 2015
Two players were present:
Mordain - Male Elf Wizard (Dave played two additional PCs)
Alfred - Male Human Cleric
Michie - Female Human Fighter
Globgums - Male Mycoind Avenger (Andy played two additional PCs)
Clarence - Male Drow Fighter
Jeeves - Male Drow Rogue
A Human Cult has stolen an ancient statue from the Duegar (Dark Dwarves). Lead by a powerful Sorcerer, they pray to their Stone Idol for power in a hidden underground temple. Mordain (with his two human companions/slaves Alfred and Michie) and Globgums (with his two Drow companions/slaves Clarence and Jeeves) are sent to see what they can see.
As The Heroes approach the underground temple, they hear the sounds of yipping and howling, along with the frantic cries of a large animal. They encounter a band of Gnolls and their Hyenas tormenting a chained bound young Bulette. After a fierce battle, The Gnolls are defeated. As The Heroes recover from their wounds, they decide to free the young Bulette. Mordain hopes it could even be a pet. As the grateful young Bulette nuzzles The Heroes, the ground begins to tremble. A giant Mother Bulette burst through the earth, knocking everyone off their feet. Picking the young Bulette up by the nape of his neck, she effortlessly plows back into the earth as easily as diving into water and disappears.
The Heroes recover and enter the temple. The first room is filled with water. Two taught ropes, one higher than the other, extend to the next door. Using the lower rope for their feet and the higher rope to cling to, The Heroes must use all of their acrobatic skills to balance on the rope bridge. Globgums and Alfred fail their saves and plunge into the water below. There, they encounter two Water Elementals. Striking from above and below, The Heroes defeat the Elementals and discover two medallions, one engraved with a Skeleton, the other engraved with a pregnant woman.
The next room is pitch black. Lighting a torch, four Duegar are revealed. Their leader is a female named Luciana. Two of the male Duegar become giant sized and the battle is joined. After an extended battle (low dice rolls all around) the three Duegar males are slain and Luciana is captured. Searching her, The Heroes uncover a third medallion, engraved with the image of a crone. Luciana claims she was sent to find the stolen idol. The Heroes agree to let her go if she helps them find where the idol was taken. Pushing Luciana in front (sound familiar?) they enter a room with two large kegs. Forcing Luciana to drink from one (not sure I should call them Heroes anymore), she discovers that it is filled with Healing Potion. Forcing her to drink from the next keg, Ocher Jelly flows onto the floor when she opens the tap. The Heroes stepped out of the room and let Luciana and the Ocher Jelly fight to the death. (Dave was given the Ocher Jelly stat sheet and Andy the Duegar stat sheet) The battle was fairly even, but when the Ocher Jelly became bloodied, it split in two. Luciana was still able to finally defeat both Ocher Jellies. The Heroes decided that Luciana had done enough and let her leave. Searching the room, The Heroes discovered another medallion. This one engraved with the image of a young girl. They also discover a treasure chest that is magically sealed. Unable to open it, The Heroes take it along with them.
Entering the next room, The Heroes discover a large stone door. On either side of the door hung two large paintings, each with a circular indentation below. The first painting was of an icy landscape; the next was a landscape of fertile fields of wheat; the third was a landscape of trees with multi colored leaves; the last was a landscape of green grass and trees with buds starting to blossom. Realizing that the medallions would fit in the slots, The Heroes collaborated and realized that the girl represented Spring; the pregnant woman Summer; the crone Fall; and the skeleton Winter. Put in their proper places, the door slowly opened.
Peeking in the door, The Heroes observe two robed Cultist, a large, muscular, bare chested Cultist, and across a bridge to a platform surrounded by flame, Mordo, the Sorcerer standing in front of a large stone statue of a Beholder!!! Putting their collective intelligence together (ha ha), The Heroes formulate a plan. They begin to mew like a kitten. One of the robed Cultists comes over and is quickly subdued. They begin mewing again and the second robed Cultist comes to investigate and is also subdued. Once again, using their mighty brain power, The Heroes send in two of their own disguised in robes to flank the muscular Cultist. The only trouble was that they had sent Michie (six foot amazon with va-va-voom curves) and Globgums (three and a half foot tall mushroom man with bulbous head) disguised in the robes. Realizing that they have been infiltrated, the Muscular Cultist shouts a warning to Mordo. Globgums and Michie begin to attack and Mordain fires a bolt at Mordo which causes him to fall into the fire. However Mordo can fly, and he cast lightning spells at the Heroes while reciting a chant toward the Beholder.
Leaving the treasure chest in the room to hold the door open, the rest of the Heroes attack the Muscular Cultist. Though he puts up a good fight, he eventually falls. Mordo utters a final chant, and the Beholder transmogrifies back to a living being. Mordo laughs and proclaims that the Beholder is now under his command. The Beholder turns and with one of his eye beams, transforms Mordo into Stone. The Heroes decide that now might be a good time to leave. At the doorway stands Raven Redwing holding the treasure chest. She blows them a kiss and bids them au revoir as the stone door slides back into place. The Beholder flies over the bridge and begins to fire eye beam after eye beam. The Heroes surround him and begin to attack. Both sides dish out an incredible amount of damage, but slowly The Heroes are reduced to their last hit points. Just as Michie is about to be hit with a killing death ray, the entire chamber begins to rumble and Quake. Suddenly, the large mother Bulette explodes from the wall and swallows the Beholder whole!!! The Heroes rest and recuperate with the mother and baby Bulettes before heading back home.
Mini Adventure 4
Leaping Lizards
Played February 2015 - Valentine Theme
Four players were present:
Alfred - Male Human Cleric
Globgums - Male Mycoind Avenger
River - Female Elf Ranger
Lupin - Female Tiefling Rogue
Many Reptilian Races are being drawn toward a mysterious island. A Demon Lizard God is attempting to break through the void to unite all of the reptilian races. Alfred, Globgums, River, and Lupin arrive at the island to see if they can shed some light on the tail, as they dew laps around the island, and scale mountains in search of cold blooded killers.
Landing on the beach, The Heroes quickly hide their ship and head toward the heavy underbrush. They feel many eyes upon them and see glimpse of creatures moving rapidly through the bushes. Lupin pulls back the bushes to investigate and discovers a swarm of Drakes. The Drakes are not too dangerous as individuals, but as a swarm, they rip and tear at The Heroes with their shape fangs and claws augmented by speed (think raptors from Jurassic Park). Finally defeating the Drakes, The Heroes hear a whimpering nearby. Horrible Valentine Pun Number 1: There is a hole filled with pool sticks.* Removing the sticks, they discover a huge Dire Wolf. River quickly befriends the wolf and names him Fjord.
Traveling through the dense jungle, The Heroes braced themselves as Horrible Valentine Pun Number 2: a horde of Lizard men with a banner emblazed with an aorta charge them.** The Heroes kill several of the Lizard men and the remaining few flee into the jungle. Alfred found a spell scroll that produced an Earth Elemental who joined The Heroes.
Pushing forward, The Heroes discover an abandoned village. Searching what appears to be a deserted bakery. Horrible Valentine Pun Number 3: they begin to open bins of powdered grains. Each one had had a sweet, fragrant odor to them.*** Lupin searched through the bins and produced an enchanted short sword, known henceforth as: The Baker's Blade!
Deeper into the Jungle, The Heroes encounter a group of Troglodytes guarding an abandoned Inn. Their foul stench made fighting difficult for The Heroes as they tried not to retch. Holding their breath, The Heroes managed to defeat the Troglodytes, only to discover that they smell even worst when dead. Searching the Inn, The Heroes entered Horrible Valentine Pun Number 4: a fancy room that held jars of: honey, sugar, maple syrup, and molasses.**** Globgums discovered a suit of bark armor.
Finally entering the main temple, The Heroes were shocked to see several Yuan-Ti. Two were guarding the entrance with bows while one was performing a ritual with a green orb; standing next to him was a huge Yuan-Ti Abomination. Battling the other Yuan-Ti, The Heroes seemed to think that the Abomination was the biggest threat and so concentrated their attacks on him.
The two guards were quickly dispatched, but they ignored the Yuan-Ti priest. The Abomination fell, but the Priest released a Giant Snake God, A Yuan-Ti Anathema. The battle does not go well for The Heroes, they are beyond bloody when Lupin notices the green orb. Knocking the Priest out of the way, Lupin smashes the orb, causing the Anathema to be pulled back to the dimensional planes from whence he was summoned. The Heroes returned to their ship and headed back home, where Lupin, Globgums, Mordain's son Enuffdain, and River's cousin Crick would go forth to answer: The Call of Champions!!!
And now you know as much as me. If any players have better memories, please correct me/add details and I will revise the above tales of heroism and glories past!
*There is a hole filled with pool sticks: Pool sticks = cue; hole = pit - Cue Pit (Cupid). River found a Dire Wolf animal companion for solving this.
**A horde of Lizard men with a banner emblazed with an aorta charge them: Aorta = heart; charge = attack - Heart Attack. Alfred found a scroll that let him command a Medium Earth Elemental for solving this.
***They begin to open bins of powdered grains. Each one had had a sweet, fragrant odor to them: Fragrant = bouquet; powdered grains = flours - Bouquet of Flours (Flowers). Lupin got the powerful Baker's Blade (+2 to hit and damage AND gets hp equal to the damage she dishes out!!!) for solving this.
****A fancy room that held jars of: honey, sugar, maple syrup, and molasses: Fancy Room = suite; honey, sugar, maple syrup, and molasses = four sweets - Sweets four (for) the suite (sweet). Globgums got a +2 AC Bark Armor for solving this.