[We need a collective name for the party. For now it's just going to be "the gang" or "you guys" for lack of a better term.
Also I've been really geeked up to play this system and I currently have a lot free time with the bad weather, so this recap is ridiculously long.]
How Experience Works
Everyone starts with 10 experience points (abreviated as xp). You reach 2nd level when you get to 50xp. Characters will get 0-4 xp per encounter. Xp is a subjective and imperfect way of doing things, but I think it's more interesting than milestone leveling.
Some things that I consider when handing out xp: Player's skill (not character's skill) in surpassing obstacles, fun/consistent roleplay, and to a lesser extent successful rolls/spectacular failures at the right moment. I know this last one is luck-based, but getting an interesting roll at the right moment increases the fun, especially with this system.
Into the Desert
You guys stocked up on food, water, mules, torches*, lanterns, and oil. The gang joined the huge caravan that snakes through Blood Plains of Esh. The destination of the caravan is The Cradle of Den which lies on the other side of The Sumara Mountain range. The group learned that the Cradle of Den is the rich homeland of humans who have "pale skin and pale hair." At the God's Tear Oasis, the gang splits from the caravan and headed for their true destination which was the Crypt of Kersete. The gang reached it in a couple of hours.
*How many hundreds of torches? WTF? This might not be possible. This ain't Skyrim guys. I'll revisit this next session.
1xp each
Encounter #1 The Front Door
The gang arrived at the location and discovered an oasis that showed signs of water flow from the small eddy rippling the water. Below the waterline they saw a large stone-slab door with a skeleton pinned between the top of stone-slab and the lintel. Being cautious, Foddir the Elf tied a rope around his waist while Beans Enrice the Warrior held the other end. Foddir swam down to examine the door and found a ceramic jar laying on the top step.
Steve the Kibitzer... er... the Thief, his invaluable counsel being ignored, got fed up, and swam down himself. He discovered a brick protruding from the wall. He couldn't pull the brick out with his hands and figured that he needed some sort of tool. The thief swam to the surface, gave the whole gang an "I told you so," and demanded a crowbar. Beans Enrice insisted that he should tie a rope around his waist. It took some convincing, but Steve finally relented.
Crowbar in hand, Steve swam down and dislodged the brick. Sand began spewing out and the door lowered. Blinded by the billowing sand to his face, Steve was caught off guard by the pull of the water flowing through the now-opening door. Beans Enrice failed his Stength Check in spectacular fahion and the rope slipped from his hands. The cantankerous Thief was swept into the crypt, past the foyer, and deposited into a trapped door. Steve managed to survive the fall, but not the heating element at the bottom. Steve was boiled. Bye Steve.
Drumble the Wizard futzed with the ceramic jar and discovered that it contained the spirit of a fierce water elemental. Water flowed endlessly out of the jar when it was opened. It would seem that this was the source of the oasis. He now has the Amphora of the Leokampoi.
3xp each.
Encounter #2 Getting past the boiling pit
The gang entered the crypt and witnessed the Foyer:
"Roughly twenty feet deep by thirty feet wide, the initial chamber is an incredible sight. The walls are coated in fine plaster or mud, smoothed and painted in pictographs and scenes of ancient life. Religious ceremonies, rites, and rituals are all depicted in painstaking detail. Runes and glyphs are scattered among the drawings, and what seem like geometric shapes adorn the walls at regular spacing and intervals. The ceiling is not visible from the lowered door. A hallway opposite the main door recedes into darkness. The stale air smells slightly of mold, a mildewy stench that is not initially overpowering. No sounds issue forth out of the chamber except the water, and nothing seems to be moving beyond."
The rushing water left some of plaster artistry chipped and chunks of it laid shattered on the ground. The gang decided to leave their pack animals in this entrance room. Next they came upon the hallway where Steve had met his demise.
"A high‑arched hallway leads out of the initial foyer. Light [from the sun outside] flows down the corridor to reveal an intersection twenty feet away. The walls are a continuation of the decoration in the foyer; scenes of fertile fields near a river are shown. [The open pit where, Steve's body is being cooked, can be seen;] faint steam is rising from the floor, almost invisible in the poor light. The faintest smell of copper or very old blood can be detected. "
Despite Drumble's blood sacrfice to summon a protective water shield using the magical Amphora, the gang decided to leave Steve's corpse to boil. Steve the Thief will not be missed I guess. The gang's next obstacle was traversing the open pit. Some leapt and others nimbly crept along the sides. Others successfully used a rope and grappling hook.
2xp each
Encounter #3 The Promenade.
After the hallway, the gang comes upon a T intersection and witness this:
"After making your way around the pit, you enter a gorgeous twenty‑foot by sixty‑foot corridor. The ceiling towers thirty feet overhead in an impressive, pointed arch. The plastered walls are brilliantly displayed with pictographic scenes of people, animals, and combinations of both, undertaking various tasks: speaking, working, or fighting. People of all descriptions are represented. However, a recurring theme of tall, almost impossibly thin men and women with various animal heads are dominant. The paintings are incredibly life‑like and detailed, if not slightly alien.
About twenty to thirty feet down the southern branch of the corridor, you notice a horrific sight. Thick‑hafted spears protrude from both sides of the walls, impaling a corpse suspended in the center. A large stain is directly below the corpse, likely caused from the undiscovered trap. A long pole also lays near the stain.
The northern corridor leads directly into an alcove‑filled hall with armed statues. The air in this corridor is less stale than previous rooms, although a faint scent of decay lingers the farther north in the corridor you proceed."
Recalling your bad experiences with statues in your previous adventure, you guys decided to ignore the northern passage and headed south towards the protruding spears and corpse.
"As you approach the spears, you notice the corpse is suspended off the ground, as if it tried to avoid the horrible trap at the last second. Closer inspection reveals the desiccated corpse is facing you, implying the would‑be thief was caught leaving the tomb. Its equipment is still intact, although some straps and clothing have been cut through. The wooden pole on the ground is roughly eight feet long and sheared off at the end. Several copper and silver coins are scattered below the body. There is only the faintest smell of decay on the corpse; the body is dried to the point of unrecognition. The stain on the floor is slightly in front of the body, and does not initially appear to be a blood stain."
Orn Enthecob the Thief, claiming years [months] of experience with traps, discerned that the trap was already sprung and things were relatively safe. He next took interest in the puddle on the ground. His experience with traps did not help him in dealing with discerning the poisonous puddle however. He decided to taste the puddle. As he laid dying on the ground, the Clerics rushed forward and tried to save him. [Gygax forgive me, I was merciful and gave advantage on the rolls. I'm still kicking myself for that.] Kane the Cleric managed to heal Orn from the poison. A small doorway could be spotted heading west, but was left unexplored.
With the Thief healed, Baltor the Warrior looted the dangling corpse. He then used all his strength to shove the spring-loaded spears back into the wall, which was ineffective. Finally he just hacked at them with his sword. With these impediments out of the way, the gang headed south.
1xp each.
Encounter #4 Levers and Tiles
"As you turn the corner at the end of the Promenade, you notice two things immediately; the alternating light and dark stones on the floor, and three metallic levers set into the north wall, roughly four feet from the ground. The two outside levers are pointing down, and the middle lever is pointed up. The stones on the floor stretch fifteen feet down the hallway, all similar tightly fit pieces, with obvious seams between them. Your mind screams "it’s a trap!”
Beyond the alternating stones, twenty‑five to thirty feet away, you can make out what seems to be a two‑foot‑wide bridge, the rest of the floor dropping away. You cannot tell how far it descends from here. There is a sickening stench emanating from the pit even from this distance; whatever is down there is surely horrible. You also notice the ceiling is arched, and significantly lower than this end of the hall. There is only ten feet from the top of the bridge to the top of the arched ceiling. The area looks, from a distance, like a giant crypt.
The hallway walls are the same smoothed mud surface common to the rest of the tomb, but without any adornment. They are a uniform drab dun coloration, with a matte finish that absorbs your light rather than reflecting it."
Drumble pulled the levers once and a low groaning of machinery could be heard from far off, thereafter many combinations of lever-pulling was attempted with seemingly no effect. Beans Enrice crept down the right side of the tiles, being careful to only step on the white tiles; while Turmus the Warrior took the left side, stepping only on the black tiles. The faint smell of figs filled the air, which turned out to be poison. Beans fainted to the ground, while Turmus endured and made it across.
After a couple of minutes, the smell changed to an ammonia smell which caused damage and confusion. Flummoxed, you guys decided to throw bodies at the problem. Never a good idea. Pretty soon about half of the party was damaged and wandering in every direction. Using ropes and holding your collective breath, the gang managed to herd everyone to the other side.
1xp each.
Encounter #5 Bridge
The 8 of you were now huddled in a 10 foot by 10 foot space between the tiles and an open pit.
"Making your way past the alternating stones, you approach the bridge. The lowered ceiling gives a claustrophobic effect to the passage, almost making it feel more like a tunnel, though you can see that it opens back up after twenty feet or so. The façade of the arch just above the tomb entrance has scorch marks along the edge, and the mud is cracked and broken in places, revealing mortared stack‑stone beneath. The walls inside the passage are unadorned with the plaster coating common to the rest of the tomb; the stackstone construction is evident, although blackened as the façade wall. As you inspect further, you are struck by the similarity to an ancient village baking oven.
With close examination, you see that the “bridge” across the pit is a rectangular beam, and if pressed, rotates slightly on its axis in either direction. If rotated, a grinding sound is heard from both anchor points, and a few sparks drop into darkness. The stench is incredible in the enclosed space; it reeks of an oily, acrid smell rising from the darkness."
Still smarting from the poison, the gang had to wait about 2 hours for the confusion to wear off. I can only imagine that it was rather uncomfortable.
Kane decided to tap into divine powers to help with this next problem by using Second Sight which allowed him to see potential outcomes to his actions. Luckily he did piss of his deity by bothering his deity and the power was granted. Here's what he foresaw:
Trying walk across the narrow bridge would cause the bridge to swivel violently and produce a great amount of sparks, kind of like striking flint & steel.
The person would then fall into a pit of highly flammable petroleum which would subsequently be followed a shower of sparks. Followed by flames. Lots of flames.
Wedging a metal object into the end of the bridge would reduce the swivel enough to avoid the flames, although falling in would still be a risk.
Eni the Cleric improved on the idea of simply walking across the bridge. Instead, he looped the rope across the bridge, took the rope in his hands with feet dangling below, and shimmied across the bridge (see photo at top).
4xp each
12 xp total
End session.
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