Friday, September 16, 2011

Caves of Myrddin update

The survivors from this morning's expedition to the Caves of Myrddin are unusually tight-lipped.  They don't get drunk and immediately blab a bunch of details.  And the only non-warpoodle NPC in the party, Lisa the Loser, didn't come back with the group.  Here are the only things anyone else can learn about the adventure:
  • Celumir the Elf brags that the group killed a vampire.  You're not sure whether to believe him or not.  Dude is built like a half-starved broomstick.  It's hard to imagine him killing fleas successfully, much less actual dungeon monsters.
  • Pavel the Halfling, who adventures in nothing but a loincloth (revealing far more halfling fur than you ever really wanted to see), is carried back from the dungeon, unconscious and covered in acid burns.
  • Blixa the Thief claims the group penetrated the dungeons of Castle Dundagel, the ruins overlooking the cave (as seen here).  He has a map that he will sell for coin or magic items.  Blixa says the map indicates where the infamous Dragon of Dundagel may be found.
As the DM, I will tell you that the part about entering the Dungeons of Dundagel is legit.  I had enough ready to go to give today's group the option of exploring the ruins.  Future parties may choose between visiting the three caves previously in play and the ruined castle above.  Also, the Dragon of Dundagel is a well-known menace.  Every few years smoke is seen over the castle.  A few days or weeks later the dragon then goes on a Cornwall-wide rampage, demanding tribute from villages and burninating anyone who doesn't cough up treasure to satisfy it.  The first adventurers in the area chose to enter the Caves of Myrddin in hopes of finding a back door to the dragon's loot.  So far no luck on that point.

The main access between the levels below Dundagel uses the vertical geomorphs I tricked a bunch of people into making a while back.  Thanks again for all that work, folks!  Initially I tried passing off the vertical geomorphs as normal dungeon interactions.  This was a mistake, as either I have to come up with the missing depth of everything on the spot or do a lot more preplanning than I want.  Next time anyone ventures below the towers of Dundagel I'll just be up front about when the party is in the vertical zone and only talk about east, west, up and down.  North and south will be glossed over as less relevant.

7 comments:

  1. Legion11:00 AM

    "burninating"

    Ahh, day starts with a laff.

    Thanks Jeff.

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  2. Out of curiosity, how much does Blixa/Zak want for the map?

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  3. Last I heard on G+ it was up to 300gp.

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  4. For some reason, I don't think Father Nicholas trusts Blixa or his map.

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  5. Accurate or your money back.

    Following the code of all those with low hit points and a -1 to hit and damage, Blixa only steals from NPCs.

    And as for men of the cloth, well, Blixa seeks to cultivate nothing but good will with anybody who can heal d8 with a touch.

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  6. Ah, but one must survive to collect. Still, slightly tempted. But 300gp is such a steep price, especially in such difficult times.

    Also, Father Nicholas may be a man of the cloth, but his intellectual pursuits are more arcane than divine. Of course, he is happy to hear the confession of any poor sinner. Indulgences are also available.

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  7. Jeff - I happen to be in Cornwall for the first time in several years. Let me know if there's any bit of local culture you want while I'm here.

    ...who knows how much use it'll be, but you can ask. The place isn't the same since the 18th century.

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