Group 1 session 3

We added another player to our game this session. An experienced role player (from my other group, Group 2, so there goes my idea of running the same material for each group, oh well). My intention is to add a little experience for the newbies to draw from and at the same expose the experienced (and perhaps jaded) role player to what gaming with people new to the hobby is like.

The new guy rolled up two new characters which brought our roster to: Benedictor (Cleric 1), Brann (Dwarf 1), Olish (Cleric 1), Fick (Thief 1), Gutta (Cleric 1), Utta (Thief 1), Madge (Fighter 1), Lea (Elf 1)

Please note that for this adventure I ran Shadowbrook Manor (it’s very good, pick it up) so there will be some SPOILERS below. Do not read this if there is a chance you might play it.

This takes place two months after the last adventure when the players investigated the wizards tower. Olish and Fick are the new characters. They arrived in town recently looking for help in the recovery of a tome. This tome was leant to the wizard Tazimak many years ago by the great library of Veeran. The book, titled The Hyperion Cantos, somehow slipped through the cracks. It has been requested recently by a Magic-User and the fact that it is missing has been discovered. A reward to the tune of 500gp has been offered. Looking for help Olish and Fick have teamed up with some other adventurers to find the book.

I am going to try a new format for this session. The last few have been way to long.

• The party inquires around town and discovers the location of Shadowbrook Manor and that 50 years ago something happened there and Tazimaks apprentice left the area quickly.
• At the manors front doors Brann uses the knocker medusa head knocker and with a loud echoing boom the doors swing open.
• While investigating the parlor small fireballs begin hurling from the fireplace at the characters.
• Fick stealthily enters the library where he triggers an attack from a Banshee, he is rescued by his friends and survives.
• Opening a door marked with magic runes the party finds a black void on the other side. Throwing a torch in Gutta curiously wonders why she is now short a torch, odd.
• During their exploration the party comes across a door that they cannot seem to approach, it is always 20′ away from them. None of their experiments seem to be able to bring them any closer.
• In the great hall Olish plucks a harp which causes the party to go mad and attack each other. Before they are able to destroy the harp Lea has slain Fick. Not being particularly fond of Fick the party takes his things and disposes of his body in the void. Ficks existence is wiped from the universe.
• In a guest bedroom the party finds a magical mechanical songbird. Casting speak with animals Gutta learns it is repeating a series of numbers.
• In a trophy filled with stuffed monsters the party is attacked by an albino ape. What is it with the apes they wonder?
• In the art gallery Lea removes a painting from the wall and discovers a safe behind it. Using the combination discovered from the bird and Uttas open locks skills the party is able to open and loot the safe. (This room is a fantastic little easter egg for anyone thats familiar with older D&D modules)
• The wizards laboratory holds a disembodied brain who mentally assaults the party. Once they realize where the attacks are originating they make short work of the brain.
• The party finds a desk that contains some scrolls and the book they came for “The Hyperion Cantos”. After resting Lea uses the read magic spell to decipher them. One of them is cursed and Lea loses her soul to a cursed scroll. Leas player is very disappointed, the party removes her body from the house for later proper burial. For now Olish and Gutta say some prayers for her.
• Investigating the manor grounds the party is set upon by an enraged ghoul caretaker (earlier Olish had cut pieces of a topiary on the manor grounds and the ghoulish caretaker discovered the vandalism). Having had enough of the strange place the party heads back to town.

As usual we had a few deaths. The death of Lea was particularly hard as she had been a member of the party and she lost her life to a random cursed scroll. Not much to be done about that, its the price one pays as an adventurer.

Before the session I prepared outlines of the manor thinking it would make mapping easier for the players. It didn’t. Mapping this was a real nightmare for some reason. I think for the next session I will attempt to do away with player mapping and see how it goes.

Everyone had a great time, they really liked this module with all the odd things going on it kept them on their toes. My recommendation to people preparing to run this adventure is spend time going over the encounters in the encounter table and make sure you have a good idea about how they will all play out.

Definetly going to keep writing my session reports in this format.