Whispers from the Well 10/19

Your weekly update of the goings on in Stonehell

As reported by the tavernkeepers of the Ogre Face Inn

Dangers of going it nearly alone

Rare is the greed or the need to brave the depths of Stonehell without the support of a party, yet that’s exactly what Cain and Zook dared to do. Sadly they’ve not been heard from in days, and in spite of their previous success it seems that something caught up with the duo that they were unable to handle. Could it have been the walking dead of the Quiet Halls? A dangerous place without the help of a cleric… Or have they become victims in the war between the Wolves and the Sores? We may never know, but several bets have been placed. Should anyone happen to come across evidence, please be sure to let the barkeep know upon your return.

Nordin becomes lunch

Nordin the torch bearer for the Golden Lions company was captured in a skirmish with the cannibal berzerkers and was dragged off into the darkness. After bandaging their wounds, the Lions went after their fallen hireling, only to discover his severed head in the middle of an otherwise empty hall, and no sign of where the body had been taken.

Whispers from the Well

Unholy screams echoed up the well Tuesday, rattling both bottles and nerves.

The fighting between the Open Sore Orcs and the Howling Wolves Goblins seems to have reached a stalemate. Could the goblins have found an ally? Infighting among the orcs… rumors abound…

One of the stairs heading down to the second level were coated in fresh blood, with drag marks heading down into the depths, and clumps of strange green fur were found in the fresh gore.

Classifieds

Drake Stonehand is looking for his cousin Snori. A reward of 200gp is offered for his safe return, half that for evidence of his death.

Willifred is willing to pay top coin for giant rat tails and hides. 5cp/tail & 5sp/hide. hides must be (mostly) intact.

The Ogre Face Inn is nearly out of Kobold Rotgut, and seeks a fresh cask for those few who indulge. 75gp payment for every 50 gallon cask returned to the inn.

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I only had 2 players this past week, and in spite of the danger they headed into Stonehell. Cain the human fighter, and Zook the gnome ranger immediately encountered a pair of berzerkers, who chatted with them briefly about the joys of both long and short pork. The berzerkers tried to round up their friends from their nearby lair, but didn't manage to catch up with them. Zook and Cain continued on to the Quiet Halls, exploring a few crypts, fighting some zombies, then some mostly empty rooms, and then 5 more zombies came bursting out of their crypt and quickly felled Zook. Cain, low on health briefly considered running, but didn't want to leave his friend, and was taken down by the hungry zeds.

I think this makes my 3rd TPK with this group. I talked with them after about some old school dungeoneering strategies like running away (especially from slow things), making use of bottlenecks like doorways, and generally figuring out what's worth actually fighting, and knowing when you're outmatched. And when 5 zombies are attacking you with advantage, it's time to run!