Rappan Athuk: Mouth of Doom - Bandits!

 Session played on 2/21

Nick the Pike, Fighter 6 (Me)
Borumar, Thief 9 (Josh)
Biffin, Fighter (NPC)

Still in the Mouth Of Doom, the party heads around to the room the kobolds stay out of. In front of the door are a pair of boots and a gauntlet, all halfling sized. Checking the door, Borumar notes a weird sheen on it, as well as the foot or so of floor in front of the door. Using the gauntlet to try the door handle, it’s discovered that the door is locked, and that the sheen is from some sort of glue. One boot, then the other were stuck to the door. Borumar successfully unlocks the door while avoiding having his tools stick to the door. Within the room, which is entirely coated with the same sheen as far as the party can see, is a chest in the middle of the room. Just inside the door is a skeletal hand cut off at the wrist.

Nick suggests going outside to get a bag of dirt and leaves to make a safe path to the checks, but Borumar uses his crossbow to send over a rope line across the room, sticking the near end to the door. Then sends over a second line under the first, and convinces the halfling (for 200gp on top of their share of the treasure) to climb across and bring back whatever is in the chest.

The halfling makes it across, and thankfully the chest isn’t coated in the glue or locked. 500gp and 1sp were safely recovered before the glove fell off the door handle. Then the boot, and then the other boot, then the rope dropped to the floor, sticking. Seems the glue has a built in timer of some sort?

Nick tossed the silver back into the room. Borumar was bad at math in trying to figure out how the money should be split up.

Continuing on toward where the bandits were supposedly camped out, the party comes to a viewing room, with a closed coffin. 4 zombies laying around the coffin slowly attack the party, the party movies in to attack back (to avoid being bottle necked in the doorway) and one of the hirelings trips on a tripwire. The zombies are cut down easily. Checking the coffin disturbs a grumpy ghoul that apparently slept though the fight with the zombies. It was chopped down before it could seriously hurt anyone, and the heavy necklace it was wearing was taken as booty.

Deciding that the bandits probably weren’t worth the effort, the party circles back to the entrance hall, checks the pit trap (it was empty) then continues around to the east, checking another pit trap (also empty) before coming to a dusty room with a pile of 10 skulls (3 sided pyramid). Investigating further revealed that each skull had a hole in the top of it. The skulls were knocked around, but no gems or gold teeth were found.

Moving on, the next door Borumar unlocked and opened revealed 4 bandits with bows ready for us… Borumar took 3 arrows. Ouch. From behind us another group of bandits led by a big orc and a little rat faced fop. The bandits in the room were killed first, then the orc. With the death of the orc, the rat faced guy called a retreat and slammed the door shut in the party’s faces. Annoyingly the door relocked. Taking a moment to drink some healing potions (getting the halfling up off the floor), the party chesed after them, but lost them, stumbling on a group of giant ants. Not wanting to deal with them, the party retreated to the entrance hall and up the stairs. The ants followed up to where the sunlight hit the stairs. Using some flaming oil and some arrows, 2 of the ants were killed.

The party debats making camp, but decides to hoof it back to the tiny village. Borumar brings the dead uncooked ant to potentially eat and harvest the carapace for armor.  

Nick gives the 2 hirelings a 25gp bonus each.

Gains: heavy necklace, 500gp, body of 1 giant ant
Kills: human bandits, orc bandit
Losses: