Rappan: Black Monastery is haunted!

Session 280 was played on 04/27/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 9 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 9 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

Continuing through the monastery the party comes to a room with a table set with a gold plate and silverware, and a voice begging “a crumb for the poor? Please give some? Please give?”

Blotto goes into the room and drops a coin onto the plate and the voice goes quiet. He then takes the plate and suddenly 2 black floating figures materialize and attack! The party is a little surprised, but recovers and handles the 2 apparitions quickly.

Further on, a ghost girl appears in a hallway, screaming and running through the party. Aside from a chill and some goosebumps, there doesn't appear to be a lingering effect. Just beyond is a framed picture on the wall of the girl, but as a vampire! It's a good likeness and high quality, and Nick tried to take it down, but it was solidly secured to the wall, and he broke it. Upside is that it revealed a hidden space behind the painting containing 4 healing portions!

Next the party comes upon the skeleton of a minotaur. Leathery bits of flesh and hair still cling to the body. Beyond is a door through which infernal chanting can be heard. As no one speaks infernal, no one knows what was being changed, but the fact that it was internal signaled it wasn't good.

The party prepared for a flight, and opened the door. The volume blasted up, and half the party was deafened before the door could be closed. Borumar got a quick look, seeing a dozen 1’ holes in the floor. Blotto tossed in a troll larynx.

Deciding that they'd had enough, they start to back track, and at one point the lights all go out. Moving along, waiting to be ambushed, they (the non-deaf ones) hear the changing getting louder, then a bell, and then a moaning…. But they emerge from the magical darkness and make their way to the stables to get their horses, leaving the Black Monastery for another time.

Arriving the next day back at the keep, the kobolds report that a green dragon visited, poisoning the fields and giving them a month to leave before it would be back.


Gains:
Kills: 2 ghost things
Losses

Rappan: Black Monastery Orcs and Spiders

Session 279 was played on 04/20/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 9 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 9 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

Continuing through the Black Monastery’s weirdly shaped rooms and corridors the party next comes to a barricaded door. Forcing their way through, a dozen orcs take issue with having their space invaded, but a dozen orcs are no real threat to the party, and their corpses are looted for a decent amount of treasure, including 2 dozen gems and a dozen silver daggers…

In another room the party encounters a full plate clad knight with a pair of glowing swords. Blotto and Esmerelda charge the knight, who disappears as Esmerelda’s feathery feelers are about to touch the knight’s armor. Its disappearance reveals a 3’ hole in the floor, out of which emerges a trio of giant spiders. 2 are killed and the 3rd flees back down the hole. They pour some burning oil down after it.

Finding a quiet barracks, the party bunks down for some food and rest.

Gains: various coinage and a dozen silver daggers
Kills: orcs, spiders
Losses

Rappan: Black Monastery Yellow Lightning

Session 278 was played on 04/13/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 9 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 9 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

Finding another secret door, the party checks it out, while the orcs slowly shuffled off the mortal coil. Opening the door, they see only darkness. Blotto chucks a troll larynx in, and no one hears anything. They close the door and backtrack to the last branching hallway.

They come to a door that has a lot of noise coming from behind it. In a somewhat regular pattern, an oscillating screaming, crackling, and popping. Waiting for the sound to dull down to its lowest point, they open the door, and see a yellow humanoid running toward them made of bound lightning! Nick sets his spear, but gets hit instead. The rest of the party, with help from Morgana, take it out.

Searching the room they find a small secret door on the floor, and under it, a pouch with some cold and a ring set with 8 diamonds.

Exploring further, they come to a violet door, within which are 5 columns, and irregular rainbow lightning. Blotto steps in and pees on the nearest column, and gets zapped, instantly sprouting bat-like wings. Borumar steps in and gets zapped, and his eyes glow red as he gains dark vision. They find a satchel in the room, and blotto feeds it a troll larynx. The bag eats it, or more accurately, the ferret in the bag does.

Gains: 200gp, diamond ring, ferret
Kills: lightning elemental
Losses:

Rappan: Jam session in the Black Monastery

Session 277 was played on 04/06/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 9 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 9 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

Returning to the Black Monastery, the party finds the back gate down, and magically repaired. Following the same process as last time, Esmerelda eats a hole in it, and Blotto and Borumar use the crank to open it for the party to get through.

Heading in and to the east they come across a group (growth?) of troglins, which are quickly cut down, looted, and burned. They find a secret door that opens to a corridor that opens into a chamber with an iron maiden in the middle of it, surrounded by musical instruments. A pair of orcs are playing along with the music emanating from the torture device. Blotto starts grabbing at the unclaimed instruments and joins in on the noise.

The party briefly puts up with the concert before knocking the iron maiden over. The music stops and the orcs collapse. A quick check shows they’re hovering at death’s door. Under the iron maiden was am ornate skeleton key with the number 42 incorporated into the handle, and a note:  

“This is the key to everything”

Gains: ~350gp in assorted denominations, a ring, a key
Kills: troglins
Losses:

Rappan: Black Monastery & Beasts

 Session 276 was played on 03/30/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 9 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 9 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

Heading north the party comes to a chamber with a large 6 limbed beast, the unholy result of some wizard's experiments. The body and horns of a rhino, the face of a fish, with ogre or giant arms welding swords. Blotto charges in and with a swing of his mighty (fishing) pole arm, drops the monstrosity with a single hit. Morgana harvests some choice bits for her own experiments.

Among the treasures found in the chamber is a locket with miniature portraits of a young man and women. The young man has a tattoo on his arm. The beasts arm has the same tattoo…

Heading east they come to a large stable, with 14 stalls, each containing a misty/ghostly looking horse. They aren't aggressive, so the party explored the room. Boronir found a loose floor board, underneath which are jars of glitterfull lotion. Nick finds a secret door, behind which is a tack closet (why was this hidden!?!).

Morgana rubs a little lotion on her hand, and it becomes misty, just like the horses. They share out the lotion and use it to get 8 of the horses and bring them out of the ethereal plane, and conveniently there's enough tack in the closet for all the horses.

Harnessing up the horses, the party brings them home to the keep. On the ride, Morgana and Boromir blip ethereal for about 200 feet. Morgana is looking forward to investigating this more thoroughly!

Gains: 8 ethereal horses
Kills: cursed fish-rhino thing
Losses:

Rappan: Black Monastery & Mint Julips

Session 276 was played on 03/23/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 9 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 9 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

The monastery is mostly empty. A series of connected smaller rooms eventually lead to a larger work room, full of dummies… in the middle of the work area were 8 dummies that stood out from the rest. A little more finished, and far more detailed looking than the rest. A female wizard, a short halfling sized  warrior, a dwarf sized warrior… the party quickly realizes that they’re looking at copies of themselves! All investigation seems to show that they’re just dummies, but it’s disturbing.

While looking things over, a voice calls out from an open doorway. Within the chamber beyond are a pair of large trees growing up through the roof, and strung between them a hammock. Against one wall is a liquor cabinet, well stocked, and alone in the room is a cadaverous figure in black robes. Yet another friendly ghoul. The party chats, shares some drinks (he makes a mean mint julep). He provides some background on the story of the Black Monastery. A good order, fallen to chaos. This brother, Dr. Brutus, was working on attaining Lichdom, but messed up somehow, and has been trapped in this room for… he’s not clear how long. The monastery seems to jump around in time. To the amazement of all, in spite of the drinking, the liquor cabinet remained full. When the end came, it came with a blazing green flame that swept the halls. It unanchored the monastery from time, and Dr. Brutus has seen visitors from all ages come through.

This not being the first gentle ghoul that the party has encountered, investigate a little further. Morgana thinks it’s impossible to kill him, or maybe anyone trapped in the monastery? There’s a stone, somewhere in the monastery that fell from the sky, part of what brought about the end. If they can find it, break the hold it has on them, then maybe Dr Brutus could be freed, either from life (undeath) or from the prison of this well stocked room.

Dr. Brutus gives 2 final warnings. Watch out for the frogs, they have tongues of green flame. And if you find the theater, leave quickly, and count your shadows.

Leaving Dr. Brutus, the party explores on, soon finding the scene of a relatively recent fight between 18 spiders, 4 orcs, and 6 humans. The limbs of the various combatants had been severed and built up into a gory teepee. Within was a bloody cloak.

Gains:
Kills:
Losses:

Rappan: The black monastery appears

Session 275 was played on 03/16/25

Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)

Borumar, Triton Thief 11 (Josh)

Blotto, Goblin Fighter 8 (Lanse)

Nick, Fighter 9 (Me)

Koltic, Cleric 9 (NPC)

Aroon, Fighter 8 (NPC)

Jameth, Fighter 8 (NPC)

Lor’Koth, Dwarf 8 (NPC)

The party decided to take the winter off, and prep, train, and relax. Morgana takes several commissions from the party and outsiders. Koltic make Nick a ring of fire resistance, a wand of remove curse and dispel magic, and a boatload of healing potions. Nick finally trained up in spear fighting, while Jameth and Aroon became sword masters. Blotto finally manages to make it relatively safe for everyone for him to ride his semi-domesticated rust monster….

As the spring thaw arrived, so did news of trouble. Failing plantings, stillborn and deformed births, the usual. Along with it came reports of a monastery appearing near the ancient ruins of an old town. The party gears up, and heads out.

On the way they pass a small abandoned kobold hamlet… kinda creepy how empty it is. Pressing on they quickly come to the monastery. It’s a massive building with towers on the front corners. The party circles the outside of the building. Aside from the big gate at the front, there’s a back door. They opt to take that. Esmerelda the rust monster eats a big enough hole for Blotto to climb through. Once he’s inside, Borumar follows, and the 2 of them manage to force the gate mechanism to open allowing everyone in. 

Beyond is a large area to exercise horses in. The party pokes around, and heads deeper into the structure, taking the smaller of the northern doors out of the exercise area. 

Gains: 

Kills:

Losses: