Stonehell: Gonna have to flush twice

Session 267 was played on 9/30/24

Morgana, wizard (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thief (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse)
Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)

Many months since the party had last spent any time in Stonehell, they use the ring to teleport everyone down to level 6 and into the Sepulcher of Kion. Poking about in the dusty halls they’re almost immediately set upon by a pair of 4 armed iron statues. The old magics animating them were no match for the fresh might of the party.

Departing the Sepulcher they make their way to the Hermitage, and check in with the dwarves. They continue on into the northern side of the sewers, and fill in more of the map. Borumar scouts and finds a giant slime python in a room with a clogged drain. Between Borumar’s bow and Morgana’s magic missiles, the slime creature is blasted apart.

Continuing deeper into the sewers, they find the center of the waterworks, a lumpy statue with chutes coming out of it. It makes a gurgling sound while they’re in the room, and out of their line of sight discharges something wet out the back side of the room. Morgana decides to encase the entire thing in ice. It doesn’t take long for the fountain to begin to groan, rattle, and as the party runs, finally explode.

They look at the ruins they created, and then head back to the Hermitage for rest. On the way, Blotto and Borumar are jumped by a black pudding, but a quick fireball Morgana’s wand takes care of that, Borumar ends up falling into the sewer. Koltic spends extra time making sure he doesn't have any diseases. 

Gains: gems and a scarab
Kills: Black Pudding, Slime Python
Losses:

October ‘24 In Review

I started the month just getting over the first cold of the school year, and got the second cold a week and a half later. Sorry, scratch that, not a cold, bronchitis. 2 Weeks worth of coughing, mucus, shortness of breath. It SUCKED. It wasn’t COVID level suck, but it wasn’t good. In spite of that I managed to get the coffin done, as well as my kid’s costume. The spider isn’t going to happen this year, but I can work on it later.

I voted for Harris (and blue down the ballot) on the first day of early voting. I can’t wait for this electoral season to be over, but I’m also dreading it. Keeping my fingers crossed…


Gaming
I am, amazingly, completely caught up with my Stonehell/Rappan session reports, and have started writing the Caves of Chaos game reports! Given how long I was literally 6 months behind on these posts, I’m really thrilled to have gotten it all up to date.

In the Stonehell game the party is busy in the sewers. They’ve been bopping back and forth between the mucky sewers and the Hermitage to rest and recover from their various ooze related injuries.

The Caves of Chaos game the party is busy poking around the caves. They’ve forced the Goblins to join up with the hobgoblins, and have succeeded in wiping out the first cave full of hobgoblins they’ve encountered. Looking forward to seeing how that progresses.

Miniatures
The last several years I’ve averaged around 60 or so minis painted in a year. I’m definitely past that already this year, and that isn’t even counting the 18 trees I made. I also had set myself a goal to paint an equal number of non-Reaper minis as Reaper minis. I haven’t quite kept it even, but even still it’s been a lot of non-Reaper minis this year so far, with a couple months to go!

What I actually got done this month included finishing up the Boulderkin minis , a couple of witches , and a necromancer and zombie. The necromancer and zombie are going to be part of a simple diorama, but the base is only just started.

Media
Star Trek Prodigy season 2 rewatch
Star Trek Lower Decks
Agatha All Along (SO GOOD)
Hellraiser
The Fly (1986)
Fight Night

Goals for November
Keep up with the Stonehell session reports, and get at least 1 Caves of Chaos session report written per week.

Rappan/Stonehell: This session could have been an email

Session 266 was played on 9/22/24

Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)
Borumar, Triton Thief (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse)
Morgana, wizard (Rob)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)

This entire session was upkeep and paperwork.

Borumar studied with a bow master
Blotto trains other people in town in the art of using a fishing pole(arm) and also spends time with his rust monster, who he can now successfully ride.

Nick, Aroon, Jameth, and Lor’Koth are unable to find masters to train with.

Koltic hides away, brewing some potions of super healing. Half the batch comes out poorly.

Lor’Koth commissions Morgana to make him magical plate armor of fire resistance. It takes almost months. She also makes a bracelet of air breathing for Borumar who transforms into a triton thanks to the ring he foolishly put on. After both those are done she makes a set of toy knights for her patron’s kids, then she researches the spell Disintegrate.

Borumar throws a MASSIVE city wide party that turns into rioting and results in several fires around town. Because of Borumar’s position, and Morgana’s clout, no charges are filed against him.

Gains:
Kills:
Losses:

Rappan: Wipeout!

Session 265 was played on 9/15/24

Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)
Borumar, ½ Orc Thief (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse)
Morgana, wizard (Rob)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)

The second draggone lands, charges past the nest and the stuck Aroon toward the door that it can’t fit through. Blotto and Lor’Koth are high as a kite, Nick is hanging on with just a couple of hit points grappling a squirming crying dragonne cub, and Aroon is trapped in the nest. Borumar and Jameth use their ranged weapons to shoot at the dragonne in the doorway.

Then reality goes sideways…  and instantly snaps back. The dragonne lets out one last cry before turning and flying off. Borumar and Jameth help Aroon out of the nest, and watch the water below the balcony drain away.

Morgana and Koltic come running up saying they need to get on the boat and get going. Borumar points out the problem with that plan.

Morgana starts the teleport ritual. Aroon and Jameth go and retrieve Blotto and Lor’Koth.  In the distance, a wall of water rises up. Everyone looks to Morgana, and the wall, and back and forth as the ritual progresses. With mere moments to spare, the wall of water now clearly made up not just of water but the entire host of the Blue Lord within it, Morgana finishes the ritual, and the party teleports away.

Gains:
Kills: everyone within miles of the temple
Losses:

Rappan: Purple Shrooms and Dragonnes

Session 264 was played on 9/8/24

Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)
Borumar, ½ Orc Thief (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse)
Morgana, wizard (Rob)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)

After Looting the lizardmen bodies of their gold, Morgana and Koltic start talking about how they can use the final vial of the Water of Life to seal the passage down to the alien ritual site.

Meanwhile, the party goes to check out the stinky passage. Growing near the entrance were some mushrooms. Blotto smushes one into a wiggling troll larynx, and it stops wiggling. Lor’Koth takes one of the mushrooms, sniffs it, and then pops it into his mouth. A moment later he sinks to the floor, and starts drooling purple spit. Blotto tells his companions about goblin “human-tales” relating to little girls and mushrooms, and how the lesson is to leave both alone.

Blotto bravely heads in with Jameth and Aroon close behind. They encounter the mushroomfolk within. While they have no language in common, but Blotto exchanges a troll larynx for a large lump of fungus. He then warns them that “a frankly terrifying wizard and acolyte are planning on blowing up the caves. You might want to leg it” The mushroomfolk raises its hand to its face, sticks the fingers into an orifice, and extends the fingers to Blotto. Blotto sticks his fingers up his nose, pulls out some snot and extends his hand. Blotto then takes the mushroom fingers into his own nose, and the mushroomfolk takes Blotto’s fingers and inserts them into its own orifice. Blotto feels weird tiny needle-like pricks in his flesh. Blotto, Aroon, and Jameth depart. Blotto starts to see dragons in the green fungus of the walls start to move in stop motion.

Leaving Blotto and Lor’Kth to enjoy their chemically altered state, Nick, Jameth, Aroon, and Borumar head back to the dragonne balcony. Currently empty, with a big nest off to one side, they check it out. Nick tosses a rock to the nest, and a dragonne head pops out, and roars at the party, deafening them. It leaps out and bites Nick, twice, and Nick drops. Aroon and Jameth hack into it, it mauls Aroon, and then Borumar blasts it with his bow, killing it. Borumar dumps a healing potion down Nicks throat, while Aroon and Jameth check out the nest. There’s a dragonne cub within. Jameth and Aroon crawl into the nest to grab it for Morgana, and then there’s a roar! Aroon gets his foot caught and can’t get out of the next. Jameth, Nick and Borumar run for the door with the cub. Aroon ducks down, hoping to avoid notice as the cub cries out in distress.  

Gains: dragonne cub
Kills: dragonne
Losses:

Rappan: Trappers, Keepers!

Session 263 was played on 9/1/24

Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)
Borumar, ½ Orc Thief (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse)
Morgana, wizard (Rob)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)

After finishing off the swamp monster, a large pale frog head pokes out of the far end of the swamp, and blasts Nick, Jameth, and Aroon with its icy breath. Discretion being the better part of valor, and Lor’Koth having successfully removed all valuable material from the stairs, the party retreated.

Backing down the corridor to a small 5’wide passage, they follow that to a 20’ round chamber, seemingly empty. They toss a rock into the room, and hear a quiet “ow” but still don’t see anyone, nor do they see any evidence the rock bounced off of anything. Maybe a magic mouth spell? Blotto tosses a troll larynx. No effect. The floor is a little soft, and blotto pees on it. The floor shivers? Undulates? Nick pours some oil onto it, and it pulls away. Nick asks who here is good at carpet munching? Floor laying? Further bad jokes are made at the expense of the creature that is then killed from the safety of the doorway. Nick goes to check the corpse for treasure and gets the companion creature on the ceiling dropping down and enveloping him. Morgana transforms it into a newt, and carries it with her. Also collected are some platinum coins and a pair of blue diamond earrings.

With most of the party hurt, they head back to get some rest out of the alien area. In the oracle room a dozen lizardmen are entering from the other side. Morgana doesn’t give them a chance, and fireballs them.  Jameth and Aroon use their potions.

Gains: platinum coins and a pair of blue diamond earrings.
Kills: trappers, lizardmen
Losses:

Rappan: Alien Cultists Playground

Session 262 was played on 8/25/24

Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)
Borumar, ½ Orc Thief (Josh)
Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse)
Morgana, wizard (Rob)
Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)
Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)
Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)

With the alien cultists dead, the party had a chance to look around the room. The most notable feature, aside from the 4 big bodies and the smoking cauldron, was a doorway glowing with orange light. Various things were tossed at it, including bits of the aliens (they bounced off) bits of the dead priests (they went through) bits of dead troll larynx (bounced) coins (bounced) goblin pee (splashed back). Deciding not to explore that, they head back to the wire covered doorway. Thankfully no metal spider had shown up to re-web it during the fight.

The party spends a bit of time looking at the weird obelisk. Lor’Koth doesn’t recognize the stone its made from, and tries to break off a piece. Eventually he does, but it crumbles to sand. No one can read the writing. Beyond the obelisk room, they come to another chamber with a weird blue grey crystal pyramid about 7’ tall. Electrical pulses can be seen in it. Morgana thinks at it hard, and the pulses clear, and reveal a view of dead alien cultists, priests of the blue lord, and a glowing orange door… Aroon tries and sees the deep dark void of space. Lor’Koth sees nothing, and can’t chip off a sample of the crystal.

Further along they come to a chamber with abstract metal forms (sculptures?) with plaques (?) and in the middle of the room on the floor a circular iris like hatch. Lor’Koth bangs it with a hammer. It rings nicely. They manage to pry it open, revealing a 20’ drop and a passage out to the east. Borumar checks it out. It quickly leads to a room with way too many holes in the walls and ceiling to be anything but a death trap. He comes back to the sculpture room, and the party tries one of the other passages out.

Following the long hallway, they round a turn and come to a long wide room with a raised path down the middle, and along the north and south sides are a swampy mess. The stairs down to it are covered in precious materials, and Lor’Koth gets to removing it. While he’s at it, Blotto goes fishing in the swamp and hooks a shambling mound. Lor’Koth ignores the fight, while the fighters take down the soggy monster.

Gains: precious material from steps
Kills: shambling mound
Losses: