Note: This is a continuation of my solo adventures using Scarlet Heroes and the Basic D&D modules. The plan is to work my way through one of the paths of B1-9 In Search of Adventure
and see if my character can survive to the end. I have a couple of friends back home who have been playing this module with me using Scarlet Heroes
. They are following a different path through it. Sadly I'm not home enough to run adventures for them at the moment, but they are still ahead of my character Broneslav in the timeline. It will be interesting to see if I can get both in sync, so that they can hear about Broneslav's exploits, and perhaps one group's actions will have an effect on who and what the other group can do or meets. There are three paths through this adventure, with sidetracks and plenty of room to just mess everything up for the DM. I think it would be awesome to be running the adventure for three groups and actually make the world seem like it were more alive and less focused on the PCs.
For rules, I'm using Scarlet Heroes
as the core engine, but cannibalising the Basic D&D
rule book for spells and experience system. I've nothing against the Scarlet Heroes
spells but they do not fit the background of my game. The Scarlet Heroes
experience system is too deterministic for my liking. Scenarios are likely to take a fair while to complete, and I want to see my character inching towards new levels as the game plays out.
So, it's been over a year since I last posted anything from this, and it is likely that this series will continue to be irregular, although hopefully not that irregular. I've added a full character sheet for Broneslav as a page now and I have the modules and rules as pdfs, because I am travelling a lot and want to keep the amount of paperwork I need to a minimum. If you want to catch up on Broneslav's adventures or see what went before this post, click HERE.
The doors creaked open, revealing a huge chamber with alcoves set in the east and west walls. The chamber was empty but rotting, red curtains hung across it part way down. Beyond the curtains was a room lit by a brazier that burned with a blue light. On a platform across the top end of the room was a throne with a lectern beside it and three stone coffins arranged in a triangular pattern.
The book on the lectern was in very good condition. It must have had a preservation spell cast on it. When he opened it, the book suddenly spoke, "Receive the tale of years." Inside, though, the pages were blank. Then the book spoke again. It recited some bad poetry about the mage Elyas imprisoning the three witches, but being killed in the process. The poem mentioned a black opal, like the one now in Broneslav's possession, and said that it was the key to vanquishing the witches forever. In the meantime, their souls and bodies were kept imprisoned by Elyas' magic, until they can take over the bodies of young maidens and walk once more in the world. So, that explained the need to kidnap the maidens, but only two had been taken. "Well," thought Broneslav, "I'll not give them time to get a third". Perhaps the coffins contained a key to it. There were three coffins and two were sealed by lead, so they might relate to the witches.
Broneslav and Baik lifted the lid from the coffin nearest the lectern. As the lid tumbled to the floor, a skeleton clad in rusting mail armour and and rotting furs leapt from it, sword in hand. His sword did nothing to it, but a blow from Broneslav's shield shattered its bones and it crumpled to dust, while Baik just stood and gawped, too surprised to move.
The next coffin was tougher to open, but the pair were better prepared. Nothing leapt out and they beheld a skeleton dressed in a deep blue robe within this one. Broneslav smashed its skull just in case, and found a small compartment under the skull containing 100gp. The third coffin was the resting place of a skeleton in a red dress. He smashed its skull too, just in case. None of the coffins contained any clues about what to do next, meaning that Broneslav would just have to guess where to go next. He presumed that these were the coffins of the witches, although it seemed a bit strange that they could have been buried here by the wizard, if they had also killed him. Perhaps something was not quite right about the story.
There appeared to be no way out of this room, so they retraced their steps back to the octagonal room and headed eastwards. There was something odd about the wall to his left as they entered the passageway (Average task check with bonus for
Keen Vision). Checking the wall, he soon opened a secret door. Beyond the door were stairs going down. A secret door probably meant something worth checking out, so the pair decided to see where the stairs led before returning to investigate the passages and doors that they could see ahead of them.
Broneslav led the way. As soon as he stepped onto the stairs, they suddenly slid together and he found himself tumbling down them, unable to stop. Baik, at the top of the stairs, had stopped just in time. Broneslav landed in a room at the bottom with a large pillar in its centre. Just ahead of him was a large gelatinous cube. The remains of some hapless creature were visible within it. As it oozed towards Broneslav, he yelled for Baik to join him and sliced quickly at it, shearing off a substantial chunk. Dodging backwards as the creature oozed quickly towards him, he sliced again and the creature suddenly collapsed as if deflated. At that point Baik joined him.
The stairs remained resolutely slippery and in a slide form, so the pair could not climb back up. There were no obvious doors out of this room. But, the creature must have got in somehow, and there must be a way for anyone entering this room to leave it, so he searched carefully for secret doors. Between them Broneslav and Baik found two doors. One in the central pillar and one in the east wall. They opened the central one first.
The secret door opened into a small vault. A chest sat at the far side away from the door. Broneslav stepped carefully into the room and only narrowly avoided getting his skull split by an axe blade that scythed down from the ceiling and began to swing from above the chest to the door. Timing his next move carefully, Broneslav dived into the vault and along the wall. He got to the chest without further harm. Seeing nothing amiss, he dragged the chest carefully to the door while keeping low to avoid the swinging axe blade. The chest was light enough that he was able to shove it to Baik outside, but then he misjudged his dive out, and the axe took a chunk out of his shoulder. He was really going to need some new clothes after this rescue was over. His clothes were looking tattered and torn. They were certainly beyond repair now.
With the chest safely outside the range of the axe blade, Baik and Broneslav were able to open it and gaze upon a pile of copper and gold, and three bottles labeled
Wizard of Wines Winery Superb Wine. Each label had the same serial number (3132-N) listed on it. Broneslav knew nothing about wine, so this meant nothing to him. With these treasures divided between them and packed away, Baik and Broneslav were ready to open the secret door to the east.
Character
Broneslav Torenescu (S16, D14, C15, I12, W10, Ch14, F1, HP 9, AC4, Sword 1d8+3, Bow 1d8)
Human (Traladaran)
XPs: 1332
Traits:
Torenescu Family Member 1
Hunter 1
Keen Vision 1
Good Education 1
Empathy with Animals 1
Goal: Prove that he is an adult following the Shearing Ceremony
Goal: Slay a red dragon
Quest: Deliver a parcel to Merisa in Gray Mountain Village
Quest: Rescue Sylva and Merisa
Quest: Undo the greater evil under Kota-Hutan Temple
Allies
Baik Telor (HD 4, AC 4, ATK +4, DAM 1d8)
Roll of Honour
Alki (Level 2 Elven warrior brutally slain while helpless by the Rahib)
