PART 4: INTO THE MOATHOUSE (Flocktime 578 CY)
4.1 First Foray into the Moathouse (Flocktime 7th – 8th)
The seemingly inebriated yet strangely competent Elmo leads the intrepid adventurers — Erik (the mountain dwarf fighter from the Lortmils), Althaea (the high elf wizard from the city of Tringlee), and the brothers Godric (the human rogue from the Barony of Shiboleth) and Cedric (the human cleric of St. Cuthbert) — from the village of Hommlet to the ruined moathouse. The journey takes several hours along the “High Road” before branching off on a rough trail to the ruins. After setting up camp about 300 yards from the moathouse (on a small hill that overlooks the trail), the adventurers decide to explore the place a bit before sundown. Elmo remains at the camp to guard the party’s supplies.
The party approaches the rotting drawbridge into the fort. As they do so, from the fetid marshy water of the moat leap six giant frogs. The amphibious horrors attack the party. One frog’s tongue attaches itself to Althaea before the mage blasts it with some magic missiles. Cedric destroys another frog with a guiding bolt. Erik is hit with another frog’s tongue, but he immediately smashes the sticky appendage with his warhammer. Althaea hits two more frogs with her magic missiles, killing one. The surviving two frogs flee in terror. Althaea casts “alarm” on the drawbridge. Slightly battered from the encounter, the party returns to their campsite to rest for the night.
The party breaks camp early the next morning (the 8th day of Flocktime). They approach the moathouse with caution. Althaea casts “invisibility” on Godric. The rogue then proceeds ahead of his companions and investigates the grounds of the ruined fort. Entering the old great hall, Godric discovers a number of crossbowmen waiting in ambush in the hallways off of the chamber. He communicates this information to Althaea in response to the wizard’s “message” cantrip. The elf then informs Cedric and Erik.
Proceeding cautiously so as not to alert the bandits that they are aware of them, the party waits for Godric to strike first and distract their enemies. The rogue casts “colour spray” on a few, blinding them. Cedric then enters the fray, casting guiding bolt; Althaea follows, and uses up her magic missiles. However, there are more bandits than the party anticipated, as a handful are hidden behind arrowslits that look upon the entrance to the great hall. Erik blocks an arrowslit with hit shield and relies on his trusty Warhammer to smash other opponents. After an exhausting battle, all the bandits lie dead save two: a scruffy fellow named “Vick” who surrenders to the party begging piteously for his life, and the leader of the band who disappeared behind a reinforced door.
The party interrogates Vick. They learn from him that the bandit leader’s name is “Rex” and that the bandits have a secret exit from the moathouse in the back chamber. Vick also reveals that the leader of the moathouse is a mysterious “Master” who dwells in the tunnels beneath the fort, with his bodyguards and forces of gnolls and bugbears. Vick also mentions some creatures in the upper ruins that the bandits avoid: a giant insect, a massive spider, and a large lizard. The party also learns that Vick is originally from Safeton and is not especially loyal to his fellow brigands.
The party then discovers a stairway off the great hall that delves into the underground. Althaea casts “alarm” on it. Leaving the fort and circling around to the northeast, Vick shows the party the bandits’ secret exit from their safehouse. Althaea casts another “alarm” spell on the exit.
The party then returns to their campsite. They find Elmo sipping some gnomish whiskey. The party ties up Vick and leaves him in the care of Elmo. Althaea casts (yet another) “alarm” spell, this time on the rotting drawbridge. The party then proceeds to the secret exit where they rest for an hour.
Althaea casts “invisibility” on Godric. The rogue then enters the fort via the secret exit. Inside the bandits’ lair, despite the powerful stench of unwashed men, Godric sees no sign of Rex or anyone else. However, he does spot a chest under some rubble. The rest of the party joins Godric. Althaea spies a secret door. Erik clears away the rubble around the door, while Cedric and Godric begin to clear off the debris over the chest. The secret door is opened, revealing hidden stairway going down. Still invisible, Godric descends and finds himself in a small, clear chamber with secret doors on the eastern and western walls. The rogue returns to the bandit hideout and reports his finding. Althaea then goes down the stairs and begins to cast (yes, yet another!) “alarm” at its base when the western secret door opens. Confronting the startled elf is a hideous ogre!
Frightened and out of spells, Althaea flees up the stairs. Fortunately, the ogre to does not pursue her but instead runs through the eastern secret door, shouting incoherently. The party returns to their campsite.
4.2 Fighting the Moathouse pursuers (Flocktime 8th)
Back at the campsite they tell Elmo what happened. Surprising the adventurers, Elmo heals the wounds of Cedric and Godric—there would seem to be more to this village bumpkin than the party realizes! After chatting with Cedric, Vick is converted wholeheartedly to the worship of St. Cuthbert. Vick also explains that the pebble (with the eye symbol) is used by the bandits to recognize one another when in civilized lands—apparently there are a number of bands operating in the area, not simply the ones based in the moathouse.
As the party deliberates about what to do, Althaea hears a mental “ping” from one of her many alarms. She infers that the forces of the moathouse are in pursuit of the party! Deciding that they are unlikely to be able to flee all the way back to Hommlet, the adventurers elect to make a stand, using their high ground and terrain to their advantage. Erik and Althaea distribute some caltrops and a hunter’s trap around the perimeter of the campsite, while Godric hides nearby. Cedric, Emo, and Vick ready their ranged weapons.
After a dozen minutes or so the denizens of the moathouse are spotted. There are two groups: six gnolls with Rex arrive in the area on the trail that connects the moathouse to the high road, to the west of the campsite; nine bugbears skulk towards the campsite from the north.
A mighty combat ensues! Elmo reveals himself to be an effective warrior. But despite causing the band of bugbears considerable grief, one of the heinous humanoids strikes a lucky blow as slices off the villager’s head! Vick is skewered by a gnoll’s spear after helping to kill his former leader, Rex. Cedric prays that St. Cuthbert will accept the former brigand’s soul into the god’s celestial cathedral.
Eventually all the gnolls are slain, but four of the bugbears manage to flee. The party loots the bodies, finding another pebble on Rex, and minimal treasure on the others (some silver, gold, and platinum coins, a lump of blue quarts, and gold and silver necklaces). Also on Rex’s body is a crude map of the area around the moathouse. It seems to indicate a secret entrance to the lower level of the moathouse about 120-150 feet to the east of the ruins. Most of the armour and weapons of the humanoids are dumped into a nearby pond so that they cannot be used again.
With heavy hearts, the party carries Elmo’s body back to Hommlet. Sore and exhausted, they arrive at the village around midnight.
[Regional map from Goodman Games' version of The Temple of Elemental Evil. The red dot indicates where the party was ambushed en route to Hommlet. The pink square indicates the location of the Moathouse.]
[The picture of the Moathouse at the top of this post is by David Trampier and appears in both T1 and T1-4.]
[The previous log entry can be found here.]
Great narrative!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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