Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing in the first session of Tara's new in-person open-table old-school D&D game. I met Tara when she ran a B/X campaign of the original 1979 Keep on the Borderlands last year, which I was originally interested in as a weird long-form historical/academic LARPing exercise after spending way too much time reading OSR blogs on my phone at work.
Ultimately though I was impressed by the way she breathed life into the module by layering on her own evocative aesthetics, sense of character, complex histories, and intriguing secrets -- so when I saw she was taking on the 1,100-page megadungeon behemoth for her next campaign I was stoked to grab a seat at the table.
I'm posting my log of the session here, which can hopefully be useful as a resource to future delvers... Delve on! I rolled up a human cleric named Ressona, an adherent of the new hotness Solarism, which I'll quote Tara's description of given the detail of religious society in the game:
Solarism: This monotheistic religion, founded by the Ithruin philosopher Julian the Bronze, worships the Sun as the creator of the world and the sole God. Lady Alexia Basileos of Ra’ankh provides ample patronage to support its growth in Ithruin, and most devotees are easily convinced that the scorching midday sun of the desert is a natural candidate for worship. Solarites maintain a veneration of some pagan deities, but as human sages and saints, rather than gods.
In the campaign Arden Vul is an ancient lost city of the current Archontian empire that's undergoing recolonization. Ressona is a fresh convert who's traveled to the lands of Arden Vul to loot and deface its priceless artifacts spread the good word of the one true god.
THE RECAP: 25th of FEBRUARY, YEAR 2023 AEP
THE CITY OF RA'ANKH
As the Most Literate among our Number I have taken it upon myself to Chronicle our company's exploits. Our boat arrived at the city of Ra'ankh and my compatriots gained the lay of the land. A scholar among our number informed us that this land was laid to waste in a civil war between wizards 300 years ago, in which the conservative faction prevailed; it was subsequently abandoned but was now being resettled by order of the holy Emperor.
I made way for the immaculate Solar Temple in the city's holy quarter and made contact with a local priest, Mataph. He informed me that the Lady Alexia sought to establish a new Solarite chapel within Arden Vul, which I vowed to accomplish.
Afterwards we met a strange man who forsaw our passage into a pyramid(!) in an invisible crystal ball. He told us something cryptic about the importance of traveling into the pyramid on south nort-facing stairs. He also sought whitecap cloudcap mushrooms.
My companions held audience with a mayoral figure in a nearby villa (Eusebia?) who asked us to locate Samantha the Red, an esteemed bodyguard of some sort who had gone missing several weeks ago.
We regrouped at a tavern, the Centurion's Truncheon, and I heard tell of the following strange tales:
> The Halls were built by toad men?
> Somewhere in the ancient city is a gladiator pit, which has seen steady use throughout the centuries, despite reports of being abandoned (so said a one-armed man, who claimed he lost the other in said pit)
> Something about a Lady (perhaps Lady Alexia) seeking evidence to unseat her brother, who might have been the Mayor?
> PYRAMID!!! Atop the cliffs to the north!
> There were many passages into the Halls on the northern cliff face, but none were safe to traverse due to fell creatures known as Ghouls. I have taken it upon myself to Reason with these Ghouls and show them the errors of their ways.
> There was an establishment ran by one Estelle past the northern side of the pyramid where safe lodging could be found.
We passed the remainder of the evening in the Truncheon and set out for the ruins at first light.
THE ASCENT
We walked north along the road to where it ascended the cliffs. Two massive statues of the historic warrior Arden and her sorceror-comrade Vul were set into the 1,500ft cliff face on either side of the ascending zigzagging road, next to a massive waterfall. A dwarf among our number noted something unusual about the construction of Arden's hand.
At the base of the falls sat the ruins of an ancient tower. Buried under a pile of rubble in a corner of the structure we located a Cellar Door. Upon opening said door we were greeted by a frightful phantasmal figure who called out for one "Neaimah," who it claimed was "taken by a red priest". We closed the door, reburied it, and moved on, after providing ample Spiritual Comfort to the poor afflicted Phantasm and promising the swift return of its loved one.
Many strange and dark passageways into the caves among the cliffs were found as we ascended. In one hidden passageway after the path's third switchback we dipped inside, so that I might Shine my Lantern upon those Forgotten Places, but finding nothing but the scratchings of vermin we returned to the road and continued our ascent.
Our dwarf also noticed another concealed passage behind the waterfall roughly at Arden's shoulder, but it was ruled too difficult to reach, and we continued upward.
THE OBELISK
Once we reached the top of the cliffs we passed beneath the city's gates and its land stretched before us. Ruins stretched in the shadow of the Marble Pyramid including a four-story building and a Collapsed Villa.
Along the road loomed a Massive Obelisk which I stood transfixed by for quite some time. Its surface was decorated with reptilian creatures (toad men?), a surfeit of pagan deities, and culminated in the symbol of the Sun at its apex. It was covered in an ancient transcription which our scholar translated: "THE BEACON SHALL BE REVEALED TO THOSE WHO BRING MIDDAY LIFE TO THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE STARS". Clearly an object that Proved the Solarism of the Ancients.
In a moment of deep contemplation I saw a holy light reflecting from a symbol atop the obelisk. It seemed an ankh-like symbol had been removed and the depression in which it once sat shone unnaturally--certainly a sign, a Divine Message. It seemed the monument had been defaced -- I vowed to recover the sacred ankh and return it to its rightful place.
THE INN
We passed north through the ruined land, circumvented the pyramid, and found the rumored establishment, an inn beyond the city wall decorated with a looted depiction of Arden's head, part of a very modest settlement. We spoke with its proprietor Kronos and he was most agreeable. We learned that the top of the pyramid was the entryway into the Halls.
Having observed that the entryway atop the pyramid was Tragically Roofed despite wonderful Proximity to the Sun I inquired with Kronos about the conscription of masons and daylaborers toward the efforts of removing it to better serve as a chapel for Solarites. He agreed to post an advertisement in his establishment detailing my request.
THE PYRAMID
With some daylight remaining we decided to return to the Pyramid and ascend the steps to its peak, where apparently the Gateway to the Fabled Halls could be found. Upon rising we met a statue of ibis-headed Thoth presiding over a decorative panel in the ground. My companions rotated his articulated limbs and found in doing so different parts of the panel slid inward, revealing two separate downward staircases into the bowels of the pyramid, one heading north, one heading south. Recalling the strange sage's advice we took the south north-heading staircase.
The stairs continued down for some time. We passed through a strange unnaturally-lit chamber and continued further downward. Eventually we came to a large room with myriad exits which I have dubbed The Crossroads.
A NEW ASSOCIATE
A dead man slumped against the western wall -- ghastly. Statues and murals of Thoth dominated the room. My associates discovered that this statue's arms were also articulated and began to rotate them when we were accosted by a group of halflings hobbits brandishing weaponry and claiming we lacked the proper licensure to traverse the area. We nearly came to Wretched Violence but agreed to meet with their leader to arrange the proper paperwork.
Upon being taken at swordpoint to their leader, one Plumthorn, who made his office from a chamber just east of the Crossroads, all were surprised to discover that this Plumthorn and one of our wizardly associates were in fact extremely good friends from back in college. Plumthorn called off his men and agreed to sign a License certifying our company's rights to traverse the area unbothered free of charge, which I have enclosed along with this Holy Chronicle for the Good Use of my Companions. Plumthorn also gave us information about the situation within the Halls:
> A group of beastmen resides to the south, who Plumthorn called "Fucking Crazy". Their leader is called Demo.
> Apparently the level below this one is dominated by a group known as the Cult of Sett, who seemed to Strike Fear into the Heart of good Plumthorn.
SIGNING OFF
With our business concluded I pronounced myself exhausted and promptly left my companions to their affairs in the Halls. I have returned to Kronos' Establishment where I pen this Chronicle, and where I will reside in peace to Meditate upon the Splendid Obelisk and the many mysteries of this land.
No comments:
Post a Comment