Stonehell Play Report - Sessions Seven & Eight

Session Seven: 10 Giant Rats:

Real World Date Date: 13/07/2026 

Game Time: 5th Arduin 1023 

The Party:

Roberto - L1 - Dwarf

Naugrim - L1 - Dwarf Fighter

Perseus L1 - Fighter

Denny - L1 - Ranger Essek

Alloin - L1 - Acrobat  

System: Basic/Expert D&D

This week the party assembled at the keep and set off towards Stonehell and right into the dungeon. Their first port of of call was the cavernous rooms to the northwest of Hell's Antechamber to taken on the Dragon nesting somewhere nearby. After a quick catch-up with the Kobold work-crew responsible for keeping this section of the dungeon ship-shape, the party headed towards the Dragon's cave. A retainer led the way into the dank chamber, nervously clutching his torch. Suddenly, from above a shadow leaped down from above and crushed him beneath its vast weight - it was a Giant Gecko! The party charged into the avenge their fallen employee and battled with the large reptile. They bested the creatures and made off with his hoard hidden beneath the fetid pool which the gecko had made his nest.

 With this morale boosted by their victory, the party headed south, arriving at a heavy door. They kicked it down and found themselves in a crypt with a series of tombs lining the walls. Thus began some good old fashioned grave robbing, with the bolder party members cracking open the crypts one by one. They encountered multiple ghouls, looted some valuable treasure and a had a nail-biting encounter with ten giant rats that poured out of one of the tombs like a burst mains pipe. The party made it out by the skin of their teeth and returned to the keep to boast of the their victory and count their well earned treasure.

 Session Eight: The Astronomicon

Real World Date Date: 20/07/2026 

Game Time: 12th Arduin 1023 

 The party formed in the Nag's Head and over a hearty breakfast, debated the merits of the various job offers available to them. Eventually they decided to follow a job posted by the Abeir, Curate of the Church.

Abeir is a well known figure about the settlement, a jovial portly fellow, as likely to be seen discussing theology as trading stories of heroism and adventure with travelers in the tavern.

The party met him in the church just at the the end of morning mass. He told them of the village of Sandpoint and a recent raid of the chapel there; a certain tome known as the Astronomicon was was stolen by a band of Troglodytes. Abeir promised the party 500gp for the safe return of the text. He directed them to a clearing situated in the Mosswood, north of the keep.  

After a quick conversation, the party took him up on his offer and set out for the forest, leaving the familial road to Stonehell behind, they traveled through dense thicket which even the morning sunlight struggles to penetrate. At the trunk of a fallen oak they took a moments repast when suddenly from behind a tree an arrow tore through the air and narrowly missed the group. Immediately the perpetrator revealed themselves: four orcs, three armed with short-bows and one brandishing an gnarled short-sword. The latter let out a war cry and charged for the group. The party traded blows and arrows with the creatures before finally besting the foes. 

 The party licked their wounds and headed for the barren clearing and the signs of an ancient tomb. They descended a steep stair case. Some quick thinking from the dwarven contingent of the group identified a suspicious break in the stonework and discovered a pit trap hiding at the foot of the stair. the party lit torches and headed west down a corridor which terminated in a curious statue of a ghastly winged creature watching over an adjoing chamber. The party investigated the room, finding a few coins amongst the trash for their trouble, when all of a sudden Naugrim called to his fellows - the statue had come alive! The cursed creature burst into the room, buffeting the stale dungeon air with its fell stony wings. It began to bite and claw at the group as they desperately parried its blows with sword and shield. Simion the magic user attempted a Sleep spell which had no effect on the magical creature and informed his party of worse news - mundane weapons have no effect on the defenses of this foe! The party had no other choice but to flee, dashing up the corridor and over the pit trap. Their hirelings bravely held of the creature while they run (thanks to some lucky loyalty rolls!) as the rest of the group made it back to the surface.

 Back above ground the group discussed their next steps. They knew they stood no chance against the gargoyle. Some scouting from Simion informed them that the creature and returned to its stony from at the niche at the end on the corridor and appeared to pose no threat, the party did not care to push their luck with such a dangerous foe.

With their backpacks light on treasure, the party plunged deeper into the dungeon, barrelling down a series of staircases, arriving in a library, stacked high with dusty texts and a table full of open books and two exits. While some of the group investigated the shelves, others investigated the rest of the area. Denny's PC stumbled on a fell sight: a lizard man meditating on a rich carpet clutching a text. Meanwhile, Sergey's PC reached forward for a promising looking text on the shelves, as he removed the book a poisonous viper leaped out and another met Simion by the table. The lizardman's slumber was disturbed by this ruckus and his serpentine eyes opened as he let out a hiss and prepared a spell. Three other snakes woke up next to him and began to snake towards the group. Denny's PC was stunned by a Hold Person spell while the rest of the group batted away the snakes. Seeing the tides of fate turn, Roberto and Naugrim, grabbed Denny's PC and began to flee up the staircase. Sergey's PC was tragically slain by a snake. As the awoken lizard came to give melee with his glittering mace,  Perseus tried to make a way out, he tried to drag a table to block the stair well but unfortunately, 'the Lion' met his end at the fangs of the surging snakes.

While the rest of the group made it out of the dungeon, only Simion remained in the chamber, he ran to the adjoining room to discover a summoning circle with an emerald in the center. He reached out to grab it inadvertently summoning a water elemental. Caught between the evil lizard cleric and the newly summoned elemental, Simion met his end in the dungeon.  Roberto, Naugrim and their stunned charge stumbled back to the keep their hearts heavy with the loss of their companions