Arden Vul - Sessions 13-19
I am considering (considering) running Halls of Arden Vul again. Nights are getting cold and dark and I am in front of my computer again. The burnout from my Cataphracts campaign is fading, and my distaste for OSR aesthetics remains but this campaign was fun enough to consider running again.
If I were to run again, I'd make a few changes on my side.
- Minimal sessions reports, if any. These were taking too much time and I have a real project that takes my free time during the week already. I can't spend it on this.
- No mountains of prep. I gotta play more than I prep, and I haven't hit that yet. I was spending too much time updating spreadsheets and coming up with new ways of translating the dungeon key and it was too much.
- Better reference materials for players and me. This has already been amended, I'll write some links to these later. Maybe update my resources post at some point.
Anyway, I also need a refresher on what's going on and my notes are scattered, so here's a brief summary of the sessions I didn't blog about.
The Missing Sessions
Session 13
The party (and Prosper the Paladin) descended back to the Beastman area on the Mushroom Forest level and found it was desolate and taken over by wights. They were attacked by a flying wight with a greatsword.
Session 14
The party regrouped to concot a plan but were ambushed by the Fear Elemental, which had been released from its chamber. The party managed to trap it with a magical staff and slay it.
They hunt for the flying wight and manage to knock it out of the air with a well-placed torch toss and it falls to the ground and dies.
They begin exploring the now significantly less dangerous territory, and find some fun loot (like a Decanter of Endless Water) and a Cloak of the Bat from the corpse of the wight.
(The party had put together at this point that the flying wight was their fallen Lyan companion from an earlier session, who had found the cloak but was slain during their escape from a wight they had released.)
Session 15
Kaliban the Fighter figures out how to use the Cloak of the Bat. The party purchases some magical weapons from a vendor at the Goblin Warren.
Most of the party returns to Gosterwick, the closest town, and begin training. Indunn the Bandit and Crys the Magic-user prey on travelers on the road for 3 weeks. The party opens a bank account in town.
Session 16
During the 3 week intermission, Propser informs Skeggi the Thief that he will hunt for more information about the Halfling gang here on the surface.
The party enters through the Cult of the Set's base and travel to the Inn of the Lost, their home base last month. They find its been sealed and the owner, Thegan Whitemane, tries to rob them after recognizing that they started the problems with the wights and the Beastmen last month.
The party informs the goblins of the treachery of the Inn owner and arrange a meeting with the Goblin King for later that morning. They return to the Beastmen area and are informed that the Beastmen were able to take their area back over, but the Beastmen are now looking for deserters who left during the conflict.
Session 17
The party explores more territory around the beastmen area and slay some undead. They find the enterence to the Beastmen base and are escorted inside. They are offered a reward for slaying more undead and finding a source of the drug Rastite Lotus Powder, which Thegan used to bring them.
They explore more near the base and encounter Sir Simonet of the Sun Scarred Knights, a strange man in strange advanced armor, reading a book. He asked them some brusque questions and then leaves.
The party follows him for a bit before he asks them to stop, and the patty returns to his room to loot a trapped chest, and acquires some treasure and scrolls.
Session 18
The party does some trading and meet with the Goblin King (and meet another Sun-scarred knight). The Goblin King tells them he wants to help rid the Halls of the Halflings.
The party travels to the Arena and tell them Lord of the Area about Thegan Whitemane breaking the peace of the Inn of the Loss and he informs them he will take care of it.
The party heads back the Inn of the Lost and explores around a bit.
Session 19
The party chats with a goblin alchemist/spy and learn about Rastite Lotus Powder.
Kaliban enters the Inn and talks to Thegan, who tells him his secret: He's been doping an ancient vampire to keep everyone save, and the vampire escaped. He admitted he's quite old and said he would accept help and magic weapons.
The party begins mapping the area, and travel to a little-traveled cave near the Arena and the Inn of the Lost. They eventually find an illusory worm trap and some animated statues that they trap in some pit traps.
The End
I think that's all of it? I might be missing one session, I'll have to ask my players. Take care and thanks for reading!