Episode 6: The Tomb of Sextus Varnus

EPISODE 6: The Tomb of Sextus Varnus (1 Sep 16)
Eldeth, Bobby and PewWee rose early and went downstairs to the Stonehill Inn common room to be greeted by a small throng of Phandalin's townsfolk, cheering and congratulating and thanking the adventurers. The celebration was abruptly interrupted when the blacksmith, Parchedd, bursts in, saying, "They've taken her! They've taken my daughter!" In exchange for his help transporting their new nothic buddy, the trio agreed to assist the man. Led by Droop, they ventured south of Phandalin, where a small goblin band had made camp in the ruins of an old tomb set in the side of one of the Sword Mountains' foothills.

The three adventurers decided to send Droop in first to talk to the guards at the door, but he was dragged inside, a prisoner. Eldeth cried, "For Droop!" and charged the other two goblins on patrol. From the cover of the trees, her companions promptly sent their little goblin souls back to Maglubiyet. After the goblins' death, the small band examined the room: an old mural covered the walls, depicting armor-clad knights decimating goblins in battle. Across the top of the scene ran the words of the oath of the Delian Order, an order of knights long past that were renowed for their prowess in battle against goblins.

The dwarf, elf and halfling pursued Droop's captors down into the tomb, and turned a corner to a room filled with six goblins. They made short work of them, but one escaped down a hall. Eldeth gave chase but tripped a scythe trap, which embedded itself into her shoulder. She shook off the damage and the group pursued the goblin into a larger room with a 15-foot statue of a Delian Knight loomed. No goblins were to be seen, and Bobby's academic curiosity got the better of him - he walked forward into the room and was ambushed by three goblins (including the one they'd been chasing) and a bugbear. After a brief skirmish which included the requisite fire, shortswords and battlehammer, the group dispatched their enemies, and rescued Parchedd's daughter, Lalia, and Droop, who were imprisoned in cages in a corner.

Meanwhile, back in Phandalin, Mulan met with Qelline Alderleaf, PewWee's aunt. Her cat had just given birth to a small litter of kittens, and Mulan decided to adopt them and bring them back to the Jug or Naughts cave headquarters. She named them Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter, and went about town gathering provisions for them and to feed the wolves, Julius and Spatum.

Madislaka, on the other hand, stayed in the Stonehill Inn, regaling the crowd with battle stories of the Jug or Naughts. The townsfolk were hanging on every word and were duly impressed by her tales (even if they were slightly inflated or slanted). Halia, too, took notice, and later in the afternoon was seen by some of the townsfolk engaging in conversation with Madislaka.

Back in the tomb, the trio of adventurers were puzzling over a riddle on the base of the statue: "If you are to keep this, you must first give it to me." After some conjectures and further exploration, Bobby recited the Delian Oath: "I [name], swear the Delian Oath. To serve law, battle chaos, and strive to keep the Delian lore secret." Except it came out more along the lines of, "I, Bobby, swear, etc. etc." Fortunately, it worked, and a secret door swung open to the left of the statue, revealing the tomb's crypt with five sarcophagi in it.

While Eldeth wanted nothing to do with the place, PewWee and Bobby decided to loot. As soon as they laid their hands on one of the lids, four skeletons burst out of the smaller coffins, and the spectral ghost of Sextus Varnus, the Knight for whom the tomb was built, loomed over the largest.

After a tense battle, in which Bobby narrowly escaped the cold clutches of the specter, the group sent the dead back to the shadows. PewWee found, in one of the sarcophagi, a shortsword with a slight greenish tint to it. On returning to town, he brought it to Halia, who identified it as a magical weapon used in the Delian Order's wars against the goblins. Halia then gave PewWee a somewhat mysterious offer: wealth and power beyond his imaginings. PewWee, a bit skeptical, postponed a decision.

True to his word, when his daughter was returned to him, Parchedd accompanied the three adventurers to the nothic under Tresendar Manor. They persuaded the monster (which they named Jesuuuus Nemo) to accompany them and their friend (the blacksmith) to a much nicer cave. As they prepared to leave, the three bugbears they trapped on their last visit came charging up the stairs.

A knock-down, drag out fight ensued, mostly consisting of whiffs. A few solid blows landed, though, including Parchedd punching one of the bugbears back down the stairs. The nothic fought alongside the players, who made sure to constantly think "nobody hurts my friend!" After the skirmish, the group returned to town, and Parchedd set off to transport the nothic, the kittens and plenty of food for the carnivores to the Jug or Naughts headquarters.

Many thanks to Matt Colville for a great dungeon :)