This session the adventurers continued to explore the Clacking Caverns on Level 3 of the Scarlet Citadel.
You can read earlier posts here. This post contains spoilers for Scarlet Citadel.
Leaving the others in the room with the three sinister sarcophagi, Tricsky sneaks down the narrow passage to the east on his hands and knees. Ahead is the huge clacker beetle nest, filled with glittering treasure and lots of beetles! The rogue tries to pick up an intriguing looking potion vial with his invisible mage hand, but there’s a clink of coins as he does so and the beetles notice. Deciding caution is the better part of valour, he retreats to rejoin the others.
Next, Tricksy heads back through the beetle husk chamber and crawls through another narrow tunnel to the Shrine of Charun on the shore of the Black River. Before he can get his bearings, he is grabbed by a gargoctopus lurking beneath the surface of the water. The other characters rush to Tricksy’s aid but soon find themselves trapped on the stone dock as clacker beetle soldiers and swarms emerge from the tunnels to the north.
Maya jumps onto the stone boat to escape the beetles and casts guiding bolt, killing the gargoctopus. She’s soon joined by Tunde, but there’s no room for anyone else. Clairmont is surrounded by beetles and falls unconscious again. Maya summons her tin dog to go to the cleric’s aid and he is healed by Tunde. Clairmont casts water walk and the group are able to retreat onto the surface of the Black River.
After drinking potions and casting healing spells, they attack the surviving beetles on the dock at range, forcing them to withdraw. Clairmont casts light on a pebble and drops it into the river, only for the light to be snuffed out. They walk upstream for about ten minutes but find nothing of interest. Downstream is the same.
Cautiously they return to the dock and head back into the pool caverns. Maya finds a large bronze hook on the bottom of the fountain. Could it be used to go fishing in the pools, Maya wonders.
In the breached tomb to the north, Tricksy opens first the tin coffin, followed by the bronze one, finding a body covered in holy symbols and garlic in the former, and a suit of magical scale mail, and a beautiful (non magical) longsword in the latter. Last session’s reluctance to loot the dwarven tombs is overcome and they loot the jars of grave goods.
Heading south to the tomb with the three sinister coffins, Tricksy triggers the glyph of warding on the door and only Maya escapes the blast. They start opening the coffins which disturbs the three warlock wights, wielders of dark magic. Tricksy begins to turn to stone but Maya is able to dispel the effect, and the characters make a run for it, returning to Redtower via the owlbear tunnel.
Back in the village, they rest and recover from their latest expedition. Sister Yemeth has agreed to stay on at the temple of Khors so Clairmont sets aside 1,000 gp for construction of a vicarage. Tunde also makes a donation to the temple of Yarila and Porevit.
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Main image by David Auden Nash
Richard Green | Game Designer 