Bradley Keep - Session 2

Bradley Keep is the name of my Labyrinth Lord sandbox campaign. The goal is to highlight some of the best that the OSR community has to offer.

Date: Sunday February 27, 2012

Adventurers:

• Dorf the Dwarf (Dan) 
• Stikky Fingas - Human Thief (Allen) 
• Torthorn - Human Cleric and Behemoth - Boar Hound (Dave) 
• Linus the Couragous - Human Fighter (Jen) 
• Graelyn Thorn - Elf Magic User/Cleric (Retainer) 
• Gail - Human Cleric (Retainer) 
• Larvay - Human Torch Bearer (Retainer)

The adventurers spend nearly an hour investigating the Eldritch Library. Both Dorf and Gail stumbled across magical scrolls among a number of scrolls describing knots. They were passed over to the Graelyn who later identified the spells (scroll 1 - Dancing Lights & Burning Hands; scroll 2 - Invisibility, 10' Foot Radius). Not much of interest was found among the books. While the group was investigating the library, Stikky decides to hit the basement and check in on Gail and Larvay, who were left to guard the treasure. Larvay had organized the coins by denomination and accounting for the totals - 2428 GP, 10,641 SP, and 57,642 CP. Seeing that everything was (literally) "in order", he returned to the 4th floor.

Determining that they found everything worth finding in the library, they took the lift to 3, where they discovered an elderly Magic User trapped inside a circle of salt. He explains that he was trapped during an experiment to bind demons on this plane, and offered the party a reward of 100 GP. Knowing about the amount of treasure already secured from the basement, they started questioning the magic user, who quickly lost his temper. Torthorn assumed the MU was actually a demon of some sort who was attempting to trick them. Dorf grabbed a large crystal off the table, and Stikky grabbed a book bound in human skin (Communications and Signaling the Beyond) off the desk. They leave the prisoner trapped in the circle and head down a floor.

On the second floor, they find a key and a diary. The diary, of the MU's apprentice - Argyle Timmons - explains that he had fled the tower because the Uravulon Calcidius (the MU) had become murderous and cruel. Since they didn't find much else, they decided to head back to the sub-basement and decide on how to get all that treasure out. They try the key from Argyle's bedroom on the large steel door and it works. Torthorn decides that the strange fish on the top floor were "unnatural" and needed to be destroyed. He convinced the rest of the group to join him and they take the lift back to the observatory. The charges into the water only to discover it was acid (some truly strange, possibly alien, fish!). He quickly dissolved as the rest of the party looked on...

Stikky and Linus volunteer to head back to the Heavy Betting Giant to see if they can secure a cart and some donkeys. They hear a few sounds in the forest along the path, but never see anyone (or anything). When they get back to the Inn, they learn from the proprietor, Trevor, that the bandits had taken off earlier that day. They secure a cart and a couple donkeys and sleep, planning on heading back in the morning. Those in the tower set a watch. No one disturbs them through the night. In the morning Stikky and Linus arrive with the cart and they begin loading out the 10 chests of coins. Unfortunately, Gail was struck by lightning during the load out and died. With the exception of Graelyn (multiclass), the party members all achieved 2nd level due to the huge amount of treasure pulled out of the tower.

With the loading complete, they head back down the path. Again, they notice some sounds in the woods and Stikky is struck with an arrow. He survives the wound and takes cover behind the cart. The rest of the group charges headlong into forest after their attackers. Stikky takes one out with an arrow, and the rest quickly learn about the wrong end of a sword, pick, and dog bite. They recognize the dead as the bandits from the inn. They find some gold and a gem on the bodies. They get back to the inn, relieve Larvay of his duties, and hire Worstad, Garwin, and Bargar (men at arms) to join them on the trip to the keep. A cleric of St. Cuthbert, Halca, approaches, as she is also on her way to the keep. They agree to allow her to join them on the road.

The trip was rather uneventful. They did find additional information about Stonehell Dungeon from a group of travelers on the road. While camping out, the party members learned a number of additional rumors from the men-at-arms in their employ. That morning, they quickly dealt with a small band of goblins. Eventually they arrive at the Keep and are admitted. They give their names to the scribe Felix and learn of the basic laws. They meet with the banker, Hubertus, and make arrangements to leave their score from the tower in his vaults. We wrapped the session as they made their way to The Traveler's Inn.