dcc thracia part 10 (!) ... hijinks with gemstones!

the group starts this session off just after resting up in a secret hallway upstairs from a room of slaughtered skeletons!

Judge Claire: So. What's the group's plan?
Heddy: I guess we'll cut through the final squares of spiderwebs and look for the door into the room after the skeleton room.
Hettie: Are we all needed for that, though? Antwerp suggests we might consider having the bulk of the group wait in the safety of the sphinx's room. Connie can go in the room with the gem-eyed minotaur statue by herself, with somebody stationed in the skeleton room to keep an eye on her and send up the alarm if she takes out more gems than she's supposed to.
Elle: Imlero is fine with that. He'll even be the one to stay and keep an eye on Connie.
Ariel: Granny doesn't mind waiting in the sphinx room. She seemed sort of scary but in a cool kind of way.
Akane: Nanda points out -- to wait in a sphinx room we must pay a sphinx fee.
MSG: I'm betting she won't teleport us out of the dungeon if we don't go in and pay, though.
Sasha: Sneaky-ass way to get another 60 gold worth of pendants from us.
MSG: 70, probably, since I think the odds are good Connie's going to have to pay again.
Sasha: What! What if I refuse?
Akane: We wish good luck to you in fighting a guardian of so deadly it scares a sphinx.
Sasha: Fine. If we've got the webs out of the way, I head into the skeleton room and look for this door with, what was it? Some kind of guard mouth?
Akane: Nanda unwards the door of secrecy.
MSG: Chopper is going to ask if someone has an extra pendant, since he doesn't have 10 gp of treasure to his name.
Heddy: Glynette still has 3. She can spare you one.
Hettie: Antwerp's up the stairs too.
Ariel: And Granny! Stairs are hard on her old knees, so she doesn't want to be running up them at the last minute.
Judge Claire: All right. Inside the skeleton room, the ceiling is over 20' tall. There's a wide double-door in the west wall that has a 5' deep ledge running the length of the wall above it. Two gargoyles stand above the door, 10' apart.
Elle: I'll stand in the center of the room and keep an eye on those gargoyles.
Sasha: Eh. The sphinx didn't tell us to worry about them, so I ignore them. She said to touch the door and stand back until the mouth disappears, right? I touch the wall and hop back.
Judge Claire: The moment you touch the wall, a magical maw with sharp teeth materializes to bite at you. It doesn't have to roll initiative -- as you move out of melee it gets a free strike. 10.
Sasha: Dammit, that's a hit.
Judge Claire: Two points.
Sasha: I wait for it to disappear. I'm gonna be pissed at that sphinx if it doesn't.
Judge Claire: After four rounds, the mouth vanishes away.
Sasha: Great, let's pop this door open.
Judge Claire: It's locked.
Sasha: Well, damn. Can I try to brute-force it open with my shoulder?
Judge Claire: You can try. Roll a Strength check. You want really high.
Sasha: Can I make it a Mighty Deed by doing a fancy wind-up charge?
Judge Claire: Sure.
Sasha: 17 on my roll, +2 for my Strength, and the Deed Die is 3!
Judge Claire: There's a loud crack, and the lock breaks loose. The doors creak inward and swing partly open from the force of your charge.
Elle: Nice.
Sasha: All right, what do we see? Oh, man, you better not say "nothing, because you didn't bring a lamp."
Judge Claire: You had to have had a lamp or you couldn't have seen the disembodied mouth or the door.
Ariel: Okay, wait! Now I'm worried we don't have a lamp up with us?
MSG: The hallway leading to the sphinx room is lit by those wall skulls with the green glowing eyes, remember?
Ariel: Well yeah, but we're screwed if Connie takes too many gems and the guardian gets her and the lamp!
Elle: Imlero would be holding the lantern. I'm sure as fuck not putting that in Connie's erratic hands too.
Ariel: Oh. Okay then. I guess.
Judge Claire: The room beyond the doors stretches a hundred feet deep and stands 50' wide. Ten glowing columns of yellow-green stone light the place with eerie illumination, five along each side wall, and 10 statues on 6' high pedestals stand between the columns. You'll need a boost to get up to the statues, or a Strength check to climb.
Sasha: I'm looking for a minotaur. Although I'll keep an eye out on what these other statues look like. She told us not to take more than the two gems, but she didn't say anything about not scraping any gold decorations off if they've got them.
Judge Claire: The statues represent a variety of monstrous and mystical beings, each carved of a different type and color of stone. They're all beautifully crafted and have gems of different kinds for eyes. You don't see any gold filigree or settings, though.
Sasha: Dang. I'm a con artist, thought, so I ought to be able to tell if any of the gems are super-extra valuable. I'm going to make note of it if any are really tempting.
MSG: Please don't.
Judge Claire: To get to the minotaur, you pass by four statues and come abreast of a fifth. The first pair of statues are a white-marble centaur with aquamarine eyes, and white-marble griffon with fire-opals for eyes. The aquamarines look more valuable than the fire-opals. The next two statues are black basalt dryad and a pink-granite satyr posed like it's capering with arms in the air. The dryad's eyes are small citrines, but the satyr's eyes really get your attention, because they seem to be diamonds with rubies for pupils.
Sasha: Whooo ...
Heddy: Here we go.
Judge Claire: Across from the minotaur is a black basalt hippogriff with greenish-yellow peridots for pupils. The massive soapstone statue of the minotaur has jade eyes -- it's posed as if in combat, taking a mighty swing with its massive axe. It takes you about two rounds to walk to the minotaur after descending the 10' stairs that lead from the doors to the floor of the room. The whole time, there are periodic, loud, crunching and grinding sounds echoing through the chamber.
Elle: Imlero has not entered the room, by the way.
Sasha: Good, then he won't get in my way. I'll try climbing up this pedestal. 21 with my Strength bonus.
Judge Claire: You make it up pretty easily ... but the statue is a big one. You're going to have to climb to get up it as well.
Sasha: Not as good. 8 plus 2 is 10.
Judge Claire: You grab onto its outstretched arms, but you can't haul yourself up this round.
Sasha: 17 on the next round.
Judge Claire: Okay, you're up and can sit on its shoulders to get to work -- but at the end of this round, the light from the pillars winks out, leaving the room in darkness.
Sasha: Hey! Imlero! I need some lamp action over here!
Elle: I'm not keen on it, but I'll head that direction.
Judge Claire: Two rounds later, you're at the minotaur statue. Just as you get there, though, the pillars flash blindingly back on, and you both have to make a Fortitude save or be blinded by the glare.
Sasha: Nope.
Elle: Me either. Do you mean blinded, blinded? Or just blinking away after-images?
Judge Claire: More like the second. You get your eyesight back in 2 rounds.
Sasha: I use my iron spike to get to work on the first eye.
Judge Claire: You work it loose in a round.
Sasha: Second one.
Judge Claire: 2 rounds. At the end of the second round, the lights go out again.
Sasha: I pocket the gems and climb back down. Oof. That's a 4 on my roll.
Judge Claire: You slip getting off the minotaurs shoulders and smash to the ground for 6 points of damage.
Sasha: Crap! That hurt!
Elle: I'm closing my eyes for a couple of rounds in case those columns glare back on.
Sasha: I get up and hurry for the satyr while Imlers has her eyes shut.
Elle: Do I hear that?
Judge Claire: There's all the crunching and grinding, remember. Make an Intelligence check.
Elle: 11.
Judge Claire: I'd say that's good enough.
Elle: I'll hold my hand to shade my eyes then and go after Connie with them open. No, scratch that, I'm heading for the door. "Come on, Connie. Don't be an idiot."
Sasha: I'm climbing the pedestal ... ugh, fumble.
Judge Claire: It's only 6', but a fumble is bad, so roll on the fumble table.
Sasha: 1 is harmless, right?
Judge Claire: Basically, but you're sitting on your ass unawares when the lights flash back on, so make another Fortitude save. Imlero, covering your eyes works well enough to avoid a save.
Sasha: Blind again. I'll try blinking the globby glows away faster this time.
Elle: I'm up and out the stairs.
Judge Claire: It takes 3 rounds for you to regain your sight this time.
Sasha: I gotta give it one more try climbing this thing. 8.
Judge Claire: The 6' pedestal isn't a tough one to climb -- you can grab the Satyr's foot and haul yourself up. And it's short enough you could reach the eyes without more climbing.
Sasha: And importantly, without falling far enough to break my neck.
Elle: Yes, but also without light to see by when those columns go out again. Imlero is in the skeleton room by now and around a corner with the lamp. I yell for Connie to get back down before the lights go off again.
Sasha: I'm trying for one of the eyes. 
Judge Claire: You work on it for a round, and the lights go out again without you finishing.
Sasha: I finish by feel.
Judge Claire: That takes another round.
Sasha: I bear-hug the pedestal and slide down. Elle didn't say Imlero kept going, so even though the room is dark, I can still see at least a little glow from the direction of the door, right? I yell, "Okay, okay, give me some light to climb down, I give up!" Then I carefully walk in the direction of the glow from the lamp.
Elle: Imlero's probably suckered by that and holds the lamp back out.
Sasha: I run the rest of the way out of the room. "Let's go!"
Elle: Goddamn it, Connie. I run for the stairs out.
Judge Claire: From the dark behind you, you hear a loud crash as of a door or maybe even a wall bursting open at the far end of the gallery. Booming, thundering footsteps rush toward you through the blackness.
Elle: I'm running up the stairs yelling at Connie to drop the diamond.
Sasha: I'm running too, yelling, "What diamond are you talking about???"
Judge Claire: Those standing outside the sphinx room see the sphinx reappear. She says, "Your companion has exceeded my instructions. My answer therefore no longer applies to you. The guardian will slay whoever took the gems, or whoever their last possessor is. Goodbye." Then she presses something on her dais and the doors into her room swing shut.
Heddy: I thought we went in?
Judge Claire: You discussed how you'd pay, but no one actually said they went in and did it.
Heddy: I'm running toward the cavern end of the hallway as fast as my short little legs can carry me.
Hettie: Antwerp will overtake you at top speed.
Ariel: Granny grumbles about having to run, but she goes too.
Akane: Nanda also.
MSG: Chopper's slow in his chainmail, but faster than Glynette, so I'm afraid you're going to be last in line, Heddy. Hey ... Judge, the sphinx knew as soon as that gem popped loose, didn't she? Because we haven't heard anything up here yet even though Imlero and Connie are yelling.
Judge Claire: That may be the case. For all you know, though, she's just lying.
Heddy: I trust her farther than I can throw Connie.
MSG: I didn't say I stopped running. I just wanted to know if maybe we had a decent head-start.
Judge Claire: The upstairs group reaches the cavern entrance without seeing or hearing Connie and Imlero yet. The semi-giant is still on the bridge, resting against its side-rail. He looks to be asleep. A huge portion of the side of beef looks to have been gnawed away, with the leftovers lying beside him. It takes Imlero and Connie two turns to get up the stairs and round the corner toward the green-eyed skull hallway. You see that the doors into the sphinx's room are shut. While slowed on the stairs, it sounded to you like the thundering footsteps were getting closer.
Elle: I run in the direction of the cavern. do I see the party there?
Judge Claire: They're just leaving the hallway and entering the cavern. Where does everyone head?
Heddy: I'm running past the giant. Maybe he'll slow whatever this is down a little.
Hettie: That seems like a good strategy to me, too. I'm ahead of Glynette, but I think I'd have thought of that on my own, especially since the other options are climbing back up that rope ladder or sliding across that wet, slippery ledge along the river's edge.
Ariel: Granny goes that way too.
Akane: Nanda feels numbers have safety. She accompanies them.
MSG: Chopper too. He yells back to Imlero and Connie that they'd better ditch the gems.
Elle: I'm doing my best to catch up to them.
Sasha: Connie yells, "What was that? I didn't quite hear it!"
Judge Claire: Connie, the booming steps are definitely closer as you turn the corner into the green-lit hallway.
Sasha: Damn it.
Judge Claire: Antwerp passes the giant without waking him. As Granny runs by, he blinks and starts to rouse. He looks up at Nanda and says, in a voice that sounds sleepy and gorged, "Hey ... what is ... ?"
Akane: Something dangersome coming! Please let your friends by!
Judge Claire: He scowls and stands up, reaching for his club and spear.
MSG: If he doesn't stop me, I run past him.
Heddy: Me too.
Judge Claire: Where do the party members head after passing the giant on the bridge?
Hettie: That shadowy area he said had stairs in it.
Ariel: Granny's just following whoever's ahead of her.
Akane: Nanda likewise.
MSG: Chopper too.
Heddy: Glynette's keeping an eye out behind her to make sure nothing is catching up. Otherwise she keeps on everyone else's tail.
Judge Claire: The lead runners reach the shadowy exit and think maybe you see stairs up? It's entirely dark, and you'll have to feel your way without a light, so it slows you down significantly even if you keep going.
Heddy: When Glynette catches up she'll be able to lead them with her infravision.
Judge Claire: Imlero is reaching the bridge as Chopper and Glynette arrive at the exit. The giant is peering past you, Elle.
Elle: I'll ask it to excuse me and go past if I can.
Judge Claire: He lets you past. Is everyone else heading up the stairs led by Glynette?
Hettie: Antwerp is more than happy to. Are we holding hands in the dark or something? One hand on the person in front's shoulder?
Judge Claire: However you want to do it, it's still slow -- less than Glynette's top speed. Imlero will catch up with the lamp in another round or two. Connie, you hear the thunderous footsteps echoing up the marble hall behind you as you arrive at the giant.
Sasha: I'll look back and see what's coming.
Judge Claire: It's an 8' tall statue of a man carved of pure obsidian but with eyes and mouth a-glow with deep orange flames. A crown gleams on its head with three large violet gems. Its movements are relentless and implaccable.
Sasha: I'm going to hold out the gems to the giant and say, "Hey, could you give these to that guy for me?"
Akane: So bad!
Sasha: Nobody else sees or hears this happening though.
Judge Claire: Make a Luck check. If you do, he's still fuzzy-headed enough from sleep to take them reflexively.
Sasha: I need a 10, and I roll a 10. I tell him thanks and run past. Hey, does it look like he's got anything valuable on him? Because I'm thinking he may be available for looting pretty quick.
Judge Claire: You don't see anything noteworthy on him, but you do see a large sack against the bridge wall by the side of beef.
Elle: You're going to trick him to his death and take his things?
Sasha: I mean, if it looks safe to come back for them at some point. He's not going to be using them. Meanwhile, I'm headed the direction I saw Imlero run.
Judge Claire: The giant gets scared and jumps in the water to hide under his bridge. Unfortunately for him, the statue immediately leaps in after him, landing an immediate and powerful blow that makes the giant cry out in pain.
Sasha: I'll hang out just inside the entrance of the stairway, ready to run up if the statue turns my way.
Judge Claire: Does the rest of the group continue hurrying up the stairs?
Heddy: Definitely.
Hettie: Yes.
Elle: Are they wide enough to go side-by-side? Because if they are, Imlero will go past anyone moving more slowly than he is.
Ariel: I don't hear Connie saying it's safe back there, so I keep going.
Akane: Nanda also.
MSG: Me too.
Judge Claire: Nanda's the one with the bad luck, right? When she's 3/4 of the way up the stairs, she sets off a trap.
Heddy: Oh no.
Judge Claire: The lead three characters have made it to the top of the stairs when this happens. That's Glynette, Imlero, and Antwerp. A pressure plate beneath Nanda clicks, and the entire stairway flattens into a 45-degree slide. Everyone still on the stairs needs to save or slide all the way down and tumble into the water by the bridge. Reflex, please.
Ariel: Waaahhh! That's the sound of Granny rolling a 2.
Akane: Nanda is surprised to save.
MSG: Not Chopper. He's tumbling too ... and in his chainmail.
Judge Claire: Chopper and Granny can make Luck checks to see if they roll into Connie at the bottom. If they do, Connie's going to need a Strength check to hold her ground and stop them.
Ariel: Granny makes it! She's skin and bones so this shouldn't be a hard check for Connie.
MSG: Chopper rolls a 20. Sploosh.
Judge Claire: Strength check, Connie.
Sasha: Can I Deed Die it to grab Granny by the heels and sling her out to catch Chopper before he goes under?
Judge Claire: Sure.
Sasha: 12 plus 2 for Strength and a 3 on the Deed!
Judge Claire: Granny needs to make a to hit roll to grab Chopper. Chopper can make another Luck check to see if he's able to reach back for her.
MSG: 7 makes it this time.
Ariel: Granny only rolls a 5 ... Oh, but it's a to-hit, right, so she can do her Deed Die too? That's a 3.
Judge Claire: The three of you are stretched out across the ground with Chopper's legs dangling in the water, giving you all a river-side view of the statue pummeling the giant viciously.
MSG: I'll climb back out as quickly as I can.
Judge Claire: It's very dark now. The giant's magical light followed him under the bridge, so you can barely see by that and the hellish orange glow of the statue's eyes. They're being swept by the current slowly toward the crevice that the river flows through to the east.
Sasha: Is "barely" good enough to run get that sack?
Judge Claire: At the moment, you think you can make it.
Sasha: I'm going.
Judge Claire: Meanwhile! Nanda is clinging to the rough stone wall of the stairway-turned-slide. Imlero, Antwerp, and Glynette are in a 20' by 20' area at the top of the slide where you see a set of rusty bars to the east. A sylvan-looking woman with flowing green hair stands at the bars, tugging at them -- and then retreats away from them to cower against the wall, still looking at the bars, not at you.
Heddy: Well that's weird.
Hettie: Antwerp will wave at her.
Judge Claire: She continues to stare fearfully toward the bars.
Hettie: I'll slap at her arm with my unloaded sling.
Judge Claire: It passes right through with no response from her.
Heddy: An illusion? What's on the other side of the bars?
Judge Claire: Do you go over there?
Hettie: Not without a careful search, we don't!
Judge Claire: You can roll to Find Traps.
Hettie: 19.
Judge Claire: You discover a spear trap that would be set off by someone stepping forward from the area beyond the bars. As you're examining the area, you see beyond the bars. About 15' away, two guards in ornamental plate armor stand at attention in front of a set of luxurious drapes that cordon off a 40' wide room that faces the bars. They look uncertainly at you, then at each other. Are any of the three of you still wearing those pendants openly?
Heddy: Glynette is.
Hettie: Not Antwerp.
Elle: Imlero's are still in his backpack.
Judge Claire: They don't make any hostile moves at you, at least for the moment.
Hettie: I'll try to jam this spear trap. My total is 10 ... I  think I'll spend a point of Luck to beef that up. All the way to 12.
Judge Claire: You think it's pretty well jammed.
Hettie: Then I'll search around for some way to reset the stair trap. That's a 2, so I'm pretty sure I find nothing.
Ariel: Well, I know it's steep and slidey, but now that we're not surprised by it, could we like, crawl up the slide maybe holding onto the side walls or something?
Sasha: Or using a dagger as a climbing spike?
Judge Claire: Each person will need to make a couple of relatively easy strength checks to do that.
MSG: Or ... why don't we have someone at the top lower a rope to us. We've got rope, right?
Ariel: Granny does!
Sasha: That doesn't help, since she's down here with us.
Akane: None for Nanda. Also, she's on a slippery slide, so no way to pull someone up.
Heddy: Glynette has a net and a badger pelt. I don't think those will reach very far.
Hettie: Antwerp has a chain.
Elle: Nothing here.
MSG: Well, we could have one of us climb up with the rope tied to our belt and then pull the others up from the top.
Judge Claire: Who's it going to be?
Sasha: Duh, Connie obviously out-strengths all of you guys. Assuming I made it back with the bag.
MSG: And didn't get noticed by the statue when it finishes off the giant.
Judge Claire: The two of them have been pushed into the crevice. The light from their combat is almost gone.
Sasha: Gimme the rope, Grans.
Ariel: Okay, here.
Sasha: Can I Deed Die it?
Judge Claire: No, this is a pretty awkward, inglorious kind of climbing. Have you ever tried to go up a slide the wrong way? I don't think there's much room for panache.
Sasha: First roll's a total of 20, then.
Judge Claire: You easily get halfway up.
Sasha: Second roll ... 8.
Judge Claire: I said it was pretty easy, so that makes it.
Elle: With four of us at the top, we should be able to pull the others up one by one pretty easily, right?
Judge Claire: Yes. I don't see any reason to make you roll.
Sasha: Awesome. Hey, how much experience was all that?
Akane: No dyings.
MSG: And you're the only one who got hurt. I don't think there was any loss of resources.
Sasha: You're kidding, right? I don't know how much that diamond was worth, but the minotaur eyes were 400 gold each! Right down the drain!
Ariel: Well, sure, but whose fault was that?
Sasha: Connie's, obviously, not that she'd admit it. But maybe it was enough she learned a little something from it, so she deserves some xp.
Judge Claire: I'll award the group 2 xp each.
Heddy: Now what do we do about these guards staring at us?

(find out next time!)

dcc thracia! part 9 ... sphinx and skeletons!

picking up where we left off ...

MSG: All right, so I spill the beans about the weird room with the non-mortal invisible being on the pedestal in the back, trying to be as clear as I can about how my Detect Magic is really making me feel like it's out of our league.
Heddy: I'm persuaded. I wasn't even sure that giant was in our league, so if we passed on fighting him, I'll pass on an invisible extraplanar being.
Hettie: Seconded.
Ariel: Thirded!
Sasha: Come on, shouldn't we at least try to talk to it? Connie speaks up so whatever's in the room ought to be able to hear her. "Hey! Whoever's in there! We're detecting the heck out of your magic, so why don't you just tell us what's up?"
Judge Claire: A lilting female voice replies in a steady tone, "Enter, or do not. The choices you make are your own."
Sasha: Sounds like a dare to me. Connie walks in. 
Judge Claire: As soon as you do, a dazzling beam of golden light shines down onto the pedestal, illuminating the whole room. You now see a figure on the pedestal, with the body of a lion and the head of a woman, her hair silky and black and set in tight ringlets. Great, feathered wings are folded along the creature's back. With the appearance of the light, you now see that the walls are decorated with ornate frescoes portraying deeds and incarnations of gods and heroes unfamiliar to you. The creature says, "The fee for entering my room is 10 gold pieces per individual. Please set it on the ground before you now. For an additional fee of 100 gold pieces, I will answer a single question."
Sasha: "Best I can do is this 10 gold piece pendant," I tell her. I'll take one of my pendants off and toss it on the ground near the pedestal. Then I'll ask my party if they want to chip in on a 100 gold piece question.
Ariel: That would be a whole lot of our pendants!
Hettie: Yes, a bit rich for our neophyte adventurers' blood.
Sasha: Look, easy come, easy go. Chopper, you just got finished telling us how badass this lion chick must be. Don't you want to hear whatever magical knowledge she can lay on us?
MSG: Sort of. But I took the chainmail, so I only have one pendant, which leaves us 9 short.
Heddy: Glynette says she'll chip in two of her pendants.
Elle: Imlero will put in one if we're doing this.
Ariel: I guess Granny can spare half of hers. She asks what's half of four.
Sasha: Come on, guys, that's 4 left. Heck, Connie will put in another one of hers to make it 3.
Akane: Nanda can spare one pendant.
Hettie: Sigh. Fine, Antwerp will kick in the last two, then.
Sasha: I'll gather them up and slide them across the floor. Then I ask, "What's the quickest way for us to get a lot of treasure and safely return to the surface?"
MSG: Wait, we needed to talk about what we wanted to ask!
Judge Claire: Too late. The creature smiles and says, "Descend the stairs you but recently discovered. Destroy the 20 skeletons in the room at the bottom. Touch the western door and then stand back until the guardian mouth disappears. Enter the room of statues beyond. The person before me now will receive a Blessing from me that allows her to remove two and exactly two gems from the statue of the minotaur. Taking any other gems will awaken a deadly guardian beyond my power to protect you from. Return to me with the two gems, and in exchange for one of them, I will transport you all to the surface. The other you will be able to sell for 400 gold pieces." Then she waves one paw in a circle, and a brief, golden light surrounds Connie, who suddenly feels very safe and at ease.
Sasha: Yes! Sweet!
MSG: Did you not hear the part about the 20 skeletons?
Sasha: Yeah, but we'll fight them on the stairs where they can only come at us a couple at a time.
Heddy: Before we start strategizing about the 20 skeletons, can we take a second to discuss the wisdom of sending Connie in to pry two and only two gems from a room that has a deadly guardian this ultra-powerful sphinx chick can't protect us from? I mean, 20 skeletons doesn't sound great to me, but I think Connie's reliability is the bigger sticking point.
Akane: Nanda is in agreement.
Sasha: Fine. Somebody else can dig out the gems.
MSG: But Connie's the one with the special sphinx blessing.
Hettie: An opinion has hatched and is growing in Antwerp's mind that everything on this level so far seems rather beyond us. I'm in favor of going back to the stairs our semi-giant friend pointed out to us and trying to find our way to safety in that direction. We can come back and try again later -- perhaps when we've achieved second level and have more money to throw around on sphinx questions.
Ariel: Granny says, "But if Connie's the one taking the gems, won't she be the one the guardian's going to chase after? So if she does the wrong thing, why don't we just let it have her?"
MSG: That's a pretty good point. I ask the sphinx if the guardian will only go after the person who took the gems specifically.
Judge Claire: She says, "That is another question. If you wish to have it answered, you will need to step into my chamber and pay the fees again."
MSG: I had a feeling she'd say that.
Sasha: So what's it going to be, skeleton-killing and gem-taking, or slinking away with our tails between our legs and then maybe getting pushed to our deaths by giant bats anyway? Connie knows which way she's voting.
Elle: Worst-case scenario, we still have all those other characters who made it back to town.
Ariel: I really like Granny, though!
MSG: Well ... hopefully she's right about this deadly guardian only going after whoever actually takes the gems. Connie's probably right about us being able to take out the skeletons at a choke-point, especially now that I know I don't make my Deity Disapproval worse every time I miss a healing roll.
Heddy: Glynette's Lawful. I suppose she'll go along with the rest of the group.
Hettie: Antwerp will be in the back with her sling and I assume plenty of targets to be shooting at behind the skeletons' front line, so I'm willing to give it a try.
Ariel: Granny's worried now that she gave up her lucky duck. But I guess she'll go along.
Akane: Nanda has no means for contribution until her spells return. It's a shrug from her.
Sasha: Sounds like we're a go, then!
MSG: All right. Let's head for those stairs before we have too many second thoughts.
Judge Claire: When you head down the hallway and turn the corner, you find that the stairs down are choked with giant spiderwebs.
Heddy: Terrific.
Judge Claire: Chopper doesn't sense anything inherently dangerous in them, though. They'll just be really tough and sticky to get through. However, 50' down from the head of the stairs, he does sense a bunch of unholy presences.
Heddy: Do we want to chop our way through the webs, then? Or can we maybe light them on fire and burn them away?
MSG: I know it sounds like work, but I actually like the idea of chopping our way through. We can get just short of the bottom and leave a section of webs to slow the skeletons down, and Antwerp can shoot past the webs to get them to come at us and get stuck.
Elle: Sharp. I like it.
Ariel: Ooh! I'm looking at the book and it says being higher up gives you +1 to hit, and being entangled in something will give the skeletons -1d. Whoa! AND we get +1d to attack them while they're tangled up!
Sasha: See? This is gonna work out great.
Judge Claire: Okay, I'm not making you do all the die rolling to attack the webs and damage them until you've cleared each 5' cube. Halfway down the stairs, you do find the shriveled-up, dry carcass of a giant spider that apparently spun these webs long ago.
Ariel: Aw, the poor spider!
Judge Claire: As you near the bottom of the stairs, the room below becomes visible, but indistinctly so through the many strands of webbing. You can see the shadowy shapes of skeletons lined up around the walls of the room, their eyes glowing orange. They're going to get cover from the webbing until they're actually adjacent to you, so Antwerp will have -2 to hit with her sling. Everyone roll initiative. Remember, d16 for you Warriors with battleaxes.
Heddy: 18 for Glynette.
Hettie: 10 for Antwerp.
Elle: 17 for Imlero even on the d16.
Ariel: 7 for Granny.
Sasha: Connie is on 10.
Akane: Uncertain why, but Nanda rolls initiative and receives 13 as a result.
MSG: 8 for me.
Judge Claire: Glynette, you're up.
Heddy: I stand behind the safety line of the webs and wave my axes to goad the skeletons toward us.
Elle: Same for Imlero.
Akane: Skeletons! We are here! Attack us!
Hettie: Antwerp takes her first shot with her sling. So ... +1 for elevation, -2 for cover ... I end up with a 6.
Sasha: Connie pats the flat of her battleaxe blade with one hand.
Ariel: Granny just saves her energy and waits.
MSG: Chopper will try to Turn Unholy, I guess. But I fail with a 9.
Judge Claire: Skeletons' turn. Roused from their eternal watch, they lurch forward to attack. The first three hit the webs and make Strength checks to push through. Only number 2 makes it. With its bony jaws clacking, it claws at Imlero with a 10.
Elle: That misses.
Judge Claire: Number 1 and 3 remain entangled, but attack at -1d ... a 9 on Glynette, a 2 on Connie. Back to Glynette.
Heddy: Two handaxes! I hit with one for 3 points.
Judge Claire: It's slashing damage, so the skeleton takes less.
Heddy: Wait -- I was supposed to be at +1d for it being entangled. Can I re-roll that second attack on a d20?
Judge Claire: That's fair.
Heddy: 18! 5 points this time.
Elle: Imlero attacks with this behemoth 24-sider. Can I strike with the flat of my axe to do bludgeoning instead of slashing?
Judge Claire: Yes, but its -1d on the damage.
Elle: I'll take it. My deed is to push it back into the webbing so it's entangled again ... but it fails. I do hit, though, for 9 points.
Judge Claire: Destroyed.
Hettie: Antwerp fires at a back-row skeleton ... and crits! A 6 on my crit table is ... Foe dazed. Speed and actions halved. Damage is 5.
Judge Claire: It's dead then, not dazed.
Sasha: AXE! None of this wimpy flat-of-the-blade stuff. I'm hacking mine down. 11 to hit, 11 damage.
Judge Claire: Even half damage kills it. 
MSG: This is going well enough I'm not risking a spell check fumble for turning Unholy. I skip this round.
Ariel: Granny can't reach anything so I guess me too.
Judge Claire: Skeletons! Number 1 tries to disentangle itself, but fails. Two more move up to replace numbers 2 and 3 ... only one makes its strength check. Number 1 misses Glynette with a 2. New guy A hits Imlero with a 12 for 3 points. New guy B misses Connie. Heddy, you're up.
Heddy: Two hits on number 1 with my axes ...
Judge Claire: Only 1 hit point left, so it's dead.
Elle: Imlero tries a pushback Deed on Guy A and fails the Deed, but gets a 23. That's a crit for a Warrior on d24, right?
Judge Claire: Correct. But I think your minimum damage kills him regardless.
Hettie: Antwerp fires again ... crits again! Extraordinary. Only 3 points of damage this time, so the crit may make the difference. It's a 1, but that's 2d3 damage.
Judge Claire: Dead.
Sasha: Axe to the max! Boo. That's an 8 total, so a miss, right?
Judge Claire: Yep. Skeletons again, unless Granny or Chopper has something to do? Or Nanda, I suppose. We skipped her this round.
Akane: No complaining from Nanda about that.
Judge Claire: More replacements! All 3 engaged skeletons have to check strength to try to get disentangled. Fail, success, success. A 5 on Glynette, 7 on Imlero, 12 on Connie. 1 damage, Connie.
Heddy: 1 axe hit on mine for 6 points.
Judge Claire: Still up.
Heddy: Foo.
Elle: Pushback Deed ... but it's a botch. Fumble die comes up 1.
Ariel: That's the one where we all laugh, right?
Sasha: Connie does no matter what. "Come on, Imlers! Keep up!"
Hettie: Antwerp's crit streak is broken with a natural 2.
Sasha: Beheading attack! Yes, 3 on the Deed die!
Judge Claire: Its skull goes sailing, then, since that means your minimum damage is what, 7 with your strength? Even giving you 1 point for the Deed means it's dead without even a damage roll.
Sasha: Yeah, baby!
MSG: Imlero got hit earlier, right? I guess I'll try a Lay on Hands roll. Crap. Shouldn't have. That's a 2, which is Deity Disapproval again. Even worse, I have to roll 2d4 on the Disapproval table. 4 ... immediate -1 penalty to all spell checks until tomorrow. And my Disapproval range is 1-3 now. That sucks.
Judge Claire: Skeletons! Glynette's is still entangled. New guy number 6 fails his Strength roll too. Miss on Glynette, miss on Imlero ... hit on Connie for another 1. Back to Glynette.
Heddy: My first axe blow hits, so that kills the one I already wounded, right? So my second attack goes on the adjacent one ... that's a hit, but only 2 points.
Elle: Imlero rolls a 10 and damage of 5.
Hettie: Antwerp hits for 3.
Sasha: Hacking this number 6 for ... another miss.
MSG: No more heroic healing attempts from Chopper.
Ariel: Can Granny try that Deed die thing where if she makes it, she can stab past Connie?
Judge Claire: Sure.
Ariel: Spear-o! Yay! I did it! 6 points!
Judge Claire: Spear damage though, so it isn't dead yet. Skeletons' turn. Strength checks ... made it, missed it, missed it. Glynette is hit for 3, Imlero missed, Connie missed.
Heddy: Ouch. I try to return the favor. Two hits, 2 points and 3 points.
Judge Claire: The slashing damage thing is killing you. It's still up.
Elle: Imlero hits for 7.
Hettie: Antwerp misses.
Sasha: Connie -- fumbles again. Crap! Another one, but I dare anybody to laugh unless you want me to dig out every gem I see in that next room when the time comes.
Akane: Nanda insists to everyone not to laugh.
Ariel: Granny tries her spear move again ... nope.
Judge Claire: Strength checks fail and fail ... another hit on Glynette for 1 ... a Crit on Imlero. That's bad news, because Undead crits are nasty. This one is ... numbness of the grave spreads from the wound. +1d4 damage and next turn you have to make a Fort save at DC2 or be paralyzed. Each round after that, the DC goes up. If you save all the way to DC 20 or receive magical healing, the effect ends. Damage is 6.
Elle: Ow. Chopper may need to risk that Deity Disapproval soon.
Heddy: The guy in front of me is another one-hit-and-down, right? I hit him and attack the adjacent one with my other hand. Also a hit, for yeesh, 2 points.
Elle: Imlero gets another auto-kill and rolls 13 for her save.
Hettie: Antwerp's sling whizzes and ... fumbles. A 2 means I have to save or go prone, right? Made it.
Sasha: Crunch time! A hit, for 12.
Judge Claire: Very dead.
MSG: I guess I'm trying this heal on Imlero ... 16 is a success, so d12 of healing gives you 10 back.
Elle: More than I needed. Great.
Judge Claire: Skeletons move up. Two Strength fails and one success. Hit on Glynette for 2 more points.
Heddy: Maybe I should have moved up while the web row was empty.
Judge Claire: Miss on Imlero, hit on Connie for 3. Glynette's turn.
Heddy: A hit and a miss ... 3 points.
Elle: Any hit's a kill for me as long as I'm using the flat of my axe, so that's another one down. Save is good ...
Hettie: Antwerp hits with her sling doing 3.
Sasha: Connie hits for 8 points.
Judge Claire: Dead.
MSG: I'll risk a heal attempt on Glynette. She's sounding pretty hurt. That is a 2. Can I spend 2 luck to avoid that?
Judge Claire: On a 2, yes. A natural 1 is always Disapproval, but I don't see any restriction on spending luck for a 2 or higher.
Heddy: I'll spend one of my points for you. I get 2 for 1 and I get mine back over time, so it's not as much of a waste for me.
MSG: Thanks!
Judge Claire: Granny doesn't have any targets for her spear trick, so the skeletons go. Another hit on Glynette for 1. Strength check fails for the one that moves up to Imlero and it misses. Strength check succeeds on a new foe for Connie, and it hits for 3 points. Glynette is up.
Heddy: I'm trying the flat-of-the-axe trick. That's a hit for 3 on number 5 ... 
Judge Claire: Kills it.
Heddy: Nice. And another hit for 3 on this G one.
Judge Claire: Kills it too.
Heddy: Damn, I should have been doing this the whole time. Okay, now I move back out of combat reach.
Elle: Imlero takes a whack at K. Hit, so it's dead. Save is good.
Ariel: Ooh! Nobody's in the spot where Glynette was, so Granny can move in there!
Hettie: You jumped the order on Antwerp, but I'll forgive you.
Ariel: Oops, sorry!
Hettie: No worries. I fire my sling ... a hit for 3.
Judge Claire: The last two skeletons move up.
Ariel: Yay! The last two!
Judge Claire: Strength check on the first one makes it, second one fails. The one on Imlero fumbles ... a 4 is normally a busted weapon, but it's not using a weapon, so I'll give it -1d. The one on Connie misses.
Heddy: I'm out. You guys finish them off.
Elle: I administer death to mine. Oh, but I fail my save.
Judge Claire: Paralyzed.
Hettie: Bad idea to fire into melee, so I'll skip my turn.
Sasha: Whack! 12 points.
Judge Claire: The last one goes down.
Heddy: Whew.
Ariel: No kidding!
MSG: So we've got one warrior paralyzed, two front-liners seriously hurt, and the cleric in sad territory for Deity Disapproval ... especially the way I seem to be rolling.
Judge Claire: I'd say that was a 3 xp battle.
Hettie: I believe we rather need to rest.
Elle: Seriously AF, but where? If we can't lock ourselves in somewhere, we'll get hit with wandering monster rolls, what, every hour? Every turn?
Akane: A question about my Ward Portal spell, Judge.
Judge Claire: Yes?
Akane: After casting, can I uncast it? One result is warded portal for 2d6 times 10 minutes. The next is 2d6 times 10 hours. If we must await the full duration before opening the door ourselves, we might be locked in for many days.
Judge Claire: I think it only makes sense that the casting wizard could unlock the door. Otherwise the higher level results would permanently keep the wizard from ever going through the door himself unless the spell got dispelled.
Akane: Good. In this case, I can Ward Portal the secret door we entered through, and we can rely on the webs and trap of the skeleton room door to keep us safe from that direction. This should avoid monster wandering, yes?
Elle: Seems like a plan to me.
Akane: Then I will cast, with a roll of ... 17. It's the x10 minutes result, so I roll 100 minutes. At the end of this time, I cast again. Possibly I should do Spellburning? I could spend points of Strength and 1 of Stamina without much affecting Nanda's capacities. This could help my roll by 4.
MSG: Yes, but if you roll a fumble, you lose those points permanently.
Akane: Oh. Perhaps things are not desperate enough for such now. My second cast I do normally, then. Same result is 70 minutes. Now we have gone 3 hours with Warded Portal keeping our safety. Next casting, same, but one hour. Next casting, lost, failure. But! I can spellburn to regain a spell. This costs 1 point and there's no chance to botch. I spare a point of Strength. Next roll, also bad. Another burning of Strength. Ah! 21 is the outcome. Extreme wardedness. I hope it's true the wizard can undo her own spell, because the door disappears for 90 hours and remains locked 30 hours after reappearance.
Judge Claire: I'm going to stand by that ruling.
Akane: Thank you. By the way, this spell has Mercurial Magic of ashy worms. Each casting creates writhing, smoking worms on the ground. Weird and distasteful, but otherwise without problem, I think.
Judge Claire: You can all finish resting, then. Deity Disapproval resets, all spells are regained, you get one hit point back each, and one point of ability damage healed. That doesn't apply to luck, except for Thieves and Halflings.
MSG: Okay. I try healing Connie ... that's a success, for 8. I try healing Glynette ... also a success, for 6.
Judge Claire: 
Heddy: I'm still down 1, but that seems livable.
MSG: Yeah, but it's a brand-new day. I think I'll give it a shot to get you all the way back to full. That's a success.
Judge Claire: I'd say that's an auspicious moment to end the session on, then. Next time we can see what happens with this room where Connie is supposed to pry out the gems of the minotaur statue's eyes!

dcc thracia part 8 ... giant! (ish)

let's get right into the next sesh!

Judge Claire: Okay guys, I was looking back over the notes from a few sessions back where you were in the smoky incense room, and I realized I didn't tell you that there's a non-secret door in the south wall of that room once you tear down the black curtains.
Sasha: What? We probably definitely wanted to go through that one instead of this one.
Judge Claire: It's another stone door, but this one has a skull set in the middle of it with glowing red eyes, and when you revealed it by tearing down the curtains, it said, "Enter fools! Join me in the bliss that is Thanatos! Become one with blessed death! It is in the final end that fulfillment lies!"
Heddy: Not sure I agree that we would have wanted to go through that one.
Sasha: It's basically daring us to go through, though. Connie's always up for a dare.
MSG: Did it register as inherently dangerous or evil to my spell?
Judge Claire: No.
MSG: Then I'd tell Connie it seems like bait to me, considering it reads as safe to my spell and is right out in the open, compared to the trapped, plastered-over door we found in the corner.
Sasha: Well, Connie is pretty keen on plastered-over doors by now, and not that smart, so that might work on her.
Heddy: Then ... what, we're back to trying to make an archway out of these pews to protect us from the spear trap in the ceiling?
Elle: Seems like.
Judge Claire: Anybody have a profession that would include construction or engineering of any sort? If not, Antwerp will have to direct everyone using her Disable Traps skill, and each person helping will need to make a Luck roll to not mess something up.
Akane: Nanda will be unhelpful, then. My luck ... so poor!
Judge Claire: You'll need at least 12 points of strength on each end of a bench to lift them up and make the top piece of an arch.
Elle: Imlero has that covered, and his Luck is semi-decent.
Sasha: Connie's buff too, with a 10 for Luck, which she thinks is fine.
Judge Claire: All right. Hettie, make Antwerp's Disable Trap check.
Hettie: Only an 11.
Judge Claire: Bench Warriors?
Elle: 10 is under my Luck.
Sasha: 5's under mine.
Judge Claire: Your arch is in place, then. What do you want to do?
Hettie: Can I make another Find Traps check to see if it's set up in a way that will block the spear?
Judge Claire: Yes, but at one die size lower because as far as you know, you succeeded in the building task.
Hettie: Only a total of 8. I guess we get chipping at the plaster.
Sasha: Wait ... I thought Connie already did that? While Chopper and Nanda were futzing with the other door and the hallway.
Judge Claire: Let me look back at the notes ... well, you said you were going to hang back and chip plaster at the end of one session, but then we did all that stuff with the 0-levels and when we came back here, you acted like Connie was with everybody else.
Sasha: Dang. I guess it would pay to re-read the notes before every session.
Ariel: Gosh, that would be a lot of work. They're super long.
Sasha: Not all the notes, just the ones about what we were doing most recently.
Ariel: Those are the ones I meant.
Judge Claire: Anyway, it's too late to replay that whole combat as though Connie was still chipping plaster the whole time, so we'll just say she changed her mind about staying behind.
Sasha: I guess that works.
Judge Claire: It'll be another ten minutes to chip away the plaster, because only one person can effectively get under the arch and work there. Also, you have to take breaks to avoid being poisoned by that gas, whatever it does.
MSG: We're probably coming up on the end of my Detect Evil spell, then.
Judge Claire: I think it's done by now, actually, between all the arch-building and work-checking and plaster-chipping and break-taking.
MSG: I'll re-cast it, then. It's just too valuable to wander around without it. 10 fails ... 6 fails ... 19 succeeds. Actually, it's even better than last time -- I detect things out to 120' and it's omnidirectional.
Judge Claire: Let me re-check the map. You detect several evil or dangerous presences between 50' and 70' due south, and one evil presence about 90' south by southwest.
Hettie: With the plaster chipped away, can I use Find Traps again to see if I can locate a trigger for that spear trap?
Judge Claire: Yes.
Hettie: 11.
Judge Claire: Looks like it will be set off by inserting a key in the lock. By the way, you find a keyhole for a lock in it.
Hettie: I'll try disabling this keyhole trigger. That's 11 ... I think it's worth it to spend a point of Luck and be sure about this. My Luck Die makes it 14.
Judge Claire: You feel pretty good about disabling it.
Hettie: Well, who has that skeleton key, then?
Akane: Nanda, but she prefers offering it to a more burlysome type.
Sasha: Connie takes it. And ... insert and turn.
Ariel: (That's what she said.)
Sasha: You, sheesh.
Judge Claire: The spear trap does not go off.
Sasha: Open the door, then.
Judge Claire: Beyond, you see about 40' of narrower hallway that then opens up into a room with orange light emanating from it. It looks like there's a beam of illumination shining down on a figure in the center of the room. The dark hallway continues beyond the room.
Sasha: I'll move up and size this dude up as I go.
Judge Claire: He's clad in chainmail and holds a stone mace. Vestments of some kind are draped about his shoulders. Around his neck is a more ornate version of the silver pendants you found, with larger turquoise stones. He appears to be slowly coming around, as though from a daze or sleep. As you get closer, you see that along the sides of the room are six skeletons, all in chainmail and wielding longswords. By the way, are any of you wearing the pendants you looted in the other rooms?
Heddy: I have 5 of them, and I don't even know that my peasant garb has pockets, so hanging them around my neck seems like the logical way to carry them.
Hettie: As a thief, Antwerp probably doesn't care to have his valuables visible out in the open, so I should think if I'm wearing them, they're tucked away under my shirt.
Elle: Imlero has a backpack as one of her only possessions, so she'd be using it wherever possible. If she were any smarter, she might think to wear a pendant just to have a 10 gp fall-back even if she loses her pack. But I'm playing her on the slow side.
Ariel: Well, Granny is even dumber than Imlero, so she probably doesn't think of doing anything with a necklace besides wearing it.
Sasha: Connie's a con artist. she'll keep things close to the vest like Antwerp.
Akane: Lack of storage means Nanda also wears hers.
MSG: Chopper's not keen on displaying something that seems cult-y and not related to his own deity, so he probably pocketed his.
Judge Claire: All right. Getting closer up, Chopper notices that the skeletons are registering as Unholy to his spell, but the guy is not. His mace is inherently dangerous, but there's no ill intent coming from him. 
MSG: I'll let everybody know that. 
Sasha: Connie says, "Maybe so, but he's got that big fat silver amulet that might be nice to have."
MSG: I grimace and look to see if the guy becomes wary at that.
Judge Claire: He doesn't seem to understand. His expression is somewhat curious as he takes you in.
Hettie: Considering all the unreadable writing we've encountered, he most likely speaks some ancient language unbeknownst to any of us. Antwerp tells Connie that if she's desperate for that amulet, I can try to pickpocket it off of him as we pass, assuming he lets us by.
Sasha: I'm good with that plan. When we get close, Connie waves at the dude and points to where the hallway keeps going on the other side of the room.
Judge Claire: He nods beneficently and steps aside, making some kind of ritual gestures at each person wearing the pendants while you pass. The skeletons stand at attention, watching you with their bones occasionally creaking and clacking. You notice that in one corner of the room, there's a rolled-up rope ladder with two stone balls attached to one end.
Heddy: Do we see any sign of a trapdoor or pit anywhere?
Judge Claire: No, but Chopper is sensing danger from an area of the floor about 15' past the room.
MSG: I'll warn everyone about it. So are we just walking past this guy and his skeletons without any problems?
Judge Claire: So far, so good. Once the last of you is out of his way, he heads up the hallway in the direction you came, with three skeletons ahead of him and three behind.
Hettie: I'm at the back of our marching order right now. Is there a temptingly obvious moment where his attention goes past me and I might try filching the necklace?
Judge Claire: No, he's still standing to one side watching you as you go through the room. He doesn't turn to the north until you've passed him and he's sent the first three skeletons ahead.
Hettie: I'm not going to risk stepping in close, then. When I hear Chopper's concern about the floor, I go up to search it. 16.
Judge Claire: You easily find a pit trap there. It doesn't span the whole corridor width, though, so if you point it out, people could walk around it.
Sasha: Or we could spring it and see if there's treasure down there.
Akane: Also, if there's gaseous poison or jetting flames.
Sasha: I ask Chopper if he's got a Detect Goodies spell to go along with his Detect Evil.
MSG: That would be a cool spell, but no.
Heddy: Previously we've been leaving no stones unturned, though, so shouldn't we be opening up whatever we find and checking all the walls for secret doors?
Hettie: That was our modus operandi before. Can Antwerp spring the trap by pressing on the floor with one of his crutches?
Judge Claire: Yes. When you do, it swings open to reveal a shallow pit with a small chest at the bottom. Then a spring mechanism lifts the pit cover back in place.
Hettie: I'll see if I can disable it so that it stays open. 18.
Judge Claire: Easily. The drop is only a few feet, so you can climb down without danger of injuring yourself.
Hettie: Is Chopper sensing any danger from the chest?
Judge Claire: No.
Hettie: I suppose I'll climb down and see what's in it, then.
Judge Claire: It's locked.
Hettie: My Open Locks check is over 20.
Elle: You know ... not to deliberately fuck us or anything, but what are you using to pick these locks and disable these traps?
Hettie: Obviously, I'm utilizing the Judge's failure to ask that same question of me.
Judge Claire: The Judge is allowing it as a narrative convenience, because otherwise the group would really have needed to go back to town and buy Thieves' Tools -- along with more lantern oil and spare flints and steel, considering you're one magic wind away from being permanently in the dark. I didn't think a detour back to town sounded tremendously fun. But thanks for the honest question, Elle.
Elle: Don't mention it.
Ariel: That's what I said. About you mentioning it!
Judge Claire: The lock opens easily to Antwerp's agile fingers and apparently very long, pointed fingernails shaped just right for lockpicking. Inside you find 200 copper pieces and 50 silver. By this point, I'll say Chopper is far enough south to detect something inherently dangerous in the darkness about 100' away.
MSG: Is it coming toward us?
Judge Claire: No, it's stationary.
Sasha: Well, let's go see what it is and whether it's got any loot.
Judge Claire: When you get about 60' further on, you see that the hallway appears to end in a blank wall.
Heddy: Do we need to make checks for searching along the walls as we go?
Judge Claire: If you're going to do that through the whole dungeon, I may have to give some more thought to whether I make you track your lamp oil.
Heddy: That's all right, then. I guess we'll save the searching for spots that look unusual.
Hettie: Or dead ends. I ask Chopper if the danger is coming from the blank wall.
Judge Claire: More like from just barely past it.
Hettie: I guess I'll go up and make a very careful search of the wall and the area around it. That's a 17 on my Find Traps, though I'm not sure Find Traps applies if there's nothing dangerous on this side of the wall.
Judge Claire: You don't find any traps or any sign of a secret door, but you do find a pair of reinforced circular holes in the floor. Each one has a little groove running from it right up to the wall.
Akane: These holes -- does their size match the stone balls of the rope ladder?
Judge Claire: At least roughly.
MSG: So ... is my sense of danger beyond the wall coming from a downward angle?
Judge Claire: It is.
Ariel: So like, a pit or something is over there? But I don't get it. If the wall's not a trap then how's the pit dangerous to us? We can't get to it.
MSG: Unless the wall isn't actually there. Okay, I don't have a Detect Goodies spell but I do have Detect Magic. I'm going to try using it on the wall. Natural 20 on my spell check, 22 total. What's a natural 20 let you do for a spell check again?
Judge Claire: You just add your level twice instead of once. So it's a lot better at higher levels than lower ones.
MSG: 23, then. Basically I can tell any individual thing that's magical within 30', including how strong the magic is.
Judge Claire: The entire blank wall is magical.
MSG: So probably an illusion, I'm betting. I tell Antwerp to carefully push at it with one of her crutches.
Hettie: I'll give it a try.
Judge Claire: The crutch goes through with no resistance whatsoever. Everyone observing this can make a Will save to disbelieve the illusion.
Heddy: 16.
Hettie: 17.
Elle: 8.
Ariel: 3. That's totally a wall!
Sasha: 5.
Akane: A 15 of disbelief.
MSG: I get a 7 even knowing it's magical.
Judge Claire: Glynette, Antwerp, and Nanda can now see faintly past the wall into a cavernous area that drops away into darkness immediately beyond the illusion.
Heddy: We should definitely go get that ladder, then.
Ariel: Why? There's a wall.
MSG: I carefully explain to Granny that the wall is an illusion.
Ariel: Granny's totally not getting it. She says something about you whippersnappers and your magic spells and how in her day walls were walls.
MSG: Well, do we want to get the rope ladder and climb down and see what's there? Or do we want to go back and see whatever is behind that red-eyed skull door.
Heddy: I'm not sure I want to push our luck on running into that guy and his six well-armed skeletons again.
Ariel: Plus we're right here, and if we go back there then afterwards we'll just have to come back here again, which seems like a lot of going back and forth to me. Granny's okay with that though since she still doesn't get how we're supposed to go past this wall.
Sasha: Connie wouldn't mind another crack at that guy's fancy amulet, but somebody went to a lot of trouble hiding this secret way down to whatever is down there, so she could go either way.
MSG: I say we get the ladder and hook it into those ready-made holes and have a look.
Judge Claire: When you go to carry back the ladder, you get the impression it's pretty long -- not just 10 or 15', more like several dozen.
Hetty: Antwerp will secure it in the anchor holes and unroll it through the illusory wall.
Judge Claire: You hear it clatter and swoosh as it unrolls to its full length, extending down into the darkness.
Heddy: Glynette is willing to scout at least partway down, since she has darkvision.
Hettie: Antwerp will put her head through and watch Glynette's progress at least as far as our lantern's light extends through the illusion.
Judge Claire: That's not terribly far in the downward direction. Maybe 10 or 15'. Glynette, as you climb down the ladder, you can hear the sound of rushing water from below, as if there's a subterranean river near the bottom of the climb. The cavern is too wide north-to-south for you to see the far side, but to your right, you can see the wall your climbing against curve southward about 20' away. At 20' down the ladder, you can see the bottom of the cavern, and by 25 or 30' down, you see the river running west-to-east not far south of you. There's a bridge across it not far from the bottom end of the ladder -- and you spot a very large figure sitting in the middle of the bridge, facing away from you to the south. It looks almost like a giant, but you would have expected from the stories you've heard that a giant would be even larger.
Heddy: I will climb as carefully and quietly as I can back up the ladder.
Judge Claire: You can make a Sneak and Hide check to be quiet.
Heddy: 19.
Judge Claire: You don't hear any sounds of a giant suddenly hearing you and investigating. As you get close to the top again, you notice that there's a second opening at the same level as the illusory wall, about 10' to the west.
Heddy: Is there any sort of ledge between the two?
Judge Claire: No, just what appears to be a flat expanse of cavern wall. It's rough stone, so someone skilled might be able to climb it, but you can't imagine many people wanting to try it in the dark.
Heddy: All right. I'll file that away for later, then. When I reach the top, I tell everyone about seeing the river and bridge and miniature giant.
Ariel: Granny is confused. Wouldn't a miniature giant just be a person?
Heddy: I say, "Bigger than a person, smaller than a giant."
Ariel: Okay.
MSG: And within 30' of the ladder's bottom end, since that's as far as your infravision goes, right?
Heddy: Yes.
Hettie: Meaning that if he's hostile, he's bound to notice our light descending the ladder, and he'll have plenty of time to come over and maybe just yank the whole ladder down with all of us on it if he's of a mind to.
Elle: Well fuck that. Back to the evil skull door?
Akane: If sitting in the bridge middle, though ... could he be a bridge guardian? In this case, would he leave his position?
Judge Claire: Hang on, actually. I have to check something. Okay, let's back up again. For some reason, I was thinking monsters in this game all had infravision, but I'm seeing infravision listed under Special Powers for several creature entries in this book, and it's not listed for this giant.
MSG: You may be remembering Old School Essentials. That game makes it impossible for parties with humans to ever sneak up on monsters in a dungeon.
Judge Claire: So from the point that Glynette got on the ladder, she could see a faint light down and to the south of her, and when she gets closer, it's enough to let her see the semi-giant and the bridge he's sitting on. The light has no apparent source, though. It's just a 10' radius area of illumination.
Heddy: That's strange, but I'll tell everyone about it too.
Elle: So if he's facing away from us and the river is loud enough, we might be able to get down without alerting him.
Judge Claire: The river is definitely loud. Just to the east of the bridge, it exits that cavern through a narrow crevice with a rushing, roaring sound.
Sasha: I say we send Antwerp and Glynette down there to sneak up on him from behind and whack him. Antwerp can backstab, right?
Hettie: First, it's not exactly Antwerp's style to murder someone in cold blood without actually knowing whether they're hostile. Secondly, if we go down there alone, I'm not inclined to freely share whatever loot we might gain from the battle. We might parcel it out in whatever manner best benefits the party, but Connie shouldn't assume she'll get a portion if she's not helping.
Sasha: I helped just by making the suggestion. But if you're going to play Lawful Greedy, fine. Connie says let's just all head down and let the chips fall.
Ariel: Mmm, chips! Now I kind of want a snack. I'll be right back. Granny just does whatever everybody wants to.
Akane: I will help bring chips. Nanda would have more security confronting a giant after recovery of her spell of Hand Flaming, but probably this is an impractical achievement.
MSG: It sounds like we're climbing down, then.
Judge Claire: Have the person with the highest Luck make a Luck check to see whether the semi-giant hears you on the way down or notices your light out of the corner of his eye. 
Hettie: I have an 11, which I think is among our highest at this point ... I roll 14.
Judge Claire: Okay, you missed it by 3, so that's how many of your party are still on the ladder when he notices. The giant stands and spins toward you, his eyes wild with suspicion. You see that he holds a club in one hand and a spear in the other. Curiously, they appear sized more like those for a normal humanoid would be, not someone of his proportions. He cries out, "Who are you? Why are you sneaking up on me?" Up closer now, you see that he looks somewhat gaunt, with skin hanging loose on his enormous frame. 
Elle: Imlero has a pretty good Personality score, so she speaks up quickly before Connie takes charge. "We're not sneaking, we're just exploring. We'll be happy to introduce ourselves if you want."
Sasha: "Or to introduce you to our battleaxes!" Connie says, lifting hers up.
Ariel: We're back with chips! What did we miss?
MSG: Connie is about to get us all whacked by the giant.
Ariel: Oh no! Here, there's cheese puffs and jalapeno tortilla chips.
Sasha: Thanks.
Elle: We noticed that the giant looks underfed, and he's wild-eyed and suspicious. So naturally Connie threatened him after Imlero tried conversation.
Sasha: It wasn't a threat, just an offer.
Ariel: Granny has a duck if he's hungry and he wants it. I guess I've had it tucked under one arm this whole time. Maybe I put it on my shoulder like a pirate parrot while I was climbing down the ladder.
Judge Claire: If Granny actually offers him the duck, he reflexively licks his lips and stares at it, but remains tensed and untrusting.
Hettie: Has there been time for the remainder of us to descend?
Judge Claire: The next two in line can get down.
MSG: That includes Chopper, who still has his side of beef from being a butcher. He'll offer that up too.
Judge Claire: The side of beef is too much for him. You hear his stomach growl loudly, and he pleads for you to bring it over to him. 
MSG: I'll take it near the foot of the bridge and put it down, but I'm not getting within arm's reach of him.
Judge Claire: He grabs it and gnaws a hunk off, raw. After he swallows, he thanks you and says you can cross his bridge if you want. Then he bites into the meat again.
Hettie: I'll ask if he knows the best way out, since we could do with resting up and possibly go back to town to better equip ourselves.
Judge Claire: He shakes his head. "Came down come stairs, long time ago. (Chomp, chomp, chew) Two different rope bridges with giant bats trying to knock me off. (Gnaw, gnaw, gnaw) Fell on second bridge, hurt bad landing. Living on crayfish and stirges since then. (Gobble, gulp) Stairs up over that way, but no reason for me to climb." He gestures behind him to the southeast corner of the cavern, where you can faintly see an opening in the south wall. It's a little too far to make out any stairs.
Heddy: That sounds like a sad story.
Sasha: Yeah, tough nuts. What else do we see around here, Judge?
Judge Claire: A roaring river cuts west to east along this cavern. To the west on your side of the river there's a narrow ledge hugging the north wall. When the river surges, it washes up onto the ledge, leaving it constantly wet. To the east, leading north, is a smoothly carved tunnel tiled with polished marble. Aside from that dark opening to the southeast, most of the southern side of the cavern is too far for your light or infravision to reach.
Elle: So maybe if we go across and up those stairs, we might find a back way to the rope bridges where our friendly giant got knocked off by bats. I'm thinking none of us would survive that fall.
Ariel: I'm surprised even a giant did if our ladder was 50' long!
Sasha: Yeah, but if we know about the bats, we could rope ourselves together or something.
Akane: Possibly good ... or possibly one fall, all fall?
MSG: We could always climb back up and try going out the way we came in. Or explore westward in this cavern on one side of the river or the other.
Ariel: Too many choices!
Sasha: Yeah, but one of them's a nice clean tiled hallway, so maybe we should at least poke our noses that way before we try finding our way out.
MSG: I'm okay with that. At the very least I can sweep it with my Detect Magic and Detect Evil while they're both still going.
Judge Claire: The Detect Evil alerts you to inherent danger in that wet ledge to the west.
MSG: How about when I go look up this tiled hallway?
Judge Claire: Inherent danger somewhere on the left about 100' ahead. The walls are lined with marble panels 5' wide and 15' tall. Each panel has a skull in its center with glowing green eyes that illuminate the hallway. The skulls within your 30' range do register as magical. At the far end of the hall, just past the inherent danger, an arched doorway leads into a darkened room.
Sasha: I'll lead the way further up.
Heddy: Hang on. Individual panels make me think we could be in secret door territory again. Should we search as we go?
MSG: Will doing that take us past the 2-turn duration on my Detect Magic?
Judge Claire: I'm going to say yes.
MSG: Then I think we should go up and at least peek into that room before searching the whole hallway. We can always come back.
Judge Claire: As you near the end of the hallway, then, Chopper is able to pinpoint the source of danger as coming from the last two skulls on the left-hand wall before the archway. Your lantern lets you see into the chamber, which is about 40' long by 20' wide, with vaulted 40' ceilings. At the far end of the room is a 10' by 15' pedestal stretching out from the north wall. Chopper detects a magical presence at the near end of the pedestal ... let me read that spell check description again ... okay, you are able to sense that it's some kind of non-mortal creature, meaning it's divine, demonic or extraplanar or undead. But you don't sense anything Unholy about it. It's being affected by a spell that's higher than first level.
MSG: So ... maybe good, maybe bad, but probably able to kick our asses if we piss it off. I tell everyone I'm not keen on the vibe from that room and that we should check out what's up with these skulls on the last couple of panels before we decide about going in there.
Hettie: I'll search the skulls for traps. Left one first ... 18. Right one ... 11.
Judge Claire: You find that each of the skulls is trapped so that it will bite anyone touching it. You also notice that pushing them both in simultaneously will activate something else.
Hettie: For disabling the traps, I get a 17 and a 15.
MSG: Do I still sense inherent danger from them?
Judge Claire: You do not.
Ariel: Let's push them, then!
Sasha: Connie pushes one.
Ariel: Granny pushes the other.
Judge Claire: The two panels with the skulls swing inward to reveal a 30' corridor that turns south at the end and opens onto a downward staircase.
Heddy: Down, though. That's the wrong direction.
Sasha: Not if there's treasure, it's not.
Akane: Wasn't the group agreement for looking this direction before deciding how to return upward?
Sasha: Maybe if we go down, it leads to a great way to go up. With some treasure along the way. Or we can just go in Chopper's bad vibe room that he's not giving us much of the scoop on.
MSG: And that kind of recklessness is exactly why I'm leery of going into more detail. But I guess I will if I have to ...

[i'm breaking this here because it's getting long! next post, we'll pick up with the big debate!]