Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh
Session #040 Dreamtime & Nothing to Report.
Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).
Buggles (played by Stu) Male Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 3/Rogue Lvl 3
New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 6
Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 6
Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 6
NPCs
Daktari Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 6
*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.
Buggles’ undead servitor
Gwen Female Duergar Skeleton, in full-face helm and armour
This is session 40, and here we go some more, we’re still in the Underdark, and the Dark Squad have just met a stone giant-
“I am Hgraam. Quickly, people of the dream, run on to where it is safe.”
The giant grins and gestures very friendly like towards the caverns ahead, and remarkably none of the Dark Squad demur, or even stop to question it.
As Buggles said at the time. “Oh, he’s very nice.”
And so here we go again, and get a coffee- they got a lot done, and it goes on and on...
Hgraam leads the Dark Squad on into a defensible cavern, and away from the gazers that were blasting the adventurers with their eye-rays last session, at which point- encounter over, well… proper introductions are made. Hgraam is surprisingly chatty, the PCs perhaps had other pre-conceived ideas about how a stone giant should behave (i.e. more violent, less affable).
Note Buggles more often than not gets in close, he's no respecter of personal space, and while he sounds friendly (sometimes) he often let's me- I'm ready for my attack of opportunity/readied action- if the big guy looks uppity or skedaddles fast. He's all heart.
So, Hgraam explains (and at great length) he is a follower of Skoreaus Stonebones (a stone giant deity, the PCs later discover) and that he is wandering the Underdark to experience and discover new things, to learn new stories and… well, to live life in the present.
There follows of slew of zen style cod-philosophy about the here and now.
The Dark Squad, remarkably, dig this groove.
Buggles’ opening- “he’s nice”, gets shared about.
Hgraam asks the guys to explain what manner of creatures they are, and perhaps tell him something about themselves- a story, or similar.
More remarkably all of the PCs get on board with this- Ram tells Hgraam about the surface world (the Dreamlands) and more specifically about his time upon the vast ocean. Hgraam reciprocates and tells Ram about his time on the Black Lake in the Underdark. Buggles’ story is much briefer, as is Daktari’s, and Newt’s- Vinnie however writes a book, and then demonstrates his ability to Meld Into Stone. The druid makes it clear that he shares not just Hgraam’s outlook, but also his lust for life and all of its experiences.
Note, Hgraam also demonstrates the same ability.
Picture a pencil thin eighteen foot tall, all awkward angles, Buddha- sitting cross-legged.
Then picture him grinning as he sinks into the cavern floor until just his head is free of the stone.
Still grinning.
So, it’s all going swimmingly, and we’re already forty minutes into the session here.
It helps that a little way in to the piece, after introductions and the stories, Hgraam basically takes every item that he owns out of his pockets and pouches, and then puts it all before him. He then asks the Dark Squad if they need anything, he would be happy to make a gift of whatever he can spare. This is all that he owns…
But Hgraam’s gear is nothing special, so there’s really nothing the Dark Squad want- but they like the ceremony of it all, and the fact that he’s making the offer.
Buggles likes it so much he follows the giant’s lead, laying all of his carried gear out before him, and then asking Hgraam if there’s anything he needs- right back at you, big feller!
Hgraam takes a tinderbox, this after examining a bunch of other things that Buggles owns.
The other PCs are quick to follow suit, except Newt of course- the tabaxi demurs briefly but then falls in line. Note, Newt slimmed down considerably on the crap he was carrying when he ventured into the Underdark, so there’s no hard to explain viscera or mouldy body parts mixed in with the tabaxi’s belongings.
Phew!
[The Hgraam love-in 500 XP]
So, the circle jerk continues for a little while until, well… Hgraam explain- he thinks it is his fate/story to help the PCs here- if they want help? He further explains that he can perform a simple ceremony/ritual which will allow the Dark Squad to go on an out-of-body experience in which they can travel with him a way in to the Underdark.
Their bodies will remain here- in this cavern, safe within the stone, while he accompanies them during this Dreamtime. They will have to direct the dream but… they can very possibly see what lies ahead on their journey.
The Dark Squad, of course, have follow up questions- but Hgraam is very reassuring, and explains precisely how this works… and there’s really no down side to it, although see below for the mechanics.
The Dark Squad have to pay a price for this service, but… the price is very simply one item from each of the adventurer’s carried gear- Buggles’ tinderbox, a torch from Vinnie, a bone good luck charm from Daktari etc.
Each of these items has to be ‘freely given and freely received- no obligation either way’, Hgraam makes clear, and repeatedly.
Again the Dark Squad are all good with this, point of fact they approve wholeheartedly.
So, now the mechanics- the out-of-body experience Dreamtime will allow the PCs to visit the next stages (maps) of their adventure to the duergar bridge. They will get to see the map/area and can observe what goes on there. They cannot however interact with their surroundings, nor can any inhabitants of the area see or sense them, or interact with them in any way.
However, in order to direct Hgraam to the duergar bridge they are going to have input the directions they received from Old Gorm, and… make a DC 12 Survival check, or something similar as they travel further on.
The caveat being that every skill check they make while in Dreamtime will also require them to make a DC 10 Con save to avoid (mental) exhaustion.
Note exhausted PCs cannot contribute further skill checks, they can talk, and observe, but they cannot make any more checks, or aid their compatriots in any other (dice-rolling) manner.
Note the exhaustion check DC increases by one every time a check is made- DC 11, DC 12 etc.
Last bit, when all of the PCs are exhausted then the Dreamtime ends and they return to their bodies back in this cavern, at which point they emerge from the stone.
So, the Dark Squad chat about the above for about four seconds and then swiftly agree to take Hgraam up on his offer.
Dreamtime it is then.
Therefore an hour later, after the brewing and drinking of fungal/herbal tea, and with much ceremony from Hgraam throughout the proceedings, the PCs slowly, surely- sink into the stone beneath their feet.
Dreamtime.
And into the Dreamtime out-of-body geode.
Comfy? NODS. Then let us begin...
The inside is much comfier than it looks, it’s like a plush in there.
So, Buggles starts the journey with directions for Hgraam, onwards to the cavern in which Old Gorm and his companion, Harfnag, encountered a bunch of spiders. The wood elf correctly points the way, and makes the DC 12 associated Survival check. Then however he fails his first exhaustion check, and so spends an inspiration point to try again, and… he does, that’s yet another failed check (DC 10 Con save).
Buggles cannot make any more skill checks to aid the Dreamtime journey.
See the title of the map- says it all. Scary, huh?
The Dark Squad therefore enter and observe a cavern home to a myriad spiders for a short while- it’s a large and nasty looking place, and not all natural stone. There are several statues here- but they’re hard to make out, covered in webs and associated gloom. The area has been shaped in places, constructed- much less natural. Newt is very curious about all of this, and willing to tempt fate to make a check to discover what manner of statues these are?
The tabaxi correctly dreams that the statues are dedicated to the dark dwarven god Abbathor, the Lord of Greed, as in the ruined temple the Dark Squad investigated earlier with Bang & Olafsson.
So, that’s worth knowing.
Is it?
Ram is much less sure, urging his companions to save their checks for the journey ahead.
And here’s the rub, the price for the above knowledge is high- Newt duly fails his subsequent DC 10 Con save exhaustion check, and then fails yet again- after an inspiration point.
Go back to the last picture above- check out the text in the chat window, it says-
Buggles: Welcome to the naughty word bin Newt.
Nice touch.
So, now the Dark Squad have only three players left in the Dreamtime that can make checks, and here’s the thing- they don’t know the correct route from the spider’s lair to the duergar bridge. Old Gorm, back at the very start, told the guys that he and Harfnag we’re in panic and the way out of here was… well, it was either to the west, or to the north, he wasn’t sure which way they went because they were fleeing the spiders at the time.
There are three possible exits that combine west and north out of this cavern- north, north-west & west.
So, Hgraam needs directing for the Dreamtime to continue- which way is it to the duergar bridge?
Daktari volunteers, he thinks the Dark Squad should head north, but after wandering a while in this direction (and passing his DC 12 survival check) he’s convinced- he’s wrong, it’s not this way.
The barbarian then duly fails his DC 10 Con save for exhaustion, as everyone else has before him, and he’s +6 (or something similar) on this check, but he has just one inspiration point and so he cannot fail again- he doesn’t.
Daktari is still in the Dreamtime, but the Dark Squad will need to try again to find the bridge cavern.
So, back to the spider cavern, and time to pick again- and this time Vinnie is certain, the correct direction to duergar cavern is to the north west… but it really isn’t, and what do you know- Vinnie fails his exhaustion check too, but after an inspiration point- he’s back.
So the Dreamtime goes on, and there’s only the west passage left to try- forwards, the journey continues, all the way to the duergar bridge over the fire river.
There follows a twenty minute tactical chat about how to get across the bridge without alerting the duergar. Ram has the rogues climbing across under the bridge. Vinnie is searching for the Vincen G. Spider ceiling route. While Newt has figured out that his hold person spell is probably not the best call against duergar (resist paralysis). When... Buggles cuts the crap- "Screw that business! Let's face it, we're killing 'em and then chucking their scattered remains in the lava."
The duergar bridge cavern is a high ceilinged narrow chasm spanned by a rickety stone bridge, only one exit over the far side of the span, but there are two duergar here. One of the duo looks to be some sort of fanatic. The Dark Squad therefore begin making plans for when they have to get through this place in reality. There’s a lot of looking around, although all of it accomplished without the hint of anyone (Vinnie, Daktari or Ram) having to make any more skill checks.
The consensus is no more extraneous checks, the Dreamtime journey onwards is everything.
They really want to see what’s beyond.
That is, after all, what Manistrad asked them to find out.
But, as stated earlier, there’s only one direction to go from here- over the bridge, and into the cavern opening beyond- the Dreamtime continues on, alas it continues on into a veritable maze of snaking tunnels.
Winding Cavern Passages- nuff said.
So, this is it, the kindly DM tells the PCs, it will take three more DC 12 Survival checks for the Dark Squad to guide Hgraam, and the Dreamtime, through the maze of caverns. They’ll be following what few duergar tracks exist in this place. Obviously each check necessitates another exhaustion roll.
It goes a little like this-
Vinnie leads the Dreamtime on successfully, and soon after the adventurers are a third of the way to the big reveal- although this effort costs him- he fails his Con save, and then again with his last inspiration- that’s it, the druid is also mentally exhausted.
Which just leaves Daktari & Ram to guide the Dreamtime on.
Note Ram has not made a check yet, he is the weakest link stat wise- with the worst Survival check and Con save.
Daktari goes again, another DC 12 Survival check- success, and the Dark Squad are two thirds of the way there, through the snaking tunnels. However, the barbarian then fails his follow-up DC 11 Con exhaustion save (+6 on this roll), and then fails again with inspiration point re-roll, and so now it’s just Ram left.
There is wailing and cursing around the VTT.
Ram isn’t trained in Survival, and his Con save is not good either.
But remarkably it’s as easy as, Ram makes the Survival check, and the follow up Con exhaustion save and we’re in.
Oh... Are you in the map yet? OH. Oh... nearly. Oh... Oh... OH! OH! There's not much to see! And the crowd go wild- why do I bother?
The Dark Squad discover a duergar deep fort, a forward post, or else waystation… The locale is Dreamtime explored- the PCs can go most everywhere. There are lots of guards- including a pair of casters (perhaps) including a priest-leader-type (maybe), and very definitely a martial commander of the fortress.
OH! That's better. Deepbridge Fort in all of its glory.
Note all of this is accomplished without the use of a single skill check, but now Ram’s here- he’d like to try and listen in on the conversation the priest and the commander are having.
But he doesn’t understand the language, and so has to mimic the sounds and words the pair are using to Vinnie, so the druid can try to translate, and so we’re stretching it here. But there’s not a lot to tell from the duo’s chatter, except that the place is safe and secure and that all is normal here at the fortress (best guess).
Remarkably the rogue goes on to make another pair of skill checks- discovering a little more about this place and the situation. Note the skill checks come with their associated DC 12/13 Con saves to avoid the exhaustion effect.
All passes.
Ram’s final check, an attempt to understand a bunch of markings carved into the stone is Ram’s first failure, his second is the associated DC 14 Con save for exhaustion, and…
Dreamtime ends.
But no... the last image a flickering affair-
"What's that?" asks Buggles. "That's a tor", Vinnie replies, sagely. He's not wrong.
But then the Dark Squad emerge from the stone- all the way back in the cavern chamber, hale and hearty- although mentally exhausted, they do however have answers for Manistrad.
Job done.
[Dreamtime with Hgraam 1500 XP]
Note, I say ‘job done’ but at the time the players were very suspicious-
Newt: “Have we done it?”
Buggles: “We can’t have? I mean… nothing’s dead?”
Vinnie: “I sink we ‘ave our answer, or raar-zur Manistrad’s answer. We have achieved zer task wiz-out alerting zer duer-ray-gar. C’est magnifique!”
Buggles: “That can’t be right… didn’t you hear me, we haven’t killed anyone yet!”
It’s a whole new experience for the Dark Squad- success, without recourse to bloody violence.
Most odd.
Note, at the end of the session (there's still a chunk left to go...) the chatter was still about this, basically the conversation above gets repeated ad infinitum, but out of character, with Jim- playing Vinnie, taking the lead-
Jim/Vinnie: “Nope. I know Paul (that’s me = goonalan) we’re screwed, somewhere up the line we’re getting shafted. We just got played, I’ve no idea how or why, but just you wait and see.”
He’s a good friend is Jim.
But here we are, back with Hgraam- and with Manistrad’s answer, although… everyone has a touch of (mental) exhaustion, so- yet more chatter with the stone giant, who is happy to have helped.
Although after a chunk more roleplay the big feller helps out with another of the Dark Squad’s tasks before he departs, after questioning the giant doesn’t know of the ‘Goblin’s Stair’ but he does know where there are some Goblin’s laired.
Hgraam states- “There are goblins, lots of them- laired by a great black basalt rock which descends deep into the dark.” After a bunch more skill checks Vinnie finally figures that Hgraam is talking about Blackedge, a small village to the north of the Saltmarsh region, near the Dread Woods- there’s a black basalt cliff there.
At least that’s the suggestion.
[Looking for the Goblin Stair 200 XP]
Then, Hgraam departs, and the PCs pitch their Leomund’s Tiny Hut and get down to sleeping off the exhaustion effect.
Which doesn’t go entirely as planned, although skip forward four hours, to the end of Buggles’ watch (Note- the wood elf always pulls a double watch, he’s not big on resting).
So, watch hand over-
Buggles: “Nothing to report.”
Vinnie: “But zer…” Vinnie points up.
"Oh, I shouldn't worry about that, anyway- G'night!" Buggles' shift is over.
Covering perhaps a third of the Leomund’s Tiny Hut is a massive black oozing blob (a Black Pudding, identified a little after) which is squeegeeing around the hemisphere home of the Dark Squad. Every now and then it makes sharp squeaky noises, as it muscles and flows around the LTH in search of an opening. It’s desperate to get in.
Vinnie: “But…” Vinnie points again at the massive ooze.
Buggles: “Nothing to… oh, that- it’s been there for hours. Anyway, G’night.”
Vinnie: “Sacre…”
Eventually, after a thorough reading and understanding of the Leomund’s Tiny Hut rules the Black Pudding is shot repeatedly until it attempts to flee back out of the cavern, now very aware that the contents of the LTH are in fact not a pre-packaged ready-meal.
It’s Buggles in fact that goes after the beast and finishes it off, but not before Daktari has turned his great club into a smoking acid-burnt ruin.
[Black Pudding fun-time 1100 XP]
It’s about this time that Buggles chooses to entertain us further, with another brief glimpse at the world that exists within the wood elf’s head.
Buggles: “You know what amazes me?”
The Dark Squad chorus (reluctantly): “No.”, or, “What?”
Buggles: “It amazes me how catkins manages to locate one of these tiny hut’s every time we need to rest.”
Fantasy Grounds/Discord goes silent.
The Dark Squad chorus (incredulous): “What?”
Buggles: “Well, every time we’ve needed to rest recently catkins here has managed to find one of these little huts just standing idle in the Underdark. It’s amazing, incredibly lucky? That right Newt?”
Newt (exasperated): “Yes, that’s right Buggles- I find them!”
Buggles: “See. Amazing. Great work catkins.”
And you’re probably thinking to yourself, why doesn’t catkins- I mean Newt, just scream at the wood elf, and tell the idiot that he uses magic to conjure the Leomund’s Tiny Hut every night. But… it’d be like screaming and/or admonishing a child, it’s far easier just to nod along, sure- Newt doesn’t forget to deliver his line with as much sarcasm as he can muster, but Buggles doesn’t get sarcasm.
And so the balloon that is the wood elf’s strange world remains resolutely un-popped.
[Catkins finds another LTH 100 XP]
So, you’ve probably spotted it- no fighting so far, we’re about to fix that, or else I thought so.
Day four in the Underdark, and the fully rested Dark Squad retrace their steps, but they don’t have to go far before things start to go badly.
The PCs rope up for their journey back across the narrow stone spans in the cavern, and it’s on the first span that the bad thing happens, Daktari suddenly takes flight, the hefty barbarian screams in cod-Russian (he’s being played by Jim/Vinnie tonight) as he’s hauled twenty feet into the air.
The adventurers react, although the first to do so is Newt who has no clue as to what’s going on. But Ram knows- he spots (DC 18 passive Perception) a thin rope-like filament attached to Daktari’s back, the sturdy line runs to an opening up above.
Just to note there are no screenshots from this fight- I think all of the PCs were a little bit frit, and were too busy trying to work out how to get their (roped together, remember) guy off the bridge in double-quick time.
The cool rogue therefore grabs out his bow and declares he will shoot the rope.
Well, the book says the filament is AC 15 (and has 5 HP) but I’m saying this attack is with disadvantage and -5 to hit, so good luck with that.
Full disclosure, Daktari is atm being hoisted aloft by a… but I can’t tell you dear reader, because the Dark Squad never did find out. But feel free to have a guess, just don’t repeat it here.
So, disadvantage and -5 to hit, AC 15… and, bloody hell- THWONG, SNAP.
Daktari falls twenty feet, lands hard- but miraculously on his feet, the barbarian even has time for a quick thumbs up to Ram.
There is laughter and cheering o’er the VTT.
I hate it when that happens.
Then- “RUN!” and the Dark Squad are in motion, although the fact that they are tied together proves once again when combined with initiative to be particularly counter-productive.
Then more so when less than five seconds later and Newt is also suddenly hoisted into the air.
It seems there’s a second fisher for Dark Squad souls positioned somewhere above, and so… well, it’s Buggles’ turn to take the shot- AC 15, disadvantage-yadda yadda.
Yep.
THWONG, SNAP.
Newt falls, harder than Daktari and on his backside, but he manages to stay on the stony span, and then… he’s up- back on his feet, and they’re off- and they’re not looking back.
The Dark Squad flee the encounter.
[Fishing for the Dark Squad 700 XP]
Can you imagine the one that got away stories this pair of angling monsters could tell after this encounter-
Fisher 1: Yeah, well mine must have weighed over 200lbs, all muscle and furious barbarian- what a fight it was.
Fisher 2: I think mine was a barbarian too, a seven foot tall devil cat- a ranting spitting fury, what a fight it was.
Satiated, but still hungry.
But, let me get this straight- disadvantage, -5 to hit and four rolls (two times two) and they’re all hits. But DC 10 Con saves earlier for exhaustion, and if it wasn’t for their inspiration points then all of them except Ram would have failed on their first attempt, even with inspiration points (except for Ram) none of them managed to make two checks.
Random is weird.
We go on… for another nine hours, all the way back to and then through the dirty muddy and close tunnels in which the Dark Squad fought the kruthik. Then another extended yomp through the fungus forest and, at last, the adventurers are back to where they need to be for Old Gorm’s treasure run.
[Back to the fungus forest 250 XP]
Note Vinnie spends a little time both on the journey and at its end to search for some/any of the fungus that Hgraam was using in his Dreamtime ritual. Remarkably, after a (Crit) guidance-enhanced Crit check (adjusted roll ‘33’), Vinnie finds a small patch of stonespore, one of the three ingredients needed, he thinks, to recreate the Dreamtime.
However, it’s been another long day (although as it turns out no-one is exhausted, now they can roll ‘em), but guess what? Newt finds another LTH to stay in for the night.
Buggles: “Wow! You are amazing catkins!”
But the DM has one joke encounter left to run.
The Dark Squad settle down for the night in the LTH, which is positioned (sorry, was found by Newt) next to the wide but slow moving river here.
Buggles is on watch (of course), when a hefty giant crayfish (about 6-8 feet long) scuttles/charges out of the river and bumps hard, and then repeatedly, into the hemisphere of the LTH.
DM: What do you do? Buggles: I throw the feller a banana from my lunchbox, see if he'll go fetch it- with a Handle Animal check, oh '15'- that's not bad. See next image for punchline.
Buggles: “Not this again!”
The wood elf however is in a funny mood, he decides to play along with the rapscallion DM (that’s me) and so throws the creature a portion of his rations.
The giant crayfish plays fetch with the flung grub for a while, until… until… well, the repeated thumping noise wakes the rest of the members of the Dark Squad up.
The formerly sleeping adventurers come awake to discover that there are at present three of the massively clawed, eight foot long and armoured, giant crayfish surrounding them. All three of them bumping, thumping and butting their claws and carapaces into the LTH repeatedly.
Buggles: “Nothing to report. Night all!”
The wood elf turns in and gets some shut eye.
But Ramshambow quickly solves the problem by sinking an arrow into the most annoying of the three noisy giant crayfish, bloodying the beast in an instant.
The creature slinks off, back into the river- alas it doesn’t get far, its two colleagues scent an easier meal and head off to butcher and then devour their bloody former companion.
Nature is red in tooth and claw.
[The noisy giant crayfish 100 XP]
But that’s all we have time for- which is plenty, incidentally. So, Old Gorm’s treasure run next time- I guess, and then out of the Underdark?
Stay safe and well you lovely people.
Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.
