Chaos Unbound

A Khamen and Candorra Adventure
Using Four Against Darkness

Life had been quiet for Khamen ever since he returned from the adventure of the Three Rings. Oh, the High Priest at the Scotsile temple found occasional work for him - minor tasks below his skill level. He spent much of his time in the taverns, gambling and drinking (much to the annoyance of the High Priest).

One day as he huddled over a mug, he heard the tavern door open ever so quietly. He turned to look at who had entered, but could see no one.

"Hmm," he thought, "I must be getting rusty. I could have sworn that someone came in."

He returned to his mug, then felt a sharp point pressing gingerly into his back.

"Stay still, be quiet, and listen," came a rough, husky, voice.

Khamen relaxed his shoulders in relief. "What do you want Candorra?"

His elven friend gave a soft chuckle. Khamen hated to admit that he found it pleasing to hear her.

"Can't fool you, huh? And I thought you had let yourself go."

Khamen did not want to admit to her that he had not noticed her sneaking up on him. He just could never forget her voice, although there were many times he wished he could.

Instead, Khamen just repeated his question.

"Come with me. We have a new job!"

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A few days later, the duo rode up to an abandoned chapel.

"There have been rumors of foul deeds." Candorra explained. "We need to check it out."

They entered through the main doors into the narthex (1). The hallway was gloomy and covered with cobwebs, but not a creature stirred. Our heroes then entered the nave (2). Here they approached the altar. It had been defiled with foul sacrifices. Candorra felt a shiver of fear throughout her body. She knew that the horrid sight would distract her in coming battle. Clearly that was the evil intent of the new overlord of the church.

Khamen then led them through the western door into a long corridor (3). They could see a torch heading their way. Before they could back away, they heard a voice. "Intruders!" Four robed figures pulled out wicked-looking daggers and attacked. Candorra shot one down with her bow then drew her sword. Khamen dodged a blow and sunk his blade into his foe's vitals. He then backed away into the shadows. The remaining pair advanced on Candorra. Khamen got behind them and back-stabbed both.

The party entered the door at the end of the hall. Three devilish creatures lingered in the bare room (4). They rushed the duo, who retreated back down the hall. When the imps saw the fallen corpses of the cultists, they began to feast on the dead flesh.

"I guess we'll try this way," Candorra said as she crossed the nave and opened the eastern door (5). As soon as it opened, the duo heard a resounding roar. A three-headed monstrosity attacked. Khamen ducked under the beast and sunk his blade deep into a draconic head. The monster's head lashed out at our heroes - both were wounded. Khamen struck deep again. The dragon head crunched his arm. With a mighty blow, Candorra struck off the dragon's head. The wounded beast rushed past them and out of the church.

Our heroes bandaged their wounds and then steeled themselves for their next encounter. At the end of the corridor (5) they came to a door, which opened into a room (6). The walls were covered with arcane runes. In the center stood a robed figure.

The figure spoke. "I am surprised you made it past my guardian. No matter. You are fools if you can think you can stop the triumph of chaos."

He then raised his hand to cast a spell. Candorra pulled back her bow and shot him. Snarling in anger and pain, the Chaos Lord drew out a sword and attacked. His whirling strikes wounded both Candorra and Khamen. Stepping back, Candorra muttered an incantation. A bolt of energy leaped from her hand and struck the villain. He quickly recovered and struck both heroes again. Candorra backed away, reaching for a healing potion. The Chaos Lord advanced on her, sword at the ready.

Khamen then stepped in front of her. "Over my dead body, toad breath."

"That can be arranged, puny mortal!"

The Chaos Lord swung. Khamen somersaulted under the blow. Coming to his feet behind the foe, Khamen thrust with his blade. It drove deep into the Chaos Lord's vitals.

The enemy screamed in rage "Chaos shall overwhelm you all!" and then collapsed in a heap.

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Upon returning to Scotsile, our heroes reported to the High Priest.

"So there were no other enemies at the site?" he asked.

"None," Khamen responded, "and no clue as to what he was up to."

"The runes are the clue," the High Priest explained as he scanned a sketch of the arcane signs on the defiled church's walls. "Clearly he was trying to summon some abyssal entities into our world. I fear that we have not heard the last from the powers of Chaos."


OOC Notes

• My wife has gotten into Darkest Dungeon (a video RPG). It inspired me to write a new dungeon for Four Against Darkness. As I was pulling out my 4AD stuff, I found the game sheet for this dungeon. I must have played it last year but never bothered to record it. I decided to jot it down now.
• Note that I used the stats for orcs for the cultists and goblin swarmlings as imps. The guardian was a chimera.
• I notice that 2018 was a bad year for this blog. Only 3 posts and none since May! We'll see if I can do better in 2019. I have some thoughts and plots for a campaign. I hope to talk my wife into playing with me.

The Last Ring

A Khamen and Candorra Adventure
Based on the Three Rings (A Four Against Darkness module)

Our heroes, Khamen, Candorra, and Rikk the Ranger, have been searching the South Wood for the last of the three rings. They encountered a large cave and have decided to investigate it.

Map of the cave

The entrance (1) was empty. The party decided to turn right (west). In the adjoining room (2), our heroes ran into a party of goblins. They took one look at Rikk, who was renowned throughout the forest, and ran out the south door.

The party followed into the corridor (3). At the intersection stood a statue of an armed warrior. Intrigued, Rikk advanced towards it.

"Interesting," he said as he reached out to the stone figure.

"No!" warned Khamen, who rushed to stop Rikk.

But the ranger's finger made contact. Suddenly, the statue came to life and swung its sword at Rikk. With cat-like reflexes, the ranger ducked. The blade continued, and smashed into the advancing Khamen. He hit the floor, his ribs badly bruised.

Rikk wasted no time, and stabbed the statue. Candorra peppered it with arrows.

Enraged, the statue rushed forward at Candorra. Its swords grazed her but she drew her own blade and engaged the figure. Their swords clashed as they circled one another. On occasion, Candorra's sword flicked out, stabbing or slashing the statue. Finally, her blade penetrated to its very heart and it crashed to the ground.

As Candorra and Rikk surveyed the enemy, Khamen came up, rubbing his sore ribs. Gesticulating at Rikk, he gruffly commanded "Don't touch anything!" and then stomped down the corridor.

In adjoining rooms, the heroes scared off some rats (4) and dodged a spear trap (5).

In the next corridor (6), the party ran into a group of orcs. Candorra fireballed one and Rikk shot one with an arrow. In the ensuing melee, all the heroes were wounded, Candorra badly. Yet they managed to slay the enemy. Candorra had to use a heal.

After passing through an empty corridor (7), the party entered a cobweb filled room (8). Suddenly, a giant spider dropped on them from above. Khamen and Rikk wounded it, but it sank its fangs into Candorra. She could feel the venom coursing through her veins, weakening her. It then turned on Rikk and gashed him. Fortunately, he pulled free before it could inject any venom. Finally, Khamen got behind it and stabbed it dead.

Despite their wounds, the party continued on, dodging a spear trap (9) before confronting more orcs (10). Both Khamen and Rikk took wounds before the heroes finished off the orcs.

After backtracking, the party finally found the orc reaver boss (11). In a blink of an eye, Rikk loosed 2 arrows, which struck the reaver in the chest. It howled with pain, rushing at Rikk. Its twin blades both struck into the ranger. Khamen tried to assist but the reaver moved like lightning and also wounded him. Candorra attacked, scoring a couple of wounds on their enemy. The orc swung at Khamen but he managed to dodge.

Candorra stabbed the reaver again but her blade got stuck in its body yet it did not die. As Candorra struggled to free her blade, it turned on her and delivered a crushing blow. She fell to the floor. The orc stood over her, lifting its blade for a death strike. Candorra pulled out a dagger, rolled between the reaver's legs, and plunged her blade up into its groin. The stab cut open a blood vessel, and a shower of black viscous blood showered over her. The reaver stumbled and fell dead.

Rikk tended to Candorra's wounds while Khamen searched the reaver boss. In its pockets, he found the object of their quest - the last of the sacred rings!

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Days later, the party made its way from the forest and arrived at the abbey. The monks were ecstatic that the rings were back in their possession. They took care of the  heroes, using the power of the rings to heal their wounds.

"See Khamen," Candorra scolded him. 'Those aren't just some fancy jewelry we went after. Their powers provide aid to the community. We helped those people."

"Maybe." Khamen mumbled, unwilling to admit that he was wrong about accepting the quest. "But next time, don't volunteer!"

The Tomb of An-Makeran

Part 1 of the Quest for the Book
A Rowan Adventure

After defeating the goblins, Rowan and Jacor are given a more difficult task. The Book of the Saints has been stolen by demon-worshiping fanatics. The culprits have fled to the trackless deserts far to the south, in the land of Palmeria. Our heroes must track them down.

Their first quest is to search for clues in the Tomb of An-Makeran. One problem - legend has it that his corpse rises from his sarcophagus and prowls the ancient tomb.

After a long journey, they arrive at the Tomb.

A rough map of the Tomb
The heroes' path is in red

They enter a long, broad corridor (2). In niches along the wall are the skeletal remains of temple guards. As soon as our heroes enter, the skeletons animate and attack. Jacor finds himself surrounded and takes a wound before Rowan saves him.

The next room (5) features a blood-stained altar. Rowan is stricken by a wave of weakness, but Jacor blesses him and the feeling passes. The heroes exit a door on the right (6) and encounter a temple priest. He attacks but our heroes dispatch him quickly.

They return through the altar room and exit left (4). They are suddenly attacked by a group of hyena-men. Jacor uses the power of the "Peace of Heaven" [aka sleep] to take out one hyena-man but the others swarm our heroes, wounding each of them. Rowan soon mows through the enemy.

In the next room (7), they find an emaciated figure that they take to be a corpse, until it speaks to them. "Brothers, your path is difficult. Allow me to help." It is a hermit who provides healing for Jacor.

In following rooms, they discover a clue (8)  - an ancient parchment - and accept a quest from a troubled spirit (9). Then they get swarmed by a pack of giant rats (12). Jacor uses "Peace of Heaven" to placate the beasts. They battle more skeletons (11), with Jacor taking a wound. After healing, they enter the last room (10).

In the center of the room is a sarcophagus. As soon as they enter, it opens and a mummy crawls out. It is An-Makeran!

Rowan rushes to engage but his attack misses. His shield blocks the mummy's counter. Jacor then hits the creature twice with the Holy Smite [lightning bolt] power. The mummy disintegrates.

The mummy is destroyed and the clue is in their hands, but they accepted a quest to clear all evil from the temple. They check the remaining rooms - there is one more monster (1) but it is a tough one, a chimera!

Jacor heals himself and Rowan, then they burst into the room. The beast's dragon head breathes fire, scorching our heroes. Jacor has no more power so he attacks with his staff, and actually manages to get a hit. Rowan uses his shield to block the beast's attacks, and he manages to get in a couple of solid hits. The wounded beast flees!

With the Tomb cleansed and this part of the quest complete, the duo head for the city of Alatar. There, they can recover their strength and find a sage who can unravel the mystery of the clue they found!

Game Notes
I played this adventure using my card-based modifications for Four Against Darkness. Read more here.

Dungeon of Deception

A Four Against Darkness Adventure

After receiving reports of monsters issuing from an abandoned dungeon, the Temple has sent a neophyte paladin, Brother Bargor, to investigate. With him is an elf warrior, Edenil, whose tribe has been terrorized by the marauders.

Brother Bargor is armed with light armor, a shield, and sword.
Edenil has light armor, a sword, and a bow. Illustrations of his adventures show him with a shield, but that is artistic license.

Game note - To simplify my record-keeping, I played with only 2 characters. To help matters, I gave Brother Bargor a Healing scroll.

Our heroes entered the dungeon and proceeded to explore the right fork. The first few rooms were empty.

Game note - I used miniatures to record my progress. The "finished" map is shown below.

An overview of the dungeon

In the fourth room (4) they ran into a troll. Edenil quickly dispatched it. In the next room they discovered a minotaur. It bellowed with rage and charged them. Edenil dodged but Bargor was impaled on one of the creatures horns. He recovered and plunged his sword into the beast. Edenil followed with a slashing attack that opened a large wound in the minotaur. It panicked and fled. In its lair, our heroes found a Blessing scroll and jewelry worth 70 gp. After the battle, Bargor felt that this experience taught him a lesson and made him a better fighter (he leveled up).

In subsequent rooms, they found more treasure. Then they ran into an ogre (10). They attacked. Edenil hit it but Bargor missed. Off balance, he was unable to avoid the ogre's massive club. The blow crushed a couple of ribs and knocked him aside. He quickly recovered, however, and struck a telling blow. Edenil also attacked and struck. Furious, the ogre swung at Bargor. He dodged but the ogre's backswing struck Edenil! Despite the pain, he counterattacked and scored another hit. The creature swung again; this time Bargor took the brunt of it. Bruised and battered by the ogre, our heroes realized they had little stamina left. If the fight continued, they would succumb. Mustering their last reserves of strength they rushed to attack. Both the bladed buried themselves deep into the ogre's flesh. It collapsed in a pool of blood.

For all that effort, they only found 4 gold on the monster. Fortunately, they were able to heal, and continue their exploration.

In subsequent room (11, 14) they encountered and defeated vampire frogs. They discovered a strange puzzle (12) but they did not feel like they could solve it so they left it alone. By this time, they (actually me) were weary of adventuring so they began to backtrack. They passed an empty room (15) then defeated goblin swarmlings (16) and orcs (17) before making their way out of the dungeon.

While they did not find the main villain terrorizing the countryside, they managed to wipe out some powerful monsters and find some "donations" for the Temple.

Creepy Crawly

Part 1 of the Search for Princess Zenobia
A Space Templar Adventure

Once again, Lord Malgore was up to his evil tricks. This time he captured Princess Zenobia of Vespa. She had been a leading voice on her planet for stronger ties with the Federation, putting a damper on Malgore's plans to create his own empire from the scattered systems of Fringe Space.

The Temple assigned our heroes, Rugen and his android sidekick TSD-95A ("Tee" for short), to search for and rescue the princess from Malgore's clutches.

The duo began their search on Vespa itself, a prosperous world in the heart of Fringe Space. They discovered the kidnappers former hideout. As they entered the building, they were attacked by a Protectron device, but were able to avoid harm and deactivate the security system. They found no clues at the hideout, but Vespian space traffic records were able to provide a suspected course for the escape ship.

Our heroes began following the trail. On a couple of different planets, they fell afoul of Imperial agents. Rugen was wounded but they learned that the kidnappers had previously had dealings with the Imperials. They felt they were hot on Malgore's trail!

Their clues led them to a seemingly deserted asteroid in an uninhabited system. Was there a secret base here? As they explored the surface, the planet's crust gave way, revealing a deep hole. Rugen began to fall but he grabbed the edge with his fingertips and managed to pull himself back up. Taking more care, they explored the gaping cavern and discovered a pocket of invaluable isotopium crystals. So that's why the criminals stopped here.

Next, Rugen and Tee tracked the kidnappers to another populated planet. As they were investigating another hideout, a large, many-legged vehicle rushed at them. It was a SPDR class battle walker! The walker began shooting laser bolts at them. Tee was hit, and the charge from the bolt shorted a number of his circuits. He fired back, damaged the craft. Rugen leapt upon it and thrust his laser sword into the vehicle's engine compartment. Flames and smoke began to issue from the walker. The pilot panicked and fled from the battle.

Once again, our heroes had defeated one of Malgore's minions, but where was Malgore and the Princess?

Tune in next time to find out!

Game Notes

• This is a new adventure for my Space Templar heroes, Rugen and Tee. I realize that I never finished their previous adventure, but I wanted to move on. I guess we can assume they survived their prior encounter.
• I'm playing this adventure using a variant of Ganesha Games' Four Against Darkness. I explain my tweaks on my Warwell's Wargames blog.

Caves of the Kobold Slave Masters

A Cat Patrol Adventure

The Cat Patrol, a party comprising of Cooper the warrior, Thomasina the cleric, Ollie the halfling, Onyx the rogue, and Buster the elf (who is fairly new to the party), has been hired to rescue Elvynn the adventurer, Word has come that he has been enslaved by kobolds. Our heroes set out on their adventure.

SPOILER ALERT
This game report reveals details from the published module, Caves of the Kobold Slave-Masters. If you plan or are thinking about playing this module you probably don't want to read this report. Instead, you may want to read one of my other Four Against Darkness reports. To maintain some surprise, I have no replicated the map.

Cover from the Ganesha Games website

As the party entered the caves, a pervading sense of doom overwhelmed Cooper, Ollie, and Buster. With the coaxing of their comrades, they continued into the kobold's lair, although their effectiveness was likely to be impaired.

In the first room, they found a chained goblin, whom they freed and allowed to escape from the dungeon. Then the found a magical pool, avoided a magical noose trap, and discovered a clue and a scroll in a library, After these successes, they stumbled into the lair of a manticore. They rushed to the attack and scored a couple of hits. It lashed out with its tail; Cooper narrowly avoided being skewered by the poisonous barb. Then the rest of the party defeated the beast. In its lair, they discovered an 80 gold piece pendant.

After passing through 2 uneventful rooms, the heroes stumbled into an armory. They made short work of the 6 kobold guards. The next room held a troll. In a short but intense battle, Cooper was wounded and the troll killed. As our heroes relaxed after their victory, the troll sprung back to life and attacked. Again they killed it but it regenerated. Finally, Buster hacked it to pieces and it remained dead.

From here they entered a long cavern with a rushing stream bisecting it. A bridge covered with runes crossed the stream. Bravely, Ollie decided to attempt a crossing. As he did, the magical runes erupted into flame. Fortunately our halfling was dextrous enough to leap clear of danger. The rest of the party decided to try wading the stream. Onyx got caught up in the current and was painfully bashed up against some rocks. But he and the rest of the party managed to make it across.

On the far side of the cavern was 2 doors. They opened one and were attacked by a zombie dragon. It breathed a noxious gas upon the party; Cooper, Ollie, and Onyx were nearly overcome by the fumes. The party hacked and slashed and the creature. Desperately wounded, it flew away.

In the other room they found Elvynn chained to a wall. He was being whipped by several kobolds. Cooper and Thomasina led the attack, taking out 2 kobolds. One of the enemy lashed out with its whip, disarming Buster. Another four of the slave-masters fell to the blades of our heroes. Cooper and Thomasina managed to stave off the attacks of the remaining enemy. Then in a blink of an eye, the last of the kobolds were defeated.

Onyx managed to pick the locks on Elvynn's chains. Then, they led him out of the caverns and into freedom.

Although Elvynn had been rescued, the slave-masters were still at large. What will happen next to our heroes? Only time will tell, so be sure to stay tuned for more exciting adventures of the Cat Patrol.

Mummy's Day

A Cat Patrol Adventure


In its first adventure, the Cat Patrol explored the right and middle passage of the dungeon. Flush with success at finding a piece of jewelry worth 150 gold, they decided to return to town, where they were able to updated their equipment (Cooper and Thomasina purchased heavy armor while Ollie acquired leather).

In addition, they added a party member. Buster is an elf, armed with leather armor, a bow, and sword.

Game Note: I know it's supposed to be FOUR against darkness, but the party is named after our cats and we now have 5 cats. We didn't want to leave Buster out (his picture still needs to be added). I compensated by adding 1 to each D6 when determining the number of enemies. I should also have added a life to bosses.

Because the party did not explore the left passage of the dungeon, they decided to return and finish the job.

Game Note: Per the rules, once a party leaves a dungeon then all the monsters are supposed to leave. I decided to ignore this rule because we never met a boss, leaving it feeling a bit anti-climatic. Also, we would be exploring a whole new area. I decided to take a little creative license, allowing us to "finish" the dungeon but making it like a brand new one.

Here is the second level of the dungeon

Re-entering the dungeon, the party veered left. The came to stairs going down. At the bottom, a corridor (1) branched three ways. This time, they started to the left. As they turned down a long corridor (2), the screeching of bats pierced their ears. Little Ollie leapt into the air and sliced 5 of them himself!

They opened a door to their left and entered a large room (3). There were 8 goblins but the party dispatched them easily.

They returned to the corridor and opened the door on the right. In this room (4) was a puzzle box. Onyx nearly sprung the trap but he managed to open the box and find a valuable gem (30 gp)!

In the next room (5) they found the prone form of a small dragon. They tried to creep past it but it awoke and demanded them to explain what they were doing. They were left speechless. Then the dragon decided to let them pass, for a price. Coughing up all their hard-won treasure, the party proceeded to a temple (6). Here Cooper received a blessing that would give him a bonus against the undead.

The party had reached a dead end; they had no choice but to go back through the dragon's room. Hopefully, their previous bribe would be sufficient. Alas, it wasn't and the dragon attacked. Cooper and Thomasina shielded the party with their shields. Thomasina managed 2 hits against the dragon. Then, when Onyx managed to sneak around and backstab it, the dragon had enough. It flew away through a secret shaft. The party recovered their bribe as well as additional treasure.

The heroes backtracked then entered a small room (7) with an ogre. Cooper was wounded in the melee but once again Thomasina proved invaluable, scoring 2 hits on the monster. As it received multiple wounds, it fled. Ollie discovered a ring of teleportation.

In the next room (8), invisible gremlins stole a number of items, including the party's magic items and some weapons. Ollie found himself unarmed! Unwilling to proceed, the party returned to the goblin room (3) and recovered some daggers.

After re-arming, the party continued their quest. Leaving the gremlin room, the party entered a long corridor (9), From the far end they heard shuffling and moaning. As they peered into the darkness, they spotted a mummy!

From http://www.aidedd.org/dnd/monstres.php?vo=mummy

At first, only Onyx managed to hit. Then after Cooper and Thomasina defended against attacks, the party slashed the mummy to ribbons! They found a healing potion.

Game Note: Oops! I allowed everyone to attack. This being a corridor, only the front rank + the bowman (Buster) should have attacked.

With the main boss defeated, the party decided to leave the dungeon. Before they could escape, they were attacked by skeletal rats. Both Thomasina and Ollie were wounded. The party then annihilated the rest. The path was open; they left the dungeon with bounteous treasure!

Game Note: This is another adventure using Ganesha Games' Four Against Darkness

The Cat Patrol

A New Adventure Using Ganesha Game's Four Against Darkness

The Cat Patrol consists of 4 party members:

• Cooper, the warrior armed with sword, shield, and light armor
• Thomasina, the cleric armed with a mace, shield, and light armor
• Onyx, the rogue with light armor and a dagger
• Ollie, the halfling with a short sword and sling. He carries a lantern

The party decided to explore a dungeon a little way outside of town. Below is what they mapped.

After entering the dungeon, they veered right through a corridor (1) into a small room (2). A swarm of vampire bats fled at their presence. They backtracked, passed through another small room (3) and entered a a third (4). A pervasive feeling of evil blanketed the room. Then, a ghost appeared and passed through Onyx. He was petrified with fright; Cooper nearly had to carry him out of the room.

In the next room (5), they met a wandering healer. What was he doing in the dungeon? He did not say. Alas, the party could not afford his services.

Next, they enter a room (6) filled with vampire frogs. They rushed to the attack. Thomasina smashed one with her mace. A frog leapt on Ollie and begas sucking his blood. Ollie stabbed it with his dagger and it fell dead. Cooper and Onyx killed two more, and the remainder hopped away. Thomasina bandaged Ollie's wound. Meanwhile, Onyx searched the room and found a necklace worth 150 gold pieces!

The next room (7) contained an altar. A sense of evil emanated from it. Again, Onyx felt paralyzed with fear, but Thomasina blessed him and he returned to his normal self. As Thomasina completed the blessing, a party of hobgoblins attacked. Our heroes parried the blows, then Cooper, Onyx, and Ollie put down their opponents. The rest fled.

The party had come to a dead end so they backtracked. The were nearly back at the entrance (4) when 3 trolls attacked. The party cut them down in an instance. As they paused to catch their breath, 2 of the trolls returned to life. Again, the heroes killed the trolls only to have them regenerate. A drawn-out battle began. Cooper was wounded twice. Finally, the party killed the trolls and hacked them to bits.

At this point, while an expensive piece of jewelry in their possession, the party decided to leave the dungeon.

Lair of the Ogre Lord

Part 2 of a new Maudicor Adventure

Previously, I described how we had just defeated 2 trolls. From there, we entered a large room (13).

We heard a loud grunting noise, then were confronted by a hideous visage - a strange creature called a catoblepas.

It gazed at us and we felt the life draining from our bodies. Then the creature bolted in fear through an open door to our right. We decided to proceed the other way,

We entered another room with an altar (14). This one, however, emanated with a holy light. Wynne felt a surge of power flow through her. She knew that any undead she met would meet their end quickly. Again we passed through a couple of corridors (15-16), driving off centipedes along the way.

From there, we stayed left and then entered a narrow room (17) and were assaulted by the smell of death. The room was littered with bones and corpses - presumably the victims of the ogre. Suddenly, some of the bones animated and attacked us, Aganon, Wynne, and Kyda began laying waste to the skeletons. One grabbed Kyda and stabbed her repeatedly with a broken sword. Kyda smashed it with her magic sword. After the battle, Wynne healed Kyda and we applied bandages to our wounds.

We then backtracked through the winding corridor (16) and ran into a massive orc. Wynne smashed it with her mace then Aganon deflected its blows. Aganon and Wynne hit it again and I blasted it with fireball. Badly wounded, it fled.

We proceeded to a small room (18). Here, the giant ogre lord was asleep.

It rose instantly but we were upon it. Aganon and Wynne hacked and smashed it while Kyda peppered it with arrows. I used a scroll to cast a lightning bolt at it. The ogre swung at Aganon. He blocked the blow with his shield but the force knocked him to his knees. This gave Kyda a clear shot; her arrow pierced its eye. It howled in rage, swinging wildly. Wynne stepped in and dispatched it with a blow to the temple.

We found another scroll. With our mission complete, we rushed back to the exit. Fortunately, we met no resistance. We have now returned safely to the Holy Temple.

Game Note
Both parts of this adventure were played out using the standard rules for Four Against Darkness by Ganesha Games.

Curses

Part 1 of a new Maudicor Adventure

After the success in defeating the medusa in the Catacombs, the Preceptor decided that we could tackle something a bit more challenging. In the nearby foothills is an abandoned monastery. Lately, a dreadful ogre has taken residence and attracted other monstrosities to his banner. We are to enter the monastery and kill the ogre.

Here is a map of the monastery.

We entered the grounds and came to an intersection (1). Turning right into a corridor (2), we ran into 2 orcs. They did not last long. We came to a narrow, L-shaped room (3). As we turned the corner, a burst of flame enveloped us. Then with a deafening roar, a small dragon attacked. I blasted it with a lightning bolt. It then attacked our fighter and cleric, but they avoided its deadly claws and jaws. Thus began a deadly dance. Aganon and Wynne tried to strike the beast while avoiding its attacks. Finally, Aganon struck 2 quick blows. The beast staggered and then Wynne finished it off with a blow to the head. We found a gem worth 40 gold.

We then backtracked and entered a square room (4) with an altar at the far end. As we approached, the altar glowed with a diabolic, pulsating light.

From http://media.wizards.com/images/magic/daily/wallpapers/AltaroftheLost_DKA_2560x1600_Wallpaper.jpg

Suddenly, I felt as if I were stricken by pure malevolence. Wynne rushed to my side and blessed me in the name of the Maker. The feeling dissipated.

The next room (5) contained a puzzle, which I solved easily. My success unveiled a hidden recess wherein lay a magical bow. We gave it to Kyda. We passed through an armory (6) into a room that looked like a mausoleum (7). Suddenly, a ghostly entity appeared. Aganon and Wynne were so frightened that they appeared momentarily transfixed. The entity disappeared as quickly as it arrived, so we continued our quest.

We passed through a couple of corridors (8-9), scattering several giant centipedes along the way. We then entered a small room (10) stacked with books. I found a scroll that allows me to cast an Escape spell. We proceeded into another corridor (11) where we defeated 3 hobgoblins.

As we entered the next passage (12), we were assaulted by a noxious odor. As we recoiled in disgust, 2 trolls rushed us!

From http://tribality.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/troll1-740x360.jpg

Aganon and Wynne ably defended and then slaughtered the creatures. As we recovered from our shock, one came back to life and grabbed Wynne's leg. She smashed it with her mace and then Kyda sliced it to ribbons. I then noticed that one of them dropped a staff. I picked it up and noticed runes notched along its length. Deciphering them, I realized that I held a magic staff that cast fireballs. Wonderful treasure indeed! But we seemed no closer to the end of our quest. Where was the ogre?

Find out next time!

Thrilling Adventures in Aetheria!

The Tales of Dirk Daring
As the Empire of the Iron Fist threatens the Free People of Aetheria, the forces of freedom have recruited a band of courageous adventurers to take the fight to the Empire. Led by Dirk Daring, they go on thrilling adventures in Aetheria, with the fate of the free world in their hands!

Cast of Characters

Dirk Daring
The commander of the party. He was a celebrated fighter pilot during the Grand War. After the war, he became a stunt pilot. he travels the world performing at air shows across the globe. This gives him an opportunity counter the nefarious plots of the Empire throughout the world.

Dirk is a redoubtable soldier who wears a well-worn leather jacket and carries a pearl-handled pistol.

Sally Sweeting
Don't be fooled by Sally's demure looks. She is actual an accomplished mechanic who keeps Dirk's planes in working order. In a pinch, she can pitch in during a fight.

Sally's agility and luck, along with her .22 caliber pistol, keep her from harm.

"Boomer" Bradley
Nick "Boomer" Bradley is a demolitions expert. He was serving in the Confederation military, working on top secret projects for the government, when Dirk offered him a chance to get out of the laboratory. Boomer jumped at the chance.

Boomer is armed with a light pistol and carries 3 demolition charges.

Mme. Fifi Fatale
The sultry Mme. Fatale is an agent for the Galllian Secret Service. Her government is afraid of antagonizing the Empire openly so they assigned her to work with Dirk's team covertly. Although she is not averse to using her feminine wiles, she is no slouch in a fight.

Fifi is armed with a pistol.

The Mission
Join our team as they embark on their first mission - the Raid on the Wolf's Lair.

Raid on the Wolf's Lair

A Dirk Daring Adventure

(Using a Four Against Darkness Variant)

Our heroes have been tasked with finding secret war plans of the Empire of the Iron Fist. They surreptitiously flew into Imperial territory, found the hidden outpost known as the wolf's lair, and are now entering it to find the plans.

Here is a map of the outpost:

They entered through a little-used side entrance and found themselves in an empty room with 3 exits (1). They took the middle entrance and found themselves in a guard room (2). The guards were all armed with poison needle guns but before they could get a shot off the party opened fire and eliminated the enemy.

This room was a dead end so they backtracked, wound through a corridor (3) into a nondescript office. They found a hidden safe. Sally unlocked it and was almost poisoned by a trap. They found some secret documents, which they kept. They weren't the plans they wanted, however.

The next room (5) was an armory. The lone Imperial engineer saw the party and quickly donned a large, flame-throwing exoskeleton. Boomer used a demolition charge, which damaged the exoskeleton. It then replied by blasting the room with a jet of flame. Boomer and Mme. Fatale were burned. Dirk and Fatale then emptied their revolvers into the exoskeleton. Boomer followed with a well-aimed shot that disabled the machine.

Leaving the armory, the party headed down a  long corridor (6). They stopped at an intersection when suddenly machine gun fire erupted. Fortunately, our heroes dove for cover and were safe. They discovered that the guns were a trap. Also, when they hit the floor they found a security pass.

In the next room (7) they were confronted by 3 Guardsmen. Fortunately, they were able to use the pass that they found to bluff their way past.

Our heroes then meandered through an empty corridor (8) and entered a small office. At the desk was an officer of the Imperial Secret Police. When he saw the party, he pulled out a sub-machine gun and opened fire. Dirk and Sally fired back, wounded him. He ducked behind his desk. Lifting his weapon over the desk top, he fired another burst. This time Dirk and Boomer shot, wounding him again. At this point, he surrendered. Our heroes tied him up and searched him. No plans.

The party went back through the corridor (8) and entered the next office (10). Another Secret Police officer! Another firefight broke out. Boomer used a demolition charge to wound the officer, but in turn he wounded Dirk. But the barrage of gunfire was too much and the officer slumped to the floor. Checking the room, they found the plans.

They rushed back through the outpost while chased by guard dogs. At one point a dog latched on Boomer's leg, tearing at his flesh. His comrades was able to defeat the dog and helped Boomer limp from the outpost.

Once outside, they made their way back to Dirk's plane and soared off to safety.

Stone Cold

The Thrilling Conclusion to the Catacombs
(A Maudicor Adventure Using Four Against Darkness)

After defeating the dragon, we continued our investigation of the Catacombs. Here is a map of what we explored:

Our search led us to a corridor filled with dragon swarmlings (8) which guarded an expensive gem. Then I solved a puzzle (9) to find a lightning bolt scroll.

We backtracked and in a square room (10) we found a hidden treasure chest with 196 gold pieces. As we proceeded, we defeated 3 zombies (11) and 6 cultists (13). I was able to use a fireball scroll that I found to aid us in our victory over the cultists.

Game note: Again, to meet the theme, I changed some monsters. As the dungeon progressed, I began to envision it as a lair of a dragon cult, hence the dragon swarmlings (instead of goblin swarmlings) and cultists (instead of hobgoblins).

Fortunately, we found a room with a fountain (15). We tested the waters and found that they healed our wounds.

The next room (16) was a more unpleasant surprise. As we entered, we spied a female figure with snakes for her hair. A medusa! Aganon and Wynne were instantly turned to stone! "Don't look at her face!" I yelled. "Keep your eyes on her feet!" I used a lightning bolt scroll but with my eyes averted, I missed badly. Kyda and I then forged into the fight. Alas, our limited vision hindered our attacks, and many times we missed our target. The medusa managed to wound both of us. But finally, we got used to our poor vision and struck her until she collapsed dead. We found a magical sword.

But what to do about our petrified comrades? We picked up their bodies and began to manhandle them through the dungeon towards the exit. We had to beat back attacks by rats and vampire bats but managed to make it out of the dungeon. We brought our friends back to the Temple, where blessings returned them to their human form.

After we made our report to the Preceptor, he sent out another expedition to rout out the remaining cult. Alas, the leader and the remaining cultists had fled. At least the Catacombs are now clear!

The Wyrm Under the Streets

Part 1 of the Catacombs
(A Maudicor Adventure Using Four Against Darkness)

After our failure at the Caverns of Chaos, the Preceptor decided that we should tackle something a bit less challenging (famous last words!). Under the city is a labyrinth of tunnels known as the Catacombs. It has often been the lair of disreputable folk. Currently, there are rumors of evil deeds. It is our mission to investigate it.

As he was unable to provide us more equipment, we had to improvise some clubs.

Here is a map of the dungeon so far:

We entered the dungeon. Opening the middle door of the first room (1), we proceeded into a twisting corridor (2). Here we ran into 5 fungi folk. Aganon and Wynne fought superbly and defeated the enemy (although Wynne was wounded).

We then entered a large empty room (3). As we proceeded to the door, we were suddenly attacked by 5 vampire frogs. They seemed to target Kyda; she was soon badly wounded but Wynne healed her. Kyda then backstabbed the last remaining frog.

At this point,we discovered a valuable piece of jewelry. We decided to take it back to the Temple and re-arm ourselves.
Game note: I "cheated" here and let the adventurers leave and return to the dungeon because I felt it would make for a better story if I could arm them properly. Changing the rules is one of the benefits of solo gaming (and as you will see it was very fortuitous for the party).

Refit and rested, we returned to the Catacombs. In a corridor (4), we ran into 7 ne'er-do-wells, apparently using the Catacombs for nefarious ends. Aganon gave them a chance to surrender but they attacked. I put 5 of them to sleep and the others fled.
Game note: The random roll came up orcs but it seemed unlikely for tunnels under the city. I changed the name but used the same stats. One of the strengths of Four Against Darkness is that the monster lists can easily be tailored to your needs.

We then passed through a corridor (5) and a room (6) without incident until we came to an irregular room (7). There was a dais with what we thought was a statue of a dragon on it. Then the dragon began to move! I immediately shot a lightning bolt at it, which seared the beast. Aganon leapt into the fray and stabbed the dragon. The beast, reared back and slashed with its massive talons. Aganon ducked but Wynne was hit and thrown against the wall. Again, Aganon stabbed the beast. This time, its attacks missed. But then it reared back and spewed forth a geyser of sulfurous breath. Aganon and Wynne dodged but Kyda and I were scorched. Then Wynne leapt upon the beast's back, and with a prayer to the Maker clubbed its skull. It collapsed in a heap. We found some minor bits of treasure (including a fireball scroll).

As we take a moment to recuperate, I am jotting down these notes. It appears that the dragon was being kept by someone, perhaps as a watcher. Who is behind the evil doings in these Catacombs? Only further exploration will tell.

Game Notes
This was my second adventure using Four Against Darkness available from Ganesha Games. I highly recommend it for some quick adventuring!

The Caverns of Chaos

A Four Against Darkness Adventure

My name is Maudicor. In the past, I have delved into the mysteries of mana and learned the arcane arts. Now, I use my talents in the service of the Holy Temple.

Recently, the Preceptor of our local temple learned of a nearby dungeon that the locals called the Caverns of Chaos. Apparently, evil forces had occupied it. I was assigned, with three others, to clear it out. My companions were Aganon the warrior, Wynne the cleric, and Kyda the rehabilitated rogue.

I drew a map of the parts of the dungeon that we explored.

1. We entered the dungeon and found ourselves in an empty room. There are 3 doors leading out; we chose the middle one.
2. From there, we moved into a long corridor that emptied into a rectangular room. As we entered the room, a sudden flurry of wings swooped by us. A pack of vampire bats, startled by our appearance, flew out of the room.
3. After passing through an empty corridor,
4. we came into a long room. It seemed empty but after a thorough search we found some mysterious runes carved into the far wall. Perhaps a clue to the secrets of the dungeon? We need more information to reveal the mystery.
5. And another empty corridor, leading to
6. an irregularly shaped room. As we entered, a foul odor assaulted our senses. Bones were strewn throughout the room. Then we heard a faint growling, followed by an angry roar. The denizen of the room, a vile troll, leapt out of the darkness at me! He swung and his long claws dug into my arm. I fell back, blood oozing from my wound. My companions rushed forward. Aganon and Wynne hacked and smashed the creature. Them Kyda snuck up behind it, and thrust her blade deep into its vitals. It collapsed. We then chopped it to bits so it would not regenerate. We found 2 gold pieces strewn among the rubbish. We then retraced our steps (scaring off some rats in one of the corridors) until we reached a new room.
7. This room was occupied by 6 goblins. I blasted one with a fireball while my comrades each killed one. The remaining 2 fled.
8. We followed them into a corridor but they disappeared! There was a stone door at the end of this hall but we could not open it. Then I noticed s series of knobs labled with pictographs. A puzzle! After a few minutes, I solved it and we were able to open the door.
9. As we passed through the next corridor, we ran into a patrol of 3 hobgoblins. We immediately attacked, and after a brief fight we had vanquished the foe. On one of the hobgoblins, we found a ring of teleportation.
10. The next room was covered in webs, We started cutting and burning our way through them, but this awoke the denizen of those webs. A giant spider dropped into our midst. As it descended from the ceiling, Aganon thrust into its torso but the creature still lived. It landed on Wynne and sank its fangs into shoulder. She cried out in pain and backed away. The party attacked, but the spider deftly dodged. It then leapt at Aganon biting him and injecting him with poison. Aganon countered and slashed the spider. It bit him again; more poison coursed through his veins. He was growing weaker, but he put all his strength into the blow and split the creature in twain. Wynne then rushed to him and by praying fervently to the Maker Aganon's wounds were healed. Searching the room, we found a necklace worth at least 100 gold!
11. We backtracked through a few rooms, scaring off some more vampire bats. We burst into a new room and ran into 7 orcs. With a quick incantation, I put 3 of them to sleep. Aganon and Wynne each killed an orc, but they were injured in their fights. Aganon then slew another and Kyda's backstab eliminated the last one. We found a ring worth 120 gold.
12. As we explored the next room, we found piles of rusted junk lying around. I planned to poke around with my staff, but then I realized that it was missing from my hand. After my cry of surprise, the others discovered that their weapons were gone. Gremlins! They had stolen all our weapons, our treasure, and even my spell book. We were utterly defenseless so we decided to make a hasty exit.

As we neared the exit, we were attacked by a pack of goblin swarmlings. They bit and clawed, wounding me. But we were able to extricate ourselves and flee from the dungeon.

We have now reported our failure to the Holy Temple and we await their response.