Session 3: Picking over the bones

 Session was played on 03/8/2022 with PCs adventuring for 1 days. The PCs can make downtime requests and participate in sessions on and after 03/9/2022.

Session Report:

The third session of my online Aegyptus campaign was relatively short.  The party was composed of three returning characters, Fren (fighter), Victor (fighter), Laroux (thief), a returning henchman Balthazar (0-human).  The party was also joined by a new character Moon-Ra (cleric).

Our newest player was referred to my campaign by Bdubs--DM of the "Dubsazon" campaign, which has been running for roughly 16 months.  Bdubs also plays DAP (Dawn Age Pervert), a patron in this campaign who was originally developed in my 5e Waterdeep game.  DAP was inspired by BAP (of twitter), and this tweet by Padre Brendon Laroche (official Patriarch of the BROSR):

Bdubs told me that he was sending potential PC recruits my way because he wanted "more PCs to clown on" as DAP in the Aegyptus campaign (currently, however, neither of my patrons have discovered the location of the PCs).  As an aside, readers who are interested in signing up to be PCs in Aegyptus should contact me on twitter (@halfelf_mariner).

So, with a new player in tow, the party started off by asking me to adjudicate a downtime request I hadn't gotten to.  They commissioned a canoe so that they can travel down the Nilus River to bigger and better towns.

The party also asked me if they knew whether other party in town (IRL players) had recently spent any time in the starting dungeon (the temple of the broken heads).  I told them that it didn't seem like the other party had gone on a delve since this party's last session.  So my players decided that instead of boating downstream, they would take another shot at the temple of the broken heads (now with the assistance of a cleric--who could hopefully assist with the numerous undead in the dungeon).

There were no random encounters on the way to the dungeon.  Upon arrival, the party cautiously entered the dungeon, because when they last exited, Victor stepped on a trap that nearly killed him.  But nothing seemed to be out of place.  So they navigated their way cautiously through the corridors to the "cathedral room" where, in the last session, they found a mummy ghoul's tomb.

When they entered this room, they asked me "is everything still mostly how we left it."  The answer was, generally yes.  The pews that the party had moved to create a barricade were still stacked up as they had left them.  But the huge statue of Set (which made a bit of noise when the party took its scepter and flail last week) was no where to be seen.  Also, skulking in the far corner of the room were three large hairy and surprisingly stealthy beastmen (who Victor fortunately noticed).

The party parleyed with the beastmen, and paid a "toll" of 25 gp for the ability to pass the dungeon.  The bugbears told the players they could explore other sections, but would be attacked if they explored past the pedestal where the statue of Set stood last week.  The beastmen also talked about "the ancient ones," who "made them" and whom they still apparently revere.

After avoiding combat with these beastmen, the party searched the tomb they had opened last week.  Which contained a bronze death mask worth 14 gp.  They then searched the room carefully, and found only a visible bronze door which showed a motif of soldiers lined up with shields and spears.

Undeterred, the party checked the door for traps, and opened it to find a room with 5 vertical wall graves--each occupied by a skeleton holding a spear and shield as shown in the door relief.  They carefully spread a bit of military oil on the floor, and then the cleric threw a dart at one of the skeletons for 1 point of damage.  At this point, the eyes of all of the skeletons lit up with a murderous orange glow, and we rolled for initiative.  

The first few players were ineffective in their attacks.  Then the skeletons attacked the front line (comprised of Balthazar and Fren).  None of the attacks hit Fren, but one skeleton managed to hit and kill the level-0 henchman, and then successfully cleaved into Fren which knocked him down as well.  Then Moon-Ra the cleric, lifted up his holy symbol of Ra and successfully turned all the skeletons.  The two other party members took advantage, and killed the skeletons while they were cowering from the cleric and his god.

Immediately after the fight, Moon-Ra sucessfully attempted to revive Fren (who needs a week of bedrest and now has a broken hand).  The cleric was unable to revive Balthazar the henchman.  At this point, the party scrounged through the dungeon, finding only 5 amulets of Set (worth 8 gp total).  The party also picked through the skeleton's equipment, recovering 5 shields (worth 40 gp total), and 4 spears (worth 9 gp total).

Taking their meager loot, and the dead body of the henchmen with them, the party exited the dungeon, and returned home to Ra Hafir with no encounters on their return trip.  We ended the session there.  I had to jump off, but it looked like the players may have stayed on a few minutes to scheme.  Who knows?  I'm sure I'll find out next week.

Surviving PCs Present:

- Fren, played by normie (10% xp bonus) level 1 fighter. current xp : 407 + 36 = 443 XP

- Victor, played by brigandine (5% xp bonus) level 1 fighter. current xp 251 + 35 = 286 XP 

- Laroux, played by belloc (0% xp bonus) level 1 thief.  current xp: 131 + 34 = 165 XP

- Moon-Ra, played by nvizz (10% xp bonus) level 1 cleric.  current xp: 0 + 36 = 36 XP

Deceased PCs:

- Gren, level 1 cleric, played by normie. Current XP total 0.  Killed by skeletons in session 1.

- Alchus, level 1 fighter, played by brigandine.  Current XP total 0.  Killed by skeletons in session 1.

- Typhus, level 1 cleric, played by brigandine.  Current XP total 0.  Killed by skeletons in session 1.