Dolmenwood - Session 02

The adventures in Dolmenwood continues this week with the PCs making their first attempts at exploring the forest proper. As always below is a short recap of the events of the session with some of my thoughts at the end, enjoy!

Characters

• Modestus Ursus - Level 3 Human Cleric
• Moggy "Mog" Cottonsocks - Level 2 Grimalkin Fighter
• Pansy Strongboned - Level 2 Human Fighter

Followers

• Agnel Dregger - Level 1 Magician

Action Report

The party awake and realize that Mog had been imprisoned the previous night. As such party make the decision to sell off the magical chalice—a potion of accelerate time—they found at Droomen Knoll. Using the funds of the sale Mog's ransom is paid and the Grimalkin is released from prison. 

Preparations are made thereafter for an expedition to the standing stones seen in the vision from last session. One of the magicians of the Shadow House—a woman named Agnel—is assigned to guide them to and help explore the strange stones. The party also stock up on supplies and purchase a couple horses, a charger named Buster and a yellow-flank named Roxy. 

The party set out northwards hoping to avoid as much attention as possible by traveling through a less trodden part of the wood. As they reach the eaves of the forest they spot a couple of dark-clad figures searching through the nearby underbrush. The group conclude the two to be members of the secretive sect known as the Drune. The group also spot a familiar figure with white thistle-like hair and ice-blue skin hiding nearby—the elf Thinwhistle—that the party had encountered at Droomen Knoll. 

The party learn from the elf that the Drune are looking for him thinking that he is some sort of spy. Wowing to help the group the next they meet him, the party help Thinwhistle escape by distracting the Drune with conversation. Things nearly turn heated but the group are ultimately only left with a warning to tread carefully within the woods beyond. 

Heading into the boggy woods beyond, the party come upon a group of goblins playing a game of "toss the baby". Intervening the characters decide to pay off the goblins to return the infant to where they found it. A bit of haggling ensues but eventually the goblins take the characters back into the Tithelands where the child is returned in exchange for 70gp and a promise that the goblins won't kidnap any more children. Before they part ways pansy purchases some fairy fruits from the goblins. The fruit is delectable but leaves Pansy with a palpable longing to visit fairy and sample more of the wondrous fruits. 

As the day begins to come to a close the group reach a strange glen with an ominous aura about it. Mog and Agnel both feel a strange feeling as if the space about them is somehow broken. Nonetheless the glade is dry and as such the party decide to make camp. After pitching their tent and fetching whatever firewood they can find the party decide to take a rest for the night. 

Trudging through the boggy eaves of Dolmenwood

GM Thoughts

In a sense this session was perhaps more of an introduction to Dolmenwood than the first as this session the players interacted with more of the systems of play different from standard B/X. In practice i found the systems around camping a lot more lightweight than i expected them to be. 

Releasing Mog from prison was quite easy, as was expected. Since the party had plundered a lot of valuables last session I had no doubts they would have the funds required for the release. If the party had not been as rich I would probably not had sprung such a punitive consequence on them. 

Having a magician follower in the party now acts as both some extra firepower and a good reminder that the shadow house has a stake in this adventure. It also serves as a good way for me as a GM to provide contextual exposition should it be needed, with the added bonus of it being in character. 

Finally I would like to commend the encounter tables in the Dolmenwood Monster Book, both the encounters this session were suggestions from the book. The encounter with the Drune and Thinwhistle in particular was great as it provided the group with some continuation from their previous adventure. This is certainly not the last the party has seen of the elf. The Drune are also probably going to appear again soon, and if so they will probably not be as forgiving as they were this session...