Infinite Automaton

1000 Statues Session Report 1&2-ish

2 Sessions of 1000 Statues, spent mostly on floors 7 and 8.

The First One (11/24)

Cast

Not our first delve into the dungeon of 1000 statutes, the omnipresent rain bringing down the mood as we delved in search of what lies beneath. With all of the parts of the dungeon that we were familiar with largely explored, we opted to go down as deep as anyone had been. We prepped for the known cold of floor 7 and descended, opting to explore new directions instead of contend with known hostile wolves and possible unknown hostile backup. We then opened a door to find a giant mammoth, and decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

Heading deeper to the 8th floor, we were confronted with terrifyingly minuscule glow worms. Deciding this was as dangerous as the mammoth, we looped around further and found a room-within-a-room that reminded me of a previous room-within-a-room that contained only an annoying prank. This one was locked, so my desire to not enter didn't really matter. Further exploration yielded a large (scary) pool, which we tossed small (scary) glow-worms into. Looping around it revealed its occupant, a troll bearing a striking resemblance to Marge Simpson.

Large Simpson was very polite towards her new visitors, telling a little of the space and her family (her son on the floor above, her dead husband buried in the next room), and shared a golden key she had found doing the laundry. Perhaps seeing her as a friend, we invited her to look into the locked room mentioned previously. She was very excited to open the door, but distressed by the vermin within, slamming the door. We all decided that was quite enough (too scary again) and parted ways. Continuing to explore, we entered a room with some rubble beside its door. Inconveniently, the rubble blocked the one-way door out, and the one-way door in refused to yield.

Many desperate attempts to free ourselves were made, and gear choices lamented. The only thing that could be our salvation was to be found later by someone else.

Cast Update

Some very kind delvers heeded our feeble calls for assistance (the call for pickup gamers) and happened into our little room, freeing us. To them, I am eternally grateful. With renewed numbers we decided to test ourselves against the vermin of the room-within-a-room. The idea was proposed to throw flaming oil inside and smoke them out, which ended up being effective for its fire alone. We then proceeded to ambush the remaining spiders, our fragile bodies protected by conjured(?) duplicates of the science wizard joining us. The spiders were cleared easily.

Not trusting the lever visible within the room, one duplicate was left within the dungeon to pull it as we left for town, and his last moments held the hissing of gas.

Total haul: 83xp each

The Second One (11/25)

Cast

Bearing in mind the ineffectiveness of risk-averse delving in both treasure-acquiring and danger-avoiding, our group (with two newcomers to the dungeon) eyed floors 7 and 8. Prepping for cold and vowing to brave it this time, we stepped onto floor 7 and considered our two options: wolves or mammoth. Deciding the wolves would likely be "easier", we went that way, encountering them just beyond a stuck door and entreating them despite their hostility using rations. From secondhand reporting I had surmised that the wolves must have been intelligent, due to an apparent ability to operate a portcullis. I was immediately proven incorrect once groups of orcs streamed into the snow ahead of us, and we were pressed into a retreat. As we retreated into a narrow hallway hoping to take them to at a time, we soon found ourselves flanked by a second group, trapping us between them. Thyrus spilled oil to stop the initial group as we turned on the flankers keeping us from our way out of the dungeon. Deldrach helpfully convinced the hardiest of the flankers to turn on their fellows, claiming betrayal but muddying the waters using magic. Blows were exchanged and Chin was driven within an inch of death. Michael watched as the orcs behind the flames shoveled snow onto it and re-engaged their assault, claiming the life of Deldrach in one swift push. Our companion dead, we began to fail the morale rolls in our minds. Michael quickly ensnared the orcs in the "wrong direction" in a web, while Thyrus flew (he was a bird-man, after all) to flank the flankers. With a combination of Dark Sorcery and blades, they were cut down to one man who surrendered and was spared. It felt prudent to spare them, in case we would find the need to be spared later.

Interrogating the groveling orc, we discovered their leader was named WARLORD and that he bears a mace of repute. But we had little time to learn more, as the orcs began to free themselves from the webbing. We found ourselves retreating to floor 6, then out.

Cast Update

While leaving, we ran into a replacement delver of sorts, a Baba, who knew nothing of any of us but decided it was time to leave as well. All the better, given that we barely avoided a spectral knight of sorts while fleeing the dungeon. Returning to town, our new compatriots learned of the town's... peculiarities, and a call for hirelings was put out. I am hopeful it will work, but I do not believe it to be so. At least Deldrach was able to be provided a Christian burial at the behest of Thyrus and the help of the town's priest.

A discussion is made of how to earn WARLORD's mace for ourselves, and while we believe we have a potential plan to deal with them, we lack the time. We sleep on it, but decide to return to the dungeon so we do not leave the session quite empty-handed.

This time we look towards the mammoth. It is in a room it cannot chase us out of, and is behind a revolving door we can spike open. Oil is spilled on the doorway to cover a potential retreat or at least discourage ramming it. Preparing to pepper the thing with missiles, it's hit by a color spray from Baba which allows us to just go up and hit it repeatedly with a pickaxe until it dies. Clearly our danger assessment skills need work. Seeing the glint of gold underneath the ice of the floor, we get to excavating, finding our pockets filled with coins. Foolishly, we decide to press on just a little bit. As an empty room turns into an ambush, we smartly decide to flee the dungeon once again instead.

Total haul: 800xp, 500gp each