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Previously on Rime of the Frostmaiden
Starring:
Valravn, level 2 Eladrin Bard
Fray, level 2 Halfling Barbarian
Celeste, level 2 Half-orc Monk
Edmond, Level 2 Human Artificer
Thimbleweed, level 2 Gnome Ranger
It’s not often a session can nail all three pillars of Dungeons & Dragons, but the Beautiful Mine quest in Termalaine features combat, exploration, and role-playing, with just a bit of adjustments from the DM to make things more dynamic.
The session kicked off with a fight, as Fray leapt down into the processing room to face a horde of giant rats. As in the wolf fight on the road, and the goblin battle in Session 1, the DM rolled very well on Initiative — and attacks! The rats quickly swarmed up to Fray, successfully biting into her with advantage thanks to Pack Tactics.
Fray missed a Reaction attack on an AC 12 rat as it scurried down the hallway. It bit into the already heavily injured Thimbleweed, taking a big chunk out of him. Like the wolf fight I expected these rats to go down fast when it was the PCs’ turn, and the party began obliging, with Celeste killing two giant rats in one turn.
After a round of fighting, and giant rats dying, smaller rats surged from the walls, forming a Swarm of Rats. The paltry +2 attack Swarm hit Celeste, dealing max damage (12) and triggering her half-orc Relentless Endurance! She role-played the fear well, using Step on the Wind to Disengage next turn and run deeper into the mine. Unfortunately that led right into another of the kobold’s traps.
Tripping over a wire, several rocks came tumbling down. She made the DEX save and took only 4 damage, but it was enough to down her. Our first downed PC of the campaign!
Valravn responded by reviving her via Healing Word before she had to make any Death Saves, but she did acquire a Lingering Injury, resulting in an injured arm and forcing her to wield her mop with only one hand.
Fray and Valravn were taking heavy hits from the few remaining rats, but the party was able to surge forward and finally put an end to them. They desperately slumped in the room for a short rest and inspected the body the rats were picking at.
It was a kobold. Its arm had been torn off, its head torn open, and odd whip burns crisscrossed all over its body. No rat, no matter how giant, did this.
Feeling better after the short rest, the Marshals carefully made their way deeper into the mine, reaching the vertical shaft that we soon dubbed the bottomless chasm, after Fray would later chuck one of Edmond’s magically lit stones over the side. A wooden walkway spanned the southern end.
Edmond, wary of further traps, spotted one of the support struts that had been tampered with, and would result in a collapse. He triggered it on purpose to point it out, and the others were able to jump across, avoiding a terrifying fate.
At the other end of the walkway the tunnel led to a bucket lift suspended over a hole. Valravn volunteered his services to meet with the kobolds and attempt a diplomatic solution, despite all the painful traps they had endured. The party agreed, and Fray lowered him down.
About 15-ft down the lift stopped at an intersection between two tunnels. A blood trail ran between them. Celeste felt an odd tugging sensation in her mind, and volunteered to go down soon after, and the pair followed the blood trail to its source (Incidentally, he was trying to avoid whatever caused the blood, and went in the opposite direction on accident).
The source was a bloodied kobold lying on a table, near death, in what looked like a break room to the south. Valravn and Celeste treated the kobold with concern and kindness, with Celeste even convincing him to spend his last spell slot healing her.
The grateful kobold identified herself as Smol, and told a story of how the kobolds who set the traps never returned. She and another kobold, Grek, were searching for them in the caves. They split up but Grek was killed by some kind of monster. She ran and was struck by it, and showed her rope-burn like wounds. If not for the healing, she probably would have died.
With advantage on Persuasion checks thanks to the healing (and great role-playing), Valravn convinced the kobold to help them, and she suggested they talk to Trex, the leader.
She led them down the winding tunnels to the north as the others rejoined them. They had explored the cave to the north but hadn’t seen any monster — but did note that the seemingly bottomless chasm connected to all these tunnels.
On the third level the Marshals were met once again by the chasm and another walkway skirting the edge. This one had a rope suspended across to another walkway, with a large bucket for riding across.
As the party approached, Smol introduced them as friends and rescuers. The potential hostile situation was quickly diffused. But then Celeste felt another sharp pain her head, a throbbing sensation pulling her across the chasm. At the same moment, the oddly well-spoken winged kobold appeared to have the same reaction.
He responded fearfully by moving Smol and projecting a psychic cone at Valravn and Celeste. They both made the INT save, however, shaking off whatever effects it may have. Everyone was more surprised and shocked than angry, however (Trex was lucky he targeted the more compassionate party members).
Instead of charging into attack, Celeste gave in to the strange feeling she was having, and climbed into the bucket to start going across the chasm. Concerned (and tiny enough to fit), Fray jumped in with her, while the others looked on, dumbfounded.
Celeste and Fray carefully pulled the rope across the dark chasm. On the other side, two paths lie before them. The nearest one held the skull of some alien-like creature with large eye sockets, no nose, and four holes where teeth would be. Through the skull’s holes Celeste could see a glimmering object.
We’ll find out what the hell is going on next week!
MVPC – Celeste, Valravn (Tie)
Post-session live discussion:
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