Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 72 [RPG]

 [Toilday, 4 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Having penetrated Castle Scarwall and faced some fearsome threats already, the Harrowed Heroes discuss whether to press deeper or secure their flanks by backtracking.  Deciding on the former (with Anorak instructing Eldritch to lurk in the back of the group to watch for anyone sneaking up), the group presses onward after clearing a door barricaded the previous night.  In the room where they found the lingering, corrupted spirit of Mandraivus, the sounds of clanking swords and shouts of battle again start slowly before intensifying.  Yraelzin is suddenly overcome with madness, babbling incoherently before using magic to assault The Reckoner!  Although a non-spellcaster, The Reckoner has become intimately familiar with spells and wandcraft, and instantly uses magic to restore his ally to sanity.  Yraelzin is ashamed about what just happened, and pleads for forgiveness.  The Reckoner says he should think nothing of it.  Although this is the second time the strange manifestation has occurred, no one in the group is able to discern exactly what is causing it.

Noticing a door to the south, the group open it to reveal a nondescript hallway with arrow slits looking out into the main keep’s entry corridor.  Human bodies in chain shirts lie on the floor among the broken remains of shortbows and quivers of arrows, with a curious yellow smoke wafting among the bones and ruined weapons.  As the bodies lurch into a blasphemous semblance of life, the yellow smoke rises up and starts to flow toward the intruders of this ancient resting place, threatening to engulf them!  Anorak reacts quickly and shuts the door, only to find the mist seeping through cracks all around it.  Goldcape and Yraelzin aren’t able to move out of the way fast enough and scream in agony as every tiny particle of the mist’s moisture burns like acid!  And the mockeries of human life on the other side of the door are clearly more advanced zombies than normal ones, for they know enough to open the door and move quickly to launch an attack!  As The Reckoner’s enchanted weapon somehow tears away the mist’s form and Yraelzin uses magical force missiles against it, Rocky destroys three of the zombies in one overwhelming fury!  The battle is soon won, but for Yraelzin at least, the trauma won’t soon fade.

The group decide to head north, deeper into the ground floor of Castle Scarwall.  With The Reckoner and Goldcape able to see in the omnipresent darkness thanks to their masks of the mantis and Yraelzin emitting light from his robes, only the total silence and stillness of the fortress conveys that this is not a place for the living.  Taking the lead, The Reckoner opens another door to reveal a long corridor running east and west, with several doors on every side.  Arrow slits look out over a gloomy courtyard, but there’s no time for sight-seeing, as the group’s unsubtle entrance has alerted a quintet of massive, skeletal minotaurs wielding greataxes longer than a man is tall!  Undeterred, The Reckoner quickly destroys two of the undead abominations.  Anorak darts in to guard his back and destroys one with a dose of magical electricity.  With a nod from Goldcape, Rocky flies into the fray, but an ill-timed approach leaves him vulnerable and he takes a grievous, near fatal wound!  Goldcape assists with magic that weakens the remaining defenders, and one by one they’re destroyed.  After the fighting, Yraelzin uses a wand to heal most of Rocky’s wounds, but explains frankly that their stored magic is being rapidly depleted—if the group don’t hurry on their quest, they may not escape alive.

Through a door, the wide courtyard gives an inside view of the castle’s looming walls and towers.  Although it should be a bright summer’s day, unnaturally-long shadows cast a gloomy pall over the entire place.  An unseasonable, chill breeze whips through the courtyard, carrying a few dry leaves from scraggly scrub bushes that grow fitfully at the yard’s edges. Bent, rusted, and in some cases partially broken spikes protrude from the walls of the courtyard, and here and there, holes in the hardpack soil hint at long-missing structures or poles that once stood within.  To the north, stairs rise to a platform fifteen feet above the courtyard; atop it, a black double door provides entry into what must be the castle’s donjon—its inner, most fortified keep.  Along with the sound of leaves skittering on the flagstones, the creaking of hinges can be heard—a door to the northeast stands open and sways gently with the wind.  At the western end of the courtyard, a broad, stone-rimmed well stands, though its stone lip is crumbling and has collapsed in places.  The Reckoner instantly realises that the thick patches of vegetation growing around the well aren’t just unnatural—they’re positively carnivorous!  The group decide to skirt the wall away from the well, and open another door leading out of the courtyard to reveal a spiral staircase heading up.

Before they can decide whether to ascend or continue exploring the ground floor, The Reckoner hears a familiar voice in his mind—Bishop d’Bear!  It seems House Arkona has taken control of Trail’s End—and more significantly, the Tower of Passage. 

One thing is certain: whatever happens in Castle Scarwall, the city of Korvosa will surely not be the same when—or if—the Harrowed Heroes return.

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GM Commentary

There was something about The Reckoner's frequent use of wands (and general knowledge of spells) that always annoyed me a little, simply because the character didn't have any connection to magic in his background.  I like to see some story justification for mechanical abilities so a character feels like an organic part of the world.  On the other hand, I acknowledge this may just be an idiosyncratic pet peeve of mine.

The trench mist was pretty cool.  I think it would have been even better if it weren't a creature (limited to a specific size and shape) and instead a hazard that could take on irregular sizes and shapes (and just described instead of given concrete form with a pawn, etc.).  Sometimes giving such concreteness to dangers (necessary in a tactical combat game) takes away from the "scare factor" when trying to build atmosphere.

Yraelzin's reference that the group had limited healing magic was both correct (wand charges can be burned through pretty quickly at this level) and intended to add to the feel that the longer the group stayed in Scarwall, the more dangerous it would become (versus a "fight-heal-rinse & repeat" feel).  Sometimes having a party cleric is pretty handy!

I spoke in a previous commentary about just how *big* Scarwall is.  I ran the campaign on a pretty large table (actually two long tables side by side), but I still had to frequently switch out flip-mats, leading to the "Game Loading" jokes.  I remember the courtyard was especially challenging for me because it came at the conjunction of several large flip-mats.  And because it was a courtyard, I had to try to think about everything that overlooked it.  What could the PCs see?  What could creatures on various towers or higher levels see?  Which encounters should trigger when and under what circumstances?  It's one of those situations where those people who actually build out full 3D structures out of styrofoam probably feel their efforts are worth it, even if generally I think such a thing is impractical.