Session 19: The Naga's Shadow

 

PCs:

Causticas the elf, F2/MU2

Korin Clubfoot, dwarf, F3

SESSION REPORT:

    After the party spends the night resting at the mayor's house, at dawn they are visited by a few villagers. They inform them that many families have been attacked during the night by other villagers and that they managed to defeat the intruders and even capture one. Their prisoner reveals that he is part of the cult, quite proudly, and he refuses to give any other information. With that done, the party decided to head to the cult's dungeon one last time and defeat its terrible leader.

    Again, the first floor didn't have much to offer and in the second they found resistance by some weak villagers. Once they beat them, they head to the secret door behind the snake altar and that lead them directly to the naga's lair.

    A tough battle followed, with the naga trying to charm with her stare anyone brave enough to gaze upon her. They were avoiding her eyes, making it harder for them to hit her but their numbers and the hermit's magical power were more than enough to prevail and destroy her once and for all!!!

    They made their triumpant return back to Orlane, showing to everyone that the shadow that was looming in the small village has been now lifted! The cult has been defeated!!!

    On the next day, Wealsun 14, some villagers visited the mayor and revealed that they were charmed cultists but now they have their free will once more. They revealed that the naga was living for years in the dungeon having only troglodytes as her servants, until the cleric named Lareth visited. He offered her help in return for information about a place of great importance to him. He helped abduct and charm the owners of the Golden Grain Inn and through that, many villagers and clients of the inn. Once he helped the naga and her cultists defeat the clerics of Merikka and charm them to her side, he left, since the naga honored their agreement and gave hin the information he needed.

    With that done, the party starts looking for a way to restore Korin's lost level of experience. The mayor informs them that only a few days travel from here is Veluna, whose leader is a strong cleric and possibly he could perform a spell that could lift the curse bestowed by the wight.

    So, having saved Orlane and stopped the cult at its tracks, the party prepares for its new adventures!

LOOT AND KILLS:

Loot:

110 pp

890 gp

1302 sp

jewelled bracelet worth 800 gp

ruby ring worth 400 gp

bag of holding

a pair of elven boots

a horn

2 magical rings

6 potions

6 spell scrolls

Kills:

9 villagers

1 naga 

DECEASED PLAYER CHARACTERS:

Urikas the elf, F1/MU1, Readying 25, 576 CY, eaten by ghouls

Zyla the elf, C1, Readying 25, 576 CY, eaten by ghouls

Jack, F1, Readying 28, 576 CY, slain by the evil cleric named Lareth

THOUGHTS AFTER THE SESSION:

    So, this is it for N1! A great module and one that the players enjoyed a lot!

    First of all, the atmosphere was great. You always felt that you are in danger and that the cult's eyes are upon you. There is no safe place for you in the village of Orlane. Also, the way that the adventure unfolded, the party had to choose who to trust, the hermit or the priests? This was one of my favourite parts, both of them had good points.

    The party wasn't level 1 so the difficulty wasn't extreme. Even the final battle, since the naga has been left without strong allies wasn't much of a challenge. However the module demanded 10 sessions of about 3 hours each, so a total of 30 hours to be completed! There were many different dungeons that the party could explore and they did so with great success! Also it became clear tha the party needed a thief to help them locate secret doors and unlock locked ones and a cleric to heal them, turn undead and save them from poisonous venom!

    If the party members weren't experienced however and played more recklessly, I doubt the outcome would be the same. They made careful decisions and never pushed their luck when they explored dungeons. So, while the enemies weren't as strong as Lareth, I don't think that this is a module to use for novice players (ironically, that's where the N in N1 comes from).

    Another thing that bothered me was how the cult should react to the party's advancements. I had them spy on them constantly, which led to many battles, I also had them ambushed in their way back from Hochoch and in the last session I made a desperate attempt to recruit more villagers, which of course couldn't strengthen the cult much, since the stronger villagers that turned to the cult have already been defeated.

    Now, we shall see how tha party's adventures continue, with the first task at hand being the attempt to restore the lost level of Korin! Let's go!!!