Expedition of the Red Lantern - Tonisborg dungeon

[Christian Madsen]

Hi everybody!

Yzatromo suggested to upload my campaign notes on running Tonisborg dungeon here. I came to the hobby around Mentzers red box, and 2nd edition AD&D, so take everything with a grain of salt 

Any comments, feedback, suggestions or whatnot are most welcome.

--

Session 0_

So, I got really excited when Tonisborg was released and thought to myself; this would be great for getting the group into more traditional gaming.

I decided to rewrite Tonisborg, add more flavour text, some possibilities for faction play, mini settings, themed levels etc. But obviously keeping the maps (available from: https://www.tfott.com/resources), and focusing on exploration and old-school playstyle. I also wanted to really explore the underground as a conceptual otherworldly reality that seem to have a life of its own, and which becomes weirder and weirder as one went down in the rabbit hole (Alice in wonderland).

Since we are spread out geographically in Denmark and United Kingdom, we employed Discord as communication device, theatre of the mind, and then use physical rulebooks and real dice to emulate the real thing as best as possible. As rule system I settled on S&W complete to be close to the original OD&D rules. 

I decided to have a mission orientated adventure to keep things fairly simple, and the goal around level 5 so not to complicate things too much. At initiation I had written content to level 8 of the dungeon, and envisioned the game itself would dictate or at least inspire future content. 

I emailed the players a PDF looking like a stamped parchment containing the mission:

“As archdeacon to his holiness the Bishop of Tonisborg, I offer my greetings. 

I received a writ of the Lord Bishop that I should amass experienced adventurers and dungeon explorers in his district, so that each of them, according to customs, could consider his employment. Adventurers will receive lodging and comfort upon accepting this summons.

For a great evil has befallen the Lord Bishop. His young and naive nephew has joined an ill-conceived and ill-equipped foray to the dungeons below and none alive has returned to the surface. 

A strange creature – an abomination of God – emerged and was captured by the bishop’s guards below the crypts. An amalgam with hyena hind parts and a human voice but stricken with insanity. Trough its ramblings it became known that the expedition was enthralled by unnatural arcane magic and subjugated to unspeakable rituals. The creature expired but not before mentioning that Arthur - the nephew - was still alive.

The bishop has therefore decided to mount an officially sanctioned expedition to Tonisborg dungeons, to rescue Arthur and any others still alive, and to put an end to the evil below creating these unholy creatures of the dark.

If accepted the bishop has proposed these terms for ‘The expedition of the Red Lantern’

• They shall at all time carry this stamped parchment as proof of this officially sanctioned expedition and upon request present this parchment as proof thereof.
  
  
• They shall carry the red lantern of God and shed light unto the dark. Adequate blessed oil will be provided to spread the light of God to the unholy darkness of below. The Lantern must survive.
  
  
• They shall be equipped as requested with rope, waterskin and any other dungeon delving equipment they shall desire. Weapons and armor of choice will be provided by request.
  
  
• A host of ten (10) hirelings will be provided fully equipped and loyal to this expedition. These shall be under the command of this expedition.
  
  
• ‘Red Lantern’ members will be allowed to keep any treasure, trinket, artifacts of Yorn without being taxed afterwards. Maps made of the below is considered expedition property, but would be copied by payment if they so decide.  
  
  
• By decree of the bishop the following positions must be filled by the onset of the expedition:
  
  

o   Expedition leader. A tactical decider of formations and caller of action. 

o   Expedition mapper. Procurement of navigation and copying of maps. Quill, parchment and ink will be provided. 

o   Expedition Quartermaster. Logistics responsible, hireling resource and equipment capacity.

o   Expedition Lantern bearer. Responsible for carrying the Red Lantern and its survival.   

By decree of the bishop the expedition will meet with captain of the guards in the Tonisborg dungeon. As so accepted the ‘The expedition of the Red Lantern’ will be blessed.

Archdeacon Ralph de Ellington. On behald of the Bishop”

--

A bit of explanation related to the Red Lantern. I am still considering in-game ramifications if the PCs would lose this magical device, and why the bishop insist this should be brought along. The Lantern is fairly useful itself – providing a +1 to AC, +1 to hit within 15’, and penetrating magical darkness out to 60’ – and would function as sort of rally point if things looked bleak. It is also fairly brittle and to be carried by the expedition as a mixed burden / benefit. Perhaps the lantern function as a location beacon, or mapping device unbeknownst to the PCs?  
 

PCs started on level 3, fully equipped with standard gear in any way they see fit. The hirelings had standard pack, leather armor, spears and a short sword as backup. To individualize the hirelings a bit, I discussed with the quartermaster to give them some more personalities and the player agreed to play them a bit more individualistic than mere meat-shields. I rolled up some personalities from my IW2 adventure and then plugged that in. 

So, Erlulf the flatulent – as example – had a full plate mail instead of the standard leather armor. And Haggard was missing an arm etc. On the other hand, they had a few trinkets in the backpack that could come into use. The Quartermaster played by Kim quickly latched on to the personality aspects of the hirelings, as will be evident later. 

PCs could choose between an additional +1 hp or Tonisborg rumours. The Cleric chose rumours all others the additional hit point. Rumours for the cleric included:

• The nephew Arthur did not join an ill-conceived expedition unbeknownst to the bishop. It was in fact endorsed by the bishop and the expedition was led by the nephew. However, it appears to be true that the expedition indeed met with ill luck and that the nephew is still alive somewhere below.
  
  
• The bishop and the church are searching for something in Tonisborg dungeon called Ylth’yl which according to church achieves is a mythical entity. It’s even been suggested the cathedral was deliberately build on top of the dungeon complex to maintain control and access to the underworld. The bishop has tasked a special secret branch in the church hierarchy – the acolytes – to seek out this Ylth’yl for unknown reasons. They in turn has employed a mercenary guild (order of Draconae) to assist on controlling dungeon access.  
  
  
• A few additional points related to mapping, some waypoints in Tonisborg, and some inklings of history and factions.
  
  

--

Red Lantern members_Player : Character

• Anders: Rufus the Magic-User + [expedition leader] + 1 hp
  
  
• Neil: Carl the wise, the Cleric + [expedition mapper] + [Lantern bearer] + Rumour
  
  
• Kim: Osvald the Halfling Thief + [Quartermaster] + 1 hp
  
  
• Rask: Cantor the Fighting-man + 1 hp
  
  

 
With all that in place, it was time to delve into Tonisborg in session 1.

---

Session 1_ 

[level:chamber nomenclature for navigation]

The expedition greets Archdeacon Ralph de Ellington at the steps to the cathedral. He directs them through the lower crypts down to the master stairs leading to main chamber of level 2.

Here they met Ankhar – captain of the mercenary Draconae order. His soldiers guard the entrance-point in Tonisborg with vicious dogs. Their job is to control entry / exit from Tonisborg, tax any survivors, and keep the creatures below at bay.

[REF note: Played Ankhar as a rough individual with a coarse voice, using quotes such as “the whip keeps both men and hounds in place” to build distrust already. Additionally, a side corridor to 2:8 was closed immediately by the soldiers so that the PCs could not get a glimpse of the skimming operation the Draconae got going on the side. The PCs do not know which level they start out in, but suspects there are chambers above them].

Along the periphery of the circular chamber are eight wooden doors leading away from this central hub. After inspecting the parchment of the archdeacon prober stamped with the bishop’s seal, Ankhar bestows the expedition with additional information. He shows them the strange signpost placed in 2:9 as old as Tonisborg itself with strange markings and directions. 

[REF note: Here Osvald the halfling thief directed Haggard the hireling to test the pendulum in his pocket for how it would react to the signpost. I immediately played along and the pendulum was shown to react violently in chaotic motions around the signpost. This was pure spur of the moment, but I made a note that the pendulum would react to metal in Tonisborg, and that the signpost contained ancient metal. For the future any movement of the pendulum can be used as a tool for metallic ‘strangeness’].  


Ankhar tells the expedition that hounds are released into the dungeon, and it was the hounds which captured the amalgam hybrid creature – half hyena / half human – its remains still in display in 2:10. The expedition plea for Ankhar not to release more hounds for the next couple of days, as they do not wish to be attacked by these ravenous canines.    

[REF note: They made sort of a handshake deal with Ankhar on restraining the hounds, so of course I am going to set the dogs of war upon them later]. 

The expedition also wishes to see the cadaver of the hybrid creature so Ankhar and two additional guard takes them to 2:10, where the dead creature (lower part is hyana, upper man) is suspended in chains. On the walls is a strange theatre mask and a cat o’ nine tails whip. Besides bite marks from the dogs, the creature has clearly been subjected to torture. Ankhar also explains the hounds almost caught another one, this one with a goat head and lower parts of human, but the creature escaped to the lower levels.

[REF note: the goat-head monster was another quick idea during play, as I wanted more options which the players could pursue and also start linking the rescue of the bishop’s nephew to the creation of these creatures in the players’ head. So, by inventing the goat-creature the players could also latch onto that upon sighting. The torture elements were intended to fortify the belief that the Draconae’s are bad dudes and the link to the bishop therefore suspicious].     
 

Lastly, captain Ankhar verbally details the approximate route the nephew and his troop took to the lower levels, and the Red Lantern expedition follows in their footsteps towards stairs Q and R on level 2. 

[REF note: I didn’t really have any master plan about how the nephew and his men actually went down in the dungeon, and just envisioned they somehow ended up at level 5 got captured by the mad wizard there and subjected to his species-fusion experiments. Guess the players need a little bit more tracking clues than just – somewhere below – better prep this].

The expedition arrives at stairs Q and R both leading down. Along the walls of stairs Q are small bronze heads which open their mouth when poked, as tested by one of the hirelings, and along stair R are wax candles.

[REF note: The players deliberated and took the wax candles as a clear sign the Arthur’s expedition came this way and down. Thats it! I will use wax candles strategically placed in the dungeon as additional clues. Initially it was just background description I had put into each stairway in the dungeon, as I wanted each of them individualized to aid navigation. But this is brilliant, I will use that idea from the players].

The expedition decided marching order when descending stair R. The plate mail people up front; Cantor the fighting-man and Erlulf the hireling, followed by a row of spear-wielding hirelings, followed by the lantern bearer (Carl the cleric), Rufus the magic-user and Osvald the thief, and then lastly additional rows of hirelings in the back. 

As they came to 3:12 – the central hub of level 3 – the saw a large octagonal well in the middle and armor-clad skeletal remains spread out around the well. Numerous passageways in all directions leads away from this chamber. From the well comes a howling cold wind and there are clear handholds, chains, iron spikes in the inside of the well. 

Kim playing Osvald the thief and expedition quartermaster decided that Godwin the silly (hireling) would step out among the skeletons and look for a metal helmet. At that point I decided to awaken the skeletons and the first battle of the expedition was a reality. 

[REF note: This is great. Kim looked through the hireling list and noticed that Godwin is stupid, and decided that he would walk out among them, despite the verbal description from me clearly indicating that these could likely animate. I like that he is taking on this added function in the game, and try to individualize the hirelings a bit. The well is the necromantic artifact ‘Well of the Damned’ which would spawn undeads and linked to a pocket dimension. The idea was to make this a difficult area to bypass without a fight, and let the players figure out how to deal with that].  

Godwin the hireling is quickly surrounded by undeads which stabs and drags him towards the well. Carl the Cleric turns away 5 of the skeletons but an endless supply seems to come alive. The front row takes a bashing but nothing is able to penetrate the plate mail protected people. The expedition is slowly retracting up the stairs R again while keeping battle formation.

 

--And here we had to stop session 1--

[REF note: Ok to stop at a cliffhanger position, my plan is to let the PCs see how the well can spawn undeads in the beginning of next combat round to reinforce the strongpoint mentality of this chamber, and let them react to that].

---

Session 2_ 

[level:chamber nomenclature for navigation]



The expedition is fighting skeletons around ‘Well of the damned’, and the expedition halfway retracted up the stairs R again. In front of them – around 10’ from the well - Godwin the silly is completely surrounded by the bony hoard who drags him towards the well. All Godwin wanted was a shinny new helmet, but there is no such thing as a free lunch in Tonisborg. 

After a quick tactical discussion, the expedition members reach down and find their balls again. Someone shouts ‘leave no man behind – even if it’s a hireling’, another yell ‘what is going on? they are hauling Godwin to the well. Are they not of animal intelligence?’ 

Godwin’s expression is of sheer terror as he is being dragged along as a red-haired step-child.

The expedition of the Red Lantern decides to rescue Godwin and move back in force into the area around the well. At the bottom of the stairs, they spread out into a wedge formation with Erlulf (hireling) and Cantor the fighting man in front, and then with four people in the second row consisting of Carl the cleric, Osvald the thief on the flanks and then two hirelings with spears just behind the metal plated front. ‘It is working’ shouts Cantor the fighting-man, we now have overlapping kill zones. Next rows consist of Rufus the magic-user, and the remaining hirelings shakingly clutching their spears.

[REF note: This was a bit unexpected as I assumed they would move back up to level 2 and find another way around the strongpoint of ‘well of the damned’. I suspect they were driven by more than the potential lose of Godwin the hireling, but also the necessity to follow the wax candles. From 3:12 they did observe a corridor containing another wax candle, and I believe navigational concerns was the primary factor. Already next combat round I would increase the pressure].

As the brawl continues the expedition see in terror how additional skeletons starts to climb out of the well and sluggishly shrug off the cold stiffness of the netherworld. Cantor the fighter uses his two-handed sword as a scythe and skeletal bones start to fall to the dungeon floor like autumn rain. 

Rufus the magic use throws a rope over the front line and across the many undead to land in the overall vicinity of Godwin, and he struggles to get a hold of this lifeline. At this point Carl the wise raises his holly symbol again and this time turns away another 10 skeletons.

[REF note: We house rule that turn-undead has indefinitely use pr. undead type, or until the check fails, but similar to declare spells and spell-use requires full round effort, and can be broken if hit].

The skeletons around the well breaks away from Carl’s clerical power and drops Godwin on the floor who for a brief moment feels relief. Godwin the silly looks around and finally manage to get hold of an old polished steel helmet. However, several skeletons still remain and more crawls out of the well. Two skeletons move forward and drive their rusty swords into the belly of Godwin the silly - killing him instantly. With his dying breath he cries; ‘give the helmet to Erlulf’. 

[REF note: Some valuable lessons in this encounter. Do not make hasty decisions without checking for danger, and second ‘well of the damned’ is a regenerative strongpoint, that will be hard to pass without loss. Learned at the expense of one hireling – Godwin the silly]. 

Now the expedition leader Rufus decides to pivot the whole hireling formation behind the frontline to position them in standard 2-by-2 rows and move down the SE corridor from 3:12 – essentially reversing the original formation as they make a tactical retreat down this corridor suspected to contain a wax candle from the previous expedition. 

A few more skeletons are seen emerging from the well, but they do not follow the party for too long and the expedition continues to move down this corridor away from 3:12 and ‘Well of the damned’.  

[REF note: This is kind of interesting with the formation now in reverse and the more fragile hirelings going first, and the heavy-hitting PCs in the back. Particular interesting because I knew a pressure plate sits right in front of 3:8 opening up to a chamber containing ghouls. So, before they hit that spot I already started to roll for each row if they would step on it. And it came up a 1 for the third row, smack in the middle of the party. I also decided to pre-roll for surprise and they would also be surprised. Ohh the joy of anticipation!

Although, I don’t think it has fully dawned on the players yet, the safety of this route back is now somewhat uncertain, but of course they can figure out another way between levels. The turned undeads will slowly return to the well again, and additional will spawn to fill up the ranks].

As the expedition move down this corridor a click sound is heard and a section of the wall opens up to 8 ghouls. The hirelings right in front of the opening scream and drop their weapons.
The expedition leader decides to push forward with the whole group, and as fast as possible get Erlulf and Cantor to block the entrance. The shuffling around succeeds and a larger battle ensues. Carl the wise turns two of the ghouls away which disappear into a side corridor in the back, Rufus throws darts and Cantor use his two-handed sword. Osvald directs the hireling to throw oil into the chamber and subsequently lit torches – and on the third attempt some of yellow-eyes creatures are set aflame. A few of them pushes out into the corridor and scratch away at Cantor, Osvald and anyone else nearby. Finally, they all succumb to the expeditions weapons but not without 3 members being paralysed; Shane McGovan (hireling), Erlulf (plate mail, hireling) and Osvald the halfling thief.

--And here we had to stop session 2--

[REF note: okaaay, 3 members completely paralyzed for 5 turns, 11 turns, and 16 turns respectively. They expedition will need to find a place to recover, take stock and be able to hold off undeads. Because they need to carry these dudes now. Perhaps the hounds might finally catch up with them? They got 330 xp in total for the 22 skeletons they defeated, and 240 xp for the 8 ghouls which will become available at a safe spot.

Before this session I also placed wax candles in the dungeon to have an approximate route the nephew took. However, I also added in multiple routes to follow representing dead-ends and route reversal for that expedition. This would create tracks to follow but still maintain some degree of uncertainty combined with locating secret doors. At 4th or 5th dungeon level I imagine these wax candles would have been moved around more, or disappear entirely.  

I really enjoy how the procedural elements of the dungeon (such as 2-in-6 chance for hitting the pressure plate) drives the action. I have not been super consistent on wandering monsters check, although my time keeping and distance moved holds up pretty good. I imagine next session will be less combat heavy and more into the exploration again.  Keeping an open mind and letting the game flow right now].

---

Session 3_ 

[level:chamber nomenclature for navigation]

The expedition is catching their breath after two encounters with the undeads in Tonisborg. They have retreated down a corridor to get some distance to ‘Well of the damned’, when they were taken by surprise by long-nailed scrawny creatures emerging from a chamber to the side. 

Now as three party members are paralysed – two hirelings and Osvald the thief – they decide to split the party to find a resting place. The skeletons from ‘Well of the damned’ can be heard to the NW, but does not appear to follow the expedition into the corridor. 

Five hirelings are tasked with guarding the paralysed individuals while the remaining Red Lantern members move a bit back to investigate the chamber and corridor they passed.
Beyond the secret chamber 3:8 is a corridor leading into the darkness. The air is very stale here and cobwebs crisscross the cold dusty corridor. The webs cling to the party’s cloaks as silvery strands, but at least indicate that this area has not be frequented by others in a very long time.  

[REF note: at this point I knew there was a portcullis trap at the point where the corridor turns sharply and a pressure plate in the floor. I therefore noted the party’s formation as I knew only the ones on the left side could trigger it and commenced to roll some dice. Miraculous nobody activated it, and its existence will likely be known at a later stage]. 

The party notice after the sharp bent to the right that the corridor apparently ends after about another 40-50’. They proceeds vary cautiously and starts to check for traps and secret doors.
 

[REF note: This is exactly the kind of behaviour I encourage and hope to instil in them. They noticed an apparent dead-end corridor and based on the layout around 3:9 started to probe their surroundings. Since they already had move past the portcullis trap – there was no chance of them locating this (unless moving backwards), but there was definitely a chance to locate the secret door to the left leading into 3:9, and the secret door at the end of the corridor. They found the one to 3:9 but not the secret door at the dead-end position. 

I kinda houseruled the searching parameters right here, if they took a full turn prober searching then more than one check could be done, one for each investigating PC, but if just moving cautiously forward, I would make a combined check for the whole party. In retrospect after session 3 and 4, I think this balanced out nicely; it allows them a low base chance to locate the multitude of secret doors in Tonisborg, while still missing quite a few that would require a full turn progression, affect resources (water consumption and torch light) and wandering monster checks]. 

Cantor the fighter moves cautiously forward when he notice a slight chance in temperature and an almost imperceptible change in air flow to his left along the wall. A crack in the wall becomes apparent upon closer examination and is revealed to be a revolving door cleverly disguised. 

With a grinding stony noise, the door opens up into a small chamber (3:9) with frescos with fearsome dragon motifs. There are two columns affixed with torch scones which hold up the vaulted ceiling. The far end of the room contains an ornamented sarcophagus raised on a dais. To the right of the entrance is a bulky turning wheel set in the wall.

The expedition carefully examines the chamber and sarcophagus but finds no new trickery. And expecting the worst they carefully remove the heavy stone lid. Inside is a buried knightly creature with scaly skin and draconic features. On his chest is a pristine steel shield and his legs are completely covered beneath silver and gold coins. Upon contact with the air, the creature’s disintegration is rapidly accelerated and his skin seem to crumble to dust.  

Sensing this place is a secure location, the expedition decides to fetch the remaining troop guarding the paralysed members. 

[REF note: Due to time constraint and a short session we had to stop playing here. But I made a note that I need to reroll for the portcullis trap if they move back to get the rest of the expedition. However, they also have not yet investigated the turning wheel that controls the portcullis. They might use this to increase safety in this base-like position].  

---

Session 4_ 

[level:chamber nomenclature for navigation]

With the attempt to reunite the two sub-portions of the expedition and move everybody into the safe location at 3:9, the move backwards through the corridors. They have almost all navigated the sharp bend, when the 3rd row consisting of the hirelings Haggard and Fric activates a portcullis trap. With a clicking sound followed by a rumbling sound a heavy iron portcullis comes crashing down from the ceiling hurting them both and trapping Fric as the sharp end pierces his lower leg. He starts to scream but is quickly silenced by other members preventing him to alert the entire level to their location.


[REF note: Several observations here. I really enjoyed they passed the trap the first time without discovering it or triggering it. But when backtracking are caught by surprise. This plays well into the perception that even bypassed areas are not to be considered safe. 

To add to the tension and in the moment, I also changed the traps working. Initially it was only intended to be a separation device splitting some members on either side, and then they would have to figure out how to bypass it. Instead, the triggering line rolled a saving throw and if failing would be hit by the sharp end of the portcullis. They both failed their save and I gave damage as pr. Spear 1d6. Fric the hireling was then fixed in place and starting to scream which then in turn triggered a wandering monster check. They quickly realized this danger and shut him up]. 

With a huge effort the expedition members – and especially from Cantor the fighting man – they manage to lift the portcullis up and then place a shield beneath it to prevent it locking in place again. Carl the wise use his magic and heals Fric. Cantor and one of the hirelings crawls beneath the portcullis now raised a few feet, and returns to the secret chamber to manipulate the turning wheel there. With a grinding noise the portcullis in the corridor is slowly retracted into the ceiling. An additional thorough search of the area locates the triggering flagstone and the expedition mark it with chalk. 

They fetch the remaining party members in the main corridor and the fused combined expedition withdraws to area 3:9 for some well-deserved recuperation. They reverse the direction of the turning wheel and lowers the portcullis for an added protection layer. After some debate around the strategy, they decide to wait for the paralysed members to regain bodily control and bolster their ranks before moving forward again. The time spent waiting for that could be used for healing and counting the coins they found.  

[REF note: I considered this a good spot for stopping up and taking stock. Chamber 3:9 is a very secluded and protected area, and this would be a good spot for xp. Since I imagine the expedition would not go much back and forth topside, I would need to provide them a spot in the dungeon where they would benefit from their exploits. 

I calculated xp for the defeated skeletons around ‘Well of the Damned’ 3:12 and the Ghouls from 3:8 to be 330 xp and 240 xp respectively. The coins and gemstones in 3:9 is calculated to be 4849 gp in total, which then in total amounts to 1355 xp for each member. The shield they found is a magical +1 shield, and albeit suspecting it has not been confirmed. Carl the wise is carrying the shield. 

I house ruled that by the charter of the expedition; the hirelings would not take part of the xp award nor can they be levelled up unless promoted to PC status. However, the quartermaster Osvald suggested supplying them with silver from the treasure to boost their morale. I did make a mental note here, that they have used Cure Light Wounds on the hirelings, tried to rescue Godwin the Silly around ‘Well of the Damned’, and now also providing them with some silver coins. This would be a bonus at a later stage if a morale check would be required. 

Waiting for the paralysed members to regain mobility took another 12 turns at this junction. I did not roll for wandering monsters whilst they were positioned in this very secluded area. They also decided to use the hirelings healing potion to heal wounds among their ranks. I judged they could half the potion for 1d4 hp allowing the healing juice to be distributed among them].

After a few hours break the Expedition of the Red Lantern move forward again. They decide to leave the majority of the remaining silver and gold coins in the 3:9 chamber due to weight concerns, and only keep the platinum and gemstones. They arrive safely at the intersection just south of 3:7 and notice melted wax candles in the periphery of their light both at the dead-end of the NE corridor but also around the intersection in the corridor going straight north. Faced with this dilemma the expedition moves first to the dead-end corridor to look more closely here. 

By careful investigation Osvald the thief locates another secret door that leads to a narrow spiral staircase going down. After some deliberation the expedition with Cantor in front moves down to look for candles’ downstairs.

[REF note: This is actually the route (staircase AC) Arthur the nephew and his expedition took, so they are on the right track. The wax candles have been a way for me to guide them a bit, but as mentioned before I likely need to remove that band rails a bit when coming to lower levels, or find some other indications, other tracks or perhaps introduce the goat creature].

The expedition navigates the narrow spiral staircase downward and it opens op to an L-shaped corridor apparently ending in another dead-end whereas the other arm has a wooden door.
They move to the dead end where a thorough search by Osvald the thief locates a secret door. Carefully they open the concealed door and Carl the wise is using his newly acquired shield as an additional protection. A hazy mist emerges from the chamber bellowing out into the corridor, it clings clammy to the front rows and condense into water drops immediately. A strange taste and smell are present and can be felt by everyone near the secret door. The haze blocks vision beyond a few feet in the chamber beyond. The expedition decides not to enter this chamber but rather investigate the wooden door.

They open the oaken door and notice a strange sight. Spread out over thousands of small rounded stones are humanoid snake creates in a state of relaxation. Warmth and an orange glow seem to emanate from the stones that cover the entirety of the floor. The scaly humanoids have more or less human anatomy except for their cobra heads and their crooked swords are within arms reach. The creatures appear to be in a state of trance or tranquil relaxation, and have not noticed the PCs peering inside. Slowly they close this door again and retract their steps up the spiral staircase to move up and away from this area. Instead, they decide to investigate the level above a bit more and explore where the candles lead from up there.  

 

[REF note: This is more or less where we ended the session. They did locate some unusual features near the frescoes near 3:7, but as I knew the content there, I would rather pause at this spot. 

It was also great to observe the cautious approach and after observing the hazy room and the snake creatures at level 4 decide to back up at bit. I like the way they have navigated and assessed risk / reward all the time. Signalling the potential dangers of the haze (there is a nasty trap in there) was picked up by the players]. 

---

Session 5_ 

[level:chamber nomenclature for navigation]

As the expedition moved up again one level, they started to probe a northern corridor stretching into the darkness. At a branching corridor going in NE direction was another wax candle left by the bishop’s nephew and his expedition. They passed faded strange murals on the wall depicting a calm pastoral setting with farmers being harassed by mischievous little dragons.
A thorough investigation of the murals on the wall did not reveal anything unusual except that banging the walls with a sword hilt produced a different sound both before and after the mural. There is a foul smell around the mural. Something is amiss here.

[REF note: The mural indeed contains a secret door leading into a 3:7 with numerous flesh eating undeads. I rolled repeatedly for locating the secret mechanisms but no investigating PC found the mechanism. They knew they missed something here, marked their map and moved on.]

The northern corridor becomes colder and colder as progression is made to the point where one sees one owns breathing, and ends abruptly with a strange architectural arrangement. Framing the backwall are round smooth black columns extending above into an archway, as if a portal has been placed at the very end of the corridor. The archway is made from some strange metallic substance. 

The expedition makes another long effort to understand the purpose of this archway; among other things the pendulum is shown to swing in violent motions around the architectural strangeness. Another question mark is added to the map, as the expedition moves into the branching corridor instead.

[REF note: This was another spur of the moment thing to add some more flavour to otherwise bland corridors and interject some more possibilities down the road. I have not yet figured out if this is a real portal allowing travelling to somewhere else. Perhaps in can be used in conjunction with the teleportation portals used by the snake-people on lvl4.]  

Moving along the branching corridor a cumbersome wooden oak door is seen to the right, and further up the corridor another niche into the north facing side. A keyhole is present in the oak door and an iron ring as pull-handle. The hinges appear well-oiled and maintained and the mere presence of something this mundane makes the expedition quite nervous. Karl the wise comments that encountering a real door could have great dangers associated with it. 

Inside is a storeroom with shelves filled with oddities. All and everything seem to be here; a collection of skulls, bent spoons, a bronze key, chessboard with monster figurines, brass incense burner, large glass bottles labelled A and B, a strange mirror, leather purse with pearls, a soiled handkerchief, a fish skeleton wrapped in paper, alongside additional strange glass bottles. And the list goes on.

Oddly enough Oswald the thief decides Rufus the magic-user could use the pearls, whereas all the other things are neatly packed inside his own backpack.

[REF note: The brittle glass bottles labelled A and B are the two liquid components in a gas trap as will be evident later, and the fact these are stored in Oswald backpack is a point of note. Furthermore, the storeroom appears to be maintained, the hinges are well-oiled etc suggest someone is still using it. Could this be an outpost by the mad wizard Elias de Rupescissa? Also considering the laboratory in 3:1. Might as well couple level 3 and level 5 better together with this thought.]

Another niche presents itself in the wall further along the NE corridor containing another wax candle alongside several burial chambers embedded in the walls, and after a kink the corridor goes further along in same direction. Alongside the corridor walls are tapestries held up by bronze rods extending all the way from ceiling to floor; all of them depicting monstrous creatures of yore. Lo and behold, wouldn’t you know it, behind the first tapestry with the green dragon motif is a door. 

The door is locked but Oswald the thief cracks his knuckles and with a grin takes out his tools. He manoeuvres around several clumsy fighter-types around the front to get to the door. No trickery is located in the keyhole and his tools easily circumvent this lock. 

Beyond a peculiar chamber. The floor is dominated by a square pool filled almost to the rim with an oily substance. A pipe with a small turning wheel ends about 3’ above the semitranslucent surface, and inside the pool at the bottom sits a metal chair with a humanoid skeletal affixed in chains. A lever is present in the floor and it appears the oily substance can be drained through a grill at the pools bottom through its operation, and that is what the expedition decides to do. 

A ledge around the pool leads to a door giving access to an even stranger chamber. The chamber in the back contains a black altar that sparkles - as stars in the night - when light is shone upon it. Blue gemstones adorn its sides, and on top is a wooden stand holding a pristine longsword with accompanying dagger both with dragon-themed hilts. In a brittle chain suspended from the ceiling is an incense burner giving off an aromatic smell. Rat carcasses adorn the floor. Along the periphery of the chamber are small dragon statues with open maws facing inwards.
Much talk and deliberations follow. The whole place is giving off a bad vibe but the sword and dagger look valuable.

[REF note: The stand holding the magical weapons is linked mechanically to the ceiling chain and the incense burner. Within the burner is a two-component liquid system held in perfect balance. Any interruption in the chain or weight difference on the weapon stand cause the two liquids to mix and release a deadly cloud in adjacent rooms 3:4 & 3:5. This is essentially a save vs. Die trap and was super anxious to see how the players would approach it. By turning one of the gemstones on the altar the balance can be locked in place, or if noticing the balance itself one could derive conclusions as to how to approach the scenario. The PCs investigated the dragon statues and found openings inside the maws, and suspected the danger would be coming from there, and not the incense burner itself.]

A plan is devised consisting of a grappling hook with rope trying to pry the weapons free with a well-aimed throw. The party only allows Oswald the thief (the rope thrower) and Karl the wise using the Red Lantern to shed light into the chamber – and everybody else are moved outside to the corridor. The grappling hook flies through the air and hits somewhere behind the alter, and with a rapid tug the weapons are caught in the grappling hook. 

Instantly a green smoke is bellowing forward from the incense burner to fill the room completely. Both Oswald and Karl try to close the respective doors and getting out of Dodge before one can say; ‘red scarlet pimpernel’. Karl manages to move fast enough to the corridor slamming the door behind him, but Oswald did not manage to be so lucky.

Oswald inhaled the green toxic smoke, and stumbles backwards grasping his throat. Foam starts to form in his mouth and spastic movements and convulsions are already starting before he falls backwards into the now empty pit. The last coherent thought going through his mind is; Did Rofus the magic-user let one go again?

As his dead carcass hits the bottom of the pool in a spastic show of convulsions a sound can be heard by everyone outside just as the door is closed rapidly by Karl. The breaking of the large glass bottles labelled A and B in Oswald’s backpack.

Outside in the corridor Rofus looks up from his old tome of archaic rituals and asks; ‘Did you manage to get the sword?’ and with a shrug direct his attention back to his leatherbound book with all those pretty arcane symbols.  

[REF note: This is the first PC casualty and very narrowly Neil (playing Karl the Wise) just manage to make his save. Kim took it pretty good, and he can roll up another PC from the hireling pool soon. I did try to make a lot of warning signs, and they clearly comprehended the danger. I was surprised they didn’t examine the chain, incense burner, the weight upon which the weapon stand was placed, or the gemstones on the alter. All of which could have given more clues to how to circumvent the trap. I think its ok. Also, the breaking of bottle A and B and resulting mixture would also contaminate the 3:5 chamber for a substantial time if they wish to get all the loot on Oswalds body. Onwards to the next session hopefully introducing a new player.]  

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Session 6_ 

[level:chamber nomenclature for navigation] 

[REF note: Rask playing Cantor the fighting-man was absent in the previous session and also this one. Life intervenes – no biggie. The idea with this campaign was to make it a low commitment bar for players (stay a while...stay for ever..strategy [evil grin]), emphasizing that players can jump in and out. An absent PC would transition into a hireling slot and be ‘controlled’ for that session, and than promotion back up to PC status when the player returns. Meanwhile an old friend Jens - living in Brazil - wanted to try out some OSR style gaming. Spanning time zones across the pond is a bitch, but we made it work. With me and Jens going back to the Red Box I was excited to get him back playing. 

I needed to figure out how to introduce Jens’ PC to the party currently submerged at 3rd lvl in Tonisborg, and make him a valuable asset and obvious ally. The basic idea was to make him part of the nephews failed expedition – the very same expedition the party was hired to locate. To facilitate this - Jens’ character, a fighting-man named Krenak – was captured by the species-fusion wizard (Elias de Rupescissa) at 5th level. Krenak was subjected to an arcane mind-fog forgetting his immediate past such as locations and routes taken in the dungeon. Krenak escaped by the help of an albino crow (another crew member morphed into a new form). The crow shares memories with Krenak, so his recollection would be a mixture of two people. Could be fun to play with this down the road also (Memento movie style). Lastly, Krenak was responsible for setting the wax-candles throughout Tonisborg which the current Party is following. All of this – including what he can tell of his imprisonment – would be valuable for the Red Lantern expedition. 

I thoroughly mapped both the original expedition route led by Arthur (the bishops nephew), and Krenaks escape path to the point where it intersected with The Red Lantern Party. Then Jens’ PC could recollect things as we went along this (now) detailed path.]

On hands and feet Krenak has been crawling through the depths of Tonisborg since his miraculous escape. Hours became days and darkness crept in from all sides. Krenak is completely lost in this vast underground complex. It sounded great enough with promises of riches and legendary trinkets, but now the great haze in his mind prevents Krenak from remembering most things in between. Only figment of memories left. They were approached by a slender creature wrapped in dark loose garments. In hoarse brutish tongues the thin man raised a crooked staff and the man beside Krenak turned grey in his skin, his teeth started to fall out, and mere seconds later turned to dust. Later Krenak found himself in a dungeon cell only accompanied by Albert and Noddick ‘Knapsack’. Strange creatures were nearby similar imprisoned. An albino crow came at one point carrying a key which it dropped in Krenaks lap. Krenak escaped together with the crow ‘Corvus’ which sticks close by. 

Ahead in the corridors he suddenly hears voices and see light. A larger congregation of people...real people. However, can they be trusted? Krenak sneaks closer and hides in a small store room chamber to his right. Scavenging for food and water is fruitless here, the chambers shelves have been cleaned recently leaving only dust marks where things stood.
Rufus the magic-user overhears subtle shuffling from the corridor whence they came. Although his mental state barely registered the loss of Oswald the thief, he is keenly aware of his surroundings. He gathers a few hirelings around him for self-preservation and scouts down the corridor. However, nothing unusual is seen. 

[REF note: At this point I sensed they wanted to play out the interaction slowly, and to be submerged in the story. No meta-gaming here, and that’s cool. To up the ante I thought this would be a great timepoint to let loose the Dogs of War – the vicious hounds Ankhar the mercenary captain use to ferret out creatures in Tonisborg. Nothing beats accelerating integration through a common foe.]   

Krenak is neatly tucked away in store room contemplating if he should approach the strangers, when suddenly he hears patter of paws coming somewhere south to his position. The sound stops for a moment before accelerating and coming closer fast. A pack of growling creatures are fast approaching. With out-stretched arms he steps out on the corridor and let his presence be known to the Red Lantern group. From around the corner a hoard of hounds with drooling maws are closing in fast.   

The Red Lanterns gets their suspicions confirmed about a loiter but he appears to be of little danger in his current state, but the hounds chasing him could pose a problem. They reconfigure their formation and Erlulf ‘the flatulent’ and Cantor the Fighting-man both equipped with plate mail take the front row, followed by the spear wielding hirelings Haggard and Louis. As Krenak is storming towards the phalanx formation of The Red Lantern, the plate mails up front manoeuvres to yield a small gap between them. Through this gap Krenak rush to safety just as the Dogs of War are upon them.  

Cantor the Fighting-man lands a big swooshing hit on the first hound, but both hirelings and Erlulf misses their attacks. One of the ravenous creatures jumps of the side wall and sinks his teeth into the succulent flesh of Erlulf who screams in pain. The dogs are now jumping over each other to ripe apart this meal before them. Rufus the magic-user starts an incantation and otherworldly words are muttered. With a casual wave of his hands all the hounds are immediately incapacitated and falls into a deep slumber.  
 
[REF note: This is great. I was keen to see Anders playing Rufus the magic-user get some spotlight. Anders first experience with more traditional gaming was not a big success but he is getting more and more into this now. Great to see the magic-user gets his moment in the sun.]

As the dust settles Rufus calmly goes from hound to hound to slit their throat. He decides to keep one of the canine heads as proof to Ankhar. Clearly Ankhar and the mercenary Draconae order is not overly efficient in keeping their word. 

A larger conversation follows after Krenak the newcomer is offered food and water. Krenak tells of his expedition with the bishop’s nephew, and how he came to know that the goal was not riches and glory but locating a mythical creature called Ylth’yl in Tonisborg. He cannot recollect anything about the fate of his expedition – nor Arthur he nephew himself – except two of his team members are still imprisoned somewhere. From the description of Krenaks imprisonment it becomes apparent that his captor is fusing creatures together, and likely the power behind the goat-creature, and the hyana-creature.    

The Red Lantern members discuss if they should go back and confront Ankhar about letting loose the dogs of war, but decides against it as they would have to pass ‘Well of the Damned’.

[REF note: YES! This is exactly the kind of impact I was hoping for. Locations in Tonisborg that cause great concern and that influence their decisions and navigation.]

They equip Krenak with rudimentary surplus and next decides to risk entering the chambers where Oswald met his demise. The green toxic gas has accumulated near the floor and sunk into the pit where Oswalds body (and equipment) is located. The valuable sword and dagger from the altar room is beyond this point. The expedition decides to leave it for now, and return when all the gas is gone to retrieve more equipment and objects located here. 

Instead, they decide to attempt to backtrack Krenaks route as best as he remembers. As they enter the spiral stair case behind secret door, Krenak shows them another secret door on the other side leading somewhere the Red Lantern has not been. 

[REF note: Need to award xp for hounds 10x30 xp next time at a quiet place. Consider when Goat creature should be introduced]

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Session 7_ 

[level:chamber nomenclature for navigation] 

The Red Lantern expedition is trying to backtrack Krenak’s path through Tonisborg. The hope is their new ally eventually remember parts of his journey, and thereby lead the expedition to their final goal. 

Before setting out they took stock of their belongings and made a quick inventory of available equipment. 

Rufus is carrying a bronze key and some pearls pilfered by Oswald in the store-room, and additionally decides to pack the blood-dripping head of the hound at the bottom of his backpack.
Krenak is given a shield and a surplus spear but is without armor. He carries some wax-candles, and the key Corvus the albino crow handed him to aid his escape but is otherwise dressed only in rags. 

The plated warriors Cantor, Erluf ‘the flatulent’ in addition to Carl the wise – the cleric – are cumbersome, noisy and carries a lot of weight. Their speed will be the limiting factor for exploration. 

Inside the dark spiral staircase, a cleverly disguised rotating part of the wall was highlighted by Krenak, and beyond a dusty chamber is seen. A passageway continues to the NE, as well as a narrow dark corridor going south. Niches are seen in the wall resembling a burial ossuary. Carl the Wise is judiciously drawing their progress in Tonisborg on a tattered parchment and remarks the NE passage leads in the general direction where they felt an evil presence without pinpointing exactly where this is. The map suggest this passage would stretch south from the poison trap room where Oswald died. 

[REF note: I am surprised how well their map holds up. Neil playing Carl the wise is very good at drawing the map, which has been surprisingly accurate. At the point when the expedition was north to chamber 3:2 filled with undeads, I decided Carl the wise in particular could feel some evil presence. And now through their map skills they are beginning to triangulate the location. It’s pretty damn impressive to watch.]  

Instead, the expedition turns south into the narrow corridor. Here they observe a track through the thick layer of dust and the bone fragments that litter the floor have been brushed aside. Krenak has no recollection of this part, but they suspect this to be tracks made by him. Coughing through the dust and in single-file they make their way to a dead-end. Suspecting a hidden passage here, Fric-the-rat-bitten makes his way to the front and starts probing around. Strange gnarly roots are attached to the backwall but appears to be ripped apart all around 4’ high. Fric locates a flagstone that dislodge a lock mechanism opening a portion of the wall and the team can proceed.

Once past the stooped secret panel the expedition finds themselves in a broader corridor twisting and turning as it goes in a southerly direction. The air is much more breathable here and no dust is present. A strange stingy sulfuric smell can be detected and Fric detects faint bobbling sounds. Around a bend is a partially collapsed stair going up and two corridors. One leads into a collapsed corridor where dust and pebbles still fall from the ceiling just before the cave-in. The expedition avoids this corridor all together. The stairs in front of them are made of some darker stones but are partially collapsed as water has teared away at the mortar. 

A smaller scouting party consisting of Fric, Carl and Cantor investigates the stairs leading up while the remaining part of the expedition stays put. The stairs end in a short corridor where a set of stairs goes down again on the other side, and a heavy-set oaken door to the right. The expedition probe around a bit listening for clues, but ultimately decides not to investigate what’s behind the door nor going down the second set of stairs.  

[REF note: This is kinda interesting going up one level around 2:2 and stair W. Neil the map-maker also comments that according to his maps the stairs leading down would lead them somewhere unknown. Again, impressive map making. There is a fairly lethal creature behind the oaken door held in temporary stasis, and that would have been very difficult for only 3 PCs to tackle. Also, on 2nd level they could get in contact with the mercenary guild and captain Ankhar again. So overall happy they decided for a cautious approach and return to level 3.]

A combined Red Lantern expedition instead moves down the southern corridor that sharply turns right after about 50’ but also contains a large square mirror on the wall about midway. The mirror causes some alarm and the expedition has a nagging feeling danger is ahead. Krenak instructs the albino crow Corvus to make a fly-by in front of the mirror and when it subsequently returns unharmed the expedition approaches. In the reflection of the mirror, they can see a lantern hanging on the wall behind them, whereas nothing is to be seen when looking there directly. Carl the wise discovers that by trial and error that this ‘invisible’ (but hot) lantern and sconce upon which it hangs can be pulled down, and with a clicking sound the mirror in front of them dissipates to only leave the frame as entrance to a strange chamber.    

Inside the chamber are workbenches filled with chemical flasks with swirling liquids, glass apparatus and a collection of many chemical components. The chamber seems to come alive as the mirror faded and when entering all activity is accelerated. Reluctantly Rufus and Fric probe around the strange laboratory which reacts to their presence. Among hundreds of different flasks Rufus finds an elixir that appears to be completed and which produce small fiery sparkles when swirled around. While present the floor starts to be illuminated in fluorescent light that coalesce into arcane symbols and scriptures. Rufus casts an incarnation that determines this to be a spell recipe which he copies into his magical tome. Soon afterwards a fog seems to creep up from the floor filling the chamber, and the scouting group decides to retract and close the mirror-portal behind them.   

[REF note: By circumstance the party came this way to find this place, but I am glad they did because I would like to showcase each player that there is something to locate for each PC class. So, Anders playing Rufus the magic-user was the obvious benefactor of this part of the dungeon. The spell was ‘Locate Object’ rolled randomly from the 2nd lvl spell list, and the potion was ‘Potion of Fire Resistance’. On a side note, I think Kim is struggling a bit with getting into the skin of his new PC Fric the rat-bitten (thief) after loosing Oswald. Gaming on a workday can be a bit taxing and we were a bit tired all of us this session, so perhaps that also explains it. I better find a way to get him excited and engaged again.]

Leaving the laboratory behind they approach the L-shaped bend in the corridor where a trapdoor is located. A large keyhole fits with the bronze-key Rufus is carrying but which originally came from the store-room. Under the trapdoor are stairs leading down, which momentarily are left unexplored. Instead, the Red Lantern members explore the corridor to its logical conclusion in Tonisborg – a dead-end. Around another bend and in essence completing the ‘encirclement’ of the laboratory chamber the corridor ends, but fresh blood drops are seen around this area and a chewed of finger with a gold ring is found near a set of stairs going up. Fric puts on the ring!

[REF note: A lot of debate about the ring and if it could be cursed, but eventually they put it on (it has 75 gp value-but otherwise ordinary). At the time when we played, I didn’t connect the dots completely in my head and I was just following the things I already had written down around this area. But the chewed of finger fits quite nicely with stairs X going to 2nd level, as upstairs at 2:15 are more of the vicious dogs the mercenary guild are controlling. So, for consistency and logic, this chewed of finger is likely the results of the dogs attacking someone. When re-reading my description of 2:15 I already wrote the dogs are devouring a cadaver there, so the ring-and finger is from that dude. Glad some thoughts already went into this.] 

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[Yaztromo]

Wow! It looks like this will be a very long thread!