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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:

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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.
  
  

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[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--