Session 26: 3/17/2024
Terry’s player couldn’t make it this time, so the party is Fighter-less, but it worked out okay (mostly). They decide to short rest, as they’re in a room that’s locked on the side they haven’t cleared. Firkraag isn’t out to kill them, not really, so he’s going to let them go ahead and take a few pauses. After all, the game is no fun if the other player drops out early.

After short resting, they unlock the door, and find another hall with archery slits on both sides…They are very wary, until they realize that it’s empty, and a mirror of the room they were just in. I do point out that the archer halls are connected, but they don’t ever look for how the archers got there in detail. The next set of double doors is also locked (DC like 14-15), and when Ludwig opens it, he gets a clay golem in his face with two hits for 30-something damage (it won init). I went with resist slashing/piercing, vulnerability to bludgeoning with it. Cormak uses his staff’s Lightning Bolt for a lot of damage, the Golem Hastes itself in the second round, and I think it lands one more hit in the cleric before going down.

They now find themselves in a rectangular hall, kind of crossing the T on the last two. There are doors going left, right, and forward. The left door is dirtier, the right door is a bit beat-up, and the center door is another set of stone double doors.

Ludwig checks the left door, and sees a room with a table, smelly stuff hanging from the ceiling, and a large cooking fireplace that must be getting air from somewhere, and a big troll. He slams the door on the troll, then rolls a really high Athletics check to hold it shut (beating the troll). I ask how long he’s going to hold it, and Cormak decides to use his only 4th level spell slot on Stoneshape, sealing the Troll Cook into the kitchen.

They next check the right-hand door, which leads to the rest of this session.
It’s locked, but not well – not with the original key – so it’s easy to pick. It’s also barricaded. They push it open and find a woman with a shield, scimitar, and plate armor in the next room, who challenges them as she seems to think they are initially orcs. Mergand takes some offense at this (almost exactly paralleling a line of game dialog) and she apologises. Summarizing the conversation that follows, she’s a scholar of sorts, seeking information on the life of King Strohm III of Tethyr, who is almost certainly buried here. She had to fight through some orcs to get this far, despite Lord Firkraag inviting her to investigate the area.
She has a key (expensive/magical) to the door to the tomb, but there’s some kind of ward that keeps her out, but might not keep others out.

There are two doors in her room. One is the door to the tomb. The other, to the south, has the bottom gap blocked with some rolled-up fabric (if anyone asks, tent parts, and “because it used to be an orc privy. I didn’t want to smell it.” What is on the other side is not, in fact, an orc privy; but nobody asks).

The group uses the last charge on their Identification goggles, and verifies that the door/doorframe unit do include a ward that would block out anyone with blood from dragons, drow, fiends, and a few others, even if they are only 1/16th or 1/32nd. They accept Samia’s explanation for this, and they decide that they’re fine with taking on this sidequest in the middle of the rescue mission, to find some books and probably some loot. I didn’t push it at all. Samia was just polite, moderately persuasive, and had just enough of “and I’d like to be rich” that they think she’s really after some of the treasure.

Opening the door, they immediately get to fight a very dusty Skeleton Warrior! These still hit hard and it gets in a hit or two (4d6+6 per hit). Moving beyond that, they find a long hallway with closed doors at each end, and more closed doors on each side. The first door they examine is fake. After this, Ludwig goes down the hall, getting Nalia to join him, as they examine each door. They find one that’s “dangerous” and several that appear real.

Mergand stays outside talking to Samia. I ask what they talk about, and he doesn’t throw out anything that I can use to make things more interesting or suspicious.

Ludwig and Nalia open the farthest door at the end of the hall, revealing an Efreeti! Albeit one smaller and a bit weaker-looking than an Efreeti ought to. It gives a short speech of a couple of lines about being a guardian, killing them, etc. Ludwig and Nalia both run away… all the way down the hall. It follows and fireballs them for 2d6 damage.

I took an Efreeti statblock and divided some of the numbers to around 1/6ths, with some rounding up to keep things relevant.
1/6th of an Efreeti
Medium Elemental
AC 17
HP: 35
Speed 40’, fly 60’
Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha
18(+4) 12(+1) 24(+7) 12(+1) 15(+2) 16(+3)
Saves: Int +5, Wis +6, Cha +7
Damage Resistances fire
Senses Darkvision 120’, passive Perception 12
Elemental Demise When it dies, only a puff of smoke is left behind.
Fire Shield Anyone who damages the genie while being within 5’ of it takes 1d8 fire damage.
Actions
Random Actions Roll 1d6.
On a 6, the genie casts Fractional Fireball, dealing 2d6 fire damage in a 20’ radius with a DC 15 Dexterity save for half
On a 5, the genie casts Burning Hands twice, dealing 1d6 fire damage in a 15’ cone with a DC 15 Dexterity save for half
On a 4, the genie casts Aganazzar’s Scorcher, dealing 1d6 fire damage in a 30’ line, Dex DC 15 half
On a 1-3, the genie attacks twice with its scimitar, +10 to hit, 5’, for 1d6+4 slashing +1d6 fire damage.

It takes two or three rounds to kill this 1/6th Efreeti. The next two take a bit less time, then the party hits a “Real” door that’s actually a Burning Hands trap that hits 3 people. That’s why I roll their Perception/Investigation checks behind the screen!
They move on to the next hall, and the next, and by the end of it, 2 of the last 3 Efreeti get killed really fast by critical hit Chill Touch & Rogue sneak attack. People are getting hit points chipped and dinged away, especially Cormak and Ludwig. Mergand stays farther back, as does Nalia, and Ludwig is the only one taking that Fire Shield damage.

Each Efreeti guarded a piece of a painted clay funeral mask, and they also found a text in the hall – someone’s old journal – mentioning that the mask was necessary for those not of Strohm’s bloodline to gain access. They reassemble the mask after defeating 6/6ths of an Efreeti. Ludwig’s player is very much “I’m not putting it on. I’ve seen this movie.” I guess everyone’s seen the Mask? The one with Jim Carrey?

At this point, it’s showtime! They open the double doors to see an empty hall. Nothing happens. Ludwig steps inside.
Fireball, 8d6 (35!), two players go down. The hall is empty still. Ludwig casts Burning Hands, which does nothing. They fall back, using healing potions to revive the downed. They discuss using Identify on the mask, but all 3 charges on the glasses were already used, and casting it from a scroll takes a full minute.

The next round, Ludwig gambles and uses his action to put the mask on, and peeks around the corner. Now he can see the guardian, which looks much like a fire elemental! It attempts to throw a fireball at him, but the mask’s eyes flare white for a moment, and the spell fails.

It was getting late, so we stop there. They have to fight an enemy that’s still invisible to everyone but Ludwig, but at least it won’t be casting Fireball every round.

I know they’re about out of 1st level slots and low on HP despite going through at least half a dozen healing potions. I think they’re going to need to long rest in King Strohm III’s tomb. There’s still quite a bit to come, and they’ve had technically 13 combat encounters since their last LR, although 6 of those were only Fractional Efreeti.