Campaign Journal #2: Thyrre & The Dungeon, Part I

Main Cast

Our player characters for the campaign:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

Supporting Cast

Non-player characters introduced in this session:

• Aethert, member of the Pennydelvers
• Driffol, Bartholomew & Company employee in Thyrre
• Wealda, captain of the guard of Thyrre
• Arthugh, innkeeper of the New Hill Inn in Thyrre
• 6 kobolds

Non-player characters from the previous session:

• Aerol Thornrend, half-elf, member of Barclay's guild in Fellsdare
• Bartholomew, dwarf, owner Bartholomew & Company
• Colin "Flour", human, Renn's drinking buddy at the Ratcatcher's Inn & Tavern in Fellsdare
• Decius, human, priest of Currend
• Deep End, gnome, Renn's drinking buddy at the Ratcatcher's Inn & Tavern in Fellsdare
• Elira, council member of Barclay's guild in Fellsdare
• Eyes, gnome, Renn's drinking buddy at the Ratcatcher's Inn & Tavern in Fellsdare
• Lady Ilyavoe, also known as Lady Dawn, the Ironwitch of Fellsdare
• Liliani, elf, Renn's sister; is searching for Decius
• Malde, meat and vegetable vendor in Fellsdare
• Orloz, owner of the Sleepy Brewer Tavern in Fellsdare
• Pietre Sorenson, human, member of Barclay's guild in Fellsdare
• Renelm, baker's boy in Fellsdare
• Vanya Starris, human, member of Barclay's guild in Fellsdare

Thyrre & The Dungeon, Part I

We rejoin our heroes in Thyrre, a town of 100 people about 10 miles south of Lyrum. Driffol, an employee of Bartholomew & Company in Thyrre, has booked the party a suite at the New Hill Inn. The suite's patio exits next to the well they are to search—except that Raehendra checks in first and accepts an upgrade from the innkeeper, Arthugh. Now they're on the other side of the inn, in full view of the Longdays (New Year/Spring Equinox) festivities. Sentie is observed by 3 Cassevallan spies and, while trying to find out who they are, is arrested and interrogated by the captain of the guard, Wealda. Meanwhile, Barclay's spider spy (spy-der?) spies on the spies, revealing that they suspect a lot but don't know everything.

At midnight, the party enters the well and discover a dungeon complex. To the left is a short, ancient tunnel ending in murky water. A door in that tunnel leads to a scorched room with twisted metal and chipped walls, as if something had exploded. To the right is a longer tunnel, newer but crude and periodically reinforced with wooden beams. Tracks lead down the right, crude tunnel. The party follows the tracks.

There is a poorly-concealed pit trap that the party ignores for now—although it bothers Barclay. The tunnel soon transitions to iced-over sewer stonework and tilts downward. At this point, the party can hear rushing water ahead of them. Renn and Kodrak slide down the slick tunnel but stop before a crumbling bit of cliff overlooking a rushing underground river. Falling into this water would likely mean certain death.

Renn spots a vague figure across the river, pointing to the party's left. Barclay investigates the pit trap and discovers a door. The party decides to investigate the door. It leads to a den of kobolds, who are wary but friendly after being given food. They warn the party that beyond their den are dangerous plants and a putrid stench.

Our heroes investigate, spotting some kind of mushroom-like people and—is that a hag? They will investigate next week!

Soundtrack: Daniel Pemberton, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Vol. 1 (2019)