I recently came to realise that it has been little over a year by now since I stitched together a handful of different dungeon maps and started to key them as this old abandoned prison complex in order to introduce a friend of mine to osr style dungeon crawling.
It was supposed to be just a small intro dungeon, but as all things ever it went through an amount of scope bloat.
I got my first players for the game pretty much by dragging in that friend I was designing this for along with two people who at that point had been pretty much just "cool people whose art I really like".
Now a year later those two art people have been the core players in this madness after the initial friend that got this whole ball rolling had to drop out of the game due to scheduling mismatches and I love my little goo tasters.
Some half a year or so into the game, I had made a small infographic of how the game had played out thus far, heavily inspired by the Nightwick infographic.
As it has been a hot minute since then, I figured that by this point I should probably make an updated one. Things have happened and play has moved once since then after all.
Or not, at least by much, as you might notice:
And because of this I thought, why not also share the delve recaps that I have been writing to share with my players whenever they decide to return back to town to re-stock and re-arm themselves. It's a blogpost that has already written itself after all.
The following will thusly be simply copy pasted record from my notes, with occasional editing to make the formatting readable and sane on this platform. As such you might see the style fluctuate between the individual delve reports.
Marmoris Carcerem - Delves Thus Far
Marmoris Carcerem - Delve #1
Lasted from 6am to 2:40pm
Saw the group finding a ritual site of some nature within a chapel on the prison grounds. Strange red honey related to large flies and corpses was found at the site.
The western gatehouse was opened.
North-eastern tower was likewise broken into and explored, at the cost of jawful of teeth and a promise to a collective ghost. Amulet of Coal was retrieved along with a Potion of Healing.
The Marble Cage has claimed the life of:
- Fig Heronfell, lvl.1 specialist. Ribcage shattered by an incoming table.
Reus Parillaud remains yet to be found.
Additionally one boss, The Warden, was brought down.
Marmoris Carcerem - Delve #2
Lasted from 6am to 4:40pm
Saw the group burn down the honeyed altarside, potentially ending the supply of red honey to the fountain underneath the chapel.
Marcus joined the Mummified Preacher in her worship as his fellow adventurers were swept away in a wave of ash, leaving only Brocus to escape.
Second plunge into the dungeon was started minutes after Brocus's escape from the prison grounds, and saw the dismantling of the Warden's Collection along with a run-in with the Cage's torturer.
Finally, as a last push into the complex an underground floor was discovered along with something locked behind heavy metal doors.
The Marble Cage has claimed the lives of:
- Merry, lvl.1 Magic-User. Cleaved in half.
- Walter, lvl.1 Cleric. Suffocated in a wave of ash.
The original objective of pushing into the Marble Cage, Reus Parillaud, remains yet to be found.
Marmoris Carcerem - Delve #3
Lasted from 6am of Day 1, to 6am of Day 2
Third delve began with a run-in with the Cage's Torturer. This confrontation saw the individual Iakliitru Vocri leave a lasting wound on the Torturer's face, nearly puncturing an eye.
A haunting by a Disembodied Howl in corridor forced a temporary retreat from the scene.
Key to the skybridge door was found, then lost as the delvers were swept away by a wave of ash in an encounter with the Mummified preacher.
Iakliitru Vocri joined the Mummified preacher in her worship.
Key to the skybridge door was found once more, and the delvers managed to gravely wound the Torturer.
Ivo the Boxman was overcome by Rapture and fell by the hands of his peers.
Healing properties of the "Blood Crystals" was confirmed.
During a nightly ambush Marcus, a magic-user who had joined the Mummified Preacher in her worship, was brought down.
The Marble Cage has claimed the lives of:
- Arionna, lvl.2 Magic-User. Suffocated under a wave of ash.
- Ivo the Boxman, lvl.2 Specialist. Killed by Hilt.
Stygian Garden - Delve #1
Lasted from 7am to 12:20pm
Saw the scouting group explore the manor grounds, engaging three archer cherub statues in the atrium and losing Frida in the process. Only Jaz managed to escape by being mistaken for dead.
Another attempt at the manor and it's grounds was launched immediately after, this time penetrating into the sitting rooms and grand dining hall of the manor itself. Darwyn and Peck managed to stay a hair's breadth away from death dealing with giant spiders and laying the groundwork for possible future retrieval of a gilded chandelier. An old tea set and a golden brooch with combined worth of 232 silver pieces were retrieved from the grounds.
The Stygian Garden has claimed the life of:
- Frida, lvl.1 Specialist. Impaled by marble arrows.
Marmoris Carcerem - Delve #4
Lasted from 6am to the next morning
Saw a group of delvers entering the south-eastern chapel tower through a broken altar window in order to dig up the body of Walter who before them had suffocated and been buried under a wave of ash.
During the endeavour, the church was set aflame once more.
Soon after the smoke from the chapel had died out, another delve was launched by a much smaller force who pushed their way past the sky-bridge and inside the nearby hill finding someone to talk to within the Cage as well as barely surviving a confrontation with a former delver Iak that had taken the offer of the Mummified Preacher.
A number of holy symbols and painted icons were retrieved from a vault within the hill, along with a text in a language none of the delvers could comprehend as well as a still alive head.
Upon returning to camp the head was reformed to a human shape with the aid of Peck, for which she and her companion were rewarded with secrets of the Law and Chaos.
The Marble Cage has claimed no lives.
Stygian Garden - Delve #2
Lasted from 9am to 11am
Saw a group of five entering the manor grounds with the intention to rid the dining hall of spiders, only to get ambushed by a gargoyle. By the time the party had retreated to cover, one of the delvers was dead and one left unconscious.
Rin the henchman bravely ran for their now-dead employer's gear, exposing them back to the danger which ultimately resulted in their demise before the delvers lost sight of the attacking gargoyle.
The dead were retrieved and the delvers returned to the cart left outside the compound.
After a retreat back into the treeline and regaining their wits, the delvers returned to the mansion and hauled a number of marble statues as well as few candelabras from the premises before leaving back for Schwarzfus.
The Stygian Garden has claimed the lives of:
- Caspian the Sword, lvl.1 Specialist. Back melted off by strong acid.
- Rin, lvl.1 Fighter. Torn through by the charge of an acid spewing gargoyle.
Marmoris Carcerem - Delve #5
Started at 8am to 5:50pm
Saw the death of the Torturer at the hands of Jor and his companions, despite the many traps and attempts at barricading the delvers out of the prison grounds.
The Deeper Prisons were reached for the first time after overcoming the mechanism of a sealing trap, and a prison guard was rescued from within after a near-death experience with Sword Marriage that now freely roams the halls of the Marble Cage. The escape was not without price, as both Bast and Jor lost their lives in securing the getaway of their fellow delvers.
Reus Parillaud was found, dead beyond recognition as thus easily brushed past within the Marble Cage.
Through the action of Jaz, the Marble Cage was forcibly invaded by forces outside of his own control and thus resulting in the deaths of not just the mage but two of his companions, accompanied by the sounds of slaughter somewhere in the halls underneath the complex.
The Marble Cage has claimed the lives of:
- Bast, lvl.1 Specialist. Neck broken from falling down stairs
- Jor, lvl.2 Fighter. Fell down the stairs into caltrops.
- Jaz, lvl.1 Magic-User. Consumed by the horrors they brought forth to this stable land.
- Galendil, lvl.1 Elf. Consumed by the horrors Jaz brought forth to this stable land.
- Edren, lvl.1 Magic-User. Consumed by the horrors Jaz brought forth to this stable land.
Marmoris Carcerem - Delve #6
Started at 6am, lasting until 12pm of the following day
- Found the "king's court" destroyed by the sword marriage
- Opened way to the underground river
- Saved a siren-entranced person
- Found first floor's safekeeping vault
- Bedivere died getting sucked through their armour into a mirror
- Recovered everything
- Madb fused with the sword recovered from sword marriage
- Madb bought a magical disaster and began digging
- Murder Statue was uncovered in the deeper prisons
- Chained prisoner was retrieved from the deeper prisons
- Night-time skeleton attack claimed the life on Jane Hench
- Asterios struck deals with the being inside a box for total of 30 silver pieces
The Marble Cage has claimed the lives of:
- Jon the henchman, lvl.1 Specialist, death by grenade
- Ulysses, lvl.2 Magic-User, death by Sword Marriage
- Bedivere, lvl.2 Fighter, sucked into a mirror through their own gear
- Jane the henchman, lvl.1 Specialist, death by roaming skeleton
Execution of Artamo Sorex
Carried out by Head Executor of Swarzfus, Jean Samons, under the orders of Lord Garrit Pennon and Bishop Elegor Teufel, for crimes of not only undermining the stability of Schwarzfus and it's communities by cavorting with forces beyond understanding, but also publicly circulating and making known his perversion with the Weird and seducing others to his ways.
The criminal was given to Jean Samons to do with as he saw fit on the night before the execution.
On the hours prior to his execution, the criminal was given an opportunity to repent at the main chapel of the Church of Varchic within Schwarzfus.
Ultimately the execution was a failure, the sorcerer conjured monsters to the scene of his execution, leading to 111 confirmed deaths, among which are included Lord Garrit Pennon and Head Executor Jean Samons.
A colossal centipede, subjugated by Bishop Eligor Teufel, was employed in rounding out the remaining monsters and thus minimizing casualties to the good citizens of Schwarzfus.
An outstanding bounty of 1000 gold pieces has been placed on the head of the escaped sorcerer, Artamo Sorex. Half of the bounty will also be paid out for hints leading to death or apprehension of the sorcerer.
Barrowmire - Delve #1
Set off onto the mire at 6am, setting off back to Schwarzfus at 5pm
Setting off to the cloudy morning, the group first found a barrow devoid of anything but scattered bones on their way to the one that had been pointed out to Pommel as holding an entrance to the underground catacomb-maze.
Soon after the descent down to the catacombs, the group was attacked by decayed corpses carrying themselves along the subterranean halls that would claim the life of Pippin the Tunnel Rat.
Owl the Dwarf would soon after fall unconscious from having their sternum mangled by a charging skeleton that Sorli the Fighter who was late to join the party within the barrows quickly dispatched.
After securing the now unconscious but still breathing dwarf the rest of the party pushed deeper, managing to overcome an ambush predator within the catacombs and securing a treasure of 163 silver coins.
Barrowmire has claimed the life of:
- Pippin ShortBird, lvl.1 Tunnel Rat. Overpowered by a walking corpse.
Barrowmire - Delve #2
Set off onto the mire at 6am, returned to Schwarzfus at 4pm the following day
Saw the party explore further into the underground catacombs beneath the mire, finding messages left behind by prior delvers as well as coming across two dead treasure hunters.
Saw the party meet a young woman dressed like a witch who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared in much the same fashion.
Had Owl the dwarf lose three of the fingers in their dominant hand due to a reforming skeleton.
During the night Sorli warded the sleeping party against hungry darkness by burning rope.
After Owl's departure back to town, the rest of the party killed themselves in a bout of madness.
Barrowmire has claimed the lives of:
- Sorli Myst, lvl.1 Fighter. Pushed down a ten metre fall by Síomha.
- Bowie, lvl.1 Fighter. Pulled into a ten metre fall along with Síomha.
- Síomha, lvl.1 Fighter. Multiple self-inflicted stab wounds.