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Post by Algolei on Sept 7, 2018 1:41:53 GMT -6
Hiya!
I finally decided to run my players through as much of Darkness Beneath as they can survive (which will be less than I expect, if they stay true to form). I have to modify all of the maps to fit the town in my existing campaign, which has led me to discover some things I hadn't noticed earlier. So I joined these forums to ask some questions!
(Although I also thought I had joined the forums a long time ago, but apparently not.) *harumph* never mind that
First question! On the map for the Warrens of the Troglodytes (from Fight On #5), there is a symbol on the maps that I don't recognize. It's a circle within a circle. You can see two of them, for instance, in the hallways south of room #30. What're them thangs?
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terrex
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 113 
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Post by terrex on Sept 7, 2018 8:05:37 GMT -6
We had a lot of fun in that level of the Darkness Beneath. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
I believe you're referring to the sinkholes in caverns 19 and 20. The sinkhole in 19 leads to a passage way toward the main Troglodyte lair rooms. The sinkhole in 20 leads to the submerged lake.
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Post by Algolei on Sept 7, 2018 12:35:53 GMT -6
terrex! You're alive! :wave: hi how ya doinLet's see, where's me maps.... No, not those, I recognized those easy-peasy. I'm talking about these things...hang on while I put an image onto the innernets somewhere...dum de dum, jeez, photobucket doesn't work anymore, let's try Google Photos. Holy crap, I have photos online and I didn't even know about it! Never mind those, let's upload this thing...here we go:  Hope that's visible. There, at the bottom of the image, in three separate locations. Not the trap doors, those have the Xs in them. The other things -- circles within circles. What're those? They baffle me. (I'm easily baffled. At least it's cheaper than booze though, amiright?) |
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terrex
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 113
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Post by terrex on Sept 7, 2018 14:37:14 GMT -6
Your pic isn't visible. But, I know what your're talking about. Those are sinkholes from above. In our world it was a swamp and the party actually accessed the dungeon from there in a session or two. I can't remember if the fact it's a swamp is derived from the module text or not.
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Post by Algolei on Sept 8, 2018 22:42:22 GMT -6
Ohhh, sinkholes from above! Dammit, I don't think I ever would have thought of that. I had a list of possibilities lined up, and I don't think any of them considered anything "from above." My pic isn't visible? I must've done something wrong. Too bad I can't just add an attachment, or I --  "add attachments", I see it now. Attachments:
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Post by Algolei on Sept 8, 2018 22:44:12 GMT -6
...is my avatar visible, at least? I'm the one in the background, green shirt, white hat. I was DMing a group mostly over skype. The bald guy with the empty booze bottle on his head was one of my players.
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terrex
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 113
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Post by terrex on Sept 10, 2018 19:32:42 GMT -6
Yes, I can see your avatar. Cool, I would've assumed you were the guy in front.
In the later post I can see the map. Yes, sinkholes from above.
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Post by Algolei on Sept 10, 2018 23:34:41 GMT -6
'kay, thanks.  |
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Post by flailsnail75 on Sept 11, 2018 14:14:54 GMT -6
Aaaahh sinkholes from above. I’m glad I saw this thread as I’m currently running Darkness Beneath as well and I thought those were corpses like in level one.
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Post by Algolei on Sept 12, 2018 5:08:43 GMT -6
Corpses! Another possibility I hadn't thought of. My own guesses were many and varied, such as: Pools of water / wells / fountains Statues Latrines / biffies ( these are biffies, in case anyone doesn't recognise the term) Barrels Altars Sentry positions Cooking fires with pots on them Shriekers or other types of enormous fungi But of course, now that I know they're sinkholes from above I can find them mentioned in the manuscript. Area #34 states, for instance, that the occupants of the room "...can squeeze through the passage to 35 for fungus and down the opposing hall and sinkhole to hunt aboveground...." |
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Post by Algolei on Feb 18, 2019 2:12:12 GMT -6
Another question: In the Spawning Grounds of the Crab-Men, there's a magic item called a Helm of Chaos.
What the heck is a Helm of Chaos? Sounds like fun, but I don't know where it's from.
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Post by makofan on Feb 18, 2019 15:09:23 GMT -6
I treated it as a cursed helmet that changed your alignment to Chaotic
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Post by calithena on Feb 18, 2019 20:32:59 GMT -6
I have run the Warrens level twice and it has been great fun both times. My daughter's party was poking around on level 1 and the Spawning Grounds at her high school so that was very cool. Those weird bio zombie dudes ripped one of them (a bird-man thief named Ponk) to pieces but the rest of the party is still prospering...they went through Melan's Beekeeper dungeon in his 'zine and now are in White Plume Mountain!
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Post by Algolei on Nov 17, 2019 5:37:35 GMT -6
I'm prepping my knowledge on the deeper levels in anticipation of my players finally heading that way. A couple more questions:
Where is Marchand? In what world, I mean? Is it a homebrew? Are there maps available somewhere?
Where is Dagendreng Hold? Is it the same place as the Citadel of the Dark Trolls?
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terrex
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 113
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Post by terrex on Nov 18, 2019 15:59:05 GMT -6
I'm prepping my knowledge on the deeper levels in anticipation of my players finally heading that way. A couple more questions: Where is Marchand? In what world, I mean? Is it a homebrew? Are there maps available somewhere? Where is Dagendreng Hold? Is it the same place as the Citadel of the Dark Trolls? Marchand is homebrew and there is no development of it within Fight On! In my campaign, Marchand's inn is called the Bouncing Bugbear and is run by a retired ranger who fought in the Troglodyte Wars. I do not know of Dagendreng Hold. But, my players have only explored levels 1-4. They have had several tense encounters with Dark Troll patrols. |
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Post by Algolei on Nov 18, 2019 17:34:31 GMT -6
Thanks. I have another town I can use in Marchand's place, then.
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Post by labsenpai on Dec 10, 2019 20:48:02 GMT -6
I'm prepping my knowledge on the deeper levels in anticipation of my players finally heading that way. A couple more questions: Where is Dagendreng Hold? Is it the same place as the Citadel of the Dark Trolls? Dagendreng is hollowed out of the Deep Caves, within sight of the tunnel linking to the Troll Citadel. It is where rich trolls not of the royal line entertain themselves and make secret plans. After designing the Citadel I started the Hold as a supplement, but the press stopped running... |
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Post by Algolei on Dec 13, 2019 4:18:42 GMT -6
I'm prepping my knowledge on the deeper levels in anticipation of my players finally heading that way. A couple more questions: Where is Dagendreng Hold? Is it the same place as the Citadel of the Dark Trolls? Dagendreng is hollowed out of the Deep Caves, within sight of the tunnel linking to the Troll Citadel. It is where rich trolls not of the royal line entertain themselves and make secret plans. After designing the Citadel I started the Hold as a supplement, but the press stopped running... Do you have any of it online where I can check it out? I mean, my players took a drastic detour and got one of themselves killed in a meaningless side quest, but ONE of these days they might make it down to the lower sections!  |
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Post by bryce0lynch on Jan 9, 2020 7:09:51 GMT -6
New year and the game restarts!
Session report for the Upper Caves follows:
In to the Bleakmarsh ...
Karen - Fighter - Level 1
Harley - Halfling - Level 1
Malark Whistler - MagicUser - Level 1
Kryshal! Shining jewel of the west! Last beacon of civilization before the borderlands! A bustling, dusty corrupt metropolis. Inside the slum quarter, inside The Hurling Heifer, a farmer sits at a table with a another. Dirty rags on his feet, muddy clothes, hands stained red from beets, smelling of turnips with a ragged tooth mouth. Over the din of the crowd, the drunken calls for booze, the shouting, one word: 'gold!' Three sets of ears prick up immediately. Instantly homing in on the farmers. Instantly recognizing, without a glance, the other two. Never met before but obviously companions: Hobos4Lif.
They approach the farmer and, perhaps a bit too loudly, speak with him. The kings tax man, ambushed outside of Frank the beet farmers farm. A wagon of gold gone. Down, in the Bleakmarsh, where no one comes back from after dark. They negotiate a price beyond measure, 1gp, for the farmer to take them there. As they leave the Heifer the bartender uncovers a chalkboard and begins to write "Odds" on it ...
Out the great southern gates and down the Kings Road they tell the guards they are day laborers on Franks beet farm. Passing the beet farm they see blood and signs of a struggle. Further in, two hours in to the Bleakmarsh they see a sinkhole a quarter mile off the road. Firmer then the other sinkholes in the area, they see wagon tracks leading to it ... and one footprint, not covered by the wagon tracks. One giant foot, with three clawed toes. A waft of mist blows up out of the cave, cold, defying the laws of physics. Down the sinkhole they go, down the spiral ramp that leads in to it, avoiding the moss and dripping water form the marsh.
At the bottom, a large cave. The stone floor cleared of rubble, it pushed up against the wall. Not as dusty or dirty as it should be. Their torch shows exits from the large cave to the east, north, and northwest ... but they can't see the western edge of the cave ... but hold their breath as another blast of cold mist comes from that direction. They hear rustling in dry leaves to the northwest and Harley sneaks up to check it out. At the edge of the light he sees a pair of glowing white eyes, down low to the ground. And then another. And then another. And another. Retreating back, a plan is formed. The NW tunnel is ruled out because of the eyes. The N tunnel is also out because it's too close to the NW tunnel. The W is ruled out because of the mist coming from it. They head east, Karen leading the way. Again, the floors are cleared of the fallen ceiling rubble, the paths too well used to show much dust. In a large chamber they find a skeleton on the floor in a corner dressed in strange clothes with a metallic sheen. A dead elf. They break its fingers to free the large ruby clutched in its outstretched hand. There might be, they decide, more than gold down in this ole ...
Exploring south they find a single human footprint in the dust off the main cleared path, heading their direction. There's salt in the air now, not stale cave air. They find a cavern littered with refuse. Crab shells and legs, large and small, carapaces, splintered bone spears. And a few broken stone spears and a shattered stone axe. But nothing else. Nearby there's a passage leading down, in to darkness, to the east, with the smell of salt on the air heavy ... they avoid it, not going deeper in. To the south of the refuse chamber, in the darkness they hear screeching and howling. The avoid it.
Moving west they come to a wide passage leading south, going down even more steeply, with the smell of bird guano coming from it, and a large watery white mess on the floor. Malark is looking for spell components, and guano is a big one ... but they avoid going deeper. Heading further in to the darkness of the west they see something on the floor in a T passage ... going further they find a pile of rags, children's clothes, shredded, full of blood. Not a good sign. Passages to the south wind around to the west. Passages to the west wind back to them. They hear more screeching and grunting from the west and northwest as they wind through the dark cavernous maze. And see another pile of clothes. Again, children's rags, in blood. Harley, who has snuck ahead to examine them, sees something crawling toward him from the NW, out of the darkness. Backing up back to his friends ... he sees a large brutish reptilian like humanoid with neck feathers dragging itself toward him ... and the light ... coming from where the sounds of battle are coming from. It looks up ... and then the head drops, moving no more. Karen comes up and stabs it in the head, just to be sure. A quick loot reveals a leather thong on its neck attached to a crude gold medallion with an X in a circle design hammered in to it. A leather bag has rotting human hands in it ... gnawed up. But they are large, rough hands, of men who have had a rough life.
Retreating from the sounds of battle, they see some flickering light to the north. Following it, still past the sounds of battle to the west, they see a wide side corridor to the east, with flickering firelight in the distance. Harley sneaks up again, and peering around a corner he sees ... a flickering bonfire with a giant cauldron sitting on it, something bubbling in it. The walls are covered with small little niches, the size of a cup, and a narrow passage to the rear of the chamber. On the other side of the cauldron is huge pale white hulking brute. Eight or nine feet tall, open girl thingy sores and burst of rough black hair growing from them, two large tusks coming up from its lower jaw. A plan if formed. Oil is readied, to use the cauldron fire. Malark steps out and yells "Good night sweet child!" ... and the brute falls over, slumbering. Harley races in to search the niches, as does Malark, as Karen rushes in to chop its head off! Blood spurts out of the neck comically as Karen expertly chops off the head, the creatures eyes opening once, looking sadly at Karen as it mouths the words "Gulag?"
The niches are full of gold coins! And the cauldron full of human and reptile arms and legs and fingers and eyes and ears! They loot a large number of gold coins, a bronze necklace, and a small bottle of white fluid with snotty yellow rivluts in it. It smells like pine. And then ceder. And then cotton. And then mutton. And then ... every changing.
They left town at 1pm. They hit the sinkhole at 3pm. They've been inside for a couple of hours ... they need to leave soon to get back to town before dark ... because no one comes back from the Bleakmarsh after dark. They quickly make their way back to the sinkhole entrance/exit, the sounds of battle to the west no longer being heard. Up and out, they pass back by Franks farm. He's sitting int he muck next to the road, holding a bloody rag to his head. "Hey! Hey you!" he calls out ... they ignore him. On the way back through the gates of Kryshal they toss a couple of gold coins to the guards "The beet harvest was good!" One guard immediately quits, telling off his super Karl. The group makes its way to the Singing Swan, an inn in he better part of town, staying up all night guarding backpacks full of coin, before hitting the mining guildhall in the morning to leverage Karens contacts ... her dead husband was a miner and the guildhall will hold the gold in bond for her. Malark finds the wizards guild and joins, mostly for the monthly dinners and networking. They plan their next assault ...
1000 gold coins
300 gp ruby
50gp gold medallion
30 gp bronze mecklance
1 potion
Killed: 1 Gulag
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Post by makofan on Jan 10, 2020 8:39:35 GMT -6
Fantastic writeup! Great DMing advice hidden in there too
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sham
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 385
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Post by sham on Aug 23, 2020 12:32:18 GMT -6
I found the below from 2010 when several of us (Calithena, Simon Bull, Heron Prior, myself) were trying to put together level 8 from my scattered notes and maps.
6B. Dagendreng Hold OPD (S): The Dagendreng are evil men recruited from Marchand. They serve as valets to the “gentleman” Trollkin in this exclusive club whilst furthering their diabolical plots on the surface. The Trollkin behave the role of the young, idle rich to the hilt; Nellie Dean may be heard at all hours, emanating from the gin-drenched bowels within. Include Skogsra visits from buzz killing “Aunties”. In the end little furthering of diabolical plots ever actually happens. There are however plenty of Marchand connections to uncover.
Inspired by P.G. Wodehouse’s Drones Club.
Happy to read that TDB is still getting some play.
David
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2021 16:56:48 GMT -6
A person could up his old school game style considerably by carefully studying (and playing) the dungeon levels in Darkness Beneath, which I'm in the process of doing as DM. Currently, converting Lower Caves to DCC rules. What a great level (all the standby's included: history & backstory, cosmology, a tavern-and a good one, factions-both politics and turf, juxtapositions, egress and exits, and a dozen or so new monsters!). Also cunning were the intro, trogs, and crabs levels. Great stuff!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2021 18:37:31 GMT -6
Darkness Beneath as it occurs in FO issues... The Upper Caves #2
Warrens of the Troglodytes #5
Spawning Ground of the Crabmen #3
The Mysterious Crystal Hemisphere #4
The Lower Caves #6
The Fane of Salisia #7
The Hall of Mirrors #8
The Blasphemous Shrine of the Tentacled God #9
City of Ancients #10
The Palace of Eternal Illusion #11
The Deep Caves #12
Fungus Forest #13
Citadel of the Dark Trolls #14
Cavern of Slime pdf made available on forum (link to dungeon is in 3rd paragraph)
Tomb of the Black Lord of Nothingness #15 (never published, but ahh the rumors...)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2021 18:19:06 GMT -6
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2021 18:17:20 GMT -6
Update: group is knee deep in the Spawning Grounds of the Crabmen. Still lost, meaning they don't know how to return to the Troll's Highway, they are plunging forward. I won't be surprised if they end on level 4 without a link to the surface. Much fun; great dungeon!
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terrex
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 113
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Post by terrex on Sept 14, 2021 8:17:02 GMT -6
Good to hear. My group exhausted levels 1-3 years ago, experienced level 4 a bit. But, haven't been back to TDB in a long time.
*Spoiler Alert*
Re: the Spawning Grounds, did they not find a tunnel leading away from the notalisk lair? I believe there was one there. Inn my campaign, it led to the surface which allowed direct entry to that level.
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terrex
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 113
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Post by terrex on Sept 14, 2021 8:20:24 GMT -6
Btw, over the years I've seen sessions recounted on levels 1-3. Has anyone ever played any of levels 5+?
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Post by makofan on Sept 17, 2021 6:06:13 GMT -6
My players did all the levels before dying on level 14, but I can't really remember much - was a long time ago. I remember they just started fireballing recklessly on level 5 and wiped everybody out
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2021 8:15:43 GMT -6
Seskima almost had them last night. Had adventurers running in terror all over the place - down the hall, into the river - but the wizard's DCC magic missile saved the day - he might as well have had a bazooka. Good stuff!
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terrex
Level 4 Theurgist
Posts: 113
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Post by terrex on Sept 27, 2021 15:56:40 GMT -6
Good to hear! Seskima killed several PCs and NPCs in my group. They had to retreat and return to defeat it, recapturing some lost magical items. A wuuky henchman was lost down the river in that session, never to be se seen again -- yet.
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"add attachments", I see it now.
