OSE Solo #6: On the Plains, In the Dark
The caravan takes Yaïma the Elf far from the site of her first dungeoncrawl. She finds a new dungeon to investigate.
This is part of a series of blog posts in which I play Old School Essentials as a solo RPG. You can read the first session here or the previous session here.
I am using a homemade adaptation of Appendix A from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons to generate a hexcrawl. You can download the tables for your own use on the Itch.io page.
Scenario
Yaïma the Elf has joined a team of caravan guards, styled as an elven longbow-woman mercenary. In the last session, one half of the merchant duo was eaten during a giant beetle ambush. Thankfully the remaining merchant, Hader just wanted to get the hell out of there!
The caravan also includes: one so-far unnamed captain; the guards Linsey, Olam, and Perston; and another unnamed guard.
This session begins on Day Two of the journey, at Mid-Morning.
The map produced last session
Adventure
Day Two
Continuing on the road north, the caravan arrives shortly at a single dwelling in the forest. Hader decides to stop to warn the inhabitants of the nearby tiger beetle attack; he's still quite on edge. The captain, Astha, suggests they keep moving, but isn't one to question his employer. He sends Yaïma along with Hader.
Walking up to the small structure, it's clear no one's been home for a long while. The air smells strongly of fresh wood-mulch and Yaïma feels as though they're being watched. They turn back to the road and leave quickly.
The highway veers off to the northeast, with a small game trail continuing on to the north. The caravan follows the highway out onto a plain, and travels for nearly 10 miles before deciding to set up camp along the roadside.
Camping and watch duties pass uneventfully.
Day Three
The caravan spends the morning moving northeast along the plain, to a second pass. The highway leads by a guard post in the valley. At 140 yards, a pair of mounted guards ride out to meet the caravan. They exact a toll from Hader, which he pays willingly.
The highway continues out northeast, but a well-maintained road branches off to the north. Hader consults his map to determine the next step. [RN: I'm rolling to see what's in both of the hexes... Both just continue on.] He concludes to stick with the highway heading southeast.
They set up camp on the plains about 20 miles east of the guard post in the pass. The night passes uneventfully.
Day Four
The highway shortly comes to a 40 foot wide river, spanned by a bridge. The main branch of the highway continues to the northeast, but another highway spurs off to the northwest along the course of the river. Consulting his map again, Hader leads the caravan northwest to a village along the river.
Yaïma helps unload the caravan and is given the rest of the day off in the settlement. She heads to the town square to get a lay of the vicinity. [RN: I'm using this to fill out the surrounding hexes.] The highway continues past a guard post in the north, an old stretch of wall stands in the forest to the northeast, and a strange chasm has ripped open on the plains to the northwest. Yaïma calls on Linsey, Olam, and Perston (each Fighter 1) to go check out the chasm with her.
Yaïma is able to convince Hader to let them borrow horses in exchange for a 10% cut of any treasure discovered. She puts down 40 gold pieces in collateral. Though the four guards aren't able to find so much as a game trail to follow, the horses keep the time to reach the chasm reasonable.
Across the plain they discover what the villager had been describing: a tear in the earth, deep, with steep walls. Along the sides of the chasm are a number of caves revealed. They secure the horses, tie a rope to a rocky outcropping near the edge, and rappel down to an entrance 30 feet below.
The Cave
The party is surprised to find the cave walls not rough and natural, but hewn from stone. The tunnel is wide enough to accommodate two explorers abreast and stops abruptly—at a door!
Yaïma places her elfin ear to the wood, hearing nothing beyond. She forces the door open, discovering a continuation of the passage on the other side. Sixty feet later, they come to a T-junction, running northeast-southwest. They decide their heading by standing a dagger on its point and letting it fall; they head northeast.
They follow the passage around as it turns to the right. It leads them to the edge of an empty chamber, 20 feet across and 30 feet long. There are two exits: one at the far end and one at their left. They follow the left exit to another empty chamber, now 40 feet across and 60 feet long. This chamber has three exits: two to the left and one to the right. The party decides to keep following the left-hand path and heads for the first exit.
This chamber is unusual: it is large, triangular, and at the end of both left-hand passages. It is, however, also empty! The party begins to think the whole place has been cleared out already. Their torch light begins to burn out. They decide that this chamber is just as good as any to rest in.
The party heads back to the previous chamber and takes the other passage way. It continues on for a ways before reaching a door. They pull the door open, revealing a bare 20 foot by 20 foot room. They step inside to check it out, but the room begins to descend quickly! It stops soon after, but they are unable to figure out a way to back up!!
Referee's Notes
I felt like taking a party back into the dungeon! I was kind of disappointed by the lack of wandering monsters so far, but Yaïma and crew may have gotten in over their heads, stumbling into the trick elevator room. Next session will see them try to navigate their way out of level 2. To be honest I'm a little worried about the horses left on the surface!
Hex map produced this session
Dungeon Map - Level 1
I know "the Chasm" isn't very imaginative but the party has only just entered!
Tools Used
Appendix A from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeon Master's Guide
Old-School Essentials Dungeon Time Tracker