The Ancient Way - A Basic D&D Adventure - Chapter 1.3 Alberich the Halfling
Welcome back to the Ancient Way!
Last chapter we walked through Portia's shoes and the party won a skirmish against a goblin king and it's bodyguards.
In this chapter, we will inhabit the mind of Alberich the Halfling. Let's get to it!
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Before we restart on our journey, let's explore the treasures these goblins had.
Each goblin, including the king, had 2-12 pieces of electrum. This adds up to 23 electrum or 11.5 gold, which they divide equally.
However, the Goblin King's hoard is potentially quite valuable. Let's roll some percentile dice to determine its worth. There's a 20% chance of copper, but none is found. A 30% chance of silver also yields nothing. A 10% chance of electrum proves fruitless, and there's no possibility of gold. A 25% chance of gems, however, brings some excitement - we find one gem. Unfortunately, the 25% chance of jewelry leads to another dead end, and a 10% chance of a magical item reveals nothing.
It's not the best outcome, but what gem did we discover? It's a garnet, valued at 100 gold pieces - not too shabby. Merrick, with his extensive knowledge of gems, manages to uncover the gem beneath a pile of decaying clothes, suggesting that the goblins underestimated its value.
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| Not a bad haul for a day's work. |
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Now, let's shift the perspective to Alberich's point of view.
I count my coins and the number of arrows I have. Acquiring more coin is always a positive, considering that resetting the tribe will come at a cost, even if I manage to secure that parcel of land through this quest. What's even more concerning is our dwindling supply of arrows; I have only 15 left, which must last the entire journey through the ancient path. As a backup, I pocket a rusty dagger I find among the heaps of rotting human garments. It may not be much, but it's better than relying on my fists if I run out of arrows.
The human and dwarf are discussing the best route to take. They believe that now that we've defeated the Goblin King, we are free to traverse the entire Ancient Way. I'm a bit more cautious. Merrick's pride in dwarven craftsmanship blinds him to the reality that this route has fallen into disrepair and become infested with goblins.
Portia, on the other hand, seems blinded by her unwavering faith in the Order of the Bright Star, despite its repeated letdowns. We decide to rest for the night, seeking refuge from the goblin stench in a tunnel branching off the main Way. Merrick explains that it was built for dwarves to rest, which is exactly what we do.
The party has consumed two out of their seven days' worth of rations.
Sleeping underground is disorienting; upon waking up, it's impossible to tell whether it's morning or night. Merrick assures us it's morning, but I remain skeptical. How can he be certain? We continue on the Ancient Way.
Let's conduct some random encounter checks. Using the Game Master's Apprentice deck, I'll draw a card. If the skull symbol appears, it triggers an encounter. Otherwise, I'll use the card's descriptor to describe the journey. To reach the next stopping point, the party needs to get through four cards.
Merrick explains to us that the Way exits the mountain about a day's journey ahead, and in the next valley, we'll find villages that might offer more information about Robert Iris's village in the Aberrant Mountains. With this goal in mind, we continue our journey.
First check – No skull. Descriptors on this card I find interesting include "dank of a tomb," "exhibit," and "pride."
We traverse the ancient path through the mountains, our torches illuminating the way. Merrick halts our progress and points to a wall. "Look!" he exclaims with wonder, "This is the story of our people – how we came to this land and the grand excavation of the Ancient Way."
Merrick pauses for a moment to inspect the carvings and inscriptions. To me, it appears as though it's just a group of dwarves digging a tunnel, impressive perhaps, but it raises the question of why the dwarves allowed their works to fall into such disrepair and become inhabited by goblins.
After a few minutes, I clear my throat, prompting Merrick to resume our journey.
Second check – No skull. The descriptor I find intriguing is "a cacophony of animal calls."
We continue inching our way through the dark tunnels, shrouded in silence until an explosion of screeching shatters the tranquility. Bats – thousands, maybe millions of them – emerge from an unseen cavern and rush past us. It lasts only a minute, and we remain unharmed, but it takes an hour for my racing heart to settle.
Third check – No skull. Descriptor I like, a moment of déjà vu...
I come to a sudden stop; this place feels eerily familiar, as if we've walked through these same tunnels before. Merrick seems confident that we're on the right path, but I'm not so sure.
Let's check if Alberich notices anything odd about the current situation and why it feels like they're moving in circles.
Alberich - Roll - Intelligence DC12 - 9-1=8, Fail
"Merrick, are you sure we're heading in the right direction? I could swear we've walked through this particular section of the Way before, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
Merrick laughs heartily, "Calm down, little halfling. Dwarves always know the way underground, and don't you forget it! Just a bit further, and we'll reach the next junction. You sky-lovers can go outside and see the stars for a while."
I gulp, unconvinced. Something doesn't feel right. Nevertheless, I continue to follow along.
Fourth check – Since Alberich failed his skill check, I'll draw two cards, looking for a skull symbol. No skulls. Maybe I'll need to make it more challenging next time. The descriptor I get is "Prison."
We push forward, our path dimly illuminated by flickering torchlight. We stumble upon a vast set of Dwarven runes etched into the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Merrick takes a moment to study them.
"But this makes no sense at all. 'Prison ahead'? There's no mention of a prison in the Ancient Way. What has happened to this once-sacred place?"
I peer ahead into the darkness, a cold wind emanating from it. A shiver runs down my spine; there are foreboding signs ahead, and I can feel it.
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Now, let's level up our characters. In the future, I won't level them up as quickly, but for now, it's crucial to advance beyond level 1.
Leveling up in Basic is relatively straightforward for these initial levels. To add a bit of excitement, I'll borrow a mechanic from Tales of the Manticore and roll a D6 for each stat. If I roll a 6, the character's stat improves by one. Let's proceed.
Merrick the Dwarf
HP is currently 7/7. Hit dice is a D8. Roll is a 1, I’ll min that to a 4. New HP is 11/11
No stat increases for Merrick. And he is done. See easy.
Portia the Cleric
HP is currently 3/3. Hit dice is a D6. A 2, I’ll min that to 3 for a new HP of 6/6.
No stat increases for Portia but at level 2 she can use 1 Level 1 spell! So that is a huge improvement. The spells she has available are: Cure light Wounds, detect evil, Detect Magic, Light, Protection from Evil, Purify Food and Water, Remove Fear, and Resist cold.
Alberich the Halfling
Hp is currently 6/6. Hit dice is a D6 with a +1 Con bonus. Roll is a 1, min to 3+1. New HP is 10/10.
No stat increases.
Wow, that was a really bad level-up for these characters. That is how it goes I guess.
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And now we are taking a break from the Ancient Way for a while. Be sure to tune in next week for the start of a new campaign, or at least the prequel to an already ongoing campaign!
And as always, thank you for reading!
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