My first couple of sessions had note-taking done on various pieces of paper with limited amounts of narration recorded. As I move to keeping all of my notes (both session recaps and world details) in Obsidian, I decided to do a catch up document that brings those notes into a starting point. While I’ll put in more effort to actually write session recaps narratively in the future, I’m going to include these raw notes for posterity.
Some game setup notes first
Playing the Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur dungeon from the QSR.
Using the precon characters Yriel (fighter), Elbin (priest), Martin (thief), Creeg (wizard)
Only known variations on core rules as written are the following items:
- Hunter Mode for kill-based XP; adding this on top of regular XP-gaining methods
- Ten-round timer for torches instead of real-world clock
- Side-based initiative
- Always-on initiative with PCs played in order printed (Yriel, Elbin, Martin, Creeg)
- Dungeon turn is treated as separate from monster turn, taking place at the end of the round
- Order is thus: players, monsters, dungeon
- In “Risky” (every two rounds) territory, the random check would take place between the second monster round and the third player round
The story so far
The party heard of treasure in a once-lost citadel and made its way to the known, primary entrance
Lighting torches, they entered the main doorways
Entering that first room, Creeg took in the sights, noting details of the murials
Worried about possible danger, Yriel scanned the room and spotted an ettercap on the ceiling
Elbin pulled his crossbow. Creeg tried to talk it down. The ettercap bolted for the next room. Elbin fired and missed.
Believing it better to chase a known threat than to allow it to sneak up on them later, Yriel urged the party to chase after the ettercap even though it could be a trap.
It was, indeed, a trap. Following the ettercap down the corridor led to being met with two more ettercaps ready for battle.
In the battle, Yriel was downed by the poison sting of an ettercap. Elbin tried to heal her before this point, but instead offended his deity.
With the ettercaps still attacking, the party felled one, then a second, prompting the third to flee for its life. Other ettercaps in the room maintained their distance.
Using more conventional means, Elbin stabilized Yriel. Together, the party dragged her out of the dungeon and toward town.
Fortunately for Yriel, the Lost Citadel has become something of a tourist trap. A town exists right by the dungeon with basic adventurer needs, including lodging.
Elbin, feeling bad about failing to heal Yriel, offered to pay the lodging fees for the whole party.
Once the party recovered overnight, they packed up, restocked their torches, and headed back to the citadel, this time a bit more wary than the last.
Lighting torches, they again entered that first room with the murals.
This time, the room is devoid of any monsters.
Creeg notes more details from the murals.
Martin finds a bull horn (worth 30gp) hidden in a statute.
Party cautiously moves to another room, this time moving away from where they ran into the ettercaps before.
This room is filled with jars. Martin cautiously opens one and finds it full of an awful, smelly, rotten mush inside.
Elbin notices a door to the south, with a note concerning another adventurer’s death.
Carefully, the party enters that room, to find the remains of an adventurer impaled by a bull statue. Martin attempts, and fails, to extract an emerald from the head of the bull statue.
Elbin picks through the adventurer’s bag, taking an unused torch and a locket.
The party returns to the previous room and passes through a door to the west.
Looking in this room, Martin spots a human adventurer hiding in the darkness behind an altar.
The adventurer, Giuseppe, knew of Orwyn (the dead adventurer) but not his party. He also claimed to know the woman featured in Orwyn’s locket but refused to share that information unless he was given the locket, claiming that he would “return it” to its owner.
While having this conversation with Giuseppe, the Scarlet Minotaur enters the room.
“Who enters my citadel?” he asked.
“They do!” said Giuseppe, immediately bolting for the door.
“Hold that thought,” said Creeg, as he quickly released a Magic Missile on the Scarlet Minotaur.
Obviously not powerful enough to meaningful harm the monster, the party also bolted for the previous room.
The minotaur charged at the party, goring Yriel.
Still running as best they could, the party made it back to the first room, though the minotaur’s continued charging took out Elbin (who was, up to that point, helping the injured Yriel along).
The minotaur’s charge was even more damaging than the first, dropping Elbin immediately.
With all the strength that they could muster, the party escaped the citadel doors, but the minotaur initially followed. As they exited, they realized their mistake in thinking leaving the citadel would be sufficient to escape the minotaur, seeing the stains of blood from other recently slain adventurers.
Finally removed from the citadel, the minotaur ceases its chase and calls out, “Come back if you dare!”
Now focusing on trying to stabilize Elbin, the party did their best to staunch his wounds. Unfortunately, Yriel’s first attempt managed to worsen the bleeding.
Thankfully, with little blood to spare, Martin and Creeg were able to stabilize Elbin.
Returning to the town, Yriel paid up for lodgings for the night. Though their wounds recovered substantially, the party was greatly demoralized after this last encounter.