At the Shrine of Othrys – Of Books & Beds (D&D 5E Campaign Report)
This report follows the ongoing adventures of planetouched priestess Angelia (Carter Valentine), Cynocephalian sorcerer Lyco (Oliver Knorr), Human rogue Teris (Paul Knorr), and Myrmidon fighter Myrmex (Andrew Knorr) as they continue to explore an ancient shrine at the base of ominous Mount Othrys. In this session, the party discovers the damage that can be wrought upon a place, and the hazards introduced to it, as a result of age and neglect …
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Moving on from their improbably quick and easy victory over the Proto-Lich, the party re-ascended the steps to the strange summoning circle and decided to go straight across it and down the stairway on the opposite side of the chamber. This led them into the northern end of a dusty chamber about 10 feet across and 20 feet long — or two squares across and four squares long, using the term for a five-foot by five-foot area common amongst adventurers — at the far end of which was a set of wooden double-doors. These were carved with images of nine beautiful women playing music, reading books, and participating in other artistic pursuits, but appeared to be badly rotted and riddled with tiny holes.
Stealthy Teris crept up to the doors and placed his ear against them so that he might hear if any activity was going on behind them. As he tried to achieve a good seal, however, he felt a tickling sensation as something tried to crawl into his earhole and, quickly pulling away from the portals, managed to pluck away and fling whatever it was to the floor. Peering downward, he could make out a tiny monstrosity, a grub with a pair of scissors-like mandibles that would, he imagined, have been used for untold mischief had it been able to reach his eardrum.
Squashing it with his boot, Teris stepped up to the doors and, when he more closely examined some of the pinholes in them, could see more of the miniscule heat-seeking grubs squirming in them.
Upon hearing this, and wary of the threat to his prominent canine ears, Lyco began to launch arcane bolts of fire at the doors, one after another, until their surfaces were aflame and any number of tiny burning grubs had fallen out of the holes and were writhing on the floor. Then, as the flames subsided and danced low on the blackened wood, Myrmex stepped forward and delivered a powerful kick to the weakened doors, causing them to burst open and bang against the walls of the chamber beyond.
As the smoldering doors slammed into the walls, a cloud of sparks was dislodged from them and floated into the entryway of the chamber beyond which, the party could see in the faint illumination of the glowing cinders combined with their own light sources, was a library. Everyone held their breaths as the tiny airborne embers flickered out or drifted to the ground and collectively breathed sighs of relief when none of them continued past the entryway or made contact with the many dry-looking books and scrolls in the room beyond.
Cautiously making their way into the library, the party saw that it consisted of a main room, about 30 feet/six squares long north-to-south and 20 feet/four squares wide east-to-west, at the far corners of which were two alcoves that were each about half as large. One of these smaller chambers, the one in the southwestern corner, was set up as a meeting area, with a long rectangular table that had four chairs on each of its sides and a larger ninth one at its head. The other subordinate area, in the northwestern corner, was outfitted as a comfortable study with a desk, fine rug, and a stand for a large tome. With no threats evident, the companions spread out to search the area.
A quick perusal of the main room by Angelia and Lyco indicated that most of the books on their shelves and scrolls in their racks were badly damaged by the same destructive little creatures that had bored their way into the doors of this place. Postulating hopefully that anything still intact would likely be magical in nature — and not wanting to take however many hours might be required to do a detailed search of the room’s contents — Angelia resolved to prepare a spell during their next long rest that would allow her to detect such things.
Meanwhile, examination of the meeting area by Myrmex did not reveal anything of particular interest. He did recall, however, the eight sepulchers they had found in the area behind the “Earth Door,” prompting him to wonder if these chairs had belonged in life to the equal number of undead monsters as had occupied those tombs (and if the ninth had belonged to the person who became the Proto-Lich).
Even as his three companions perused the rest of place, Teris began a thorough search of the study, figuring that anything of value there might stand out more than things mixed into the detritus of the library in general. The bookstand in particular attracted his attention and, while there were not any books present for which it would have been necessary, wear marks on it suggested that it had regularly been used to hold a large tome. Then, as he continued to scan the room, an anomaly in the wood paneling along the north wall caught his keen eye …
Teris strode across the study toward the wall and, as he walked across the carpet, it suddenly snapped up to surround him, in a way similar to that of net traps used in woodlands but through some innate power rather than with external ropes. Had any of the other party members been attacked by the animated rug they most certainly would not have been able to respond quickly enough to avoid being caught in its grip and very well might have been smothered before the others were able to help them. Agile Teris, however, was able to twist his way free from the malign construct as it attempted to envelop him and to roll clear of it.
Rising up and extending itself to its full width like a cloth parody of a cobra, the animated carpet pressed its attack against Teris. It had lost the element of surprise that might allow it to trap and crush an unwary trespasser, however, and the other companions rushed from where they were into the study, surrounded it, and quickly hacked it to bits before it could cause any more trouble.
With the textile terror dispatched, Teris moved over to the irregular area on the wall that he had spotted and, after brief examination, discovered the presence of a secret door in the wood paneling. He then searched the camouflaged portal thoroughly and, not finding any traps or other hazards, proceeded to open it. Light from their illuminated weapons revealed a five-foot-wide passageway that went just two squares and then turned right, to the east, and when they followed it they discovered that it went about four squares in that direction before opening up into a larger area.
Cautiously moving forward, the party was somewhat surprised to discover a dusty and long-unused but very nicely-appointed bed chamber about three squares on a side. This was likely the personal apartment for whoever had once used the adjacent study and sat in that ninth chair in the nearby meeting room — and, perhaps, the one ultimately transformed into the Proto-Lich they had battled.
Having had a long day at this point — albeit one where they had avoided conflict as much as they had engaged in it and had done very well in the battles they had fought — the party decided to make good use of what fate was offering them. After jamming some spikes around the edges of the secret door to prevent it from being easily or silently opened, Teris and Angelia flopped down on either side of the dusty bed; Lyco curled up on some throw pillows at the foot of it; and Myrmex settled down in a chair, warhammer resting on his lap. Within a few minutes they had all drifted off to sleep, dreams of treasure and elemental monsters swirling through their heads.
