Session 2: The Catacombs

Session 2 covered Episodes 5 and 6 of the Treasure Hunt adventure module (N4). The party descended into the catacombs, survived Keestake's betrayal, navigated traps and secret passages, and fought the undead guardians of the crypt in a climactic battle that left only Mira standing.

Episode 5: The Catacombs

Descent and Betrayal

The party descended through the trapdoor in Room 38 into the Catacombs. Descent order: Keestake first, Mira, Melisana, Finn, Marcus, Zeale last. The shaft was 60 feet deep with rusty but strong rungs, walls crudely hacked from bedrock.

Once all party members reached Catacombs Room 1, Keestake moved to Room 2 and pulled an iron lever. A tremendous crash — falling stones and debris sealed the entrance shaft completely. The way back was blocked.

Keestake confessed his treachery:

• He prepared Viledel's body after the pirate invasion 60 years ago
• He took a ring from Viledel and wished the bodies would never decay — this created the zombies
• He intended to trap the party in the catacombs forever

Keestake drew a concealed dagger and lunged at Mira.

Combat: Party vs Keestake

Initiative: party 5, Keestake 9 — party acts first.

• Zeale attacked with spear: rolled 2+1=3, needed 10 vs AC 10 — miss
• Marcus attacked with battle axe: NATURAL 20 (16 after -4 penalty, needed 10) — 8 damage (maximum on 1d8). Keestake had 6 HP — KILLED INSTANTLY
• Finn attacked with dagger: rolled 4 — miss (moot, Keestake already dead)
• Keestake's attack vs Mira (rolled 18, would have hit): NEVER RESOLVED — dead before his initiative

Party recovered Keestake's dagger (later given to Mira) and his gold ring (a tarnished band, later confirmed to have no remaining magic).

Exploring the Catacombs

Catacombs Room 1 (Entry Area): Three partitioned storerooms (~20x40 feet each). The party found:

• An iron lever mechanism (Keestake's shaft-sealing device, now degraded)
• Rotted wooden bins with grain residue — wood usable for makeshift torches
• Decayed linen and wool — usable for torch wrappings

The party crafted 4 smoky makeshift torches — their only light source.

Faint pounding was audible from above: orcs and goblins digging through the sealed shaft. Time pressure established.

Keestake's Ring

The party searched Keestake's body and found a plain gold ring on a leather cord around his neck, tarnished black with age. Zeale later put it on and wished — a brief stirring of residual warmth, then nothing. Ring confirmed spent — no magical power remaining after 60 years. Zeale pocketed it.

Room 5: Crate Chamber

Finn scouted ahead for traps. Find Traps on Room 5 entrance: FAIL (hidden roll). Find Traps on south corridor: FAIL (hidden roll). Both traps remained undetected.

The party decided to continue south rather than enter Room 5.

Room 6: Mine Collapse Trap

The south corridor had old cloth/tapestry hangings. Finn passed through the first tapestry safely (not trapped). At the second tapestry, Find Traps: rolled 23, needed 10 or less — FAIL. Finn triggered the mine collapse trap — falling timbers crashed down.

Finn saving throw vs death: rolled 18, needed 13+ — SUCCESS. He leaped clear. No damage taken.

Both catacombs traps now spent. The party climbed over debris and continued south.

Rooms 7-10: Second Chamber Series

Room 7: Storage chamber with wooden bins, identical to Room 3. Old supplies crumbled to dust. Nothing valuable.

Rooms 8 and 9: Crate-packed chambers. The party split up:

• Right chamber (Room 9): Finn and Mira found 6 giant rats nesting among crates. The rats feared the torches and retreated. No combat. No valuables, no passages.
• Left chamber (Room 8): Zeale and Marcus searched the back wall.

Room 10: A circular stone well with rotted bucket and rusted winch.

The Secret Door Hunt (Room 8)

The secret door in Room 8 proved the most challenging puzzle of the adventure. Standard 1-in-6 search rolls failed repeatedly:

Attempt	Searcher	Roll (d6)	Needed	Result
1	Zeale	2	1	Fail
1	Marcus	5	1	Fail
2	Zeale	4	1	Fail
2	Marcus	3	1	Fail
3	Zeale	6	1	Fail
3	Marcus	2	1	Fail
3	Finn	3	1	Fail
3	Mira	3	1	Fail

Eight failed rolls. The party was stuck. Torches burning low (~20 minutes remaining). Orc pounding from above getting louder.

Then Mira (INT 16) made a critical observation: the party had been searching tactilely — feeling for seams, tapping for hollow sounds. She suggested switching to a visual approach: "something you'd see, not something you'd feel."

This was exactly the mechanism described in the module: a miscoloured stone. The DM ruled the targeted visual search succeeded. Mira spotted a stone slightly darker than the surrounding wall (grey-black vs grey-brown) at chest height.

Zeale twisted the miscoloured stone. The wall swung inward. SECRET DOOR FOUND.

At that exact moment, a tremendous crash from above — the orcs and goblins had broken through the sealed shaft. Pursuit imminent.

Episode 6: Break-In (The Finale)

The Long Corridor

Mira sealed the secret door from the inside using a matching stone mechanism and piled crates against it to hide the entrance. The party ran the full 450-foot corridor (Room 14) heading southeast, rising 30 feet in altitude. The corridor bent south at Room 15 and opened into the Crypt Chamber.

The Crypt Chamber (Room 16)

An enormous chamber — 90 by 80 feet, partially natural cave widened by men. A smooth artificial south wall dominated the far side. Four crypts were cut into the rock to the east:

• Room 17: Empty
• Room 18: Viledel's resting place (vacant — he would soon be walking)
• Room 19: Liala's resting place (vacant — she would soon be walking)
• Room 20: Bricked up. Bronze plaque: "Here lies Prince Horedel / Brought Down by Illness / In the Twentieth Year of Viledel's Reign"

Dead silence. Nothing moved.

The Bless

Marcus knelt and read the prayer book's Bless spell. The pages crumbled to ash — it was single-use only. All party members received +1 to attack rolls and +1 to saving throws vs fear for 6 rounds.

The Zombies Awaken

The party charged toward the crypts. At 30 feet, both zombies animated:

• Zombie Viledel (Crypt 18): Dulled scale mail, blue garments, mace, golden coronet. AC 5, THAC0 15, 2-9 mace damage, 10 HP
• Zombie Queen Liala (Crypt 19): Green robe, blonde hair, brown bloodstain, undecayed. AC 8, THAC0 16, 1-8 undead strength damage, 6 HP

Combat Round 1: Catastrophe

Initiative: party 4, zombies 7 — party acts first.

Attacker	Action	Roll	Target	Result
Marcus	Turn Undead	1	Both zombies	FAIL (needed 13)
Zeale	Spear vs Viledel	5+2=7	AC 5 (need 15)	Miss
Finn	Crossbow vs Liala	2+3=5	AC 8 (need 12)	Miss (1 quarrel spent)
Mira	Dagger vs Liala	7+1=8	AC 8 (need 12)	Miss
Viledel	Mace vs Finn	13	AC 7 (need 8)	HIT — 6 damage. Finn 6 to 0 HP. UNCONSCIOUS
Liala	Undead strength vs Marcus	17	AC 8 (need 8)	HIT — 5 damage. Marcus 3 to -2 HP. DYING

Every party attack missed. Two party members down in one round.

Combat Round 2: Retreat

The party retreated. Zeale dragged Finn (0 HP). Mira and Melisana dragged Marcus (-2 HP, dying).

Zombie parting attacks:

• Viledel vs Zeale: rolled 7, needed 8 — miss by one
• Liala vs Mira: rolled 1 — miss

Both parting attacks missed. The party escaped across the chamber. Marcus bled to -3 HP.

Combat Round 3: Stabilize

Mira tore a strip from her cloak and bound Marcus's wounds. Marcus stabilized at -3 HP. Bless expired after 6 rounds. Zombies shuffled slowly across the chamber in pursuit (MV 6").

Testing Fire

Zeale threw one of the two remaining torches at the approaching zombies. Both walked through the flames without reacting. Fire has no effect on the undead (unlike the giant rats in Room 9). One torch lost — 1 remaining, burning very low.

Circling the Chamber

The party circled wide around the slow zombies across the 90x80 foot chamber. Zeale carried Finn, Melisana dragged Marcus. They reached the eastern crypts and examined them:

• Room 17: Empty
• Room 18: Stone slab, vacant (Viledel's)
• Room 19: Stone slab, vacant (Liala's)
• Room 20: Bricked up — the only sealed area. Must contain the boat

Zeale placed Finn (0 HP) and Marcus (-3 HP) in Room 17 (empty crypt) for protection.

Bashing the Wall

Zeale and Mira spent 3 rounds attacking the brick wall of Room 20. The wall was treated as AC 0, requiring 40 HP of damage for a man-sized hole:

Round	Zeale (need 19+ vs AC 0)	Mira (need 20 vs AC 0)
1	Rolled 16+1=17 — miss	Rolled 5 — miss
2	Rolled 12+1=13 — miss	Rolled 4 — miss
3	Rolled 12+1=13 — miss	Rolled 5 — miss

All 6 attacks missed. No damage dealt to the wall.

Combat Round 4: Zeale's Last Stand

The zombies arrived at the crypt niche. Initiative: party 1, zombies 8 — party acts first.

Zeale ordered Mira to search the south wall for an escape mechanism while he held both zombies alone.

Attacker	Action	Roll	Result
Zeale	Spear vs Liala	19+1=20	HIT — 3 damage. Liala: 6 to 3 HP
Mira	Sprint to south wall	INT check: 4 vs 16	SUCCESS — found lever mechanism
Viledel	Mace vs Zeale	19	HIT — 5 damage. Zeale: 1 to -4 HP
Liala	Undead strength vs Zeale	19	HIT — 1 damage. Zeale: -4 to -5 HP. DYING

Zeale fell. His spear dropped to the ground. Both zombies turned to pursue Mira — the only standing target.

The Lever

Mira had found a lever mechanism half-hidden behind a stone lip on the smooth south wall (Room 21). She pulled it.

The entire south wall collapsed outward, opening directly to the ocean. Cold wind and rain blasted into the chamber. The last torch was extinguished. Dim moonlight through storm clouds provided enough light to see by.

Destroying Viledel

Mira stood at the cliff edge as both zombies approached. She attempted to dodge aside and let their momentum carry them off the cliff.

DEX check: rolled 16, needed 14 or less — partial failure. Only one zombie eliminated.

Zombie Viledel — heavy in his scale mail — couldn't stop his momentum and tumbled off the cliff into the ocean below. VILEDEL ELIMINATED. His scale mail +1, mace +1, and golden coronet (500 gp) were lost to the sea — irrecoverable.

Zombie Liala — lighter — turned toward Mira instead of falling.

Liala attacked: rolled 5, THAC0 16, needed 6 to hit AC 10 — MISS. Mira dodged clear.

Zeale bled to -7 HP. 3 rounds from death.

Killing Liala: The Decisive Moment

Mira shouted to Melisana to stabilize Zeale, then turned to face Liala alone.

Initiative tied: 9 vs 9. DEX tiebreaker — Mira (DEX 14) acts before Liala (zombie, no DEX).

Mira attacked Liala with Keestake's dagger: rolled 13, needed 12 vs AC 8 — HIT! 4 damage.

Liala had 3 HP. DESTROYED.

Liala's return attack (rolled 15, would have hit, 7 damage — would have killed Mira) NEVER RESOLVED — killed before acting due to DEX tiebreaker.

BOTH ZOMBIES DESTROYED.

Melisana ran to Zeale and bound his wounds. Zeale stabilized at -8 HP.

Breaking Into Room 20

With both zombies destroyed and orc pursuit closing in, Mira used Keestake's dagger as a chisel on the crumbling 60-year-old mortar of Room 20's brick wall. This bypassed the AC 0 combat mechanic — slower but guaranteed progress on the degraded mortar.

Melisana joined without being asked, pulling out loosened bricks with bare hands.

~15-20 minutes: Man-sized hole opened (40/80 HP equivalent). Inside: a 30-foot galley on wooden supports, sail oiled and bound, oars inside, hull sound (hull value 7). Prince Horedel's wrapped body on a stone slab (did NOT animate). Also visible: chain mail, bastard sword, dagger, chests with 600 gp, gold/silver dinnerware (1,000 gp).

~15-20 more minutes: Full boat-sized opening (80/80 HP equivalent), roughly 8+ feet wide. Orc torchlight now visible in the corridor.

The Escape

Moving the companions: Mira dragged all three unconscious party members to the escape point:

• Finn (0 HP) from Room 17: STR check rolled 6 vs 9 — success
• Marcus (-3 HP) from Room 17: STR check rolled 8 vs 9 — success
• Zeale (-8 HP) from near crypts: STR check rolled 16 vs 9 — failed. Melisana helped

Launching the galley: Mira kicked out the wooden support beams (STR check rolled 6 vs 9 — success). The galley crashed to the stone floor. The burial treasure was already stowed inside.

Mira and Melisana loaded the three unconscious companions aboard. Mira tried to push the galley alone across 60 feet of chamber: STR check rolled 13 vs 9 — failed. Melisana used an oar as a lever. Together they got the boat moving.

The orcs arrive: The orc/goblin pursuit force burst into Room 16 just as the galley reached the cliff edge. The boat slid through the collapsed south wall and plunged into the ocean. Mira and Melisana jumped aboard.

Arrow fire:

• Arrow at Mira: rolled 4, needed 10 — miss
• Arrow at Melisana: rolled 4, needed 10 — miss

Melisana cut the sail bindings and caught the storm wind. The galley surged away from the island.

The Island's End

At approximately one mile offshore, the Goddess fulfilled her promise. 10-12 tornadoes descended upon the island, destroying everything — temple, manor, barracks, all orc and goblin forces. Boats torn apart. The island was stripped to bare grey-white rock.

The seas calmed. The clouds parted. Stars and moon appeared.

THE ADVENTURE IS OVER.

Final State

Character	HP	Status	Notable
Zeale	-8/20	Unconscious, stabilized	Fought both zombies alone; spear lost
Brother Marcus	-3/14	Unconscious, stabilized	Killed Keestake (nat 20); Turn Undead failed
Mira Ashwood	4/7	ACTIVE	Destroyed both zombies, found lever, broke wall, escaped
Finnegan Cole	0/12	Unconscious, stable	Unused divine boon (CLW) still available
Melisana	—	Active	Sailed the galley; stabilized Zeale

Session Statistics

Statistic	Value
Episodes covered	5, 6
Combat encounters	2 (Keestake, Zombies)
Enemies defeated	3 (Keestake, Zombie Viledel, Zombie Liala)
Party knockdowns	3 (Finn, Marcus, Zeale — all in Episode 6)
Resources used	Prayer book Bless (consumed), 1 crossbow quarrel, 1 torch thrown
Key rolls	Marcus nat 20 vs Keestake; Mira INT 4 (found lever); Mira 13 (killed Liala); DEX tiebreak saved Mira's life
Treasure recovered	30-foot galley (10,000 gp), dinnerware (1,000 gp), 600 gp coins, chain mail, bastard sword, dagger
Treasure lost	Scale mail +1, mace +1, golden coronet (500 gp) — fell into ocean with Viledel
Time elapsed (in-game)	~4 hours (late evening to very late night, Day 1)