Post by Scott on Mar 27, 2004 10:03:23 GMT -5
The Expedition Into the Black Reservoir; a Dungeon Adventure at Greyhawk
Castle
By Gary Gygax
To the east of the busy walled city of Greyhawk the land is
forsaken, overgrown with thorns and thistles. Oozing marsh creeps slowly
down. The copses are huddles of weird, bloated trees. The wiry grass
seems to grasp at the feet of any who dare to tread upon it. In the
center of this unwholesome place, on a rock-boned prominence, hulks the
ruin of the grim Greyhawk Castle. Still a few of the bravest sort
regularly frequent its precincts---one such as Erac, a spellcaster, Erac
the Enchanter, Erac the ambitious, a paladin of Law.
This same magic-user now commanded a party of four bent on
despoiling the wicked dwellers of the underworld beneath the castle of
some goodly treasure. At Erac's side paced the lama Londlar. At the back
of one was Nulfyke, a dwarf swordsman, while behind the other was the
acolyte Ugubb of the Lake of Crystals. The fallen west gate of Greyhawk
Castle was at hand, and through this mouldering portal the party passed.
In a few moments they had entered the great central keep, heaved open an
inner door, and carefully proceeded down a set of winding stone
steps---steps worn with age and slippery with dampness. They had entered
the dungeons.
A huge oaken door at the bottom of the tower gave into a
corridor running east and west. Erac led eastward, turned south at an
intersection, followed a branching passage southeasterly, and halted the
group in a large natural cavern which was lighted by glowing clumps of
foxfire upon floor, walls, and ceiling.
At least a score of elves were lounging about, and they
greeted the four adventurers in a businesslike manner. These were the
guardians of the eastern stairs. Who or what had made them the warders
of this ingress to the dungeon depths no-one knew or cared; for they
were there, and no-one cared to dispute their right.
A bargain was quickly arranged: On their return the expedition
would allow the elves their choice of any one magical item plus a tithe
of silver and gold---all this assuming that the party DID return, and if
they returned that they had any treasure to divide. The deeper dungeons
are most hazardous, prizes are hard won, and mortality is high. A few
parting words and the four went further into the cavern, up a small
passage, and then began a long descent by means of uneven steps cut into
living rock.
When the end of the stairs was finally reached, the party
quickly decided to attempt to explore mostly northward, and proceeded
accordingly. Most of the passages seemed to by running laterally, but by
dint of much criss-crossing they had gained some measure of progress
when a chance entry into a narrow southerly tunnel discovered a flight
of steps going deeper still into the bowels of the castle.
One of the adventurers demurred, and an argument ensued as to
the wisdom of going further down. This discussion ceased abruptly when a
bellowing arose from the corridor they had just left, and without
further ado all four hastened on. The end of the steps brought something
totally unexpected, however. The space there was seemingly boundless and
cloaked with a murk of ebon vapors which allowed but feeble penetration
by lanthorn or torch.
It was only after considerable careful probing in all
directions that it was discovered that northward lay a sudden drop. The
ledge was only a few feet above a sheet of inky water---water of unknown
depths. Passing along its edge the four went westward, and within a few
yards came upon a large raft moored to an iron ring. Erac wished to set
out upon the waters then and there; but Londlar prevailed upon him, so
the party explored yet further west along the strange shore.
Some two hundred feet anead (sic) they found a flight of
stairs wending upward, and as they passed these by a strange scraping
from beyond brought all four to a state of utmost alert. Lanthorns were
raised high, and a faint glimmering from afar told them that something
unusual lurked ahead. Then the scraping came again, and this time a loud
clacking accompanied it.
Into the light scuttled an immense crab, with pincers of
sword-like proportion poised in front snapping open and shut as the
monster charged its intended prey. Formidable, certainly, but why face
a senseless brute for nothing except a chance of death? The four
discreetly withdrew at a dead run.
Nothing pursued beyond a few score feet, and Erac called a
halt in order to devise a detailed plan. "No more aimlessness! We will
now set out upon the dark waters yonder, for I am sure that somewhere
within that expanse a vast treasure awaits our taking." In a trice all
were aboard the raft, and with long poles the four shoved the clumsy
raft away from the ledge into the unknown.
The raft slowly lost way after the initial rush of ten feet,
but Ugubb whispered that a pillar loomed but a few feet ahead, and
gradually the raft drifted forward until they touched the granite post
with a gentle thump. Working around the support so as to be able to go
further northward, the four repeated the pushing off process.
Eventually they discovered that the body of water was
apparently a large reservoir. The roof of the place was lost from view
in the murk, but everywhere rose mighty granite pillars to support
it---hexagonal posts of several yards' diameter. These supports enabled
the party to make their way about the place, and were nearly the undoing
of them all.
Quietly the four made their way from pillar to post, fearing
that some lurker in the deeps might arise at any moment to overturn
their frail craft and devour them whole.Yet nothing broke the still
surface of the water save the ripples from the passing of their own
raft, and soon they discovered a line of supports stretching away to the
left and the right. Pillars which were placed so close to each other
that the raft would not pass between them. Further exploration revealed
that these obstacles took the form of an oval. What was within?
On the far side the sharp-eyed dwarf espied a rusty lever
protruding from one of the pillars. Nulfyke seized it and attempted to
move the arm, but it gave only a bit and groaned horribly. Erac then
came to the assistance of his lieutenant, but they met with no success
until Ugubb too lent his weight. Finally the iron bar slowly moved
downward, protesting rustily as it went, and as it moved the stone post
slowly and silently began to descend.
There was nothing to be done now but to see what results their
efforts would bring, for the monolith sank so rapidly as to prevent any
attempt to return the lever to its original position. The raft was drawn
into the vortex created by the descending shaft, and as it moved ahead
all four of the explorers peered into the space heretofore inaccessible
to them.
Continued
Castle
By Gary Gygax
To the east of the busy walled city of Greyhawk the land is
forsaken, overgrown with thorns and thistles. Oozing marsh creeps slowly
down. The copses are huddles of weird, bloated trees. The wiry grass
seems to grasp at the feet of any who dare to tread upon it. In the
center of this unwholesome place, on a rock-boned prominence, hulks the
ruin of the grim Greyhawk Castle. Still a few of the bravest sort
regularly frequent its precincts---one such as Erac, a spellcaster, Erac
the Enchanter, Erac the ambitious, a paladin of Law.
This same magic-user now commanded a party of four bent on
despoiling the wicked dwellers of the underworld beneath the castle of
some goodly treasure. At Erac's side paced the lama Londlar. At the back
of one was Nulfyke, a dwarf swordsman, while behind the other was the
acolyte Ugubb of the Lake of Crystals. The fallen west gate of Greyhawk
Castle was at hand, and through this mouldering portal the party passed.
In a few moments they had entered the great central keep, heaved open an
inner door, and carefully proceeded down a set of winding stone
steps---steps worn with age and slippery with dampness. They had entered
the dungeons.
A huge oaken door at the bottom of the tower gave into a
corridor running east and west. Erac led eastward, turned south at an
intersection, followed a branching passage southeasterly, and halted the
group in a large natural cavern which was lighted by glowing clumps of
foxfire upon floor, walls, and ceiling.
At least a score of elves were lounging about, and they
greeted the four adventurers in a businesslike manner. These were the
guardians of the eastern stairs. Who or what had made them the warders
of this ingress to the dungeon depths no-one knew or cared; for they
were there, and no-one cared to dispute their right.
A bargain was quickly arranged: On their return the expedition
would allow the elves their choice of any one magical item plus a tithe
of silver and gold---all this assuming that the party DID return, and if
they returned that they had any treasure to divide. The deeper dungeons
are most hazardous, prizes are hard won, and mortality is high. A few
parting words and the four went further into the cavern, up a small
passage, and then began a long descent by means of uneven steps cut into
living rock.
When the end of the stairs was finally reached, the party
quickly decided to attempt to explore mostly northward, and proceeded
accordingly. Most of the passages seemed to by running laterally, but by
dint of much criss-crossing they had gained some measure of progress
when a chance entry into a narrow southerly tunnel discovered a flight
of steps going deeper still into the bowels of the castle.
One of the adventurers demurred, and an argument ensued as to
the wisdom of going further down. This discussion ceased abruptly when a
bellowing arose from the corridor they had just left, and without
further ado all four hastened on. The end of the steps brought something
totally unexpected, however. The space there was seemingly boundless and
cloaked with a murk of ebon vapors which allowed but feeble penetration
by lanthorn or torch.
It was only after considerable careful probing in all
directions that it was discovered that northward lay a sudden drop. The
ledge was only a few feet above a sheet of inky water---water of unknown
depths. Passing along its edge the four went westward, and within a few
yards came upon a large raft moored to an iron ring. Erac wished to set
out upon the waters then and there; but Londlar prevailed upon him, so
the party explored yet further west along the strange shore.
Some two hundred feet anead (sic) they found a flight of
stairs wending upward, and as they passed these by a strange scraping
from beyond brought all four to a state of utmost alert. Lanthorns were
raised high, and a faint glimmering from afar told them that something
unusual lurked ahead. Then the scraping came again, and this time a loud
clacking accompanied it.
Into the light scuttled an immense crab, with pincers of
sword-like proportion poised in front snapping open and shut as the
monster charged its intended prey. Formidable, certainly, but why face
a senseless brute for nothing except a chance of death? The four
discreetly withdrew at a dead run.
Nothing pursued beyond a few score feet, and Erac called a
halt in order to devise a detailed plan. "No more aimlessness! We will
now set out upon the dark waters yonder, for I am sure that somewhere
within that expanse a vast treasure awaits our taking." In a trice all
were aboard the raft, and with long poles the four shoved the clumsy
raft away from the ledge into the unknown.
The raft slowly lost way after the initial rush of ten feet,
but Ugubb whispered that a pillar loomed but a few feet ahead, and
gradually the raft drifted forward until they touched the granite post
with a gentle thump. Working around the support so as to be able to go
further northward, the four repeated the pushing off process.
Eventually they discovered that the body of water was
apparently a large reservoir. The roof of the place was lost from view
in the murk, but everywhere rose mighty granite pillars to support
it---hexagonal posts of several yards' diameter. These supports enabled
the party to make their way about the place, and were nearly the undoing
of them all.
Quietly the four made their way from pillar to post, fearing
that some lurker in the deeps might arise at any moment to overturn
their frail craft and devour them whole.Yet nothing broke the still
surface of the water save the ripples from the passing of their own
raft, and soon they discovered a line of supports stretching away to the
left and the right. Pillars which were placed so close to each other
that the raft would not pass between them. Further exploration revealed
that these obstacles took the form of an oval. What was within?
On the far side the sharp-eyed dwarf espied a rusty lever
protruding from one of the pillars. Nulfyke seized it and attempted to
move the arm, but it gave only a bit and groaned horribly. Erac then
came to the assistance of his lieutenant, but they met with no success
until Ugubb too lent his weight. Finally the iron bar slowly moved
downward, protesting rustily as it went, and as it moved the stone post
slowly and silently began to descend.
There was nothing to be done now but to see what results their
efforts would bring, for the monolith sank so rapidly as to prevent any
attempt to return the lever to its original position. The raft was drawn
into the vortex created by the descending shaft, and as it moved ahead
all four of the explorers peered into the space heretofore inaccessible
to them.
Continued
