Session 79 - Another New Friend

The adventurers make friends with the Barbarian, Marthek, and continue exploring the level.

This write-up is based on Kay’s notes from our April 1, 2026, session. Since our group is scattered around the country, we use Discord for our voice communication and Roll20 for our virtual tabletop. Thanks to Kay for the write-up and screen shots.

Continued from: Rats Again

Location: Rappan Athuk, Level 2, Marthek’s Lair
Date: July 11, 3517


6 PM
While Marthek the barbarian was trying to hit Elron with his giant club, Breena touched him, casting remove curse. He immediately dropped his club, looked dazed and fell down.

“Thank you,” he said to Breena, “I’m relaxed for the first time in years.” Blaze moved up, just in case things went south. “Thank you, I’ve been raging for years.” Sitting on the floor next to the club. We discover he’s been a monster on this level for years.

Artie said, “You can come with us.”

Marthek replied, “I have to have my revenge on the red clerics – they killed my party.” 

Blaze said, “We planned on dealing with the red clerics with violence.” Marthek smiled at that, he’s in.

Blaze offered him one of her ration packs. Marthek asked if we know who killed the ghouls and the ogres. We admitted we did it. Marthek’s room is littered with bones; there’s a metal spike sticking out of the wall with blood on it; there’s a barrel of water in one corner, and skins on the floor for his bed.

 We asked him about the area. He told us there were ghouls in the southwest, ogres to the southeast, a tomb of a fallen Army of Light general, caves to the north with shriekers and things; a passageway to the lower level; a passage up to the surface, and a passage to the Gut going down at a 45-degree angle to the right of a long tunnel going north. Blaze showed him our maps, and he pointed to the area off our page. There were some other tunnels with hostile fungus, the shriekers – screaming mushrooms, and one tunnel that goes to the king of the wererats; they control most of the level above, and whole levels attached to them.

He told us about the Temple of Orcus. When Blaze asked about the 6-bed dormitory we found, he confirmed it led into the temple; there are about 200 cultists altogether and at least a couple of dozen in there at any one time. We discussed the possible tactic of getting rid of them a few at a time with ambushes. Marthek said they wiped out his entire party and cursed him into becoming a monster patrolling this level for them.

“Our party was tougher than yours,” he said. Blaze replied, “you haven’t seen us fight yet.” We got rid of the ghouls and ogres.

Blaze asked what kind of powers the red clerics had. Marthek said, “They’re clerics. They can heal each other, cast curses, summon demons, spiritual guardians.” Basically, what Parahelia can do. Blaze asked if we wear their robes, would they know we weren’t theirs?

He doesn’t know.

We let him eat; Blaze pulled out her 4 lb block of soap and we got him cleaned up; he had lice in his beard and hair; the soap was relentless. Trimmed his hair. He tried picking up the club and could barely lift it without his rage. We offered him his pick of our extra weapons and armor back at the cart. He picked out a short sword and steel shield, he doesn’t like armor. Back at the lumber room, we took a long rest and Elron cast goodberries for all of us.

Marthek said he’ll stay with us till we take out the temple and he had his revenge. We’re ok with that; we took him back to the lumber room for a long rest.

July 12
4 AM
Two hours before our long rest was over, while Elron was on guard duty. He had moved the tool chest in front of the door, blocking it, and was sitting on it resting, when he heard a noise outside. He heard a door open in the hallway; it sounded like a goblin patrol came out of the door leading to the ogres’ room. Elron estimated that there were seven of them. They passed our door and turned north in the passageway toward Marthek’s room. Two hours later, they still hadn’t returned.

6 AM
Marthek’s strength is down from before; he’s sane now and can control his raging. He now can have advantage on all attacks. He told us the ogre was called Ambro, who worked with the Cult of Orcus too. Elron closed and locked the door to the lumber room when we left. We passed by the room with the magic broom, and he asked if we had left it there. 

Marthek took us on a tour of the level; we started to the east going up the north hallway. We stopped at the door on the east wall which he told us leads to a tomb that he was told to leave alone. The door was made of ebony wood bound in gold with strange runes on the door; it makes us uneasy. Several of us tried to read the runes but were unable to. Elron listened at the door; it’s quiet, it has a high-quality lock. Ten minutes later, Elron tried to cast guidance on himself and tried again; failed; another ten minutes gone.

Artie tried; checked for traps and lock, couldn’t unlock it either. As Elron was standing next to a wall he noticed it was cold, 30 degrees colder. He checked the wall for a border; the whole area was colder but centered to the east of where he was standing. He started looking for a secret door. Blaze who was standing in front of him also felt it behind her. Blaze also checked the wall to the north. She could see a patch of frost on the wall as she was at an angle to it.

Marthek said, “Ah, you found the cold spot.”

Elron tried again for the next 10 minutes to unlock the door and failed. Finally, we did it the brute force way. Sinis spent 10 minutes turning the stone into wood where the hinges connected to the stone. Elron chopped through the wood.

7 PM
When Elron chopped the wood holding the hinges, the door fell into the room. Beyond the ebony door was a richly appointed anteroom. Runes and frescoes adorned the walls, depicting a heroic man in the prime of life fighting evil creatures. The last frame of the fresco, however, shows the same man kneeling before a black altar with a shadowy demonic figure above him. An intricately locked door, like the one we just entered, shows the entrance to the tomb of an evil warrior. The small antechamber contains ancient runic text along the walls of the room. Across the room was another locked door.

Sinis recalled he has a divination spell, Comprehend Languages. He spent 10 minutes casting it and translated the words on the ebony door and the frescos inside the room. The carving on the door mockingly uses the Abyssal alphabet to spell out words in the Celestial language: “Saracek: In life a deluded slave of blinding light; In death a dark warrior-king.” 

The small antechamber contains ancient runic text along the walls of the room indicating that the tomb of Saracek lies beyond and should not be entered. A lengthy description is given of Saracek and his lineage. Saracek was a warrior of great renown and was one of the heroes who went with the Army of Light in pursuit of the evil priests of Orcus many years ago.

At this point Artie noticed the goblins coming toward us from the south, attracted by our noise. Elron shot his sling at a Goblin, all three stones missed. Blaze moved forward toward them and cast lightning bolt on 4 goblins in a row; the goblin leader switched places with another goblin, who got a face full of death; as did goblins 6 and 4. Breena cast magic missiles on goblin 2 killing it and hit the goblin leader as well. The last Goblin and the leader ran away around the corner at the south end of the hallway. Marthek charged down the hallway after them, Elron ran down and saw a goblin running through the door to where we fought the Ogres.

Blaze started checking out the Saracek room with Breena and Artie, looking for secret doors on the north side.

Elron sped up, chasing the two remaining goblins. The goblin was about to go through the door and turned around with terror on its face. The Goblin disengaged and stepped through the door and slammed it in Elron’s face.

Arties looked at the lock on the inner door. He found a trap, a magical needle; he successfully disarmed it 10 minutes later. Blaze went down the hall to get the rest of the party back.

Back at the Ogre’s door, Marthek opened the door for Elron. Elron moved through the door and saw one goblin running to a tunnel; he hit on the third shot, killing it. The goblin leader got away. Elron could hear him running on the rough stone around the corner and declined to follow.

The bodies had 9 sp and 46 cp, 6 light cross bows, and 34 bolts for them: no real value armor.

Blaze didn’t find a secret door but did find the wall was about 10 degrees colder than the surrounding walls. Artie had used mage hand to disarm the trap without triggering it; the magic needle disappeared. Afterwards, Artie successfully picked the lock.

Artie estimated that both doors intact would fetch 500 gp each as works of art.

Apparently Saracek was a famous warrior, Artie knows a lot of stories about him. We decided not to open the door. We’d probably be facing a black skeleton and have to use turn undead and dispel curse to even have a chance of success. We put the outer door back up and continued up the hallway to the north. Marthek opened the unlocked door for us and stepped into the hallway. There was a door at the east end of the hall. Elron opened it, it had a dirt floor and rat tunneling. Marthek said that north of the dirt room were shrieking mushrooms. We closed the door and went west, back down the hallway. There was a locked door on the south side of the hallway. Artie checked for traps, none. Ten minutes later it was unlocked. Elron opened it and heard dirt falling on wood.

The ceiling and floor were hard-packed dirt. There were 20 smashed boxes and chests. We found dirt on boxes, but nothing of value. This had been a storeroom and someone else had already looted it.

We continued west to the next door on the south wall. Artie checked for traps; it was a good quality lock he couldn’t open in the first 10 minutes. Elron tried for 20 more minutes and was successful.

There were 11 giant rat skeletons and a door on the other side of the room, and a brass spittoon in the southeast corner of the room with a foul liquid in it. Artie spent 10 minutes on the next door and unlocked it easily. Elron opened it. There was a 10 by 10-foot room with a 5-foot passage with stairs going down 50 feet to a landing.

TO BE CONTINUED