by Michael Eckenfels, 25 June 2023
Champions of Krynn AAR: Part 10, Catacombia Dreamin’
We get ambushed by a couple of patrols on our way out of the Temple, but they’re pretty tame. One has Skeletons and a Cleric, while the other is just half a dozen Hobbos. Nothing we cannot handle at this point.
Upon our return to the Outpost, we check out the Commandant’s office.
So, we’re obviously needing to follow the retreating group of Draconians we saw earlier, ‘to the north and west,’ in the Temple.
Before that, though, we need to make a visit to the Hall of Training.
Sir Fsup becomes a Level 3 Knight.
Smashen Grab becomes a Level 3 Cleric.
His spell book increases a bit, in that he’s added the third level spell, Prayer. Which to my knowledge is essentially a stronger version of Bless.
Izzie gets to Level 5 as a Thief.
And while our Mage hasn’t advanced in levels, I check the scrolls she has on hand to see what she can Scribe for future use.
The only one she can Scribe right now is Ray of Enfeeblement, which isn’t exactly a go-to choice for me in these games. Still, why not add it. I don’t remember these games that well as it’s been a while since I’ve gone far into them. It may come in handy later; who knows.
We trudge back overland to Throtl without incident, and enter the city. Finding our way through the growingly familiar corridors, we enter the Temple through the western secret door, then head north and west in an attempt to find the trail of the retreating bad guys. We don’t have to search for long.
I guess they’re slow movers, or just like to lollygag. Their loafing is our XP gain!
There’s only five of them. Hardly a speed bump wrapped in alligator skin for us at this point.
Once that’s out of the way, we continue through the deadened hallways of this Temple to find the exit that the bad guys are using. The exit, which probably leads to another fortress of some kind. An eeeevil fortress.
We finally get within sight of a northern exit out of the Temple, only to find a rear guard.
Honestly, I would try Parlay, just to be a jerk. I think I did, though I didn’t capture a screenshot of that. But if I remember right, Parlaying with this group meant they get closer to you, which is fine with me.
Melee distance is the best form of diplomacy in this game.
We’re facing an evil Cleric and several Zombies.
It’s funny, because Wynn, whom is technically our ‘main’ Cleric, can’t turn worth a darn. Yet Smashen, whom is a Fighter/Cleric, does very well usually in the Turning (Away) department. Pink Floyd notwithstanding.
Once all the Zombies are Turned, the Evil Cleric is the only thing left, and he’s quickly surrounded and annihilated.
Guess he regretted at the last moment not actually having a civil conversation with us. Heh-heh-heh.
In any case, we find the exit from this Temple, where the bad guys were all running through to escape us. Presumably.
The stairs lead DOWN. Which means, a dungeon or catacomb or political discussion of some kind.
Distant screams? Definitely a political discussion.
We find ourselves at the entrance to a long tunnel, which in the distance widens at points and then narrows back down, all claustrophobic-like. It looks deserted save for the aforementioned chorus of the damned crying and screaming (probably read one of my reviews, poor devils). The distance is darkened and impossible to peer into.
We barely move one step before the neighborhood welcome wagon arrives.
Welp, cat’s out of the bag, I suppose. That means we’ll be facing ambushes and prepared encounters. I don’t know if there’s a way to sneak in to do this…I doubt it. Gold Box games are very trigger-happy, meaning you’re kind of just along for the ride. ‘Meaningful Decisions’ are usually left in the realm of which weapon to skewer the bad guys with or whether or not you want to take that 150th Broad Sword left behind in the last combat or not.
Still, the story is engaging and fun.
We’re now in a fight with a bunch of Fighters. Waxhon decides to use her new Stinking Cloud spell, with good effect.
When ‘chokes and gags from nausea’ appears, it’s basically a death sentence for that creature or character. They’re frozen as if in a Sleep spell, and it only takes one hit (which is automatic, if attempted) to take them out.
This fight isn’t much of a challenge, though. They plink us a few times for damage, but nothing we cannot Fix after the encounter. Once done, we move on, moving down the long, narrow corridor that acts like a conduit for hell or imagery only a 50-something man would possibly comprehend but try to avoid making a joke about (unless he just did, in which case if you get it, you get it). Be that as it may, after a long trek straight east, we finally come to a dead end with a door.
We burst in to find shenanigans afoot.
It’s as if the FBI is raiding a fraudulent corporation; the Cleric here is actually burning papers.
Like, what are they afraid of us finding? Ledgers tracking the number of peasants they’ve revolted? Or the number of royalty types they’ve bribed and/or pegged?
Maybe it’s something else, entirely.
ODC ~ “Gotta burn, gotta burn, gotta burn, come on…”
Sir Fsup ~ “Awrigh’, what’s all this then?”
ODC ~ “Gasp! No! You’re too soon! Can you step out and come back in, oh, three reams’ worth or so?”
Sir Fsup ~(grabbing a random page) “Wait, this is…fan fiction?”
ODC ~ “GIMME!”
Sir Fsup ~ “Looks like some kind of…fantasy game play through thing?”
Izzie ~(Reading over Sir Fsup’s shoulder) “What’s a ‘bugbear trollop’ and why is it in a bikini?”
ODC ~ “Nooo!” (snarl)
After snarling, his little undead horde is on the attack, as is he.
His Skeletons and Zombies form a not insignificant wall. While not powerful at all, they can slow us down a lot, giving the Evil Cleric plenty of chances to cast bad spells at us. Or worse, destroy more of his fanfic.
Can you say “Turn Undead,” though?
I knew you could!
Once again, our Turn absolutely decimates an Evil Cleric’s attack, leaving himself wide open to be pummeled upon. And with that pummeling, the encounter is over.
Journal Entry 84:
“. . .the bugbear lay across the mattress, furry and curved in all the wrong. . .”
Heh-heh. Just kidding.
” . . .we have contacted the minotaurs. They will help us. I must go to Gargath. It is rumored that there is a dragonlance stored there. We must secure the keep and find the treasure room that is hidden there. The map of the keep shows those places where we believe the secret door may be located. Give this map to your officers and. . .”
The fragment ends.
Hmm. Something about a Dragonlance, which is a legendary weapon when used versus…three guesses what.
And if it’s in Gargath, I’m guessing that’s where we’ll be headed to next, provided we clear out this dungeon place thing type stuff.
But, Minotaurs? Dangerous opponents. I believe in this game they’re Giant-sized creatures, meaning they take up two spaces like Trolls or Ogres. Awesome. More XP potential for us!
With that knowledge in hand, we steel ourselves to move ever deeper into the catacombs.
End of Part 10
CHAMPIONS OF KRYNN AAR
PART ONE ~ PART TWO ~ PART THREE ~ PART FOUR ~ PART FIVE ~ PART SIX ~ PART SEVEN ~ PART EIGHT ~ PART NINE ~ PART TEN
PART ELEVEN ~ PART TWELVE ~ PART THIRTEEN ~ PART FOURTEEN ~ PART FIFTEEN ~ PART SIXTEEN ~ PART SEVENTEEN ~ PART EIGHTEEN ~ PART NINETEEN ~ PART TWENTY
PART 21 ~ PART 22 ~ PART 23 ~ PART 24 ~ PART 25 ~ PART 26 ~ PART 27 ~ PART 28 ~ PART 29 ~ PART 30
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There once was a game called Krynn,
With warriors, mages, and dragons within,
In Champions of might,
They battled all night,
For glory, for honor, to win.
The heroes were brave and true,
Fighting foes, both old and new,
With spells and with swords,
They faced their rewards,
To vanquish the dark and break through.
From the streets of Solace they roamed,
To the lairs where dragons called home,
With quests to fulfill,
And battles to thrill,
Champions of Krynn, on they’d roam.
