Session 40: The Party Meets Steadfast Tumblebelly

The party meets an odd halfling, sorts loot, and covers some old ground before continuing their explorations.

This write up is based on our Sunday, April 7, 2024 session and was written by our scribe Carl with a few additions from myself. Thanks to our mapper Jimmy for the screen shots.  Since we are scattered around the country, we use Discord for voice communications and the Roll20 online tabletop to connect with each other.

Continued from: The Torture Chamber and Mimics

Location: Outside Tegel Manor, near the carriage house

As we were making our way back to the small manor, outside Tegel Manor, we found a hobbit feeding Reebo's dog and scratching its ears. He greeted us, and introduced himself as Steadfast Tumblebelly. We slightly remembered him from the inn where we stayed in Modron (after he reminded us).

Aefir took a practice swing at the hobbit, to see if he reacted like a fighter. The Hobbit pulled a sling, but looked like an inexperienced character.

Pretty sure he could not make it inside alone, we asked about his skills for survival. He replied that he could make beer. Making beer is good, but not so great for survival in Tegel Manor.

It was getting dark, we all went inside to jabber and jaw about life and the future.

Talking revealed that Steadfast was a druid, and would bring some more healing power to our small band.  Healing is never a bad idea.

We also talked about a lot of the loot we have picked up and not looked at carefully. Books and possible magic items in particular. Arkelm set up to cast detect magic and identify on anything that was magic.

The Jar of Flies was, basically, a trap.  Good thing we didn't open it. An insect swarm comes out when it is opened.  They attack unless commanded. They could be useful in the right circumstances.

The top hat - Hat of Disguise! It went into the party storage for use sometime as needed.

The robe with eyes - Robe of Eyes. Beneddar wanted to wear it.

That was a well spent evening, and now we have a druid/mascot

May 9th, 8AM
Back in the front door, we let the new guy meet Butler Bertalan and see some of the place.

Bertalan met us, as usual, and the standard screaming could be heard in the distance.

Bennedar, who was now wearing the Robe of Eyes, could tell that Bertalan overlapped into another plane of existence.

This trip might turn into a shopping expedition for furniture and decorations.

Reebo went looking for a rug, and went into the painting terror room. Fortunately, though he was revolted (and sometimes revolting) he did not panic. He backed out after discovering the rug was trash.

And just when we were thinking the new guy needs to fight something, a mummy came out into the room.  Rarin the Rearguard. It went down fast and furiously to Arkhelm's fire.

We left the torture room, down a hallway to the south. Opening the door, we could see a garden, with light. It was a courtyard open to the sky. There were several statues, but only two still close to original condition (actually quite fine), the others were worn and ruined.  One with measuring scales and a book; one a smiling old woman who was offering someone a flower. In the southeast corner was a big pile of poo - fresh.

To the east were two open doorways.

We checked out the good looking statues. Neither one looked like anything more than a statue and no one wanted to touch either one.

We gave the poo a lot of distance as we moved east.

As Reebo was checking out a doorway, something came around at him. Ghost, Shadow? Whatever it was, it vanished when Aefir wailed on it. Did it just zap out or was it actually removed from play?  Benedar, with the Robe of Eyes, told us that its presence on the Ethereal Plane disappeared as well as its manifestation here.

Reebo could hear splashing from behind the door. The area was damp too, suggesting a steady presence of some water.

Aefir pushed the door open, revealing a bath. Warm and humid air came out into the corridor.  Images of mermaids all over the walls.  Miniature mermaids were swimming in the bath, and beckoned Aefir to join them.

The pool had several skeletons in it.  Probably unfriendly mermaids, but no attack or charm was evident.

Some of the party went into the room, keeping clear of the pool, others walked around to the other door via the halls. Slowly getting the gang back together.

Beneddar spotted one of the skeletons in the pool was wearing a gold bracelet. He fished it out using mage hand. The little mermaids were upset, but didn't stop him.

He fished about some more with the mage hand, and found a ruby necklace. The Robe of Eyes was key to him being able to see stuff in the choppy water.

We went west down another hall to the north, one we recognized from a previous expedition. We went into the room with fakey gold furniture and stuff. A low, murmuring chorus of gruff voices chanted

“Betwixt the meadow, Under the bone
  Are scrolls of wonder, Beware the Clone.”

The sound of the voices seemed to emanate from the southern wall.

Through the secret door behind the bed was a similarly decorated room and we had missed the closet on our previous exploration.  Inside the closet  we found a torso hanging. Not rotted, maybe the closet is magic. No arms, head, legs. Aefir was stunned at the sight.

Trying to fill in some blanks in our map, the new guy found a secret door that we had not seen before.

We went down a narrow hall, to another secret door. There was a single portrait of a red flower hanging on a slant. Cheap painting, junky room, mostly smashed furniture. Aefir lifted the painting with his sword, and found a necklace behind it. Reebo used mage hand to get the necklace, it looked like it was well made platinum and gold.



After that find, we checked the room more thoroughly. There was nothing else of interest.

Continuing to fill in our map, we came to a locked door. Reebo did his usual good job of opening, if a little slower than many times.  On we went. Turned out we had been there, the tilting room with the mariner's bottle.

Beneddar mage handed the bottle out with us, and the room stopped moving. Some stability at last.

We spent time wandering around more, rooms we had been in, confirming and double checking the map.

One throne we had not moved before yielded to strength, eventually. There was nothing behind it.

Continued in Session 41: The Graveyard and Catacombs