Grendel's Stepdad

Play Report Sep 30, Oct 7 2025 - DCC Keep on the Borderlands Open Table (IRL)

Introduction

Ended up saving this play report for later as I experimented with no real time passing between sessions. Hoping to not do this too often, as I fear it can dilute the West Marches-adjacent identity of this campaign, but in this case it made sense. A great deal of gold and planning had already gone into the expedition, and three players who were absent for October 7’s session all had a built-in excuse for their characters to be out.

Not too much else to share on the nitty gritty–overall it was a smooth dungeon crawl, which always is a blast to run. The OAR #1 Quasqueton has been super easy to run straight from the book, though I wish the form factor of that series was a little smaller. Between two copies of DCC core and OARs #1 and #6, I’ve been getting a good bit of exercise in!

Next session is Doom of the Savage Kings, the first DCC module I’ve run since the original funnel. This one I’ve woven into the party’s ongoing friendship with the Woodfolk, the hunters and charcoal-burners of the local forests.

Report

With the Minotaur-that-was-Rogahn slain, the Ogre-whelming Force returned to the Keep. There they reported their deeds to Maravine, once advisor to Rogahn and lately to the Castellan. There she came clean, admitting that she had disowned her sister Melissa for marrying Rogahn and forsaking immortality. When Rogahn and Zelligar disappeared into the forsaken wilderness beyond, the mortal Melissa died of a broken heart. Maravine buried her sister somewhere in Quasqueton, and then had placed a spell of forgetfulness upon herself. The spell was wearing off now, and Maravine had been desperate to confirm her worst fears. The elf took the portrait of her and her sister from the party and paid them handsomely.

The band set about dividing the remaining spoils now the tale of tragedy had been told. Carrick laid claim to the Minotaur’s sword-staff, which was Rogahn’s own blade atop a longer haft for use by its transformed master. Its blade wrought from white mithril and a blackthorn wood hilt carved to look like a wolf with elk horns. In the presence of secret passages, the blade would glow, and its wielder could throw it like a javelin and have it return to their hand!

Rogahn’s ring, known in Elvish as the Stolen Star, went to the druid Kalimdar. While wearing it, the ring shed light in the dark and would illuminate the invisible in its strange light.

Returning to Quasqueton with a dozen porters and seven men at arms, the band set about loading the heavy valuables and tapestries for transport back to the Keep. The job went off without a hitch, though there was much concern about the wizard-triplets.

Signs of haruspicy were found, as well as a profaned altar to the Horned God, which Kalimdar reconsecrated. The band marveled at the madly winding hallways and how spotlessly clean they were. The dwarf Zig found a cauterized rat along such a hallway, as well as a strong stench of lemons and alcohol.

Glenn found a draught of liquid empathy hidden in a room that had once belonged to Erik, captain of Rogahn’s house guard. This potion would allow the drinker to feel the thoughts and emotions of those nearby.

Outside Melissa’s room, the party was surprised by two animated suits of armor. These hollow warriors forced the party back, killing one of their hired blades. Carrick and Zig deduced that the armor was attracted to light and built a barricade in the dark at one end of the hall, while Birdy spiked shut the door at the other. Birdy, Rudy, and Glenn took a number of hirelings back to move the heavy goods before incurring further casualties.

The remaining group descended into the bowels of Quasqueton by way of an unfinished stairwell not far from the throne room. Off this small complex, the party encountered a mimic posing as a chest in a small museum chamber. Perhaps due to being vastly outnumbered, the mimic proved capable of speech and identified itself as Padlock Joe, an established predator in Quasqueton and it's adjoining caves. It offered to share some intelligence with the party should they lure some crunchy kobolds its way.

The scent of lemons persisted as the group made their way through the rough-hewn tunnels of the sublevel. The group tripped a magical alarm and were attacked by four imps made of magma. Several porters were killed by throw molten rock, and both Winifred and Kalimdar had brushes with death.

The band dispatched the magma imps at last and examined what the monsters had been left to guard: a great stone ring atop a dais, covered with an unusual cipher. Zig recognized them as an encryption used by Zelligar, which Birdy had recently decoded. Without the wizard present to translate the runes, Zig made a charcoal rubbing for later. The party then retreated to the Keep to pour some alcohol on their wounds and enjoy their spoils before the next sortie...

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