Legend says that the Grey Dragon Hill was so called due to a ferocious wyrm attacking the old fortress some centuries ago. None survived its fiery attack, and there are rumours that all the people who lost their lives defending the fortress that day turned into vicious ghouls. While as a landmark, the Grey Dragon Hill is not easy to spot, people have nevertheless been avoiding the surrounding area, for fear of summoning the dragon or angering its undead army. According to the librarian's research, somewhere within the walls of this forlorn building the details of the Shrine of Plures, the Chaos god of rain, can be found there.
Without any incidents, and exploring the vicinity, the party arrives at the foot of the hillfort, and climbs the ruined stairs at a steady pace, to reach the edifice's only gate. Navigating through the few desolate rooms of the fortress in the only floor that's still standing, the party encounters some monstrous denizens that strip them of one hobgoblin, and come into contact with a group of kobolds who don't seem hostile enough; instead, they encourage the adventurers to venture deeper into the castle's dungeons and examine the creepy prison cell. Turns out, the strange, cold-emanating rune at the floor of the prison cell was hiding a secret trapdoor further deep into the ground, which the party follows in caution.
The stone stairways beneath Grey Dragon Hill reveal an ancient crypt. The party faces weird flying creatures at the very first room, in which a mystical throne hands them the key to the ominous iron door, and entrance to the crypt. Traversing some dusty corridors and flooded chambers, the adventurers happen upon two star-shaped keys, as well as a patrol of undead skeletons, and combat quickly ensues, with the second of the hobgoblins being felled. Exploring a little further, it seems that the crypt belonged to some magic-user with the power of necromancy, and intruders must have breached its defences at some point, only to die by the blades of its dire guardians. It is in that moment that the party is just realising what may have happened in those musty corridors, when they're trapped in a partially flooded chamber with a band of skeleton warriors wielding their rusted blades against them. And while it is a fierce and brave battle, nobody manages to make it through; rather, each one of the adventuring party falls victim to the crypt's eternal guardians. The last thing everyone remembers is the torch dropping on the wet floor, and darkness engulfing their surroundings.
Characters involved
The session, which lasted its full three hours, ended in a Total Party Kill. The dice leaned more in favour of the skeletons, while the players had a few missed opportunities (and missed rolls) to prevail. I didn't want them to travel the swamps, since it would deem too tough a journey for them, so I proposed we ran a prequel to their so-wanted expedition to the Shrine of Plures. It didn't turn out well for them, unfortunately, but such is the will of Lady Luck. For the dungeon, I picked and modified Dyson's dungeon of the same name, adding an extra layer with the help of watabou's One Page Dungeon. Good thing that B/X has a quick and easy character generation, and the players had already set up their new group of intrepid adventures, ready to set foot once again at Coruvon.
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