It's day nine and I nearly didn't manage to complete today's post - my group was in the East Wing of Castle Amber having too much fun. One is currently possessed by Princess Catherine, one has been temporarily Feebleminded by picking an unfortunate Tarot Card, and one has been turned into a dog by reading a cursed scroll!
Fortunately there's not much to say about this lair. It was rather complicated to redraw with any degree of fidelity, so I printed out the original to the correct scale and traced it. I might redraw the secret door so it's a slab of stone hiding the alcove. I need to work out where to put in some slopes.
The module says "This labyrinth. houses a number of nasty things, but the worst is a fiendishly clever minotaur who abides herein". I'm not convinced by this - a reasonable sized party should easily be able to take on a single 6 HD monster, whereas the 13 Stirges look highly dangerous. When we ran this adventure I was writing up my notes (Stryal was the name I gave to the Evil priest from the keep), so we'll finish today with that account:
With Curufin healed the party of eight (plus pony) set out early next morning for The Caves of Chaos. Stryal says the best treasure is to be found in a cave at the far end of the ravine, and they creep past the Kobold cave, then through the trees. A foul smelling cave entrance is found, hidden in the trees, which Tuck thinks might be an animal cave. Beyond is the chosen cave, and Shadow takes the shuttered lantern and creeps inside, but immediately runs back out again, suggesting they should instead all go in, probing ahead for traps. It is a natural cave, not worked tunnels like the Kobold lair. Everyone feels slightly dizzy, and Turgon cannot seem to draw his map properly. They take the left tunnel, but half the group is worried and wants to leave. Instead they try the right tunnel, and ahead is a sound of squeaking and hooting – Shadow listens hard and can hear the sound of birds wings.Fearing vampire bats the party retreats and tries the left corridor again – a couple of right turns leads past the squeaks and back to the entrance. Tuck suggests turning left every time to avoid getting lost, and after a couple of turns the corridor widens into a cavern. Stepping inside a fearsome beast charges at them – no, not a beast, a human – no a human body with the head of a bull. The roaring Minotaur catches them with surprise and throws a spear at Baloth then rushes forward and bites him with his jaws. Turgon and Tuck rush to meet the onslaught and Foddy joins the fray, whilst Shadow fires arrows and Bullroarer slings stones at the beast. Curufin blasts the beast with a magic missile, but then cries out and clutches at his eyes, suddenly struck with blindness. The adventurers battle fiercely, but Baloth is gored and drops to the ground. Stryal is nowhere to be seen, but the sound of him running away echoes through the cavern. The monster is hit again and again, with Foddy striking the best blows, but the Minotaur injures Foddy once, twice, and then he too lies unconscious on the floor. Retreat would mean leaving Foddy or Baloth to certain death, so our heroes fight on. How much more can the Minotaur take? The teeth and horns turn their hatred on Turgon, but Tuck strikes a fierce blow with his Mace and the Minotaur drops dead.The victory is hard won – four are unhurt, but two lie wounded, and one is blind. The Minotaur’s spear is taken, then the cavern searched – a boulder obviously covers a recess in the wall, but it is Shadow who finds the right place to apply strength to move it. With the help of all the boulder is moved, and beyond is the secreted treasure of the Minotaur taken from its previous victims. A staff, a casket, two chests and a suit of armour – not all can be carried away together with dragging the wounded. The armour and the heavier chest are hidden again behind the boulder and the party struggle back to the entrance. The magical confusion enchantment has been broken with the death of the beast-man.
Seems like the Minotaur proved tough! Tomorrow is the penultimate lair, the Gnolls.
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