GURPS DF Session 40 - Hunt for Sir Sacnoth, part 2

Part two of this adventure is a little late. We have already played part 3 (session 41) and I still need to write up my notes for that yet.

Session Date: Thursday 27 June 2019

Party roster:
Miao Miao, cat-folk swashbuckler, 342 points (PC)
- "Jenkins", human servant, 146 points (NPC Ally)
- Brother Warian, human initiate, 171 points (NPC Ally)
Davin Emberwood, human wizard, 304 points (PC)
Llandor the Gray, wood-elf scout, 247 points (player away - temporary NPC)
Sir Yvor Gryffyn, human knight, 309 points (PC)
- Torr, human boy, ?? points (NPC "volunteer")
Sister Miriam Suntemple, human cleric, 260 points (PC)
Harrison "Happy" Badapple, halfling thief, 249 points (PC)

Location: Marshgate, Barony of Marrowmarsh

We resume from last session with Sir Yvor and Sister Miriam having received message after the others had left, and rushing to catch up. In Marshgate, Sir Yvor impressed the innkeeper sufficiently well (a very good Reaction Roll, thanks to +5 in bonuses*) that the party was given loan of a flat-bottomed boat, along with a boy to steer it. Upon retrieving the boat, they discover Harrison Badapple asleep in it. Perhaps he was avoiding town for some reason? Harrison doesn't elucidate. Happy and Miriam have briefly worked together before (during the adventure I Smell a Rat) and both know Miao and Llandor previously. Hap decides to join the current adventure. The trip across the marsh to the island is uneventful, and they find the others on the shore, still deciding what to do next.

Everyone was so busy discussing their options, that all except Harrison failed to notice that others were approaching. As I laid out the battlefield, I gave Hap's player the choice to raise the alarm, or to hide. He elected to disappear (not literally, but the thief does have very high Stealth). 

Before anyone noticed that Happy was missing, the party were charged by half a dozen small reptilian humanoids. Miriam was surprised and momentarily stunned, everyone else snapped out of it immediately. As the party prepared to fight the impending kobolds, Sir Yvor gave a Rallying Cry to Miriam and she recovered from the mental stun. Happy turned out to be hiding in some nearby bushes, and he elected to stay put until the charging kobolds had completely passed his position.

As expected, the kobolds were a poor challenge, being both outnumbered and outgunned. Their leader wielded a shortsword, but the rest of them had only weighted clubs. Still, this served as a good introduction to GURPS combat for new players. 

The party made short work of the kobolds. The fight only lasted about 4 seconds (each turn is only 1 second in GURPS). The thief finished off the kobold leader with a backstab, sneaking out of the bushes to stand behind him just as the leader bent down to pick up his shortsword.

After the fight, the group decided to dump the kobolds into the swamp, hide their own boats in the bushes, and then check out the tree. Jenkins once again did most of the lifting and carrying. Miao convinced the boy, who's name turned out to be Torr (Yvor hadn't bothered to ask, and insisted on continuing to call him "Boy"), that it would be safer for him to stay with the party rather than remain with the boats.

As they approached the massive oak that gave One Tree Island its name, Llandor became increasingly disturbed at the health of it. The tree was covered in mold and its leaves were blotchy. Miriam cast Sense Evil around the base of the tree. The cleric definitely got a feeling, but it was more like the effect of evil upon the tree, than that the tree was the source of the Evil.

Davin walked around the tree to examine it, and found a sinkhole among the roots. It appeared the hole descended down to an opening below the tree. Davin was too Curious to wait, and while maintaining a Levitation spell, climbed down into the hole.

Miao hurried to follow, but in the near-total darkness, she didn't realise the extent of the drop to the floor of the cavern below, and landed badly (losing 4 HP due to head injury). The rest of the party descended more carefully, and with better illumination, and there were no further problems on that score.

By the light of Miriam's Flaming Weapon spell, the party discovered themselves to be at a sort of junction in the cavern. Having the best Tracking skill, Llandor determined that most of the movement was humanoid footprints between two of the possible exits. Some discussion followed as to which direction (I believe that Davin won out), and they proceeded in the direction that the party decided may lead towards the cave entrance.

The group soon arrived at another branch in the passage, and they took the right turn, electing to stick with the most travelled path. Around another turn and the party were faced with multiple exits. They could see the glow of light from a light source around the corner. What sounded like voices could also be heard.

Happy moved forward alone until he could make out the voices. He heard human males talking in the common tongue, at least three of them. They appeared to be fed up and complaining at having to wait in this cave. Hap cautiously eased forward until he could see them; a lantern upon a rock or stone table, around it sat four men sitting on their shields.

Happy sneaked back to the party to report. The party moved up together but were making too much noise, so the alarm was raised. Miao charged into the cavern sword drawn, calling for the men to surrender. The others hurried to keep up....

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At that point I paused the game as it was getting late and our time is sadly limited.

* We use the Status advantage from GURPS. 

EDIT: I totally forgot to mention the wandering fungus Crushroom which the party encountered in the tunnels, before they found the humans. Yvor and Miao chopped it to bits in short order. It didn't pose much of a threat.