A Character is Worth 1,750 gp

This is a session recap (26 July 2024) for the new system I'm testing called Chrono-Delve. I'm running an open table every week to continue testing and developing the game. Join the discord here.

A company of four adventurers stood on the main road of Redwood as dusk settled. Every door and window were locked, for the village was built above a dungeon full of dangerous beasts that emerged at night. But as the beasts came out, adventurers went in. Equipped with torches, rope, and empty sacks set out ready to find treasure.

Descending stairs of hewn stone led into a pitch-dark room. Eustice, an aspiring shaman, lit the first torch, revealing a three-way split deeper into the dungeon.

“There are droppings of a mid-sized beast going east,” said Ziok, an apprentice wizard. “Perhaps we should go north.”

The north corridor was narrow and damp, forcing the adventurers to move in single file. rioN, a knight, led the way. Not far in, she noticed an iron-banded oaken door on the western wall. It was locked, but she tested her shoulder against it, nonetheless. The door rattled.

“I could break it with enough time,” said rioN, “perhaps in two torches’ time.”

Eustice shook his head. “That much noise will surely attract unwanted guests.”

“Guys, what about this door?” said Oren, the second wizard, as she illuminated a tall metal door.

At its center, the metal door had a face with a plump nose and drooping eyes. Its lower lip vibrated with each sleeping exhale. rioN, curious as she was, brought her finger into the door’s mouth.

"Argh. Paugh. Ah. Howe rüde!”

“Sorry, door, but we must get through.”

“Mine name is Dur, and to getten through thou must feeden me.”

“But we don’t have any food.”

“Certes thou dost, those torches, that rope hanging from thy pack, even thy jacket looketh tasty.”

The company gave Dur two torches, and it opened, revealing a short corridor with a descending staircase. They lit a new torch and went down, going on and on, until the torch was nearly extinguished.

The new room was cold, and the walls and ground less defined. There were scratches on the ground, and the ceiling was taller than the torchlight could reach. But just around the corner, something gleamed.

Treasure!

A pile of silver pieces and a rolled-up scroll awaited in the adjacent room. But it wasn’t alone. Two large palm trees stood with their roots above the pile of treasure, their leaves and reddish fruit swaying slowly. When the company approached, the trees stiffened. It appeared they could sense the Company.

“I could try to cast an invisibility spell to take the treasure without startling them, but it’s a powerful, difficult spell,” said Ziok.

The company agreed, and Ziok attempted to cast. The magic left her hands and started to envelop her, but then she lost control, and bursts of blue energy exploded out of her body in random directions.

“We don’t have much time. Some beasts will surely be attracted by my magic. Ah, it’s just a difficult spell.”

“We must at least take something,” said rioN, taking out a grappling hook and rope.

She aimed for the roll of parchment and managed to get a prong in one end. She pulled it quickly, and as soon as she grabbed it, the earth shook.

From the darkness, a group of giant purple worms, each the size of a small horse, ambushed the trees, attacking with their round mouths full of rows of sharp teeth. The trees panicked and spun their leaves, taking flight into the darkness. In the commotion, the red fruit of the trees detached and landed on the pile of silver. The worms crowded the pile as if attempting to eat the fruit, when the pile exploded.

Pieces of worm, hemolymph, and silver pieces went everywhere, but a few worms remained.

The company took a defensive stance and prepared for an attack. Four worms approached rapidly. Eustice reacted, taking out a flask of what appeared to be gray smoke. He smashed it in front of the worms, and the smoke dissipated. Two worms reacted in distress and took off by burying into the ground. In an instant, they were gone. The last two approached the Company.

One worm got near rioN and Eustice and began thrashing vigorously. rioN was unable to react fast enough and was crushed to death by the worm. Eustice, as if by an act of the gods, avoided the worm by a narrow margin. He stabbed back at the worm, but it continued thrashing. The second time, Eustice was not so lucky and perished alongside rioN.

“Grab the parchment and run!” yelled Oren. “I’ll distract it!”

Ziok hurried, grabbing the parchment that laid next to rioN’s crushed body. As she turned, she saw her last companion suffer the same fate as the others. She had no choice but to run.

Without looking back and with a dimming torch, she sprinted up the staircase, past Dur, and out of the dungeon.

The night was cold, but she could not feel it. Her rapid heartbeat and shaking body took all her senses. The adrenaline and emotion filled her head, and before she could react, she collapsed.

Ziok was awoken by three fresh adventurers on their way to the dungeon. They helped her back to the inn and got her a strong ale. She told her story as they listened in awe.

“What will you do now, then?” asked one of the adventurers.

Ziok waited for a moment, thinking, when she remembered the parchment. She took it out and opened it. It was a spell.

“I’m going back. This right here is worth thousands of gold and is exactly why I’m here. We all knew the risks; otherwise, we would have never come to Redwood. I will sell this spell and be better prepared next time, but I’ll need a new company.”

“Well, count us in!”

Ziok sold the scroll for 7,000 gold pieces (gp) and gave each new adventurer 1,750 gp in preparation for the next delve.