Wine Cellars of Duke Marqest: A compliment can save your life!

A Wine Cellars play report: 12/26/14
This session was run for my friend Greg at short notice and Barbara was a first time player of any RPG.

The party consisted of 4 players:
Greg: Harry the Halfling who sports a lacy black veil
Barbara: Sindy-Loo the Magic-User, wears purple robes sprinkled in silver glitter, a head wrap and a wooden mask with tusks.
Wife: Valiah the Elf, wears a pointy Princess hat.
Daughter: Rima the Cleric, wears a hood made of frost serpent hide.

The group started out in the village just a few miles from the old Marqest ruins. We rolled on the "100 Reasons the party are together" chart and discovered the following about our brave party - Cindy-Loo-Hoo met Rima on a failed adventure where they abandoned their compatriots to a certain doom. Rima recently discovered that Harry is her half-brother. Harry is the cousin of Valiah. Valiah met Cindy-Loo-Hoo in a tavern over a fist fight. 

Rumors they collected:
1) The Duke employed a Wizard that worked magic into the wines.
2) The cellars are riddled with secret doors and passages.
3) The cellars have more than one level.

The party also decided to put up the 10gp for flyers and Criers to advertise for Hirelings to join them for a foray into the Dungeon. The following morning they had six applicants waiting to be interviewed. Two local youths vying for the position of torch-bearer, a Dwarf, an Elf, and two Men-at-arms. After a bit of questioning the party hired all six to even the odds if any monsters were encountered. Supplies were procured and they set off up the path to the old ruins.

At about the halfway point the party noticed a broken fence along the path that was probably part of a herdsman's property. They also came upon the remains of a recently devoured something. Guts and a sticky pool of blood in the grass nearby. Casting about themselves the only thing they see is a lone large goat chewing on a boot and staring at them. Harry wanted to shoot the goat with his crossbow, but the Magic-users logic prevailed, and the party quickly moved on. They weren't sure if the goat was responsible for the gore or if it was just really eating a boot it found.....

Reaching the ruins, the party found its way into the old guardhouse and quickly discovered a recently uncovered set of steps that led below ground. They found the remains of an old store room that had seen serious fire damage (see actions of an earlier party). In the old burnt barrels a single giant rat leapt out and was speared by a Hireling. A few scattered coins a single potion and a burnt leather belt and short sword scabbard were discovered. 

The party then looked at the large open hole in the floor of the chamber and at the burnt block & tackle system in the roof over it. Harry figured this must have been used to bring the wines up from the lower levels just like the rumor they had discovered said. A lit torch was dropped into the hole and if fell quite a ways before either going out or dropping too far to be seen. However the light revealed iron rungs in the side of the shaft and a landing perhaps 30 or so feet below. The torchbearer who called himself "Scar" and who was a bit of a glory hound agreed to climb down to the shaft to the landing below. Everyone watched as he made it to the landing and then was promptly attacked by something in the dark! The sounds they heard were determined to be goblins by the Dwarf and Elves. The party then as quickly as they could followed the descent of the missing torch-boy to the landing below in an attempt to hopefully get him back from the goblins. The lower landing led into a short hallway where a pool of fresh blood was found and trailed off deeper into the cellars. Following the grisly trail left by the goblins whose footprints were seen in smeared blood on the floor, drew the party into a large room, the far wall was paneled in wood with a single heavy wooden door in the center. The door was open slightly and beyond was a cellar filled with wooden racks covered in cobwebs holding the odd bottle or three of wine. The door to this chamber had been picked open some time ago. Harry grabbed the first bottle he could, opened it and drank. He was surprised at how good the wine was! (He was also struck with Paranoia from the spoiled magic in the wine)

Wending their way cautiously through the maze of racks the group found a Fighter in full plate with a bottle of wine to his lips that had been turned into glass! Harry was sure the Dwarf in the party wanted all the wine for himself but kept these suspicions to himself. Sindy-Loo asked Harry for a sip of the bottle he had opened and Harry flatly denied her request saying, "This one's mine, get your own!"

Soon the bloody trail left by the goblins ended at a rack against the wall. It was obvious a secret door was located here and the Magic-User quickly discovered the false wine bottle that acted as a lever to open the revolving door. Upon opening a dark hallway was revealed and the glimmer of red eyes reflected in the torch light. A pair of black arrows were fired into the group. One bounced harmlessly off of Galg the Dwarf's shield

Goblin that ate the Torch-boy

while the other nicked Harry's ear! The halfling returned fire with his small crossbow and heard a satisfying scream as he shot into the darkness. There was a terrible screech followed by three goblins charging into the light of the parties torches as they held their ground by the revolving door. Galg was able to brain a goblin with a single blow and Hurix the man-at-arms set his spear and skewered a second. The third goblin made it past the two hirelings and threatened the Magic-user and cleric to no avail. Rima defended Sindy-Loo and killed the goblin with her Trident! A cry for retreat was heard from the remaining goblins. The party took a vote and decided that Scar the Torch-boy was probably dead by now. They returned to the wine cellar and spiked the revolving door so the goblins couldn't get back in. Then they scoured the cellar and put 3 bottles of wine in each surviving members backpack to be carried out of the dungeon. 

Just as they were preparing to leave a cold breeze blew through the chamber and a spectral figure stepped through a wine rack blocking their way out. "Who dares to drink my wine!" demanded the glowing spirit. "The Dukes ghost, maybe I can turn him!" cried Rima reaching for her wooden holy symbol. "Wait." sad the Magic-User. Harry stepped up and looked the ghost right in the eye and said,"I have, and it's bloody fantastic!" The spirit looked at the little halfling and then at the rest of the party and replied "Then take what you have and leave now!" he then faded from sight. Not wanting to push their luck any further they made haste to exit the way they came and returned to the village.

After figuring out the gold value of the wines they procured, the party bought a 4 bedroom cottage, paid the hirelings and gave them each a small bonus and retained them for another sojourn. Then each party member rolled on the Carousing chart to see how much gold they spent! Sindy-Loo failed her save and is now known as the town-drunk! Rima also failed her save and almost owed money to the thieve's guild but she was bailed out by Harry who covered his half-sisters debts.