HYPERBOREA / the Brazen Bull (SPOILERS THEREIN)

**Posted by alShanfara** 11/19/2019 8:27 am

this one was fun!

I ran this for my usual Monday night group where I'm a player usually. Some of our number were interested in Hyperborea and I've been a fan for awhile now so this seemed like a great introduction.

what a great adventure, especially in the context of a level 1 one shot. Absolute murder hobo mayhem.

Spoilers:

My group threw both Venutius and Neitol down the hole in the first room. I have to say I love the drug deal gone bad introduction to this adventure.

we never actually found the brazen bull or the priests. we did find the witch's tomb and we did unwittingly release her.

Having done all this and having gotten lots of treasure, the party then went back to mess around with Thaumagorga's Consignment, ending up impaling two of the party members on hooks, adding to the 3 already there, leading the the liquification of half the party.

On the way out, the surviving party members encounter the newly born lamia, attack her, get charmed and become her foot soldiers.

the end.

4.5/5

**Posted by Chainsaw** 11/19/2019 7:15 pm

alShanfara wrote:
this one was fun! ... what a great adventure, especially in the context of a level 1 one shot. Absolute murder hobo mayhem.

Thanks man. Whenever run, Brazen Bull always seems to generate memorable outcomes.

*** Spoilers ***

alShanfara wrote:
My group threw both Venutius and Neitol down the hole in the first room. I have to say I love the drug deal gone bad introduction to this adventure.

LoL! That's hilarious. I love hearing how people resolve this little fiasco.

alShanfara wrote:
we never actually found the brazen bull or the priests. we did find the witch's tomb and we did unwittingly release her.

Lovely!

alShanfara wrote:
Having done all this and having gotten lots of treasure, the party then went back to mess around with Thaumagorga's Consignment, ending up impaling two of the party members on hooks, adding to the 3 already there, leading the the liquification of half the party.

Bwahaha! No one can resist the lure, hahah! Must. Enter. Magic. Circle.

alShanfara wrote:
On the way out, the surviving party members encounter the newly born lamia, attack her, get charmed and become her foot soldiers.

Sweet! All's well that ends well, as they say.

alShanfara wrote:
4.5/5

Very flattering, my friend. Thanks for sharing. Makes my day!

**Posted by Ghul** 11/20/2019 11:30 am

alShanfara wrote:
this one was fun!

I ran this for my usual Monday night group where I'm a player usually. Some of our number were interested in Hyperborea and I've been a fan for awhile now so this seemed like a great introduction.

what a great adventure, especially in the context of a level 1 one shot. Absolute murder hobo mayhem.

Spoilers:

My group threw both Venutius and Neitol down the hole in the first room. I have to say I love the drug deal gone bad introduction to this adventure.

we never actually found the brazen bull or the priests. we did find the witch's tomb and we did unwittingly release her.

Having done all this and having gotten lots of treasure, the party then went back to mess around with Thaumagorga's Consignment, ending up impaling two of the party members on hooks, adding to the 3 already there, leading the the liquification of half the party.

On the way out, the surviving party members encounter the newly born lamia, attack her, get charmed and become her foot soldiers.

the end.

4.5/5

This report warms the cockles of my cold, two-sizes-too-small heart.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 5/15/2021 10:46 am

So, being a lazy DM...

The party took out all but the the alchemist and Zilzoon. He made his escape and just ransacked the alchemist's room and let him live.

Now, the lazy part. Would you say Zilzoon had more followers in the city or will he have to build things back up?

It's been about 2 months since they did this and are currently going through a bit of a funhouse dungeon. They are however making some noise about going back in and further explore the place.

Thoughts on having it take a few more months (say...4-6) to rebuild the temple faithful, or have Zilzoon pull in "reinforcements" from the faithful at other, smaller temples?

**Posted by rhialto** 5/15/2021 1:48 pm

gizmomathboy wrote:
Thoughts on having it take a few more months (say...4-6) to rebuild the temple faithful, or have Zilzoon pull in "reinforcements" from the faithful at other, smaller temples?

As always, I'd let the dice decide. You have two options listed above, so I'd probably go with:
Roll a d6 for the # of months to pull together reinforcements: then you have a 1/3 chance they're already in place, and a 2/3 chance they'll take longer than present. That's how indolent I am: no more thought than that, move along.

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 5/16/2021 8:23 pm

ooh, I like that.

I'll have to remember using the numbers I've pondered as an opportunity for the dice to decide.

**Posted by rhialto** 5/17/2021 4:54 am

I have been greatly influenced in my recent Ref'ing by Classic Traveller's "Situation Throws": rather than scrupulously building up an abstruse model of circumstances, roll the dice, and that's the difficulty of this situation. Why? Only the dice gods know...

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 4/07/2022 3:27 pm

Now I have a conundrum.

Zilzoon teamed up with Ssleessik (black moss hag, which the party ran off but now in a new form) as well as Aristomache (randomly a priestess of Thaumagorga too that they beat, she was controlled a fetrick muckton of undead in the Lug).

In a recent battle the party took out a mercenary group that was hired, Aristomache, all but one of the disciples of the trio, and bunches of other stuff.

I have some plans for Ssleessik that are long termish and devious.

As for Zilzoon, I'm not sure. He's gonna stay out of the picture as much as he can, but he does like to sacrifice folks to Thaumagorga. I figure he'll stay near Khromarium.

There is lots of NEED FOR REVENGE on both sides now.

I guess I'll keep searching for a revenge arc for a thrice beat villain.

**Posted by eakratz** 4/05/2024 9:06 am

First this adventure is fun. I’m running it as a play-by-post and after a couple days (RL) in the statue room, one of the party investigated the blood on the hand. Another party member dismissed it outright, called the cultists wackos and opened the door.

I can’t wait to write up my next post after work :D

**Posted by Chainsaw** 4/05/2024 9:18 am

eakratz wrote:
First this adventure is fun. I’m running it as a play-by-post and after a couple days (RL) in the statue room, one of the party investigated the blood on the hand. Another party member dismissed it outright, called the cultists wackos and opened the door.

I can’t wait to write up my next post after work :D

Great stuff! Can't wait to read it.

**Posted by eakratz** 4/05/2024 2:08 pm

Chainsaw wrote:
Great stuff! Can't wait to read it.

Here you go. I linked for when they entered the room. I thought there were enough clues. This will be the second hireling they lose in this dungeon if they don''t stop his bleeding in the next round.

Last edited by eakratz (4/05/2024 2:08 pm)

**Posted by eakratz** 4/12/2024 1:50 pm

I had to start a side adventure I’m calling The Brazen Escape for the PCs that found themselves on the hooks 😂

**Posted by Chainsaw** 4/12/2024 5:06 pm

eakratz wrote:
I had to start a side adventure I’m calling The Brazen Escape for the PCs that found themselves on the hooks 😂

Hahah!

On the bright side, you have your players hooked on your game.

**Posted by rhialto** 4/13/2024 5:34 am

Are the players literally on tenterhooks for the next session?

**Posted by eakratz** 4/15/2024 6:57 am

One of them was. A new player joined so I started her on the hooks as well. The 2nd level cleric, after seeing the iron automation bring down the 1st level fighter cohort to about -8 hit points in one hit, and the 2nd level warlock down to -3 I think, and after I project that I had rolled low, decided to go back into the room to try and rescue the warlock and got hit to exactly -10 hit points. And I allow levels 1 and 2 to have max hit points.

So now two of the party just got off the hooks and are deciding to go north or south out, and the other two are back at The Silvery Eel meeting the new PC.

**Posted by Chainsaw** 4/15/2024 7:13 am

eakratz wrote:
One of them was. A new player joined so I started her on the hooks as well. The 2nd level cleric, after seeing the iron automation bring down the 1st level fighter cohort to about -8 hit points in one hit, and the 2nd level warlock down to -3 I think, and after I project that I had rolled low, decided to go back into the room to try and rescue the warlock and got hit to exactly -10 hit points. And I allow levels 1 and 2 to have max hit points.

So now two of the party just got off the hooks and are deciding to go north or south out, and the other two are back at The Silvery Eel meeting the new PC.

Hahaha!!! Welcome to Khromarium!

**Posted by eakratz** 4/15/2024 8:31 am

Oh, almost forgot. The cultist CLWs on the warlock and tossed him on the circle. Then they proceeded to put on the armor and weapons they gained under Dagon’s Mound in Black Moss-Hag 😂

Last edited by eakratz (4/15/2024 8:32 am)

**Posted by Chainsaw** 4/15/2024 8:33 am

eakratz wrote:
Oh, almost forgot. The cultist CLWs on the warlock and tossed him on the circle. Then they proceeded to put on the armor and weapons they gained under Dagon’s Mound in Black Moss-Hag 😂

brutal!