Last Sunday, one of the GM's from my ttrpg group called off his game at short notice due to health reasons. With our usual Sunday evening game now not going ahead I offered to run a one-shot instead. For months I'd been itching to run the two page adventure, Ghiki's Hole, from James V. West's zine, Black Pudding issue #8. This was the perfect opportunity.
I had two willing volunteers and here's how the game went. NOTE: SPOILERS ahead!
SYNOPSIS
Eight Fingers Oran, the Grand Master of the Seapath thieves guild has had his magic ring of charms stolen by the outcast wizard, Zasto Fillistian. Oran is so enraged that he's chewed off yet another finger. He's out for blood and only Zasto's will cool his temper.
Oran wants you to infiltrate Zasto's warren, find the ring, and bring it back along with Zasto's tongue. There's only one problem - the warren is hidden somewhere amongst the Dweomerdrake Mountains. Oran has heard that Finni the Black has a map, but he was last seen lowering himself into Ghiki's hole.
Go to Ghiki's hole. Get the map off Finni the Black and make your way to Zasto's warren. Find Zasto, cut out his tongue and bring back that fecking ring!
The person that brings back the ring will be awarded 10,000 go and be inducted into the prestigious Veiled Brothers of the Night.
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Your PC either:
1. is a member of the Seapath thieves guild
2. owes Eight... no, Seven Fingers Oran a very BIG favour
3. is a mercenary (very) desperate for cash
Using Old School Essentials rules and any other supporting product (including Black Pudding character classes), create a level 5 character. No laser guns or blackpowder weapons allowed. This is Sword & Sorcery at its best.
Will you survive Ghiki's hole? (BTW, no-one who has ever gone into Ghiki's hole has ever come out)
CHARACTERS
Hattori: Half-Orc Ninja, level 5. STR 12, INT 8, WIS 10, DEX 10, CON 13, CHA 8, AC 11, HP 14.
(Ninja character class from Black Pudding #5, pg 6)
Shanks: Duergar, level 5. STR 10, INT 9, WIS 11, DEX 11, CON 11, CHA 11, AC 16, HP 19.
(Duergar character class from Old School Essentials Advanced Player's Tome, pg 44)
OUTCOME
Hattori and Shanks approached Ghiki's hole. They found a 20 feet diameter iron grate unlocked and pulled aside enough for a human sized creature to squeeze down into the inky black shaft. They crawled on their bellies to peer down into the depths. Both had dark vision out to 60 feet, and so they could see that the shaft dropped down sheer and beyond their meagre sight range. Interestingly, they saw what looked like a lateral opening some 50 feet below.
Hattori uncoiled his 50 feet of rope (very handily the exact length he needed), tied it to the iron grate and lowered himself down. I asked him to make a climb check that he passed with significant ease. When he reached the lateral opening he swung himself over and landed lightly on his feet in the mouth of a dark passage.
Shanks followed close behind. Unlike Hattori, who was clothed in black cloth armour and carrying a fairly light pack, Shanks was wearing heavy plate armour and carrying a lot of gear. As Shanks doesn't have a climb skill, I asked him to give me a STR check as he began shimmying down the rope. He rolled right on the button. A pass and no more.
Shanks dropped down the rope. By the time he'd reached the side passage his arms were quaking and he was sweating profusely. He swung himself over and fell onto solid ground with a gasp of relief. Dusting himself down he joined Hattori to investigate what was before them.
The passage was short, about 40 - 50 feet in length. It opened into a rough cave-end, about 20 feet across and the same again high. In the gloom they spotted a sack lying amongst the cave debris. Picking it up and peering inside they were surprised to find a stinking, mouldering collection of severed feet and one milky-glazed eye.
Hattori: How odd. Are they matching pairs?
Me: Eh... yes.
Hattori: How many pairs?
Me: (WTF? I rolled 1d20) There are ten pairs of mouldering severed feet in various states of decay. Many are almost skeletal. A couple are fresh-ish.
Shanks: How have they been severed? Are they clean like they've been cut off with a sharp blade, or are they rough like they've been torn or bitten off?
Me: (I never contemplated this kind of questioning when I first read the two page adventure) Uhm, they're all roughly severed.
Hattori: Interesting. There may be a dangerous creature somewhere below us.
Shanks: Yes. We should proceed carefully.
Me: (No shit, sherlock)
Hattori searched the cave for any exits or secret doors, but didn't find any. They put the feet back in the sack and returned to the mouth of the passage. (I can only imagine the stench now clinging to their hands. Actually, I can imagine it, as I've smelled and dealt with dead people on many occasions (not for this blog))
BOAK!
The pair peered over the edge down into the darkness of the descending shaft. About 50 feet below (again, how fortunate) they could make out another lateral opening.
Shanks uncoiled his 50 feet of rope, banged in an iron spike to the lip of the shaft, tied off the rope and lowered it below. Then he came up with an ingenious idea. He didn't want to risk falling off the end of the rope if he failed another STR check, and so he used one of his Duergar class mental powers - Shrinking.
Reducing himself to 6 inches in height he settled himself in Hattori's pack for the climb down. Hattori deftly dropped down the rope and swung with grace and ease into the side passage below. Shanks jumped out of the pack and resumed his normal size.
The passage they were in descended down worn carved steps until it reached a closed door. Shanks laid an ear against the door and listened for noises beyond. He could hear the murmurs of some feminine voices. Feeling bold, the pair swung open the door and jauntily strolled in. The steps continued down and opened up into a small illuminated room. Reclining upon a mouldering chaise lounge was a very fat woman in what appeared to be a large dark dress made entirely of feathers. Her face was slightly pinched towards the nose and mouth. Another two women, garbed in the same manner, but slimmer in size and shape, were seated in broken and dirty armchairs around a wonky small table.
Cuddly Aunt Mabel: Ooh, visitors!
Aunt Bella: How positively delightful. Come in. Come in.
Aunt Clara: I love an unannounced visit. Come over here, dearie, and give your aunt Clara a kiss.
Hattori and Shanks were naturally on their guard. They explained that they were looking for a friend called Finni the Black, and asked if they had seen him? The three aunts hummed and hawed in their clucking manner and insisted that they must stay for tea. A tea pot and a brazier were produced along with a small pouch of herbal matter. Hattori pointedly looked the women over, and focused on Aunt Mabel's feet. He saw taloned claws, much like that of a bird of prey.
Shanks and Hattori: Really, it's very kind of you, but we don't want to take up your time. We'll just be going. Sorry to burst in on you like this.
At that point the three aunts launched into a clucking song about how they must stay for tea and have a blether about whether they'd seen their friend. (No, I didn't sing. I'm not that gifted)
I asked Hattori and Shanks to make a save versus Spells. They both failed. I explained that they had both been charmed and the three aunts seemed very plausible and endearing. They asked if they were compelled to do as they were bid. I explained that they could not discern any danger, and it would be incredibly rude to refuse the ladies some company over a cup of tea. The two promptly relented. Hattori seated himself next to Aunt Bella, whilst Shanks saw a box and sat on it.
"Ooft!" came a muffled voice from the box. Shanks stood up, opened the box and saw inside the severed head of an elf. It opened its eyes, looked at him and smiled. "Hello! Are you here to rescue me?"
Aunt Bella: Oh, that's just Wildflower. He's such a nuisance. You just can't shut him up.
Tea was had. The aunts implored them to give them kisses, shucked their hair and pinched their cheeks. They'd learned through a short conversation that a young man had passed by recently, but he'd been terribly rude by not visiting. They'd not seen him since, and no doubt he'd been at dinner with Ghiki. They laughed.
Shanks and Hattori quickly stood up and retreated towards the door with a profusion of thanks, Shanks swiping Wildflower's box in the process.
Cuddly Aunt Mabel: Oh, you can't go without giving your auntie Mabel a big kiss.
Aunt Bella: Yes, kisses all round. It would be so rud...
SLAM!
Shanks closed the door behind him and the pair raced up the stairs for the shaft. They could hear muffled shrieks of dismay coming from the aunts. Looking down the shaft they couldn't see any more openings below. The shaft descended beyond their meagre dark vision. What's more, they had run out of rope. Behind them the door crashed open and light flooded up the stair.
Aunt Clara: Boys! How rude! You must stay for dinner. I insist.
Shanks shrunk himself down again and leapt into Hattori's pack. Hattori tied Wildflower's box to his belt, dropped over the lip of the shaft and scrambled down with all his freestyle climbing skill he could muster. I asked Hattori to roll his climbing skill (a whopping 94% chance of success). He rolled 05. Sweet.
Hattori descended another 50 - 60 feet. It's at this point that the adventure describes the shaft being spanned by a sticky web that requires a successful DEX check to pass through. Hattori failed his DEX check and promptly and inexplicably found himself stuck to the sticky strands.
Shanks opted to use another of his Duergar mental skills - Heat. OSE's Advanced Player's Tome describes the power thus:
A creature or object within sight is subjected to a scorching heat. Paper or cloth ignite, liquids boil, and metals glow. The heat lasts for one round per level of the duergar. Applied to flesh or to metal in contact with a creature (e.g. armour), the heat inflicts 1d4 damage per round.
I ruled that the web immolated out of existence, and Hattori, with Shanks, and Wildflower attached to him, fell the final 40 feet to the bottom and landed with a crash in a very large pile of loot and bones. I rolled 1d10 falling damage for Hattori and he took 6 damage. As Shanks was in the pack I decided he would take less damage, but not much less. I rolled 1d8 falling damage. I rolled an 8. 😱
On picking themselves up they realised they were in a wide circular chamber, one that was much bigger than their dark vision could pick out. They were surrounded by bones of every size and type, and lots of coin and items of value. It was at that point that they noticed a large dark shape scuttle towards them along the underside of the chamber's ceiling. A huge spider (known as Flyder, but they didn't know that as it didn't introduce itself. How rude!) dropped down towards them and they entered combat.
The fight was short. About three rounds. They won every initiative. They pounded the spider with arrows and sling stones, breaking her concentration and preventing her from casting spells she'd prepared. Flyder was outmatched, and after being reduced to half Hp, she ran away screaming, Ghiki! Ghiki! GHIKI!
The sound of rippling, sloshing water from an unseen pool in the darkest recesses of the chamber announced that they were not alone. A HUGE single-eyed, monstrous snake, slithered into the edge of their vision.
Initiative was rolled and Hattori and Shanks won. Shanks promptly hid behind a large giant's skull. Hattori melded one with the dark, and quietly crept his way around and behind the giant snake. Ghiki slid closer. "Hello," it said, "Have you come for lunch?"
Shanks again utilised his Heat mental skill and caused a small amount of damage. Hattori struck from the dark but failed to penetrate Ghiki's scaled hide. Ghiki struck back at Hattori, but missed. Shanks replied with more heat damage and Hattori struck true with his Kama, opening up a wound.
Ghiki swiped his tail and cleared away the giant's skull, revealing Shanks. Hattori struck again with his Kama, but Ghiki hardly noticed. Shanks, still huddled into himself, and thinking that Ghiki couldn't see him, applied more heat damage. Ghiki shrugged it off, lunged at him, bit, and swallowed Shanks whole.
At that point, Flyder the giant spider re-joined the fray and attacked Hattori, but missed. Hattori retreated into the darkness. He pulled out a smoke grenade, threw it and watched with grim satisfaction as it went off, engulfing both Flyder and Ghiki.
With a moment's respite Hattori fled to the outer reaches of the chamber and attempted to break through an iron grating he'd discovered. His strength failed him. Hattori turned around seeking a means of escape.
Ghiki emerged out of the gloom. He lunged, bit, and swallowed him whole.
CONCLUSION
I really enjoyed running Ghiki's Hole. It was surprisingly (well, maybe not) my first TPK. I think, had Hattori and Shanks had at least one other half decent companion, they might have scraped victory from Ghiki's jaws.
The adventure is well written, quirky, short and succinct. It's quite humorous too. Sadly, Hattori and Shanks failed to defeat Ghiki and harvest the ENORMOUS wealth that had accumulated over the decades. Nor did they find Finni the Black's map, or go onto exact revenge against Zasto Fillistian, and recover Oran Eight... no, Seven Finger's magical ring of charms. Their bones were shat out and added to the bones of Finni the Black and a myriad other fools who had dared to enter Ghiki's Hole.
No-one who enters Ghiki's hole, ever comes out alive.
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If you'd like to play Ghiki's Hole, you can find it on James V. West's itch.io page, or Drivethrurpg. If like me you prefer a dead tree in your hand then you can purchase Black Pudding zines from Squarehex in the UK.
