Good names.

RPGPundit

Quote from: MonkeyWrench;418170Thanks for the encouraging comments.

This is a slight tangent, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

I've been reading a lot of Vance recently, and was inspired to rename the bland spell names of D&D with something more inspirational.

1st level
Detect Magic - Incantation of Arcane Revelation
Hold Portal - Zeno's First Spell of Threshold Warding
Read Magic - Thaumaturgical Lexicon
Protection from Chaos - Aegis of Order
Light/Dark - Luminous Glamor/Tenebrous Mask
Charm Person - Spell of the Ensorcelled Ego
Sleep - Severan's Seductive Sopor

2nd level
Detect Invisibility - Unveiling Sight of the Bright College
Detect Thoughts - Melius' Cognitive Filcher
Invisibility - Veil of the Grey Wizard
Knock - Zeno's Unlocking Charm
Phantasmal Force - The Grey Wizard's Deceiving Spell
Wizard Lock - Zeno's Second Spell of Threshold Warding

Some spells are missing, and I'm not entirely sure which spell list we're using (so far I've seen three, but it hasn't come up yet). If anyone wants to help contribute feel free.

I like your names much better.  
Setting-specific always rules.

Ok, so updates.

Tonight's session marked Mithras' fifth expedition into the dungeon, and it also revealed some flaws in our group's play style.

Cast
Mithras: My PC
Palimar: a 3/3 Elf, our powerhouse
Grendeldorf: still 1st level
Preen: our Cleric who has been out for the last 3 sessions
Our 6 hapless retainers

The Folly of Bloodlust. In 2 parts.

1) Doomcreeper: Mithras' best friend

We decided to get straight to the dungeon as the last few expeditions haven't been very productive. However there was the matter of the cursed sword to handle first.  We found the sword lying on the jungle floor underneath the tree where Mithras had tied it a week earlier.  We were determined to destroy this thing, but were at a loss as to how to transport the sword back to the Temple. In the end Mithras tried a similar tactic as before, but this time manipulating the sword into the bag without ever touching it.
Apparently the sword didn't care about those things and took control of Mithras a second time.  Even with a hefty bonus for the precautions I'd taken Mithras still failed his save. (It's worth a note that Mithras has never passed a save so far)

Doomcreeper, the cursed sword, grew impatient with Mithras' hesitation, and compelled Mithras to attack Preen on the first night traveling back to the Temple.  The party subdued Mithras (again), covered Doomcreeper with brush, tied Mithras to the ground, and decided to send back two retainers to the Temple in order to get some help.  Camp was set up, and watches were assigned.  

Early in the morning Greneldorf spots four riders approaching our camp with two bound men following them.  Palimar released Mithras, and the party prepared for a fight with four horsemen on the open plain.  One rider approached and introduced himself as the Herald of Sidian Rokan, a local warlord.  He wanted to pay us for the sword - 10,000 gp.  Preen balked at the idea, but Palimar, Grendeldorf, and Mithras decided to hear the herald out.  He promised that we would go unharmed once the deal was struck, and that Sidian would even release our two retainers.  

While the party deliberated Mithras attempted to Charm the herald, but was uncertain that his spell worked.  In the end a deal was struck.  Mithras informed the herald that the sword was buried in a riverbank one day north, and that the location was marked by three stones.  Once the riders were out of sight Mithras and Preen raced back to the Temple with the gold while Grendeldorf and Palimar guarded the real hidden location of the sword.  In the end Mithras and Preen were able to obtain an armed escort and the assistance of a powerful Elf named Aelfinerad.  Mithras and Palimar used the Floating Disc spell (should have thought of it sooner) to transport Doomcreeper back to the outpost keep, board it onto a ship, sail a few hours out to sea, and dump it over the side.  We're all sure this will come back to bite us in the ass one day soon.

2) And now the Dungeon.

Palimar wanted to recover the last Miracle Max Milkball from one of the lower levels of the dungeon, but we were unable to use the most direct route.  On our way through the alternate route Grendeldorf found a secret door hidden in an alcove near the room with the summoning circle.  The party ventured into the cramped tunnel, and followed its twisting path to a room with many dried bones on the floor.  As we searched the room two magically altered rats attacked from a hidden alcove.  We dispatched the two vermin
easily, but one of our henchmen took a nasty bite and started to shed a blinding light.  

A voice from a nearby staircase sent the party running for ambush locations.  The voice called for the rats, and we prepared ourselves for battle.  Five mongrel beastmen dashed into the room, and seeing themselves surrounded, formed a circle and brandished their crude weapons.  Mithras called for them to surrender as they were outmanned and surrounded, but the leader foolishly attacked him.  The mage attempted to blind the abomination with his magic lantern (a Continual Light spell placed in a hooded lantern) but the beast attacked regardless.  Two retainers fell in the opening moments of the battle, and Palimar called for Mithras to unleash Severan's Seductive Sopor (Sleep) upon their foes.  Two were overcome by the might of Mithras' magic and the other three fell to the blades of Palimar and Grendeldorf.

We bound the other two and set about questioning them.  The malformed creatures were willing servants of the Red Wizard, one of two Wizards who are vying for control of Skull Mountain.  The priests we kept encountering served the Black Wizard.  The thing was unwilling to aid us further, and in the end Grendeldorf ended its miserable existence.  We set about thoroughly exploring our surroundings and soon realized we were in rooms we cleared several weeks earlier.  

Palimar, still hoping to find the last pill, plotted a course through the dungeon to his prize.  Unfortunately our route would take us through the summoning room.  We crept towards that ill-fated room, and realized that someone was inside.  Using his ESP spell, Mithras determined that there were three workers in the room attempting to repair the damages to the circle.  This would not stand, and a plan was formed to assault them.  Preen and Palimar, along with two retainers, would sneak to another entrance to the room and rush in.  Once Mithras and Grendeldorf heard fighting they would break through the other door and join the fun.

Yeah, right.

As Preen and Palimar emerged from the secret tunnel near the entrance alcove they were set upon by a priest and his three demon minions. The pair, along with their two minions, retreated back down the tunnel to warn the Wizard and the Dwarf about the priest. Mithras warded himself against demons while Preen tended to his wounds.  We prepared an ambush for any enemies that might have followed, but none came.  Palimar and Grendeldorf then decided to attack the three workers in the summoning room in an effort to
break out of the dungeon, but the door was barred from the other side.  Frantic that so much noise would bring other denizens scurrying for a quick meal the group decided to try the secret passage again, and risk a second encounter with the priest.

We burst forth from the tunnel to find the priest, his trio of demons, and a dwarf waiting for us.  A vicious melee broke out in the cramped confines of the corridor. Neither side gained an advantage over the other, but we were being worn down.  The group decided discretion was indeed the better part of valor, and hightailed it out of there.  We proceeded to trek through the jungle back to the safety of the fortress in disgrace.

Some Thoughts.

We've become very sloppy and aimless.  Our last two expeditions proved to be failures that produced no treasure, and had us taking days to recover from.  We've made little progress in our explorations as we keep backtracking over the same 3-4 rooms.  Also those priests consistently either kick our asses or leave us severely depleted.  We are easily distracted which seems to lead to haphazard exploration.  And on top of all of that we usually do nothing to avoid fights.  After the end of the session the group reached a consensus that we needed to change up our tactics.  More stealth less bravado.  I'm still having a blast, but we're
making little headway into uncovering the secrets of Skull Mountain.

tl:dr - more cursed sword shenanigans, more trouble with priests and demons, and a realization that we should probably avoid fights and look for loot instead of the other way around.