Die, Skeletal Pirates!

Played some 2e today. In one melee, the party faced down a group of skeletal pirates who wanted to once again plunder a village they had savaged years ago. The party's druid was killed in the battle due to 2e's dead at 0 hit points rule.

Heroes of the Reach; Session 1

Saturday, September 14, 2013
AD&D 2e
Forgotten Realms - The Dragon Reach

When play begins, the intrepid heroes are being put ashore in the wilderness along the western shore of the Dragon Reach between Scardale and Harrowdale. The ship upon which they had been travelling, the Blue Dragon, experienced a sudden change in management *cough*mutiny*cough*. This resulted in the group being dumped unceremoniously ashore.

     The group consisted of the following:

     Rary Zygax, a human Fighter lvl. 1 played by Greg
       
     Alfron Treetender, a human Druid lvl. 1 played by Rod

     Ark Stonecleaver, a dwarven Cleric lvl. 1 afflicted with incorrigible optimism played by Scott

     The group first explored a ruined manor house. It was haunted, as the group witnessed a fabulous swan dive by a spirit who seemed to be reenacting his suicide by diving head-first onto a tile floor from a balcony. They also encountered a pack of giant rats and the skeletal remains of a former tenant in an ornate bed. The manor was in terrible repair and the party fled before the wrath of the rats.

     From there, the group met a mysterious young girl wearing a dirty smock. Her pale green skin was her most striking feature. She introduced herself as Hyphaxes and claimed to be a resident of the house. She was concerned about the rats and indicated that she keeps them as both pets and dinner. Feeling unnerved, the party quickly departed from her presence.

     The group next arrived at the ruins of a small village. Amid the tumbled down and burned out buildings, they met Keratha. She was a rather dark and foreboding beauty and the party's druid quickly recognized her as a dryad. The fact that she dwelled in the village's cemetery may account for her dour nature. Nevertheless, she spirited away the druid and promised to return him in two weeks.

     Wondering what to do, the group headed north to meet Justin Ash, a ranger. They found Justin to be an affable man. He explained that his job was to monitor the valley and Hyphaxes specifically. She is a young green dragon who was abandoned by her mother a few years ago. She is unrelated to the downfall of the village. A few years prior, pirated raided the sleepy village and burned most of it to the ground. The village fell into ruin soon after and all manner of creatures have moved in to fill the void.

     We paused at the point, with Rary, Ark and Justin drinking wine on the porch.

XP Awards
Rat encounter - 18
Treasure - 200
Meeting Hyphaxes - 350
Befriending Keratha - 98
Finding an ally in Justin - 50
                                 ---------
                                   716 total, or 239 for each PC

Treasure Found
A silver service for four, which includes goblets, plates, bowls and ewer worth 200 gp. The pieces are engraved with an elaborate "M" for the Molwar family, who owned the manor near the village.