hard · 13 rooms · did not come back · seed log-hard-22
3 damage, a march of oil spent clearing the rubble, and what is left is a hole the party can only go through one at a time.
The line this delve would be retold by.
11 of 12 values met. A reading, not a grade — the score exists to sort logs, not to judge them.
| Value | What the log shows | |
|---|---|---|
| met | A delve should be about somebody. | Michael Sendivogius carries it (9 mentions against 5); 4/4 named |
| missed | Rooms should be in the order they are for a reason. | 1 of 13 rooms answer an earlier one (8%) |
| met | Something must go wrong, and it should be legible when it does. | 10 rooms cost the party something |
| met | If every room is a beat, no room is. | the loudest room runs 2.3× the median (peak 7, median 3) |
| met | A choice reads as a choice only when the alternatives are named. | 13 of 13 deliberations name a road not taken |
| met | A death is only worth reading if the dead had a line first. | 4 deaths, each of somebody the reader had met |
| met | Name the thing and state the number. | 11 of 13 resolutions state a number |
| met | The party should not argue in one voice. | 5 distinct voices across 13 deliberations |
| met | No sentence should appear twice in one delve, verbatim. | every effect line is said once |
| n/a | The boss should get to be a boss. | the party never reached the throne room |
| met | A resolution should be readable in one breath. | every resolution inside its budget |
| met | The back half should cost more than the front half. | front half 5, back half 13 |
| met | The ending should answer the delve it ended. | the epitaph names somebody who went down |
A library. The party can study here to learn spells. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind.
They might have chosen to read the place itself, or question the ghost gently — Kenelm Digby made the case: "It isn't stealing if the owner's a skeleton." The party chose to reconstruct his rounds.
🧠 He is asked to describe his rounds, all of them, and somebody holds the whole account at once until the shape closes. The map was behind the shelving. Two marches of oil saved. +28 score. 🎓 Done by people who do something near it: 10 renown less than a clean job.
A library. The party can study here to learn spells. Shelves sag under books nobody has audited in a century. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind.
They might have chosen to reconstruct the mosaic from memory, or recognize the mosaic — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "The sword's just how I open lockboxes." The party chose to break through the wall.
💥 The wall yields to force and the ceiling comes with it. 3 damage, a march of oil spent clearing the rubble, and what is left is a hole the party can only go through one at a time.
✚ Michael Sendivogius takes a wound that will not close down here. Healing can bring them back to 11, no further, until town. The Reckless do not stop to bind anything, and more of it stays with them.
A treasure chest sits in the room. It may hold gold; it may be a mimic.
They might have chosen to inspect it first, or leave it alone — Simon Forman made the case: "Tithes flow both directions, technically." The party chose to loot the treasure.
💰 The party loots the chest: 41 gold. 📜 Also in the hoard: a scroll of Sunder, added to the grimoire.
🕳️ Kenelm Digby finds a hidden door into the burial wing. Behind it: burial niches, most of them open. Its rooms join the route.
A crimson mist that pours under the door holds the room (attack 12, health 17). The party must decide how to get past it. It is ethereal: weapons do only 60% damage unless a cleric blesses the blades. It will not face the cleric: undead take holy damage ×1.5. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind.
They might have chosen to fall back, or sneak past — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "Danger pay. Emphasis on pay." The party chose to stand and fight.
🪄 Michael Sendivogius uses the Haunted Armor — The Ghost Objects: a summon adding 1 attack each round. ⚔️ The party kills a crimson mist that pours under the door in 1 round, taking 0 damage. 📐 The party meets it standing as the last room left them. 🛡️ Aegis of Ash goes up before the first blow: 2 less damage every round. 💥 The Reckless finish the fight with style: +5 score. 🎒 4 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.
🛡️ The order settles with Michael Sendivogius at the head of it: whatever comes, comes to them.
A chittering cloud of castle bats holds the room (attack 6, health 14). The party must decide how to get past it. It is a swarm: spell openings hit it ×1.5. A boulder sits at the top of a slope, held by a wedge of rotten timber. A bed of rusted spikes stands out of the floor, most of them still upright.
They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Kenelm Digby made the case: "My fingers itch. That means gold, or a rash." The party chose to topple the boulder onto it.
⚪ The party topples a boulder on a bad slope down the slope onto the monster: 5 damage. ⚔️ The party kills a chittering cloud of castle bats in 1 round, taking 0 damage. 🗡️ The greatsword takes a whole rank of them at a stroke: 3 more damage a round. 🛡️ Aegis of Ash goes up before the first blow: 2 less damage every round. 🎒 5 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.
A pale hound with a red velvet collar holds the room (attack 11, health 18). The party must decide how to get past it. It is venomous: even a won fight leaves poison working, unless a cleric cures it. It will not face the cleric: undead take holy damage ×1.5. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong. A portcullis hangs raised above the passage, on a chain that still turns.
They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "Everything down here is carrying something. I collect." The party chose to pry the sarcophagus open.
⚰️ The party pries the lid off a stone sarcophagus: 20 gold. ⚰️ The occupant objects: 4 damage before it is put back down.
✚ 2 wounds on Michael Sendivogius, and the ceiling with them: 9, and no more.
A hidden vault, stacked with treasure. Vaults always hold something beyond coin. Shelves sag under books nobody has audited in a century.
They might have chosen to inspect it first, or leave it alone — Simon Forman made the case: "The god forgives. That's the whole strategy." The party chose to loot the treasure.
🦷 The chest is a mimic. It bites for 5 damage before the party kills it, recovering 78 gold.
🕯️ Someone checks the reservoir and does not like the answer: oil for 2 more marches.
✚ Michael Sendivogius is wounded again — 3 scars now, and nothing can heal them past 7 before town.
A thrall footman, polite and bloodless holds the room (attack 9, health 20). The party must decide how to get past it. It will not face the cleric: undead take holy damage ×1.5. Shelves sag under books nobody has audited in a century. A portcullis hangs raised above the passage, on a chain that still turns.
They might have chosen to name the armour by its heraldry, or strip the insignia off it — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "Last one in buys the ale!" The party chose to stand and fight.
🪄 Michael Sendivogius uses the Haunted Armor — The Ghost Objects: a summon adding 1 attack each round. ⚔️ The party kills a thrall footman, polite and bloodless in 2 rounds, taking 1 damage. 🛡️ Aegis of Ash goes up before the first blow: 2 less damage every round. 💥 The Reckless finish the fight with style: +5 score. 🎒 3 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.
🕯️ The wick is well down the oil. 1 more march of light, then none.
A connecting corridor. Nothing blocks the way; the party moves through.
They might have chosen to diagnose and treat the fever, or apply a natural remedy — Kenelm Digby made the case: "I disarm faster when it's already ticking." The party chose to bring the fever down.
💚 The fever breaks under the working's touch. Kenelm Digby is steady again. +15 score.
🕯️ The last of the oil goes. From here the party walks in the dark.
A connecting corridor. Nothing blocks the way; the party moves through.
They might have chosen to appraise the three chests, or pick the chest that was opened before — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "The sword's just how I open lockboxes." The party chose to read the maker's mark.
🏺 The mark of Maestro Cellini seals the chest — his work alone was worth the journey. +35 gold, +20 score. 🎓 Near enough to the discipline to try, not near enough to be paid for it: 10 renown short.
🌑 The party gropes through the dark and pays for it: 4 damage to everyone. The Covetous will not leave a room unsearched, even blind. It costs them.
✚ That one leaves a mark on Kenelm Digby. Their ceiling drops to 10 for the rest of the delve. The Reckless do not stop to bind anything, and more of it stays with them.
✚ 4 wounds on Michael Sendivogius, and the ceiling with them: 5, and no more.
✚ Simon Forman is opened up badly enough that the delve will keep it: 12 is as whole as they get until town. The Reckless do not stop to bind anything, and more of it stays with them.
✚ Robert Fludd is opened up badly enough that the delve will keep it: 9 is as whole as they get until town. The Reckless do not stop to bind anything, and more of it stays with them.
A shrine. Resting here heals the party; the gold leaf on the altar could be stripped instead. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong.
They might have chosen to strip the gold leaf, or move on — Simon Forman made the case: "Tithes flow both directions, technically." The party chose to rest and heal.
🕯️ The party rests at the shrine: 5 health healed per member.
🌑 Another march by touch alone. Walls, edges, and things underfoot take 4 from each of them.
✚ Kenelm Digby is wounded again — 2 scars now, and nothing can heal them past 8 before town.
✚ 2 wounds on Simon Forman, and the ceiling with them: 10, and no more.
✚ Robert Fludd is wounded again — 2 scars now, and nothing can heal them past 7 before town.
☠️ Michael Sendivogius falls. The party's fighter is dead; the 3 still standing march on.
A treasure chest sits in the room. It may hold gold; it may be a mimic. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them. A silvered mirror leans against the wall, and it shows the room more honestly than the room does.
They might have chosen to loot the treasure, or inspect it first — Robert Fludd made the case: "It isn't stealing if the owner's a skeleton." The party chose to leave it alone.
🚶 The party leaves the treasure untouched and moves on.
🌑 The dark is telling now. Everyone is bleeding somewhere they cannot see: 4 damage each.
✚ Kenelm Digby is wounded again — 3 scars now, and nothing can heal them past 6 before town.
✚ Simon Forman is wounded again — 3 scars now, and nothing can heal them past 8 before town.
✚ 3 wounds on Robert Fludd, and the ceiling with them: 5, and no more.
The candles go out: the castle itself attacks the party in the dark. The party must brace together or scatter.
They might have chosen to brace together — the Covetous wanted the payout. The party chose to scatter and regroup.
🌋 The party scatters; nearly everyone finds cover. Minimal damage.
🛡️ With Michael Sendivogius down, Simon Forman takes the front. The next thing through the door meets them first. 🌑 They have stopped calling it a march. 4 damage to everyone, again, and the hill goes on.
☠️ Kenelm Digby falls. The party's rogue is dead; the 2 still standing march on.
☠️ Robert Fludd falls. The party's rogue is dead; one of them is still standing.
☠️ Simon Forman falls. The party's cleric is dead, and there is nobody left to carry them out.
The party is wiped out in the Castle of the Vampire Lord. The dead: Kenelm Digby, Michael Sendivogius, Simon Forman, Robert Fludd. Rooms cleared: 13. Trophies lost with them: 3 (latest: 🪙 the footman's wages).
Regenerate this exact delve:
npm run simulate -- --seed log-hard-22