medium · 15 rooms · came back · seed log-medium-45
🤒 John Napier is carried rather than treated, and the fever takes its price in full: 6 damage, and the party files through the next passage strung out around the litter.
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. | John Napier carries it (10 mentions against 4); 4/4 named |
| met | Rooms should be in the order they are for a reason. | 2 of 15 rooms answer an earlier one (13%) |
| met | Something must go wrong, and it should be legible when it does. | 4 rooms cost the party something |
| met | If every room is a beat, no room is. | the loudest room runs 5.0× the median (peak 5, median 1) |
| met | A choice reads as a choice only when the alternatives are named. | 15 of 15 deliberations name a road not taken |
| n/a | A death is only worth reading if the dead had a line first. | nobody fell |
| met | Name the thing and state the number. | 15 of 15 resolutions state a number |
| met | The party should not argue in one voice. | 4 distinct voices across 15 deliberations |
| missed | No sentence should appear twice in one delve, verbatim. | 1 effect line printed verbatim more than once (worst ×2) |
| met | The boss should get to be a boss. | the throne room ran 3 rounds |
| 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 3, back half 5 |
| 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. Shelves sag under books nobody has audited in a century.
They might have chosen to reconstruct the mosaic from memory, or imagine what the image should be — John Napier made the case: "I read a treatise on this maneuver. Chapter three. Brace." The party chose to bless the font and drink.
⛲ The cleric says the words over a stone font of still water and the party drinks: 5 health healed.
A shrine. Resting here heals the party; the gold leaf on the altar could be stripped instead. A silvered mirror leans against the wall, and it shows the room more honestly than the room does. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean.
They might have chosen to bring the fever down, or diagnose and treat the fever — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "Footwork is just grammar for the body." The party chose to push through and take the hit.
🤒 John Napier is carried rather than treated, and the fever takes its price in full: 6 damage, and the party files through the next passage strung out around the litter.
🕳️ John Napier finds a hidden door into the burial wing. Behind it: burial niches, most of them open. Its rooms join the route.
✚ John Napier is opened up badly enough that the delve will keep it: 13 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 brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean.
They might have chosen to strip the gold leaf, or move on — Simon Forman made the case: "The liturgy has a verse for this. Several, actually." The party chose to rest and heal.
🕯️ The party rests at the shrine: 5 health healed per member.
A hidden vault, stacked with treasure. Vaults always hold something beyond coin. A portcullis hangs raised above the passage, on a chain that still turns. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong.
They might have chosen to inspect it first, or leave it alone — John Dee made the case: "Heal fast, ask later." The party chose to loot the treasure.
💰 The party loots the chest: 132 gold. 🍀 Also in the hoard: a dead adventurer's belt buckle (+1 defense), now worn by John Dee.
A treasure chest sits in the room. It may hold gold; it may be a mimic. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them.
They might have chosen to observe every detail, or divine what is hidden here — John Napier made the case: "Last one in buys the ale!" The party chose to search the room methodically.
🔎 Systematic searching reveals a cache in the oldest stones. Not as rich as it might have been, but real. +20 gold, +14 score. 🎓 Near enough to the discipline to try, not near enough to be paid for it: 10 renown short.
A connecting corridor. Nothing blocks the way; the party moves through.
They might have chosen to repair the gears, or divine the unstable motion — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "I read a treatise on this maneuver. Chapter three. Brace." The party chose to correct the orrery.
🔭 The planets are set right and the room settles. The corrected heavens counsel the party: the next fight begins under a favourable aspect. +20 score. 🎓 Everything this asks for, the party happens to have brought: +25 renown.
A connecting corridor. Nothing blocks the way; the party moves through.
They might have chosen to read the place itself, or question the ghost gently — Simon Forman made the case: "The god forgives. That's the whole strategy." 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 fire vent meets the cavern ice: a scalding steam blast fills the room. The party must brace together or scatter.
They might have chosen to scatter and regroup — John Dee made the case: "The liturgy has a verse for this. Several, actually." The party chose to brace together.
🌋 The party braces together and rides it out: 5 damage taken. 💚 Balm of Hours heals 11 as the dust settles.
🛡️ John Napier takes the front of the march, and the rest fall in behind.
An ice crawler with too many pick-shaped legs holds the room (attack 5, health 11). The party must decide how to get past it. It is a swarm: spell openings hit it ×1.5. It keeps clear of the torches: weak to fire (fire damage ×1.5). A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them.
They might have chosen to name the armour by its heraldry, or strip the insignia off it — John Napier made the case: "Footwork is just grammar for the body." The party chose to speak with whatever wears the armour.
🪄 It answers at length, and mostly about a siege nobody else remembers. It asks only to be told the war is over — then falls in beside the party for the next stretch, shield up. +28 score, and a shield wall into the next fight. 🎓 It is answered from three directions at once and stays answered: +25 renown.
A shrine. Resting here heals the party; the gold leaf on the altar could be stripped instead. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean.
They might have chosen to sing the third harmony, or attune the resonances — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "Last one in buys the ale!" The party chose to endure the discord.
🔊 The discord tears at the ears and nerves, and the party comes out of it well apart, each of them having walked away from the sound in a different direction. 3 damage, and no line to speak of.
🕳️ John Napier finds a hidden door into the barracks wing. Behind it: bunkrooms and a picked-over weapon rack. Its rooms join the route.
✚ 2 wounds on John Napier, and the ceiling with them: 11, and no more.
One of the thawed dead, steaming gently holds the room (attack 6, health 12). 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. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind.
They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Simon Forman made the case: "The commentaries disagree. I don't." The party chose to turn the undead.
✨ The cleric turns the undead: one of the thawed dead, steaming gently crumbles. +30 score. 🪙 One of the thawed dead, steaming gently drops a frozen soldier's pay: 10 gold.
A hidden vault, stacked with treasure. Vaults always hold something beyond coin. 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 inspect it first, or leave it alone — John Dee made the case: "Heal fast, ask later." The party chose to loot the treasure.
💰 The party loots the chest: 128 gold. 💰 Also in the hoard: a purse nobody came back for, 15 gold.
A shrine. Resting here heals the party; the gold leaf on the altar could be stripped instead. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean.
They might have chosen to rest and heal, or strip the gold leaf — John Napier made the case: "I read a treatise on this maneuver. Chapter three. Brace." The party chose to bless the font and drink.
⛲ The cleric says the words over a stone font of still water and the party drinks: 5 health healed.
A cinder imp wearing a snowball like armor holds the room (attack 5, health 9). The party must decide how to get past it. It flinches from the cold: weak to frost (frost damage ×1.5). A gargoyle spout drips something that is not water into a stained channel. A silvered mirror leans against the wall, and it shows the room more honestly than the room does.
They might have chosen to accept the duel, or recognize his school — Michael Sendivogius made the case: "Plan? I'm the plan." The party chose to negotiate the terms.
🤝 The stakes are agreed before the blades are: purse against passage. He is a better swordsman than a bargainer, and pays out. +30 gold, +22 score. 🎓 Everything this asks for, the party happens to have brought: +25 renown.
The boss chamber. The Mad Pyromancer, delighted someone flammable came waits at its center (attack 12, health 27); killing it clears the dungeon. It flinches from the cold: weak to frost (frost damage ×1.5). A portcullis hangs raised above the passage, on a chain that still turns. A brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway.
They might have chosen to fall back, or open with a combat spell — John Napier made the case: "Last one in buys the ale!" The party chose to stand and fight.
⚔️ The party kills the Mad Pyromancer, delighted someone flammable came in 3 rounds, taking 5 damage. 📐 The party meets it standing as the last room left them. 🔭 The aspect is favourable and the party knows it: 1 less damage a round. 🗡️ The daggers land before the argument starts: nothing comes back in the first round. 🛡️ Aegis of Ash goes up before the first blow: 2 less damage every round. 💚 Balm of Hours closes John Napier's wounds mid-fight: 11 healed in round 2, then 6 a round while it holds. 🎒 5 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.
✚ 3 wounds on John Napier, and the ceiling with them: 9, and no more.
the Ice Caverns of the Mad Pyromancer is cleared: the boss is dead and the party walks out. Survivors: John Napier, Michael Sendivogius, Simon Forman, John Dee. Rooms cleared: 15. Trophies carried out: 2 (latest: 🔥 the Exile's Working).
Regenerate this exact delve:
npm run simulate -- --seed log-medium-45