Lost In the Deep...

The PDF that can be found here: https://diogo-old-skull.itch.io/lost-in-the-deep ;  Now only $4 USD it’s a steal!

The story so far...

“ You are the last survivor of a band of dwarven warriors who have come to the lost halls of the Kingdom Under the Mother Mountain, to retake it and rebuild it in the name of your ancestors. After months of wandering the almost endless halls of the dwarven ruins, your band unwittingly set free an ancient evil that lay asleep for generations, and one-by-one, it killed your companions in the most terrifying ways possible.  

Now you are lost in the depths of earth, registering your history in the diary of your people. You search for an exit from the mines, but all you can find are endless halls and the damned creatures serving that Evil in the Shadows that awakened and destroyed your people.  

Everyday you count your last remaining torches and meals, wander through the infinite halls and mines, and write your memories in your diary. Everyday you feel the evil entity and its minions coming closer and closer. The drums of its chaos army beat faster and faster. You don’t have much time.  
Can you reach the surface before the ancient evil finds you? Was a rescue party sent to find you? Will your food and water last as long as you need to reach the doors to freedom? Or will you die of starvation in the depths of the mountain?”

The game calls for a wooden blocks (Jenga). I did not have them on-hand, so I decided to create a Doom Track that counts downward. I rolled a 6 on a 1d6. I placed six cards down without revealing them. The Doom Track is set to +6. Once the Doom track reaches zero the character dies. I turned each of the cards over one at the time, and prepared to consult the Dwarven Runes:

1. Two of Spades - Evil in the shadows
2. Queen of Spades - Evil in the shadows 
3. Queen of Hearts - The mines 
4. Six of Diamonds - Strength and resources
5. Nine of Diamonds - Strength and resources
6. Jack of Clubs - Memories and hope

Day 187

187 soul-crushing days have passed since we arrived at the kingdom under the Mother Mountain. Now I, Thorin Shieldbearer, am the last survivor of our band. My companions have all fallen victim to the machinations of that ancient evil we unwittingly awakened in our foolish search for the secret treasure left by our ancestors. The evil in the shadows and its minions are behind me, ever near. I must find the stairs that will lead me out, but have no idea where they are. I still have water and rations for a few days. I pray to the gods for my survival.

Day 188

I  continue to journey through the Dwarven halls looking for a way out …

• Last night I dreamt of the high priestess of the Mother Mountain, Shaala. She drew a holy rune intoning the sacred Dwarven words to repeal the darkness. In a soft-spoken voice she uttered the words “You shall avenge us”. I felt the the spirit of the ancestors and my former companions within me, guiding me, and giving me hope. I woke-up from an uneasy slumber with renewed purpose. I must survive this hellish nightmare. I pick-up my meager possessions and my trusty war-axe and proceed forth.
• A few hours have passed, but in truth it’s getting harder to tell the passage of time or differentiate each hall or corridor I pass. Time is irrelevant here, fatigue and dread are the only companions I have left now. The faint taint of evil follows me at every turn. I hear voices in my head, and a vile name finally reveals itself, Baleth! The very sound is maddening.  [The Doom Track goes down by one step, now at +5]
• A corridor leads me to an open room, similar to others I previously passed. Torch in-hand, I enter in search of the staircase that will lead me to freedom. An unseen gate violently closes behind me, and a multitude of arrows begin to fly from the walls, my right leg explodes in blinding pain as two arrows find their mark. I am injured and bleeding badly. I am able to stem the bleeding for now, but I have to rely on the wooden handle of my war-axe for support.  After some time I am able to find a secret door and a passage. A corridor leads me forward into the darkness.  [The Doom Track goes down by one step, now at +4]
• Another hall, and I stop for a much needed rest; I grow tired. The impromptu bandages are not holding up, and blood trickles from my wounds. I try to regain some strength and eat what little remains of my food. To my dismay strange insects have spoiled the rest of my rations... again the whispers in the darkness seem to be guiding these creatures. Damn this cursed place! I bellow a loud scream in anger that echos through the halls and corridors. My voice echos back, but this time in mocking jest. [The Doom Track goes down by one step, now at +3]
• This particular corridor ends in front of a rotted wooded door. With the swing of the axe the wood splinters, and I descend the steps below. As I reach the bottom the acrid sweet stench of death overpowers the senses;  I vomit what little food was left in my stomach. In front of me the unrecognizable and rotting remains of large strange creature. I swing the torch to the left as parts of this monstrosity appear to still be moving, a closer inspection reveals a mound of maggots and other small insect feasting on the remains. I feel the life draining from me. [The Doom Track goes down by one step, now at +2]
• [Turning the last card] I continue forth and stumble upon a burial chamber with the remains of ancient kings whose names have long been forgotten. I spot a pedestal, and the crumbling pages of the Book of Records. These are the remains of my people, a once proud and ancient race. Our kingdom now in ruins and over-run by evil forces. Exhausted by the days events I try to catch what little rest I can. Perhaps by  morning I will be feasting with my companions in the halls of Valhalla. [The Doom Track goes down by one step, now at +1]

Thorin Shieldbearer is still barely alive. The counter resets and a new day begins. To be continued.