Xyntillan Campaign

“The immense, rambling complex of Castle Xyntillan has stood in its mountain valley for many years. Built over several generations, it has now been deserted by its former owners, and left to time and the elements. However, that is not the end of the story, for Xyntillan’s fabulous treasures and Machiavellian deathtraps continue to fascinate the fortune-seekers of a dozen lands – and never mind the ghost stories!”

From the introduction of Castle Xyntillan, by Gabor Lux. 

Castle Xyntillan is a sprawling mega-dungeon module created by Gabor Lux. This fine looking tome sat on my shelf for the better part of a year, something I flipped through occasionally with marvel – for it is truly marvellous – but as 2023 rolled around the gothic castle called out with its ghostly whispers, and I started a new campaign using it. My plan was to run it for six months, mastering the B/X rules as we go, which I did, and completed the Campaign in July 2023.

I ran the game every week on Thursdays at 6.30pm GMT / BST

We used Old School Essentials Classic Fantasy Tome for our rules, and played as close to the rulebook as possible with very few house rules.  

Graveyard

All of the following player characters perished within the castle.

  • Aloysius Larue – C1 – cleft by a blow from a bandits sword.
  • Elaran -E1 – stabbed through the heart by a ginger knave.
  • Dwennon d’Iscone – C1 – felled by a single arrow to the chest.
  • Rahir Casq – T1 – strangled to death by a headless abomination
  • Leifr – D1 – eyes dug out by an undead fiend.
  • Gottlieb – F1 – signed a dark tome with his blood, henceforth forever possessed by a dark lord.
  • Fripon – T1 – annihilated when a mirror dimension collapsed in on him.
  • Grit Thunker – D1 – face caved in by his animated reflection.
  • Cythraul – E1 – lanced by a dark knight.
  • Ellish – F1 – consumed by a wineskin of green slime.
  • Ferdinand Scheller – F1 – turned to dust by the cold hand of a ghost.
  • Pickles – H1 – head caved in with a drunken clerics mace.
  • Gwen – T1 – bitten in half by nessie.
  • William – F1 – consumed by Baphomet’s boogers.
  • Arthur – C1 – sliced and diced by a masked maniac.
  • Donna – C1 – stabbed to death by a black gloved killer.
  • Tipuu – MU1 – Skull sundered by an animated Bishops Crook.
  • Tim Kaufman – H3 – swarmed and strangled by a host of hands.
  • Basira – C1 – took a ride on the skiff of death.
  • Ralf Lionheart – F2 – paid the ferryman for passage to the underworld.
  • Clyde – C2 – beheaded by a four armed skeletal fiend.
  • Percy – T1 – vivisected by the scimitar of a deathly creature.
  • Exeo – MU1 – withered by a vampire.
  • Sarge – F1 – Skewered by twenty floating swords.

Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death.

List of Expeditions