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- BOOK FOUR
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- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is purely coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY:
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Belphanior, 6th/6rd/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Halbarad, 7th level human ranger (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Peldor, 9th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 10/15/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: The city of Loftwick, capital of the Yeomanry
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- L. Baptism by Fire
-
-
-
- Just now, the party was somewhat saddened to learn that their
- primary priest, Rob, was called back to Keoland by his diety.
-
- Peyote: Well, I'll be. The dude's really gone.
- Belphanior: Hmm. (truly saddened by the departure of his main
- entertainment) I'll miss him. I really will.
- Mongo: He really wasn't a bad guy, for a priest.
- Alindyar: Perhaps we shall see the lad in the future.
- Peldor: (realizes that Rob may have had some useful items in
- his possession) Darn it! I missed my chance...
- Ged: I guess this makes _me_ the only priest now.
- Peyote: I'm good for half a priest, man.
- Peldor: Only half a priest? We never have half a priest at
- home...
- Halbarad: Nay! We need to find another priest.
- Peyote: What?!
- Ged: Bah. _I_ am all the priest this party needs.
- Mongo: Another one couldn't hurt, pal.
- Belphanior: Yeah! Get another one!
- Peyote: We have one and a half now. That's fine. I agree
- with Ged, we don't need another Rob walking around.
- Peldor: Well, don't get another _Rob_. Get the new and
- improved model.
- Alindyar: My vote goes for another priest.
- Halbarad: How about this: We post a note stating our need,
- and see who comes to talk to us?
- Mongo: Fine, but let's also say that he has to be voted in
- by _all_ of us.
- Peyote: That would tend to eliminate bad ones.
- Peldor: Get one with loads of money and items.
- Alindyar: Auditions?
- Ged: I still say no, but clearly I'm outvoted here. Do as
- you will, but if I don't like a prospect, I'm not going to
- vote for him.
- Halbarad: Fine. That is fair enough. I'll make up a notice
- and find a place to post it.
-
- With that, the party members went about their business for
- that day. Halbarad and Mongo were in charge of posting the
- notice, and did so with flair, tacking up several at the main
- intersections on all the main streets. The notes proclaimed
- the need for an experienced priest to join an active, good-
- aligned group of adventurers. Applicants were to meet Mongo
- the dwarf at the Blasted Beholder Inn (the party's current
- lodging place) between noon and dusk...
- The sign went up at late afternoon. The next day, after
- the various adventurers agreed to come by the inn every hour
- to check up on Mongo, the dwarf sat down at a table and
- began counting a stack of coins. Shortly...
-
- lad: Excuse me. Sir?
- Mongo: Huh?
- lad: I'm here to see about that priest position.
- Mongo: Hmph. You don't look like much. What's your story?
- lad: I'm Foldor the Brave! I will be a great priest one
- day!
- Mongo: One day? What do you mean, one day? Have you had
- any experience? Ever killed a giant? An ogre?
- lad: Err...no.
- Mongo: Even an orc?
- lad: Umm...no. Aren't you people going to train me?
- Mongo: Huh?! We need an experienced priest, not a green
- lad! Can you even cast spells?
- lad: Err...not yet. I haven't chosen any one religion yet.
- Mongo: Argh! Get out of here! You'd get killed within a
- week! Come back when you can DO something!
- lad: (about to cry) But...but...
- Mongo: Awww. It's okay. Listen, kid. It's not that we
- don't _want_ you. It's just that, well, we're always out
- there fighting dragons and stuff like that. You would get
- eaten, having had no experience and all, and then we would
- have to come back here and tell your mother all about it.
- lad: ...
- Mongo: The world's a dangerous place. Go and talk to your
- parents, find a temple to join, and maybe we'll take a look
- at you in a few years.
- lad: well, okay.
- Mongo: Here. (fishes something out of a pocket) This is a
- giant's eye. Take it with you, and think of it as you are
- learning in the temple. For good luck. (winks at the kid)
- lad: Oh, boy! A giant's eye! Thanks! (scampers off) Wait
- 'till I show Mom! (gone)
- Mongo: Sheez.
-
- And so it went. There were a dozen more applicants, most
- of whom were not skilled enough for the party's liking. Two
- were actually brought out to an abandoned field, to prove
- their worth to the group. The first, however, was of some
- odd religion, and Ged did not care for his beliefs, and thus
- vetoed him (perhaps it was because the grey elf did not want
- another priest in the party...). The second proved decent in
- skill, but was quite clumsy, and knew not the use of a single
- weapon. Peldor and Mongo both vetoed this one outright.
- Before dusk, the group gathered outside the inn, weary and
- irritated.
-
- Mongo: What a fuckin' waste of my time!
- Ged: I told you guys, we _don't_ need another priest in the
- party.
- Peldor: Most of those people were losers anyway.
- Peyote: That one young lady showed promise...
- Alindyar: ...But she was yet unskilled enough for the sort
- of quests that we embark upon.
- Peldor: Aw, come on! She was a fox!
- Ged: Yep, but that's not why we hire people. Besides, if
- we had her in the party, you'd trip a lot more often.
- Alindyar: The wench of distraction...
- Peyote: Trip?
- Halbarad: Perhaps we do not need another after all.
- Mongo: What's that?
-
- Nearby, a commotion was afoot. Apparently a group of
- ruffians were waylaying some innocent victim in a nearby
- alley, where they had just chased him or her...
-
- Peyote: Where are the town guards?
- Ged: Not here, obviously. We have to help! (draws his
- morningstar and runs for the alley) Boccob!
- Mongo: Yeah! Fight! (lumbers after the elf)
- Peldor: Wait...ah, forget it. Another mess to get into.
- Halbarad: We are obligated to assist those in need...
-
- The others followed Ged and Mongo to the alley, where an
- unusual sight awaited them all. There were six unsavory-
- looking men circled around a single person. This latter
- individual was tall, and wearing dark grey robes with a
- hood (a priest of some sort?).
-
- ruffian#1: That's far enough, friend. We know you've got
- to have plenty of cash inside that robe, there. Make
- this easy on yourself and hand it over.
- ruffian#2: Yeah. Then we won't have to bust you up...too
- much.
- ruffian#3: Har har.
- robed one: (speaks with a thick accent) I refuse. I do
- not bow to common thugs. Leave.
- ruffian#1: Your funeral, buddy! (charges the person, club
- in hand)
- robed one: I think not. (he dodges, lighting-quick, and
- brings a fist up into the ruffian's stomach)
- ruffian#1: OOF! (sails into a wall, hard)
- Belphanior: Did you see that?! (excitedly) What speed!
- Mongo: Hit him pretty hard, too. Strong guy.
- Alindyar: How know you that it is a male? (remembering
- the early days, when some of the party thought that he
- was a female)
- Peldor: That was clearly a male voice...
- Ged: (about to join combat, he hesitates for an instant)
- ruffian#2: Hey! He decked Clyde! (charges the lone robed
- figure)
- robed one: (spins about and kicks the brigand in the side
- of the head, knocking him down) I thought I told you to
- leave.
- ruffian#3: Argh! (charges)
- ruffian#4: (charges)
- robed one: (ducks, punches one in the face, then sweeps
- the other with his leg, knocking him over)
- Peyote: Good move, dude.
- ruffian#3: (face mashed) Yagh! (reels back and falls)
- ruffian#4: (tripped) Yie! (falls)
- robed one: (elbows the downed one in the crotch)
- ruffian#4: Ooooooof. Urgh.
- Ged: Hah!
- Halbarad: I think that this fellow has no need of our help.
- ruffian#5: (grabs the robed one from behind)
- ruffian#6: (punches him) Har! Hold him still, while I
- bust him up!
- ruffian#5: Ha ha.
- robed one: Bad idea. (breaks the ruffian's hold by hitting
- his face with the back of his head)
- ruffian#5: Argh! (holding his broken nose) Bushted mah...
- robed one: (grabs the man) That is for sticking your nose
- where it does not belong. (kicks him with a loud crunching
- sound)
- ruffian#5: (falls quietly)
- ruffian#6: Huh? What'd you do to Spike?!
- robed one: I gave him the boot. (advances on the last of his
- assailants)
- ruffian#6: Aaaa! (turns and flees) <WHAP!> (ran right into
- Mongo's steel-armored chest) Urk...(falls, unconscious)
- Mongo: Stupid dimwit.
- Ged: (walks up to robed one) Nice job there.
- robed one: (wheels, fists up)
- Ged: Yie! (backs up a bit) Hold it! We're here to help!
- robed one: Need no help. Trash taken out now. For good.
- Ged: Well, we _were_ going to help, but you did a fine job
- all by yourself. Are you all right?
- robed one: Fine.
- Mongo: Nice fighting there. Where'd you learn all that?
- robed one: Long ago.
- Ged: Oh. Well, say, we were sort of looking for a new companion,
- and, well, I was thinking...
- robed one: What happened to the old one?
- Mongo: He had to go away.
- Ged: Are you hungry? I'd be happy to buy you dinner while
- we talked about it.
- robed one: (shakes the elf's hand) I am called Rillen.
- Peyote: (whispering) His hand's black.
- Alindyar: So?
- Peldor: If that's a drow, then I'm a fairie.
- Ged: (returning the handshake) I am Ged.
- Mongo: Mongo, at your service. (clasps hands with the man)
- Belphanior: I am Belphanior. (shakes hands with Rillen, who
- stands several inches higher than the elf, who is the tallest
- of the party) Do you gamble?
- Rillen: No. Bad luck.
-
- And so forth. They went back to the inn and had a hearty, hot
- dinner. Rillen let his hood down, revealing an ebon, human face
- of indeterminate age. Their new friend related a few details of
- his history - he was a wandering warrior from a faraway land, on
- a mission to learn of the world. He had trained in a monestary
- for many years, achieving great control of mind, body, and spirit,
- and then left and traveled for many leagues. He called himself
- an expert with the longbow, staff, and his bare hands.
-
- Ged: Do you wish to join our party?
- Halbarad: Now wait one moment! You said that we had no need of
- another priest - why should we need another _warrior_, of all
- things?!
- Mongo: Aw, come on. We could use a guy like him.
- Halbarad: At least, we need to test his skill in battle.
- Peyote: Hmm. (casts a Detect Evil on Rillen, discretely, finding
- none at all) Well, he is not malevolent...
- Halbarad: Stranger, are you skilled in combat?
- Peldor: Do _you_ want to try and wrestle with him?
- Rillen: Never said I would join...
- Ged: Hey, there's safety in numbers on the open road.
- Rillen: ...But would like to try. For awhile.
- Halbarad: You said you can fire a bow? Let us see, then.
- Mongo: Bitchin'! (they all go outside, and find a nearby
- field)
- Halbarad: (pulls out his bow) I am going to fire a few of
- these arrows into that post, way over there. (proceeds to
- do so, one at a time, and soon there are four arrows in the
- thick wooden post) Now, my friend, can _you_ do as well?
- Rillen: Hmph. (pulls his bow out) Watch.
- Peyote: Hmm.
- Rillen: (draws and fires ten arrows, all of which hit and
- form a circle around the ranger's arrows) Hah. (looking
- mighty smug)
- Ged: Yea!
- Mongo: (happy)
- Peyote: Far out!
- Halbarad: All right, I concede defeat. Your archery is on
- such a level as to rival mine. But what use are you in
- melee? Bare-handed combat is fine, but can you use that
- quarterstaff?
- Rillen: (whirls the staff around in an intricate series of
- maneuvers) Come try me. _If_ you wish.
- Halbarad: No, my good man. I do not need to fight with you.
- Is that staff of any use against armored foes, though?
- Rillen: Yes. (suddenly, a wicked, foot-long blade of steel
- pops out from one end of the staff)
- Belphanior: I'm impressed.
- Halbarad: (walks up and shakes the tall man's hand) You have
- proven yourself to me. Does anyone object to this man joining
- the party?
- all: No!
- Ged: Welcome, Rillen.
- Mongo: Back to the inn! This calls for a round of drinks! On
- me!
- Peldor: Hey! Count me in! (they all return to the tavern and
- at least some have too much to drink, as the moon rises...)
-
- Over the next days, the adventurers split into small groups
- and searched for possible missions to undertake. Finally, after
- the second day, they all met for dinner and heard the findings
- of Halbarad and Peyote.
-
- Halbarad: Rumor has it that a small town to the northwest is
- under continual attack by giants.
- Mongo: Giants!
- Peyote: ...and let's not forget that the giants are rumored
- to have much in the way of treasure.
- Halbarad: A force of thirty or so soldiers was sent a week
- ago, but no word has come back.
- Peyote: Should we go, we can get in on the action before the
- Loftwick militia is called in. That means more glory, and
- more loot, and...
- Halbarad: Let us not forget the matter of helping the innocents
- of the village.
- Peyote: The village people, yeah.
- Ged: For that reason, I say we should go. The oppressed masses
- need our help!
- Peldor: They do?
- Belphanior: Oh, come now. Giants! Just think of the treasure!
- Like he said.
- Peldor: Okay.
- Rillen: Plan sounds good to me.
- Alindyar: Agreed. Let us go and meet giants.
- Mongo: Fuck yeah!
- Halbarad: Shall we depart tomorrow, then?
- all: Yea!
-
- So, they got a good final night's sleep before their departure
- the next day. Provisions for two weeks were bought, for the town
- (some place called Fleer) was but three days' journey away. The
- warrior, Rillen, already had a mount, a large, magnificent horse
- which had obviously cost him a good sum of money. The group
- rode northwest after breakfast, in a good mood, and for the next
- three days, they moved on happily, camping on the roadside when
- night fell, and riding by daylight.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY:
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Belphanior, 6th/6rd/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Halbarad, 7th level human ranger (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Peldor, 9th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 10/19/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: the wilderness of the Yeomanry
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- After the third day on the road, the party reached the small
- town of Fleer, riding into it one afternoon. The place was a
- small one, but yet, at midday, most of the businesses were
- closed. A few people wandered the streets dejectedly. There
- was a lot of dust in the air, and the party found themselves
- thirsty. They walked for a time before finding an open inn,
- aptly named the Dead Tumbleweed Inn, and entered the place.
-
- Mongo: Barkeep! Ale, please!
- barkeep: (morosely draws a mug of ale and hands it to the
- dwarf)
- Halbarad: I shall have one too.
- barkeep: (gets that too, still looking quite blank)
- Peyote: What's the deal here? You'd think someone died.
-
- Suddenly, a huge ogre strutted into the inn, causing the
- double doors to swing back and forth violently. The beast
- sauntered up to the bar, grinning.
-
- ogre: Hey, gimme a beer!
- barkeep: (hands the humanoid the beer shortly)
- ogre: (guzzling half of the drink immediately) Hey! Hey
- you! (pushes Mongo)
- Mongo: Watch it, pal.
- ogre: (stands up) Huh? (kicks the dwarf's stool out from
- under him)
- Rillen: Not very nice.
- ogre: Haw haw! What's your beef, dwarf?
- Mongo: (gets up, and punches the ogre in the groin) I told
- you to watch it!
- ogre: (spits out beer) Urgh. (draws a big sword) You'll
- pay for that, shorty!
- Mongo: (dodges the ogre's blow, and bashes him in the chest
- with a suddenly-drawn hammer) No way, shithead!
- ogre: <SMACK!> (falls down, and stays still)
- Rillen: Good fighting. You shut him up.
- Mongo: Nah. Any fool can take an ogre down - it just takes
- a little speed and a strong fighting arm.
- barkeep: (a look of terror on his pallid face) Now you've
- done it!
- Halbarad: I beg your pardon?
- barkeep: Now they'll kill us all! We're doomed! (sobs in
- miserable terror)
- Alindyar: Didst I miss something?
- Peyote: What's your trip, dude?
-
- The adventurers were eventually able to get the man's story
- out of him. It seemed that the ogre was a member of a large
- band of ogres and giant-types that had been terrorizing the
- small town recently. These ruffians went wherever they
- pleased, robbing and killing at will. No one could stop their
- reign of terror.
-
- Mongo: No one, my ass! WE will stop them!
- Halbarad: Hear, hear.
- Rillen: Where are these...giants?
- barkeep: Uh...they're out there to the northwest somewhere.
- They make their lair within an hour's ride, that is certain.
- Peyote: Okay. Stay here. We'll go find these ogres and such.
- Peldor: We will?
- Belphanior: Come on, live a little. Besides, it's time for
- _blood_.
- Alindyar: 'Tis a good thing that I have memorized some useful
- spells this day.
-
- Without further ado, the group rode for the northwest. As
- fate would have it, they didn't have far to go...
-
- Halbarad: What is that? (petting his horse) The mounts are
- nervous.
- Peyote: Hmm.
- Peldor: I don't see anybody.
- Ged: (preparing a spell) Let's be ready, anyway.
-
- The horses would have none of it, though. They were in a
- positive panic, bucking and whinnying frantically. Even the
- large, noble horse ridden by Rillen was upset. Before too
- long, the party could not continue to ride. Halbarad's best
- attempts to calm them failed, and finally the party dismounted
- in disgust and took the horses back a bit. As they tried to
- keep the animals from running, Peldor thought he saw something.
-
- Peldor: Eh?
- Belphanior: What's that?
- Peldor: I think we are being stalked...
- Mongo: Fuck that! (pulls out his hammer and moves twenty
- feet up the trail)
- Halbarad: Hold on. (draws his dagger and axe) What is out
- there?
- Peldor: I'm not sure.
- Peyote: Maybe we should get in formation. (they do, and
- move somewhat onward, leaving the horses a hundred feet
- back)
- Rillen: This smells like ambush.
- Ged: (readying a spell) Tell me about it...
-
- Suddenly, huge forms appeared all around the party. Whether
- they were invisible, or hidden in the tall brush and grass, or
- appeared from thin air was uncertain, but they definitely were
- here for business, fully decked in armor and all well-armed.
- All of them carried either large rocks or spears as well as
- more conventional weapons. There were three who were quite
- obviously giants, as well as a big, smelly ettin, a troll, an
- ogre with blue skin, and the strangest of all - a huge, maybe
- twenty-five foot tall humanoid, with a single huge eye glaring
- from his head far above. This being towered over the tallest
- of the others by a full eight feet.
- The two dozen ogres with this bunch seemed puny in contrast.
-
- Peldor: What the hell is THAT?!?
- black-skinned giant: You! How DARE you slay one of my ogres?!
- So you wish to challenge us, eh? (looks around) Heh, heh.
- Fortunately for us, we were informed of your presence, so
- we thought we would come out to greet you personally.
- other giant: Har har.
- Mongo: Huh?!? (fingering his hammer)
- Peldor: (invisible, using his ring to tie one ogre's boot
- laces together)
- Ged: You're really funny. (quietly working on his spell)
- black-skinned giant: We will have none of that, now. Prepare
- to meet your maker.
- party: (scrambling to get into a better defensive position)
-
- All the giants hurled their missiles, as Ged frantically
- tried to get his spell cast.
-
-
-
- FIRE GIANT
-
- 5 OGRES 5 OGRES
- Mongo Halbarad
- HILL GIANT Ged STONE GIANT
- Belphanior Peyote
- 5 OGRES Alindyar 5 OGRES
- Peldor Rillen
- TROLL OGRE MAGE
-
- ETTIN CYCLOPS
-
- 3 OGRES
-
-
-
- ogre: (trips) Wha....?
- Peldor: Ha ha.
- Belphanior: Oh shit! (hit by a spear, and grazed by a boulder)
- Alindyar: (nicked by a spear) Ouch.
- Ged: (hit by two spears, spell ruined) Damn! Boccob will see
- you pay for that!
- Halbarad: (hit by a rock and a spear) Argh!
- Mongo: (hit by two rocks) Agh! Fuck!
- Peldor: (invisible, dodges some missiles easily)
- Peyote: (hit by a rock and a spear) Dude!
- Rillen: (dodges some missiles) You will regret that, big men.
-
- The giants and such closed, as the mages quickly tried to get
- new spells cast...
-
- Peldor: (invisible, chops the ettin, scoring a deep wound)
- ettin: Aargh! (the two heads start biting at each other)
- Peldor: (becomes visible) Uh-oh. They're confused already.
- Belphanior: (casts Color Spray on the ogres charging him)
- Here, enjoy.
- ogres: (four of the five are knocked unconscious)
- Belphanior: (draws his lightning wand)
- Hill giant: (chops Belphanior, knocking him back) Har har!
- Belphanior: (quite seriously wounded now) Fuck! Just wait
- until I blast you, wiseguy.
- Fire giant: (chops at Mongo, grazing his armor and making
- sparks) Damn! Stay still, bug!
- Stone giant: (bashes Halbarad with a huge club) Smash you!
- Halbarad: Argh!
- Ged: Yes! (casts Haste on everyone) Boccob is with us
- today!
- Alindyar: (casts Fear on the flank of opponents near the
- ranger and half-elf)
- ogres: (seven of the ten flee) Aaaaa!
- ogres: (the other three) Huh? (they advance)
- Stone giant: (ignores the spell) Bah.
- Ogre mage: (launches a Cone of Cold at the party, hitting
- most of them, though most also save successfully)
- Rillen: Cold. Cold wind.
- Peyote: Yikes!
- Alindyar: Brr.
- Ged: Aaargh!
- Mongo: (armor frosted) Dammit.
- Belphanior: Aaaagh! You'll get it for that.
- Peyote: For sure.
- ogre: (swings at Belphanior, but misses)
- ogre: (slashes Mongo, but the dwarf's armor deflects the
- blow)
- ogre: (swipes at Mongo, but misses)
- ogre: (slashes at Halbarad, but misses)
- ogre: (stabs at Peyote, but misses)
- ogre: (slashes Peyote, injuring him) Yeah!
- Peyote: (reels, but still manages to guzzle his potion of
- super-heroism) Mmmmm.
- ogre: Uh-oh.
- ogre: This not good.
- Peyote: (gains three levels, +3 to hit, 18 hp) You guys
- are dog meat!
- ogre: No, that for supper last night.
- ogre: Shut up and get dat guy!
- Peldor: (slashes the ettin, wounding it) Fall, slow one.
- Rillen: (smashes the cyclops in the knee with his staff)
- I will knock you down.
- Cyclops: Bah.
- ettin: (chops Peldor, twice) Die, puny man!
- Peldor: Ugh...now I dislike ettins...
- Rillen: (swats at the cyclops again, but misses, barely)
- Halbarad: (chops and slashes the stone giant, hitting with
- both attacks) Take that, stony fiend.
- Rillen: (bashes the cyclops again, in the belly) You are
- one _big_ person.
- Cyclops: Grunt.
- Mongo: (smashes the fire giant) Take that, shitlips!
- Peyote: (chops one of his ogres, wounding it)
- Troll: (pummels Peldor) Grblk!
- Peldor: Agh...
- Rillen: (smashes the cyclops on the arm)
- Cyclops: Ow.
- Halbarad: (chops and slashes the stone giant, hitting with
- only the axe though)
- Mongo: (bashes the fire giant in the thigh) I'll take you
- down a foot at a time if I have to!
- Peyote: (misses the ogre he just wounded)
- Cyclops: (swats Rillen with considerable force)
- Rillen: Aaaaaaaa! (grunting in primal pain)
- Mongo: (bashes at the giant again, but uneffectively)
- Peyote: (slashes the ogre again, slaying it) Ho! One down!
- Halbarad: (chops at the stone giant twice with his axe,
- hitting once)
- Stone giant: <grunt>
- Mongo: (smashes the giant in the foot, hard) That's for
- having smelly feet!
- Fire giant: Cease your mindless prattle!
- assorted other foes: (trying to get into position to melee
- the party - not all of the giants and ogres can reach them)
- Belphanior: (waving his wand about, blasts the hill giant
- and the five ogres next to it)
- Hill giant: Yargh! (singed)
- ogres: (all five are toasted)
-
-
-
- FIRE GIANT
- STONE GIANT
- Mongo Halbarad
- HILL GIANT Ged OGRE
- Belphanior Peyote
- OGRE Alindyar OGRE
- Peldor Rillen
- TROLL OGRE MAGE
- ETTIN CYCLOPS
-
- 3 OGRES
-
-
-
- Rillen: (to cyclops) Try this. (the blade pops out from
- his staff, and he slashes the cyclops, wounding it again)
- Cyclops: Huh?
- Belphanior: (blasts the ogre and hill giant in front of
- him with his wand) Ha ha!
- ogre: (disintegrates into a black and red smear)
- Hill giant: AARGH! (his hair is all gone) AAA! (chops
- Belphanior, but misses) AAAAA!
- Belphanior: Whew.
- Peldor: (slashes at the ettin, but misses) Hey, that burnt
- hair sure does stink!
- Rillen: (stabs the cyclops, gashing its leg) Shake a leg.
- Cyclops: Urgh!
- Fire giant: (chops at Mongo, but the dwarf dashes between
- his legs) Damn!
- Mongo: (smashes the giant right in the groin) Ha!
- Fire giant: Argh! You will die!
- Ged: By Boccob, I call forth the tentacles of doom! (casts
- Evard's Black Tentacles upon the ettin and the three ogres
- nearby it) Hah, fools! Taste the mighty magic of Boccob!
- Ettin: Huh?! (snagged by three of the ebon things, snaps
- two of them) Yargh!
- ogre: (snagged by three, snaps one) Agh! I is trapped!
- ogre: (snared by two, snaps both) Huh?!
- ogre: (snared by two, snaps one) Yarg!
- Rillen: Magic must not taste very good.
- Ged: Hah. Stupid ogres!
- Rillen: (slashes the cyclops - a critical hit!) Yes!
- Cyclops: (pierced through the heart, dies!) rgg...
- Rillen: Glad to see he got my point...
- Ged: Yes! Great going, Rillen! Now somebody get that
- damned ogre mage!
- Alindyar: I am about to do that very thing.
- Mongo: (misses fire giant) Damn!
- Alindyar: (fires five missiles from his wand, at the ogre
- mage)
- Ogre mage: Argh! (hit by all the missiles, wounded) Drow!
- You shall roast for that! (goes airborne)
- Alindyar: Hmm.
- Belphanior: (blasts the hill giant with yet another bolt
- of lightning, taking some reflected damage himself) Ya!
- Hill giant: AAARGH! Stand still, flea!
- Peldor: (slashes at the ettin, but his blade is deflected
- by the monster's armor) Damn!
- Rillen: (retrieving his weapon from the cyclops' body)
- Halbarad: (chops stone giant, and slashes it with his dagger)
- ogre: (chops Peyote)
- ogre: (misses Peyote)
- Mongo: (pounds fire giant) Fall, you mountain!
- Fire giant: Never!
- ogre: (slashes at RIllen, hits)
- Rillen: Eh?
- ogre: (slashes at Peldor, misses)
- ogre: (can't attack, since he's blocked by his comrades)
- Ettin: (bashes Peldor, hitting once and missing once) I
- get you!
- Peldor: (more than half-dead, literally) Agh...
- Peyote: (chops ogre, hits)
- ogre: Agh!
- ogre: (chops at Belphanior, but misses)
- Belphanior: Whew.
- Stone giant: (bashes Halbarad) Ha.
- Halbarad: (feeling some ribs break) Agh!
- Troll: (lunging for Peldor, fumbles and trips...)
- Peldor: (can't help but laugh, even in this situation) Hah.
- Halbarad: (chops and stabs the stone giant, but misses both
- times) Damn!
- Peyote: (slashes the ogre, killing it) Hah. Bad luck, dude.
- Mongo: (bashes the fire giant _again_) Die, dammit!
- Ogre mage: (uses his Sleep power on the party from the air,
- but fortunately they all save...!) By the gods! I do not
- believe it!
- Alindyar: Believe it.
- Peyote: (slices at another ogre, but misses)
-
-
-
- FIRE GIANT
- STONE GIANT
- Mongo Halbarad
- HILL GIANT Ged OGRE
- Belphanior Peyote
- Alindyar
- Peldor
- TROLL Rillen OGRE MAGE
- ETTIN <airborne>
-
- 3 OGRES
-
-
-
- Belphanior: (blasts the hill giant) Die!
- Hill giant: (dies, headless and extremely charred)
- Belphanior: Wow.
- Peldor: (misses the ettin, fumbling, and his sword sails
- off into the dirt) Whoops.
- Ettin: Heh heh.
- Rillen: (attacking a tentacled ogre, slashes it deeply)
- Looks like you are all tied up...
- ogre: Agh!
- Alindyar: (getting his carpet out)
- Fire giant: (misses Mongo with his huge axe) Arg! Die!
- Mongo: (bashes the giant in the knee) Fall! Fall, damn
- you!
- Peyote: (slashes his ogre, killing it) Sorry, dude. Rude
- deal.
- Stone giant: (hits Halbarad with his stone club, knocking
- him out) Ha.
- Halbarad: (unconscious and bleeding internally)
- Ged: Somebody help him!
- Rillen: (dices an ogre with his staff, slaying it)
- Mongo: (misses the giant) Hey, watch it! You almost
- stepped on me!
- Fire giant: SHUT UP!
- Ogre mage: (airborne) Now you see me...(goes invisible)
- Alindyar: Curses! (goes aerial on the carpet and starts
- spellcasting)
- Troll: (mauls the defenseless Peldor) Rargh!
- Peldor: (smashed, bloody, comatose; falls to the ground)
- Troll: (moving toward Ged and Rillen) Rrgh. Rarg!
- Rillen: (slashes another tentacle-tied ogre, killing it)
- Ged: Eh? (spots the troll coming for him) Fortunately
- I am ready for you, green fiend! (casts a Lightning
- Bolt in the direction of the troll, and incidentally,
- the ettin) Ha! Chew electric death, snarling curs!!
- Ettin: Eyaaaaaaaa! (blasted into small bits, dies)
- Troll: YEARGH! (blackened and missing chunks) AARGH!
- Ged: Ha! Boccob's might proves superior once more!
- Mongo: (bashes fire giant, hearing ribs and more crunch)
- Fire giant: (falls, dead at last)
- Mongo: Hah! Mongo triumphs!
- Alindyar: (having cast Detect Invisibility, he can now
- see the ogre mage floating nearby - but doesn't let the
- creature know that...)
- Belphanior: (running into position, he blasts the troll
- directly with his wand)
- Troll: (melted)
- Ged: Thanks for finishing that scum off. (pulls out his
- morningstar)
- Belphanior: Noooo problem.
- Peyote: (slashes at the stone giant, but its tough hide
- deflects the blow) Damn.
- Ogre mage: (attempts to Charm Alindyar) You know, it
- _really_ would be in your best interest to drop your
- carpet onto your dwarven friend there. Othewise, he
- is apt to hurt someone with that dreadful hammer of his.
- Alindyar: (sweating) No...HA! You shall have to do
- better than that, you floating blue turnip.
- Ogre mage: Turnip?
-
-
-
- Halbarad (dead)
-
- STONE GIANT
- Mongo
- Ged Peyote
- Belphanior
- Alindyar
- <airborne>
- Peldor (dead) Rillen OGRE MAGE
- OGRE <airborne>
-
-
-
- Belphanior: (heading for the ogre) Time to wrap this up.
- Rillen: (slashes at the ogre, but misses) Damn! I never
- miss!
- ogre mage: (looking around)
- Alindyar: Pay attention. (blasts the humanoid with his own
- bolt of lightning)
- Ogre mage: Bah. (the bolt is mostly deflected, and rebounds
- into Alindyar!)
- Alindyar: <ZAP> Agh! (falls, unconscious and in spasms)
- Ogre mage: (becomes visible) Hah. So much for YOU.
- Mongo: Hey! Get down from there, you! (hurls his hammer,
- hitting the ogre mage hard)
- Ogre mage: Agh! (stunned, falls to the ground)
- Ged: (thinking of a double play, dashes up and hits the
- humanoid with his morningstar, killing it) Yes!
- Ogre mage: No fair...(expires)
- Mongo: (catches his hammer) Get some oil and burn that
- fucker! Remember the last blue ogres we fought?
- Ged: Yeah. (thinking about a Burning Hands on the body)
- Belphanior: (moves up and backstabs the last ogre, killing it)
- Mongo: (saw the whole thing) Backstab?
- Ged: Hey! You fight like a thief!
- Peyote: (slashes at the stone giant, misses) Huh?
- Stone giant: Argh! (swats the half-elf, knocking him to
- the dirt, bleeding and unconscious)
- Mongo: Fuck! (throws hammer at the giant, but misses by
- a hair) FUCK!!
- Ged: (runs up and smashes his weapon into the giant's
- stomach)
- Stone giant: Urk. (perishes, falling to the ground with
- a loud thump)
- Ged: Boccob!
- Mongo: Help the wounded!
- Ged: Oh, yeah. (starts binding wounds and healing the
- comatose) Geez, these guys are pretty bad off...
- Belphanior: I'm suprised that none of us are actually
- un-recoverable.
- Ged: It's a close thing, my friend.
- Mongo: (lighting the oil he poured on the ogre mage's
- body)
- Rillen: Why do you burn the body?
- Mongo: He may jump back up again and cause trouble.
- Rillen: (watching the blaze) Not any more.
-
-
- THE STATUS OF THE PARTY:
- Alindyar : - 7 hp
- Belphanior : 11
- Ged : 21
- Halbarad : - 4
- Mongo : 18
- Peldor : - 2
- Peyote : - 1
- Rillen : 12
-
-
- Soon, the four worst wounded were...stabilized, and
- the others set about forming a defensive perimeter.
- Next, Ged cast a Detect Magic spell, and the party set
- about confiscating the dead group's magic items and
- other loot:
-
- fire giant : three potions (all smashed)
- stone giant : strange rock
- hill giant : (undersized, for him) morningstar
- ogre mage : exotic ring, plus two potions (one smashed)
- ogres : (various) scimitar, pick, two-handed sword
-
- There were also several hundred coins and a few gems, as
- well some cheap jewelry. Peyote shocked Ged, Mongo, and
- even Rillen by kicking back and turning into a large dog,
- a bloodhound to be specific. The half-elf/dog sniffed
- around the whole area, quickly picking up the scent of the
- evil humanoids. He loped off, and chased the scent to a
- hidden cave about a mile away. Returning to the others,
- he became human once more and briefed them. Belphanior
- wandered off in search of the horses, and was able to
- recover six of them. The group (those who were awake) did
- not feel up to exploring the lair just yet, and so they
- rested and built a camp for the rest of the day.
- The party camped overnight off the path, guarding their
- wounded carefully and making sure that they were well-
- prepared for an ambush (Belphanior set a number of traps
- around the campsite). Nothing came to bother them, though
- they were paranoid (rightfully so). The next morning, the
- four wounded were able to ride, although too weak for any
- combat situations. The party checked the hidden cave,
- and Mongo helped Peyote and Rillen try to move the massive
- boulder blocking the entrance - to no avail. Peldor tried
- to help using his ring's power, and Ged also tied strong
- ropes to the six horses in a clever use of both his rope
- skills and his horsemanship abilities. It wasn't until
- Halbarad loaned his gauntlets of strength to the grey elf
- that the combined force being exerted finally moved the
- boulder. Only a foot-wide crack was made, though, for the
- ropes began to snap. Belphanior slipped into the narrow
- opening, followed by Mongo. The others waited outside...
- Shortly, the pair returned, with news of piles of loot
- and chests of coins. Belphanior had disarmed the traps
- on the latter, since Mongo told him flat out that his
- third occupation was no longer a secret...the adventurers
- decided to stay in this place, since it seemed fairly safe
- and also contained a lot of new treasure. They made their
- camp inside the cave, and remained there for three more
- days before returning to Fleer, well-healed and loaded
- with treasure. After the token stop in Fleer (which was
- rewarded with cheers and singing by the locals), they
- bought two horses and rode back to Loftwick for treasure
- division and possible training.
-
-
- THE LOOT (MAGIC ITEMS ONLY):
- (Identified beforehand, for a change, by Ged)
-
- strange meteorite - Peldor
- morningstar +3 - Ged
- ring of spell turning - Ged
- potion of healing - Alindyar
- scimitar +1 - Peldor
- pick +1 - Mongo
- 2H sword +1 - Peyote
- cloak of comfort - Halbarad
- ioun stone - Peyote
- potion of undead control - Belphanior
- big shovel - Mongo
- wand of illumination - Rillen
- hand axe +2 - Halbarad
- quiver - Belphanior
- crystal ball - Alindyar
- horseshoes - Rillen
-
-
- In brief, only Halbarad and Peldor were in need of training.
- They spent several weeks doing this, while the others waited
- in boredom. The cold of winter was suddenly (it seemed) upon
- the adventurers. Soon...
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY:
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Belphanior, 6th/6rd/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/02/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: Loftwick, capital of the Yeomanry
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- In a private room within the latest tavern (the Daring Dancer
- Inn), Belphanior was talking to Peldor...
-
- Belphanior: Say, why don't we check out the prospects in this
- city?
- Peldor: Now THAT, my friend, is a damned good idea...
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Midnight escapades
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: This is the grand 50th episode, thus its length. At a
- length of 40K, this is the biggest one I've ever posted. The
- battle with the giants bacame one of the party's most talked-
- about of the party's adventures. They were actually a lot more
- worried during the battle than I have probably showed. Now, on
- to other things...
- Another fighter? Is this a good idea? Perhaps not, but yet,
- this is how it happened. Rillen's player had run Rob's character
- the previous session, but since Rob showed no signs of playing that
- month (or any other), the player wanted his own character. The new
- warrior Rillen is essentially a fighter, specializing in his bare
- hands and the quarterstaff, and proficient with the longbow.
- Penalties? He is not allowed to use any other weapon(s), period.
- He spent his entire life training with two weapons of choice, and
- unarmed combat. This is the cheap and easy way to build a monk -
- there was no Warrior's handbook when we were playing...
- When you read Rillen's lines, think of an Arnold Schwarzenegger
- who can fight very well. That's how he was played - and the many
- countless lines from movies and bad puns were hilarious (to us,
- at least...).
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is purely coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY:
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/02/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: Loftwick, capital of the Yeomanry
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LI. Midnight Madness
-
-
-
- *FORWARD* : This episode, due to the nature of the source
- material, has been written in "real" fiction
- format. If you can't stand this writing style,
- skip the episode - nothing earth-shattering for
- the party as a whole happens in it. Otherwise,
- read on and enjoy...
-
-
-
- Belphanior had his longsword halfway out of its sheath when he
- heard the door open, but relaxed as he watched Peldor enter the
- small room. "Did you get the things we need?", aksed the elf of
- his fellow thief. Peldor held up a fairly full sack in reply.
- "Of course I did." Belphanior nodded, pleased. "Well, I'm about
- ready to go here." Peldor carefully opened the black cloth bag,
- and several tools and other things emptied onto a dirty wooden
- table. "Good. Let's get this stuff packed and get to where
- we're going. The night is getting older, and we don't have a
- thing to show for it yet."
- The pair had been busy while their companions rested and took
- care of business in the last few days. They had decided to take
- a look at some of the places in Loftwick - not the kind of look
- that the average citizen approved of, granted, but a thief had
- to earn his living nonetheless. After several places had been
- scouted and thoroughly cased out, the two had settled on an old
- tower outside the city itself. This building, known as the
- Tower of the Lost Mage, was a forgotten structure, rumored to
- have long ago been the home of a powerful mage. Nothing had
- been seen of heard from the tower in years, though, and the
- locals were scared of the place, shunning it at every chance.
- The tales of the Lost Mage repelled them quite effectively. it
- seemed.
- Stupid, thought Belphanior as he made a last check of his
- various tools and weapons. A mage's lair could contain any
- number of useful things. Who knew what mighty magics and lost
- treasures were gathering dust in the tower, just waiting to
- be put to better use? Peldor, being of like mind, was just as
- ready to break into the building. Belphanior was in a pleasant
- mood, for a change. The human thief and he had never worked
- together before, but both were confident in themselves as well
- as each other. Truly something great was bound to happen this
- night.
- As the moon Celene waxed high in the dark sky overhead, the
- elf made a final equipment check. Grappling hooks, thin cord,
- lockpicks, soot, a bottle of grease, daggers, poison, glue -
- everything seemed to be in place. Peldor was similarly
- engaged, though he apparently tended to carry fewer small
- items than Belphanior. Ah, well, thought Belphanior. Each to
- their own.
- Peldor spoke up. "Let's do it." They checked outside the
- door to the small room, which they had rented in this shabby
- inn at the edge of town. No one was nearby, and the pair
- strolled out into the street. They wore normal-appearing
- civilian garb, in order to pass as anything but what they
- were; Peldor in addition was disguised, sporting pads and
- high shoes, and appeared to be a tall, bloated noble of
- some kind. They left the city on horseback, bidding the
- guards good night, and rode from Loftwick. Since the place
- was the capital of a predominantly lawful kingdom, brigands
- were scarce, and few people ever encountered trouble near
- the city after sunset (or before it, for that matter).
- Had they still been in the Wild Coast, Belphanior thought,
- they no doubt would have been fighting off bandits by now.
- He whispered in hushed tones to Peldor, and they looked back
- to assure no pursuit before spurring their horses off the
- path. There was nothing back there to justify the elf's
- paranoia, though, and he relaxed and looked to the northeast.
- The pair of mounts carried their riders through short grass,
- and after a few minutes, a tall, shadowed spire of stone
- loomed before them - the Tower!
- They tied their horses several hundred feet from the place
- and left a bit of food and drink, just in case. The animals
- seemed a bit jumpy tonight - Belphanior wondered aloud if it
- was something about the tower that was spooking them. "Who
- knows?", whispered Peldor. "Let's go clean that place out
- and get back for some sleep." Belphanior loosened his sword
- in its sheath and doffed his civilian clothes, as did his
- companion. The garments were piled up and put in the mounts'
- saddlebags, and the thieves' working clothes were exposed
- now - flat black bodysuits, rough-soled boots, thin leather
- gloves. Not that it mattered right now, thought Belphanior
- as he sipped the potion he had purchased at the alchemist's
- shop across town a week past. The elf faded from sight, as
- invisible as the night air itself; Peldor, not one to be
- outdone, sheathed his sword and also went invisible. They
- carefully walked toward the tower, wary of tricks or traps
- set in the grass, but none presented themselves, and so
- momentarily the pair stood at the base of the tower. For
- the first time, they were able to get a good look at it.
- The thing was about a hundred feet high, by both of their
- estimations, and perhaps forty feet in diameter. It was
- constructed of reddish-brown bricks (almost the color of
- blood, thought Belphanior) which were old, yet looked to
- be sturdy. There were but four windows, all at a height
- of just more than halfway up, and spaced equidistantly
- around the tower's circumference. At the top was a five-
- foot ledge, in an alternating square pattern (more learned
- mages might have termed it a "square wave"). Even from the
- ground, it was obvious that the windows were heavily barred
- and not passable; the bars were set in a tight pattern, and
- to cut through them would have made too much noise.
- Using a series of slight whispered words in a secret cant,
- the thieves agreed to search the base of the tower. They
- both knew that louder noises could give them away, should
- any men or creatures be nearby, for the night was very,
- very quiet - maybe TOO quiet. Either there were no insects
- in this part of the land, or they were silenced this night,
- perhaps watching and listening to things unknown. Within
- a minute, the two had met at the other side, both having
- found the same thing - no doors or entrances of any kind at
- the tower's base. With this in mind, Belphanior found his
- coiled rope, slung it around his neck and one shoulder, and
- began to climb the face of the tower. The large stones it
- was made of provided adequate handholds, and shortly the
- elf had reached one of the windows. One look was enough to
- confirm his suspicions - the windows were impassable. The
- roof seemed to be a better choice for now. Peldor, unable
- to see this result, decided that it was time for he, too,
- to make the climb, and started doing so.
- Momentarily, Belphanior reached the roof of the place,
- stepping onto it only after eyeing it and assuring himself
- that no fell creatures lurked there. He soon heard the
- slight scraping of gloves on rock, and his hissed syllables
- were answered by his companion. Damn, thought the elf,
- this invisibility is unpractical when two co-workers cannot
- even see each other. They hadn't considered this slight
- problem, and he made a mental note to ponder it at a more
- opportune time.
- Peldor had already figured this out, though, as he slipped
- his shortsword from its sheath and became visible. Using
- hand signs, he conveyed his opinion that silence might be
- more valuable at this point than invisibility. Belphanior
- slapped his friend on the shoulder lightly, negating the
- magical effect of the sipped potion, and both thieves then
- regarded the soot-smeared, shadowy forms of the other. As
- the tower was bound to be darkened inside, the invisibility
- would not have made much difference anyway, and the ability
- to use thieves' hand signals seemed more important right now.
- They checked the floor of the roof area for hatches or other
- means of entry; this process took many minutes, considering
- the size of the rooftop and the presence of shadows. It was
- Peldor, though, who found the hatch, a small, two-foot stone
- block separated from the roof around it by a hairline crack.
- Belphanior helped his friend, wedging several thin but strong
- metal slivers into the crack. With a bit of levering and
- pushing, the pair were able to push the thin hatch open just
- an inch, and Peldor put a small crowbar in to hold it there.
- The hatch seemed to be composed of a thin stone skin, laid
- on top of a metal plate which was an inch thick. While the
- thing was somewhat heavy, both thieves were fairly strong,
- and they were able to pry the hatch open and get a look down
- below.
- Belphanior, with the benefit of his elvish infravision,
- was able to make out an empty room under the roof. Some
- kind of shaft went downward, on the opposite side of the
- chamber from them, but nothing that gave off heat was here.
- First the elf dropped down, then Peldor followed. Using
- his ring, the latter thief slowly lowered the heavy hatch,
- closing them into the room with a muffled thumping sound.
- Peldor was irritated by the sound, which seemed to echo
- loudly through the large chamber, but he knew that his
- control with the magical ring was getting better all the
- time. Why, at first he had been unable to lift a dagger
- from the ground! It was only after weeks of constant
- practice and trial-and-error that he had refined his shaky
- aptitude with the thing into true skill and finesse.
- Peldor ceased his musings and lit a small hooded lantern.
- With a dimming lens in place, and the hood, the item gave
- off only a round cone of light in a single direction.
- After all, he thought, not all of us have infravision, and
- I sure don't want to rely on Belphanior's sight alone here
- in this dark place. Belphanior squinted as his eyes slowly
- adjusted to the light, and then they turned to search this
- circular room. It was slightly smaller than the outside of
- the tower, perhaps allowing for an outer wall at least two
- feet in thickness. There were two dusty skeletons in the
- center of the chamber - unmoving, Belphanior saw as he
- approached. Still, one never knew...
- The corpses were riddled with darts, though, and seemed
- truly dead. Peldor pointed out a depressed flagstone in the
- floor near one skeleton's feet - obviously a trap, triggered
- some time ago by these unfortunates. There was a thick dust
- covering the bodies, and it was just now that both thieves
- noticed a number of footprints around the room. Two sets
- belonged to the fellows lying dead before them, but there
- were three more leading to the shaft nearby. The thieves
- glanced at each other - someone else had made it farther
- than this. Searching the bodies yielded the expected result,
- a lack of anything useful, and the pair moved over to the
- shaft. It was on the western side of the tower, whereas the
- hatch from the roof was on the extreme eastern side, and
- they peered over the edge of the semicircular, five-foot
- radius shaft. It was plainly obvious that it went down...
- and down...and down. Farther than they could see, the tube
- descended into the murky blackness.
- Belphanior noticed a steel spike driven into the floor
- right next to the shaft, and tugged at it, finding it firmly
- embedded in the stone. A rotted rope fragment was tied into
- the eyehole of the spike; they tore this out and secured
- their own rope in it. This item was knotted every five feet
- of its length, in order to facilitate climbing efforts, and
- could support both thieves' weight easily. After shining the
- lantern down and seeing nothing but a series of ledges, of
- the floors below, they tossed the rope down to the next level
- and descended.
- The level beneath was identical to the first, but for the
- large chest in the center of the circular chamber. Several
- old footprints were visible in here, and vague scuffle marks
- dotted the floor near the chest. Belphanior thanked the
- unknown gods for granting him the foresight to examine the
- dusty floor beforehand, and signalled Peldor to check for
- traps on the chest as he prepared a spell. The human did so,
- soon signing the lack of traps, and Belphanior activated the
- spell he had cast, which would allow him to deliver a jolt of
- electricity to the first living thing he touched. Peldor,
- sensing that the time was right, opened the chest and leaped
- back. Fortunately, his quick reflexes moved him back, for
- immediately, a large, glistening mass of slime flowed out of
- the chest onto the very spot where the thief had stood not
- one second ago. Peldor's shortsword whistled from its sheath
- as he assumed a defensive posture. The ooze flowed toward him
- with frightening speed, and the thief backed up quickly.
- Belphanior's heart pumped, and the adrenaline flowed through
- his system. A blob! Who knew what it was? Who knew if it
- could eat his weapons and armor? Taking no chances with these
- things, the elf instead took advantage of the thing's advance
- towards Peldor to leap behind it and tap it lightly. There
- was a loud <ZAP> as the hefty shock was delivered, and the
- jelly thrashed about, burned severely; the elf leaped several
- feet back and drew his own weapon, grinning smugly. So it
- COULD be hurt! Good. That usually meant that it could be
- killed, he thought.
- Spurred on by the knowledge that the creature could in fact
- be harmed, Peldor took the offensive, dodging a pseudopod as
- he slashed the oozing mass. A deep cut opened in its opaque
- skin, and a watery liquid flowed out freely. The thing was
- wild now, slapping at whichever thief was nearest to it, but
- they dodged its attacks while slicing with their weapons, and
- within a minute the jelly was still. It's blood, or whatever
- the clear liquid was, formed a puddle around the deflated
- mass, and the pair deftly sidestepped this mess and checked
- the chest from which it had flowed, finding it empty. They
- supposed that at least some of those who had come this way
- previously had found the jelly and been eaten by it. In any
- case, the next level would hopefully show how many had survived
- the blob's attack. Peldor cleaned his sword on a rag, checking
- to see if the magical weapon was dissolving or not. He had
- once lost another sword in this manner, but there seemed to be
- no damage to the fine weapon, and the thief discarded the rag
- and tossed the rope down to the next level.
- This time it was Peldor who went down first. The third
- floor of the tower was piled full of wooden crates. The pair
- of thieves noticed several footprints here, and some of the
- boxes had been rummaged through - so someone HAD avoided the
- monster above and made it down! The crates contained nothing
- of interest, mostly jugs of wine and rotten foodstuffs ridden
- with worms. Disgusted, Peldor signalled for a quick search of
- the chamber before the next descent. They found nothing else
- here, and once again went down.
- Belphanior touched down on the cold stone floor, as Peldor
- guarded above before lowering himself as well. This level was
- some kind of dining hall, with a large wooden table and four
- chairs. To the north was a massive oven, and a pile of coal
- with a shovel rested next to it. This was the location of the
- four outside windows, with their thick, crisscrossed bars, and
- Peldor extinguished the lantern. It could always be re-lit,
- and the moonlight in here was plenty enough to see by. The
- thieves searched the whole area thoroughly, but found nothing
- of interest. The oven, when opened on its creaky hinges, was
- empty save for a few dead ants. Belphanior checked under the
- table and behind the oven, but turned up nothing. Then Peldor
- signalled his irritation, and they went down to the next level,
- Belphanior going first and lighting the lantarn when he got
- down. Peldor followed shortly.
- The fifth level down was as empty as most of the others. A
- large chest faced the pair from the opposite (eastern) wall,
- and they carefully moved toward it, checking the floor for any
- traps. There were still footprints, and signs of combat - a
- broken arrow, a smashed sword, and a few bones. Belphanior
- prepared another spell, as Peldor examined the chest. Right
- then, without warning, a cloud of vapor appeared in the center
- of the room, behind Peldor and to the side of Belphanior. The
- greenish-hued gases quickly solidified into some reptilian
- thing; over eight feet tall, it almost scraped the ceiling of
- the chamber. The monster was apparently unafraid of anything
- else that might be nearby, as it shrieked a hideous cry of
- anger and charged Belphanior, who had the misfortune of being
- closer to it. His exclaimed "Oh, shit!" was almost all he had
- time to do - almost.
- The elf let his spell go as the thing bore down on him, and
- a spray of bright colors lit up the dim room - until they hit
- the beast, and dissolved. Grinning, the humanoid lizard took
- a swipe at the elf with its clawed paw, and he was hurled back
- into a wall, three bloody gashes scoring his shirt. As the big
- monster turned to face Peldor, the thief was already in motion.
- He buried his sword in its back, and the thing screamed in pain
- (and anger, thought Belphanior as he shakily stood). Whirling
- about, it tore the sword from Peldor's hands, and then moved
- in on him.
- "Uh-oh!", exclaimed the thief, as he leaped back a full ten
- feet, courtesy of his wondrous magical boots. "Belphanior!
- Do something here, I'm down to a dagger here!" As Peldor
- faced off against the creature, dagger in hand, the thing
- snatched him from the ground, attempting to bite with that
- mouthful of razor-edged teeth...
- Peldor was yelling as he scraped the ceiling, held fast in
- the thing's iron grip. "Let go of me, you oversized lizard!",
- he spat as he stabbed the thing's shoulder with his enchanted
- knife. Black ichor spurted out, rewarding the thief's efforts
- somewhat, but not enough, as those huge jaws crunched down on
- his armored chest! Just then, Belphanior hacked the monster
- right in its midsection, and from behind, taking full advantage
- of its occupation with Peldor to select the best angle for his
- blade. The elf's attack was not in vain, for the thing was cut
- to its very spine, and hurled Peldor to the floor, whirling
- about. It's rapid turning motion only aggravated the grievious
- wound, ripping the skin and muscle further, and the elf stabbed
- it in the neck as he saw an opening.
- The thing grunted several times, trying in vain to stop the
- dark blood pouring from its throat, but after a few seconds of
- this, it fell to the ground and was silent. Belphanior moved
- to the side of Peldor, who lay gasping on the dusty floor.
- "Stay still. Did it get you bad?" Peldor seemed shaky as he
- answered, mumbling. "Not really. It barely punched through
- my armor, here. I think your attack caught it just in time,
- though; if it had had another second to chomp down hard, I'd
- be cut in half. I owe you one." Belphanior found a potion in
- his pouch, and proferred it to his companion. "This is elixir
- of healing, have some to help your wounds." Peldor took the
- metal bottle gratefully. "Thanks." He downed about half of
- the bottle's contents, and returned it to the elf, who then
- finished off the rest. "Ahh!", said Belphanior, "Damned good
- stuff!" Peldor nodded in agreement, and they got to their
- feet and cleaned up, feeling much better already.
- Peldor recovered his sword, and then Belphanior doused the
- carcass with powerful acid, in the event that it might decide
- to come back to life. The chest was opened, and the pair at
- last found something useful. Inside the old wooden container
- were several bags of gold, a pouch with ten small gems of good
- quality, and three stoppered potion bottles as well. All this
- but the gold was put in Peldor's backpack; the coinage was too
- heavy to lug around and could be recovered on the way out. He
- checked the chest for false bottoms, but it had none, so they
- both prepared to go down to the next floor.
- It was immediately evident that there was something strange
- about the sixth floor, for its dimensions inside were bigger
- than the outside tower walls. The vertical shaft opened onto
- a semi-circular, empty room with a door, which was ajar and
- led to a forty-by-thirty rectangular room - much to big to fit
- into the tower dimensions. "Boy, I'd like to have the spells
- that set THIS floor up", mentioned Belphanior casually as the
- two entered the area. It was a bedroom, with a large bed, a
- dresser, a small ceramic washbasin, and a larger ceramic tub.
- The bed was covered with dust, and although it was made up
- neatly, it was empty. Peldor searched underneath, finding a
- long, narrow wooden box, while the elf checked the dresser's
- drawers, finding a pair of leather boots, a folded cloak, and
- a small belt. The tub and basin were empty and dry. Peldor
- recovered a few things from the box: some strange papers,
- assorted mothballs, and a gnarled wooden staff. Belphanior
- examined the papers, but they all crumbled in his hands at
- his touch, leaving only brittle fragments. "Fuck!", the elf
- exclaimed. "Damn things fell apart on me." Peldor seemed
- not to care, smiling as he loaded up the other things they
- had found. "I think we've got enough here, already." The
- angry elf glared at him, then relaxed. "I guess so."
- Climbing down again, they came upon a circular library of
- some sort. At least this room fit within the space it should
- have, thought Peldor as he examined the bookshelves. Finding
- a book, he reached to pull it out - and yanked his hand back,
- as a mild shock hit him. "So this place is trapped", said
- Belphanior. The elf also tried for a book, gingerly touching
- some random title, and was also jolted, causing his hair to
- stand on end. "Well, someone doesn't want these books to go
- anywhere. Great." He briefly considered blasting the whole
- chamber with his lightning wand, but decided against it. For
- now.
- Peldor led the way down to the next level - and for the
- first time, they were able to see the bottom of the shaft,
- about twenty feet below. There were two more floors left,
- counting the one they were currently disembarking onto. It
- was a laboratory, with many features. Clockwise from their
- left were seven tubes mounted at a forty-five degree angle
- from the floor (or wall), of different sizes; a workbench
- covered with papers and strange devices; four large stone
- vats; a nearly empty workbench with three potion bottles in
- a green metal case.
- The angled tubes were checked first. Three of them were
- of appropriate size for a typical magical wand, and all were
- empty. Two more were rod-sized, also both empty. The last
- two were bigger, staff-sized, and one held a metallic staff.
- On the table, Belphanior found two parchments that seemed to
- be spell formulae, and took these carefully. The rest of the
- debris seemed to be junk, so they left it alone, except for
- a small, twisted lump of unknown metal, which Belphanior put
- in his pocket. The first of the vats contained murky water;
- the second was filled with yellow, acrid fluid; the third
- had salty liquid (which Belphanior quickly recognized as
- brine); the fourth was full of oil like that used in lanterns
- and torches. Peldor dipped a scrap of metal from the bench
- into the yellow vat, and the item was quickly dissolved. The
- pair of thieves saw no use in examining the vats any further
- and moved on to the second table. The three potion bottles
- were taken, and they left this room. Belphanior grabbed the
- metal staff as an afterthought, placing it near the edge so
- they would remember it later.
- The next, and last, level had a stone wall which blocked
- most of the area of the tower's circle; both thieves looked
- for secret doors, and Peldor found a sliding stone slab to
- the north. This led into another long, narrow strip of a
- room, and another such door. This second door had a strip
- of metal in the floor, which neither thief saw due to all
- the dust; they were both shocked as they stepped on it, and
- actually had to rest for many minutes to recover. The elf
- cursed the builder of this tower. "That wasn't a very nice
- thing to do..." Peldor forged on, not overly bothered by
- the trap. Beyond the second door was a chest; when they
- neared it, a disembodied voice proclaimed, "I CAN'T SAY I
- BLAME YOU...".
- "Weird", offered Peldor as he examined the chest. This
- time, his efforts were not wasted, for he found not one,
- but a pair of needle traps on the thing. Inside the chest
- were several interesting things: a pouch of large diamonds,
- a sack of platinum coins, a pouch of strange platinum orbs,
- and a heavy, bound tome. The pair collected these items,
- and searched the walls and floor for more secret doors, with
- no success. They next climbed back to the roof, collecting
- the coins and staff - Peldor rigged one sack so that it
- could be attached to their rope and pulled up, laden with
- coins. His leatherworking skills no doubt proved useful in
- this particular endeavor. Within half an hour, the pair
- were back on the roof, with all the things they wished to
- take from the place. The moon was still high in the night
- sky, and several hours remained before the sun came up.
- The two thieves had detached their rope from the tower's
- main shaft, and they now used it to lower several sackfuls
- of loot down the tower face. After Belphanior climbed down
- using the rope, Peldor detached it and climbed down by hand.
- Once everything was on the ground, the pair made their way
- back to the horses (who had slept through all the excitement)
- and loaded the sleepy mounts up. They changed back into the
- other clothes, and buried the bulky treasure (i.e. the coins)
- about fifty feet off of the main path back into Loftwick, to
- avoid attention at the gate. Re-entering the city, the two
- companions went to their cheap inn, had the horses stabled,
- entered their room, locked the door, and slept a long and
- fitful sleep.
-
- Late the next morning, they awoke, had baths, and went to
- the inn's common room for breakfast. The place was abuzz
- with news, and everybody was excited, for it seemed that
- the dreaded Tower of the Lost Mage had crumbled overnight.
- With this ill omen gone, most of the superstitous townfolk
- felt much relieved. The innkeeper commented to the pair,
- "Wonder how in the hells THAT happened?" Peldor cast him
- a sidelong glance, and replied, "Ah, I bet someone just went
- out there last night and pushed it down." The barkeep burst
- into hysterics. "Yeah, right! Hah hah!" Belphanior gave
- his friend an evil look, but couldn't resist cracking a
- smile too...
-
-
-
- THE LOOT:
-
- 4123 gp
- 10 garnets (100 gp)
- potion of healing - B
- potion of extra-healing - P
- potion of flying - P
- gnarled staff - P
- boots & cloak of elvenkind - B
- belt of ? (Priests only) - P
- metal staff (nonmagical)
- twisted lump of metal (nonmagical)
- scroll papers - B
- potion of super-heroism - B
- potion ? - P
- potion ? - B
- 667 pp
- 22 platinum orbs ( ~50 pp each)
- tome - B
-
-
-
- Most of the items were identified by a mage that the two
- hired discreetly. The staff could not be identified, nor
- could two of the potions (they were classified as powerful
- though). The scroll papers contained three first-level mage
- spells, and the tome contained sixteen more - a real prize
- for Belphanior. The tome's spells were linked by a single
- common denominator - they were all spells of someone named
- Otiluke...
- Peldor for some reason elected to drink his unknown potion
- that day. He observed no outward effects, but later, when
- at the market selling off some of his loot, he noticed that
- he was constantly able to get the best prices from those he
- dealt with. The only problem was, that damned ring of truth
- on his finger prevented him from telling any lies...
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: the split
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Did any of you notice that Belphanior has been a "6rd"
- level mage since episode 20? I sure didn't...thanks to one of
- my newer readers for pointing this out.
- The reason for the delay in part 51 has been the fact that I
- left all the notes in another city and had to have one of my
- brothers mail them to me. Fortunately he's also an Adventurers
- fan. This episode is dedicated to Eric, my youngest brother,
- for enabling it to be written this month instead of next month.
- This episode is noteworthy because it is the first time since
- way back in part 11 that I have used, exclusively, the standard
- fiction format. It was just obvious that this adventure, that
- of the two thieves, couldn't be done in my usual format.
- This episode is also significant in that it pushes the total
- length of my work over the 1 Mb mark. This is a milestone, as
- I never thought I'd produce a million characters of text on ANY
- subject. Anyway, I'm sort of happy about the whole thing.
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is purely coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY:
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/04/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: midmorning
- Place: Loftwick, capital of the Yeomanry
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LII. The Split
-
-
-
- The bulk of the party has done nothing much since episode 50.
- Several party members got rid of minor magical weapons - Mongo
- his pick, Peldor his scimitar, and Peyote his two-handed sword.
- In addition, Belphanior traded Halbarad a number of magical
- arrows in return for the ranger's small bottle of endless smoke
- and both were happier afterward.
- Belphanior and Peldor did keep themselves occupied by going
- to an old mage's tower in Loftwick and robbing it. The party
- is currently having a discussion over breakfast.
-
- Belphanior: In light of recent...events, I think it would be
- in our best interests to leave this city.
- Peldor: This kingdom too.
- Ged: Been busy, have you?
- Peldor: ...I cannot tell a lie. We have.
- Peyote: Where will we go, dudes?
- Halbarad: I, for one, like these "fringe-of-the-world" lands
- that we have been in recently. The wilderness beckons to me.
- Mongo: Bah. Let's head for the mountains.
- Peldor: Yea!
- Ged: There are a lot of places in the world that we have yet to
- see.
- Alindyar: Perhaps it is better that way...
- Peyote: Let's go to Greyhawk!
- Rillen: What is...Greyhawk?
- Ged: Greyhawk! The biggest and most prosperous city in the
- whole world!
- Halbarad: It is said that there is more wealth and magic there
- than any other place.
- Belphanior: Plus, there are bound to be many interesting things
- to do in a city like that.
- Peldor: (envisioning night after night of robberies in such a
- place) Sounds fine to me.
- Halbarad: Hrmph.
- Mongo: Hell, I'm in. What else do we have to do these days?
- Ged: Only Boccob knows.
- Alindyar: Interesting.
- Halbarad: We could ride north and eastward, perhaps making the
- trip in two months.
- Peldor: (pulls out a map) Hmm.
- Mongo: Hey! That's just like the map Rob had!
- Ged: Where'd you get a map like his?
- Peldor: Hmm. (unable to lie, due to the ring he is wearing)
- I borrowed it from the priest before he left us.
- Halbarad: (to Ged) Why did he admit it?
- Ged: (shrugging) How should I know?
- Mongo: Borrowed?!?! Bullshit!
- Peldor: Ah, come on. He probably would have forgotten about
- it sooner or later anyway.
- Belphanior: (looking at the map) We could save some time if
- we used the rivers...
- Peyote: No way, dude! The wilderness is out there, waiting
- for us!
- Ged: No, he's right. We could make it to Greyhawk in a fortnight
- using the waterways. Besides, I haven't used my mariner skills
- in a long time.
- Halbarad: I wish to go by land.
- Belphanior: Sea!
- Peyote: Land!
- Ged: Sea!
- Rillen: This is a stupid argument.
-
- Much bickering and blabbering ensued. When the smoke cleared,
- it was also clear that there were strong arguments and opinions
- for both the land and sea travel routes. In fact, the party was
- basically split in half on the issue. A simple solution became
- obvious - the party would divide into two sub-parties of four
- adventurers each, and go to Greyhawk their own way. They could
- meet there months later and regroup. Absurd yet practical, this
- turned out to be the only acceptable way for everyone. So it
- was that the party split for the next few months...
-
-
-
- THE SEA GROUP: Ged, Belphanior, Mongo, Rillen
- ROUTE: NE through Little Hills; enter the Hold of the Sea
- Princes and follow Javan River south and east to Monmurg;
- get a ship and sail NE along the coast to the western Pomarj;
- get onto land and travel to hills; find mouth of the Jewel
- River and follow into Suss Forest; leave river and head for
- Elredd; get a ship and sail into the Woolly Bay, northward;
- enter land via the Selintan River, near Hardby; follow the
- river into Greyhawk
-
-
- THE LAND GROUP: Halbarad, Peyote, Peldor, Alindyar
- ROUTE: Travel from Loftwick to the Dreadwood Forest; through
- forest to Gradsul and then on to Gryrax, through the western
- Pomarj toward Highport; then enter Suss Forest via the Jewel
- River; follow it to the Gnarley Forest and then go through
- this woodland to Dyvers; go east, to the Selintan River and
- follow to Greyhawk
-
-
-
- As might be seen, the two paths crossed in several places -
- but both sides still wanted to do it their way, and that way
- only. They agreed that whoever got to the city of Greyhawk first
- would post a notice at all public places (Halbarad was firmly
- convinced that the land route was faster, while Ged tried but
- failed to convince him of the sea route's advantages). With
- these things settled (?), everyone planned to pack up and leave
- Loftwick as soon as possible.
- But there was a slight bit of business that Peldor wanted to
- tend to first. He discussed with Ged the option of trading
- his belt (an item that only a priest could use) for the elf's
- rope of climbing - and the favor of a remove curse spell on
- the thief's ring. Ged identified both items, successfully -
- the belt repelled nonmagical missiles, and the ring Peldor
- already knew about. Impressed by the bronze dragon's display
- of exceptionally good judgement in giving Peldor the truth ring,
- Ged offered the thief only the rope, citing his diety's strict
- views as contrary to a spell-casting that would benefit a base
- thief. Peldor grudgingly accepted, though, and made the trade,
- figuring that he could find a less gullible priest somewhere
- else. Thus, he got a rope of climbing, and Ged got a belt
- of protection from normal missiles. Both were actually happy
- afterward, as it turned out.
- The next day saw the party split - the sea group was well
- on its way by noontime. The race was on!
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Pirates!
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: For simplicity, the doings of the two groups will have to
- be chronicled in the order in which we played them. This means
- that the sea group will dominate the next few postings, followed
- by the adventures of the land group. The routes described above
- are just vague notes I scribbled down ahead of time, as the players
- were discussing travel paths and cheerfully marking up my map. I
- don't have the Greyhawk map with me, but the notes should help if
- you are familiar with the game world; the party is deep within the
- western half of the world map...
-
- Due to popular demand, I have included below the item lists for
- the various adventurers at this point in time, and to the best of
- their knowledge...upon reflection, it is fairly obvious that this
- was a high-magic campaign, but such was life...
-
- >-
-
-
-
- ALINDYAR
- dagger +2
- wand of magic missiles
-
- wand of illusion
- carpet of flying
- bag of holding
- crystal ball
- manual
- adamantine bar
-
- bracers of defense ac6
- robes of protection +3
- amulet of life protection
- ring of mind shielding
-
- potion of flying
- 2 potions of extra-healing
- jug of (5 potions of) invisibility
-
-
-
- BELPHANIOR
- longsword +2
- longsword +1, dancing
- longsword +1, luck blade (amount of wishes left, if any, is UNKNOWN)
- 13 arrows +2
- staff of thunder and lightning (almost empty)
- wand of lightning
-
- ring of wizardry (doubles 1st level spells castable)
- ring of spell storing (friends, shatter, jump)
- bowl of summoning water elementals
- quiver of Ehlonna
- gauntlets of dexterity
- boots & cloak of elvenkind
- tome of Otiluke spells
- eversmoking bottle
-
- bracers of defense ac4
-
- 2 potions of undead control
- potion of super-heroism
- potion of extra-healing
- potion of ?
-
- flask of curses (unopened...yet)
-
-
-
- GED
- morningstar +3
- sling +2, of seeking
-
- ring of shooting stars
- ring of water breathing (not worn)
- stone horse
- Boccob's blessed book
- book of exalted deeds (unread yet)
-
- chain mail +2
- small shield +2
- belt vs. normal missiles
- rod of absorption
- ring of spell turning
-
-
-
- HALBARAD
- battle axe +3
- hand axe +2
- dagger +2
- longbow +2
- 9 arrows +1
- red arrow
-
- ring of warmth
- ring of animal friendship
- gauntlets of ogre power
- gem of seeing
- cloak of comfort
- horn
-
- leather armor +3
-
- potion of fire resistance
- potion of speed
-
-
-
- MONGO
- hammer +4, dwarven thrower (augmented by magical water from the
- dungeon of Aranor the Mad, this weapon used to be only +3)
- longsword +3
- crossbow of speed
-
- ring of regeneration
- ring of fire resistance
- chime of opening
- necklace of adaption
- mattock
-
- plate mail +3
- medium shield +1
-
- jug of (5 potions of) extra-healing
- potion of fire giant strength
- potion of heroism
-
-
-
- PELDOR
- short sword +1, of Lyons (makes the wielder invisible until
- the weapon is unsheathed)
- dagger +3, of throwing
-
- ring of free action (not worn)
- ring of telekinesis
- ring of truth (not removable; allows wearer to detect any
- lies heard but also prevents wearer from uttering a lie;
- this ring was the bronze dragons' gift to Peldor...)
- luckstone
- hat of disguise
- rope of climbing
- boots of striding and springing
- pouch of accessibility
- strange meteorite (demonstrates no powers, but seems to be
- resistant to any and all damage; weighs 25 lbs.)
- gnarled staff
-
- leather armor +2
- cloak of protection +2
-
- 2 potions of longevity (only knows what one of them is)
- potion of extra-healing
- potion of flying
-
-
- PEYOTE
- bastard sword +3, frost brand
- 3 javelins of lightning
- wand of wonder
-
- ring of invisibility
- ring of earth elemental command (he's almost figured this
- out)
- rose ioun stone (grants +1 protection)
- pale lavender ioun stone (absorbs up to 4th level spells)
- scroll (1/2/3/4/5/6 level druidic spells)
- scroll (4/4/4/5/5/6 level druidic spells)
-
- ring of protection +2
-
- potion of dimunition
- potion of super-heroism
- jug of (5 potions of) healing
-
-
-
- RILLEN
- quarterstaff +3
- longbow +2
-
- wand of illumination
- horseshoes of speed (currently on his horse)
-
- robes of protection +4
- gloves of missile snaring
-
-
-
- >-
-
- A few miscellaneous notes:
-
- Peldor has already figured out that one of the potions he got
- from the mage tower, which he quaffed soon after he got it, was
- some sort of charisma-booster (Philter of Persuasiveness); what
- he doesn't know is that it was one of two _permanent effect_
- potions left there long ago.
- Belphanior, as we know, got the other potion from that pair.
- It's a permanent Potion of Intimidation...
- Belphanior's flask of curses is set and ready to render him
- insane as soon as he opens it (he thinks it's just another
- potion).
-
- Don't even ask for their spell lists :)
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/07/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: northeast of Loftwick, in the Yeomanry
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LIII. Pirates!
-
-
-
- The group who wanted to travel to Greyhawk by sea has gotten
- underway - this bunch consisting of Belphanior, Ged, Mongo, and
- Rillen. They have been moving northwest through the Yeomanry
- for several days...
-
- Belphanior: It sure is deserted out here.
- Ged: Of course it is. That's why this is the wilderness.
- Mongo: (obviously bored) Is this as good for you guys as it
- is for me?
- Rillen: No.
- Belphanior: Hey, look there! Someone is coming!
- Mongo: (grasping his hammer) Maybe it's goblins or something.
- Rillen: It looks like a patrol.
-
- guardsman: Ho there!
- Ged: Ho!
- other guardsman: What do you here?
- Rillen: Do? I do what I wish.
- Mongo: Do what?
- Rillen: What in the hell are you talking about...?
- Ged: (to first guardsman) Hey, pal, what's _your_ business?
- first guardsman: Well met, travelers. We are simply some of
- the land's militia, checking for orcs and bandits and such.
- Mongo: Well, that's not _us_.
- Rillen: I am no orc.
- second guardsman: Of course not. We shall continue on our
- way. Happy travails!
- Ged: (watching the troops ride away) Those guys were...weird.
- Belphanior: (fingering his sword) For a minute there, it was
- almost as if they wanted trouble.
- Rillen: Bah. If anyone attacks us, _I_ will show them what
- trouble is all about.
-
- They rode on for another week or so, passing a large merchant
- caravan, a small town, and a band of dwarves, halflings, and
- men headed into the Joten Mountains on a raid. Eventually, the
- group entered the Little Hills, so named because of the over-
- shadowing mountains to the northwest. The hills were the home
- of many halflings and gnomes who were renowned for their great
- ferocity in battle.
-
- Belphanior: Ha ha! I've yet to meet the halfling who has any
- use in a fight!
- Mongo: Hey, you've got to watch out for the little fuckers.
- They may not be too strong, but they'll pick your pockets
- clean in a heartbeat.
- Rillen: What is a...halfling?
- Ged: What?!?
- Rillen: I do not know what that is.
- Mongo: Haven't you been in the world for long enough to have
- figured this out by now?
- Rillen: No.
- Belphanior: They're little guys, usually not even waist-high.
- They usually tend to act like thieves, purse-snatching and
- pocket-picking and such.
- Ged: Oh boy. You're one to talk.
- Belphanior: Just making an observation.
- Rillen: I will remember what you have told me. In case I
- ever meet one of these halfdings.
- Mongo: Halflings.
- Rillen: Right.
-
- They camped and traveled for a few days in the hills, safe
- in this peaceful (at least, when the giants from the mountains
- weren't raiding southeast) area. A couple of days later, they
- encountered a patrol...
-
- Mongo: Son of a bitch! Here comes a whole swarm of little
- varmints!
- Ged: What do you...oh.
- Belphanior: Halflings. There some are, Rillen.
- Rillen: Hmm.
- halfling: (marching up to the party) Hey there! State your
- name and business in our hills!
- Belphanior: Now look here, you-
- Ged: We are moving northward, small friends, and are simply
- riding through your kingdoms. We mean no harm.
- Mongo: (looking about suspiciously, as he holds on to his
- pouches)
- Rillen: So these are halflings.
- other halfling: Yeah! What of it?
- Rillen: You look like children to me. (looming over the tiny
- one) What of it?
- halfling: ulp.
- Ged: Now, now. (pats Rillen on the shoulder) It won't do to
- go bothering the local folk of the hills. (turns to leader)
- We'll just go on about our merry way.
- Halfling Leader: Yup. That is, after you pay the toll of the
- hillfolk.
- Ged: What?!
- Belphanior: Aaa! Highway robbery! A noble warrior like myself
- cannot possibly stoop to such depths as to pay off midget
- bandits!
- halfling: We're not bandits, we _live_ here. And you have to
- pay the toll.
- other halflings: (doing their best to look menacing)
- Mongo: Bah. I could give a shit less. _I_ am not paying you
- little pests.
- halfling: Grr...
- Ged: (checking his pockets) I guess _someone_ will have to
- pay up here.
- Belphanior: I'll get it.
- Mongo: ?!?
- Belphanior: I changed my outlook toward this business. Here.
- (hands the leader a pouch of coins) Have this token of our
- inestimable gratitude.
- Halfling Leader: Wow. Err, gee, thanks. You may pass. (he
- leads the fifty of so halflings on their way, all of them
- jabbering excitedly)
- Ged: (looking back as they ride away) Thanks for your, well,
- uncharacteristic donation back there. How noble of you.
- Belphanior: Think nothing at all of it. I certainly didn't.
- Especially since I just unloaded about a hundred copper
- coins painted as gold...
- Mongo: All RIGHT!! (slaps the elf on the back) Way to go!!
- Rillen: Hmm. I guess they got just what they deserved.
- Belphanior: I like to think so.
- Ged: Well. There was nothing wrong with that. Toll! Bah!
- (looking back again) But let's ride faster for a while.
- Just in case.
- Mongo: Yeah, we wouldn't want to invoke the wrath of the
- halflings! Hah hah!
- Belphanior: Heh.
- Rillen: (smiling, an unusual occurence)
- Ged: Hm.
-
- The group rode on, exiting the hills the next day and then
- reaching the Javan River soon after that. It was now a full
- ten days since they had left the city of Loftwick. The river
- was quite wide and deep - the Javan was the longest river on
- the continent, though the party was surely unaware of this
- interesting geographical fact.
-
- Ged: Wonderful. There's no way in the Hells that we can
- ford that thing. Not even on horseback.
- Mongo: We could ride along it, maybe northward, until we find
- a bridge or a barge or something.
- Rillen: (gazing at the river) I have never seen such a thing
- as this before!
- Ged: Welcome to the civilized world, pal.
- Belphanior: (producing a small box) Here's what we need.
- (trots down to the river's edge)
- Ged: Wonderful. How is _that_ thing going to help us get
- across the river?
- Mongo: Yeah, how?!?
- Rillen: It looks like a boat. For a rat.
- Ged: Yeah, th- ahh, no comment.
- Belphanior: (ignoring them, says a few command words) Watch
- this. O ye of little faith.
-
- Suddenly, the small box quivered and shook, and then...grew!
- The thing lengthened, tapering to a point at one end. Several
- other wooden planks appeared and multiplied. The box began to
- look like a large boat; a mast appeared as if from nowhere and
- sails grew like weeds upon this spire of wood. Oars and their
- slots materialized. Within the span of a minute, the party
- was looking at a fully-outfitted and decked ship for fifteen
- or more. The vessel was well over 20' long and 8' wide; it
- now lay most of the way onto the riverbank, just waiting for
- someone to sail it into the wide river.
-
- Ged: Boccob's glory! Where did you get THAT?!?!? I want one!
- Belphanior: Oh, some forgotten mage lent it to me. Heh heh.
- Mongo: Yeah. (rapping on the wooden deck) Seems solid enough
- for use, anyway. Good and sturdy.
- Rillen: What an item.
- Ged: (hops onto the ship) This baby's got _everything_!
- Belphanior: Yep. Let's raise the sail and get on our way!
- Mongo: Yeah! (he climbs aboard)
- Ged: I'll operate the sail. Mongo, you get the rudder.
- Mongo: But I don't know how!
- Ged: Don't worry, I'll guide you along.
- Rillen: (deftly vaults onto the main deck, using his staff)
- What about the horses?
- Ged: Hey, look! There's a neat little hatch here! They can
- trot up this ramp, onto the ship.
- Mongo: Imagine that.
- Belphanior: How convenient. I didn't even know it had _that_.
- Rillen: (leads the horses onto the ship) There is nowhere for
- them to go. They will have to stay on deck.
- Ged: Oh well.
- Mongo: Just make sure they don't crap on us.
- Belphanior: (looking sour) I can only assume that we're going
- downstream, toward the sea.
- Ged: That would seem to make sense. Unless you can produce a
- dozen strong rowers to fight the current...?
- Belphanior: No, I don't have such an item. Yet.
-
- They worked the ship free of the shore, and were soon sailing
- at a fairly rapid clip down the Javan River.
-
- Rillen: I guess you could say that we caught the last ship out.
-
- Ged dominated this portion of the journey, as he had a good
- bit of sailing experience under his belt. The grey elf was
- obviously having quite a time of it, too, as he operated the
- sails and guided Mongo at the rudder. The group moved for a
- day, with Ged teaching some of the basics to the others when
- he could. At night, they lit a lantern an hung it in the prow
- of the ship, sleeping in shifts of two so that they could go
- by night too; there was no telling what dangers lay in wait on
- the dark, unknown shores of this strange land.
- The night was uneventful, and early in the morning they went
- by a merchant barge, waving happily to the confused traders.
- Hours later, an unusual encounter took place...
-
- Ged: Hey, look at those little children on the shore.
- Mongo: Hi, guys! (waving)
- kid on shore: (throws a rock, hitting the ship's hull) Feh!
- Belphanior: What the...?!?
- other kids: (also throwing rocks at the party, and laughing;
- there are about a dozen of them)
- Mongo: What are those little shits up to?
- Rillen: Maybe they are getting their rocks off.
- Ged: The little weasels!
- Belphanior: I've half a mind to blast them...
- Mongo: Someone should spank the bastards!
- Ged: Here, watch the ship. (casts a spell, and pyrotechnics
- appear in the sky overhead, dazzling the children, who run
- about in glee, the party's boat forgotten)
- Belphanior: You should have used the fireworks to zap THEM,
- not wasted the spell in the air.
- Ged: No harm done.
- Rillen: There they go...(the ship is outdistancing the shore-
- bound tots) Farewell, little imps.
- Belphanior: (makes an obscene gesture at the children)
-
- They sailed on for another day and a half, passing at one
- point a war galley docked at a small town, at another point a
- beached wreck. Late in the afternoon of the day following
- the encounter with the unruly children, an accident looked
- unavoidable, as...
-
- Ged: Holy Boccob!
- Mongo: What...? Shit!
- Belphanior: That ship behind us is coming fast! And it
- looks out of control!
- Rillen: (covers his eyes from the sun with a hand) Why are
- all those people running around on deck screaming?
- Ged: They're out of control for sure! They may hit us!
- Belphanior: (trying to think of a quick spell) Damn.
-
- The other ship, a galley somewhat larger than Belphanior's
- magical ship, drew close as its crew tried to steer it away.
- They seemed to regain control, though, turning the galley to
- the side before it could ram the party's vessel. Suddenly,
- though, the sailors on the other deck hurled hooks over, and
- the sharp steel dug into the party's ship, pulling the two
- boats close.
-
- Ged: By the gods! They mean to board us! It's base
- deception, at its basest!
- Belphanior: To hell with that! (slices a hooked rope)
- Rillen: What is going on?
- Mongo: Battle!
- Rillen: This I understand. (begins whirling his staff)
- pirates: (throw planks over; the wide wooden slats have
- hooks at both ends, and three of them sink in, virtually
- connecting the two ships with eight-foot-long walkways)
- 'at's it, boyos! Throw 'em over! Board her!
- Ged: (runs to the rudder, fighting the larger ship's effect
- on the party's) Fight them off!
- Mongo: No shit! (heads for one plank, and the pirates who
- are already crossing it) Hey!
- Belphanior: (thinking about his magical bowl) Ged! This
- may be the time for the water elemental!
- Ged: Gods, no! That thing'll sink both ships! Do something
- else instead!
-
- Rillen: (climbs aboard a plank) You. Get off of our ship.
- Now.
- pirates: Har har! Outta the way, blackie! (the first one
- charges the warrior)
- Rillen: (whirling his staff meaningfully) As you wish.
- (bashes the lead pirate in the head, sending him into the
- water below) Maybe that will knock some sense into you.
- Mongo: Yarrrrr! (charges the pirates on another plank)
- pirates: That thar dwarf is crazy as a loon!
- Mongo: (smashes the first pirate in the knee, and then
- bowls through him, attacking the next one)
- first pirate: Aaaa! (grabs the edge of the plank as he
- continues to scream in agony) Aaaaaa!
- Belphanior: (standing at the third plank)
- pirate: Har har, elf. Back off, now. We won't hurt ye.
- other pirate: Much!
- pirate: Har! The elf doesn't even have his sword drawn.
- Whassamatter, pointy-ears? Don't know how to use that
- pigsticker? Har har!
- Belphanior: (grabs his end of the board and begins to lift)
- pirates: Eh? Yie!
- Belphanior: (turning the board, manages to dislodge it and
- tip it into the river; the pirates fall back into their
- ship though, not the river, as the elf had hoped might
- happen) Heh. See who gets the last laugh.
- Rillen: (knocks another pirate's cutlass aside, and then
- hits the wielder himself, knocking him back into his ship
- with a crushed ribcage) What is the matter? Can't catch
- your breath?
- other pirate: Yaa! (charges Rillen, but misses with his
- attack)
- Mongo: (knocks over his second pirate, and leaps onto their
- deck) Ha! Mongo conquers all!
- two pirate bowmen: (fire arrows at Ged, three of which are
- right on target, but get deflected by the elf's magical
- belt and bury themselves in the deck nearby instead) Huh?
- Ged: Damn fools! Here I am trying to guide the ships - a
- lost cause, it would seem - and they fire at me! Well,
- I'll show _them_. (begins spellcasting)
- Belphanior: (moves to the plank which Mongo crossed over,
- and boards it)
- pirate: (the one with the smashed knee, trying to pull
- himself up onto the plank) Aaaa! Eh?
- Belphanior: (standing above him) Hi there.
- pirate: (grins mindlessly) ...oh shit! (lets go as the
- elf slashes at him, and falls into the river and is lost
- immediately)
- Belphanior: Stupid shit.
- Ged: (fires magical missiles at the archers, hitting both
- of them twice each)
- pirate archers: (both perish)
- Ged: That's Boccob's justice for you! See what becomes of
- those who would attack the helpless!
- Rillen: Helpless? I think not. (parries another pirate
- attack)
- pirate: (slashes Mongo, denting his plate armor)
- pirate: (slashes at Belphanior, missing by far)
-
- The battle continued, with men, dwarf, elves, and horses
- (remember them?) milling about everywhere. Utter chaos was
- prevalent...
-
- Mongo: (on the pirate ship, heads for the steersman) Hey!
- Hey you!
- pirate: (turns) Huh?!
- Mongo: (clubs the unfortunate with his hammer, twice; the
- second blow misses terribly and hits the rudder assembly
- instead - smashing it...) Uh-oh!
- pirate steersman: (slain anyway)
- Ged: (looks to both sides) Oh crap! We're headed for the
- shore!
- Belphanior: (stabs another pirate, then kicks him off the
- plank) What?!?
- Ged: If we don't get disconnected from the pirate galley
- soon, we'll smash apart into matchwood!
- Belphanior: Oh. (leaps back onto the party's ship)
- Rillen: (swats two more pirates, knocking one overboard)
- Mongo! Come back!
- Mongo: (fighting three pirates at once) Huh?!?
- Belphanior: (draws his wand) Get back, Mongo! (blasts
- the pirate ship with a bolt of lightning, snapping its
- mast and setting the sails ablaze)
- Mongo: HOLY SHIT!! All right, all right! I'm coming!
- (starts making his way back to the planks)
- Rillen: Eh? Aaaaah! (the plank he is standing on has
- just cracked apart due to the stress between the ships)
- Aaaaah! (leaps backwards, catching the deck rail of the
- party's ship with one hand) Aaaaah!
- Ged: Oh, quit playing. (grabs the big man and pulls him
- on board)
- Belphanior: Come on, Mongo!
- Ged: Blast some of the pirates! That's what's keeping him
- over there - they won't quit fighting with him!
-
- Mongo: (smashes a pirate, pulverizing his head in a spray
- of crimson) Let me out! Get the fuck outta my way, you
- bastards! Ugh! (takes a hit in the belly) Damnit!
- Belphanior: (blasts the enemy ship again - this bolt hits
- it midships, at the waterline) Ha!
- Ged: OH SHIT! They're sinking!
- Belphanior: So? Good!
- Ged: No, you idiot! If THEY sink, then WE sink! We're
- still attached to their ship! And Mongo will sink too!
- Belphanior: Oh.
- Rillen: (smashes the last plank with a powerful blow or
- two of his hand) Someone get the ropes! Get them!
- Belphanior: (dashes off, stashing the wand as he finds
- a knife) Okay!
- Ged: Mongo!
- Mongo: (swamped by attackers, who seem determined to keep
- him on their ship) Aaargh!
- Ged: Mongo, you're SINKING! Get back here!
- Mongo: Sinking?
- pirates: Sinking?!?!
- Ged: (prepares a spell) They're going under!
- Belphanior: (slashes the last of the ropes) That's it!
- Mongo: (breaks free of his attackers, leaving another
- dead and several wounded) On my way! (runs for the
- deck closest to the party's ship, grabbing a big piece
- of the broken mast on the way) Gangway!
- Ged: (trying to cast Water Breathing on the dwarf) This
- would be the best use I've ever had for THIS spell...!
- (suddenly realizes that he has to touch the recipient)
- Damn! Damn it!
- Mongo: (jumps off the deck - and gets about two feet,
- before the weight of his armor pulls him down into the
- river...) Oh SHIIIIIIIIT! <SPLASH> Glub glub!
- Rillen: Man overboard! Or, dwarf...
- Belphanior: (digging for rope) Fuck! Fuck!
- Ged: (watching the pirates' ship) They're sinking! And
- so is Mongo! No, wait! He's clinging to that mast!
- But the current's carrying him! He's getting away!
- The pirates are sunk! (steers their own ship away from
- the shore, just in time) Whew! Damn!
- Rillen: Throw the rope! We'll only get one chance!
- Belphanior: Yeah! (has the thing untangled)
- Rillen: Throw it! Throw it!
- Belphanior: (hurls his rope's grappling hook, with one
- end of the rope tied to it, far past the river-borne
- dwarf)
- Ged: You missed!
- Belphanior: No, I overshot him. Hopefully he'll be able
- to grab on to the rope!
- Rillen: Did he get it?
- Ged: Can't tell...Wait! He's got it!
- Belphanior: Let's reel him in, before he sinks.
-
- Presently, they had pulled Mongo back onto the boat.
- The dwarf was soaking wet and coughing water, but otherwise
- alive and well.
-
- Mongo: Dammit! I HATE the water! (stomping about the ship)
- Ged: Hey, knock it off, pal. You're dripping on me!
- Mongo: Why, you- (wrings a shirtsleeve out over the elf's
- head) Ha!
- Rillen: (chuckling)
- Belphanior: Heh heh.
- Ged: Okay, okay. Let's get back on course and have a drink.
- Mongo: Ha. Okay, but I get to dry off first.
- Ged: Of course. Otherwise we'll all be soaked like you, the
- way you're splashing about.
-
- They continued, that night and then the next two days, and
- finally, on 12/23/570, they entered the harbor-city called
- Momburg - the capital of the Hold of the Sea Princes.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Slaves, the sea monster, and other fun in the
- Azure Sea
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: I must have goofed in the item descriptions last time -
- Belphanior's character sheet that I have in this adventure's
- folder lists him as having the folding boat. I know that they
- used it to get onto the river; I have either forgotten to list
- the thing in the treasure lists or listed it but not updated
- the list that went into the end of the last posting. In any
- case, the elf does have the boat.
- Only Belphanior's lucky throw kept Mongo from getting away
- in the river. Some of the difficulties of rapid-river combat
- became apparent during this adventure...
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/23/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: late afternoon
- Place: Momburg, capital of the Hold of the Sea Princes
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LIV. Out to Sea!
-
-
-
- The "sea" group has arrived in the city of Momburg, capital of
- the villanous Sea Princes domain, after a somewhat tedious trek
- through the wild plains and hills to the west. Winter was here
- by now, and with a vengeance; the cold air found its way into
- even the smallest seams of their clothes.
-
- Belphanior: Kind of nippy out here...
- Rillen: This new city should have a place for us to stay.
- Mongo: What sort of place is this? They're all dressed funny.
- Ged: I talked with some priests about this land before.
- Belphanior: ...and?
- Ged: The Sea Princes rule this region, and Flotsam Isle, and
- Jetsom Isle, and Fairwind Isle, and...(unfolds a map)...hell,
- they rule the whole damned bay. The Jerlea Bay, that is.
- Belphanior: Hey! Did you steal that map from Peldor?
- Ged: Surely you jest.
- Rillen: These people. Are they bad?
- Ged: Slavers, I have heard.
- Belphanior: (fingering his swordhilt) Heh. Then they will
- taste my steel sooner or later.
- Ged: Try not to kill anybody here.
- Mongo: Slavers, huh? You think they're related to the other
- ones, who had that castle in the mountains?
- Rillen: Other ones?
- Ged: Who knows? Anyway, this is a rough place. I suggest that
- we take care of our business here and leave.
- Rillen: What _is_ our business here?
- Mongo: Yeah. Good question.
- Ged: I think we need a bigger boat, to go out on the ocean.
- Mongo: Ocean?
- Rillen: Ocean? I have never seen an ocean before.
- Ged: (dreaming about the wonders of the open ocean)
- Belphanior: Maybe Mongo will fall in...
- Mongo: Hey! That's not funny!
- Ged: You need a flotation device, pal.
- Belphanior: Bigger boat, eh? Let's go to the docks, then.
- Rillen: Sounds good to me. (they go)
-
- As the four walked through the city, malicious eyes were upon
- them at every turn, it seemed. Ruffians, thugs, whores - all
- these and more seemed plentiful here in Momburg. Most obvious,
- though, was the abundance of slaves. Chained, bound, or collared
- wretches were present at every turn. Some were being dragged
- or led by sullen masters, others roamed about, seemingly freely;
- but the aura of oppression was almost tangible in all cases.
-
- Ged: Ths place is pitiful.
- Mongo: Poor slaves. We should do something.
- Belphanior: If I had the power, I would bring this land to its
- knees...
- Ged: We can't just declare war on an entire country, guys.
- Mongo: Why not?
- Ged: Because we can't win.
- Mongo: Why not?
- Belphanior: We'd need an army. Which we _don't_ have.
- Rillen: Hmm. Why not?
- Mongo: Don't worry about it.
- Ged: There they are...the docks.
-
- Ahead were Momburg's links with the open sea - an extensive
- series of wooden docks, filled in some places with ships and
- boats of all sorts, mostly empty in others. There was actually
- a small bay-like area, which was about twenty leagues across,
- with an "opening" perhaps ten leagues wide, to the north of the
- city. The mass that was Jetsom Island loomed out there to the
- east somewhere, outside the neck of the bay. Beyond that, to the
- south, were the other two islands. Northward was the continent
- itself, which was claimed by Keoland. Eastward, however, lay a
- seemingly infinite blue expanse - the Azure Sea! It was here
- that Ged wished to sail, once a suitable ship had been procured.
-
- Belphanior: I don't see any "Ship for sale" signs...
- Ged: We'll just have to ask around.
- Rillen: Maybe someone will give us a good deal.
- Mongo: How much does a good ship cost, anyways?
- Ged: It depends. A small ship could cost only five thousand or
- so pieces of gold. A big galleon, on the other hand, could
- run us up to fifty thousand or more...
- Rillen: That is a lot of money for a ship.
- Belphanior: We also need a crew, don't forget that.
- Mongo: Cripes! Fifty thousand! Fuck that!
- Ged: We'll just have to see.
- Rillen: (talking to some bum) Do you know where there are any
- ships for sale?
- bum: ey, nah. 'eck it out over dere, dou'. Dey might. urp!
- Rillen: Thanks a lot. I think.
- Ged: There's a nice one. (looking at a ship, a big one with
- several sails) I wonder if it's for sale.
- Rillen: Sail?
- Ged: Never mind.
- Mongo: Hey, look. There's one that looks abandoned.
- merchant: (strolling up) Whaddya need?
- Belphanior: We seek to buy a large vessel.
- Ged: Yea. We need a ship, preferably one of the oar-driven
- types, with a mast and sail.
- merchant: Ah! I have just the thing. I assume that you can
- pay the costs, for they are quite substantial...
- Mongo: Don't you worry, buddy. We're good for it.
- merchant: Follow me. (he leads them down another dock to a
- long ship tied to the wooden posts of the dock) Here she is.
- Ged: Wow.
-
- The vessel was a standard longship, something that only Ged
- had seen before. It was seventy-five feet in length, and about
- twenty feet in width. There were two dozen oars on either side,
- meant to be operated by one oarsman apiece (large galleys had
- oars that had to be operated by two or three people). A single
- large mast jutted from the ship's middle, suitable for a square
- sail to be fitted for additional propulsion. As they boarded
- the ship, they found that it had ample space for cargo and
- supplies. Ged knew that this sort of ship was quite seaworthy
- and could venture safely across the open sea if need be.
-
- Ged: (knocking of the hull) It seems to be in good shape.
- merchant: Of course! I would not try to sell such fine ones
- as you an ill-maintained vessel. I would have sold it long
- ago, since I have others, but no one is in the market for a
- large ship these days. Sigh...
- Mongo: Well, _we_ are.
- Belphanior: (to Ged) How many crewmen will we have to get?
- Ged: Not too many...How much for the ship?
- merchant: Uhh...fully outfitted with sail and oars, fifteen
- thousand in gold.
- Ged: Bah! Sail and oars are supposed to come with the ship!
- Five thousand!
- merchant: Thirteen!
- Mongo: You shark! Six!
- Rillen: (to Belphanior) What is a "shark"?
- Belphanior: It's a sea monster that eats other fish. And men.
- Rillen: This is a man, not a monster. What...?
- Belphanior: Never mind.
- merchant: Twelve thousand.
- Ged: Eight.
- merchant: Eleven.
- Mongo: Ten! That's our final offer! Take it or leave it!
- merchant: Okay, okay. Ten it is. We shall have to go to my
- office inland to sign the paperwork.
- Ged: We need a moneychanger or jeweler to cash in some gems
- for the money.
- Rillen: (not sure that this is a wise investment) Hmm.
- merchant: Okay, I'll take you to all those places.
-
- Within a two-hour span, the money had been exchanged for the
- rights to the ship. Belphanior and Rillen went to the ship to
- guard it, while Ged and Mongo went to find a crew to man it...
-
- Ged: Why get a crew? All we need are oarsmen. We could get
- some slaves!
- Mongo: Hey, I'm no slaver!
- Ged: I was thinking of freeing them later.
- Mongo: Oh. Yeah! That way, we get a crew, and they get their
- freedom! Everybody wins! Good idea!
- Ged: Where are the auction blocks, anyway?
- Mongo: Dunno. Let's go this way. (they wander off)
-
- meanwhile, on the docks...
-
- ruffian: Hey, looks like someone's bought this longship from
- ol' Traxius.
- other ruffian: Har! Let's have a look-see. Maybe there's
- some good stuff aboard already!
- third ruffian: Yeah! Think there's any little girlies here
- too?
- Rillen: (appears) What do you people think you are doing?
- ruffian#1: Har! Look there! It's a big black ape!
- Rillen: Ape?
- ruffian#2: Out of our way, buddy. We're from the dock boss'
- gang! We have the right to look over your ship.
- ruffian#3: And take what we want! Har har!
- Rillen: (yelling) Belphanior!
- Belphanior: (voice muffled, since he is below decks nearby)
- What is it?
- Rillen: There are some people here who say that they have to
- look at the ship and take things!
- Belphanior: (still below decks) What the fuck?!?!? No way!
- Keep them off the ship!
- Rillen: I am afraid I will have to ask you to leave.
- ruffian#1: Haw! (rushes at the warrior, club raised) See
- how you like to get bashed, you big ox! Taste hard wood!
- Rillen: (trips the goon, grabbing his wooden club) No thank
- you. (forcibly crams the end of the wooden pole into the
- man's mouth) Does it taste good to you? I hope so.
- ruffian#1: (screaming and blubbering as teeth fly everywhere)
- BLGHRGH! AAARGH!
- ruffian#2: Get him!
- ruffian#3: I dunno, he looks pretty big.
- ruffian#2: (grabs the bloody ruffian#1) Let's get the hell
- out of here then! (they flee, dragging their wounded comrade)
- Belphanior: (appears from below-decks, sword in hand) What
- was all that commotion?
- Rillen: I got rid of those people. They wanted to rob us, I
- think. But I made one of them eat his weapon.
- Belphanior: Really? Cool!
- Rillen: Do you think they will be back?
- Belphanior: Who knows? Their kind is usually too stupid to
- know any better. We'd better be ready, just in case.
- Rillen: Okay.
-
- soon...
-
- Rillen: Here come some more people!
- Belphanior: (leaps on deck) Whoa! Those aren't people, they're
- ogres!
- ogre: Hey! Hey youse! Youse busted up Duekus here! So now we
- come to bust YOU up!
- other ogres: (yelling; there are eight of them in all)
- Belphanior: Hold them off. (begins a spell)
- Rillen: Right. (grabs his bow, which he had ready, and begins
- to pepper the group with arrows) Stay back.
- ogres: Agh! Ouch! (the warrior is shooting them in the knees,
- and has nailed two so far)
- Belphanior: (launches a color spray at the group) Take that!
- ogres: Yagh! (five of them fall unconscious, while the others
- gaps in amazement) Huh?
- Rillen: Ha ha. Caught you looking...
- Belphanior: What's that, a mob coming up the dock? Shit!
- Rillen: (peering) It looks like Ged and Mongo. They have some
- new friends also.
-
- Ged and Mongo were marching up the dock, and behind them was a
- group of fifty newly purchased slaves carrying bundles of food
- and supplies.
-
- Mongo: Hey guys! We're home!
- Ged: Looks like trouble there.
- Mongo: I'll be damned! Ogres!
- Ged: It didn't take those two long to get into trouble, did
- it? Ah well, it's probably Belphanior's fault, anyway.
- Mongo: (yelling to the ogres) Off the docks! Now! You're in
- the way!
- ogres: (unsure of what would be best) Duh?
- Mongo: (hurls his hammer at one, knocking it off the dock and
- into the water) Go on! Jump into the water! NOW!
- ogres: (the other two who are awake leap off the dock) Aaaa!
- <SPLASH> Glub glub.
- Mongo: (turns to the slaves) As you walk by, make sure you
- get a chance to step on those unconscious ogres there. Feel
- free to kick them into the water, if you want.
- Ged: But hurry up and get onto the ship.
-
- Within five minutes, everyone was aboard, and Belphanior and
- Ged were raising the sail as Mongo and Rillen helped distribute
- the oars to the slaves.
-
- Ged: Let's get a move on! More trouble may be on the way!
- Belphanior: Why?
- Ged: The slavers in the city didn't seem too happy when we
- told the slaves that we would free them once we got on the
- ship...
- Belphanior: (pulling a rope to raise a corner of the sail)
- I was going to ask you about that...the slavery issue...
- Ged: We decided to buy them, and then free them. It seemed
- like they'd work harder that way, and anyway I am not one
- to keep slaves in captivity.
- Belphanior: Me neither. I applaud your judgement.
- Ged: Me too, Boccob knows. But I think the town guard may
- come after us. It's not good to just buy a ship and sail
- away with a lot of freed slaves, in the capital of a land
- whose main trade is the slave trade...but I think we did
- the right thing.
- Belphanior: Yeah. I also think we're ready.
- Mongo: Oars, check! Rudder, check!
- Ged: Sail, check! Let's get out to sea! Row, men, row!
-
- Belphanior and Rillen untied and reeled in the docking ropes
- and pulled up the anchor as well. Within minutes, the large
- ship was headed toward sea. It was late afternoon by now, and
- the four adventurers took a well-deserved rest and had supper
- while the ex-slaves rowed the vessel out to sea (they had been
- resting for many days on the auction block...). The fifty men
- Ged and Mongo had selected, all strong and in good shape, were
- no doubt pleased immensely that they were to be freed. Since
- Ged and Mongo had also bought enough food for all of them for
- at least two weeks, all bases seemed covered. The large ship
- moved northeastward, navigated by Ged using the stars and his
- knowledge of seamanship and navigation.
- Despite Ged's fears, no one pursued them, and the night was
- peaceful. They had the rowers work in shifts, so half could
- get some rest while the other half rowed. Ged and Mongo took
- turns manning the rudder, and the sail was lowered until the
- morning.
- In the morning, Ged raised the sail, and the ship moved at
- a brisk clip. By noon, they were through the bay's mouth and
- passing Jetsom Isle; a few merchant-type ships were spotted
- nearby, but nothing more. Belphanior took a liking to the
- small area at the top of the mast, and appointed himself as
- the ship's lookout. Ged theorized that the elf just wanted
- to have the best position from which to cast spells at any
- enemies who might appear in the sea...They headed north and
- east on a course roughly paralleling the shoreline, but far
- out from it, beyond the range of vision. Ged relied on his
- navigational skills to keep the party on the right course.
- Nothing of significance happened for two days, but at that
- time a smaller ship seemed likely to attack the party's ship.
- It was a coaster, a sixty-foot vessel with sails, and there
- were perhaps twenty crewmen on board, seasoned pirates all.
- These sea dogs brought their ship close to the party's ship.
- They lasted only five minutes, though, when faced with Ged's
- and Belphanior's spells, Rillen's longbow, and Mongo's hammer.
- After all the seaborne brigands were slain, the party found
- that the smaller ship carried nine slaves. More interesting,
- perhaps, was the large crack that Belphanior's lightning wand
- had made in the coaster's hull; the pirate ship was slowly
- sinking. It was cleaned out, and the nine slaves were then
- formally freed, which made them very happy. One happened to
- know the use of a rudder and sail, and Ged appointed this
- fellow to help steer the ship when he got tired.
- The next two days were uneventful, except for the pair of
- large slave galleys that sailed by. These did not molest the
- party's vessel, however, and were left alone. Early in the
- next morning, the party spotted some wreckage, and had the
- rowers stop for a bit. There was quite a bit of wood, as
- well as some pieces of rope, cloth, oil, and other debris.
-
- Mongo: Hey! There's a guy hanging onto that piece of wood!
- Ged: Somebody toss him a rope.
- Rillen: (lassoes the man, and pulls him to the ship)
- Belphanior: He looks quite...wet.
- Mongo: Yeah. Well, this _is_ the sea, you know.
- Rillen: (hoists the fellow up onto the ship)
- Ged: (examining him) He's alive. Here, help me push his
- stomach.
- Mongo: Why?!?
- survivor: (belching out seawater) Bleargh! Cough! (falls
- unconscious)
- Mongo: Oh.
- Rillen: What can we do with him?
- Ged: Let's set him up to rest. We don't want him to die of
- stress. (to gawking ex-slaves) You! You! Go get some
- blankets from below, before this man freezes to death!
-
- They carried the fellow into a cabin, where it was much
- warmer, and let him rest while Ged got the rowers working
- again. The ship continued on for about an hour, and then
- the man woke up.
-
- survivor: (sits up) Aaaa! It's killing us all! Help!
- Mongo: (restrains the man) Calm down, friend. You're okay
- now.
- survivor: Huh? (looks around) Monster? Where _am_ I?
- Mongo: We pulled you aboard.
- survivor: Aboard? Then we're still at sea? Aaaaaa!
- Ged: (enters the cabin) What is _he_ screaming about?
- Mongo: Something about a sea monster.
- survivor: ...It attacked our ship! It ATE our ship!
- Ged: Who are you? What was this monster?
- survivor: (calming down a bit) I am Durgan. We had a big
- galley, a merchant ship. A terrible monster got the ship
- and smashed it. It came out of nowhere!
- Mongo: Hmm.
- Durgan: I was hurled away. It must have been too busy to
- notice me.
- Ged: What did the thing look like?
- Durgan: Uh...it was-
- Rillen: (suddenly appears from above) You should come up.
- There is some big monster coming toward the ship.
- Mongo: Holy shit! (they all go up, including Durgan)
-
- Above, Belphanior was standing up in the crow's nest, his
- gaze fixed on something very large off the port bow. Most
- of the rowers were watching it as well; it was five or six
- hundred feet away from the ship but was approaching fast.
-
- Durgan: Eyahhhh! (pointing at it) That's it! That's it!
-
- The monster looked like an octopus or squid, but was much,
- much larger than any normal such beast. It spanned at least
- fifty feet, if not more, and two huge eyes glared at those
- on the ship - its prey.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Some slaves get chomped; more pirates
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Read Peter Benchley's novel _Beast_ for more tales of big
- squids. This posting is long overdue, but then again, so are some
- good grades for me...
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/27/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: somewhere in the Azure Sea, far from the coast
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LV. The Squid
-
-
-
- The "sea" group had set out to sea, fending off pirates
- and most recently rescuing a survivor from the water. This
- fellow was in the process of describing the monster that
- wrecked his ship when the thing made it easier by showing
- up in the flesh.
-
- Durgan: Eyahhhh! (pointing at it) That's it! That's it!
- Mongo: Son of a fuckin' bitch! That's the biggest damn fish
- I ever saw!
- Rillen: It does not look like a fish to _me_. (draws his bow)
- Ged: That squid will crack open this ship like a nutshell, if
- it gets to us.
- Belphanior: (in crows' nest, muttering to himself) If? That
- should be _when_...
- slaves/rowers in general: Aaaaaaa!
- Ged: Stop panicking! Somebody get that thing!
- Mongo: It's out of hammer range! (guzzles his potion of heroism)
- Ahhh. AHHHH!
- Rillen: (fires an arrow at the monster, but it falls short) Even
- I cannot hit it from here. We need a catapult.
- Belphanior: (emulating Mongo, drinks down one of his unknown
- potions) Ahh! Hey! (his eyes have turned reddish and glow
- slightly) What the fuck?!?
- Ged: Quit playing with yourself up there and help us out!
- Belphanior: Right! (draws his wand of lightning)
- giant squid: (closing on the ship)
-
- Belphanior: (launches a lightning bolt at the thing) Take this,
- you slime from the deep!
- giant squid: (blasted by the energy, flagellates about in the
- water as arcs of electricity skip off in all directions)
- some slave: Aaaa! It's still coming! It's still coming!
- Rillen: I think you made it mad...
- Mongo: Mad?! I'll show it mad! (hurls his hammer, which hits
- the squid but doesn't seem to faze it much)
- Ged: (prepares a spell)
- Rillen: (fires another arrow, hitting a random tentacle) The
- monster is upon us!
- giant squid: RRRRKKK! (flails at the ship, snatching five of
- the slaves)
- slaves: Aaaaagh! Aieeeeee! (they're being chomped as the
- squid lowers them into its beak, one by one)
- Mongo: (catches his hammer) Boy, he sure is hungry! (fires
- the hammer again, at a tentacle holding a slave)
- giant squid: RRRR? (drops the slave into the water and goes
- after Mongo instead)
- Mongo: (to slaves) Somebody get that man out of the water!
- Ged: Back, scaly horror! (casts another lightning bolt at
- the thing, hitting it head-on) Since you seem to like
- lightning so much, eat that!
- giant squid: RRRRRRRKKKKKK! (swats at Ged with a tentacle,
- but misses)
- Ged: (dashing for cover)
- slave in water: Glub glub!
- other slaves: (trying to throw him a rope)
- Rillen: Bah. (tosses his bow aside, and readies his staff,
- pointing the bladed end at a nearby tentacle)
- slaves: (running everywhere screaming) Aaaaa!
- giant squid: (now has two arms around the ship, and the rest
- are hunting prey on deck)
-
- Belphanior: (still in the crows' nest) Shit. I can't fire
- another lightning bolt, or I'll get the people on deck.
- Mongo: (looking up) Why are you talking to yourself up there?
- Belphanior: (ignores the dwarf, and prepares a spell)
- Rillen: (slashes a tentacle with his weapon, sending dark ichor
- spurting everywhere) Ugh.
- Ged: (menaced by a tentacle) Yie! (blasts the appendage with
- four magical missiles) Get the hell away from me!
- giant squid: (end of its tentacle burned off)
- slaves: (manage to pull their comrade out of the water at last)
- Ged: Good job, guys.
- Belphanior: (hurls five small globes - Melf's Minute Meteors -
- at the squid's head, hitting with three of them) Yeah!
- Ged: Way to go!
- giant squid: (flailing its arms in irritation) RRRRKK!
- Rillen: (slices the tentacle in front of him again) Go grab
- somebody else.
- Mongo: (preparing to throw his hammer) Huh? (a tentacle has
- surrounded him) Shit!
- Rillen: (to squid) I didn't mean for you to grab HIM.
- giant squid: (grabs Mongo with its tentacle) RRRRR!
- Mongo: Let go of me, you fucker! (beats on the appandage
- which is slowly squeezing him) Argh!
- Ged: Damn! It's got Mongo!
- giant squid: (grabs a few more slaves)
- Belphanior: (looking around, thinking)
-
- giant squid: (crushing Mongo, as it draws him to its maw)
- Mongo: Yargh! It's gonna eat me! (throws his hammer at the
- beaked mouth at close range, chipping it) Leggo! Leggo!
- Rillen: (stabbing the tentacle that holds Mongo) The thing
- will not let go of him!
- Ged: (preparing a spell) Shit! It's also got the ship in
- its grasp! The hull is creaking!
- Belphanior: This calls for desperate measures! (uses his
- ring's Jump spell, as he grabs a staff, and leaps off the
- crows' nest)
- Ged: What the...?
- Rillen: He thinks he can fly.
- Belphanior: (lands precariously on the squid's head) Okay,
- ugly, it's time to die. (points the staff at the squid's
- eye)
- giant squid: RRRRRRR! (reels in some tentacles to swat this
- new insect)
- Ged: What in the hell do you think you're doing over there?!?
- Rillen: Maybe he wants to test the monster's sight.
- Belphanior: (yelling at the squid) Yeah, that's it! Here's
- the pressure test! (fires the staff, using its last four
- charges to produce its mightiest effect, the thunderclap/
- lightning stroke) Hahahah!
-
-
- KA-KRAAMMMM!
-
-
- There was a tremendous noise, deafening everyone, and a
- great bolt of lightning hit the squid dead-on in the eye.
- The shockwave sent water in all directions, and the ship
- rocked back and forth with the power of the blast. All
- those on deck were bowled over, some of the less fortunate
- falling into the sea on the opposite side. Mongo was
- hurled into the ship as well, crashing through a deck rail
- and into the mast, stunned. A cloud of smoke appeared,
- with a stench not unlike that of poorly cooked seafood.
- There was silence for several moments.
-
- Ged: (shakes his head) Wow. (looking around)
- Rillen: (gets to his feet) That was a blast.
- slaves: (bumping into each other)
- Mongo: Ugh. (recovering consciousness slowly)
-
- The squid floated nearby the ship - or what was left of
- it, anyway. Its head was mostly gone, courtesy of the
- thunderbolt, and inky blood and guts flowed freely into
- the sea. The tentacles drifted aimlessly, with the waves.
-
- Ged: I wonder if the elf lived through that one.
- Rillen: (looks around)
- Ged: Hmm.
- Rillen: Look! There he is! (points to a red-cloaked
- form floating in the water about fifty feet away)
- Ged: Throw him a rope! The sharks will be here soon...
- Rillen: (gets a rope out to Belphanior on the second
- throw) Ah. Help me pull him in.
- Ged: Sure. (they reel the elf in, and pull him onto
- the ship)
- Belphanior: (barely conscious, grabbing the rope by
- pure instinct; he is somewhat singed) uhh.
- Ged: Hey, nice job there. Stupid, but it worked.
- Belphanior: Thanksh. <cough cough>
- Ged: Why are your eyes glowing red?
- Belphanior: Dunno. Something I drank, maybe. Where's
- the squid?
- Rillen: Around.
- Ged: Let's get the crew back to normal and leave the
- area.
- Belphanior: (looking around) I guess the staff is lost.
- Shit. Oh well, it was out of charges anyway.
-
- Soon, they were ready to get underway once more. The
- sea was filled with sharks and other predators, who had
- quite a fine meal. Belphanior and Mongo were healed,
- and rested for a while as Ged and Rillen and the rowers
- got the ship moving again.
- Nothing of interest happened for a day or so. A single
- merchant ship passed nearby, but was ignored. The second
- day after the squid encounter, however, a pair of vessels
- was sighted, approaching fast. They had large black flags
- raised - pirate flags!
-
- Ged: Pirates!
- Belphanior: Those are mighty big ships. I think I see
- catapults on their decks...
- Mongo: They'd better leave us alone! I'm not in the mood
- for any shit.
- Rillen: Maybe they just want to wave to us.
- Ged: Doubtful. Let's get the rowers ready for whatever
- may happen.
- Mongo: Hey, we forgot to get them some weapons or armor.
- Ged: Damn.
- Belphanior: In a fight, they'll be screwed.
- slaves: (milling around)
-
- Soon...
-
- man on other ship: (yelling) Ho there!
- Rillen: Ho?
- man: Take down your sails and lay down your weapons! If
- you obey, you will be spared!
- Mongo: (yelling) Now you listen here! Go away and leave
- us alone!
- pirate: (to his crewmen) Fire!
-
- A volley of deadly arrows was launched at the party's
- ship from both of the pirate ships. The deck shook as
- arrows hit it; slaves shrieked as arrows hit them. Ged
- stood with impunity, his belt deflecting any of the arrows
- that might otherwise have wounded him. The others dashed
- for cover, except for Belphanior, who had so far kept his
- head down in the crows' nest and seemed to be unnoticed.
-
- pirate: Fire the spells!
- robed pirate: (points, and three magic missiles fire away
- and hit Ged) Ha ha!
- pirates: (laughing)
- Mongo: Hey!
- Ged: Ouch! That hurt! So they have a mage as well.
- Mongo: We'd better watch out. Their mage could use one of
- those fireball things on us, instead of us using one of him.
- Belphanior: (up in the crows' nest) No. They're pirates,
- and they want our ship and slaves. Ex-slaves. Anyway, it
- would not serve their purpose to torch our ship. They'd do
- it if they had to...but by the time they figure out what
- they should have done, it will be too late for them.
- Rillen: I see.
- Belphanior: Keep them busy for a minute. I'll hit the port
- ship, you get the starboard one. (the port one has the
- mage)
- Ged: Okay. (yelling as he prepares a spell) Hold on! We
- must talk amongst ourselves about your generous offer!
- pirate: No funny stuff there! Stop that spellcasting or
- we fire the catapults!
- Ged: Uhh...Okay! (to the others) Hey guys, don't do
- anything to tip them off that we're going to fight.
- Rillen: (thinking about his bow and arrows and such mayhem)
- Belphanior: (fires a lightning bolt from his wand, hitting
- the port ship's mast directly and incinerating several of
- the pirates on deck) Ha!
- pirates: Aaaaa!
- Ged: (ducks for cover as he prepares to complete his fireball
- spell) Damn!
- Rillen: Does this mean I can shoot them now?
- Mongo: (fires his hammer, hitting some pirate and crushing
- the poor fellow's head) Yeah! War! War!
- Rillen: Good. (begins firing arrows)
- Mongo: (takes a pirate arrow in the leg) ARGH! (catches
- his returning hammer) Fuck! That hurts!
- Belphanior: (still in crows' nest, looking at the other
- pirate ship off the starboard bow) What's that? Hey!
- Hey! They're firing their catapults at us!
- Mongo: Incoming! Heads up, guys!
- Rillen: (watching big stones fly all around) Hmm.
- Ged: Almost ready with the spell!
- Belphanior: Huh? Yie! (watching a large stone sailing
- right at his perch in the nest) Aaaa! <CRACK!> (the
- boulder knocks him off, and smashes the crows' nest
- into splinters)
- slaves: (dodge aside as the elf hits the deck below)
- Mongo: (throws his hammer again, pulverizing a pirate
- archer) Ged! Torch that other ship or we're sunk!
- Ged: Right! (leaps up, as arrows avoid him, and casts
- his spell at the second ship) Boccob strikes!
-
- The other pirate ship took the fireball at the base of
- main mast, and her sails blazed up almost instantly. The
- pirates ran around, screaming and cursing.
-
- Rillen: Direct hit.
- Ged: Boccob smiles this day!
- Belphanior: (stunned, lying on deck) Where'zd go?
- Mongo: Hey! Watch out! (drags the elf to cover, as
- missiles fly everywhere)
- Belphanior: Thanks.
- Ged: I think we got their mage. That first ship is
- still putting up a fight though.
- Belphanior: (gets up) Not for long. (fires a second
- lightning bolt at that vessel, knocking a hole in its
- hull)
- Mongo: Damn nice toy you have there, pal.
- Belphanior: I know.
-
- The party got their ship away from the pirates, just in
- case their ships (one burning, the other sinking fast)
- happened to run into the party's or some other dumb thing.
- Doomed pirates tended to try things like that, Ged thought,
- and thus the party moved far away from the wrecks, leaving
- the pirates to their fate. Some of them got away on small
- boats, but were ignored as the party headed northeast.
- They did not have room for pirate prisoners, and anyway,
- such captives would have outnumbered the party's own crew,
- which would surely have been a problem.
- The next day, they moved in toward the coast, to land
- for a time and effect repairs - for their mast was damaged
- a bit, and the sail had been torn in the battle and needed
- some patching. They laid the anchor while the ship was
- about a half-mile out, and rested that night, intending to
- go ashore in the morning to survey their location while
- repairs were made.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: The party picks the wrong place to land
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: I recommend the new movie "Universal Soldier", since it's
- chock full of good Arnold/Vandamme lines (which I shamelessly use
- in these stories as I see fit).
- Sorry about the gap between postings. I've been busy, as usual,
- and it's hard to find free time...
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/30/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: early morning
- Place: somewhere in the Azure Sea, close to the coast
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LVI. From Sea to Land
-
-
-
- The "sea" group has anchored their ship close to an unknown
- shore and sent an expedition to land using Belphanior's magic
- boat. This band consisted of Mongo and Belphanior, and about
- a dozen of the (ex) slaves. The others stayed aboard ship to
- repair the various minor damages incurred during the last few
- days.
-
- Mongo: (jumps out of the boat as it hits the sand) Land ho!
- Belphanior: (looking around) I wonder where the greeting
- party is?
- Mongo: Dunno. (to slaves/rowers) You guys help me pull this
- sucker ashore. (they do, and beach it above the waterline)
- Belphanior: I would guess that we've not yet reached the
- Pomarj.
- Mongo: That's no big deal. We're shooting for a big river or
- something, right?
- Belphanior: I think so. We'll know if we went too far, since
- the Pomarj and its vermin are on the eastern side of that
- river. Ged would know more about this...
- Mongo: I wonder how they're doing with fixing up the ship?
-
- on board...
-
- Ged: (to Rillen) Watch closely, here. (holds up a sail) This
- is how you sew one of these back together.
- Rillen: (popping his knuckles)
- Ged: See, you use a lot of thread, since heavy winds can pull
- a weak sail apart in seconds...Hey!
- Rillen: Eh? What is it?
- Ged: Ahhh...you really don't care about this, do you?
- Rillen: Not really. I want to move on, to find more adventure
- out in the world. When will we get moving again?
- Ged: As soon as I fix this damned sail, that's when. Here, hold
- it while I tie it back together.
- Rillen: (still bored)
-
- on shore...
-
- Belphanior: I think we've got a bit further to go. Let's hunt
- for food while they make repairs.
- Mongo: Okay. You, men, eight of you guard the boat. The other
- four come with us.
- rowers: (obeying) Sure.
- Belphanior: Wait. This is a _magical_ boat. I can fold it up
- and take it with me. (does so)
- Mongo: Oh, yeah. Well, you eight stay here and keep sight of
- the ship.
- rowers: Okay.
- Mongo: (to Belphanior) What's wrong with your eyes?
- Belphanior: (his eyes are still glowing red, ever since that
- battle with the giant squid) Huh? Oh, nothing. I drank a
- potion and they started glowing red. I don't care about it.
- In fact, I like it. It seems to terrify people...
- Mongo: Uh, okay. Right.
-
- soon...
-
- Belphanior: (leading them through short, scrubby grasslands)
- What's this, here? (kicks a short tree with odd fruit)
- Mongo: Looks like fruit to me, pal.
- Belphanior: We'd better get some for Ged. He likes this kind
- of food. (the rowers hasten to gather some fruit) Then again,
- it will be a real treat after days of rations and water...
- Mongo: (looking around) This place is dead. Let's get back to
- the ship and share the fruit with everyone.
- Belphanior: I agree - we don't want to get too far from shore.
- (they set about returning)
-
- later that day...
-
- Ged: Nothing?!
- Mongo: Nothing. This shore is wasted.
- Rillen: Well, there is that pile of green melons that they got
- on shore.
- Belphanior: Let's sail on further, and get to that river.
- Rillen: River?
- Ged: Okay, okay. It should be about another five days' until
- we get there. I wouldn't recommend trying to sail _up_ into
- the continent, against the water's flow. We'll sell the ship
- and let these men go about their way, and go by land for a bit.
- Mongo: Sounds like a plan.
- Rillen: (chomping on a melon) Mmglph.
-
- They finished the minor repairs later that day, and after a
- rest and a meal, they set out again. The fact that the new year
- rolled around was not lost on Ged, who was often watching the
- stars in the sky, and Mongo suggested a toast to the new year.
- Feeling generous, the party let their rowers share the wine,
- with the end result being that they ran out of liquor. Mongo
- wasn't too happy about this, but managed to get by. For five
- days, they moved parallel to the coast, observing the shore as
- they went. A few small towns were passed, and here and there
- fishermen were out and about, trying to make a living. A few
- times, they stopped and tried to fish, with decent success...
-
- Belphanior: I got one! I got one! (reels in a large fish)
- Mongo: All RIGHT! We'll eat like kings tonight! Gimme that
- fish! Get the cooking pots out!
- Rillen: (grabs the fish) Yie! That is one slippery little
- fish. Here. (hands it to Mongo)
- Mongo: Mmm. I can smell it already. Fried fish!
- Belphanior: Yea...I'll see if I can't get some more.
- Ged: Hey, look. I got a funny crab-like thing!
- Mongo: I'll take that, too. Crab legs...
- Ged: Cook this food well, then. Don't put strange spices or
- anything in it.
- Mongo: Trust me, guys.
- Rillen: It all smells fishy to me.
-
- And so they ate well that night and the next. Eventually,
- they reached the mouth of the Jewel River, but not before
- being menaced by a galley full of orcs. Fortunately, Ged's
- skill at sailing enabled the party to outrun this fearsome
- menace. He kept their ship from staying directly in front
- of the orcs' vessel, so as not to allow them to steal some
- of the party's wind. The delay was long enough for Belphanior
- to prepare his spells and items, and he liberally pounded the
- orcs with magic until they fled. The party reached the river
- the next day, and managed to get a fair sum for their ship at
- the port town they docked at. They bid farewell to those men
- who they had bought as slaves in the Sea Princes' land but
- who were now free men. The horses were brought up from below
- shortly, and the party set out to the north.
- They planned to follow the Jewel River northward for many
- leagues, including that portion of it which wound into the
- dreaded Suss Forest. There was one section of river which
- was best avoided, a loop that bent toward the Pomarj land to
- the east. They rode alongside the river, on the Ulek bank,
- for a day; it was then, near the aforementioned loop of river
- nearest to the Pomarj, that trouble reared its ugly head.
-
- Mongo: Hey, I smell orcs.
- Rillen: Not a difficult thing to do.
- Ged: Where? Where?
- Belphanior: There. (points to various orcs that have risen
- from the grass around the party) And there. And there...
- (draws his sword)
- Mongo: Sheesh. They're popping up like weeds! (grabs his
- hammer)
- Ged: (addressing the orcs) What do you slime want?
- orc chieftan: I are Gordo, of the Broken Foot tribe. We is
- here to take tole from all who come by.
- Rillen: (slowly whirling his staff) Toll?
- orcs: (yelling) Tole! Tole! Tole! (there are about two
- dozen of them)
- orc chieftan: Pay up! Or we get you with da spears!
- orcs: Yah! (hefting spears)
- Mongo: Bah! We pay toll to no one, especially not a bunch
- of dirty orcs! (hurls hammer at the chieftan) Take THAT!
- orc chieftan: (hit in the face by the hammer, his head is
- torn off and rolls around on the ground behind him)
- Rillen: You really knocked his block off. (dismounts, as
- do Mongo and Belphanior)
- Mongo: (grumbling) I hate fighting from horseback.
- other orcs: Aaaaa! Da dwarf got Gordo! Kill dem! (they
- all start throwing spears at the party)
- Belphanior: (grazed by one, spell ruined) Great. Now you've
- done it. (draws his sword)
- Ged: Hah. (the spears are curving away from him thanks to his
- magical belt) Boccob's might shield's me from all harm.
- (begins spellcasting)
- Mongo: (a spear bounces off of his armor) Ouch. (catches
- hammer)
- Rillen: (dodging spears, charges into battle) You pig-men
- should have left while you had the chance.
- Belphanior: (slashes an orc, killing it) Death! Death!
- Mongo: (bashes an onrushing orc, dropping it) Away, orcish
- shitheads! (to Ged) Boy, Halbarad would love this!
- Ged: Quiet, now. (casts a Stinking Cloud at a mass of orcs)
- orcs: (many don't make their saves) Kaff! Gack! PHEW!
- Ged: Hah! Boccob really showed them! Look, they're too
- stupid to leave the cloud!
- Rillen: Phew. That cloud of yours smells worse than the orcs
- do. (smashes an orc, knocking it aside)
- Belphanior: (chops another orc, slaying it) Hah!
- orc: I'll get him! I'll get him! (hurls a spear at Ged)
- Ged: (faces the orc as the weapon veers away) You!
- orc: (looking around fearfully) Me?
- Ged: (points at orc) Flee or die!
- orc: Aaaaaa! (runs away at full tilt)
- other orcs: Look! Beezus ran away!
- Mongo: (slams another orc, crushing its chest) There sure
- are a lot of these bastards!
- orcs: (check morale, fail) Aaaa! We is lost! Run! (they
- begin an unorganized retreat into the river) Aaa!
- Belphanior: (cheerfully chopping down stragglers) Heh heh.
-
- Soon, most of the orcs had fled across the river and back
- into their own land. All others were now dead. The party
- rested and bound their (minor) wounds, and then rode on at
- a faster pace, in case the orcs returned with, say, a few
- hundred friends. No such danger manifested itself, though,
- and they were unbothered for another whole day. At dusk of
- the second day on land, they came upon the Suss Forest's
- edge. The dark, gnarled trees looked menacing and evil in
- the dim light.
-
- Rillen: Is it wise to go in THERE? I mean, at nightfall?
- Belphanior: Sure! Let's do it.
- Ged: Good point. Maybe we'll camp a bit away from the edge
- of the place and continue on the morrow.
- Belphanior: Hmm.
- Mongo: Whatever. Let's eat.
-
- There was an attack on the camp that night, from a band of
- eight goblins riding large wolves. The party's spells helped
- them fend off this threat, though Rillen and his staff were
- the big hero of the battle - the warrior slew three goblins
- and two worgs while only taking two hits himself. Mongo was
- quite impressed, comparing Rillen's skill on a bad day to
- Halbarad's or Peyote's on a good day.
- The next day, they entered the forest. After riding all
- day, including a skirmish with four large spiders, the party
- realized two things. First, they had somehow become lost -
- they were off the crude path they had been following. Second,
- there were no sounds or living things around them, not even
- insects. They continued, somewhat wary of these new facts.
-
- Rillen: I do not like this. Too quiet.
- Ged: Me neither. Something's up.
- Belphanior: Shh! Do you hear that?
- Mongo: What? (hefts his weapon)
-
- Suddenly, a horde of skeletons swarmed over the party,
- appearing from nowhere! Their bony talons and grinning,
- sunken countenances might spell doom for the adventurers...
-
- Ged: Aaaa! (grabs his holy symbol and holds it high) Back!
- Stay back! By the holy power of Boccob, I banish you to
- somewhere else!
- Mongo: (watches eleven of the things retreat) Wow! That's
- some power, there! (smashes a skeleton into splinters)
- Rillen: Yes. (bashes one with his staff, crushing it as
- well) It is easier to break the bones when that's all
- there is.
- Mongo: That's for sure. (takes a hit) Agh!
- Belphanior: (gulps down a potion of undead control) Ahh.
- Ged: (sidesteps a skeletal attack) Hey! What's that you're
- drinking?
- Belphanior: Undead command. (to skeletons) Stop fighting.
- skeletons: (all twelve who are left stop)
- Belphanior: Good. Now go that way (points south) and kill
- any goblins you find.
- skeletons: (wander southward)
- Belphanior: That should occupy them for a while. (grabs one
- skeleton) You. Stay with us, and lead us to where you
- came here from.
- skeleton: (begins marching deeper into the forest)
- Ged: This is...not good. But it's better than fighting them.
- Rillen: What is going on _now_?
- Mongo: We're following a skeleton into the woods.
- Rillen: Oh.
-
- The thing led them for four hours, through what looked like
- absolutely impassable woods. It seemed to find trails where
- there didn't seem to be any. After a long and unusual time
- marching through this tangled area of the forest, the party
- was at a square hole in the ground, with stairs going down.
- The opening was almost covered by underbrush, and it was
- surprising indeed to see the mindless skeleton push the
- vines and weeds aside without damaging them...
-
- Mongo: (peering down the stairs) Hey. Hey! Something's
- coming! (backs up)
- Belphanior: (moves around Mongo) Let me see. Eyah! It's
- a shadow monster! Undead, maybe!
- Ged: (digs for his holy symbol) Out of the way!
-
- Wraith: (floats up the staircase) Ooooooooo!
- Rillen: Whatever it is, it sounds surprised to see us.
- Ged: (steps forth, brandishing the holy symbol) Go away!
- Return to hell, formless spawn of the nether regions!
- Wraith: (disappears)
- Ged: Boccob! My turning powers are greater than ever!
- Mongo: Yep. Good stuff there.
- Belphanior: Let's check this place out.
-
- They descended into the stairway, which led into a room
- about thirty feet in diameter and semicircular. A single
- exit led out, apparently, and the chamber was filled with
- rubble and strange debris. It seemed that the top of the
- stairway had actually been a roof, and had collapsed in
- recently. The stone and architecture here seemed quite
- unusual.
-
- Mongo: I've never seen stonework like this.
- Ged: What do you mean?
- Mongo: It seems, more than anything else, _old_.
- Rillen: There are a lot of shadows in here...
- Belphanior: Yeah. Hey, some of them are moving!
-
- Without warning, two more wraiths had appeared from the
- shadows and were approaching the party!
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: the lost city
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Belphanior didn't know until later that he could have
- controlled the skeletons virtually forever with that potion. He
- vowed not to waste another such potion again.
- Where has the party gotten itself into now, you may ask? We'll
- just have to wait and see...
- The Braves just beat the Reds in the 9th inning; awesome game!!
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 1/7/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: late afternoon
- Place: somewhere in the Suss Forest
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LVII. The Five Hemispheres
-
-
-
- After following a skeleton that Belphanior took control of,
- the sea group had come upon an opening in the forest floor and
- descended, warding away some wraiths. Suddenly, as they reached
- the stone floor below, two more of the undead apparitions sailed
- toward them...
-
- Ged: Aaaa! (brandishes his holy symbol of Boccob and yells at
- the monsters) Begone, by Boccob! BEGONE! (charges the pair
- of wraiths)
- wraiths: ssss... (vanish)
- Mongo: Hey, good going there!
- Ged: Whew. Yea, my - err, Boccob's - holy power is waxing high
- today.
- Rillen: Let us hope it stays that way.
- Belphanior: Bah. Let the undead come. I am ready for them!
-
- They were in a circular chamber, almost totally overgrown with
- plants and vines. Rubble littered the place, and there was much
- dust about. A few puddles of stale black water were visible in
- the place too. The chamber was basically a hemisphere of thirty
- foot radius; the ceiling/roof was shattered at the top of the
- staircase the party used to enter. A single open corridor led
- away, to the northwest. There were three window-like openings
- spaced equally around the perimeter of the place, but these were
- blocked by rubble and vegetation.
-
- Mongo: Boy, this place is _old_. I've never seen architecture
- like it!
- Rillen: Me neither. Then again, I have never come down into a
- dungeon like this one, so I would not know. (bumps into a wall)
- Oof. I cannot see a thing here.
- Ged: We need light. Well, _you_ need light.
- Rillen: This is true. I cannot see in this place.
- Belphanior: (lights a lantern and hands it to the warrior) Here.
- Rillen: Thank you.
- Mongo: So, let's explore this place!
- Ged: Very well. (they move toward the exit)
- Mongo: Look here. (pokes at some debris with his boot) This used
- to be a wooden door, but now it's rotted into formless crap.
- Rillen: Hmm.
- Ged: Sort of like Peldor's sense of morality...
- Belphanior: (looking around) How long has this place been here?
-
- The corridor led into another room shaped just like the first.
- This new chamber had four exits, one of them leading to the entry
- room, thus:
-
-
-
-
- ____ ____
- / \ N / \
- | | W+E | |
- | | S | |
- \ ____ \ / ____ /
- \ \ / /
- \ \ / /
- \ \ ____ / /
- \ /
- | SECOND |
- | ROOM |
- / ____ \
- / / \ \
- / / \ \
- ____ / / \ \ ____
- / / \ \
- | | | ENTRY |
- | | | ROOM |
- \ ____ / \ ____ /
-
-
-
- The second room was obviously the center of this complex of
- five chambers. There were more weeds and bits of rubble here,
- though not as many as in the last room. A small, spiraling
- staircase led downward from the center of this room; its steps
- were hewn from the very rock itself, but were cracked in many
- places, as if an earthquake had once rocked this place. Some
- of the steps were jutting at odd angles, and dusty chips of
- stone littered them all. The four exit corridors had rotted
- door remnants like the last room, too.
- The party elected to save the stairs for later, and instead
- check the other three chambers. They moved into the north-
- eastern one next.
-
- Mongo: (leading the way) Hey, this looks like a furniture
- graveyard!
- Rillen: Is there such a thing?
- Belphanior: Yeah. (pokes an old, rotted couch) We're here,
- all right.
-
- This room was full of rotted furniture, in a lesser state of
- decomposition than the doors to these five rooms. A couch was
- propped against a wall, but its cushions sagged deeply, and the
- legs were long since broken. Chairs were strewn about, mostly
- fallen over. A large, heavy table lay collapsed in the center
- of the room, its legs splayed out to all sides; it looked for
- all the world like a gigantic, squashed spider.
-
- Belphanior: (steps on one of the upright chairs' seats) Hmm?
- (the thing collapses with a brittle cracking sound) Hmm.
- Rillen: They were just not built to last, I guess.
- Mongo: (poking through the furniture) Nothing of use here.
- Ged: (examining a sagging wine rack on one wall) What's this?
- Look, some of these bottles are intact!
- Belphanior: (wanders over to the elf) Let me see that. (grabs
- a wine bottle) Hey, no fair. This one's been opened. Nothing
- left inside.
- Mongo: (finds a metal key-ring under a rotted couch cushion)
- Look at this, guys! Keys! (jangles the ring)
- Rillen: We will not be needing them, if all the doors are gone.
- Ged: Good job, there. (shakes a wine jug) Something's rattling
- inside this...
- Belphanior: Pull the stopper off, then.
- Ged: (uncorks the bottle) There. (aims the open end at the floor)
- I wonder what's inside here?
- Belphanior: Watch it! (grabs something shiny that fell out of the
- jug) Gems! Turn that right side up before more come out and are
- shattered on the floor.
- Ged: Right. Here, I'll pour them out onto this empty sack.
- Belphanior: (holding a finely-cut garnet up to the lantern) Nice.
- (quickly pockets the gem) Let's have a look at those, now.
- Rillen: (overturning couch cushions with his staff) What is this?
- Mongo: Huh?
- Rillen: I found a sack.
- Mongo: Oh. (moves over and grabs the large sack)
- Rillen: No-
- Mongo: (the rotted sack quickly rips apart, and dull coins flow
- out onto the ground) Oops.
- Rillen: Who is going to pick all of those up now?
- Mongo: (examining a coin) What the hell...?
- Ged: (he and Belphanior have collected all the gems from the jug)
- What's that? (they walk over) Coins?
- Mongo: Look at these. They're dated wrong. "2074?"
- Ged: Hmm. Nah, couldn't be.
- Rillen: What? What are you thinking about?
- Ged: Well, it's like this. Certain old empires had...different
- dating schemes than the one commonly used now. I don't really
- know the specifics, that's more up Peyote's alley. He's the
- ancient history expert. Supposedly.
- Mongo: I wonder how he's doing? Him, and the rest. Including
- that worthless rat Peldor.
- Belphanior: Who knows? So, these coins may be older than our
- current civilization, is that what you're saying?
- Ged: Yep.
- Belphanior: Cool. Let's collect them and get on our way.
-
- Soon, they were headed into the northwest chamber, which used
- to be some kind of bedroom, apparently. A rotting stench met
- the adventurers at the doorway to the room.
-
- Mongo: Phew! That smells worse than Krug's feet used to!
- Ged: Yea. (clutches his holy symbol)
- Rillen: (shining the lantern over their heads, illuminating
- the room) Nice bed.
- Belphanior: (enters the room with Mongo) Dresser, table, bed,
- chairs. Junk - but who can tell what treasures it might hide?
- (begins searching through the dresser)
- Ged: Good guess. (also searching the dresser) Look here! I
- found something.
- Mongo: Where?
- Ged: Umm...looks like the sock drawer. (holds up a small cube)
- Rillen: That is not a sock...
- Belphanior: Hang on to that, we'll examine it later.
- Ged: Right.
- Mongo: Hey, I bet that bed would collapse if I jumped on it.
- Rillen: Why would you want to jump on it?
- Mongo: Ah, never mind. (examines the chairs)
- Rillen: (examining the bed)
- Ged: (casts detect evil on himself) Boccob will show us any of
- the unholy in this forsaken place.
- Belphanior: Come again?
- Rillen: Yaa!! (leaps back from the bed)
- Ged: Evil!
- Mongo: What the fuck?!?
- Rillen: There is something under the bed! There!
-
- The ancient bed creaked, and then was lifted into the air, as
- a large, pale form stood upright. The rotted canopy of the bed
- tore as the bed was overturned and fell on its side behind the
- creature. The thing was big, even taller than Rillen, and its
- thin form was swathed in grimy white tatters of cloth. Glowing
- eyes riveted on the four companions, the thing shambled forward.
-
- Rillen: Yaa! It is the bandage man! (he, and the others, make
- their saves vs. fear)
- Mongo: (grabs his hammer) Geez, his eyes are as bright as yours,
- Belphanior.
- Belphanior: Really?
- Ged: Mummy! (advances, holy symbol raised high) By the power of
- Boccob, get back, foul fiend! Back!
- mummy: Errrr? (continues onward) Snr! Ggh!
- Ged: Uh-oh! (backs up) Get him, guys!
- Mongo: Check! (hurls his hammer at the thing, bashing its rotten
- head; worms and dirt are scattered everywhere) Yah!
- Rillen: (strides forth and hits the monster with his staff)
- mummy: Yrr! Rrrrar!
- Mongo: I don't think he felt that...(catches his hammer)
- Rillen: I guess I need to make a better point. (flips his staff's
- blade out, and points it at the mummy)
- Belphanior: (considering using his last potion of undead control)
- Gah! Do I, or not? Decisions, decisions...
- Ged: Bah! Boccob strikes in more ways than one! (fires a Burning
- Hands at the mummy)
- mummy: Rrrr? RARRR! (bursts into flame instantly)
- Mongo: Yeah!
- Ged: Boccob!
- Belphanior: (covering his eyes) Whew, that's hot! He sure burns
- well...
- Ged: It's still coming for us!
- Rillen: No, it is not. (runs forth and delivers the mummy a flying
- kick, sending its fiery form tumbling back - right into the old
- bed, which then promptly blazes up as well)
- Mongo: Cripes! The whole place'll be up in flames soon! Let's get
- the hell out of here!
- Ged: Good plan! (they retreat, as other things start to catch on
- fire)
-
- Just outside the chamber, in the corridor, they paused, and looked
- back, but foul smoke rolled their way, and they opted to keep going.
- Ged cast a spell and created a large puddle of water in a convenient
- depression in the floor outside the flaming room. Somewhat content,
- he rejoined the others in the central chamber.
-
- Belphanior: Enough of this shit. (casts Detect Undead on himself)
- No more undead sneaking up on _me_!
- Ged: I guess not. Let's check the last room. (they enter the
- corridor leading to the southwestern chamber)
-
- The last of the five chambers appeared to have once been a kitchen
- and dining area. A large brick oven was built into one wall, and
- rotted cabinets decorated other walls. A large table stood in the
- center of the room, looking as if it might collapse at any minute,
- and eight chairs circled it, some of them fallen.
-
- Belphanior: I wonder what's in _here_? (grabs a cabinet door and
- pulls it open, but the door comes off in his hand)
- Rillen: Hmm. (peers inside some exposed cabinets) Nothing is in
- these but a lot of dead bugs.
- Belphanior: (searching other cabinets, finds nothing) Damn.
- Mongo: Nice oven. I've never seen one like it. (opens the oven,
- hammer raised) Yaaa! (leaps back, as something inside lunges
- at him) Shit! (slams the oven door) Help!
- Ged: (rushes over to the dwarf, who is now holding the oven door
- closed as whatever is inside slams against it from within) I'll
- get a spell ready! Just hold it for a few more moments!
- Mongo: Hey, it stopped.
- Belphanior: (approaches, spell at the ready) Look! At the door's
- edges!
-
- A grayish, oozing mass was squirting through the door's edges on
- all sides. Mongo took one look at it and leaped back, even as the
- thing threatened to touch his hands.
-
- Mongo: Yah! It's coming out! (raises his hammer, ready to throw)
-
- The oven door opened slowly, and a pulsing mass of ooze flowed
- over the edge and onto the floor.
-
- Belphanior: I'll blast it! (launches a Flaming Sphere at the
- thing) Burn, blob, burn!
- ooze: (flows out of the burning sphere, apparently unaffected)
- Ged: Hah! It will take my mighty magics to prevail here! (casts
- a barrage of four magic missiles at the glob)
- ooze: (continues onward as the missiles hit it)
- Ged: Wha-?
- Belphanior: Heh heh.
- Rillen: (drops his staff and draws his longbow) Maybe weapons
- will hurt it.
- Belphanior: I'm not gonna charge at that thing! Fuck that!
- Rillen: Me neither. (fires an arrow at the ooze)
- ooze: (slows for a moment as the arrow hits it, but then moves
- forward again)
- Mongo: (thinking about the welfare of his hammer) Aaaa! What
- can stop the thing?!? (grabs a brick and hurls it at the ooze)
- ooze: (absorbs the brick)
- Rillen: (hits the ooze with another arrow) Stick around, slime.
- I have a lot more points to make.
- Belphanior: (sheaths his sword and hunts for his wand)
- Ged: (preparing another spell)
-
- Rillen: (fires a third arrow at the blob, hitting again)
- Mongo: (picks up a huge boulder, hefting it over his head with
- some difficulty) Hey, you! Globbo! (throws the rock onto the
- thing, causing a splattering sound)
- Rillen: No good. It is flowing around the rock.
- Belphanior: (pointing his wand at the ooze) Let's see how it
- reacts to lightning. (blasts the monster)
- ooze: (melted into a gray smear as ozone fills the room)
- Rillen: (coughing) Electrifying.
- Mongo: Hey, it worked!
- Ged: Good job there. Now I don't have to cast another spell.
- Belphanior: Let's search the place and split.
-
- They found nothing of interest in the chamber, and moved back
- to the central room. After resting for a bit, the foursome made
- ready to descend the spiral stone staircase.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: The party moves deeper into the lost city...
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: I wish I could spare more time to write these, but I have
- three design projects and a final paper to do in the next 2.5 weeks
- and am keeping busy. About the second week of September, I'll be
- out of classes for three weeks - and you all know what that means.
- Okay, maybe not. That means 3-4 episodes per week...
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 1/7/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: early evening
- Place: a lost city buried beneath part of the Suss Forest
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LVIII. Mongo Goes Berserk
-
-
-
- The "sea" party found some sort of dungeon beneath a region of
- the Suss Forest and began to explore it. After facing a few
- threats in a complex of five hemispherical chambers arranged in
- an "X" pattern, they prepared to descend the spiral staircase
- found in the central room...
-
- Rillen: Come on. Time to go down.
- Ged: Quit hurrying things, pal.
- Mongo: (hefts his hammer) He's right, though. It's time to
- get down there and check this place out!
- Belphanior: I'm ready. I've had my undead control potion and
- everything.
- Ged: Only _evil_ people try to control undead. Besides, my
- own spell for detection of evil will surely prove more useful
- than your own measly potions.
- Belphanior: Nyah, nyah. (making faces at the other elf)
- Ged: Why, you...
- Mongo: Bah. Enough bickering. (tromps down the stairs) Come
- on, Rillen.
- Rillen: (holds the lantern high) Right. (descends after the
- dwarf)
-
- The others followed shortly. The spiralling stairway led
- down about twenty feet, its worn stone steps thick with dust
- and cobwebs. The air in this new, lower section was mustier
- even than above, and the whole place reeked of age. There
- were webs to be brushed aside at every turn, though no one
- could see any spiders or other such denizens of the underworld.
- The stairway ended in a circular chamber, some thirty feet in
- diameter. There were four doors, spaced equidistantly around
- the perimeter of the room; they were of some wood, and quite
- thick, to all appearances. Unlike the other doors above, these
- seemed intact despite their age. The place was made of large
- stone blocks, the mortar between them crumbling in some places.
- The ceiling was about fifteen feet in height.
-
- Mongo: (moving over to the northern door) Wonder what's in
- here? Hey, it's locked!
- Rillen: Try those keys that you found.
- Mongo: Yeah! Good idea, I'm glad I thought of it. Ha ha.
- (tries some of the keys on the ring; one of them opens the
- door) Hmph.
- Belphanior: They open a lot better this way, eh?
- Mongo: Maybe. But my way's more fun.
- Ged: You mean kicking the door in.
- Mongo: Yeah, that. (still holding the door, which is now
- unlocked)
- Rillen: (holds the lantern up) Well? Open it.
- Mongo: Sure. (raises his hammer and pushes the portal ajar)
-
- Beyond the aged door was another, similarly sized and shaped
- room. It was full of barrels, boxes, and crates, but had no
- exits. Almost all of the various containers were rotted or caved
- in. Unidentifiable substances leaked from some, staining the
- floor in many places.
-
- Rillen: Looks like a storeroom.
- Mongo: Not anymore. Phew! Something's rotten in here.
- Belphanior: I don't detect any undead...
- Ged: I can't sense any evil, either, with my spell. Of course,
- most undead _are_ evil. Oh well. Let's check out the things,
- but carefully.
- Belphanior: (poking barrels with his sword)
- Rillen: (knocks in a crate's side with a touch of his staff)
- I hardly touched that box. These things are too old.
- Ged: (looking around) I detect no evil in here.
- Mongo: Hey! Look what I found! (holds up a small silvered box)
- Rillen: What is inside it?
- Mongo: Dunno. (opens the container)
- Ged: Hmm. Looks like stones to me.
- Belphanior: Gems?
- Mongo: No way. They're not of such quality.
- Rillen: Sling stones.
- Mongo: Huh?
- Rillen: They are sling stones. Used with a sling.
- Ged: What, do you have a sling?
- Rillen: No. But I can get one later.
- Mongo: We'll hang onto these. (stuffs the box in his pack)
- Belphanior: (still searching the contents of this chamber) I
- can't find anything else here. No secret doors, even.
- Ged: Let's check out another room. (they head back into the
- stair room, then take the western door, using another key
- from the ring)
- Mongo: (entering the new room first) Whoa!
- Ged: What? What is it?
- Rillen: All I see are a lot of rocks.
- Belphanior: Looks like a cave-in.
- Ged: Yea. (casts Find Traps on himself) Hmm. Well, there
- are no traps here, in any case.
- Mongo: (peering at the mess of fallen stones, collapsed beams,
- and crumbling dust filling the room in front of the party)
- Well, folks, I don't think we can get through this.
- Rillen: Why not?
- Mongo: You wanna dig all this crap away? Even with a crew of
- ten good dwarves, it'd take us a whole day!
- Ged: We can always come back here. Let's take a look at one
- of the other exits from the main room.
- Belphanior: I agree.
-
- They went back to the stair room, again, and this time tried
- the southern door, using a third key from the ring found by
- Mongo earlier. This door led into yet another thirty-foot
- diameter chamber like all the others.
-
- Ged: Boy, whoever designed this place was surely one of the
- most creative architects who ever lived.
- Mongo: Aw, come on. It's not _that bad_. Simple, but not
- bad.
- Rillen: Many circles, in patterns...
- Belphanior: What?
- Rillen: Karma.
- Mongo: Bah, I say. (looks around, at this new room, which
- has no exits) What are these things?
- Ged: (examining one of four old, sagging wooden racks mounted
- on the walls) Weapon racks?
- Mongo: Hey, I knew that! Just testing you.
- Belphanior: Duh.
- Rillen: Someone left these weapons and armor here. I wonder
- if they are still good? (grabs an old, rusted sword)
-
- The racks contained various things. There was a single suit
- of plate mail armor, badly rusted, and another suit, of banded
- mail, which was human-sized and intact. Another rack held two
- rotten shields, one of them consisting only of metal bands.
- There were also two poor-quality swords, a morningstar with
- no head, a rusty axe, and several old helms.
-
- Mongo: (fingering the axe) Hey, there's a gem in the pommel
- here!
- Belphanior: Let me see that, I'll pry it out.
- Mongo: Don't you dare try and steal that...
- Belphanior: Relax. I just don't want to see you damage a
- fine gemstone while trying to pry it out with a sword.
- Mongo: Hmph! (hands the axe over to the elf)
- Rillen: (poking at the helms, knocks a hole in one) Hmm.
- Whoever left this here was better off without it. It is
- useless. Someone who wore this might have lost his head.
- Ged: (opening the plate mail) What's this? (grabs a tube
- from inside the suit) Look here! I found a scroll case!
- Belphanior: (has the gem extracted by now) Well, is there
- a scroll inside it?
- Ged: Ungh! (opens the case) I wish I was stronger. Now,
- what's this scroll?
- Rillen: (to Mongo) Maybe we should open such tubes from now
- on, if the elf is too weak.
- Mongo: Yeah.
- Ged: (reading the scroll) Damn! I can't read this scrawl.
- It's in some strange language.
- Belphanior: Let me see that. (snatches the scroll)
- Ged: Hey, be careful with that! After all, it's ancient!
- Belphanior: Hmm. I can't read it either. Oh well. For a
- minute there, I though you might have forgotten how to read
- or something.
- Ged: If only I had gotten the read languages spell, no old
- scripts would be immune to my magic...
- Mongo: (examining one of the swords) This so-called arsenal
- sucks! No wonder this crap was left here!
- Rillen: (looking toward the central chamber and the remaining
- unknown door) Time to go.
- Ged: (puts the scroll back in its case) We'll figure this
- thing out later.
- Belphanior: (searching for secret doors, in vain) Damn.
- Mongo: Let's split. (leads the party back into the main room
- and then to the eastern door, which opens with another of the
- keys)
-
- Rillen: (looking into yet another circular, thirty-foot room)
- This place is empty.
- Mongo: Yup. But, there's another door across the way, there.
- Belphanior: (checks the ceiling, just in case)
- Ged: That door looks sturdier than the others.
- Mongo: (trying the keys on this new door) There, it's open.
- Rillen: (raises his staff) It is pretty dark in there.
- Ged: (looks up intently) Hold! I sense beyond, the presence
- of...Evil!
- Belphanior: (concentrating, with his own spell) No undead,
- though. Whatever foes await must be alive...
- Mongo: Not for long! (raises his hammer) Light it up.
- Rillen: (shines the lantern beam into the area beyond the door,
- revealing a large cavern with several side tunnels) Look in
- there, it is holey.
-
- Suddenly, from one of the passages, there appeared a pair of
- huge, hulking creatures! These new arrivals were over eight
- feet in height, with large pincers on the sides of their maws.
- Each had a small pair of beady little eyes as well as a larger,
- multifaceted pair on the side of its head. These larger eyes
- regarded the four adventurers, somehow suggesting chaotic and
- insane things...
-
- Mongo: (fails his save against umber hulk confusion) Huh?
- Rillen: (saves) Who are these bug-eyed things? Their gaze
- is strange...(aims his staff's blade at the nearer of the
- two monsters and enters the room)
- Ged: (saves, easily) Umber hulks? Damn, I bet Alindyar
- would know. (prepares a spell)
- Belphanior: (saves, draws his sword) Let's see if I can cut
- one of those neat eyes off. It would make a good trophy.
- umber hulks: Grawwwr! (lumber toward the party)
- Mongo: (inside the cavern, wandering about aimlessly) Huh?
- Belphanior: (charges the beasts)
-
- Ged: (casts a Slow spell at the hulks) Take that, you bug-
- eyed freaks!
- first umber hulk: (saves, barely) Rrrrar! (charges Rillen)
- Rillen: Aaaa! Here it comes! (raises his staff to defend
- himself)
- second umber hulk: (fails the save, slowed down considerably)
- Rrrrrrrraarr...
- Ged: That got him!
- Belphanior: Cripes. He's even slower than he was before!
- (slashes the hulk, nicking its tough hide) Boy, this thing
- is dense.
- first umber hulk: (bats Rillen, knocking him aside roughly)
- Raargh!
- Rillen: Ooof! (hits a wall) Ungh...
- first umber hulk: (approaches Ged)
- Ged: Yipes!
- Mongo: (still wandering around aimlessly, headed for a side
- tunnel) Hammer, hammer...
- Belphanior: What's wrong with Mongo?!? We need him now, more
- than ever!
- Ged: Looks like he's confused. I think umber hulks have some
- kind of gaze weapon. Maybe he'll snap out of it soon.
- Belphanior: I sure hope so.
- Rillen: (rises to his feet) Ungh. Hey, ugly!
- first umber hulk: Rrrgh? (turns around clumsily)
- Rillen: (smacks the monster over the head with his staff)
- umber hulk: Raaargh! (lumbers about, swiping at the warrior)
- Ged: Another spell, by Boccob! (begins preparing to cast a
- second spell)
- second umber hulk: (finally gets a chance to attack, but its
- slowed claws are easily dodged by Belphanior) Rrrrrrrrrr...
-
- Ged: Rillen, you keep him busy while I zap him with my spell!
- Rillen: Right.
- Ged: Maybe you could hit his knees and knock him down. Try
- something, damn it!
- Rillen: (smashes the first hulk in the kneecap, hard) Topple,
- monster!
- umber hulk: Raargh! (gashes Rillen on the back with a clawed
- paw)
- Rillen: I do not think he fell for it. (gets nailed by the
- hulk's other swipe) Aaargh!
- Ged: No problem. (casts Blindness, and dashes forth to tap the
- umber hulk, succeeding easily since the thing is busy mauling
- Rillen)
- umber hulk: Rrrr? (fails to save against the spell) Raaaar!
- (flails about aimlessly, smashing parts of the cavern wall
- into powder) Raaaargh!
- Ged: Blinded, by Boccob! The magic of the Uncaring One conquers
- all this day!
- Mongo: (entering yet another state of confusion, he now seeks
- to attack the nearest creature - which happens at the moment
- to be the second, slowed umber hulk) Hammer? (moves toward
- the monster) Hammer! (swings his hammer moronically)
- second umber hulk: Rrrr? Ruh-roh.
- Mongo: Hammer! (bashes the monster in the belly with the magic
- mallet)
- umber hulk: Rrraaargh!
- Belphanior: All right! Mongo's back with us! (stabs the hulk
- in the thigh)
- umber hulk: RRAAARGH!
- Mongo: Hammer! Hammer! (leaps up about a foot or so and hits
- the beast again, in the shoulder) HAMMER! HAMMER!
- umber hulk: (severely wounded now) AARGH! (picks Mongo up
- and hurls him across the cavern, into a side tunnel)
- Mongo: (sailing through the air) Hammer! Hammer! (smacks to
- a halt against a wall) Urgh. Hammer!
- second umber hulk: (to the first, in umber hulk language) Let's
- get the hell out of here!
- first umber hulk: (in umber hulk language) Yeah! (runs into a
- wall)
- Ged: What in the hell are they jabbering about?
-
- Though everyone except Ged was seriously wounded, the pair of
- umber hulks turned to a stone wall and quickly tunneled their way
- out of this cavern - much to the surprise of the grey elf.
-
- Ged: Retreat?! They ran away!
- Rillen: (dragging himself to his feet) So?
- Ged: No evil creature runs from Boccob's might! (prepares a
- lightning bolt)
- Rillen: (looking down the tunnel) They are already out of our
- sight. Those things dig very fast.
- Ged: Get out of the way of the tunnel.
- Belphanior: (guzzles a potion of extra-healing) Ahh...
- Mongo: (still confused, stnads dumbly to one side) Hammer?
- Ged: Fry, foul ones! (sends his bolt down the long, winding
- tunnel that the umber hulks made) Hah!
-
- The crackling energy quickly bounced its way down the roughly
- hewn corridor and out of sight. About five seconds later, there
- was a loud <CRACK> from somewhere down the tunnel, and the smell
- of ozone slowly grew stronger.
-
- Rillen: I suppose they found that...shocking.
- Ged: I sure hope so.
- Mongo: (looking evilly at the nearest creature - Belphanior)
- Hammer...
- Belphanior: (backing up) Aw, no! Look out! He's at it again!
- Ged: (turns) Eh?
- Mongo: (stalking Belphanior) Hammer. Hammer!
- Ged: For crying out- (begins casting another spell)
- Rillen: (approaches the confused dwarf) Calm down, friend.
- Mongo: (eyeing the warrior) Hammer! (moves to bash Rillen)
- Ged: Hold! (casts Hold Person on Mongo) Stop right there!
- Mongo: (trembles for a moment...then saves) Hammer! (swats
- Rillen, catching him on the shoulder with the hammer)
- Rillen: Aaargh! (backs up a bit)
- Ged: Damn! That's one tough dwarf there!
- Belphanior: I have an idea. (uses his ring of spell storing
- to cast Friends on Mongo) Hey, there, Mongo. Nice Mongo.
- Why don't you just sit down and have a snack?
- Mongo: Hrm? (his confused mind ponders this possibility,
- then discards it as he saves) Hammer! (charges the elf)
- Belphanior: Yikes! (dodges aside as the dreaded hammer
- swings by his head) He's uncontrollable! We may have to
- kill him to stop him!
- Ged: Not on your life! (begins casting another spell)
-
- Belphanior: (sword drawn, he faces Mongo)
- Mongo: Hammer? (stands slack-jawed, doing nothing) Hammer...
- Ged: Don't bother him! Back off, I'm going to try to dispel
- the confusion! (casts a Dispel Magic)
- Belphanior: (leaps back) Dispel?! Wait, what about all his
- potions?
- Ged: Tough luck. Besides, it's too late anyway.
- Rillen: Dispel?
- Mongo: (eyes roll up, then focus on the party) What in the
- hells has been going on here?
- Ged: You're cured!
- Mongo: Cured? Hey, where are the monsters with the bug-eyes?
- Rillen: They went away and had a blast.
- Belphanior: (to himself more than anyone else) I guess we
- won't have to kill him now.
- Mongo: Ahhh! Hey, I'm cut up! I'm bleeding!
- Rillen: So you are.
- Ged: Hold on. (casts curative spells on Rillen and Mongo)
- Rillen: Thank you.
- Mongo: Ditto. Say, did those things have any loot?
- Belphanior: (making a cursory check of the main cave) Sure
- thing. (poking through a pile of rubble) Gold!
- Mongo: Gold? Gold! I knew I smelled treasure! (goes over
- to the pile and starts separating coins from stones)
- Ged: That looks like a lot of gold...
-
- They eventually got the gold loaded into sacks, which were
- set aside to be picked up later (they buried the loot with a
- layer of dust from the cavern floor). Among the coinage, they
- also found three metal potion bottles, a wax-sealed stone tube
- containing eleven well-crafted crossbow bolts, and a wand in
- a velvet covering. All these were confiscated by Mongo, who
- noticed that one of his own potions had somehow broken and was
- dripping all over his backpack...
- They set about exploring the tunnels, and soon found that
- most were short dead-ends or loops back into the main cavern.
- A single passage actually led somewhere, so they followed it
- for five minutes or so until it, too, ended. However, the
- ground at the terminus of the tunnel was broken, and overlooked
- some sort of dungeon corridor. This new place was much more
- evenly carved, having smooth walls obviously made by civilized
- beings (as opposed to umber hulks, who were not generally known
- for their architectural finesse). The party rested for a while
- in the large tunnel, having dinner and binding their wounds
- before continuing into the newly discovered region.
-
- Mongo: Somebody have a rope handy?
- Belphanior: Here. (they lower a rope about fifteen feet, to
- the dusty floor below) I'll climb down first. Everybody
- try and keep the noise down...(descends)
- Mongo: (whispering loudly) I'm next. (lowers himself down)
- Ged: (goes as well, followed by Rillen)
- Rillen: I need more oil for the lantern.
- Belphanior: (refuels his lantern with a flask) Sure thing.
-
- They were now in a long, rectangular chamber. The hole in
- its ceiling gaped above, and a pile of old rubble marked its
- opening into this room soem time past. A stout wooden door
- was visible at the western end of the room, and another exit
- along the north wall was caved-in, impassable due to a number
- of large rocks that flowed through it into the room. They
- opened the door, which was locked, using the keyring found
- far above, and cautiously entered a corridor. They were at
- its northern end, facing another door ahead, and the passage
- itself went southward and split two ways after a distance.
-
- Mongo: (tries the keys, finding one that works) I'll open
- it, you cover me in case something jumps out.
- Belphanior: Right. (raises his sword)
- Ged: By the way, guys, the door is free of traps.
- Mongo: (opens the door, revealing a forty-foot section of
- passage into a large, square room) Phew!
- Belphanior: No undead.
- Ged: No traps. And no evil.
- Rillen: Look there. The room is full of dead bodies.
-
- Indeed, it was. There were dozens of dry husks strewn
- about this chamber. They were quite old, most of them in
- several pieces, and appeared to have been smashed by some
- powerful force. Their limbs were splintered like dry wood,
- and some of their heads had been knocked in like brittle
- eggs. Besides this eerie carnage, there was nothing else
- in the room, despite the adventurers' searching of the
- stench-filled place.
-
- Ged: I'm about to vomit. Let's get out of here and leave
- the dead to their peace.
- Rillen: Pieces.
- Mongo: Yeah.
- Belphanior: (stubbornly searching the room) Wait! I
- found some kind of hatch in the floor here.
- Mongo: Hmm. Let me see. (they manage to pry it up,
- revealing a neatly carven tunnel going a short distance
- eastward)
- Belphanior: I'll lead. (dives in, before anyone else has
- a chance)
- Mongo: Damn it. (follows the elf)
-
- They found a smaller, secret room, which contained nothing
- but a chest. Ged detected no traps, and so they opened the
- container and found eight metal cones within. These were
- about a foot long and half a foot wide at the base, and were
- surprisingly lightweight. The cones were put in another sack
- before the party went back to the corpse room.
-
- Mongo: This place stinks. Let's go. (they exit, and turn
- south, looking down the passage)
-
-
-
-
-
- ___________________________&.__________ N
- | B __________\ \ A % # | W+E
- | | | C || |__________________| S
- |______| |____|| |
- _ __&.__ | |_____________________________
- .. __| \______| ^~ |____| ______ ______ ______ |
- E _\____ D _______| | | | | | |
- _/ |______|
- \_
- .. ____/ A entry room &. rubble
- B corpse room %
- C secret room
- D cave-in room/runes \ door
- E river room/cave/pool # broken ceiling
-
-
-
- Mongo: (leads the way ahead and rightward, into a room filled
- in part by a collapsed exit) Cave-in.
-
- This next room was squarish, with a short exit passage ending
- in a thick, wooden door. The room's northern wall appeared to
- have once been a stairway up, but it was now totally filled
- with rubble. There were some glowing runes on the southern
- wall, which immediately caught the party's interest.
-
- Rillen: Glowing letters.
- Ged: Runes? To hell with this. (casts Read Magic) Aha!
- My hunch was correct!
- Belphanior: Well, I don't want to waste my own spell, so why
- don't you fill the rest of us in? What do they say?
- Ged: Oh, right. They say, in magical script, "THE WAY IS
- CLOSED FOR NOW"...
- Mongo: Oh, how useful! Damned runic shitheads...
- Belphanior: (examining the wall, careful not to touch the
- runes) There are no secret panels or such here. It's
- just a wall.
- Rillen: We could try the door there.
- Mongo: Yeah! That's my vote! Try the door.
-
- They did, and it was unlocked and untrapped. The cavern
- beyond was fairly spacious, and had a river flowing through
- it, against one wall. This underground stream entered and
- exited through small holes at either end of the cave. A
- small pool had formed at one point along its course, its
- clear waters sparkling in the lantern's light.
-
- Belphanior: (using his Detect Undead, which is still in
- effect) No undead in the pool.
- Rillen: Why would they want to go swimming, anyway?
- Ged: (scanning the pool) The holy powers of Boccob see
- no evil - or traps - in it either. That thing at the
- bottom looks a lot like a skeleton, though. So, who
- wants to dive in and check it out?
- Belphanior: (stripping his weapons and items off) I'll
- go.
- Mongo: No, I'll go! I'm the strongest!
- Belphanior: You'd take ten minutes to get out of that
- plate mail. This won't take long.
- Ged: He's right. Just let him go and risk his neck.
- Mongo: (grumbling)
-
- Belphanior tested the icy water of the pool, then waded
- in and examined the sunken skeleton. All he could find
- was a silvery ring on one of its body fingers, and he had
- to give it up, since the party could see his every move.
- Soon, he had emerged, dried off, and re-dressed himself.
- The party went back to the eastern passage, which had not
- one, not two, but _three_ visible branches; they rested for
- a bit before advancing down it.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Juggernaut!
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Okay, okay! Normal gemstones don't break if you drop them
- on the ground. This ominous fate seemed to threaten the gems that
- Ged and Belphanior found in the last episode. It was late, what
- can I say?
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 1/7/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: evening
- Place: a lost city buried beneath part of the Suss Forest
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LIX. Juggernaut!
-
-
-
- The party has explored a bit of this level, and now faces an
- eastward passage which branches into three others.
-
-
-
- party's |_____________________________ N
- current *> _______ ______ ______ | W+E
- location ______| | | | | | S
- | | |
- |______\ |
- ______| |
- | ____ |
- __| |__ | |
- | | | |
- |_______| | |
- __| |__
- | |
- | |
- |________|
-
-
-
- Mongo: Well. this is simple enough. (takes the first of the
- passages to the right, the closest) Hey, how about that? A
- door! (touches the old, crusty wooden door, which collapses
- at the slight touch) Well, shit. It's rotten.
- Ged: (enters the room, scanning it) No evil, no traps. This
- room is dead.
- Belphanior: (remembers that his detect undead spell is still
- in effect) No, it's not. I detect no undead. (looking for
- secret exits) Must have been a storeroom.
- Rillen: To store air in, maybe. (they leave, and continue
- southward, taking the next side passage)
- Belphanior: (looking into a small open room ahead) It's a
- green room.
- Mongo: No kidding...
- Ged: Yah! Watch it, there! That's green slime on the walls!
- Rillen: Slime?
- Belphanior: (backs off) Yeah, so it is. I say we retreat and
- blast the whole room from afar.
- Ged: Whatever.
- Mongo: We sure can't walk around in _there_. It's totally
- coated, walls, floor, and ceiling.
-
- They backed up, but decided not to waste a spell - unless the
- slime followed them, or something unusual like that. There was
- one more room to the south of this passage, which had some junk
- littering the floor - a broken arrow, a dagger hilt, a cracked
- and empty flask, and a rusty helm with a lethal-looking dent in
- it. None of this junk seemed worth salvaging, so the foursome
- returned to the main passage, and proceeded down the next tunnel.
-
-
-
- |
- PREVIOUSLY |_____________________________ N
- EXPLORED ________ ______ ______ | W+E
- AREAS _| ______| | |d |__ | | S
- | a | | __| \__|
- |______\ | |__\ |__
- ______| | __| \__| a = empty storeroom
- | ____ | |__\ |__ b = green slime room
- __| |__ | | __| \__| c = junk room
- | b | | | |__\ |_ d = party's current location
- |_______| | | | | (headed southward)
- __| |__ |____|
- | |
- | c |
- |________|
-
-
-
-
- Mongo: A new door. All right! (kicks open a door to his left,
- revealing a small, cubical crypt beyond) Phew! Something's
- rotten in here.
- Belphanior: Undead! There are undead within!
- Ged: Aha! I knew it!
- rotting corpse: AAAUUURRRR! (shambles toward the party)
- Rillen: I guess we did not catch _him_ sleeping...
- Ged: (brandishing his holy symbol of Boccob) Back, scum!
- zombie: Aur?! (disintegrates into a pile of dust)
- Ged: Ha! That showed him!
- Rillen: Another one bites the dust.
- Mongo: Good going, Ged. (peeps into the room) He's got some
- kind of coffin-thing.
- Belphanior: (examining an old wooden box) Nothing here. No
- hidden loot, nothing. Damn! (kicks the coffin, and it falls
- into rotten pieces)
- Mongo: Let's check the next room.
- Ged: Try the handle first this time. Maybe it's unlocked.
- Mongo: Hrmph. (opens the next door, revealing another, identical
- crypt) Hey! There's another thing in here! (bashes a rotting
- fiend who leaps upon him) Help!
- Ged: (sticks his holy symbol right in the thing's face) Begone,
- foul one!
- ghoul: (recoils, and flees)
- Belphanior: (noting that he can detect the undead with his spell
- even as it runs by him) Undead? (slashes the ghoul with his
- sword, chopping a leg off and sending the thing to the floor)
- Mongo: Right on! Don't let it get away! (hurls his hammer,
- striking the monster in the back of the head and splattering
- Belphanior with rotting grey matter)
- Belphanior: Thanks.
- Mongo: At least he - it - won't get away and attack us later.
- We don't want that to happen...(catches his hammer)
- Ged: Bah. Boccob's raw power proved too much for the fiend.
- His doom was imminent.
- Belphanior: (wiping gore from his cloak) Ugh. Perhaps I shall
- someday invent an anti-undead-guts spell.
- Rillen: (to Belphanior) Do you detect undead _now_?
- Belphanior: Very funny.
- Mongo: (searching the small room) Nothing. Again. I guess
- these guys weren't too important or rich when they were alive.
- Ged: (enthused by his undead-turning prowess today) Let's get
- on with it, and search the other rooms!
- Mongo: (opens the next room - there are six doors, total)
- Belphanior: (concentrating, notices that he can detect the
- undead beyond _through_ the door) Uh-
- scrawny humanoid: (shuffles toward the party, hissing) Ssss!
- Belphanior: Undead!
- Rillen: Why did you not tell us? (raises his staff)
- Ged: Out of the way! (faces the thing, glowing holy symbol
- held before him) Back to hell, red-eyed undead!
- wight: (flees into a corner)
- Mongo: We need to kill that thing!
- Belphanior: (dashes over and backstabs the wight, wounding it
- seriously)
- Ged: No, you fool! The turning is undone once we bother it!
- Now it will attack again!
- Mongo: No it won't. (fires his hammer, slaying the creature)
- Ged: Oh.
- Belphanior: (searching) No loot.
- Ged: That's okay. Strictly speaking, we're not graverobbers.
- Rillen: Hmm.
- Belphanior: We're not?
- Ged: Of course not.
- Belphanior: Oh. Well, then, I will think of any treasure gained
- as...tax.
- Ged: Whatever turns you on. Let's get into the rest of these
- rooms.
- Mongo: (moving to the fourth of the six doors)
- Belphanior: Wait. I detect undead beyond.
- Mongo: Snort! (kicks the door down, revealing a dark, shadowy
- form poised to strike) Aaaah! (quickly hurls his hammer at
- the creature, but misses!) Huh?
- Rillen: You missed.
- Belphanior: (sword raised) You missed.
- Ged: Boccob! (raises his holy symbol) Begone! Flee, vile one!
- wraith: (hesitates - then flits to a corner)
- Ged: Whew! These undead are getting more powerful.
- Belphanior: Let's take no chances with this one. (he, and Mongo,
- and Rillen all charge the cowering wraith simultaneously, and
- manage to dispatch it quickly)
- wraith: (evaporates)
- Rillen: What a gas.
- Mongo: Bah. These things are no challenge.
- Ged: Oh really? Try fighting without Boccob's power to help you,
- then.
- Mongo: You're on! Let's check the next room. (they do, this time
- using Rillen to open the door and then back away, allowing Ged a
- prime opportunity for undead turning; Mongo holds his hammer at
- the ready next, for backup, and Belphanior stands opposite, for
- backstabbing purposes should anything charge Mongo)
- Rillen: Ready? (opens the next door)
- semi-material man: Die! (floats toward the party)
- Ged: Away! Away! (waves his holy symbol wildly)
- spectre: Hahahahah!
- Ged: Yie! (leaps back)
- Mongo: Move it! I'll handle this joker! (throws his hammer at
- the apparition, wounding it)
- spectre: Argh! (pounces upon Mongo)
- Mongo: AAAAAAAAARGH!
- spectre: Ha ha. Your life force is mine, dwarf!
- Belphanior: Holy shit! It's got Mongo! (stabs the thing in
- the back, as it is occupied with Mongo) Die, motherfucker!
- spectre: Argh! (wheels about) You are next, elf!
- Mongo: (quivering) Cold...so cold...
- Rillen: (bashes the fiend with his staff)
- spectre: (injured, wondering where the party got all these magic
- weapons)
- Ged: (looking through his backpack)
-
- Belphanior: (backing away from the spectre) Stay the hell away
- from me, you transparent son of a bitch!
- Rillen: (hits the thing again) You heard him.
- Ged: Aha! (uncorks a vial of holy water and splashes it on the
- monster)
- spectre: Aaaaaa! (writhes in pain)
- Belphanior: (sensing an opening, slashes the spectre again)
- spectre: Damn you...(dies, and vanishes)
- Rillen: He did not stick around for long.
- Mongo: Uhhh...(rises to his feet) I feel weak...
- Ged: By Boccob! I'll bet that thing drained some of your life
- force!
- Belphanior: (winces)
- Rillen: How unpleasant.
- Mongo: I'll be okay. I can make it. (sips some of his healing
- potion jug)
- Ged: I have no spells to help you. We'll have to see what can
- be done when we reach Greyhawk.
- Mongo: I'm fine, really.
- Ged: Okay, then. Let's finish this wing, and take a break.
- Rillen: (stands ready by the sixth door)
- Belphanior: I sense undead in here, too.
- Ged: And evil...
- Rillen: (opens the door)
-
- Beyond was another dark room, with a wooden coffin resting on a
- raised stone slab in the center of the chamber. The thing was in
- a remarkable state of preservation, considering the other wooden
- furniture found already in this place. Suddenly, a shadowy form
- strode forth, and the hairs on the back of the adventurers' necks
- stood on end. This new adversary was draped in black cloaks, and
- mists coiled and recoiled at his feet. Short, black hair framed
- the pale, chalky face, the long, thin nose, the burning red eyes,
- the sharp, white teeth...
-
- Rillen: Who is this sucker?
- Belphanior: (mesmerized)
- vampire: (to Belphanior) Put down that sword, elf. Join me in
- everlasting death.
- Belphanior: Y...uh...um...(drops his weapon)
- Ged: (leaps forth, and sticks his holy symbol right in the evil
- one's face) Back, foul creature of the dark! Leave that poor
- fool alone!
- vampire: (against the odds, he succumbs, and is driven back by
- the power of Boccob) Hssssssss!
- Mongo: Wow.
- vampire: We will meet again, priest...(turns into gas and seeps
- through one of many tiny cracks in here)
- Ged: (staring at his holy symbol) Boccob...
- Belphanior: (breaks out of his trance, and looks around) Huh?!?
- Rillen: (slaps the elf on the back) That thing almost had you,
- there.
- Belphanior: Vampire? Evil? Charm? (picks up his sword)
- Mongo: (looking around) No treasure here.
- Ged: Let's have a look in that area to the south.
- Belphanior: (pondering recent events) That vampire had better
- not show his face again. Or I'll cut it off.
-
- The party searched the small area at the end of the passage of
- crypts, but it was devoid of exits and traps. They went back up
- to the "main" passage, and took the third branch...
-
-
-
- | * = Current location of party
- PREVIOUSLY |_____________________________ N
- EXPLORED ________ ______ ______ | W+E
- AREAS _| ______| | | |__ | *|______ S
- | | | __| \__| | __ |
- |______\ | |__\ |__ | |__+ |
- ______| | __| \__| | ______|
- | ____ | |__\ |__ | |
- __| |__ | | __| \__| | |______
- | | | | |__\ |_ | __ |
- |_______| | | | | | |__+ |
- __| |__ |____| | ______|
- | | __________| |__
- | | | \ \ |
- |________|__|.___|____| |
- |O | | |
- |O______| | |
- _________| | ____
- | | |+ |
- + = wall pegs (3) | golem room |__| |
- \ = door |.__________________\ |
- . = door | $____| | |
- $ = secret door | | |____|
- O = vat | |
- | |
- | |
- |______|
-
-
-
-
- Mongo: This way. (he takes the first left, into a vaguely "O"
- shaped area) Hmm. No one's here.
- Belphanior: What's that on the wall, there?
-
- On a peg, against the section of wall in the middle of the "O"
- shaped area, was a foot-long dull metal rod, tipped by a silvery
- sphere of 4" diameter. Ged detected no traps or evil, so the item
- was examined.
-
- Ged: I have no idea what this thing might be.
- Rillen: Maybe it is magic.
- Mongo: Wouldn't even make a good mace.
- Belphanior: Let's hang on to it, and identify it later.
-
- They moved on, to another "O" shaped area to the immediate south
- of the first. Incredibly, there was _another_ rod on a wall peg
- there, this one with a black pyramidal head. It, too, was taken
- by the party (Mongo wondered if one might wield both of the things
- at the same time well, or not). The large, open area to the south
- was entered next, and the party moved through a door to their right
- and into an empty twenty-foot square room.
-
- Mongo: Bah. Hey, there's another door ahead! (opens this one as
- well)
- Belphanior: Hmm. Tapestries.
- Ged: Quite rotten, too. Rillen, cover that door.
- Rillen: With what? (pulls a tapestry from the wall, and it rips
- rather easily) This is moldy. (spies something) Look!
- Ged: What?
- Rillen: (reaches into a wall niche and grabs a scroll) Someone
- left this here for us.
- Ged: Careful, that may be cursed or something.
- Belphanior: (searching fruitlessly behind the other tapestry)
- Fuck it all!
- Mongo: What's that thing say?
- Ged: I can't read it. But look here, there is some kind of
- diagram. It shows a square, a circle, and a triangle, in that
- order. Maybe this great knowledge will help us somehow.
- Mongo: No doubt. (opens the next door) Hey, there's skeletons
- in here!
- Belphanior: They are inanimate.
- Mongo: Huh?
- Ged: They're not moving. Dead.
- Rillen: That is a relief.
- Belphanior: (headed for a pair of 4' high vats to one side of the
- otherwise empty chamber) Wonder what's in these?
- Mongo: (wanders around the room) No exits, nothing.
- Rillen: (looking down into a vat) This thing is empty, too.
- Belphanior: (sniffing the water in the other vat) Phew!
-
- Suddenly, the brackish water inside the vat by the elf stirred,
- bubbling and hissing. A huge, watery form rose from the stone
- container, dripping all over the floor. Massive, it easily hit
- the ceiling, and it was quite broad as well, seeming to fill the
- entire side of the room as it reared up.
-
- Mongo: Holy shit! (raises his hammer) What in the hells is
- THAT?!?
- Ged: (backing away) Maybe an elemental, I'm not sure.
- Belphanior: (pulls out his magical bowl and addresses the water-
- thing) Stop, you!
- water-thing: (wavers above the vat)
- Rillen: I think it is listening to you.
- Ged: It's not attacking us...
- Belphanior: Follow us! Ally yourself with us!
- water-thing: (subsides into the vat)
- Belphanior: Hmm. I guess I can't just control any random water
- creature that I find.
- Rillen: It seems not.
- Ged: Let's explore some other part of this complex. That thing
- was pretty good-sized, and I doubt that we want to waste our
- spells on it...
- Belphanior: Agreed. (they leave, having found nothing of any
- interest in here)
-
- The party entered the large, open area once more, and moved
- through it. It was shaped like a backwards "L" of massive
- dimensions. Suddenly as the party rounded the corner of the
- chamber, there was a trembling in the floor, and a large form
- lumbered toward them. It was some twelve feet in height (the
- ceiling here was twenty feet high), and appeared to be made
- of dull stone, in the shape of a powerfully-muscled human of
- oversized proportions.
-
- Mongo: Uh-oh. (raises his hammer) Stop or I'll whack you!
- golem: (lumbers onward)
- Rillen: I do not think he is scared of you.
- Belphanior: Or any of us. Split up! That way, he can't fight
- more than one of us at a time.
- Ged: Good idea! (running in a different direction) He may be
- big, but he's slow too!
- Mongo: Bah. I will hold my ground. (hurls his hammer at the
- construct)
- golem: <CLANG> (hit in the chest by the magical weapon, it
- is barely slowed at all)
- Mongo: Uhh...
- Belphanior: Oh shit. That sounded metallic.
- iron golem: (swats Mongo, sending him back 30' into a wall)
- Mongo: Aaaaaa....<SLAM> Urgh...(dazed)
- iron golem: (turns toward Ged)
- Ged: Boccob, Boccob...(readies a spell quickly)
- Belphanior: (likewise)
- Rillen: (furthest from the golem, has his bow strung) Have
- some arrows, metal man. (fires a pair of arrows at the
- golem from afar)
- iron golem: (ignores the missiles as they bounce off of him)
- Mongo: (weakly catches his hammer as he lies dazed on the ground)
- Urgh...
-
- Mongo: (drinks a potion of fire giant strength) gulp gulp...
- Ged: (facing the onrushing golem, shrouds the golem with a web)
- Hah! Let's see you get through _that_!
- Belphanior: (ready with his spell)
- iron golem: (rips through the webs with ease, dragging them
- along as he charges Ged)
- Ged: Whoa! (dodges aside as the golem smashes the floor where
- he stood) That was close!
- Belphanior: (fires Melf's Minute Meteors at the golem) I'll get
- him!
- iron golem: (ignores the missiles as they explode upon him)
- Belphanior: Oh shit! Nothing will stop this guy!
- Rillen: (fires more arrows, which bounce off again) Hmm. (puts
- his bow away)
- Mongo: ARRR! (leaps up, and fires off his hammer at the golem)
- I'm baaaack!
- iron golem: <CLANG> (hit by the weapon, actually staggered)
- Ged: Mongo!
- Mongo: (catches his hammer) Ha!
- iron golem: (faces the dwarf again)
- Mongo: Come on, you sonofabitch! Come ON! I'm pumped up and
- ready for you now!
- iron golem: (charges Mongo)
-
- Rillen: (approaches Ged, staff raised) Perhaps we should back
- away and find someplace to hide.
- Ged: Not yet, by Boccob! (casting a spell)
- Belphanior: (uses his wand to fire a lightning bolt at the golem)
- golem: <CRACK> (slows down considerably)
- Belphanior: That got to him!
- Ged: (notes that Mongo is still a good distance away from the
- creature; sends some Evard's Black Tentacles at the golem)
- iron golem: (snared by ten of the rubbery, magical things)
- Ged: Boccob!
- Rillen: I would say that he is all tied up.
- Mongo: (hurls his hammer again, denting the golem's head) Yah!
- Belphanior: Just goes to show you what giant strength will do
- for you...
- Mongo: Damn straight!
- iron golem: (snapping the tentacles one by one)
- Ged: By the gods...can _nothing_ stop it?!?
- Mongo: (notes that the golem is still slowed down, and moves in
- for melee) Hey! Hey, you! I'm not done with you yet! (runs
- up and bashes the golem, knocking it's head off) Huh?
- iron golem: (falls down)
- Belphanior: (watches the head roll across the floor) Fore!
- Ged: I'm glad Mongo came with our group, instead of those other
- idiots.
- Mongo: (watches the golem's body cease to move, as the head hits
- a wall across the big room) Yeah!
- Rillen: Now there he went and lost his-
- Belphanior: (turns to Rillen) Stop.
- Rillen: Eh?
- Belphanior: Your wit overwhelms me. I can't take any more.
- Rillen: Whatever you say.
- Mongo: (steps on the golem shell and raises his hammer) Mongo!
- Let's hear it for Mongo the triumphant!
- Ged: Say, you look pretty bruised up there. How about some
- healing magic for Mongo the mighty?
- Mongo: I won't complain.
- Ged: (heals Mongo) There you go.
- Mongo: Thanks.
-
- The golem had no possessions at all, and the party went through
- the western door, into a good-sized room. This chamber was full
- of rotted robes on wall pegs - and a third rod, too, this one
- with a red crystal, cubical tip. The rod was put with the others
- in a sack, and the foursome moved to the other exit, a door in
- the southwestern wall. The door was rotted, and the room beyond
- had three collapsed couches and a pair of tables with chairs.
- All this furniture was old and rotten. A chest was present in
- one corner; since Ged's spell had expired, Belphanior checked
- the container for traps, and finding none, opened it. Inside
- were four 6" diameter metal spheres, tucked among some more
- rotted robes. Ged searched for and found a secret door, and
- the party descended the stairs behind it. They were in an
- octagonal chamber with a door at the far end...
-
-
-
- __ __
- ____/ \ / \
- stairs -> ____ # |
- \ __ / \ __ /
- N
- W+E # = door
- S
-
-
-
-
- Mongo: Phew! What's that smell?
- Belphanior: It's a smell I know well...ozone.
- Rillen: Look at these carvings.
- Ged: Boccob...
-
- The room had twelve figures carved into the walls, in explicit
- detail. The depictions were of almost...divine quality.
-
- - large, muscled warrior in loincloth
- - old, wizened man with scythe
- - skeletal woman with glowing hands
- - evil-looking man
- - bearded man with rock in hand
- - savage-looking, barbaric man
- - jovial, winking man
- - man sitting on a chair of clouds
- - foppish dandy
- - enraged man with fiery hair
- - sly, shifty-eyed man
- - man underwater, surrounded by fish
-
-
- Mongo: What great workmanship!
- Belphanior: They must be great heroes.
- Ged: Or gods.
- Rillen: That one with the shifty eyes looks like Peldor.
- Mongo: (examining the carvings) Hmm.
- Belphanior: (checking the door to the east for traps)
- Ged: (concentrating) By Boccob! I have it!
- Rillen: What are you talking about?
- Ged: Suel! This whole place, it's a Sueloise city!
- Mongo: Huh? The Suel people are long gone. What in the hells
- are you saying?
- Ged: (excitedly) No, no! These are Sueloise gods! There are
- twelve major dieties in the Suel pantheon! This city...See,
- long, LONG ago, there was a great war between the Sueloise
- people and the Baklunish people. They basically obliterated
- each other's empires with terrible magic. Anyway, the Suel
- people had a few cities scattered about the world. One such
- lost city is rumored to be here, in the Suss Forest. That's
- what this place is - a massive, lost, sunken city from many
- centuries past! And we've found it! Or part of it. This
- whole place that we've explored is probably just a single
- building within a whole city. Just _one building_!
- Belphanior: Makes sense.
- Ged: These scrolls that we found - they're probably written
- in ancient Sueloise. That's why none of us know the script.
- And...the Sueloise had mighty magicks, spells beyond the
- realm of modern understanding. We might find some in here!
- Belphanior: (eyes alight) Heh. Good.
- Mongo: Neat story. (examining the carving of the large,
- muscled warrior)
- Rillen: Sooloyse. Got it.
- Ged: Let's get on with our search, then.
- Mongo: (touches the carving) AAA! (jolted, he flies back a
- few feet)
- Belphanior: What?!? (draws his sword)
- Mongo: (eyes alight) KORD!
- Ged: That's one of their gods!
- Mongo: (dazed) Huh? What's going on?
- Rillen: (helps the dwarf to his feet) It will be all right.
- Mongo: (not sure, but feels like his lost energy levels have
- returned) Whoa.
- Ged: Let's get out of here. Who knows what these others will
- do if touched?
- Belphanior: The door is okay, no traps. (they move through
- it)
-
- They entered a thirty-foot diameter circular room, with a
- raised stone dais in the center. Around this base were twelve
- depressions, spaced equidistantly; four were hemispherical,
- while eight were tapering pointed holes. Seizing upon the
- moment, Ged and Belphanior collected the four metal spheres
- from the recent room, as well as the eight cones from the
- earlier room, and the party commenced putting these in the
- appropriate slots. Even Mongo seemed to understand what was
- going on. Upon the completion of this task, the dais shook
- with a slight vibration, and then sunk until it was level with
- the rest of the floor. A foot-thick pedestal rose from the
- room's center, to a height of three feet.
-
- Ged: Aha! It has three depressions - one cubical, one
- spherical, and one pyramidial!
- Belphanior: Put those rods we found into those slots!
- Mongo: (hands the items over) Here you go.
- Ged: (he and Belphanior insert the cubical rod first, then
- the spherical rod, and the pyramidial one last) There.
- Belphanior: Let's hope something interesting happens.
-
- The three rod hafts sunk down into the pedestal, and then
- the pedestal itself sunk. A deep, disembodied voice spoke,
- saying "THE WAY IS OPEN". Ged heard this message in grey
- elven, Mongo heard it in dwarven, and so forth.
-
- Mongo: Way? What way?
- Rillen: (looking around, staff raised defensively) Where
- did that voice come from?
- Ged: Wha...?
- Belphanior: Where was the "way" not open before?
- Ged: Back in that rubble-filled room, with the magical runes
- on the wall! Those runes said that the way was closed for
- now...
- Rillen: But "now" was then, and now is now!
- Mongo: (cleaning crud from his hammer) Huh?
- Belphanior: Let's get back there and check it out!
-
- They rushed back to the mentioned room, and sure enough,
- there was an opening where a wall had been. A long, straight
- staircase, ten feet in width, led downward - but stopped while
- still thirty feet above the floor below. The stone steps just
- ended in thin air!
- At this point, Rillen's lantern ran out of fuel again. As
- Belphanior sought more oil from his supplies, Ged decided to
- cast a continual light spell, and did so on an empty flask.
- Rillen wedged the flask onto the end of his staff, and then
- Belphanior found some rope and tied it to a large boulder
- from the nearby rubble. The party rested, ate, and then went
- down the rope, one by one.
-
- They touched bottom about sixty feet below, or thirty feet
- from the point where the stairs ended. This new chamber was
- gargantuan, well over two hundred feet wide on either side;
- it was roughly square in shape. The ceiling was about forty
- feet high (the stairs went up into it). A narrow stone arch
- was barely visible on the far side of the chamber, with a
- small area open behind it. A large mass of stone was also
- visible, next to the archway; it appeared to be some kind of
- siege weapon or ram. The floor here was soft, like rock that
- had decayed over many centuries into pebble-filled clay.
-
- Rillen: Our voices are booming in here...
- Mongo: Old ground, old rocks, guys. (holds up some clay)
- Now _this_ is a piece of history.
- Belphanior: If you say so. (they move out into the center of
- the room)
- Ged: Hey! What's that big hunk of stone doing? (points to
- the ram-thing in the distance)
-
- Oddly enough, the lump of stone now seemed more defined,
- some kind of siege engine perhaps. It was about twenty feet
- wide, thirty feet long, and ten feet high, with three rollers
- on its bottom - one in front, one in back, and one in the
- middle. The rollers were of stone as well, with prominent
- spikes scattered about their surfaces. A series of rams was
- arrayed along the thing's sides, with three on either side.
- These rams featured the heads of goats, bulls, and such
- animals. Unusually, there seemed to be no place for a crew
- to man the thing...
-
- Mongo: (as they draw closer; they are now about a hundred
- and fifty feet from the arch) Hey, is it just me, or is
- that thing _moving_?
- Belphanior: (raises his sword) It's not just you! It IS
- moving!
- Mongo: I thought so!
- Ged: I think it's rolling this way...(begins spellcasting)
- Rillen: !
-
- The massive engine was trailing dust and pebbles as it
- picked up speed, heading right for the party. Still a hundred
- feet distant, it looked like it was moving at a fairly rapid
- clip. Small stones and large were ground flat beneath its
- dreadful rollers, and several inches of the ground were sunken
- behind it, proof of its massive bulk.
-
- Belphanior: Oh shit! It's headed right for us! It wants to
- run over us!
- Mongo: What do you mean, "it"?!?
- Belphanior: Do you see a crew manning it?!?! Run!!
- Ged: I'll blast it! (casts a fireball spell) There's plenty
- of room in here!
-
- The huge ball of fire exploded right on the stone construct,
- sending tongues of flame in all directions. The inferno rose
- up, and even from this far away, the adventurers could feel
- the heat of Ged's mighty spell. Then, a massive form emerged
- from the flames. The rollers were spraying fire behind them,
- and the entire stony form was ablaze - but it kept rolling,
- right for the party, like a herald of imminent doom.
-
- Ged: By Boccob...!
- Belphanior: Come ON! RUN!
- Rillen: (already sprinting away) You don't have to tell me
- twice.
- Belphanior: RUN! (headed in the opposite direction of Rillen)
- Ged: (dashes in yet another direction, as does Mongo)
-
- Unfortunately, one of the four was slower, much slower, than
- his companions. Mongo, naturally short-limbed anyway, couldn't
- move very fast with all his armor on. The huge stone juggernaut,
- a mindless, millenia-old killing machine, sensed an easy kill
- and veered its course slightly to track the dwarf.
-
- Mongo: Aaaaaa! I can't run fast enough!
- Ged: Come on, Mongo! Run!
- Rillen: Run faster!
- Mongo: (turns around, and sees the juggernaut right behind him
- and gaining) Aaaaa!
- Belphanior: It's about to-
- Mongo: (being run over) Oh shi-! (disappears beneath the wide
- stone rollers)
- Rillen: That thing is on a roll!
- Juggernaut: (changes course, headed for Rillen, now the nearest
- intruder in the area)
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: The conclusion of the Sea party's exploits; Greyhawk!
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Finals are effectively over! Since I've been too busy to
- post for quite some time, I made an extra-sized episode here...
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 6th/6th/7th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 7th/7th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 1/7/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: evening
- Place: a lost city buried beneath part of the Suss Forest
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LX. Greyhawk
-
-
-
- The party is in a huge room, facing an ancient stone juggernaut
- which just ran over Mongo...
-
- Rillen: That thing is on a roll!
- Juggernaut: (changes course, headed for Rillen, now the nearest
- intruder in the area)
- Rillen: Yie! (turns and dashes for a wall)
- Juggernaut: (pursues, picking up speed once again)
-
- Belphanior: (pointing his wand at the construct, which is about
- a hundred feet distant) I'll blast it!
- Ged: No! You might hit Rillen! (begins spellcasting)
- Belphanior: Damn.
- Rillen: (backed against a wall by the thing) Uh-oh.
- Juggernaut: (bears down on the warrior)
-
- There was a tremendous CRACK! as the juggernaut slammed into the
- wall of the room. Against all odds, Rillen leaped out of harm's
- way, running "up" the wall and then executing a reverse flip to
- land on top of his attacker as it hit the wall. About five feet
- of wall was now crushed into powder, and the juggernaut backed up
- slowly, ripping stones loose as it pulled free, Rillen dancing atop
- it like some insane puppet.
-
- Rillen: (whacking the thing with his staff, chips away small bits
- of stone) Take that! And that!
- Juggernaut: (lurches forward and backward, trying to dislodge the
- annoying human)
- Rillen: You will not be rid of me that easily. (hits it again)
- Ged: This should help. (fires four magic missiles across the
- vast room)
- Juggernaut: (ignores the missiles, as they plow small furrows in
- its armored shell)
- Ged: Hmph. Well, that was my last mage spell. I hope you have
- better luck.
- Belphanior: (sticks his wand through his belt and walks slowly
- toward the battle, preparing a spell) Me too.
- Ged: (wondering if he can reach Mongo's location to view the
- remains) Hmm.
-
- Rillen: (hits the juggernaut again) Think of this as a pat on
- the back.
- Juggernaut: (heads for the nearby wall)
- Rillen: Eh? (looks up) Aaa!
- Juggernaut: (slams into the wall, hard)
- Rillen: (hits the wall and bounces off to one side)
- Juggernaut: (tears out of the wall, leaving another sizable hole)
- Belphanior: (running now) You!
- Juggernaut: (ignoring the onrushing elf)
- Belphanior: Don't ignore _me_, you fucker! (casts a Grease spell
- on the ground in front of the thing, which is moving toward the
- prone Rillen now, gaining momentum)
- Juggernaut: (hits the slippery area and skids sideways)
- Rillen: Ugh. (sits up) Aaa!
- Ged: (heads toward the last known location of Mongo, griping
- something about not having enough spells)
-
- Juggernaut: (still sliding a bit, now facing a random direction)
- Rillen: Slick.
- Belphanior: (wand in hand again) Hah! Watch this. Hey, you!
- (points the wand at the juggernaut and fires a lightning bolt
- right at it)
- Juggernaut: <CRACK> (hit by the energy, slides away into a distant
- wall)
- Rillen: (standing up) What do we do now?
- Belphanior: (looking around) Run! Run for the archway! (they do)
- Ged: (finds Mongo, who has been trampled right down into the soft,
- muddy clay floor of this chamber) Holy Boccob! (grabs the dwarf
- and tries to carry him away) Oof.
- Rillen: (arriving) Let me help you with him. (they manage to
- drag Mongo's body away slowly)
- Belphanior: (looking back at the juggernaut) Shit.
- Juggernaut: (moving toward the party again)
-
- Belphanior: (fires another bolt at the thing) Stop, damn you!
- Juggernaut: <CRACK> (hit, veers a slight bit, but regains its
- control momentarily)
- Ged: (he and Rillen have reached the archway, and pull Mongo in
- after them) Come on, run!
- Belphanior: (high-tailing it into the archway just fifty feet
- ahead of the huge stone juggernaut) Move back! It may try to
- break through the arch!
-
- Sure enough, it did, ramming the arch four times and knocking
- it to bits. The opening was still only ten feet wide, though,
- and the thing finally gave up, and parked itself right outside
- the arch's rubble.
-
- Belphanior: Whew!
- Rillen: (watching the juggernaut) I do not think he is going
- to go away anytime soon.
- Ged: Who cares? We're safe, for now. (examines Mongo)
- Ged: What's back here, in this passage, anyway?
- Belphanior: Looks like some kind of side tunnel. I see an open
- area up ahead.
- Ged: (casts several curative spells on Mongo) I think he'll
- live!
- Rillen: (looks amazed) How?!?
- Ged: Well, that muddy floor just gave way when he got rolled
- over. He sunk right in...he's unconscious, but that ring of
- his kept him alive. And my spells, of course. My priestly
- spells, that is.
- Belphanior: That's good. (they prop the dwarf against one side
- of the passage) Let's check this open area ahead.
-
- The short passage led about thirty feet, winding to the right,
- and ended in a small cavelike room. They quickly relocated to
- this place, and brought Mongo too, in case the juggernaut tried
- to ram through again. One could never be too sure, after all.
- The room contained a chest and a number of items piled loosely
- around it. There was a foot-thick nugget of solid gold, most
- prominent among the chamber's contents. Piles of platinum
- coins surrounded the chest; buried within them were a cloak,
- an old bronze horn, and a folded piece of black cloth. A long
- wooden staff was jutting up from the coins, too. Belphanior
- found two needle traps on the chest, but disarmed both within
- moments. Inside were a few items: a slender adamantine wand,
- a scroll tube, a small diamond cube, a silver helm, and a dull
- grey torus of some strange metal, mithril perhaps. A silken
- sack contained yet more: a pair of fine, but ancient bracers;
- an expensive-looking purse; and a set of two small figurines.
- The party rejoiced with glee at the finding of these great
- treasures. Then they realized that the juggernaut was still
- out there, waiting...
- They decided to rest here, since it seemed safe and peaceful
- as well as the only option at this time. Ged regained his mage
- spells, and Mongo returned to consciousness, though weak from
- his brush with death. Rillen was playing with the folded cloth
- when he found that it was actually the opening to some kind of
- large extradimensional hole. The warrior didn't understand
- what he had found until Belphanior started tossing coins down
- into the hole, where they hit bottom perhaps ten feet below.
- Better yet, the thing could be folded up and then carried away
- to another location, to then be unfolded and opened again, if
- desired. A portable hole! Quickly, all items were stashed
- inside the hole, and Mongo folded it up and put it in his
- pouch for safekeeping.
- After re-memorizing their spells, Ged and Belphanior spent
- many hours formulating plans to beat the juggernaut and/or
- escape. None seemed feasible, until Ged pointed out that
- he could use his Dig spell to bore a tunnel up through the
- treasure room's roof and into the forest above. With the
- help of several ropes, Rillen's steel-hard quarterstaff, and
- Ged's light shield (to keep dirt out of his face), the party
- managed to drill and excavate a vertical shaft leading out
- of the room they were trapped in. Some distance up, they
- broke through into the main dungeon, and Ged quickly secured
- the ropes for the others to use. The huge golden nugget was
- no problem, thanks to the portable hole. The group searched
- the complex another time for secret doors or unfound exits,
- but every viable exit seemed to have collapsed long ago.
-
- Belphanior: Let's leave. We need to get to civilized lands
- and have this loot appraised.
- Ged: Perhaps. Or perhaps I could appraise it myself, if we
- weren't in the middle of the wilderness. Remember, that
- "Identify" spell drains all my strength away.
- Mongo: Let's just get the hell out of here. I'll come back
- some other time and beat that thing. Sometime when I'm
- feeling better, that is.
- Rillen: I agree. Enough dead opponents and stone rollers
- for one place. We should move on.
- Ged: (looking around) Ahh. Someday, I shall return to
- this place, and find its other lost treasures.
- Mongo: I think we got enough stuff from here, as it is.
- (thinking about that big gold nugget) Ahh...
-
- And so, they departed the section of lost Sueloise city,
- for now anyway. Emerging into the Suss Forest, they covered
- the stairway down with some brush and dead tree limbs. Due
- to their time in the buried dungeon, they had forgotten that
- it was winter. The chilling winds and frozen forest quickly
- served to remind them, though, and Rillen had to put on more
- robes to avoid frostbite.
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 1/8/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: somewhere in the Suss Forest
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- The party found that their horses were all gone, much to their
- dismay. Rillen was especially upset at the loss of his magnificent
- black horse. They traveled northward on foot, much too weary for
- this kind of crap. A few encounters happened along the way, the
- most noteworthy being a band of eight ogres, who didn't last long.
- These humanoids had a few finely-crafted weapons, which were taken
- in case of magical properties. Four giant spiders also menaced
- the adventurers before they emerged from the Suss, but these, too,
- were beaten.
- Three days after escaping the lost ruins, they found that the
- forest thinned out. Walking next through plains, they were
- challenged by a band of gnolls, who were driven away after half
- their number were slain. The next day, they entered the city of
- Elredd, and stayed there for a day before moving northward, in
- the direction of Greyhawk. Yet another day later, they were able
- to purchase a large warship, from some merchant and woodsman who
- called himself "Lotus of Fax" and carried a bow that was strung at
- all times, with an arrow always at the ready. Rillen wondered
- aloud about the sanity of this man, but his ship was of stout make,
- so they took it. Since no slaves were available, a crew of twenty
- men was hired to man the oars. The party ventured out into the
- cold waters of the Woolly Bay, and five uneventful days later they
- entered the mouth of the Selintan River, which led eventually to
- their destination.
- To make a long story short, this area of the Selintan was
- populated by numerous traders and river people. Many sought to
- bargain with the adventurers, and the party gained some rare
- foods in return for a small portion of their loot. They ate
- like kings as they sailed northward along the bustling, busy
- river. Seven days later, a huge, sprawling city could be seen
- ahead - the Free City of Greyhawk!
-
- Rillen: (astonished) Wow.
- Belphanior: This is gonna be a _lot_ of fun...
- Mongo: Hey, let's tie the ship up at the docks and get into
- that city! (jumping up and down on deck with his impatience)
- Ged: No, no, no. They have to pull us into dock. This ship is
- too big to maneuver with oars. (orders the men to pull in the
- oars) The tugs will take care of docking us.
- Mongo: Oh. Well, bah.
-
- Soon, the ship was docked, and Ged paid the docking fees to
- keep it tied in one of the many docks. The group made their
- way into the city, registering as visitors at the gate they
- entered by. Greyhawk seemed much more carefully run than the
- other cities they had been to, that was for sure. After a
- few minutes of fruitless wandering, they found a fine-looking
- inn and prepared to settle down for a while. Much to their
- surprise, though, the proprietor refused to take their coins,
- informing them that they had to change them in for official
- city currency at the moneychanger's shop. Irritated, tired,
- and downright grumpy, Mongo dashed away to this place while
- the others waited (it was close to the inn they had chosen).
- Soon, the dwarf returned, and tossed a sizable pouch of gold
- at the innkeeper. The party secured a four-bedroom suite
- on the fourth floor, for a period of two weeks. They went
- to their rooms and retired early, planning to begin item
- division and identification on the morrow, followed by any
- training necessary.
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 1/26/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: late morning
- Place: the free city of Greyhawk
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- They woke up late the next morning, and spread their loot out
- on a table for examination. By far the most valuable of the
- monetary treasures was the huge, foot-thick gold nugget. Mongo
- continually drooled over this prize, but the adventurers decided
- to keep it in the portable hole as a "party treasure" for the
- time being. The coinage and gems were split evenly. The scrolls
- written in ancient Sueloise were kept by Ged for later deciphering
- and perusal. As for the large pile of (possibly) magical items...
- Belphanior cast a Detect Magic spell on the lot, and the following
- things were determined to be magical. Straws decided the choosing
- order, and the items were divided as follows:
-
- (ITEM-CHOOSING ORDER : Mongo, Ged, Rillen, Belphanior; then repeat
- until done...)
-
- small wooden cube - Mongo 3rd
- box of sling stones - Rillen 5th
- iron wand - Ged 3rd
- potion - Mongo 5th
- potion - Belphanior 5th |
- potion - Belphanior 5th |
- 11 crossbow bolts - Mongo 4th
- silver ring from pool - Rillen 1st
- cloak - Rillen 4th
- staff - Belphanior 1st
- portable hole - Mongo 1st
- bronze horn - Rillen 3rd
- adamantite wand - Ged 1st
- mage scroll - Ged 2nd
- diamond cube - Belphanior 2nd
- silver helm - Mongo 2nd
- torus - Ged 5th
- two-handed sword - Belphanior 3rd
- bracers - Rillen 2nd
- purse - Belphanior 4th
- golden lion figurines - Ged 4th
-
-
-
- Ged's identify spell could only help with up to seven of
- the items, and besides it weakened him for a whole day, so
- he decided not to use it. Each of the four adventurers was
- left to identify items and train on his own. Summaries of
- their activities follow:
-
-
-
- BELPHANIOR really cashed in on this adventure, training for
- all three classes. He scoped out the Thieves' Guild while
- exploring the city, but decided not to register himself
- with them, for the time being at least. He paid good money
- (and Greyhawk coinage at that!) to learn that his diamond
- cube could generate various protective fields. The purse
- had a few coins inside, and always seemed to have a few
- more when opened again. His potions were of deadly poison
- and speed, both useful in some way to the elf. Best of all,
- his new staff was every mage's dream - a portable arsenal
- of spells and magical effects! Belphanior strove to learn
- its various powers for future reference.
-
- "A staff of power! Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! People had
- better not fuck with me _now_ !!"
-
-
-
- GED paid the fees to join the Mages' and Priests' Guilds,
- and spent quite a bit of time at each. He also took an
- entire week to read his mystical Book of Exalted Deeds,
- gaining much wisdom and experience in the process. He also
- copied his new scroll's seven spells into his spellbook,
- relishing every moment of the transcription. The temple
- of Boccob told him that his torus was a talisman of great
- power, to be used only in dire straits. Ged also learned
- the use of his figurines, which could summon two huge lions
- to obey simple commands. He quickly became enamored of his
- new pets, finding that he loved cats of all types. Both of
- his wands were powerful, but required further study. The
- runes on the adamantite one seemed to provide a clue to its
- functions.
-
- "Nice kitties..."
-
-
-
- MONGO spent a short time practicing with his hammer, against
- moving stone targets, perhaps for the next juggernaut he
- encountered. The dwarf needed no formal training, though,
- and was able to devote his time to his new magical items.
- His crossbow bolts were simple, magical missiles, and his
- potion was one of resistance to fire. His cube was utterly
- unfathomable (no one had ever seen anything like it), but
- as long as Mongo kept it on his person, he felt good, so
- the cube made its way into a pocket. The portable hole was
- quickly loaded with much treasure and equipment, but was
- still nowhere near full. Certainly it would come in handy
- from now on; Mongo was used to carrying most of the heavy
- loot, and the hole would change everything. His helm was
- a banded, silver-coated thing, with a few strange runes carved
- on it, but it was fairly well-built and sturdy, and he decided
- to wear it for a while and see if anything happened.
-
- "Ah, my days of being the party crap-lugger are OVER!"
-
-
-
- RILLEN had no need to train. He spent a lot of his time in
- the city, looking for fighting contests and tournaments.
- He spoke with a sage about his items, and learned that the
- silver ring could summon a powerful being from another world,
- if rubbed deliberately. His horn had a similar function, for
- it could bring forth several skilled warriors to aid its
- blower. His new bracers were magically enchanted to help
- ward against attacks. His cloak would allow him to climb
- walls like a spider. The four sling stones were said to have
- spell-like effects of great power, if they hit a target.
-
- "Like a spider? I guess this means I should stick around for
- a while."
-
-
-
- The party took their time posting notices for the land-
- based group to find. After all, who knew how long it would
- take those four to arrive in Greyhawk?
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "sea" group):
-
- Belphanior, 7th/7th/8th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 9th/8th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 8th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Rillen, 8th level human fighter (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 3/12/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: mid-afternoon
- Place: the Free City of Greyhawk
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: The land group begins their odyssey
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: The juggernaut was of my own invention, based on something
- I saw in an Expert set module, X2 I think. Basically, mine was
- about ac -5, hd 18, hp 144, thaco 3, dam 10-100, immune to fire,
- cold...one tough customer, any way you look at it. A folly of the
- AD&D system allows a character who just got steamrolled to live,
- if he has the hit points; this was Mongo's case (he went to -7 or
- so but his ring got him back to 0 hp pretty quick, also Ged helped
- his good friend back to health with spells).
- You may be wondering this: why put a juggernaut in place if
- it's so easy to just run by the thing? Well, here's the way I
- see it. First, it was put there when a number of guards and
- such were present, and the juggernaut wasn't by any means the
- first line of defense for the treasure room. Over the millenia,
- only a few things survived - a smattering of undead, the ooze,
- the iron golem, the juggernaut. Everything else had long since
- rotted away, including the numerous city defenders who would have
- backed up the juggernaut in happier times. Second, the thing was
- old and half-broken down, thus it was slower and less maneuverable
- than it was in its prime. Had it been up to its original full
- power, the six side rams would have worked too, and it would have
- caught Belphanior before he reached safety.
-
- About Greyhawk:
-
- I meant to have the specific tavern names in Greyhawk, along
- with all NPCs dealt with. BUT...my Greyhawk City boxed set is
- in that infamous other city, and I don't plan to go back there
- for two weeks. So, in the interest of continuing frequent
- postings, everything has been left generic. For now.
- One final swipe: Yes, the sea group _did_ beat the land-based
- bunch. By 17 days or so, I think. Ged got the last laugh over
- Halbarad.
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/04/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: midmorning
- Place: Loftwick, capital of the Yeomanry
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXI. A Mission
-
-
-
- The land party is ready to leave Loftwick; they have gathered
- outside their inn...
-
- Halbarad: The time has come. We must get on the road.
- Peyote: RIght on, dude.
- Alindyar: Perhaps we shall arrive in Greyhawk before the others.
- (wondering about the need for a disguise once the city is found)
- Halbarad: (regarding Peyote curiously) Is it just me, or have
- you lost some weight, friend?
- Peyote: I think I have. Must be my diet. I'm not too hungry
- these days. Say, where's Peldor?
- Halbarad: I seem to remember him last night talking of spending
- the night in yonder brothel.
- Alindyar: Methinks the lad was somewhat inebriated.
- Peyote: Cool. I'll go get him, you guys get the horses ready.
- Halbarad: (goes to the stable)
-
- soon, at the Daring Dancer establishment...
-
- bouncer: Hey, bud! Whaddya want?!?
- Peyote: I am seeking a companion of mine, one obnoxious rogue,
- about this high (makes hand gesture), with brown hair and a
- goofy moustache. Likes to dress in black. He came here last
- night for some booty.
- bouncer: Ah, _him_! Hold on a sec...(calls to some sub-bouncers)
- Hey! Larry! Curly! Bring that drunken fool out here!
- Peyote: Eh?
- sub-bouncers: (drag the unconscious form of Peldor out) Here he
- is, Moe.
- Peyote: (grabs Peldor before he can hit the ground) Oof.
- Moe: He went through four of our girls last night before he
- passed out...
- Peyote: I see.
- Moe: Err...we aren't responsible for what is or isn't in his
- pockets anymore. He seemed to have lost all his money.
- Peyote: That's okay. He deserves whatever happened, I'm sure.
- (hoists Peldor up) Let's go, buddy. (cheerfully, to bouncers)
- Later, dudes! (wanders off)
- Moe: Loony as a bird...
-
- soon...
-
- Peyote: (dragging the thief along) Even with my strength, this
- is quite a task...oh, hey, guys!
- Alindyar: It seems that he found Peldor.
- Halbarad: Hmmph. Where did _he_ turn up?
- Peyote: Where do you think? In the whorehouse.
- Halbarad: He reeks of beer.
- Peyote: (sniffing) Yeah, I noticed. Cheap beer, too. (sets the
- thief down) Get some water.
- Alindyar: (quickly finds a pail of ice-cold water, not a difficult
- task since it's almost freezing outside) I have it. (dumps the
- water over the thief's head)
- Peldor: (leaps up) YAAAAAA!
- Halbarad: Wake up, you. We must be on the road by noontime.
- Peldor: Water! Icewater! Geez!
- Peyote: Had a good time last night, did you?
- Peldor: I cannot tell a lie. I did. (runs inside the inn to dry
- off and retrieve his belongings from his room)
- Alindyar: (draws his robes tighter about him) 'Tis colder every
- day here...
- Halbarad: Ah! How invigorating!
-
- Before too long, Peldor was ready to leave, though complaining
- of a great headache. The group set out, and traveled for many
- days without incident. For four days they moved through the
- lands of the Yeomanry, followed by two days in the Little Hills.
- Next they crossed the southern arm of the Javan River and entered
- the Dreadwood Forest where it was somewhat hilly. About two days
- into the woods, they were accosted by troublemakers...
-
- orc: (appears from nowhere) Hey!
- Peyote: Hey, dude. What's up?
- orc: (taken aback) You surrender now! You're surrounded!
- Halbarad: (unslings his axe) What is this?
- Peldor: (looks around) Peldor is _never_ surrounded. (uses his
- ring to slip the orc's helmet off of his head)
- Alindyar: Hmm. (silently gestures and whispers)
- orc: Eh? (makes a grab at his helmet)
- Alindyar: (glares at the humanoid)
- orc: (hit by a Spook spell) Agh! Aaaaaa! (turns and bolts
- away) AAAAAAAaaaaa!
- other orcs: (emerging, but confused) What the hell...?
- Peyote: (twin ioun stones orbiting his head, brandishes his
- bastard sword) Away, foul orclings!
- orcs: Attack! (they run toward the party from all sides)
-
- Peyote: (goes invisible)
- orc: (his attack misses the half-elf by far) Huh?!
- Halbarad: (meets an orc with his axe, cutting it in two) Ha!
- Alindyar: (casts a Wall of Fog, shrouding everyone in mists;
- then speaks loudly) The mists of DEATH are closing in!
- orcs: (shriek in confusion and terror)
- Peyote: (slices an orc while invisible, slaying it easily,
- and materializes) Where did all these mists come from, man?
- Peldor: (dodges an orc attack, and returns with his own, which
- sends the smelly humanoid down with a cleft head) No one gets
- in Peldor's way and lives to tell of it!
- orcs: (fail morale check) Aaaaaa! (scatter in all directions)
- Alindyar: (decides not to waste more spells on the fleeing ones)
- Halbarad: (brushes himself off) That was our first battle in a
- while. I am glad to see that we are still competent.
- Peldor: What, are you kidding? Peldor is the very _epitome_ of
- competence!
- Peyote: (drawn to a dead orc, pulls out his rod - the artifact,
- the Rod of Life and Death) Dude.
- orc: (head cleft in two) Uuuuuuuuuuuurrrr.
- Alindyar: Fascinating.
- Peyote: Speak to me.
- orc: Nooooooooo.
- Peyote: YES! The rod compels me! Speak!
- orc: Aaauuurrr. Wh-wh-what do you want?
- Peldor: (whispering) Look, his brains are oozing out! Gross.
- Alindyar: Shhhh!
- Peyote: Tell me, are there any orc encampments nearby?
- orc: No.
- Peyote: Are there any dangers worse than orcs, then, that we
- need to watch out for?
- orc: Yesssss.
- Peyote: Don't get smart with me. What are these dangers?
- orc: O-ogres. Band of ogres. To the north.
- Peyote: Is that all?
- orc: Yes. (goes limp)
- Peyote: (rises) Why are you all staring at me?
- Halbarad: Why must you speak with the dead?
- Peyote: The rod compels me. (puts the item in his belt) Let's
- be gone, in case the orcs regain their nerve.
- Peldor: Do we find the ogres, or veer away?
- Halbarad: I see no need to fight unnecessary battles. I can
- navigate us away from these ogres to the north, I think.
- Peyote: I'm sick of walking into idiot's ambushes. I shall
- prepare to summon an animal ere much longer.
- Halbarad: Let us move on, for now. Summon as you see fit. (he
- leads the group onward, to the west)
-
- a bit later...
-
- Peyote: Let's stop and rest. (begins scattering herbs about)
- Peldor: What's he doing? Are we having a cookout?
- Halbarad: He prepares to summon animals to help our cause.
- Alindyar: Interesting.
- Peyote: (begins barking)
- Peldor: Bah. (drinks some water) Boy, I'm thirsty.
- Alindyar: Alcohol will do that for you...
- Peldor: Yep. But boy, was it worth it! (begins munching on
- a large roll) Mmm.
- Peyote: (makes some gestures) Ah.
- Halbarad: What news?
- Peyote: We wait.
- Alindyar: (sips some wine as a few minutes pass)
- Peyote: (looks into the woods)
- dogs: (appear)
- Peldor: Huh? Wild dogs!
- Halbarad: Four of them.
- Alindyar: They seem fierce.
- Peyote: (casts a few more spells, allowing friendship and the
- ability for him to speak with the dogs in their barking form
- of language) Woof. Woof, woof!
- dogs: Woof. Bow-wow.
- Peyote: Woof! Woof, woof - woof bow woof wow. Woof bow, wow.
- dogs: Woof!
- Peyote: (looks at the others) These faithful servants of nature
- will accompany us and lead us around danger.
- Peldor: Well, that's good to know.
- Halbarad: (pats a dog on the head)
- Peldor: (looks down at his half-eaten roll) Hey! Get away from
- that!
- dog: (wanders away with the food)
- Peldor: Damn.
- Peyote: Let us be on.
-
- For the next two days, they continued through the forest,
- steering clear of danger thanks to the wild dogs' keen noses
- and familiarity with the area. The woodlands soon ended, and
- the party had made it through what was considered a dangerous
- forest without a scratch. Once out of the woods, they moved
- through Keoland, encountering many guards and merchants but
- nothing hostile. Incidentally, no temples of Trithereon were
- seen. Four days after emerging from the Dreadwood, they rode
- into Gradsul, a city located right where the combination of
- three inland rivers emptied into the Azure Sea.
- They stayed in Gradsul that night, resting and replenishing
- their spells and supplies. The night in front of a blazing
- fireplace was a great relief from the harsh, freezing outdoors.
-
- innkeeper: No dogs allowed.
- Peyote: But these are my _babies_!
- innkeeper: No dogs allowed.
- Peyote: They can't stay outside! It's below freezing!
- innkeeper: What, are you deaf? Read my lips, NO DOGS ALLOWED.
- Peyote: Now look here. (pulls out a large garnet and presses
- it into the man's grimy hand) _These_ dogs must remain with
- me...
- innkeeper: The dogs stay in your room. No shit in the halls,
- though, understand?
- Peyote: Yes. Obad-hai be with you. (goes to his room, dogs
- in tow)
- Halbarad: I am beginning to think that money can buy anything.
-
- The next day, they departed, with extra blankets for the dogs
- (a need that could not have been forseen in Loftwick, of course).
- The river next to Gradsul was crossed, and the party rode for four
- days, traversing southern Ulek until the city of Gryrax was found.
- Being the capital, it was a much larger place than Gradsul, and
- thus it was hardly a surprise when an interesting offer popped up.
-
- Peldor: I'm bored. Where is a challenge worthy of Peldor's skill?
- Halbarad: (spies a beautiful woman posting a sign on a fencepost
- in a plaza) Yonder woman may have the answer. (approaches the
- woman) Excuse me?
- woman: (turns suddenly) Yes?
- Halbarad: (reads her sign) Perhaps we can help you.
- woman: There are only four of you...
- Alindyar: Plus four wild dogs...
- Halbarad: ...but we are great heroes.
- Peldor: (reads the sign aloud) "Help Wanted - Desperately! The
- towne of Tragidore is in need of a few brave souls to undertake
- a perilous mission. The danger is great, but the reward for
- success is very generous. Interested parties should travel to
- the Cawing Crow in Tragidore and ask for Marta."
- Alindyar: Marta?
- Halbarad: (to woman) What is this all about?
- woman: I cannot tell. You must speak to the elders in Tragidore.
- Alindyar: Where is this...Tragidore?
- woman: It is a small town about three leagues to the northwest.
- I must go. (dashes away)
- Peldor: Hey! (runs after her) She's gone! (looking around)
- No one, but _no one_, escapes Peldor's notice!
- Peyote: Well, someone just did, man.
- Halbarad: I say we travel to this town and see what is what.
- Peyote: (barking to the wild dogs) Rowf Rowf. Bow wow. Bark?
- dogs: Yip! Yip!
- Peyote: The dogs voice their approval.
- Peldor: How can he continually talk to them like that?
- Alindyar: Well, assuming that he actually _is_ talking to them,
- I would then assume that he casts the necessary spells anew each
- morning.
- Peldor: Oh.
- Halbarad: Tragidore!
- Alindyar: Adventure.
- Peldor: Reward!
- Peyote: Dude!
- dogs: Bark!
-
- And so, they prepared to ride for Tragidore...
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: the town's problem
-
- FTP SITE: tybalt.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: First, MARTA is Atlanta's public transportation system.
- Whether this is relevant or not, we thought it a great joke at the
- time. Second (and most important), I have been slack lately due
- to finals, my move off campus and into an apartment, and work. On
- a positive note, I made dean's list (higher than a 3.0) for summer,
- for the first time since spring 1988...with 6 classes...and while
- working 30 hours a week and taking frequent weekend trips and
- writing these stories...needless to say, I feel the need to pat
- myself on the back...
- Third, the "Terrible Trouble in Tragidore" module is the thin,
- cheapie adventure that came with the 2nd edition DM's screen. I
- was low on material at the time, I guess. Everything turned out
- okay, though - this adventure caused a major change in one of the
- character's lives, as will be seen.
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/18/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: midmorning
- Place: Gryrax, capital of the Principality of Ulek
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXII. Tragidore
-
-
-
- The party is in Gryrax, asking the locals about the woman,
- her posted notice for help, and the town of Tragidore.
-
- Halbarad: (to shopkeeper) What do _you_ know of this Tragidore
- business?
- Peldor: (using ring of truth to detect lies, if any) Speak.
- shopkeeper: Those signs asking for help, they've been popping
- up for several weeks, now. The signs never stay around long,
- though.
- Peldor: He's telling the truth.
- Peyote: I should hope so, dude.
- Halbarad: Quiet, Peldor.
- Alindyar: Who was that woman?
- shopkeeper: Dunno. They all take off pretty quickly.
- Halbarad: They?
- shopkeeper: They. The women.
- Peyote: What?
- Alindyar: So 'tis always women who put up the signs?
- shopkeeper: Always. Never men.
- Peldor: He's telling the truth.
- Peyote: (eyes Peldor)
- Halbarad: Can you tell us how to get to Tragidore?
- shopkeeper: Sure. It's almost due west of here, a bit north,
- as the crow flies. Take the main road and you'll have no
- trouble, though.
- Peyote: What sorts of things go on in this Tragidore place,
- dude?
- shopkeeper: They supply us with lumber. Or they _did_. A
- while ago, the lumber stopped coming. Merchants went there,
- to find out why - but none ever came back.
- Peyote: Lumber?! You mean the dudes cut down _trees_?! No
- way!
- Halbarad: What of adventuring parties? Could they not help?
- shopkeeper: They went, too. A few of them. Never returned,
- either. Just like the merchants.
- Peldor: He's telling the truth.
- all: Shut up!
- shopkeeper: I sure hope _somebody_ can figure out what's going
- on up there in Tragidore...
- Halbarad: Somebody can.
- Peyote: (to the wild dogs) That's us, my canine friends.
- dogs: Woof!
- Halbarad: We thank you for your time, friend. I think we will
- buy our next week's rations from you.
- shopkeeper: Okay. Thanks!
-
- After a few rations were purchased, the party left for the
- town of Tragidore, riding along the main road. The road was
- already showing signs of disuse - it was obvious that traffic
- along it was now minimal. Their journey was utterly uneventful
- as the hours passed.
-
- Alindyar: (looking into his crystal ball) Let us see what
- the others are doing...
- Peldor: (watching) That's neat. Where can I get one of those
- things? Besides from you, of course.
- Alindyar: (glares at the thief)
- Peldor: Just kidding.
- Alindyar: (gazes into the item, and sees familiar faces - Ged,
- Mongo, Belphanior, and Rillen - riding happily through some
- light forests) Hmm.
- Peldor: They look like they're having fun.
- Alindyar: 'Twould seem so.
-
- The day passed, and everything was very, very quiet.
-
- Halbarad: You know, things are almost _too_ quiet...
- dogs: (to Peyote) Rrrr...
- Peyote: (to dogs) What's that?
- dogs: Rrrrrrrrrr...Rowf! Rowf!
- Alindyar: What say they?
- Peyote: Someone's ahead, dudes. (draws sword)
- Peldor: (grabs his sword hilt)
-
- Suddenly, from the road ahead, there came a mournful wail from
- around a bend.
-
- Peldor: What was _that_? (leaps to the side of the road, fading
- into invisibility as he draws his sword)
- man: (stumbles down the road towards the party, sobbing)
- Peyote: Who's this dude?
- Halbarad: I do not know, but he seems harmless.
- man: (looks up at the party with a distraught expression) Huh?
- Alindyar: What ails you?
- man: (sobbing again, continues along the road)
- Halbarad: Stop! (grabs the man, who does not resist)
- Peldor: (searching the nearby woods)
- dogs: (growling at the man)
- man: Whas?
- Halbarad: Who _are_ you? What are you crying about?
- man: (regards Halbarad) I am Borse Kordona. Me and my three
- brothers were trying to figure out what happened in Tragidore.
- I was scouting when I saw a big wolf with bright green eyes.
- After I chased it for awhile, I came back to camp - and they
- were all GONE, all my brothers. Gone! (begins sobbing yet
- again) I _tried_ to find them! I really did! But they're
- nowhere!
- Peyote: Hmm. Trouble awaits us in Tragidore, I think.
- Alindyar: 'Twould seem so.
- Halbarad: (to Borse) Where are you going now?
- Borse: I must return to the city, and tell my parents of this
- terrible loss.
- Peyote: I think you should stay with us, man.
- Peldor: (appearing) Yeah. Then we can see what's in your
- pockets.
- Borse: I cannot! (runs away)
- Peyote: (to Peldor) Now look! you scared him away!
- dogs: (growling at Peldor)
- Alindyar: Think you that we should give chase?
- Halbarad: No. He's on the road, and it's not very far back.
- He shall be fine.
- Peyote: Let's continue, then. I, for one, want to know what
- is happening in these parts. Perhaps a huge imbalance in
- nature is causing the problems.
-
- They continued onward, stopping every now and again to rest
- or eat, or let the horses rest and eat. Nothing else of note
- happened...until shortly after sunset...
-
- Alindyar: Look at this fog.
- Peyote: (watching a thick fog quickly setting in) Gnarly.
- Alindyar: Almost too much so. This is...unnatural.
- Peldor: Yo! Heads up, guys, there's people coming through
- the fog. (peers into the mists with his uncanny vision)
-
- Six figures approached from within the fog, stopping at a
- distance that prevented the party from making out any details
- of their appearance. Dim torches burned in their hands. A
- moment later, three dark shapes moved around the first six
- and confronted the party. Their red-lined black capes and
- pale faces were terrifying to look upon. Deep-set, dark eyes
- regarded the party - and the tips of unusually long, white
- teeth protruded from their mouths...
-
- first man: (speaks in a thick accent) Good evening.
- Halbarad: (unslings his axe)
- man: Have you paid your taxes to the king lately? I am sure
- that you have magical items, and just as sure that you have
- neglected to make payment for the right to carry such things.
- You can avoid trouble by putting all of your equipment in a
- big pile and letting us examine it. Do not cause trouble,
- and you will be spared.
- Halbarad: What folly is this?!?
- Peyote: Taxation without representation. Bogus, dude.
- Peldor: (to man) Are you people _authorized_ collectors for
- the king? (the thief's ring glows, ever so slightly)
- man: Why, yes, of course.
- Peldor: (to Halbarad) He's lying!
- Halbarad: How is that?
- Peldor: My ring tells me so. Don't you believe me, dammit?
- He's _lying_!
- wild dogs: (growling)
- Peyote: Shh.
- Halbarad: (to man) Why should we believe you? Show me your
- papers.
- man: We need no papers. We have the authority to collect as
- deemed fit.
- Alindyar: I think not. (begins spellcasting)
- man: (gets a good look at the drow, and seems amazed) ...
- Halbarad: Out of our way. If you are the king's men, then I
- am Belphanior the slayer.
- man: Who?
- Halbarad: Never mind.
- Alindyar: (casts a Hypnotism spell at the trio) You are not
- welcome here. Your only desire is to leave.
- man#1: (backs up) Leave...leave...(leaves)
- man#2: (leaves as well) Yes...yes...
- man#3: (saves, but obviously distraught) What?! Attack!
- ATTACK!
-
- Many shadowy forms emerged from the fog - the party was now
- suddenly surrounded!
-
- Halbarad: (shouting) Now hear this! I have no wish to slay
- any or all of you! But I _will_ if you persist in this
- attack!
- man#3: Surrender!
- Halbarad: Never!
- Peldor: Never is right! The mighty Peldor surrenders to no
- vampires! Much less puny would-be vampires!
- man#3: Then die!
- Halbarad: Not before taking many of you with me! (moves
- into combat)
- Peyote: (talking to his dogs) Rowf! Woof woof, bow growf!
- dogs: Snarl! (they leap at some of the shadowy forms)
-
- Peldor: (unsheaths his sword, becoming invisible)
- Halbarad: (faces the torch-bearers) Fight, cowards!
- torch-bearers: (come into view, their rotted faces utterly
- without expression) Grmphl.
- Halbarad: Zombies! The walking dead!
- swordsmen: (flank Halbarad from the other side) You are
- trapped, warrior.
- Halbarad: Humans, too?
- Alindyar: What madness transpires here? (begins spellcasting)
- Peyote: (sword drawn, faces some human swordsmen)
- dogs: (tear into some swordsmen) Grrr!
- swordsmen: Eyagh!
- Alindyar: Let us see how you fare against- (suddenly within
- a silenced area, gestures uselessly)
- Halbarad: (also within silenced area, wastes no time attacking
- the nearest two swordsmen, albeit silently)
- Peldor: (sneaking around various swordsmen, and then some
- bowmen, searches for the head honcho)
- Peyote: (charges a swordsman, slicing one arm off) Yaaa!
- armless swordsman: YAAAAA! (falls)
- Halbarad: (dispatches both of his opponents before they can
- hit him)
- Alindyar: (silently sips his potion of flying)
- dogs: (inflicting fearsome wounds on their victims)
- bowmen: (fire arrows at the party)
- Halbarad: (hit by two arrows, silently curses)
- Peyote: (hit by three arrows) Argh! Foul!
- Alindyar: (nicked by an arrow, but sails into the air)
- man#3: (the last of the "vampires") Enough of this. (drinks
- a potion and turns into gas, floating away)
-
- swordsman: (nicks Halbarad)
- swordsman: (misses Peyote)
- swordsman: (hits Peyote)
- Peyote: (looking at the big cut in his armor) Damn!
- Peldor: (behind the battle, spots two spellcasters, one a
- male, the other undoubtedly a female, judging by her form)
- male spellcaster: (casts a curse upon Halbarad and Peyote,
- causing them to fight less effectively)
- female spellcaster: (fidgets, but does nothing)
- Peldor: (moves to backstab the male spellcaster)
- Halbarad: (chops down another swordsman; can now speak,
- since Alindyar is in the air and the drow was the center
- of the silence spell) There must be more than twenty of
- them left!
- Peyote: (now back-to-back with the ranger) This is quickly
- getting to be a desperate situation! Maybe I should use
- my wand...(slashes an attacker out of the way)
- Halbarad: Oh, no...
- Peyote: What would you suggest, then?
- Halbarad: (parries an attack) I know not. I guess I am
- open to suggestions right at the moment...
- wild dogs: (still tearing into the men)
- six zombies: (trying to grope Halbarad and Peyote, but
- having a tough time of it due to the crowded conditions)
- Alindyar: (in the air, somewhat irritated that all of his
- useful spells require a verbal component)
- Peldor: (backstabs the male spellcaster)
- male spellcaster: Augh! (dies)
- female spellcaster: (turns to face the thief, surprised)
- Peldor: Wha...you're a dark elf!
- female drow: What of it? (begins spellcasting)
- Peldor: Oh, no you don't! (tackles her; they go down in
- a heap)
- Alindyar: (airborne, brandishes both his wand of illusion
- and his wand of magic missiles)
- Halbarad: (chops at an attacker) Damn. There are too many.
- Peyote: Never fear, dude. (downs another attacker) We'll
- get through okay.
- Halbarad: (doubtful; wonders where Alindyar and Peldor are,
- or even if they're still alive)
- Alindyar: (realizes that he can't use his wands without
- being able to speak; frowns; then sees Peldor and the
- female mage and flies down toward them)
-
- Halbarad: (slays an attacker while sustaining several wounds)
- Peyote: (likewise) Though we've killed many of them, they
- are starting to get to us (slumps for a moment)
- Halbarad: Where _are_ the others? If they have been slain,
- we are finished!
-
- nearby...
-
- Peldor: (has overpowered the slender drowess) Hold it there,
- I'll have you killed in a minute.
- female drow: (looks fearful)
- Peldor: Well, maybe not. Alindyar might want to talk to you
- first.
- Alindyar: (descends right then)
- Peldor: There you are. Right on time, too! What a guy.
- Alindyar: (sticks his dagger to the drow's throat and uses
- drow sign language to command her to dispel the silence
- afflicting him - or die, he doesn't care which)
- female drow: (obeys fearfully)
- Alindyar: I can speak once more! (turns to the female)
- female drow: (cowers)
- Alindyar: (surprisingly quickly, he gags and binds her) We
- must return to the battle, ere the other two are slain.
- Peldor: (looking over there) They _are_ making a pile of
- enemy bodies all around them...but still...(sheathes and
- unsheaths his sword, becoming invisible again, and moves
- toward the host of unsuspecting opponents' backs)
- Alindyar: (to female drow) We shall have words again soon.
- (flies into the air and begins spellcasting)
-
- Peldor: (backstabs a bowman, killing him)
- Alindyar: (from the air above, he launches a cone of Fear
- at the mass of attackers surrounding Halbarad and Peyote)
- swordsmen & bowmen: (many of them flee screaming)
- Halbarad: (cuts down another, momentarily distracted foe)
- My regrets.
- Peyote: (chops a bowman in half) Holy moley! More than
- half of them ran away!
- Halbarad: I think we have found Alindyar. (looking in the
- air)
- Alindyar: (waves)
- Peldor: (faces a zombie) Uh-oh. (dodges its attack) The
- walking dead are no match for Peldor!
- zombies: (all turn and shamble towards Peldor)
- Peldor: Whoops! Knock on wood. (backs up quickly)
- bowman: (fires an arrow feebly at the airborne dark elf,
- but it misses)
- Alindyar: (points at the bowman) You! You are next!
- bowman: (drops his bow and flees) Yaaaaaa!
-
- Alindyar: (preparing a spell)
- Peldor: (backing away from the six zombies, one of whom has
- ignited part of its old shirt with its torch) Help!
- Alindyar: Certainly. (casts a Web onto the six zombies)
- zombies: (caught, flail uselessly - then one of their own
- torches ignites the web, and they all blaze up in the
- burning strands)
- Peldor: Ah. Much better now. (trades blows with one of the
- swordsmen, and slays the man) Peldor is back on top.
-
- Suddenly, the tide of battle had turned. The few bowmen
- and swordsmen left were no match for the party's swords.
- Some of them fled, in the end, but soon, No foes were left.
-
- Peyote: Maybe we should chase them, for a prisoner.
- Alindyar: That shall not be necessary. (points to the tied
- female dark elf) We have one already. One of the leaders.
- Peldor: (busy checking dead foes' pockets)
- Peyote: (finds his Rod fo Life and Death) Ahh. (the item
- glows brightly, and all of Peyote's cuts and bruises are
- closed) Ahhhhhhh.
- Halbarad: (bleeding from a dozen wounds) Uhh...can you help
- me, as well?
- Peyote: (yanks back the rod) Hey, _watch_ it, dude! This
- is _my_ rod! (wanders away to tend to the dogs)
- Halbarad: (frowning) He is irrational!
- Alindyar: (to Halbarad) Methinks he becomes that way when
- using that item...I have an elixir which will help you.
- Halbarad: (taking the potion from the drow) My thanks.
- Peldor: (accumulating a pile of minor coins) These were
- poor bandits...
- Alindyar: (draws Peldor aside and confers with him for a
- moment, whispering)
-
- Soon, all wounds were healed. Strangely enough, all four
- of Peyote's wild dogs were up and about, though Halbarad
- could have sworn that at least two of them had been gutted
- in the battle. Alindyar leaned his captive against a tree
- and interrogated her in the drow language, since she seemed
- to know only very basic Common, and translating for the
- others would have been a pain. Besides, they trusted him,
- didn't they?
-
- Alindyar: Who are you?
- female drow: Don't hurt me.
- Alindyar: Woman, answer me. Who _are_ you?
- female drow: I- I am called Lyra.
- Alindyar: (caresses her cheek) Better. Much better. Now,
- what were you doing helping human bandits above ground?
- Are there more of our kind about?
- Lyra: Yes. Please do not hurt me. We meant no harm.
- Alindyar: Somehow I doubt that. You were helping those
- bandits in their unlawful work.
- Lyra: I did not want to. I had to have someone to protect
- me here...(begins to cry)
- Alindyar: (softens a bit, also notices how attractive this
- young woman is) What do you mean? Who are you working
- for, and why?
- Lyra: I came up from below with Zara, but I did not want
- to stay up here. I fled the mine in the forest, and then
- found the bandits. They were fearful of me and my magic,
- and I have been helping them to avoid showing them how
- scared I am up here. I cannot trust anyone...
- Alindyar: Zara. Who is this Zara?
- Lyra: She is another drow, a renegade from below. She
- desires power here, on the surface world. She is very
- cruel, and evil.
- Alindyar: And you? Are _you_ cruel and evil?
- Lyra: No! I do not even like it here on the surface!
- Or below...(sniffles)
-
- Halbarad: What is going on there?
- Alindyar: She is not such a bad one after all, I think.
- Peyote: And just _how_ do you know that?!?! We can't
- trust her!
- Alindyar: Do you trust _me_?
- Peyote: Well...err...umm...
- Alindyar: Besides, I have it on good faith from Peldor
- that she told no lies. Is that not so, Peldor?
- Peldor: That's right. I guess I'd better tell you all
- about my ring. (holds up the hand with his ring of
- truth on it) This ring allows me to know any lie I
- hear-
- Halbarad: I figured as much...
- Peyote: What's the drawback, dude? There's always a
- drawback. (actually, Peyote has somehow found out
- about the ring already, perhaps from Ged before they
- split...)
- Peldor: -but...but...(the ring is forcing him now)...
- ...I can't _tell_ a lie either! Argh! Those damned
- bronze dragons! Someday I'll get them back for this!
- Halbarad: Excellent.
- Alindyar: So, you see, even though Lyra here did not
- know we had such an item at our disposal, she told no
- untruths.
- Peldor: Yep.
- Alindyar: Therefore, she can be trusted.
- Halbarad: Possibly.
- Alindyar: As such, I intend to untie her.
- Halbarad: No! Madness!
- Peyote: He's right, man.
- Peldor: Untie? (even he is amazed)
- Alindyar: I shall claim full responsibility. (takes
- Lyra aside and prepares his tent) 'Tis time to camp,
- anyhow.
- Halbarad: ...!
- Peyote: Maybe he's got the hots for her, man.
- Peldor: (it occurs to him that Alindyar didn't really
- ask their permission) Hmm.
- Halbarad: (fuming) As you will, Alindyar. But her
- actions rest now upon your shoulders! Remember that!
- Alindyar: (ignoring the ranger)
-
- Within the hour, they had made camp far off one side of
- the road. Alindyar conferred with Lyra in his tent late
- into the night, for it had been a long while since he had
- spoken peacefully with another dark elf. They talked of
- the Underdark, drow society (which it was obvious Lyra had
- no great love for), and other things...
-
- Alindyar: Will you follow me here, above ground? Your
- bandits are gone now, dispersed. I do not think you
- can make it alone.
- Lyra: Have I a choice?
- Alindyar: Yes.
- Lyra: Then, my answer is...yes.
- Alindyar: (offers her some food) Are you wounded?
- Lyra: No, thank you. (eats gingerly)
- Alindyar: Have you any magic items?
- Lyra: None. Only my spellbook.
- Alindyar: (holds up a spellbook) You refer to _this_?
- Lyra: Yes. I have only six spells, in any case. I do not
- think I am much of a threat to you and your friends.
- Alindyar: Let us hope not. You may memorize these spells
- tonight (refers to Shield x3, Bind x2, and Fly). For now,
- I think it best that you avoid your magic missile, web,
- and charm spells...
- Lyra: Oh, thank you! Why are you being so nice to me?
- Alindyar: I know not. Perhaps because I believe that you
- share my views toward our people and society.
- Lyra: (flattered, blushes)
- Alindyar: (gets his crystal ball) Hold a bit. 'Tis time
- to check on the evildoers.
- Lyra: Who?
- Alindyar: Some old friends. (the ball conjures up an image
- of the sea party camped out for the night) Hmm.
- Lyra: (impressed by these mighty magicks) You must be a
- great mage...
- Alindyar: (puts the crystal ball away) Time to study. For
- both of us. As I will take a while longer, you may sleep
- in that spare bedroll, over there.
- Lyra: Again, I thank you. Your generosity is unheard of,
- for either a fellow drow or a human. No one has ever given
- me the benefit of the doubt before.
- Alindyar: You are most welcome.
-
- The dim light in Alindyar's tent remained on for some time.
- The others viewed it suspiciously, but also had to trust in
- their friend's judgement - and power. The night went by
- without incident.
- The next day, they encountered some refugees in the early
- morning, after eating breakfast and getting back on the road.
-
- Halbarad: Hold. There are women and children ahead.
- Alindyar: (floating in the air on his carpet, with Lyra; his
- horse is being used to carry supplies) Hmm.
- Peyote: There are three women in that wagon, and some children
- too.
- Peldor: They appear unarmed.
- Halbarad: Greetings.
- woman: (slows down slightly; the wagon was moving along at a
- rapid clip) Turn around! There is nothing ahead but misery
- and woe!
- Halbarad: Nonsense. Will you stop?
- woman: (reluctantly stops the wagon)
- Halbarad: Where are you fleeing from in such a hurry?
- woman: Tragidore. There is nothing for us there, anymore.
- Watch out for bandits, too - they took all our money.
- Halbarad: (to others) Perhaps we should escort these people
- back to the city.
- Peyote: No way, man. We'll lose too much time. Here, send
- the wild dogs with them. They can protect them from harm
- on the road.
- Peldor: Don't you have to stay with the dogs?
- Alindyar: Or vice versa?
- Peyote: Nope. Besides, I can always summon more. (talking
- to the dogs) Rrr...rowlf! Bow wow! Wow wow wow bow!
- dogs: Arf! (they cover the wagon, one to a corner)
- Peyote: Never fear, miss. I have told these large and
- extremely fierce dogs to watch over you and attack any
- bandits. Go about your way, now.
- Halbarad: (hands the woman a pouch of gold) This should
- help. Keep it hidden well, just in case.
- women: Oh, thank you! We are forever in your debt!
- Peldor: We'll come back and collect someday. (waves at the
- young children in the back of the wagon)
- Halbarad: Hush, you.
- Lyra: (to Alindyar, in drow) I know of no bandits. Zara
- must have some evil plot, which affects this town.
- Alindyar: We shall see.
- Lyra: Your friends are quite benevolent.
- Alindyar: We do what we can to help the unfortunate.
- Halbarad: (watches the wagon move away) We really must get
- to Tragidore and find out what is what.
- Peyote: Yeah. (casts a summons for more animals)
-
- The hours went by, as the party rode on toward Tragidore.
- Another band was encountered, this one consisting of four
- scared men, inexperienced warriors by the look of them.
- They claimed that the women in Tragidore rejected their
- offer to help, saying that they weren't skilled enough to
- be of any assistance. Halbarad bid them be on their way,
- and the party continued on. Late in their second day of
- travel, they found a sign indicating that Tragidore was
- one mile ahead. Peldor found something else, too...
-
- Peldor: Hold! I spy someone, there in the woods!
- Halbarad: Come out, whoever you are!
- men: (three, dressed in leather and with shortswords at
- their hips) We weren't sure if you meant us harm, so
- we remained hidden.
- Peyote: What is your business here?
- man: We just passed through the town. There's some kind
- of big swamp beast there, which is taking all the men
- of the town. Someone really should stop it.
- Peldor: (suddenly inspired) You're not bandits, are you?
- man: Why, no! Never!
- Peldor: He's lyyyyyying....
- Halbarad: So! You robbed the women and children!
- men: (cowering) Okay, okay! We did!
- Peyote: Why don't you try and rib _us_? (grinning)
- men: Because you would beat us?
- Alindyar: Throw down your weapons. Now. (points a finger
- in the general direction of the trio)
- men: (comply)
- Peldor: Where is your treasure hoard?
- man: What hoard?
- Peldor: Oh, come _on_. If I were you, which I'm not since
- you guys are obviously amateurs, but if I were, I'd hide
- all the loot somewhere. Now where did you stash it?
- man: (points to the side of the road)
- Halbarad: Good. Now, we will have to tie you up and take
- you back to the city to face your just desserts.
- men: No! Not that! (they scatter into the woods)
- Peyote: Bah. Let the dudes go. They have no weapons.
- Peldor: (examines the brush, finds a box) Hey, there's a
- good bit of jewelry and coinage in here!
- Alindyar: (to Peldor) Due to your ring, we need not worry
- about you appropriating any of that for yourself. You
- should remember that.
- Peldor: Err...yes, of course.
-
- Within a few minutes, they entered a small town - Tragidore
- at last! The place looked dead, for only women, children,
- and the elderly walked the streets. Everyone watched the
- five, but no one talked to them. Almost all of the shops
- were closed. As they reached the heart of the town, the
- business district, a number of women could be seen, many of
- them armed. The Cawing Crow inn stood out, since it was
- obviously the center of activity here. When the party
- approached, four tough, seedy-looking adventurer types
- burst out of the inn, glanced at the party, and rode away
- quickly.
-
- Alindyar: Who were those ruffians, I wonder?
- Halbarad: (walking up) Greetings.
- female guard: (brandishing a sword) What do you want?
- Peyote: Take it easy. We seek Marta.
- female guard: Oh. Come in, then.
-
- They entered the inn's common room, which was dimly lit
- by candlelight. A woman stood behind a large table, and
- a small, circular table with a large crystal globe was
- positioned in front of the large table. Eight female
- guards ringed the room, in case of trouble. The woman
- spoke...
-
- woman: Everyone place a hand upon the orb of alignment.
- We must ensure that you are acceptable.
- Halbarad: (touches the pale grey glowing orb, and it
- gets a bit brighter)
- Peyote: Hmm. I don't know about this. (touches the orb
- and causes it to darken slightly)
- Peldor: Bah. (touches the orb, causing it to darken a
- wee bit more) Peldor is always acceptable.
- woman: I see that you have one hero and two who favor
- neutrality, thus far. (looks at Alindyar) What of
- you?
- Alindyar: (touches the globe - the net color is still
- slightly bright due to Halbarad's goodness) What an
- idiotic toy you have here.
- woman: What of her? (indicates Lyra)
- Halbarad: She is our prisoner. There is no need to test
- her intentions.
- Alindyar: What? (to Lyra) Touch the globe.
- Lyra: (does so, but it still glows ever so slightly
- brighter than grey)
- Alindyar: (satisfied)
- woman: Not the best, but your group will do. I am Marta.
- Halbarad: (shakes her hand) I am Halbarad.
- Peyote: Peyote, at your service. (points to Peldor) And
- this fellow goes by "The Rascal".
- Peldor: Hey! Let Peldor speak for himself! (to Marta)
- Some call him scoundrel, some call him rascal, but all
- know that Peldor is truly a gentleman at heart. Well
- met. (kisses her hand)
- Marta: Oh!
- Halbarad: Enough of this nonsense. What is the problem?
- Marta: For several weeks now, the men of our town have been
- disappearing, one by one and in small groups, when they
- ventured into the forest to the north. At first we thought
- we were being plagued by a pack of wolves or some other
- wild creatures, but now we have come to realize that this
- is not the work of mere animals. Many of us women are
- strong and fit, but we dare not depart from Tragidore to
- investigate, because that would leave the other townfolk
- vulnerable. So we have been seeking the aid of brave and
- trustworthy adventurers such as yourselves. Go into the
- woods, find who or what has been kidnapping our menfolk,
- and locate the victims if they are still alive. Return
- to us with whatever people or information you can gain,
- and we will pay a handsome reward.
- Peyote: Whew.
- Halbarad: We will help you.
- Peldor: (looks at his ring) Guess what? She's telling the
- truth...Anything else you can tell us that might help?
- Marta: Well, the only men who disappear are those who are
- fit and hardy. Children, little boys, never vanish, nor
- do older men. Only the young and strong ones.
- Alindyar: Have no fear. We shall see what can be done.
- Halbarad: We journey on the morrow.
-
- They stayed in the inn that night. Alindyar procured a
- private room for himself and Lyra, a room with only one
- bed...everyone slept well that night.
- The next day, they prepared to travel into the woods to
- the north. Peyote cast another spell of animal summoning
- since the last one had produced no results. When all were
- ready, they moved out.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: what lies within the woods
-
- FTP SITE: ccosun.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Technically, the party was supposed to go from the main
- city (called Hanuman in the module) to Tragidore. Since I just
- waffled this adventure in between others, it seems that they
- went directly from Gryrax to Tragidore. I think that, originally,
- I had them go from Gryrax (the capital of the kingdom) to the
- intermediate city, Hanuman, and then on to Tragidore. My memory
- fails here - I didn't take good notes for the land party like I
- did for the sea party...
- Speaking of whom...yes, Alindyar actually referred to them as
- "the evil party". He must have been thinking of a certain elf...
- Lyra was perhaps the first time I took a NPC from a module and
- altered it slightly based on suggestions and the personality
- described in the module. It worked out really well, as will be
- seen.
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 5th level female drow elf mage (LE/N) [pseudo-prisoner]
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/20/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: early morning
- Place: the town of Tragidore, somewhere within Ulek
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXIII. Woodland Creatures
-
-
-
- The party is leaving the small town of Tragidore, intending to
- enter the forest to the north and find out what has happened to
- the men of the town.
-
- Alindyar: Methinks we may get to the bottom of this matter soon
- enough.
- Halbarad: They said the road led about a mile before entering
- the woodlands.
- Peyote: Well, let's follow it, dude! (they do)
-
- The dirt road did indeed lead about a mile northward, before
- entering the woods. From there on out, it was basically a
- logging trail, quite wide, though the forest grew thicker as
- the party moved on.
-
- Peyote: Apparently these logger dudes had _some_ care for the
- environment. (touching the ground) They didn't cut down
- all the greenery here. Cool.
- Peldor: (looking around) What's that noise?
- Halbarad: (faces the forest) Someone approaches. (unslings
- his axe)
- Alindyar: (prepares to cast a spell if necessary)
-
- Suddenly, two large, hairy forms tromped from the surrounding
- forest and toward the adventurers...Their porcine tusks and
- slobbering snouts could only mean one thing - wild boars!
-
- Peyote: Aha! Just on time...
- Peldor: (draws his sword) Aha! We'll eat well tonight!
- Halbarad: Perhaps. Large boars such as these are quite hard
- to kill. But then again, what would _you_ know about the
- hunting of game?
- Peyote: (casts a spell) Hold on, man. (begins grunting)
- Alindyar: Not again...
- Lyra: What? What is this?
- Alindyar: Yonder druid is prone to summon animals to assist
- the cause.
- Lyra: Oh.
- Peyote: (pets the boars' greasy heads) These are...Orville
- and Wilbur. My woodly magic has brought them to help us.
- Peldor: Great. (sheathes his sword) I still say they're
- better for dinner than for combat.
- Peyote: They will accompany us for a while. Eat your rations,
- dude.
- Peldor: (grumbling)
-
- The group moved on down the trail. After about two miles,
- they reached its end, though. The logging operations had
- obviously ended at this point.
-
- Alindyar: Yon forest appears thick. I doubt that even my
- enchanted carpet could fly through it.
- Halbarad: (regarding the matted forest ahead of the party)
- Peyote: No problem. I'll lead us through the woods safely
- (leaps into the tangled undergrowth) Coming?
- Peldor: (looking around dubiously) I guess so.
- Alindyar: (unrolls the carpet) We shall try to fly through.
- (lifts Lyra onto the carpet, and then climbs aboard himself)
- Halbarad: (glaring at the two drow suspiciously)
- Peyote: Come on! What are you waiting for?
-
- They forged ahead, into the progressively thicker woods.
- Peyote didn't always seem to be leading them on a straight
- course, though Halbarad did what he could to help the half-elf
- guide the group through the forest. They continued on for
- a few minutes, until a strange sound was heard...
-
- Peldor: What's that "whooshing"?
- Peyote: (walks toward the sound) Wow, man.
- Halbarad: Hold! What are you doing?
- Peyote: I'm walking, what does it look like?
- boars: (paw the ground nervously)
- Peldor: (eyes the boars hungrily)
- Alindyar: (eyes Lyra hungrily)
- Peyote: (stops before a huge oak tree and begins whistling
- quietly) Tweet tweet.
- Halbarad: (pauses) Amazing!
- Peldor: Eh? What's that?
- Halbarad: He is talking to that tree...
- Peldor: How's that?
- Halbarad: It is a druidic thing.
- Peyote: (turns toward the party)
-
- The large, thick oak tree then _bent down_ to face the party!
- Lyra cowered in fear...two small beady eye-like things opened,
- as did a large, dark maw, in the tree's trunk.
-
- treant: (in a deep, slow voice) HAVE NO FEAR. I WILL NOT
- HARM YOU.
- Alindyar: (comforts Lyra) Shhh.
- Peyote: He's a treant, guys. I heard him talking and spoke
- back in his own tongue...fortunately, he can speak our
- common tongue as well.
- Halbarad: (regards Peyote with a sidelong glance) Greetings,
- and well-met, noble lord of the forest! We seek anything
- unusual or evil in these parts, for men of the nearby town
- have been vanishing.
- treant: INDEED. SOMETHING EVIL IS GOING ON DEEP WITHIN THE
- WOODLANDS NEARBY. (gestures with one large branch-arm that
- makes a crackling sound as it moves) I HAVE SEEN A STRANGE
- CREATURE, A GOAT-WOMAN, TRAVELING ABOUT. SHE SOMETIMES HAS
- A HUMAN MAN ON HER BACK - BUT OTHER TIMES, NOT.
- Peyote: What was she?
- treant: I KNOW NOT. BUT THE WOOD-BROTHERS HAVE SENSED THE
- EVIL NEARBY SINCE THAT TIME WHEN I MYSELF FIRST SAW THIS
- GOAT-WOMAN.
- Peyote: Well, then, we shall find this goaty babe and see
- what she's up to!
- Halbarad: ...Agreed.
- treant: MY THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS. I MUST REMAIN HERE TO
- WATCH OVER THE FLOCK. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.
- Halbarad: Err...yes.
- Peyote: (facing the way the treant pointed) Let's get a
- move on. (begins walking) Later, O protector of the
- woodlands!
-
- Only a low whistling and rustling could be heard, though.
- The party moved on, some of them still mystified by the
- brief encounter with the treant.
-
- Peldor: I didn't know trees could talk.
- Peyote: Actually, they can _walk_ too, if they want to. A
- treant is a very powerful being. It's a good thing that
- one of you didn't irritate him, isn't it?
- Alindyar: (scribbling in his journal while riding the carpet
- with Lyra) Hmm. Fascinating.
- Halbarad: Hopefully we shall soon find whatever evil lurks
- herein.
- Lyra: (to Alindyar, in drow) Tell them that the lair of
- Zara is nearby.
- Alindyar: (to party) Lyra says that the lair of Zara is
- nearby. (to Lyra, in drow) Tell me of this Zara.
- Halbarad: Eh?
- Peldor: Zara, Lyra, Zara...
- Lyra: (in drow) She was one of those I came up with. They
- had some plan, but I never learned of it before I fled and
- took up with those bandits.
- Alindyar: (to party) Zara is an evil person who may be in
- charge of something.
- Peldor: Gee, thanks.
- Alindyar: Of course.
-
- They continued on for a bit, when suddenly Peyote started.
-
- Peyote: (starts) What?!?!?
- Halbarad: What? What do you look so amazed for?
- Peyote: This area of forest has been well-kept. Look at the
- flowers, the trimmed hedges! It can only be one thing.
- Peldor: What's that?
- Peyote: Ny-
- female voice: (from somewhere nearby) What are you doing here?
- Stand still and close your eyes so I can get a closer look at
- you.
- boars: (grunt and paw the ground)
- Peyote: Stay, tusked ones. (closes his eyes and begins speaking
- aloud in a strange, willowy tongue)
- Halbarad: What is this?
- Peyote: Shh! Close your eyes, or be blinded! (continues to
- speak, and the female voice answers him in the same odd tongue)
- Halbarad: (reluctantly closes his eyes)
- Alindyar: (closes his eyes but also raises the carpet level several
- more feet) Hmm.
- Lyra: (hugs Alindyar, eyes closed)
- Peldor: (thinking bold thoughts, peeks through one closed eyelid
- at the approaching female voices - there are two now!) Wow!
-
- The thief saw a dazzling sight; two nearly nude women, who looked
- quite human, had entered the clearing. They were definitely the
- most beautiful women Peldor had seen in a long, long time. Then
- his eyes tingled and his vision blurred...
-
- Peldor: Aaaaah! (rubbing his eyes madly)
- nymph#1: I told you to close your eyes. (regards Peldor)
- nymph#2: He's a cute one though, isn't he?
- nymph#1: Yes...
- Peldor: (leaps forward and opens his eyes) Aha! I was simply
- bluffing! No puny magic ensnares the great Peldor's eyes!
- ...Even if it is cast by two lovely flowers of the flesh such
- as you two...
- nymph#2: (blushes)
- Alindyar: Flowers of the flesh?!?!?
- Peldor: I am Peldor, renowned hero, protector of all woodland
- beings, especially forest nymphs - Ow! (his ring is tingling
- now, as his verbal exploits become greater)
- Alindyar: (no longer able to stand this) It is safe to look
- now, I assume?
- Peldor: Sure! (kisses nymph#2's hand gently) My pleasure.
- nymph#2: Ah...
- nymph#1: You may all open your eyes without fear of harm.
- Peyote: (does so) I am he who spoke to you first.
- nymph#1: Of course.
- Peyote: We are here to find evil in this woodland and subsequently
- eliminate it, as one might a festering tumor in the heart of-
- Peldor: (to nymphs) What he means is, have you seen any evildoers
- lately?
- Alindyar: (to Lyra) Methinks they are looking at one now...ah,
- that reminds me. (uncovers his crystal ball, and peers into it
- for a glimpse of the sea group)
- nymph#1: We shall aid you.
- Peldor: Oh, really?
- Alindyar: (sees the sea group fighting pirates in a great ship-
- to-ship battle in a rapid river) Well, _they_ are certainly
- enjoying themselves...(puts the crystal ball away) I hope that
- Mongo can swim.
- Peldor: (staring at nymph#2)
- nymph#2: Until recently, we saw men all the time, in this area.
- Peldor: Of course, none were as great of body and deed as Peldor,
- but still...
- Halbarad: Quiet, fool.
- nymph#2: (watching Peldor, smiling, thinking romantic thoughts)
- nymph#1: But we have not seen any in quite some time.
- nymph#2: We did talk for a bit with a dark-skinned woman. She
- said she was headed home, to the northwest. We know because
- of our magical powers that she told the truth...but yet, she
- seemed foreboding...
- Peldor: (senses due to his ring that the nymphs are telling the
- truth too) Aha! (turns to the others) That's our man! Err,
- woman! Let's go and find her! Always first to help a good
- cause, that's Peldor! Underestimated by some, unappreciated
- by most...
- nymph#1: Find her? Do you think that _she_ is causing the
- disappearances?
- Peldor: Naturally. (faces nymph#2) I think that we should
- talk more, you and I - in private. (NOTE : Remember that our
- favorite thief recently guzzled a philter of persuasiveness
- found in an ancient tower - a potion that, unbeknownst to
- Peldor, was made to have this effect permanently!!!)
- nymph#2: Oh! (Peldor's hand has found its way to her posterior)
- Peldor: Shall we talk for a bit?
- nymph#2: Yes...(they walk away into the woods)
- nymph#1: What is this?!?
- Peldor: Let's take a break, guys. We can lunch with these women
- and rest our weary feet. (disappears with the nymph)
- nymph#1: (fuming) Gah!
- Peyote: Calm down. Tell me about this dark-skinned woman.
- Alindyar: (off of his carpet, leans closer) Yes. Tell us about
- her...
-
- So it was that they all rested for an hour or so. When it was time
- to move on, Peldor was nowhere to be found...
-
- Halbarad: Where has that rascal gotten to now?
- nymph#1: We can find him, er, them. (wanders into the woods nearby)
- Follow me.
- Peyote: (shrugs) Okay. (the party follows her a short way into the
- forest)
-
- They came upon Peldor and the other nymph within a minute or two.
- The thief was relaxing on a bed of soft grass, an idiotic grin on
- his face. The nymph was busy cooing to him while weaving flowers
- into his hair.
-
- Alindyar: My, my. You seem...enchanted, young man.
- Peldor: (smiling) Yea...(dreamily gazes into the sky)
- Peyote: Flowers, man! You're a flower child now for sure!
- Halbarad: Get off of your lazy butt, thief. We must depart.
- Peldor: Depart? Leave?
- nymph#2: (adds a tulip to Peldor's flowery crown) Hee hee.
- Lyra: (in drow, to Alindyar) He is ensorcelled...
- Peyote: Wow, man.
- Peldor: (grins mindlessly) Time to go?
- Alindyar: Verily, the fool seems charmed...
- Peyote: Yup.
- nymph#1: Release the man, sister. He must help his friends now.
- nymph#2: Oh, okay. (to Peldor) You must go now. But come back
- and see us sometime.
- Peldor: Yes, dear. (gets up, still grinning)
- Halbarad: (grabs Peldor by the scruff of the neck) Come along, you.
-
- They departed, Peldor still wearing the wreath of flowers and
- smiling mindlessly. The nymphs really had no idea what the dark woman
- was all about, but they wished the party luck anyway. Peldor remained
- loopy for several minutes, then seemed to come around, looking at his
- flowers in amazement.
- Moving northwest, the party did not have to wait long for the
- next encounter. A beautiful young girl was sitting against a
- tree trunk, weeping. She turned to face them as they approached.
-
- girl: <sob>
- Halbarad: What is the matter?
- Peyote: A damsel in distress!
- Peldor: (moves toward the girl) Peldor shall comfort you, young
- waif.
- Alindyar: (frowning as he regards the girl) Wait...
- Lyra: (regarding Alindyar) ...?
- girl: (takes Peldor's hand and whispers to him) Don't let
- them hurt me...protect me... <sob>
- Peldor: (fails his save) Don't...let...them...hurt...you.
- Alindyar: (sees through an illusion) Beware, thief! That is no
- girl!
- Peldor: (turns around, looking dully) Don't hurt her. (draws
- his sword) I won't _let_ you hurt her.
- Alindyar: (groans) Not again...
- Peyote: Rats!
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: no more little girl; the outpost is found
-
- FTP SITE: ccosun.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Time is hard to come by these days...sorry for the long
- wait on this one...I still have a 7 page paper to write by Friday
- (the cultural meaning of the $1 bill - oh BOY)...
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 5th level female drow elf mage (LE/N) [pseudo-prisoner]
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/20/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: late afternoon
- Place: the forest to the north of the town of Tragidore
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXIV. The Hideaway
-
-
-
- The party found a crying girl, and Peldor was affected in a
- strange way after trying to comfort her...
-
- Peldor: (turns around, looking dully) Don't hurt her. (draws
- his sword) I won't _let_ you hurt her.
- Peyote: Rats!
- Halbarad: I see only one rat - Peldor.
- Alindyar: (not fooled by the "girl" or her illusion due to
- his keen intelligence, sees a half-goat, half-woman thing
- grinning evilly next to Peldor) Beware! That is no girl,
- but rather a monster of some sort!
- Peldor: Monster? (moves to protect the goat/girl, which his
- charmed mind sees as a young girl in need of help) Back,
- or Peldor shall have to show his wrath!
- Peyote: (sees a little girl) Huh?
- Halbarad: (sees a lamia) Foul vermin! (unslings his axe)
- I am with you, mage!
- Lyra: (sees a lamia) ! (in drow) That is one ugly bitch!
- lamia: (casts mirror image, making 6 other images of herself)
- Help! Why are you people attacking me? Protect me, you!
- (pokes Peldor)
- Peldor: Yes! Peldor stands ever-ready to protect the innocent!
- (attacks Halbarad) Back, you goody-two-shoes dork!
- Halbarad: (parrying) The thief is mad.
- Peyote: What the hell's going _on_ here?!?!? (signals his two
- wild boars to stay put) Hold, greasy ones.
- boars: (itching to attack somebody) Grr! Snort!
- Lyra: (in drow) The she-beast has them all confused.
- Alindyar: I beg your pardon?
- Lyra: Except you, of course. (casts a shield spell upon
- herself)
- Alindyar: Indeed. (begins spellcasting)
- Peldor: (engaged in deadly melee with Halbarad) I've had it
- up to here (holds his free hand up to his neck) with you,
- you fool! How dare you attack innocent girls?!?
- Halbarad: You are mad, thief. (parries another slashing attack)
- Mad, and bewitched.
- Peyote: (casts entangle on the ground under everyone but himself)
- Cease this stupidity at once!
- Alindyar: (in the air on his carpet, of course) Good move. Now
- you have her - it - them - right where I want them. (casts a
- web onto some of the lamia's images)
- Halbarad: (stuck by the roots, grapples with Peldor) Stop your
- fighting, you crazed rascal.
- Peldor: (also stuck) Never! (they wrestle)
- lamia: (most of images under the web dissolve; she saves against
- the druidical entangle anyway) Ha ha ha! (all the images now
- gallop away)
- Lyra: (in drow) Damn!
- Alindyar: You can say that again.
- Lyra: (in drow) Damn!
- Peyote: Hey! She - they - are getting away! (hastily finds his
- wand of wonder and aims it at the fleeing lamia/images) Stop!
- lamia: (laughing and becoming more distant) Ha ha ha!
- Peyote: Okay, I warned you. (fires the wand, and all of the
- lamias/images suddenly disappear) Huh?
- Alindyar: Good work.
- Peyote: (wondering what in the hell he just _did_)
- Lyra: (in drow) Who knows where _she_ went? (shrugs)
- Peldor: (suddenly, no longer charmed) Hmm? (looks around) Wha-
- HEY! Why am I stuck in roots and vines?!? Get me out of here
- at once!
- Halbarad: You fell under the spell of some foul goat-thing and
- were mindless.
- Alindyar: (to Lyra, in drow) He is usually mindless anyhow.
- Lyra: (giggles)
- Peldor: Stop laughing at me. Hey, Peyote, how about freeing
- us now?
- Peyote: Sure, dude. (cancels the spell) Let's get a move on -
- that girl or whatever was surely not the source of the missing
- men.
- Halbarad: I doubt it, and don't call me Shirley.
- Peldor: Hey! Did I hear that right? Did Mr. Axe-and-Dagger
- Goody-Two-Shoes actually make a _joke_?
- Halbarad: (scowling)
- Peyote: Very funny, dude. (wanders northward)
-
- Shortly, they saw that the trees ahead thinned out abruptly,
- revealing a clearing of sorts. They advanced a bit, and saw a
- squat, cylindrical tower-like building, over a hundred feet
- in diameter and constructed of stone blocks. No windows were
- visible, but a recess on the east face held a pair of large
- wooden doors...
-
- Peldor: Quiet, now. We'll sneak up on the place, and...wait,
- wait, wait. Better yet, Let _me_ sneak up on the place, and
- I'll take care of the lock. Then the rest of you can follow.
- Halbarad: Go then. Hurry it up.
- Peldor: (sheathes & unsheathes his sword, becoming invisible,
- and runs over to the door, presumably)
- Peyote: I wish we could see him.
- Halbarad: Then again, if _we_ could, then so could any guards.
- Peyote: Good point.
- Alindyar: (casts Invisibility on Lyra)
- Lyra: (in drow) Muchly appreciated.
- Halbarad: Eh?! Where did she go?
- Alindyar: (casts Improved Invisibility on himself) To the
- same place I went. Nowhere.
- Peyote: (grinning)
- Halbarad: (looks at Peyote) You wouldn't...
- Peyote: Yep. (slips on his ring, going invisible) Heh heh.
- Halbarad: Argh. (puts his head in his hands)
-
- meanwhile...
-
- Peldor: (at the big doors, picking the locks, remembers not
- to whistle while doing so) ...
- Alindyar: (prepares to move, on foot now - the carpet has been
- stashed away in his bag)
- Lyra: (casts a Shield spell on Halbarad as well)
- Halbarad: (tingles) What?!?
- Alindyar: Lyra just afforded you a spell of protection.
- Halbarad: Uhh...my thanks, then.
- Alindyar: (in drow) He gives his thanks.
- Lyra: (happy, smiles invisibly)
- Peyote: (whispering) Look! The doors open! Peldor was
- successful!
- Alindyar: That, or else he has been slain...
- Halbarad: Let us move out, then. Slowly and quietly! (uses
- his ranger skills to try and do so)
-
- Soon, they were all inside the doors, which were quickly closed
- to avoid possible detection should someone show up. Halbarad
- opted to lead the way, by virtue of simply walking out in front
- of the invisible party before anyone else could (a la Mongo).
-
- Halbarad: (sneaking along quietly, down a hall which opens into
- a larger room)
- others: (following him; Alindyar and Lyra both cast Fly on
- themselves first)
-
- The ranger moved past some pillars into a larger open area.
- He was just as surprised as the two slim, dark-skinned warriors
- who moved quickly to flank him.
-
- drow warrior#1: You! You are an intruder here! We have you
- surrounded! Drop that big axe and your knife, and surrender,
- else we shall slay you on the spot!
- drow warrior#2: (menaces Halbarad)
- Halbarad: (cockily) Really? (holds up his weapons) Hah!
- drow warrior#1: You are outnumbered and outskilled. (they
- both move closer quickly, shortswords raised) Prepare to
- die, human fool!
- Halbarad: You can never beat me.
- drow warrior#2: (smirking) Why not?
- Halbarad: Because I know something that you do not...
- drow warrior#1: (shrieks suddenly, as a sword point pops
- out of his neck) Aaaaugh! Gurgle gurgle...(falls)
- Halbarad: ...See?
- Peldor: (appears) Ha. Peldor's mastery prevails yet again.
- drow warrior#2: (slashes Halbarad, nicking him, and then
- fills the room with darkness) Aie!
- Halbarad: (can't see a thing) Damnation!
- drow warrior#2: (emerges from the darkness sphere, intending
- to flee and summon help)
- Alindyar: (invisible, sails over the darkness and casts
- Forget upon the drow warrior)
- drow warrior#2: (somehow fails his magic resistance check
- _and_ his save, forgets the events of the past minute) Eh?
- Lyra: (flies out of the darkness)
- Peyote: (charges from the darkness, but runs into a wall)
- Oof!
- Peldor: (slithers out of the darkness by feeling along one
- stony wall) ...
- Halbarad: (slowly wanders about in the darkness) Damn.
-
- Alindyar: (casts a Color Spray on the drow)
- drow warrior: (shrugs off the spell) What is this?!?
- Lyra: (having no offensive spells, she simply watches)
- Peyote: (sees the drow warrior, and charges him) Aaaaa!
- drow warrior: (perceiving Lyra to be the greatest threat,
- casts Faerie Fire around her, and then charges her) Hah!
- Lyra: (in drow) Is that the best you can do? Hah!
- (realizes that the warrior is bearing down on her) Uh-oh.
- Peyote: Hai! (intercepts the warrior, slashing him deeply
- as he runs by)
- drow warrior: Argh! (slumps)
- Peldor: (suddenly runs up and hacks at the drow from the
- front, slaying him) Hah! It's Peldor again!
- Alindyar: I suppose we cannot question him now that he is
- dead...
-
- Shortly, they all recovered and examined the chamber as
- best they could. Tapestries revealed that this place was
- some kind of dark elf home - one mural depicted a few of
- the drow overcoming many humans in battle. Another showed
- the life of a female drow, eventually being served by human
- slaves. Lyra was quick to identify this person as Zara,
- the evil drow mage of no small power. The party rested and
- prepared to check out the only exit, a door to the north.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: more dark elves
-
- FTP SITE: ccosun.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Do lamias drain Wisdom _permanently_? Can a mage cast a
- Shield spell on others? Did the cow jump over the moon? Yee-haa!
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 5th level female drow elf mage (LE/N) [pseudo-prisoner]
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/20/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: early evening
- Place: a circular building hidden within some forest
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXV. Invading the Complex
-
-
-
- The party has found and entered a stone building, and defeated
- a pair of drow guards. They are now prepared to open a door and
- explore further...
-
- Halbarad: Here is the plan. Peldor checks the door, and then
- opens it. I shall go through first, followed by Peyote, and
- then the mage, err, mages, and Peldor last.
- Peldor: Great. I open the door but go last. Ah, well, the
- life of a good thief has its ups and downs...
- Halbarad: Who ever said that you were a _good_ thief?
- Peyote: (unsheathes his bastard sword) Sounds good to me, dude,
- let's do it. Just one question - where do the boars fit in?
- (points to the snorting boars, who have done a good job of
- tracking mud from outside into the room)
- boars: Snort! Grunt! Slurp!
- Halbarad: Hmm.
- Peyote: I say let them go first. That way, they'll provide
- cover for us to charge.
- Halbarad: This sounds unusual, but we could give it a try.
- Peldor: Whatever, let's just get the ball rolling, okay?
- Halbarad: (shrugs) Get the boars to the door, then.
- Peyote: (does so) Cool.
- Alindyar: I am ready.
- Peldor: (listens at the thick door) I hear some people having
- an argument. The door is not locked, also.
- Halbarad: Prepare yourselves. (hefts his axe)
- Peyote: Check.
- Peldor: (sheathes his sword, becoming invisible)
- Peyote: (slips on his ring, also becoming invisible)
- Halbarad: (irritated)
- Alindyar: (readies his wand of missiles)
- Lyra: (nervous about having to combat her former companions)
- Peldor: Here goes. (opens the door and gets out of the way)
-
- Beyond the door was a large kitchen. Therein stood a trio
- of orcs in leather aprons, being scolded by a female drow.
- All four of them turned in surprise when the door opened.
-
- Peyote: (to party) I bet she screams "Intruders!" any second
- now...
- drow female: (draws sword) Intruders! Kill them!
- orcs: (grab meat cleavers)
- Peyote: Hah! (prods the boars, speaking to them in boar-ish
- grunts and squeals) Go!
- boars: (charge into the room, intending to trample)
- orcs: Yaaaa! (turn and flee in random directions)
- drow female: Damn! (casts darkness upon the party)
- Halbarad: Curses! Foiled again! (tries to get through the
- magical hemisphere of darkness)
- Peyote: (trying to do the same thing, bumps into the ranger)
- Dude?
- Peldor: (follows a wall into the room, by touch)
- Alindyar: (fires magic missiles from his wand at the last
- visible location where he saw the drow female)
-
- The four bolts of energy flew into the kitchen, missing the
- drow and the orcs but shattering some jars of slop. One missile
- hit a row of hanging knives and cleavers, knocking them in all
- directions. Meanwhile, the boars had each gored an orc to death
- already, and the last of the piggish humanoids had leapt up onto
- a counter and was throwing cleavers at the boars. The drow
- female had retreated to one side and was opening an door.
-
- Peldor: (emerges from the darkness, still invisible; spots the
- drow about to escape) Uh-oh! (uses his ring of telekinesis
- to push the door shut before she can get through it)
- drow female: (pulling ineffectually at the door, which won't
- budge) What sorcery is this?!?! (wheels, sword ready, but
- can't see Peldor) Damn, damn, damn!
- Halbarad: (runs out of the darkness and trips over a table,
- falling in a heap near the drow) Ooooooops!
- drow female: Aha! (takes a few steps and chops at the fallen
- ranger with her shortsword) Die!
- Halbarad: (manages to block with his axe, just in time) Not
- so fast, base villainess!
- orc: (still atop the counter, hits a boar with a hurled knife)
- Hah hah!
- boars: (trying to get to the orc, unsuccessfully, since the
- counter is too high above the floor) Grrr...
- Peldor: (uses his ring to trip the orc, causing him to fall
- amidst the pair of wild boars) Heh heh.
- boars: (quite enraged, rush upon the orc) Snort!
- orc: AAAAAUUUGH! (meets a timely end)
- Peyote: (emerges from the darkness, looks around) Hmm. Much
- has happened since we entered. Wild, dude. (realizes that
- he's talking to himself and shuts up)
- Alindyar: (somewhere within the darkness) Come, Lyra. We must
- get through this infernal spell and help the others.
- Lyra: (wondering in her NPC mind why she, like Alindyar, cannot
- use the innate drow spells)
- Halbarad: (parries another slashing attack and leaps to his
- feet) On guard, woman!
- drow female: (in common) I shall enjoy cutting your liver from
- your belly, warrior! (they close and begin melee anew)
-
- Halbarad: (dances around an overturned chair, stabs with his
- dagger, cutting the drow) Aha!
- drow female: (slashes the ranger, inflicting a shallow cut
- across his chest) Bah! You shall perish! (subtly backing
- toward the narrow passage to the south, which leads into some
- other area)
- Halbarad: Agh! (looks down at his wound, then at the drow)
- You missed the liver...(chops at her, missing narrowly)
- Peyote: (corrals the two wild boars, which have started running
- around the room destroying everything they can) Whoa, there!
- Alindyar: (emerges from the darkness) Where is the drow? Oh,
- there she is.
- Lyra: (in common) Beware that one, she is a great warrior!
- Peyote: (turns) Eh?!?
- Alindyar: (looks quizzically at Lyra) You can speak common?!?
- Lyra: (in common) Of course. Now that I see that I can
- trust your companions, I need not resort to our own tongue.
- Alindyar: Hmm.
- Lyra: (to Alindyar) Except, of course, in personal discussions.
- Alindyar: Hmm.
- Halbarad: (exchanging blows with the drow female) Your skill
- is great - but nowhere near my own. Surrender!
- drow female: Don't make me laugh. (backing toward the passage
- behind her)
- Peldor: (already in place behind her, though; backstabs with
- great force) Good night.
- drow female: AUGH! (whirls and slashes at Peldor, drawing a
- line of blood across his arm; then falls, dead)
- Peldor: Damn! (wipes his wound on the woman's tunic) No one
- has _ever_ lived through one of my backstabs long enough to
- attack me...
- Halbarad: Nice job. With you around, though, we may never get
- a prisoner to question. You are a toned-down Belphanior...
- Peyote: Not so fast, dude. (bends over the body, and touches
- its forehead with the Rod of Life and Death) Speak to me, O
- dead drow woman!
- drow female: (animated by the Rod's magic, speaks in drow)
- Go to hell.
- Peyote: In _Common_, dammit!
- drow female: (in Common) Go to hell.
- Peyote: Tell me of this place.
- drow female: It is a round stone tower.
- Peyote: Enough of this back-talk! How many drow are here?!?
- drow female: Too many for you to defeat.
- Peyote: We shall see about that. Where are the missing men
- from the town of Tragidore?
- drow female: In the depths of the earth...(becomes still)
- Peyote: I guess she had no more to say, dudes.
- DM: Guess so.
- Alindyar: She has said enough, though.
- Lyra: We had best be on guard.
- Halbarad: I was not aware that you spoke Common, mage.
- Lyra: What, did you think that all of these other drow did,
- but not me? That would make no sense, now would it?
- Halbarad: I suppose not...
- Peyote: (puts his Rod away) What next?
- Halbarad: We must explore this area, quickly, before more
- guards arrive.
- Peldor: Makes sense to me. (begins exploring the pockets of
- the slain drow)
-
- They looked around, finding that the kitchen had two storage
- chambers to the south. One contained dishes and food, while
- the other was a holding cell, and contained two human males.
- To the south was a richly (though tastelessly) decorated dining
- room, with deep red and black hangings and furniture.
-
- Halbarad: (freeing the men) Who are you? What do you know
- of this place and your captors?
- man: Ugh. We were part of a group that broke in here a few
- days ago. They've been keeping us here, without food or
- drink...
- Peyote: (on cue, casts Create Food & Water) Here, feast away.
- man: Oh, thank the gods! (begins cramming food into his mouth
- at a rapid clip)
- other man: (likewise)
- Halbarad: They remind me of Mongo when he eats...
- Alindyar: Hmm. 'Tis time to check on the others again, perhaps.
- (gets his crystal ball out, and looks into it while thinking
- of the other party)
- Peyote: (to men) What else do you know?
- man: <glmph> There's a secret stairway in the dining room.
- other man: It probably <munch> leads to the mines.
- Halbarad: Mines?
- man: <gulp> Yea, that's where the men are being put to work.
- other man: <burp> Mining gold for the drow.
- Alindyar: How insidious. (sees the sea party sailing merrily
- along a river) Hmm. They remain bored, still.
- Lyra: We should help the humans.
- Halbarad: We shall. (looking around) I spy one door out of
- here, in addition to that possible secret stairway. Peldor?
- Peldor: (poking around the dining room) Yep, here it is, all
- right. (brushes aside a hanging tapestry to reveal a passage
- going downward) One stairway down, as ordered.
- Peyote: Why don't you dudes come with us?
- man: Uhh...no, we can't.
- other man: We can barely _walk_, we are so weak.
- man: We would just get in the way.
- other man: Yea.
- Halbarad: All right, then. You stay here and come out if you
- hear us later. Only then.
- man: Okay.
-
- The party decided to check out the door first, since most of
- this floor seemed discovered already, and they did not want to
- get ambushed by potential attackers after descending the stairs.
-
- Peldor: (listening at the door) I hear nothing. (opens the
- portal, revealing a long north-south hallway with two visible
- doors, and a chest at the far/south end)
- Halbarad: (points at the nearer of the two doors)
- Peldor: (becomes invisible, listens at the door)
- Peyote: (remembers to slip his ring on, also goes invisible)
- boars: (pawing the ground mindlessly)
- Halbarad: (prepares to go in once Peldor opens the door)
- Peldor: (has finished his examination, whispers) No traps.
- (opens the door)
-
- Beyond this door was a small room, holding four bunks, each
- with a pair of small supply chests next to it. The chamber
- had only one occupant, a drow sleeping deeply in his bunk.
- Peldor moved to slash the warrior's throat, but was stopped
- suddenly as Halbarad grabbed the scruff of his neck and held
- him in place. Obviously, the ranger did not want to see wanton
- bloodshed - but it was impossible for the party to communicate
- while they were all trying not to wake the sleeper.
- Unfortunately for them, the decision was taken out of their
- hands, as one of the boars bit down hard on the other's haunch,
- eliciting a loud squeal of pain...
-
- boar: SQUEAL!!!
- drow warrior: (awakens, grabs his sword) What?!?
- Halbarad: Damnation! (unslings his axe)
- Peyote: (scolds the boars) Snort! Squeal! Oink!
- boars: (fighting amongst themselves)
- Alindyar: (he and Lyra are forced out into the hall by the
- boars underfoot) I cannot believe this...
- Peldor: Greetings. I am Peldor. (slashes at the drow, nicking
- him on one leg) Damn!
- drow warrior: Then you are a fool. I shall gut you, human!
- (moves to melee Peldor, who is somewhat closer to him than
- Halbarad)
-
- Just then, the other door to the south opened, and two more
- male drow warriors ran out into the hall, exclaiming and pointing
- at the party. Actually, they could only see Alindyar and Lyra,
- and the boars, who were in the hall by now. Perhaps the sight
- of two unfamiliar drow took them aback, giving Alindyar the mere
- second he needed to come up with a plan and implement it.
-
- Alindyar: (kicks one boar, causing it to look up and spot the
- two drow warriors) Yah!
- boar: Snort! (charges at the two drow)
- other boar: (follows the first boar's example) Grunt! (they
- both tear down the hall toward the surprised drow warriors)
- male drow warriors: (in drow) Holy shit!
- Lyra: Heh heh.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: A rollicking good time
-
- FTP SITE: ccosun.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Peyote didn't see why it might be a bad idea to bring
- along boars on a "stealth" mission, so I conveniently forgot to
- remind him that he forgot to tell them to be quiet...
- Tonight is game 5 of the NLCS. If and when the Braves win
- this series (they're up 3-1 so far) I shall post a 30K episode
- in celebration of this greatness. Furthermore, if/when they
- win the World Series, I shall post a 50K+ episode...
-
- GO BRAVES !!!
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 5th level female drow elf mage (LE/N) [pseudo-prisoner]
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/20/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: evening
- Place: a circular building hidden within some forest
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXVI. The Ringleaders
-
-
-
- The party is amidst great chaos - Peldor and Halbarad face an
- angry, recently-awakened drow warrior, while Peyote stands at
- the doorway to that chamber. Alindyar and Lyra are about to
- cast spells at two more drow warriors down the hallway, who are
- backing up quickly as Peyote's pair of summoned wild boars
- charge at them full-tilt. All of this has happened within the
- last ten seconds...
-
- Peldor: Ho! Ha-ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin!
- Ha! Thrust! (stabs the drow, wounding him)
- drow warrior#0: Agh! (slashes at Peldor, but the nimble thief
- ducks under his sword) Stop dancing about, fool!
- Peldor: Never! (makes a face at the drow)
- Halbarad: (moves to flank the drow) I do not suppose you
- wish to surrender?
- drow warrior#0: Go to hell! (swipes at the ranger)
- Halbarad: (sighs)
-
- nearby...
-
- boars: (charging the two drow in the hallway) Snort!
- drow warrior#1: (running) Where in the Abyss did _they_
- come from?!?
- drow warrior#2: I have no idea. (they keep running)
- Alindyar: (begins spellcasting)
- Lyra: (has no useful spells to cast) Hmph! (reaches over
- and fishes Alindyar's wand from his pack)
- Peyote: (sort of caught in the middle, the doorway, looks
- back and forth, sword drawn) Wow, dude.
- drow warrior#1: (slows down to make a break for the door
- he came out of) Whoa!
- boars: (they trample the unfortunate dark elf underfoot)
- drow warrior#2: Bad idea, friend. (gets to the end of the
- hall, thanks to the boars being slowed down a bit at the
- expense of his companion) Where is that trap? Ah!
- boars: (headed for the drow at the end of the hall) Grr!
- drow warrior#2: (covers his mouth with his cloak, opens
- the chest at the end of the hall - a green gas billows
- out)
- boars: (mindlessly charge into the gas)
- drow warrior#2: (backs up, then runs and makes a flying
- leap over the boars, and lands in the middle of the
- hallway) You! (points at Lyra with his drawn sword)
- Traitor! (charges Alindyar and Lyra)
- Alindyar: I wonder what _he_ is so worked up about?
- Lyra: They just want to kill me, since I ran away a while
- back.
- boars: (breathing the gas, as might be expected, they drop)
- Peyote: Dude! You slew my boars!
- drow warrior: Actually, it is only sleep gas. But that
- should not make any difference to them.
- Alindyar: (casts Color Spray at the drow)
- drow warrior: (looks at the kaleidoscope of colors around
- him as they dissipate) Not good enough, mage. (resumes
- his approach to Alindyar and Lyra)
- Peyote: Gnarly color effects, though. (steps in front of
- the two drow) Back, dude. And dudette. I shall defend
- you. (charges the drow warrior)
- Lyra: I can help, too. (fires three magic missiles from
- Alindyar's wand, at the drow warrior)
- drow warrior: (hit by the magical bolts, reels) Argh! You
- shall surely die for that, bitch!
- Peyote: Chill, dude. (slashes the drow, wounding him badly)
- drow warrior: Yargh! Damn, that hurts. (stabs Peyote in
- the leg)
- Peyote: Argh! (clutches his bleeding leg) Okay, dude. I'm
- through toying with you. (they begin meleeing once more,
- and the half-elf delivers a chopping blow to this opponent,
- cleaving his head in two) Whoa, dude! Messy...what a way
- to go!
-
- in the other room...
-
- Peldor: (distracting the drow with his prattle)
- Halbarad: (dispatches their opponent with an axe blow) Yet
- another one falls.
- Peldor: Of course. I never thought he was a good warrior,
- anyway. If he had been, then _I_ would have had to slay
- him, rather than allowing _you_ to.
- Halbarad: Oh. (wipes his axe on a rag) I am much more
- confident now, knowing that you will handle the greater
- dangers.
- Peldor: (shrugs) What can I say? I am Peldor.
-
- Soon, they regrouped, and stacked the drow bodies in one of
- the rooms. Then they searched both rooms, finding some gold
- and silver coinage - and a potion.
-
- Peyote: (gets his Rod and touches it to the cut on his leg,
- causing the wound to close up) Ahh. The power is mine...
- Halbarad: (wondering about the half-elf's sanity)
- Peldor: Time to go down those stairs!
- Alindyar: Verily.
- Lyra: (examining the potion bottle they found) Hmm.
- Halbarad: (looking at the two sleeping boars)
- Peyote: We'll just leave the boars here for now. It's not
- like they can cause any more trouble than they already have.
- (sighs)
- Halbarad: Aye.
- Lyra: (to Alindyar, in drow) I would be much more effective
- in a combat situation if you lent me this wand for a while.
- Alindyar: (amused that she has the wand in her hand) You
- are not a thief, are you?
- Lyra: No. (smiles) Just a mage who hasn't been allowed to
- study any offensive spells.
- Alindyar: Very well, retain the wand for now. We shall see
- about your spells later...
-
- They made their way to the winding staircase downward, and
- prepared to descend.
-
- Peldor: (examining the first step for traps) Hmm. Something
- is funny here.
- Halbarad: What is that?
- Peldor: This first stair looks unused - the carpet isn't even
- worn. But the second step is well-worn. Then, the third step
- is new, and so on...
- Alindyar: No doubt a devious, if simplistic, trap.
- Peldor: Yeah. I suggest that we use only the well-worn steps
- and avoid stepping on the others.
- Peyote: Makes sense to me, dude.
- Halbarad: Aye. (he leads the party down the stairs)
-
- At the bottom of the stairway was a supply room, containing a
- lot of mining tools and implements. The room was shaped like
- a quarter-circle, with a radius of perhaps sixty feet. A single
- closed door to the southeast provided egress.
-
- Alindyar: Methinks these items are used in the mines referenced
- by that elf.
- Peldor: Yea.
- Halbarad: (poking around the chamber) There is nothing here.
- Let us check out that door.
- Peyote: Yeah, man. (sword drawn, he waits)
- Peldor: (checks for traps on the door) No traps here, guys.
- But it _is_ locked. Though not for long. (goes to work on
- the lock)
- Lyra: (glancing around)
- Peldor: (gets the door opened, revealing a square twenty-foot
- room with a five-foot wide circular shaft in the floor) Hmm.
- (enters the room and looks down) Can't see a damned thing in
- there.
- Halbarad: Look there. Three other, similar doors lead out as
- well, besides the one we used to enter.
- Alindyar: Perhaps we should try those first. Yonder shaft may
- cut more deeply into the earth than you are prepared for...
- Peldor: (checks another door, then unlocks and opens it) Okay.
-
- Another quarter-circular room was revealed; it appeared to be
- some kind of library. Though sparsely decorated, it contained
- two large bookshelves full of books as well as small baubles
- and items. A circular table in the room's center had a crystal
- ball resting atop it.
-
- Alindyar: Touch nothing! (casts Detect Magic)
- Peldor: Crystal ball...
- Halbarad: Much evil knowledge is contained within those books
- and tomes, no doubt.
- Peyote: No doubt, man.
- Alindyar: (scanning the chamber) Nothing. Nothing! None of
- this is magical. Except that crystal ball there.
- Peldor: I'll check it out. (touches the ball, and a loud POP
- is heard, as he is thrown back against a wall, his hair on
- end) Yow!
- Alindyar: I told you not to touch anything...
- Peldor: Agh. Must have been some kind of electrical trap.
- Fortunately, my mighty constitution proved enough to save
- me from its perils.
- Peyote: No way, dude. You just got lucky.
- Alindyar: It is but a trap, not a scrying device, I suspect.
- (examines the books on a shelf) Leave it be.
- Lyra: (likewise examining the books) This is Zara's reading
- material, I am certain of it!
- Alindyar: 'Twould seem so, especially since most of the titles
- are in drow script.
- Lyra: Oh come now. With books such as "The Art of Torture"
- and "Creative Sacrifices to Lolth", how can there be doubt?
- Alindyar: Good point.
- Peldor: (searching under the small table)
- Halbarad: Wha-? Zounds! The door has shut itself! (grabs
- the knob) It is held fast. Locked!
- Peldor: (goes to check the door out) Hmm. Calm down.
- Alindyar: There is nothing of use here. The witch must keep
- her spellbooks elsewhere.
- Lyra: Oh, well.
- Peldor: (unlocks the door, and opens it) It was simply shut
- and locked, that's all. No magic - just a clever spring
- mechanism. We should wedge doors like this open, so we don't
- get stuck in a jam with no time for me to unlock them.
- Halbarad: Agreed.
- Peldor: (gets an iron spike and jams the door open) There.
- Peyote: Let's check out the other rooms here. I figure we're
- halfway done, since we've covered two quarter-circular rooms
- already...
- Alindyar: Brilliant observation.
- Lyra: Heh.
-
- They moved back into the central shaft room, and Peldor set
- to work unlocking the next door. When he had accomplished this
- feat, he opened the door, and Halbarad entered...
-
- Halbarad: Uh-oh!
- Peyote: (enters after the ranger) What? Oh. (assumes a
- defensive posture)
- Peldor: (peeks around the corner into the room) Hey!
-
- In this third quarter-circular chamber, a living quarters by
- its appearance, were two angry-looking female drow, glaring at
- the party with death in their eyes.
-
- Lyra: (to one of the female drow) Zara!
- Zara: There you are, you back-stabbing little traitorous
- bitch!
- Lyra: You're one to talk.
- Zara: (raises her hands to cast a spell) We are ready for
- you. All of you. Telefe, attack, as planned!
- Telefe: (the other evil drow) Ha ha ha! (she casts a spell
- too)
-
- Peldor: Ulp. (he backs up quickly, as do the others)
-
- They all dove back for cover, as the two drow females let
- their magic loose. Zara caused a sphere of darkness to appear
- right where the party was, while Telefe, the lieutenant, made
- a zone of silence in their vicinity. Suddenly blind as well
- as deaf and mute, the party understandably panicked...
-
- Halbarad: (backs up, tripping with Peyote, and they both fall
- to the floor cursing soundlessly)
- Peyote: (really pissed now)
- Peldor: (gets out of the darkness zone, unsheathes and sheaths
- his sword, becoming invisible)
- Alindyar: (he and Lyra appear in the lighted area, holding
- hands as they retreat) I suppose we are out of the silenced
- area as well. Where is Peldor?
- Peldor: (invisible) Right here. What do we do _now_?
- Alindyar: Spells are not the best option right at the moment.
- Hurl some oil over our warriors' heads, if you can. (begins
- spellcasting)
- Peldor: Good idea! (gets out some oil flasks) I can easily
- aim over them. I hope. (grins) No, really. No problem
- at all. (shreds a small cloth sack into strips with his
- dagger, and quickly inserts them into flasks with Lyra's
- help) Shit. Hurry, hurry!
- Alindyar: I shall provide a distraction. (casts a Wall of
- Fog beyond the darkness zone) That should keep them busy
- for a few moments.
- Peldor: Ready! (lights a flask, and hurls it high, into the
- darkness) Fire in the hole!
- Halbarad: (within the sphere of darkness, can't hear a thing)
- Peyote: (likewise)
- Peldor: (handed another lit flask by Lyra, throws it right
- after the first one)
-
- There was a distant sound of shattering glass, followed by
- a loud WHOOSH, and then another breaking glass flask with
- its own WHOOSH. Someone screamed from beyond the darkness,
- a female scream, and Halbarad was yelling. Lyra sent three
- magical missiles in the direction of the screams, for good
- measure. Peldor put his hand on his sheathed sword and
- invisibly entered the darkness.
-
- Peldor: I will check it out. (his voice fades away)
- Alindyar: (yelling, a rarity) Halbarad! Peyote! Back away
- toward us! NOW!
- Halbarad: (though he couldn't hear the mage, he seems to have
- figured it out, and crawls out of the darkness) Something
- very hot is happening nearby.
- Peyote: (leaps out as well) Strange things are afoot beyond
- the darkness tonight, dude!
- Alindyar: (pondering spellcasting)
-
- nearby...
-
- Peldor: (emerges from the darkness as he is scalded by the
- nearby heat, looks around)
-
- The room was aflame, and all of its curtains and furniture
- seemed ablaze by now. The two drow females were facing away
- from him, hands held, and one of them was chanting. Peldor
- had no idea what they were up to, but it looked dangerous, so
- he approached the nearer one, the one called Telefe, invisibly.
-
- Telefe: Is it time?
- Zara: Yes! The spell takes effect even now...
- Peldor: (leaps forth and quickly and efficiently unsheathes
- his sword and backstabs Telefe, causing her to let go of the
- other one, Zara)
- Telefe: Aaaaaugh! (falls to the floor)
- Zara: (glaring daggers at the now-visible thief for a split-
- second, then vanishes) You shall die for thisssss......
- Telefe: (turns to face Peldor) Not good enough, rogue! (she
- begins spellcasting)
- Peldor: (tackles her, for distraction purposes) Cast nothing
- at me, bitch!
- Telefe: Agh! (her spell is ruined) Damn you!
- Peldor: (raises his sword) I think not.
- Telefe: (draws a dagger) Die!!! (slashes at the thief)
-
- meanwhile...
-
- Alindyar: (about to cast Dispel Magic on the dark/silent zone,
- but doesn't, as Peldor emerges from the darkness, dragging
- one of the female drow's bodies with him) Eh?
- Peldor: Whew! That place is _gone_. Up in flames. But I
- did get this one's corpse.
- Halbarad: Whyever?
- Peyote: (approaches the body, his Rod of Life and Death at
- the ready)
- Peldor: So that he could talk to her dead body and find out
- where all the treasure is kept. Why else?
- Lyra: What of Zara?
- Peldor: She teleported away, I think. She looked pissed.
- Lyra: (to Alindyar) He is smart.
- Alindyar: Aha. (thinking about spellbooks)
- Peyote: (touches the corpse) Speak to me.
- Telefe-body: Urgh.
- Peyote: Where is Zara now?
- Telefe-body: I do not know.
- Peyote: Where is the treasure, then?
- Telefe-body: Burned away, I suppose.
- Peyote: What treasure do _you_ have?
- Telefe-body: Cloak.
- Peyote: Are there more drow?
- Telefe-body: Of course.
- Alindyar: (to Peyote) Ask her about the spellbooks.
- Peyote: Where are Zara's spellbooks?
- Telefe-body: Upper left. Bookcase.
- Peyote: Is the bookcase a trap?
- Telefe: Maybe. (goes slack)
- Peyote: Enough questions, I guess.
- Peldor: (removes the woman's cloak) This may be magical,
- according to her. I say we keep it.
- Halbarad: Whatever. Let us search that other room now.
-
- The fourth quarter-circular chamber contained many lavish
- furnishings, a metal bathtub, a great bed, and some fine
- clothing - but no magical items or treasure. They searched
- for many minutes, but could find nothing. After that, they
- went back to the study, and Alindyar pulled some books out
- of the upper left of both bookcases until he found a secret
- wall panel. Behind this plate were two heavy, bound tomes
- of black leather. He took both and stored them in his bag
- of holding for now, quite happy with himself.
- The party then made their way back to the center room,
- with the shaft going down.
-
- Peldor: (examining the rim of the hole) Look, here is a
- stanchion! Someone get a rope...
- Halbarad: (hands the thief a 50' rope) Tie it on there.
- We must descend and see what awaits below.
- Peyote: Cool. I hope it's not one of those bogus dragons
- or anything.
- Peldor: (fastens the rope, but Halbarad grabs it)
- Halbarad: I shall lead. (climbs down, axe in hand)
- Peldor: (goes second)
- Peyote: Well. (goes third)
- Alindyar: (he and Lyra go last) Hmm.
-
- The shaft led into a small cavernous area, with a tunnel
- leading away. They followed it, once all had come down;
- it led into a much larger cavern. It looked heavily mined,
- and some foodstuffs were stacked along the southern wall.
- Two exit tunnels led away; both were in the eastern side
- of this chamber. They took the northeastern one, and
- moved quietly along the rocky tunnel.
-
- Halbarad: (spots the back of a guard ahead, and bonks him
- hard on the back of the head with the flat of his axe)
- Peldor: (now invisible, scurries past the ranger into
- the medium-sized cavern ahead)
-
- This area contained five ragged-looking humans, quite
- obviously slaves, who were mining away half-heartedly
- while a pair of sleepy orcs guarded them. Just as one
- of the orcs spotted the drow guard get knocked out by
- Halbarad, Peldor's blade found his neck, and he fell to
- the floor. Lyra used the wand to blast the other orc
- with three magical missiles before it could shriek, and
- it, too, fell. The party entered the cavern.
-
- Halbarad: (to slaves) Quiet. How many more are there?
- How many guards?
- slave: (looks at the others) They're mindless, now.
- Only I, from this group, was spared the goat-woman's
- touches. I don't know why...there are at least five
- more of the dark ones. Plus a dozen orcs, too. They
- are down the other tunnel from the large chamber.
- Peyote: Rude deal.
- slave: These other nearby passages (indicates some) are
- dead ends. Don't worry about them.
- Peldor: (to Halbarad) He tells the truth.
- Halbarad: Good.
- slave: What should I do?
- Halbarad: Gather these men, but stay put. We shall
- deal with the orcs and drow.
- slave: Okay. Good luck.
- Peldor: Ah, Peldor needs no luck! Only his great skill.
- (he is last in line to exit, and slashes the unconscious
- drow's throat as he walks by) Can't have that guy up
- and about while we're in a fight...
- Halbarad: (at the front of the party, failed to notice
- that)
- Peyote: (looking over an old scroll he has) Aha!
- Alindyar: (prepares a spell) Hmm. How best to overcome
- many opponents, but not injure slaves who might get in
- the way?
- Lyra: Quit talking to yourself.
-
- They went back to the main chamber, avoiding the dead end
- tunnels the slave had warned them about. The southeastern
- passage led around, winding to the right for over a hundred
- feet. At its end were a few short tunnels, and many voices
- could be heard from one in particular.
-
- Halbarad: (scouts quickly, then returns, whispering) Many
- slaves, and orcs, and several drow, as well!
- Alindyar: (whispering) I have a spell, let me by. (he
- moves to the entrance into the large chamber, and looks
- in) Hmm. (enters the room)
- drow sergeant: (whirls to face the new arrival, speaks in
- drow) Who are you?!?
- Alindyar: I am the new mage, recently come up from below.
- See? (holds up his hands, and launches a cone of Fear
- into the room)
- slaves: Aie! (they all cower at the enges of the room)
- orcs: Aie! (they all cower with the slaves, dropping their
- swords)
- drow#1: What?!?! (draws his sword)
- drow#2: Agh! (flees into a corner)
- drow#3: Bah. (draws his sword)
- drow#4: Hmph. (draws his sword)
- drow#5: Prepare to die, fool. (draws his sword)
- Peyote: Well, at least you dealt with the small fry. Now,
- though, it's time for plan B.
- Alindyar: Plan B?
- Peyote: Yeah. Mud! (he steps forth and casts a spell from
- a scroll, turning the rock under the drows' feet into mud)
- drow: Uh-oh! (the four of them all sink into the mud)
- Peldor: (invisible, sneaks around Alindyar and into the
- cavern)
- Peyote: (strolls into the area) Okay, dude. Time for a
- dispel magic spell! Make that mud back into rock!
- Alindyar: Err...(casts Dispel Magic, successfully, and the
- floor is rock once more)
- Peyote: Way to go, dude.
-
- nearby...
-
- Peldor: (backstabs the cowering drow) Yep. It's kill or
- be killed later.
- Halbarad: Ho there! (sees Peldor about to slay the orcs
- as they cower in a corner, but then whirls around as one
- drow male and two orcs come at the party from behind)
- drow warrior: What is this?!? Where are the others?
- Halbarad: (gets in front of Alindyar and Lyra to protect
- them) They are...sunk.
- drow warrior: (charges, as the orcs flank him) What in
- the hells are you talking about?!? I will carve some
- answers on your belly, human!
- Lyra: (not wanting to risk wasting the wand on the drow,
- she blasts the two orcs, killing both with the volley of
- magical missiles) Back!
- Halbarad: My thanks. (engages the drow in melee, and
- quickly cuts him deeply) Away, foul one!
-
- meanwhile...
-
- Peldor: (dispatching orcs in the prisoner area) Ho-hum.
- Peyote: (freeing the workers, most of whom are listless
- and dull-looking) Come on, dudes! This is your chance
- for freedom!
-
- Well, it was barely a minute before Halbarad slew the
- last drow. Some of the slaves said that there were no
- more, but the party searched the entire tunnel complex
- thoroughly, just in case. Then, the total of forty men
- was brought upstairs, with the other two.
-
- Halbarad: Time to leave this place.
- Peyote: What about the fire? Should we just leave it
- burning in the midst of this woodland? I'm thinking
- not, dude.
- Halbarad: Do not worry. I shall meet you outside in
- a short while. I will take care of it. Go!
- Peyote: Okay. (whistling, he and the others leave the
- complex) Come on, guys! Let's split!
- mob of slaves: (all run out) Aaaaaa! Yeehah!
-
- back on the main floor...
-
- Halbarad: (to himself) Okay. Time to see if that sage
- was correct. (gets out his old metal horn, found several
- adventures back, and cleans the mouthpiece) Ugh. (takes
- a deep breath and winds the horn)
-
- There was an eerie noise, and then the stone and earth all
- around started to shake and tremble. The ranger sprinted to
- the structure's entrance, and dashed out into the night. In
- his stead, the entire building collapsed to the ground,
- utterly and completely destroyed.
-
- Halbarad: (looking innocent) Ho-hum.
- Alindyar: May I ask?
- Halbarad: Just testing an item out, that's all.
- Peldor: (slyly eyeing the ranger) Hmmmmmmm...
-
- They made camp about a mile away, and took turns at the
- watch, while the others got some much-needed rest. The
- slaves were kept in the center of the encampment, for their
- own protection. Nothing attacked the party, though, and
- the night passed peacefully.
- When morning came, they made their way through the woods
- and back to Tragidore, where they were greeted with an over-
- whelming reception. The women and children of the town were
- in a frenzy as they got their menfolk back. Cheering and
- festivities commenced immediately, and the adventurers were
- congratulated profusely. No rest was possible, which was
- okay, since it was only noon or so. Peldor tried to find
- Marta, to pursue his imaginary romances, but learned that
- one of the returned men was her husband...he thought about
- going back to find those nymphs but was convinced to simply
- remain in Tragidore for now and get drunk.
- The town's temples could apparently restore the lost wits
- (read : Wisdom) of the ex-slaves who had been drained by the
- lamia. They also did Peldor a favor and restored his lost
- wisdom with their magic. The party was not ready to train,
- but they remained in Tragidore for three days, during which
- time they engaged in various activities...
-
- Alindyar (and Lyra) studied the spellbooks they had recovered
- from the drow mages, finding that they had great magical
- incantations (and traps, which were bypassed magically)
-
- Halbarad basked in the glory of the party's achievement,
- playing with children and generally being a good guy.
-
- Peldor remained continually drunk throughout the whole affair.
-
- Peyote had a good time, and also talked to many animals both
- in the town and just outside it. He also found new mounts
- for the party, from the town's stables.
-
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/25/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: late morning
- Place: the town of Tragidore, in Ulek
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Halbarad: I suppose it is time to get back on the road again.
- Peldor: Hic! It's been fun. (hefts a sack of reward money
- given to the party by the town council)
- Alindyar: Certainly.
- Lyra: I'm glad to know that those drow are gone.
- Alindyar: (in drow) Do not forget Zara's escape...
- Lyra: Oh.
- Peyote: (petting the two hawks that answered his recent magical
- summons) Squawrk!
-
- They left Tragidore amidst great cheering and whistling, and
- set out on the open road once more.
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: more wilderness challenges
-
- FTP SITE: ccosun.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Peyote never intended to have the boars used as cannon
- fodder - just as an "offensive distraction" if I quote him right.
- A note: Peldor wasn't as zealous in backstabbing as Belphanior,
- and certainly didn't have the same flair for it. He simply was
- unwilling to leave evil enemies alive behind the party...
- This is the promised "30K" episode, if you didn't know already.
- As I write this, it is the early morning of the day after NLCS
- game 7. It was 2-1 Pirates in the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs,
- bases loaded. The Braves bench was getting slim - Frank Cabrera
- gets called up to pinch-hit in the do-or-die situation. This guy
- was awesome in AAA ball and had two pinch-hit home runs for the
- Braves late this season. So...he strokes a single, man on 3rd
- scores, then Sid "Laser" Bream from 2nd tears up the field as he
- runs into home...SAFE! Braves win, 3-2!
- The GT campus was in an uproar - a huge bonfire was started on
- east campus, and for two hours, it was screaming mobs, loud music,
- police, fire trucks, lots of water spraying, and the bonfire with
- nine lives. I loved every minute of it...
- So, until Halbarad does the Chop with his axe...GO BRAVES!!!
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 5th level female drow elf mage (LE/N) [pseudo-prisoner]
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/25/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: southern Ulek, northeast of Gryrax
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXVII. The Coming of Bosco
-
-
-
- The party is travelling through some hills in Ulek, after having
- an adventure involving the small town of Tragidore. Before they
- know it, the city of Havenhill looms ahead, in the distance...
-
- Peyote: Wow, man. (to hawks) Squawk!
- hawks: Squee! (they fly away, to scout ahead for the party)
- Peyote: Cool birds. Much better than those boars, if I do say
- so myself.
- Alindyar: I agree on that count.
- Peldor: (wondering what thieving opportunities await in the city
- ahead) Hmm...
- Halbarad: We had best stock up well in Havenhill, for the lands
- that await us beyond yonder city are hostile indeed.
- Peyote: We'll survive, dude.
- Lyra: (wondering if Alindyar is going to let her memorize her
- more useful spells)
-
- Soon, they had entered Havenhill, and decided to take lodging
- for the night. Halbarad went to bed early, while Peyote talked
- to his hawks. Alindyar and Lyra looked over the spellbooks
- gained in the last adventure. Peldor, though, went out into the
- city to see what mischief he could make.
-
- Peldor: (wandering along a busy street) Ho-hum. This city is
- ripe for the picking! Ah, if only Belphanior were here!
- halfling: (covertly following Peldor)
- Peldor: (stops to look into a bar) To drink or not to drink,
- _that_ is the question.
- halfling: (sneaks up to Peldor amid the crowds, and filches an
- item from his pocket)
- Peldor: (watching some whores with great interest)
- halfling: (scurries off) Hah!
-
- Into a dimly-lit alleyway dashed the halfling. He looked back
- into the street, but there was no sign of pursuit. He had gotten
- away with his prize - an engraved potion bottle!
-
- halfling: Yes! (looks the bottle over) Good stuff, good stuff!
-
- Suddenly, the small demi-human was lifted into the air, where
- his tiny, hairy feet kicked uselessly. He glanced up at the
- powerful arm that held him there.
-
- halfling: Aaaaa! Let me go!
- Peldor: (holding the little guy aloft with one arm) If you're
- going to steal something from me, at least get something GOOD.
- halfling: (looking at the potion bottle) Huh?
- Peldor: Ah, what to do with you?
- halfling: Um...
- Peldor: Cut off the ears? Or maybe the feet? No, no, the hands.
- That's it! The hands! Now where's that knife I had?
- halfling: (squealing) No! No!
- Peldor: (regarding the halfling thief) Hmm. Maybe I can make
- some use of you.
- halfling: What's that?
- Peldor: Well, obviously, you dared to try to steal from the
- mighty Peldor. So, you are no stranger to risk.
- halfling: Yeah! That's right!
- Peldor: But...you were unsuccessful. Which is fine, considering
- the unblinking eye of Peldor, which of course misses nothing.
- halfling: Ulp.
- Peldor: But...it was a pretty good try. So you have skill.
- halfling: Yes. Yes! Great skill!
- Peldor: So...although not in the same class as Peldor, you are
- not lacking for cunning and experience.
- halfling: Nope! Not me!
- Peldor: Ah, maybe I'll kill you anyway.
- halfling: No! No! I'll go with you, help you. Surely you
- have some great quest which needs the skills of Bosco!
- Peldor: Bosco?
- Bosco: Yeah, Bosco! Thief, lockpicker, scout. Greetings!
- (extends a hand)
- Peldor: Okay. (clasps the halfling's hand) I am, of course,
- Peldor. (sets the halfling down onto the ground) Have my
- legends spread to this city?
- Bosco: Uh...no. Not yet, anyway.
- Peldor: We'll have to do something about that. Anyway, you
- will be my henchman, accompanying me on adventures of great
- danger and fame.
- Bosco: Okay! Sounds like fun!
- Peldor: But I warn you - you had best behave yourself. Those
- whom I travel with have no tolerance for thieves.
- Bosco: Then how do they tolerate _you_?
- Peldor: I am more than a thief, I am a hero. They respect me
- for that, I think.
- Bosco: Whatever.
- Peldor: I shall guarantee you a fair share of loot - a henchman
- sized share, of course - but you must remain loyal, and do not
- steal from the party. Only I can do that.
- Bosco: Sounds good.
- Peldor: But, I will tell you this: I can detect lies.
- Bosco: Really?
- Peldor: Yep. So don't even think about lying in my presence.
- If you don't screw up, you'll have the adventures of your life.
- Bosco: Understood.
- Peldor: Come, let us find a bar and talk further. Do you play
- cards?
- Bosco: Only the basic thirty-seven card games...
- Peldor: Excellent! (claps the halfling on the back) Oh, and
- by the way...
- Bosco: Hmm?
- Peldor: ...Give me that potion back.
- Bosco: Potion? Oh, _this_ potion...
- Peldor: Ah! A man after my own heart! (they head for a sleazy
- bar) Heh, heh.
-
- The next morning, the party had regrouped at a table in the inn
- they chose the night before. A sly-looking halfling was sitting
- next to Peldor, though, a fact which did not escape the others.
-
- Halbarad: Who, pray tell, is _that_?
- Peldor: This is Bosco, everyone. He's my new manservant!
- Alindyar: Manservant?
- Lyra: A valet? What need has Peldor for a valet?
- Peyote: (to hawks) Squark!
- Peldor: He will be accompanying us for a bit.
- Halbarad: I trust him like I trust you, Peldor - not at all.
- Bosco: Oh, come on! I'm a swell guy!
- Peyote: I hope my hawks don't eat you, dude.
- Bosco: Ulp.
- Halbarad: Whatever. But you two had better not do anything
- questionable. Like robbing us, or people in cities we may
- be in, etcetera. No misbehavior!
- Peldor: Who, me?
- Lyra: Heh.
-
- They left Havenhill shortly, and traveled for three days
- in a northeastern direction. The Suss forest loomed ahead,
- and without many second thoughts, they entered its gloomy
- expanse. Upon finding a southern fork of the Jewel River,
- they turned northward, intending to follow this river as it
- wound through the forest. Eventually, this course would lead
- them to the Gnarley Forest, roughly a hundred and thirty
- leagues to the north. From there, it was only a few days'
- journey to the free city of Dyvers, and then they would go
- east, toward Greyhawk.
-
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 5th level female drow elf mage (LE/N)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Bosco, 5th level halfling thief (CN)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 12/31/570 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: afternoon
- Place: the southern Suss Forest, alongside the Jewel River
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- As they journeyed through the Suss, it quickly became apparent
- that the place was very dangerous...
-
- hawk: (returns from its scouting, lands upon Peyote's shoulder)
- Squawk! Scree!
- Halbarad: What is this?!?
- Peyote: Scrak? Rouk! (to party, in common) This dude says that
- there is a band of big humanoids ahead, preparing to ambush us!
- Halbarad: Oh, really? (hefts his axe)
- Alindyar: (prepares a spell, and causes his carpet to float a few
- feet higher) Lyra, be ready.
- Lyra: (prepares a spell also)
- Bosco: Oh boy!
- Peldor: I'll go invisible, and you should too, Peyote. We'll
- stick to one side, and get behind them once they spring their
- trap.
- Peyote: Right on. (becomes invisible) Sqrak! (gives new orders
- to the hawks)
- Peldor: (becomes invisible)
- Halbarad: So, now we are bait.
- Alindyar: Fear not. We have some...new spells at our disposal
- now.
- Lyra: Thanks to Zara...
- Alindyar: Aye.
- Peldor: (he and Peyote move far to one side, invisible)
- hawks: (fly overhead, waiting silently)
- Halbarad: This should be interesting.
-
- Soon, the evildoers made themselves visible, as they sprung
- their ambush!
-
- ogres: (eight of them, they emerge from the woods and surround
- the lone ranger on the ground and the two drow in the sky,
- and Bosco) Har! We has youse surrounded!
- Alindyar: Observant ogres, these.
- Bosco: Bah! Get away, or I'll have to hurt you!
- ogre: Heh heh. Fat chance o' that, shrimp!
- ogres with blue skin: (three of them, they float out from the
- trees nearby to join the normal ogres) Desist. Especially
- you, mages.
- Lyra: What are _those_?
- Alindyar: Ogre magi! (murmurs silently)
- ogres: Har har!
- Halbarad: Uh-oh. (waves his axe menacingly)
- ogre mage: (to fellows) The male dark elf is casting! Hurry,
- get him! (they frantically prepare to attack)
- Lyra: (blasts each of them with one magic missile) There!
- That should distract them long enough for-
- Alindyar: (casts Confusion on all opponents) Heh.
- ogre#1: (fails save, stands confused) Duh.
- ogre#2: (fails save, attacks ogre#1) Arr!
- ogre#3: (makes save, watches his companions in shock) Whas'
- you guys doin'?!?
- ogre#4: (fails save, wanders away) Duh?
- ogre#5: (fails save, stands confused) What is me doin' here?
- ogre#6: (makes save, charges Halbarad) Die, human!
- ogre#7: (fails save, attacks ogre#8) Arr!
- ogre#8: (fails save, attacks ogre#7) Arr yourself!
- ogre mage#1: (makes save, blasts Alindyar and Lyra with a cone
- of cold) Heh heh. Shake _this_ off.
- ogre mage#2: (fails save, floats in air confused)
- ogre mage#3: (makes save, prepares to cast a spell)
- disembodied voice nearby: SQUARK!
- hawks: (both divebomb ogre mage#3, attacking him)
- Peyote: (still invisible, watches the hawks in action, then
- grabs one of his javelins of lightning) Hmph.
- Peldor: (somewhere nearby, invisible)
- Halbarad: (chops and stabs ogre#6) Back, you!
- ogre#6: (misses the ranger with its clumsy swing) Shit!
- ogre#2: (slashes ogre#1, wounding it grievously) Ha ha! This
- fun!
- ogre#1: Argh! No fun! No fun!
- ogre#3: (dodging various melee, heads for Bosco)
- Bosco: (charges ogre#3) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
- ogre#3: You is noisy little runt.
- ogre#4: (about to wander into the forest) Duh, duh. Me dumb.
- Peldor: (backstabs the unfortunate ogre, slaying it) You dead.
- (becomes visible) Idiot.
- ogre#5: (confused) Duh.
- ogre#7: (meleeing ogre#8) Yah, yah!
- ogre#8: Blah, blah! (slashes ogre#7)
- Alindyar: (he and Lyra are blasted by the cone of cold) Argh!
- (they both fall, as does the carpet, and land about eight feet
- below, on the ground, frostbitten) Agh.
- Lyra: Ouch. (goes unconscious, and collapses)
- Alindyar: Lyra! (crawls over to her) Lyra!
-
- Peyote: (hurls his magical javelin at the first ogre mage)
- ogre mage#1: (hit by the weapon, which explodes in a blast of
- lightning) ARRRGH! (hovers, bleeding and stunned)
- Peldor: (throws his magical dagger of throwing at the wounded
- ogre mage) Take that! (the dagger imbeds itself in the
- humanoid's eye)
- ogre mage: (fatally wounded) Agh...shit...(dies, and falls)
- Peyote: Good shot, dude.
- ogre mage#3: (trying to fend off the hawks which are clawing
- and biting at his face) Argh!
- hawks: (tearing the monster up) Scree!
- ogre mage#2: (still confused)
- Peldor: (retrieves his dagger from the corpse of ogre mage#1)
- Halbarad: (chops ogre#6, slaying it) So! (moves to the next
- and nearest opponent, the confused ogre#5, who is now about
- to stab ogre#3, who is trying to step on Bosco)
- Bosco: Hah! Stupid ogre! You'll never get me! (dodges an
- attack)
- ogre#3: Fuck! Stand still! (misses the halfling)
- ogre#5: (chops ogre#3 in its confusion) Duh?
- ogre#3: ARGH! You doofus!
- Halbarad: (stabs ogre#3 instead) Hmph.
- Bosco: (stabs ogre#3 in the knee) Yee-hah!
- ogre#3: Geez...(dies)
- Bosco: (to Halbarad) What a team we make!
- Halbarad: Err...right.
- ogres 1/2: (meleeing with one another)
- ogres 7/8: (meleeing with one another)
- Alindyar: (tending to Lyra, who is near death) You shall
- live, I promise. (feeds her his healing potion, and she
- stabilizes) Whew. Close call. (turns to the ogre magi
- in the sky, and scowls)
- Peldor: (invisible once more, stalking ogre#2)
- Halbarad: (to Bosco) Little friend, let us now take care
- of _him_. (points his axe at ogre#5)
- Bosco: Right on! (they charge the ogre)
- Alindyar: (to Peyote) Druid! Tell your birds to desist
- and leave!
- Peyote: Huh? (sees that Alindyar is really pissed) Okay!
- (to hawks) Squawk! Scree! SCREE!
- hawks: (fly away, one badly wounded by the ogre mage)
-
- Peldor: (backstabs ogre#2 right after it kills ogre#1)
- ogre#2: Huh?!? (dies)
- Peldor: Peldor the mighty sees action yet again...
- Alindyar: (to ogre magi in air) YOU! (casts Feeblemind
- at ogre mage#3)
- ogre mage#3: (fails his save) Blerp. (floats upward into
- the sky, devoid of a mind)
- Alindyar: Just desserts, for what you did to Lyra. (prepares
- another spell)
- ogres 7/8: (kill each other)
- Halbarad: (he and Bosco slay ogre#5)
- Peyote: (casts Summon Insects near ogre mage#2)
- ogre mage#2: (confused, about to fly down and attack the
- nearest party member) Eh? (attacked by the swarm of bees
- and wasps) ARGH! Ptui!
-
- ogre mage#2: (trying to swat the insects, rather unsuccessfully)
- Agh! Ouch!
- Alindyar: (casts Dispel Magic on the ogre magi) Down you go.
- ogre mage#2: (his Fly spell cancelled, he sinks to the ground;
- also, his confusion is cancelled, and the insect swarm dies)
- Peldor: (charges the monster)
- Bosco: (right on cue, also charges the monster)
- Peyote: (charges the monster)
- Halbarad: (charges the monster)
- Alindyar: I have done my part. (cradles Lyra in his arms)
- ogre mage#2: (doesn't last long)
-
- In the aftermath of the battle, minor wounds were tended to.
- Lyra was not dead, just badly wounded, and healing fast, thanks
- to Alindyar's prompt care. The party set some traps, and also
- Peyote cast a spell of alarm to warn of attacks yet to come.
- He tended to the wounded hawk, with Halbarad's help - the
- ranger was quite adept with animal lore and handling and was
- at least as good with the grouchy, wounded bird as Peyote.
- The beings had several treasures on their persons. The ogres
- were carrying a lot of coinage and gems. One had a strange
- black metal ring on, too. The ogre magi (at least, the two
- still here - the third was no more than a distant, receding
- speck in the sky) yielded two beads, a wand, a potion, and a
- javelin. There was also a map, ruined by a lightning blast,
- and three other potion bottles, shattered in battle. The
- party rested for the rest of the day, and into the night, and
- were left alone by whatever beings might have been nearby.
- None of the party noted the passing of the new year, though
- a full moon shone upon the forest, which Peyote found to be
- utterly fascinating.
- In the morning, Peyote greeted a trio of wolves that had
- responded to his latest summoning. Lyra was feeling much
- better, and the party was rested and reinforced now as well.
- It was a good thing, perhaps, because later that day, they
- were assaulted by dozens of orcs. The battle went well for
- the party, though, because they were forewarned by the hawks
- and wolves. Various spells and weapons were brought to bear
- against the orcs (mainly a cone of Fear courtesy of Alindyar),
- and they all perished before too long.
-
- The next day, they entered an area of forest which held no
- wildlife.
-
- Peyote: Something is wrong here, dudes. And dudette. The
- animals of the forest are all gone.
- Halbarad: Aye. This appears to be a dead zone, so to speak.
- Peldor: I wonder why?
- Alindyar: (raises the carpet up to a new height of 10' above
- the forest floor) Beware, Lyra.
- Lyra: Right. (she eyes the forest nearby suspiciously)
- Bosco: Gee, it sure is quiet here!
- wolves: Grrrrrr!
- Peyote: Uh-oh. Someone or something is nearby...(hefts his
- bastard sword)
- Peldor: Hey, look!
- small green humanoids: Yaaar! (they emerge from the brush
- of the forest floor, and attack immediately)
- Peyote: Kobolds! (chops one in half)
- Halbarad: (cuts a kobold in half, and impales another one
- with his dagger, lifting it high into the air) Get off
- of my knife, you!
- Alindyar: (spellcasting)
- Lyra: (Magic Missiles three kobolds with tiny spears, who
- perish) Bah.
- Peldor: (chops a kobold in three) These guys are shrimps.
- Bosco: (slays a kobold)
- Peldor: See what I mean?
- Alindyar: (casts Fear in a cone at the main part of the
- kobold swarm, causing perhaps two score of the small
- humanoids to drop their weapons and flee shrieking...
- this leaves only six or so still fighting the party)
-
- Needless to say, the six or so didn't last long. The party
- headed in the direction of the fled kobolds, curious as to
- their motives and lair. After about ten minutes of tracking
- by Halbarad (it was even easier since the humanoids had fled
- in terror, and had left a trail that even a feebleminded ogre
- could follow), the party came upon a clearing. A large hill
- rose above the forest floor ahead. The wolves and hawks were
- going berserk, baying and screeching insanely, but nothing
- could be seen...
-
- Alindyar: Hmmmmmm. (casts Detect Invisibility)
- Lyra: (watching Alindyar gaining the enchanted vision)
- Alindyar: (eyes bulge) By Lolth!
- Halbarad: What?!?
- Alindyar: (pushes Lyra off of the carpet) Run! Scatter!
-
- Suddenly, as the party just began to move, something huge
- and invisible shifted on that hill. There was a deep sound,
- a WHOOSHing, and then, as they scattered like ants, a large,
- green, winged form materialized atop the hill, as it exhaled
- a monstrous cloud of greenish vapor at the party.
-
- Peldor: Holy SHIT!!! A green dragon!
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Aftermath
-
- FTP SITE: ccosun.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: Go see "Under Siege", it is awesome!
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-
-
-
- *****
- * The 8 player characters contained in these writings are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to persons or characters
- * either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. Copying and/or
- * distribution of these stories is permissible only under the one
- * condition that no part of them will be used or sold for profit.
- * In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- *****
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 5th level female drow elf mage (LE/N)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Bosco, 5th level halfling thief (CN)
- Peyote, 7th/8th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 1/2/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: late afternoon
- Place: the southern Suss Forest, alongside the Jewel River
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- LXVIII. The Deck
-
-
-
- The party has just been blasted by a large, invisible green
- dragon! Of course, the dragon isn't invisible any more, but
- the adventurers have more important things to worry about than
- whether the monster is invisible or not...
-
- various animals: (summoned by Peyote earlier, they have all
- fled in terror by now)
- Lyra: (with a running start thanks to Alindyar, she avoids
- the worst of the noxious green poison breath) Ack! (falls
- to one side)
- Alindyar: (atop the carpet, hit by the worst part of the
- breath, saves but perishes anyway, at -8 hp)
- Halbarad: (saves, avoids serious damage as he rolls to one
- side) <cough> Whoa! (guzzles a potion of speed)
- Peldor: (perhaps due to his luckstone, saves, manages to
- avoid critical damage) <cough> (sheathes his sword and
- becomes invisible)
- Bosco: (slain instantly by the breath, -33 hp)
- Peyote: (saves, but is barely conscious) <COUGH> (grabs
- a javelin of lightning)
- Green Dragon: HAH! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD SNEAK UP ON _ME_,
- DIDN'T YOU? YOU WERE WRONG! (moves to melee the nearest
- of the party)
-
- Halbarad: You shall pay for those deaths, monster! (charges
- the dragon speedily, and hacks it with his axe) Take that!
- (stabs it with his dagger) And that!
- Green Dragon: ARGH! THOSE TOOTHPICKS HURT! (swats the ranger
- with a paw, knocking him aside)
- Peyote: How 'bout _this_ toothpick, then? (hurls a javelin
- of lightning at the dragon, hitting it in the belly; the
- enchanted weapon explodes in a blast of electricity) Yo!
- Green Dragon: ARGH! YOU WILL DIE FOR THAT, FOOL! (grabs the
- half-elf and crushes him in its mighty paw) DIE! DIE!
- Peyote: (smashed to a pulp)
- Green Dragon: DIE! DIE! (tosses the limp body aside) BAH.
- Halbarad: (stands up) Where is the foul fiend? Ah, there,
- of course!
- Lyra: (dragging Alindyar's prone body away from the main
- battle)
- Halbarad: (leaps up once more, and charges the dragon again)
- I am not finished with you yet! (chops it again, hitting
- with his axe, though his dagger glances off of its armored
- scales this time) Hah! The gods are kind!
- Green Dragon: FOOL! (bats the ranger again, knocking him
- about fifty feet away)
- Halbarad: (drops his axe and dagger along the way, as he
- sails into a wall) Oof!
- Green Dragon: HA HA!
- Peldor: (striding and springing with his boots, he tries to
- backstab the dragon)
- Green Dragon: WHAT?!? (turns around and looks at the thief)
- Peldor: Erk. (slashes the dragon across the head, since he
- can't backstab; a minor wound is scored)
- Green Dragon: ARGH! YOU LITTLE BUGS HAVE A LOT OF STINGERS!
- (tries to bite Peldor but misses as the thief leaps aside)
- Lyra: (pours Alindyar's last potion of extra-healing down
- his throat, stabilizing him) There.
-
- Halbarad: (looking around himself) Damn. Where are my axe
- and dagger? (realizes that he can fire arrows from here
- much more safely than a melee approach) Aha! (grabs the
- bow and some arrows)
- Peldor: (slashes the dragon, but his blade bounces off of it)
- Green Dragon: (claws Peldor, knocking him unconscious) HAH!
- Peldor: (slumps to the ground)
- Green Dragon: AH, BUT I SHALL EAT WELL TONIGHT!
- Halbarad: (fires two arrows at the dragon; both bounce off
- its hide) Damn.
- Green Dragon: BAH. MY SPELLS DEFLECT ALL YOUR PUNY WEAPONS.
- ONLY A MAGICAL ARROW COULD HURT ME NOW! (showing his green
- hide with great pride)
- Halbarad: Magical arrows? (thinking) Magical? (realizes
- that he is carrying an arrow of dragon slaying) Gods!
- (frantically begins tossing items out of his pack) Where
- is it? Where _is_ it?!?!?
- Green Dragon: THIS IS NO TIME TO LOOK FOR MAGICAL WEAPONS,
- FOOL! (uses an innate spell, Magic Missile, and blasts
- the ranger with five bolts) HA HA!
- Halbarad: (pummeled mercilessly by the spell) Argh! Ugh!
- Ouch! Aha! (holds up a glowing red arrow) Now we shall
- see!
- Green Dragon: (prepares to breathe on Halbarad) NONE OF
- YOUR PUNY WEAPONS CAN KILL _ME_! (sucks in breath)
- Lyra: No! (casts a Web on the dragon's head)
- Green Dragon: EH? (rips the web into bits with a shrug,
- looks at Lyra) BAH. YOU I SHALL SAVE FOR DESSERT...
- (turns to face Halbarad) EH?
- Halbarad: (facing the dragon with a nocked, glowing arrow
- ready) Here goes nothing. Ehlonna guide my aim. (fires
- the arrow)
- Green Dragon: (watches the arrow as it flies toward him)
- WHAT?!? (the missile pierces its left eye with a meaty
- sound) AAAAAAAAARGH! (leaps about in great pain, causing
- the ground to tremble terribly) AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!
- Halbarad: (watching in fascination)
- Green Dragon: (keels over, dead)
- Halbarad: By the gods! It worked! (limps over to Lyra)
- Lyra: So it did! (happy)
- Halbarad: Were it not for your timely distraction, though,
- and my consumed potion, the beast would surely have breathed
- gaseous death upon me...
- Lyra: (looking around) We must help these others!
- Halbarad: Aye.
-
- They tended to the other adventurers as best they could.
- Alindyar, Peyote, even Peldor were recoverable, only on the
- brink of death (the ranger and drow poured water down their
- throats and then induced vomiting, hopefully to clean out
- their systems), but the halfling Bosco was beyond help,
- green of face and still of limb. Lyra used a spell taught
- her by Alindyar to create an illusion of a sleeping green
- dragon where the real, dead one actually was. Also, they
- borrowed potions of healing from Peyote to get themselves
- back up to full strength (not wanting to deal with the
- half-elf's Rod of Life and Death). Peldor also unwittingly
- contributed a potion of healing to the cause.
- After a night of uncertain rest (during which Halbarad
- stood watch, mostly), they woke up Peyote in the morning.
- Though some kobolds approached during the night and early
- morning, they were apparently fooled by the illusionary
- dragon. At any rate, they did not seem to want to risk
- its wrath by awakening it. Anyway, Peyote used his spells
- to heal the others, though more rest was required by all.
-
- Peyote: I hope my spells helped, dudes.
- Alindyar: Most certainly. Now I shall have to see to a
- spell or two for our continued safety while resting
- here.
- Peldor: What about Bosco? What will become of him?
- Peyote: Who knows, dude?
- Halbarad: We may be better off without the little runt.
- Peldor: Hey, watch it.
-
- They rested for another two days, and took the time to
- look over the dragon's great hoard. Most of the monetary
- treasure could not be taken, due to its weight, but many
- magical items were found. The topic of Bosco came up once
- more, as well.
-
- Peldor: Maybe an item in this hoard can help Bosco.
- Peyote: Get real.
- Lyra: Cannot the druid use a spell to return him to life?
- Peyote: I have no spells that can do that...wait! I have
- a scroll here somewhere...(begins searching his pack)
- Peldor: (holding his breath)
- Peyote: Ah! (holds up a scroll tube) Here it is! This
- will help. Though, it's not really raising of the dead.
- Peldor: It's not? Then what is it?
- Peyote: Do you believe in reincarnation?
- Halbarad: What exactly is that? Is it not bringing one
- back as another type of creature, but with the same mind?
- Peyote: Basically. It's all I have.
- Peldor: (thinking)
- Peyote: Take it or leave it. What will it be, dude?
- Peldor: Oh, all right. I suppose he could be an orc, or
- a goblin, there are worse fates, after all.
- Peyote: (spellcasting) Oh great Obad-hai! We ask your
- help in returning this poor fool to life...
-
- Bosco stirred, and shifted - suddenly, he began melting
- like clay! Momentarily, though, he was gone, and a jet-
- black raccoon stood in his place...
-
- Peldor: Bosco?
- raccoon: (looks up, and squeals loudly)
- Peldor: Ah, Bosco. I'll see what can be done for you,
- but for now, you're stuck like this. Sorry. (pets the
- raccoon) Poor Bosco...
- raccoon-Bosco: (scurries around angrily)
- Alindyar: Hmm.
-
- They departed later, after a total of four days since
- the day they had found the dragon. Apparently, the big
- green monster had been the king of the area, for no more
- organized attacks of any import occurred. A few minor
- battles did happen, but they did not last long. Bosco
- grew used to his new body, and the party travelled north
- for over three weeks, until they entered the Gnarley
- Forest and then left the woodlands, entering some short
- grasslands.
- Two days after that, they passed through the gates of
- the Free City of Dyvers, and paid for a series of rooms
- at a fine tavern. The treasure was quickly piled on a
- large, expensive oaken table for division, for the party
- did not want to wait until Greyhawk was reached...
-
-
-
- THE LOOT (magic items only are listed):
-
- * = couldn't be identified by sage
- ** = identified as very powerful & dangerous by sage
-
- drow spellbooks Alindyar
-
- black ring * Peldor
- 2 beads of force Alindyar
- wand of polymorphing Alindyar
- potion of extra healing Peldor
- javelin of piercing Peyote
-
- dagger +1 Halbarad
- eyes of the eagle Peldor
- potion extra healing Halbarad
- deck of cards ** (party)
- horn of bubbles Alindyar
- earring +1 Halbarad
- egg of creation Peyote
- amulet * Peyote
- net of entrapment Peyote
- amulet w/petrified dragon eye Halbarad
- potion of treasure finding Peldor
-
-
-
- While they were at it, they decided to rest for a bit,
- and Peyote trained in the druidic ways. Lyra and Bosco
- trained as well (as best the latter could). After two
- weeks, they departed for Greyhawk, which was only four
- days' ride away. The ride was through civilized lands,
- and thus there was no trouble. One interesting thing did
- happen, though, on the way.
-
- Alindyar: (to Peldor) I have an idea.
- Peldor: What's that?
- Alindyar: I could use my new wand to...transform Bosco back
- into his normal halfling self.
- Peldor: Think it'd work?
- raccoon-Bosco: (jumping up and down eagerly)
- Alindyar: Who can know? 'Tis worth a try.
- Peldor: Okay.
- Alindyar: (zaps raccoon-Bosco with intent to turn him back
- into a halfling)
- raccoon-Bosco: (becomes a halfling) Yay! (leaping around)
- Lyra: Tsk, tsk.
- Peldor: Uh...Alindyar?
- Alindyar: Hm?
- Peldor: What are those black rings around his eyes? Sort of
- looks like a bandit mask...
- Alindyar: (snickering)
- Peldor: Grrr...
- Bosco: (hasn't looked in a mirror yet) Yay! I'm me again!
- Halbarad: He definitely looks like a thief, now. Raccoon
- eyes and all.
- Peyote: The masked wonder - Bosco!
- Alindyar: Heh heh.
-
- They arrived in Greyhawk without incident after peaceful
- travel through its suburbs.
-
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 9th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 6th level female drow elf mage (LE/N)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 10th level human thief (N)
- Bosco, 6th level halfling thief (CN)
- Peyote, 7th/9th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 3/08/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: evening
- Place: the Free City of Greyhawk
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- Before seeking the sea group out, the land group unanimously
- elected to...utilize their magical deck of cards first. This
- was a foolish choice for some, a good one for others...
-
- Peldor: I shall draw first. Now, how does this thing work?
- Alindyar: You must first choose the number of cards you will
- draw. And then hope that you are able to continue after
- each draw from the deck...
- Peldor: Aha. Well, then, I shall draw...three cards. (draws
- the first - a card marked Balance) Huh? (his alignment
- changes from neutral to neutral) Hm. Nothing happened.
- Halbarad: Perhaps the item does not work on thieves...
- Peldor: Bull! Bah. (draws his second card - a card titled
- Fool) Eh?
- Halbarad: How appropriate.
- Peldor: (loses some experience but gains a bonus draw) Ulp.
- (draws again - a card marked Throne) Ah! Peldor's true
- greatness is exposed at last! (gains great charisma and,
- unbeknownst to him, a small keep somewhere in the world)
- Alindyar: The rascal has avoided serious injury thus far.
- Peldor: That's because I'm _Peldor_! (draws his last card,
- one called Sun) Huh? (a large tome appears in his hands,
- and he gains some experience, more than he lost on his
- second draw) Ah! Peldor _is_ great! I wanna draw again!
- Alindyar: You cannot. You chose four, you drew four.
- Peldor: No! No! This is too much fun. (eyes Bosco) Hey,
- Bosco! You're good at card games. You should have some
- draws, too!
- Bosco: Yea! (looks at the deck) I wonder if this is a
- marked deck. Oh, well. I'll draw two! (draws the first
- card, one titled Moon, and is granted three wishes)
- Peyote: Wow.
- Bosco: Yes! YES! (draws his second card - one marked as
- Void) Ulp. (his soul heads off to another plane)
- Peldor: Bosco? Hey, Bosco? (shakes the halfling) He's
- gone! What happened?
- Alindyar: He chose...poorly.
- Bosco: (gazing ahead dully)
- Peldor: Shit! Three wishes, wasted. Damn it all!
- Peyote: I'll go next, dude. I will draw...once. I don't
- want to risk too much. (draws a single card - the Vizier)
- Hmm. (suddenly knows that he will know the answer to his
- next dilemma) Huh?
- Alindyar: I suppose it is my turn. I shall draw four cards.
- Halbarad: FOUR?!?
- Peyote: That's risky, dude.
- Alindyar: Of course. (draws his first card - one marked
- Euryale) Euryale? (he now has a permanent susceptibility
- to all forms of petrification)
- Peldor: (searching Bosco's pockets)
- Halbarad: (watching Peldor with a scowl)
- Alindyar: What else will there be? (draws his second card,
- one titled Talons) Uh-oh. (every magic item on his person
- vanishes)
- Lyra: Yipes.
- Peyote: Rude deal, man. RUDE deal.
- Alindyar: Oh, well. It cannot get much worse.
- Peldor: Don't say that. Never say that.
- Alindyar: (draws his third card, Star, and gains significant
- and nigh-godly intelligence) Ahhhhh. I am enlightened...
- Lyra: (happier now that something good has happened)
- Alindyar: (draws his fourth and last card, the Sun, and an
- enchanted cloak appears on his back) Hm. Not so bad in
- the end. Lyra, will you draw?
- Lyra: Uhh...I don't think so.
- Peldor: Well, Halbarad, it's your turn now.
- Halbarad: Never. (turns and walks away)
- Peyote: Well, I guess that's that.
- Alindyar: Hmm. (watches the deck vanish) I suppose it has
- served its purpose.
- Lyra: Yes. Poor Bosco. (pats the soul-less halfling on the
- head)
-
-
-
- Thus, some of the adventurers were tied up longer, needing
- to train or cope with their newfound traits or curses...
-
- ALINDYAR studied intently, and advanced a level in the arcane
- arts. He and Lyra totally redesigned their spellbooks so
- that they were more efficiently organized.
-
- HALBARAD did nothing unusual, but a large wild tiger showed up
- while he was wandering outside Greyhawk, and it became his
- companion. (also see below, under Peldor's activities)
-
- PELDOR managed to rid himself of his ring of truth, but later,
- unbeknownst to him, the mage who helped him with this matter,
- being a kindly and benevolent sort, sought out Halbarad and
- gave the ring to the ranger, knowing that he was one who
- would never lie but could use the ring for good purposes.
- Peldor also read his new book, and gained significant amounts
- of thiefly experience. He knew not what to do about Bosco,
- though - the halfling's soul was gone and no solution seemed
- in sight.
-
- PEYOTE spent an awful lot of time trying to figure out what his
- next dilemma would be.
-
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- THE PARTY (temporarily split up; this is the "land" group):
-
- Alindyar, 10th level drow elf mage (N)
- Lyra, 6th level female drow elf mage (N)
- Halbarad, 8th level human ranger (NG)
- Peldor, 11th level human thief (N)
- Bosco, 6th level halfling thief (CN) (no soul)
- Peyote, 7th/9th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
- Date: 3/23/571 C.Y. (Common Year)
- Time: evening
- Place: the Free City of Greyhawk
- ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- It seemed to be the time to seek out the other group, and see
- how they had fared in their adventures...
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Reunion
-
- FTP SITE: ccosun.caltech.edu (in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers)
- ********************************************************************
- NOTES: I played up Halbarad's realization that he had that arrow
- a bit...at the time of the gaming I had forgotten about it, but
- he never did...oh well, the best-laid plans of DMs sometimes go
- awry. I didn't want to BS my way out of it, though...
- Whew, that deck was one of the most controversial things ever
- to hit our campaign. Poor Bosco...hey, what _are_ the effects
- of not having a soul, anyway? I played it as if he was no more
- than a vegetable, no mind, no actions, nothing...but in some
- fiction I have read (e.g. Conan) the soul-less person can still
- act normally - just without a soul. Ideas, anyone?
- ********************************************************************
-
-
-