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- *****
- *
- * The 8 player characters contained in this writing are copyright
- * 1992 by Thomas Miller...copying and distribution of these stories
- * is permissible only under the condition that no part of them will
- * be used or sold for profit. In that case, I hope you enjoy them.
- * The dungeons and non-player characters contained herein are from
- * TSR's module, A2, and are copyright 1980 by TSR, Inc. Although
- * they are reprinted after a fashion in this story writeup, they
- * are not being used for profit or personal gain in any way. In
- * this spirit, verbatim text and maps from the module have been
- * avoided. I would encourage anyone who does not own the Slaver
- * series, that is, TSR modules A1-A4, to buy them, as much more
- * enjoyment will come from actually playing them rather than from
- * reading about one party's experiences within.
- *
- *****
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- THE PARTY:
-
- Alindyar, 6th level drow elf mage (N)
- Belphanior, 4th/4rd/5th level high elf fighter/mage/thief (CN)
- Ged, 5th/5th level grey elf priest/mage of Boccob (NG)
- Halbarad, 6th level human ranger (NG)
- Mongo Thunderhead, 6th level dwarf fighter (CG)
- Peldor, 7th level human thief (N)
- Peyote, 5th/5th level half-elf fighter/druid of Obad-Hai (N)
- Rob, 6th level human priest of Trithereon (LG)
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-
- XXIV. Battle Royal
-
-
-
- The party entered a room containing numerous opponents, some more
- dangerous than others...
-
-
-
-
- .------------ door the party entered by
- | (party members not shown are
- | still outside the room,
- v except for Peyote who is
- _____==_____ inside but invisible)
- | xB M 33 | B = Belphanior
- | 33 H 3 | M = Mongo (rolled over by barrel)
- | 1 222 | H = Halbarad
- | ## _| 1 = tall black warrior
- | 4 4 | 2 = three wereboars
- |__________| 3 = hobgoblins w/swords (x=dead one)
- 4 = hobgoblins w/flaming oil flasks
- ##= firepit
-
-
-
-
- (This is a 60' by 60' room with the southeast 10' by 20'
- section cut out. There are several doors but they
- are not shown above, for reasons of simplicity.)
-
-
-
- Belphanior: (chops another hobgoblin, downing it) Hah! (turns around
- to check out the rest of the battle) Uh-oh.
- hobgoblin: (slices at Belphanior but misses) Curses!
- Halbarad: (steps forth to meet the tall black warrior who is obviously
- the leader in this room)
- tall man: (slashes Halbarad, wounding him)
- Halbarad: Ah! What manner of warrior needs no eyeholes in his helm?
- (chops the man with his axe, nicking him)
- tall man: (no response)
- Peyote: (invisible, trying to get around behind the wereboars)
- Alindyar: (enters the room) Who is to be the recipient of my spell?
- wereboars: (headed for Alindyar, and the others coming through the
- doorway, and the prone Mongo) Snarl! Growl! Slobber!
- DM: (to Alindyar) They snarl, growl, and slobber at you.
- Alindyar: Hmm. They are volunteering, then. (casts a huge web at
- the oncoming lycanthropes, catching two firmly and the other loosely)
- Peyote: (still invisible, but almost snagged by the web; decides to
- go elsewhere)
- hobgoblins to east: (one of them is also webbed) Get them mages!
- (one slices the drow) Har har!
- Alindyar: You...you swine. You shall pay for that.
- Peldor: (leaps into the room, sword drawn) Who dares to face Peldor?
- hobgoblin: (the third one to the east) I does! (stabs at the thief
- but misses by a long shot) oops.
- Mongo: (overrun by the huge barrel earlier, lying on the floor) Uhh...
- Peldor: (chops his hobgoblin, wounding it badly) Those who face the
- might of Peldor never live long enough to tell of it!
- hobgoblin: (back to the south, hurls flaming oil at the main party
- but misses. This could be because he might have hit his leader if
- he aimed badly.)
- Ged: (steps into the room, noting a puddle of flaming oil nearby)
- What chaos! What glory! Boccob would be pleased if I demonstrated
- his power here! (launches magic missiles at the webbed opponents)
- wereboars: Agh! Snarl! (they try but fail to break free of the
- webbing)
- Peldor: Well, THAT was real useful, mage. Thanks a whole lot.
- Ged: Quiet, fool. (thinking about which spell to use next)
- hobgoblin: (also back to the south, prepares to hurl flaming oil at
- someone; suddenly, his head splits in half messily) ...
- Peyote: (becomes visible) Gross. (grabs the lit oil, which didn't
- shatter when the hobgoblin dropped, and runs for the webbed were-
- boars and hobgoblin)
- Halbarad: (attacks the tall leader with his dagger, but misses)
- Leader: (slashes at the ranger again, hitting)
- Halbarad: Agh! (now seriously wounded)
- Rob: (casts spiritual hammer, and bashes the hobgoblin Peldor had
- wounded, slaying it) Take that, evil slaver!
- Peldor: Thanks a lot, priest.
- Rob: No problem. (stumbles over Mongo's armored body) Oof.
- Peyote: (hurls the flaming oil at the webbed ones; it shatters
- and they burst into flame) Sorry, dudes.
- two wereboars: AAAAAAARRGH!!! (aflame)
- third wereboar: (partially webbed, bursts free and runs around while
- on fire, screaming) YEAAAAARGH!!
- Mongo: UHH...(sits up groggily) Wuzzat? Huh?!? Battle! (looks
- around, then bashes the hobgoblin who attacked Alindyar, felling
- it; then he finds his potion of speed, and slurps it down with
- great haste) Yum! (catches hammer)
- flaming wereboar: (runs into a wall) OOF! YEAAAAARGH!!
- Peyote: (slips ring off and on again, going invisible, and wanders
- away)
- flaming hobgoblin: (dies quickly)
- other flaming wereboars: (break free and run for Peldor and those
- near him)
-
- Peldor: (slashes a burning wereboar) Too much heat! Get away!
- Ged: (casts resist fire on himself and finds his morningstar)
- I'll help you, fool!
- Peldor: Oh thank you. What would I ever have done without YOU to
- back me up in combat? (dodges a flaming claw)
- Belphanior: (slashes the last of his hobgoblins, killing it) Heh.
- Now for something more exciting. (heads for the flaming opponents)
- Peyote: (slashes the other hobgoblin with oil, slaying it and turning
- visible) Who's that helmeted dude, Halbarad?
- Halbarad: I don't know, but he's a damn good swordsman! (gets hit
- again) Ugh! (to DM) I retreat a bit.
- Peyote: I'll help you out. (moves closer)
- Leader: (swings at the half-elf, wounding him)
- Peyote: Damn!
- flaming wereboar: (slams Peldor, smashing and burning him) AAAARGH!
- Peldor: (swatted aside) Uhh...
- Mongo: Enough! (hurls his hammer, having been hasted heartily by the
- potion)
- flaming wereboar#1: (hit by the hammer) YEAAARGH!!
- Mongo: (catches hammer, hurls it again)
- F.W.#1: (hit, dies) YEaar... <THUMP>
- Mongo: (catches hammer, hurls it at another foe)
- F.W.#2: (hit) BLEAAARGH!!
- Mongo: (catches hammer, which is now slightly aflame, hurls it again)
- F.W.#2: (hit again! Its flaming head is caved in by the flaming hammer
- and it dies) ...<THUMP>
- Mongo: (catches hammer) Hahahahahah! Triumph! (dances in glee)
- Ged: (bashes the other flaming wereboar) For Boccob!
- F.W.#3: (hit) AAAGH! (claws Ged)
- Ged: (takes claw damage but not fire damage, due to his spell) Hah!
- Rob: (bashes the burning monster with his hammer, finishing it)
- Halbarad: (hits leader with dagger, misses with axe) Damn!
- Leader: (dodging well, starts to back away)
- Peyote: Whew!
- Alindyar: (not sure which spell to cast) Hmm.
- Belphanior: (heads for the leader and Halbarad and Peyote) Damn.
- No more fiery, screaming enemies to slay.
-
- Leader: (retreats into firepit, hides behind cooking lizard)
- Halbarad: What in the hell's he doing?
- Peyote: Beats me.
- Leader: (now with good cover, hurls some flaming grease at them)
- Halbarad: Wha...?! (almost hit)
- Peyote: Guess that answers your question. (they both back up)
- Belphanior: (trotting up) He must be immune to fire, somehow.
- Halbarad: Obviously. Any bright ideas?
- Belphanior: Sure. Mongo!
- Mongo: (nearby) What?!?!?
- Peyote: We need that hammer of yours.
- Mongo: What do I look like, a cannon? Geez!
-
- After that, it didn't take long for the hasted dwarf to decimate
- the leader, who stayed in the firepit and hurled handfuls of burning
- grease at the party. The room was aflame in several places (and
- perhaps the ceiling as well, for someone remembered that there was
- still a fireball burning up above somewhere), so they quickly started
- checking the five doors at its periphery, after the priests healed
- Halbarad and Mongo. Ged noticed a strange letter on a table and
- appropriated it.
- The northeast door led to a room that was obviously the quarters
- of the wereboars, based on the boar inside and the smell...the animal
- attacked but was slain quickly, thanks to the still-speedy Mongo and
- his wonderful hammer. The northwest room had a half-orc or orc with
- a chef's hat and a knife; he got dusted immediately when he tried to
- stab Belphanior. The next door was to the southwest and led to the
- apparent quarters of somebody important.
-
- Halbarad: Maybe 'twas that leader-type we fought.
- Peldor: Nice room he's got here.
- Mongo: Let's search it and get the hell out of here. I want to do
- more fighting while I've still got this potion in my system.
- Belphanior: Well, there's a bed, a table, some wine, a wooden chest...
- Peldor: (goes for the chest)
- Alindyar: (examining an odd chessboard)
- Rob: (listening at a closet door) I hear something...
- Halbarad: What?
- Rob: Hissing.
- Peyote: Snakes?
- Belphanior: Maybe. (starts picking the sizable lock)
- voice: (from behind door) Icar, you snakes-belly! Release me!
- Halbarad: A prisoner?
- Alindyar: A naga?
- Rob: A talking snake?
- Peldor: There's just clothes in this chest! Damn!
- Belphanior: Well, so much for the lock. Someone get ready with a
- heavy weapon or spell.
- Mongo: Check.
- Ged: (backs up a bit, curious)
- Alindyar: (loses interest, checks the bed area)
- Peldor: (also checking the other parts of the room, in hopes of
- finding something useful)
- Rob: (drinks some wine from a bottle on the table) Mmm.
- Belphanior: (opens the door and gets out of the way)
- Halbarad: Who goes there?
- voice: (coming closer) aaaAAAAA!
- Mongo: Fuck this. (hurls hammer, meeting the onrushing source of
- the voice - a woman with snakes on her head - and knocking her
- back a good bit)
- Belphanior: Oh shit! Medusa! (saves, successfully)
- Mongo: Huh? (saves, barely)
- DM: Since Mongo and Belphanior were right there, and the medusa
- was only out for an instant, only you two had to save.
- Halbarad: Good.
- Mongo: (catches his hammer) Whew.
- Peyote: Seems fair.
- Belphanior: (slams the door) Fuck! What now?
- medusa: (beating on door, screaming)
- Halbarad: Uh...(moves to one side of door and draws back his axe,
- motioning to Belphanior to open the door again) (to DM) I don't
- look at her, I just chop her good.
- Mongo: (prepares hammer) (to DM) Me neither. As soon as that
- door opens, I hurl!
- Peyote: (averts his eyes) Watch out, everybody!
- Ged: (turns away)
- Rob: Huh?
- Peyote: (grabs Rob and propels him out of harm's way)
- Belphanior: (opens the door)
- Medusa: (runs partially out, dragging a chain from her neck)
- Halbarad: (chops her legs)
- Mongo: (tosses hammer at her)
- medusa: Ugh. (dies)
- Ged: So much for that. What brave warriors you all are.
- Peyote: (grabs a blanket and covers the body)
- Belphanior: I want the head! I want the head!
- DM: Err...It's crushed beyond hope by Mongo's hammer.
- Belphanior: Oh. How big is the closet?
- DM: About ten feet by ten feet.
- Ged: Treasure chest. (pointing at one inside the medusa's room)
- Peldor: Huh? (wanders into the closet and picks the lock)
- Belphanior: What's inside? Gold! Gems! Bracelets! Oh my!
- Peldor: Here's a scroll, and a coffer too. Oh wait, it's locked.
- (goes to work on the coffer)
- Belphanior: (reading scroll) I can't make diddly-squat out of this.
- Ged: Give me that! (swipes it) Eh?
- Alindyar: Let me see. Hmm. Strange script indeed. Raised dots.
- Peldor: Got it! Now what's inside?
- Halbarad: (to Peldor) I'm watching you.
- Peldor: Of course. Watching the master at work.
- Peyote: What'd we get?
- Peldor: Hmm. Two potions, a scroll, a ring, and a token.
- Mongo: Here, let me take those off your hands. (puts the loot into
- his sack)
- Alindyar: All of this furniture is bolted securely to the floor, but
- for the bed, and I have found a trapdoor under that.
- Halbarad: Good work.
- Ged: Let's go, then. Down into some slavers' dungeon, no doubt.
- Mongo: (realizes that his potion is wearing off) Damn!
- DM: The roof caves in, and you see that it's on fire. All of it.
- Peyote: Let's coast.
-
- The party opened the trapdoor and descended about forty feet into an
- L-shaped corridor, about sixty feet total length. Belphanior went in
- first...
-
- Belphanior: I'll climb down first.
- DM: As you grab the rungs, you notice that the top two are sharp, and
- they cut your hands.
- Belphanior: Okay. Watch out guys. (continues climbing)
-
- They all reached the bottom, and shortly thereafter Belphanior fell
- asleep from the poison on the rungs...
- The party decided that this would be a good time to camp. They
- found a secret door to the northwest, but left it for now and set up
- camp. The mages studies their spell books, the priests healed all
- remaining wounds and prayed, and the warriors rested. Also Peldor
- went back up (carefully) and ensured that the hatch would not open
- easily from above (he also re-poisoned the rungs with some _real_
- poison from Belphanior's jar...)
-
-
-
-
-
- next time: Slaver dungeons
-
- ************************************************************************
- NOTES: Mongo sure did have a time with that potion of speed. Not only
- did he hit all four times, but one of his rolls was a 20 if my memory
- serves me right. Otherwise, they entered that room in trouble, but in
- the space of a minute, they had the situation well in hand. They had
- a lot of good dice rolls too.
- Everybody has been asking about the great ring that Ged used last
- time. It is a ring of shooting stars. Truth to tell, I F@$#&% up. I
- let the meteor swarm power work underground, when it wasn't supposed
- to...since this actually happened, I decided to let it go in the
- writing too. At the time, all those 1 and 2 HD types were charging
- for the party and no one really wanted such a boring battle anyway. I
- never let the ring do that underground again.
- So far, A1 has taken 4 postings, and A2 has taken 5 (it may be done
- at #25, maybe not). At this rate, the Slaver series will have used
- more postings than the previous adventures. Not to worry, there are
- many more adventures after the Slavers...MANY more.
- I'm hunting for an ftp site...maybe tybalt...
- ************************************************************************
-
-