Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part ten (session three)

Milo moved ahead of the group once more, scouting carefully for any traps that the lizardmen may have laid. A short distance into the cavern mouth the passage ended in a "T". The wall facing them was adorned with grisly heads in various states of decay. Milo moved cautiously forward to get a better look. As he walked forward he felt the ground move out from beneath him. The floor began to revolve under his feet and he barely jumped back as a giant stone panel spun down and back around, covering a pit about ten feet deep. The others rushed up to see why Milo was jumping about only to find an empty intersection decorated with skulls and heads. Before any of them could walk to the wall Milo shot out his hands to either side.
"I don't think that would be a good idea." Milo stated. "That floor isn't exactly stable." He finished as he placed the tip of his foot on the edge of the rotating stone slab, pushing it down slightly.
"Ah, it's just a little pit trap, Halfling." Brigit scoffed. "Ah've seen dwarven littl'uns craft better!" She said, pounding Milo on his back with her open hand. He cartwheeled his hands as her emphatic pounding almost pushed him into the pit. "Why don' we tie a rope to tha halfling and toss em across?"
Milo gave Brigit a horrified look, not certain she was kidding. "Thanks but no thanks, Brig! I'll just skirt the wall if it's all the same to you." He said in a huff. Brigit just chortled a little while reaching in her pack as if to draw out a piece of rope.
"Aw c'mon Milo, we kin have Jer here throw ya the whole way, eh Jer?" She broke out into an unruly bout of laughter.
"I've got another idea," Milo said back, "how about we don't? Just give me the rope in case I slip and fall. No throwing!" Milo said to Brigit with a sidelong glance to Jeremiah. The barbarian simply smiled. Mazi had an amused look on her face. She shook her head and raised her eyes to the ceiling.
"Maybe we can get across this thing before all your talk and laughter brings down the whole place around our ears?" She said to her diminutive companions.

With that Milo tied the end of Brigit's rope around his waist. He made sure he was out of arms reach of Brigit and Jeremiah as he inspected the edges of the revolving floor. Milo carefully tiptoed out along the narrow lip of the pit, his heels hovering over the slab. He managed to complete the little balancing act and arrived at the eastern side. As he peered into the darkness past his lantern he thought he caught sight of moving figures. The light from his lantern glinted off a spearhead and he could hear the shuffling of many feet from an alcove farther down the tunnel. The shout of alarm that came from the dim passageway caused Milo to remember that he was the only one on that side of the pit. Should the denizens of the caves rush him he would be alone and outnumbered. Ever the self-preservationist, Milo quickly turned about and shouted to his friends to pull him back. The words had barely left his mouth before the wind was pulled out of him, the rope going taut. He was heaved through the air like a fish on a line. Just before he landed on the false floor he managed to twist his body and roll acrobatically. Milo sprang to his feet next to a grinning Brigit and Jeremiah. Both had hauled him back as hard as they could, nearly braining him and making him think twice about who's hands should hold the rope next time. Milo turned to see the enemy for the first time and nearly fell over laughing as several little kobolds approached the lip of the pit, shouting in whatever language the small lizards used.

Two of the little creatures threw their spears at the party, both missing badly. Milo laughed and shot a missile of his own. He nearly tripped as he brought his weapon to bear, momentarily forgetting that the rope was still tied to his waist. He watched as his bolt flew above the heads of his opponents. Mazi moved to the far end of the pit and sighted one of the creatures with her bow. She fired the arrow straight into the little beast's chest. The kobold fell backwards, a little chirp escaping its mouth. Brigit took a grip of her ax, hoping one of the kobolds would brave the pit. Jeremiah wasn't so patient. He moved Milo to the side and took a running jump towards the small lizards. The rope still tied to Milo's waist was lying in his path though. The hulking barbarian yelped comically as he tripped over the obstacle right onto the false floor. He scrabbled at the surface of the slab, as it quickly became a vertical wall. He found no purchase and plummeted to the bottom of the pit, taking a small amount of damage. The pit floor revolved back into position, sealing off the poor barbarian.

Milo bit back another giggle as he plopped down to prop the floor open with his feet. Giving Jeremiah a way out by lowering the rope still tied to his waist. The kobolds were chattering excitedly on the other end of the pit. Two more spears sailed by Milo. He didn't even try to dodge as the clumsy throws caused the spears to fly wide. Mazi took aim again and watched in satisfaction as another kobold fell with feathers protruding from its small chest. Brigit figured she could do better than her barbarian friend. She took a deep breath, crouched, then sprang forward, intent on leaping over the gap. What she didn't realize was how heavy full plate armor can be, especially when there was nothing beneath her feet. She plummeted into the pit, right onto Jeremiah. Milo howled with laughter, not able to keep it in any more. He was echoed by the kobolds on the other side of the pit and he could swear that he heard a slight chuckle from Mazi's direction. From the pit emanated a few colorful dwarven curses and a grunt as Jeremiah pushed the bulky form of Brigit off of himself. He grabbed the rope and started to haul himself up. This caused Milo to pay a little more attention to his position on the lip of the pit. He braced himself as the human made his way to the top.

Two more spears flew over the pit towards the three party members. One wounded Mazi, grazing her leg and drawing blood. She sucked air into her teeth at the pain. The offending kobold witnessed the damage and pranced around in a comical jig, adding insult to injury. Mazi was none too happy as she drew her bow. She let the arrow fly as the lizardman spun around in his insane little dance. The arrowhead sunk right into its left cheek, its left REAR cheek. The kobold's victory chant changed to a shriek of pain as it scampered off into the dark. Mazi smiled to herself. Brigit had been trying to climb her way out of the pit during this display but was having just as much luck in that endeavor as her last. She couldn't seem to find purchase enough to support the weight of her gear as she slid back down the rope. Jeremiah decided once wasn't enough and crouched down again. He jumped mightily, right into the upturned floor. Milo again couldn't stifle his laugh as the poor barbarian slid down the relatively smooth surface of the slab, right onto Brigit. More dwarven curses floated up from the pit. This time it was Brigit's turn to shove off the bulky form of Jeremiah.

The two kobolds left on the other side of the pit chattered loudly at Mazi. They threw their spear and missed completely, tossing the missiles down the other passage in an attempt to injure the elf. Mazi drew another arrow to her bow and aimed at the closest lizardman. Her bowstring twanged as the arrow flew, directly into the kobold's chest. Milo looked at her in admiration. Mazi was on fire today, he thought. Jeremiah and Brigit worked together to get out of the pit this time. Jer gave the dwarf a boost while she used the rope. Once to the surface Brigit helped Milo haul Jeremiah back out. They were both breathing heavily, bruised from their falls in the pit and on each other. Milo stood back grinning at the two. He hadn't seen a show like this since his days back in Darokin.

The kobold with an arrow sticking out of its backside slunk back to the edge of the now closed pit. It had brought more spears and it chucked one over the other side. That spear and its companion's clattered off the wall. Milo shook his head again. He thought bemusedly, that is what I ran from? Milo decided to try a different tactic and tiptoed his way back across the pit, hugging the wall. He managed to make it across without receiving any blows from the lizardmen. They actually seemed scared of the diminutive halfling. Another arrow sped from the other side and Mazi felled the next kobold. Both Brigit and Jeremiah had learned their lessons. They glowered impotently at the final remaining kobold.

The lizardman with the arrow tail poked its spear towards Milo, who easily sidestepped it. Milo and Mazi shot their weapons at nearly the same time, Mazi's arrow finding the kobold before Milo's did. The little beast went down with the second arrow protruding from its chest. After confirming that no more kobolds remained Milo started to giggle. His giggle turned into a laugh which in turn developed into a full-blown guffaw. His laughter was infectious. Mazi joined in, slapping Jeremiah on the back. The brooding barbarian glared at her for a moment before his faced cracked into a lopsided grin. Brigit eventually joined in, seeing the humor in their recent encounter. There's nothing like a good belly laugh, thought Milo as he looked around for some way to disarm the rotating slab. In the alcove Milo found a few wide planks of wood, obviously what the kobolds used to cross the pit. He dragged a couple of the planks over to the edge of the pit and formed a makeshift bridge. The others made their way across, Brigit and Jeremiah taking extra care as they traveled the planks. Mazi and Milo stood at the other end, grinning.

"Now if you three hooligans are done goofing around, maybe we can finish exploring this cave." Mazi said.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part eleven (session three)

Before moving on Milo decided to try out his new toy. He pulled the wand of healing out of his pack and aimed it at Jeremiah. Milo spoke the activation word, "AberNATHy!" A dull glow emanated from the tip of the wand and came to rest on Jeremiah. He watched as a couple of the barbarian's wounds from falling into the pit closed. He was disappointed when he noticed that Jeremiah barely seemed restored at all though. "Maybe it's the activation word? I wonder if it matters how I pronounce it." Milo muttered to himself. Jeremiah merely shrugged and pointed down the tunnel, wishing to continue on.

The group ventured further down the eastward passage, Milo led once again to ferret out traps. Eventually the tunnel branched off to the left, one passage continuing east and one leading north. Deciding to stick with the trusty, always-turn-left-never-get-lost principle, the party took the north passage. Not far ahead the tunnel ended in another "T" intersection. Milo carefully advanced, searching all over for any traps, especially a giant rotating stone slab. None were found and no sounds echoed down either passage. Again turning left, the party walked on. This tunnel ended in a stout wooden door. Milo searched the frame and lock for traps while the party waited a fair distance away. They had already seen Milo's trap disabling abilities and decided caution was the better part of valor in the face of his technique. Milo scoffed at their temerity before turning around. He waited until he knew they couldn't see his face before he let a slightly worried expression creep across it. After double checking the door and declaring it trap-free, he pulled his trusty lock picks from his pack. The crude lock on the door was no match for his skill and he heard the satisfying click of the tumblers. Brigit and Jeremiah moved forward to open the door and lead the way into the unknown room. Inside they made a disgusting discovery. They had stumbled on the kobold's food storage room. Milo held back his gorge as he investigated some piles of meat, obviously human. The smell that pervaded the room made all four of the adventurers nauseous. Tattered cloths still remained on torn limbs that were strewn about the small room. After a cursory examination of the area Milo decided that nothing of worth was in the foul pantry. He left the room with the other three following. As he looked back Milo noticed Jeremiah gripping the hilt of his greatsword tighter than usual, his knuckles turned white. He knew that holding back the barbarian against any more kobolds would be out of the question. Probably for the best, thought Milo, his sword will make short work of the others we saw enter this cavern.

They followed the left wall down the passage, carefully treading past the intersection. The ambush by the hobgoblins made the group especially wary of blind corners. The tunnel widened into a small natural cavern as the party continued on. Two spears flew out of the darkness not yet illuminated by Milo's lantern. One spear pierced his leg as he let his own missile fly in the direction of the kobold that just revealed itself. His bolt was a little more deadly than the spear and the kobold fell to the ground with a rattle from its pierced lung. Mazithra fired her bow from the rear of the party but was unable to make out a solid target and her arrow flew above the little lizard men. Brigit and Jeremiah moved up past Milo simultaneously. Brigit swung her dwarven war axe at one of the diminutive creatures. The kobold all but disintegrated as her weapon cut through. She would have followed through to the next beastie if Jeremiah hadn't already sliced the lizard man into two pieces with a powerful vertical slash. The two warriors seemed eager for battle after their disappointing show at the pit.

Milo's lantern revealed no more kobolds hiding in the small widening of the cave. They did notice another door leading out of the room though. Just as Milo moved forward to examine it, the door flung open. Another kobold, dressed garishly in robes with crude stars and moons painted in blood, appeared in the doorway and wiggled his fingers at the party. Just as he raised his crossbow to fire Milo began to see swirling colors spiraling out of the lizard man’s hands. The fascinating display drew close to Milo and the rest of the party at an alarming rate. Soon Milo, Brigit, and Jeremiah could only see a dazzle of lights and multihued shapes dancing across their vision. The colors dispersed before reaching Mazi near the tunnel opening. The kobold chittered something, seeming frustrated that his little lights didn't affect the elf as they had her friends. As for them, Milo and the others couldn't get their bearings, blinded and stunned by the sparkling of lights in their eyes. Mazi had no such problems as she quickly drew back her bow and fired at the kobold sorcerer. Her arrow grazed the creature as it let out a startled shriek.

The kobold wiggled its fingers at Mazi again, this time two globules of bright energy shot from its fingers. The globes raced towards Mazi, hitting her hard and pushing her back a bit. She groaned at the bruising blow of the spheres. Mazi shook her head clear of the dazzling stars that filled her vision and let another arrow go at the little sorcerer. This time the missile stuck, wounding the creature in its shoulder. The other three adventurers were also shaking their heads. Milo finally rubbed the colors out of his eyes but was still slightly dazed. He noticed Brigit and Jeremiah in similar shape.

The little lizard man tried once more to stop the inexorable advance of the willowy elf. It flexed its fingers at her again. This time nothing happened. It looked down at its hands with a bewildered expression. Unbeknownst to it, Mazi's ring of mind shielding blocked the spell, it burned hotly around her finger. She later related that the little kobold must have tried to cast some sort of mind affecting dazzle spell at her. The sting on her fingers seemed to be just enough to throw off her aim as she fired another arrow. It flew into the doorframe behind the kobold, quivering in the wood. By now Milo, Brigit, and Jeremiah had recovered and all three of them attacked at the same time. Milo's bolt barely missed the kobold, as did Jeremiah's greatsword. Brigit was the one that ended the creature's miserable existence with a great diagonal slice of her ax.

"So the kobolds know a little magic," Mazi said. "I guess we'll all have to be on the watch for any more finger-wigglers here."
Milo decided to try his luck at the wand before they found any more sorcerous kobolds. "AbernaTHY!" he muttered as he pointed the want at Jeremiah. Again the barbarian's wounds closed slightly, but not completely. "I guess I'll have to keep trying," he said to himself.
The group set about the four corpses, finding a few gold coins on the guards. Milo carefully unhooked a gold chain from around the sorcerer's neck. A heavy red gem rested at the bottom of the chain. Mazi snagged the jewel from his hands. "Aww, it won't match my earring" she said, disappointed at the lack of blue. "Oh well. Here you go." She tossed the bauble back at Milo. He stowed it in his pack, thinking to cast a magic detection cantrip on it later. Milo also found a tiny key in a hidden pocket on the body. He looked up at the open door while holding the key. Tiny keys like this fit tiny locks, he thought, tiny locks keep treasure chests closed. The four of them started into the kobold sorcerer's room.

A harem of kobold females hissed defiantly at the four. Brigit and Jeremiah made short work of the evil beasts.
While Milo was searching for the chest that matched his key Brigit and Mazi made their own discovery. Brigit found a lump while inspecting a wall hanging. Mazi joined her in front of the tapestry, running her hand along the irregular hem. She cut along the stitch and a cache of about fifty gold coins dropped out of a pocket sewn into the cloth. The clatter of the coins made Milo's ears perk up a bit and he would have investigated further if he hadn't found the chest he sought. It was a small chest and his key fit perfectly. A turn of the wrist later and he had plenty of coins to investigate right in front of him. A literal treasure trove of copper, silver, and gold winked back at him from the top of the box. A quick search through the coins confirmed that this was all the chest contained. Milo wasn't complaining though. He hauled the chest to Brigit, who was quickly becoming the party's defacto packhorse. She stowed the chest in her pack along with the other coins. Another search around the room revealed nothing, the party was ready to head out into the rest of the cavern once more.

They traveled back down the hallway to the intersection and turned left then left again. This put them back in the original eastward passage past the revolving trap. The dark passage stretched before the group and Milo once again took the lead. His cautious tread making much less noise than his armored friends trailing behind. He came to another widening in the tunnel. This one opened to a huge room, much too large for his hooded lantern to illuminate. In the darkness the group could make out countless glinting, beady eyes, all at kobold level, peering back at them.

Mazi reacted first, reciting a speedy chant and gesturing into the middle of the cavern. Jeremiah and Milo heard a rustling sound, as if a score of bodies fell to the ground. The eerie silence was punctuated by soft snores. "Ten are down," Mazi said, "that's all my magic can put to sleep for now." With that Brigit and Jeremiah rushed into the room, each to one side, Brigit to the south and Jer to the north. Neither connected with their blows, as the lizard men closest to the tunnel had been ready for them. Milo turned to use his wand on Mazi, recalling the nasty hit she had taken from the kobold sorcerer's energy bursts.
"ABernathy!" Milo uttered. This time he could see a noticeable difference in Mazi's health. Maybe it really was the way he said the word, he thought as he turned to survey the army of kobolds facing them. Milo could dimly make out a mass of kobolds asleep in the middle of the cavern, their compatriots shaking them awake. So much for the sleep spell, Milo said to himself, at least they were out for a little while. The kobolds in the front didn't waste time waking their allies. Ten of the little creatures tossed their spears in an impressive if low volley at the party. Amazingly all ten missed or were outright dodged. Things looked good for the adventurers.

Milo stayed to the rear as Mazi drew her longsword, moving forward to wade into the fray. A bolt flew from Milo's crossbow, piercing one of the frontline kobolds through. The creature dropped with a ragged hiss. Brigit swung her ax through the kobold facing her. The ax very well could have continued its vicious deathblow had another lizard man been in its path. On the other side of Mazi Jeremiah was having trouble hitting the agile kobold with his greatsword. His weapon described great arcs in front of the barbarian, each arc bringing him closer to his prey. Another huge volley of spears flew from the second row of kobolds, now awakened from the mystic sleep Mazi placed them under. Their spears were thrown without skill though, and all ten flew past the party members without a hit. One kobold that moved to engage Jeremiah did make contact however. Its short spear drew a small amount of blood from his leg. Milo watched with apprehension as another row of kobolds moved into the light. This was going to be a pitched battle, more than seven to one outnumbered them.

Mazithra did her part to winnow the numbers of the massive kobold force. Her graceful spins and pirouettes making her sword flash in the lantern light. She slashed through a kobold without any apparent effort, the attack appearing more as a move in an elaborate dance. Jeremiah finally made contact with his heavy weapon, a spray of blood flew up from the severed neck of the lizard man before him. The blade barely missing the kobold closing in on his flank as it finished its deadly arc. Milo shot past his comrades, a little too high to have any effect. He quickly loaded another quarrel into his crossbow. Brigit seemed to be imitating Jeremiah's earlier attempt at dispatching the kobolds. Her ax swung closer and closer to the aggressive lizard men. By now three kobolds had engaged the stout dwarven woman, one poked in between Mazi and Brigit at Milo, two attacked the elf lass to no effect, and three more pressed in on Jeremiah. One spear scratched his side, wounding him slightly. The rest of the kobolds crowded behind their comrades, some from the back throwing their spears directly at the fight. None of the spears hit the party or the kobolds, most flying high over the heads of the combatants. The kobolds appeared to value the lives of the others fighting after all.

In a simultaneous counter-attack the party repelled the advancing kobolds. Each weapon found its mark. Mazi's sword traced a red streak across the chest of another kobold, the creature died at her feet. Brigit and Jeremiah both swung their weapons at the creatures trying to get behind them, killing those that would attack their flanks. Their blows did not connect with the follow through, some of the kobolds were more cautious than their companions. Milo shot through the gap between Mazi and Brigit, killing the beast that was attacking him. More kobolds pressed in after the attack, another rain of spears came from the rear of the horde. One lucky shot grazed Milo in the arm, causing him to wince and place his lantern down before he dropped the precious light source. The next row of attackers moved in, two more attempting to move around Jeremiah and Brigit to distract them from the rear. One of the kobolds in front of Jeremiah tagged the barbarian with its spear while he was focusing on the other kobold sidling behind him. Some of the other kobolds thrust repeatedly with their weapons, another one filling the gap between Mazi and Brigit to poke in at Milo. The party repelled the attack again and prepared for another counter-strike.

Mazi executed a near perfect stab with her longsword, killing the kobold that recently tried to do the same to her. On either side of her the human and dwarven fighting machines sunk their weapons into two kobolds each, with one swing apiece. Brigit grinned in satisfaction as she performed the technique taught to her by her barbarian friend. Jeremiah was fighting back the urge to let his blood boil and turn himself into a raging maniac. He feared that the kobolds would have more of an advantage over him should he wade too far into the throng. His greatsword sliced through the kobold moving behind him and through the one rushing to take its place. Milo shot his crossbow at the most recent lizard man to brave the gap between his friends. He wounded the creature but it did not fall. The kobold nearest Mazi made a horrible misjudgment and thrust his spear right past the spinning elf. It lost its grip and the weapon clattered to the floor. The creature hurriedly ducked to pick up the weapon and was pushed from behind by the next kobold itching for a chance to attack the intruders. The kobold fell to the ground, its limbs splayed comically as it flailed to regain balance and its spear. It caused enough of a diversion for one of the kobolds attacking Brigit to find a critical chink in her full plate. The wound might have been more grievous if the two plates didn't shift as she recoiled. The spearhead slid back out of the chink and Brigit escaped with a minor wound.

Milo spied another kobold that had made its way behind Brigit, dividing her attention between multiple fronts. He stepped back a pace and fired his crossbow at the cowardly creature. The bolt skimmed past its head, causing it to duck before moving into position. He cursed and flipped open his next case of bolts to reload. Mazi moved back to create a straight line between herself, Brigit, and Jeremiah. Her attack fell short from the distance created by her move. Brigit and Jer readjusted their stances to accommodate the new formation, both missing their targets as well. The kobold behind Brigit sunk the tip of its spear into an unguarded spot on her calf. The tip withdrew before it could inflict too much pain though. The one on the floor had regained its footing and its spear. It moved in to fill the space left by Mazi's step. One of the kobolds attacking Jeremiah apparently hadn't learned from its companion's mistake. It too thrust too far and lost its grip on the spear, ducking immediately to find the fallen weapon. More kobolds moved in to harass the party.

Brigit was distracted by the amount of enemies facing her, she hesitated for a moment allowing the kobolds just enough time to see her ax coming. Milo shot at the kobold flanking Brigit and watched the beast drop with his feathered quarrel protruding from the side of its head. The kobold that moved to fill the gap in front of Mazi was easily dispatched by her longsword. She turned slightly to address the next attacker. Next to her Jeremiah swung his sword almost blindly, striking down another lizard man but loosing his grip. The sword made a loud clatter as it fell to the ground. Jeremiah now joined the kobold on the floor in a strange dance of four-limbed weapon recovery. The kobold found its spear and stood back up before Jeremiah, just in time to block the way of the other lizard man about to stab at him. Brigit's defenses were strengthened by the extra attention she was able to give to her frontline. No spears breached her expert shield play. Mazi's sword was a blur as it deflected thrust after thrust from the kobolds arrayed before her.

Mazi concentrated on keeping the kobolds around Jeremiah and herself at bay. Her defenses were too thinly spread though and Jer took two light spear thrusts as he regained his footing. He growled at the kobolds through the pain. Milo shot his next bolt at one of the kobolds attacking Jeremiah. He let out a breath of relief as he saw the quarrel skim past his friend. Milo swore to himself that he'd take even more careful aim next time. Brigit missed on her swing, provoking a thrust from the nearest kobold. The spear tip scratched her side through the gap in her plate, not a major wound, but enough to anger the already incensed dwarf.

Mazi spun around again, her sword reflecting broken shards of light at the kobolds. One was so enthralled by the lightshow that it didn't seem to realize its wound before it dropped dead to the ground. The other kobolds weren't as impressed, they were waiting for her to try another fancy move like that. The two still facing her stabbed in at the same time, both connected and pierced through her light armor. She winced but kept fighting, the wounds felt more like scratches than the ragged holes most spears inflicted. Next to her Jeremiah redeemed his fumble with a grand swing of his recovered greatsword, right through the two kobolds that wounded him. One of them had just inflicted a nasty gash down his leg as it nearly trampled its companion to wound the barbarian. The two top halves of the creatures dropped to the floor to along with the rest of the corpses that lay at his feet. Brigit likewise dispatched the kobold that wounded her, narrowly missing the beast next to it. Milo cursed as his bolt again whizzed by his companion's head, barely missing him and coming nowhere near the kobolds. Shooting from the back was becoming increasingly difficult with so much going on at once. One of the kobolds facing Brigit poked at the heavily armored dwarf. The spear somehow managed to get caught between two of the plates of her armor. It was wrenched out of the shocked lizard man’s hands before its very eyes.

Brigit swung back around, causing the snagged spear to drop. The kobold didn't have a chance to reach for it though, as her ax bit into the creature after slicing completely through its fighting companion. She kicked the spear away and taunted at the remaining two kobolds near her. Mazithra and Jeremiah wove a tight defense against the last approaching line of kobolds. Neither side landed a blow on the other. Milo aimed carefully with his crossbow, waiting for one of the beasties to come through his sites. He pulled the trigger but watched in dismay as the missile flew dangerously close to Jer, continuing in between the approaching kobolds. He cursed and shook his head as he reloaded his crossbow once again.

Mazithra connected with a particularly vicious swipe of her longsword, nearly cutting her enemy in twain. The other kobold attacking her thrust just as she was recovering from her attack and tagged her free arm, blood followed the line the spearhead traced. Though their numbers were diminished the fierce lizard men continued to press their attack. Milo could see desperation in their scaly features. He figured that this must be the lot of them, none had come from behind to outflank the party. It was no wonder they fought with such tenacity. He pulled the trigger on his crossbow and gave a little shout of joy as it sunk home into one of the lizard men. The creature fell straight back, stiff as a board with the arrow protruding from its forehead. Next to him it was Brigit's turn to come dangerously close to hitting one of her companions. The kobold she was attacking had feinted right and nearly led her into a swing at Mazi. She muttered a dwarven curse and renewed her effort to down the kobold.

Brigit's next attack was much more successful, slicing through the dancing kobold and ending halfway through the breastbone of the next. She hauled on her ax and kicked the creature off as it rose with her recoil. Mazithra ran her sword through the kobold that inflicted the last wound on her. She looked around and noticed that only four of the scaly monsters remained. One fell before her as Milo let loose another happy shout. His bolt stuck out right between its eyes. The look on its face made him laugh, both eyes crossed in looking at the feathers of his quarrel. The kobold dropped from the critical wound. One of the three last kobolds made a desperate thrust at Mazi, causing another bloom of red to appear down her leg.

Mazi spun on her other leg, her sword following her in a wide arc as it sliced through the kobold. Brigit moved forward and slashed into the last kobold before her, the head of her ax sunk deep into the beast's brainpan. Milo bounded through the opening created by Brigit's move and fired a shot at the last kobold. The bolt uselessly clattered against the far wall. He watched Jeremiah take a moment to line up his attack and masterfully run the kobold straight through the heart with his greatsword. Jer used his boot to slide the creature off his sword, cleaning the blade with a rag torn from its clothing. The four lowered their weapons and looked around. The air reeked of kobold blood mixed with their own. Bodies were literally piled in a swath in front of the adventurers. Milo shook his head at the grisly scene. He knew somehow that worse was to come, even after that tiring battle.

He set about assessing the damage done to his friends. He himself had taken a light wound, but nothing as bad as Mazi and Jer. Even Brigit in her heavy armor took more damage from the assault than he. It turned out that the wand was good for four more uses. "ABernathy!" he muttered on the fifth try. A funny fizzling sound emanated from the tip, but no dull glow. Milo shrugged and stowed the wand back in his pack. Maybe he could find a way to recharge the magic later. He chanted his own spells to heal his friends, all three of them nearly back to full health. They then set about searching the bodies. A few silver were scattered here and there on the corpses. A piece of cloth caught Jeremiah's attention in the far corner of the cave, barely illuminated by Milo's lantern. He reached down and pulled up a finely woven piece of silk.
"Soft," was all Jer said.
Mazi's ear's perked up and she spied the cloth that Jeremiah found. "Is it blue?" She asked excitedly. She looked crestfallen when Jeremiah shook his head in the negative. Milo wondered at her recent obsession with blue, fine gems, and cloth.
He shrugged again and filed the question away for another time. Milo asked to see the silk swatch. "Well it'll fetch a pretty copper, there's enough her to make a blouse or the like. It's not even stained." He noticed while running his hands through the purple cloth. "One more tunnel to check out fellas," Milo said to the other three, "Erm, fella and girls that is." Brigit harrumphed at that. "What say you? We're all pretty hale and hearty thanks to the wand and spells. Shall we check it out? Might be a blue gem over there somewhere-" He trailed off as he winked at Mazi.
Her eyes seemed to brighten at the prospect and she agreed readily. Jer and Brigit shared the sentiment, if not for the same reasons. With one more search around the room revealing nothing, the party left down the way they came.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part twelve (session three)

The group moved back down the passageways to the tunnel entrance and the pit trap. Milo quickly looted the kobold bodies they had left from their first battle. He couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of Brigit and Jeremiah falling all over each other. That seemed like days ago to Milo for some reason. After adjusting the boards across the pit to reach the other side the party continued. Not far into the new passage Milo's sensitive nose crinkled. Something smelled bad, very bad. He looked back at his friends and noticed that they too detected the foul stench. As he turned back to look down the tunnel, Milo noticed that it widened into a large cavern. He motioned the others up to the front and pointed out the cavern, motioning Brigit and Jeremiah to their battle positions as quietly as possible. The last cavern they ran into was full of kobolds, no reason to assume that this one wouldn't be either. Mazithra still had her sword out so she moved up with Brigit and Jer as they entered the dim, dank cave.

The odor was worse in the cavern than outside, Milo didn't even think that possible. Towards the middle of the cave the group heard some loud squeaking. Milo swung his lantern around and the source of the noise, as well as the smell was revealed. Nine huge rats faced them, long yellow teeth bared. Their den consisted of piles of refuse. The group had just stumbled into the kobold's garbage dump.

Jeremiah reacted quickly, he moved forward and swung at the closest rodent. His sword caught nothing but garbage as the rat scurried to the side, avoiding his blow. Jeremiah deflected a bite at his calf, the rat scratched his blade with its wicked teeth. Brigit and Mazi fanned out from Jeremiah's position, each choosing their targets carefully. Neither seemed too eager to be overrun by the vermin. Brigit's ax decimated two rats with one swing, bloody bits of the rodents raining down in the already putrid waste of the garbage pile. Mazi tagged the rat in front of her, causing it to hiss in pain and bare its broken teeth. Milo fired his crossbow at the rest of the approaching rats, missing as he attempted to shoot past his comrades. The other rats reached Brigit and Mazi and attacked. Three of them swarmed around Mazi. Her blade became a swirling maelstrom of light as she repelled bite after bite. Brigit wasn't so lucky, one of the large rodents pierced the armor on her ankle. She winced as she felt the large incisors sink into her flesh. A wave of nausea coursed through her body, passing quickly.

Brigit shook the rat from her leg and stepped back a little, trying to bring her ax to bear. She missed, her ax swinging wide. She bared her own teeth at the vermin, almost growling with anger. The rat pounced on her again, plunging its teeth into her other ankle. Brigit roared at the rat, causing it to disengage and cower from her ferocity. Mazi finished off the wounded rat before her and turned to face the other two pressing in on her defenses. Milo shot his crossbow at the beast that wounded Brigit. His quarrel pierced its tough hide and pushed it back a half step. The rat advanced on Brigit once again though. Jeremiah found his rhythm as he scythed his greatsword in a great swath before the rats. First one rat fell from his sword tip slicing a deep gash in its side, then another as the blade created two halves out of the previously whole creature. The two rats still facing Mazi came at her simultaneously, both managed to get past her defenses. One bit her calf and the other found purchase for its teeth in her outer thigh. She faltered for a split second as nausea washed over her as well.

The wounds they had received chagrined the group. Mazi slashed fiercely at one of the rats that wounded her, her blade biting into its furry neck. The beast fell before her. Milo slipped past Mazi where the rat fell and fired his bolt unfettered at the rat he had already attacked. He missed, but watched as the rat fell to Jeremiah's sword. Jer followed the first kill with an impressive display of strength. The unsuspecting rat he cleaved through literally exploded with the force of his blow. Brigit performed a similar feat of strength, if not more so. Her ferocious attack left nothing but a bloody pulp where the last rat's head used to be.

"Well how do you like that?" Milo said, "We can wade through a cave full of kobolds with nary a scratch, but a swarm of rats can bite us into oblivion."
Brigit and Mazi gave Milo a dark look. They stepped out of the room to mop up the blood from their bite wounds. Milo poked through the garbage, trying to find anything of value in the huge compost heap. He pushed one of the rat corpses to the side and noticed a glint in his lantern light. A silver chain was nearly overgrown by the fur around the rat's neck. He found the catch and released the necklace, cutting away the fur with his dagger. After he pulled the last of the foul matted fur from the chain he noticed five bright gems inlaid in the chain. "Looks to be worth some money," Milo said to the others. "Probably around 400 gold or so." He stashed the chain in his pack for later.

"Doesn't to be much else to do here." Milo stated. "Let me heal you two up a little before we head out though." Milo completed some minor cantrips before placing his hands over Brigit and Mazi's wounds. He felt something different as he cast his pa healing spells. Something foreign in their systems that he couldn't quite place.

"That's odd. There's something strange here." Drawing from the limited knowledge of healing he gained from his studies at the Keep's chapel, Milo looked over the two women. After a quick examination, not really finding much. "Just from our surroundings and the nature of these rats, I think you two will probably get a fever of sorts in a few days. I hope it's not too rough. I can't even slow the disease, so you'll have to ride it out. Sorry." Both of them accepted the news calmly.

"Well if we're going to get sick in a few days then we should find those cups soon." Mazi said to the three of them.

"Aye, I'm wi' tha elf. Let's get rid o' tha cups and get back to tha Keep, I don' relish tha idea of gettin' sick in here" Brigit agreed with a wave at the caverns.

"It's settled then, let's check out the next cave." Milo said after a nod from Jeremiah.

They filed out of the garbage dump and trooped over the pit. They chose the last cavern at ground level and approached the opening carefully. Once again Milo took the lead while Brigit and Jeremiah followed, Mazi taking up the rear with her bow at the ready.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part thirteen (session three)

A familiar sight greeted Milo as he crept into the cavern. The tunnel ended in a "T" intersection. It was the grisly display of severed heads that was really familiar. Milo recognized several races on the wall, human, elf, dwarven, even some kobolds and orcs. He shuddered. Milo carefully advanced, searching for another pit trap as before. Some distant sounds reached his ears from the left passage.

"Running feet!" Milo whispered back to the group.

Brigit and Jeremiah wordlessly moved up into the intersection. Mazi walked up behind them and readied her bow. Four orcs came tromping down the tunnel before Milo could retreat to the relative safety behind the two warriors.

Jeremiah swung his greatsword a little too early, coming up short before the orc reached them. Mazi fired past Jer at the same orc. Her arrow hit the monster with such force that it actually fell backwards a few feet as it died. Then Milo fired a grazing shot at one of the rapidly approaching orcs, barely wounding it. Brigit's nostrils flared as she sighted her ancestral enemies. She went into a dwarven rage as she sliced into the first orc to reach her, its belly opening up in an unnatural grin and its guts spilling to the floor. Her ax wounded the next orc viciously as well, nearly toppling it on top of the other. Three more orcs rounded the corner as the other two made their way to Milo. Both attacked the halfling. Milo was able to avoid one blow but was nearly knocked down by the other. The orc's spear came back bloody and he could hear it chuckle at his pain.

Brigit moved up in front of the orc that wounded Milo, brandishing her ax at the beast. The orcs attacked their hated enemy. Both spears glanced off her shield as she swung her ax at the orcs. Jeremiah cut a swath through the two in front of him, creating a great "V" in the air as his sword slashed down diagonally through one, then up through the other. The second was neatly cleaved in two by his critical attack. Mazi and Milo fired their attacks at the orcs. Milo's grazed another orc while Mazi's arrow flew past, barely missing Jeremiah's head. She grimaced as she knocked another arrow to the string.

Jeremiah cut through the final orc facing him, easily felling the beast. He looked around, a hungry battle lust apparent in his eyes. Milo was unable to find a target as he shot his crossbow. Mazi had the same problem firing past her comrades at the last two orcs. Brigit swung her ax once again at the hated creatures, her ax deflected by their armor and spears. The orcs had no more success than she did, her shield once again protecting her from their thrusts.

Mazithra loosed another missile into the fray, this time she hit. The orc that Milo's crossbow bolt grazed previously fell from the wound her arrow inflicted. Jeremiah moved to engage the last orc, but was unable to find room to swing his greatsword. Milo took a moment to cast a heal spell on himself, worrying that the wound he was bleeding from may take a turn for the worse. He sighed as he felt the magic penetrate the ragged hole caused by the spear. A frown crossed his face when he noticed that the wound did not close completely. The final orc attacked Brigit in a rage. It was still unable to penetrate her armor.

The orc took one more attack at Brigit, feinting left with its spear before attacking to the right. She saw the move for what it was, not fooled for a moment. She easily deflected the orc's attack. Mazi carefully took aim with her bow. After a slight pause she let the arrow fly. Her bowstring made an audible twang a split second before the arrow pierced the orc in the back of the neck. Brigit could see the arrowhead protrude from the beast's neck as it keeled over. Milo was in the process of quaffing a healing potion when the last orc fell. He felt much more refreshed.

The party heard some noises coming from the west passage. They had a hurried discussion and prepared themselves for another force of orcs. This time Milo made sure he was behind the big beefy warriors, Brigit and Jeremiah. He and Mazi had their range weapons drawn at the ready while the dwarf and human kept their melee weapons at hand.

After a few minutes of tense waiting it was apparent that no more orcs were coming. Milo listened intently down the hallway. Nothing. A plan started to formulate in Milo's head. A particular spell had been knocking around up there since he was "awakened". The chance to use it hadn't presented itself.

"Hey everyone, listen up." Milo said quietly. "I'm going to change myself into an orc." That particular statement brought some strange glances from his companions. "Trust me on this one. I'm going to change myself into an orc, head down that hallway, and see if I can draw them here. Once I run back here, you open fire on the buggers and we'll wipe the floor with them!"

"Sounds good to me, I've heard of the spell to which you're referring. I'd be interested in seeing it in action." said Mazi.

"How about you two?" Milo asked Brigit and Jeremiah.

Brigit shrugged, "Suit yerself, halflin', I'll be ready wi' my bow. Jus' don' kill any before ya get back. I'm itchin' ta send more O' these vermin back to their maker."

Jeremiah just shrugged and put away his sword. His bow was soon in hand as well.

"It's settled then, here goes nothing." Milo said as he formulated the words to the chant in his head. Soon a medium sized orc was standing in front of the crew, complete with rusty armor and drool. Milo was proud of that last little detail. "Ok, I'm off!"

"Uh, Milo," Mazi interrupted before he could turn. "I don't think you should talk at all when you get to the orcs. They may notice the decidedly high pitch of your 'orc' voice." She finished.

Milo nodded gravely. Brigit just snorted at him and pulled out an arrow, ready for the first real orc to show its face. Milo started down the hall, leaving his lantern behind. For the first time he began to reconsider his artful scheme. The tunnels were awfully dark, and he couldn't see all that well without some sort of light source. Then there was the fact that he couldn't talk to the other orcs either. Even if he knew their language his voice would be a dead giveaway. That last thought was cut short as he stumbled into branch off to the north. He decided to check it out. The tunnel came to another "T" intersection before long but he couldn't see down too far. Milo returned to the original passage, figuring that he could come back to that passage later.

The main passage terminated in a large room. This room was lit by a couple of torches in the wall, their flickering flames guttering and belching off dirty smoke into the ceiling. Two tables lay in his path, behind each were three orcs, spears at the ready. He flinched slightly before he remembered his current form. Beyond the tables were half a dozen more orcs. One of them was a female, her grotesque form belying her gender. Another was a huge beast of an orc. It was this one that called out to Milo in its guttural tongue. Milo gestured wildly back the way he had came. He hoped to convince the orcs to follow him back to their ambush. The lead orc bellowed out another line of unintelligible commands, pointing with its sword. Milo once again motioned frantically down the way he had come. The leader finally turned to two of its ilk and spoke to them. The two orcs started towards Milo.

Not waiting to see if the orcs were following or chasing, Milo turned and bolted down the passage. He passed his friends before too long, the orcs about 15 paces behind. Once he was about ten paces past the intersection where his companions lay in waiting, Milo spun around and fired off a bolt from his crossbow. The bolt flew into the ceiling as he nearly lost his balance from spinning around at a full run.

The orcs didn't have time for the attack to register. Two arrows stuck straight out of their skulls as they fell to the floor. They wore a slightly surprised expression on their porcine faces. Milo breathed a sigh of relief before returning back to his friends. He told them of the forces that awaited them.

Once again they formulated a plan, all four of them giving their input this time. Milo noticed another passage coming into the main room from the north. He figured that it must be connected to the "T" intersection he ran into earlier. If they could come in from the north and the east they may have a better chance of surprising the wary orcs and gaining an advantage. Mazi mentioned the oil she had been carrying. She thought it might work well as an impromptu firebomb. If they lit a cloth stopper on fire it should almost explode on impact. The oil would spread and inflict a good amount of damage whether it hit an orc or not. The very least they could do is light one of the tables on fire.

Their final plan came down to Brigit and Milo throwing oil bombs from the northern passage as Mazi and Jeremiah fired arrows from the eastern passage. The group prepared themselves for the onslaught.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part fourteen (session 3)

Milo and Brigit readied their oil bombs and sneaked up the northern passage. Jeremiah and Mazi would wait for the chaos from the oil to break out before they'd rush in from the eastern passage. Just as Milo suspected the tunnel to the east of the second intersection came back down into the fortified orc cavern. Brigit was surprisingly quiet in her full plate, but they both knew that the orcs would hear them coming.

They burst into the room and tossed their flaming oil. Milo's oil broke on the center orc behind the northern table before the creature could react. The oil spread from the glass flask and caught fire immediately. The room was filled with the scent of burning orc flesh. Brigit's toss was hampered by her armor, the oil fell to the side of the table, inadvertently causing a flaming barrier between the orcs and the group. Mazi and Jeremiah made their entrance with their bow's firing. The general confusion caused by the flames allowed Mazi to pick an easy target. Her arrow flew into one of the orcs behind the southern table, killing it immediately. Jeremiah's own arrow made a dull "thunk" as it sunk into the wood of the table.

The orcs behind the front lines were in confusion, their leader tried to rally them. The flaming orc behind the table had the presence of mind to drop onto the ground in an attempt to put itself out. The five other porcine beasts behind the tables lobbed their spears at the adventurers. The missile intended for Brigit fell pitifully short, the orc throwing it was still distracted by its burning compatriot. Three spears were aimed at Jeremiah. Two of the missiles struck him. He grunted at the impact and took a moment to pull the spears out. Milo winced inwardly when he saw the wounds that were left. Mazi dodged the spear meant for her as she drew another arrow from her quiver. Two more spears flew towards the elf, catching her by surprise. She cried out involuntarily as the short spears struck her. One grazed her side but the other pierced her shoulder. She pulled the spear out and readied her bow again. Two spears each flew at Brigit and Jeremiah. The metal spear-tips clanked harmlessly off Brigit's armor. Jeremiah was hit again, taking another spear in his thigh. He roared as he pulled the spear from his flesh, yet he continued to advance.

Brigit was near the northern table and figured that if the orcs could take advantage of cover, she could too. She dropped her bow and slid out her ax, the head glinted in the firelight. Brigit moved next to the table and used the partial cover to ready her next attack against her hated enemy. Jeremiah strode forward, also dropping his bow. His greatsword made an audible scrape as he drew it out of the scabbard on his back. Milo fired off the crossbow that he had switched from his offhand. The bolt struck the closest orc behind the table, causing it to gurgle as it slumped forward over the side of its protective barrier. Mazithra let her arrow fly at another orc behind the southern table. Her aim remained true as the arrow created a nasty chest wound in her target. It gurgled as it slumped to the floor, dead.

The party's fierce assault had momentarily confused the orcs. Only one combatant lay in reach due to the burning oil on the ground though. Three orcs attacked Jeremiah. One of them was the slightly burnt orc from behind the table. Growling in rage it hurled its spear at the hulking barbarian. The flying missile shattered on the far wall, the force behind it immense, but poorly aimed. Two of the orcs from the group beyond the tables pressed in to attack Jeremiah. His swinging sword repelled them. It almost seemed thirsty for orc blood. One more spear flew through the air, this one aimed at the elf. Mazi neatly sidestepped the weapon as it slowly arced through the air to clatter to the floor. She had reached the relative cover of the table.

Jeremiah was filled with an inner fire. His rage was building slowly from the wound he received and it finally broke through the surface. He roared a loud battle cry, almost causing the orcs before him to cower. Jer swung his sword with such blind ferocity that the blade could be heard to slice through the air. Unfortunately no orcs felt its bite, but chunks of stone flew from the impact it made in the floor. Jeremiah was forced to pause in his berserk, recovering his tenuous grasp of the hilt from the vibrations caused by the blow. By then the fire had died down and Brigit moved into the gap. She attacked the orc closest to her. The huge waraxe easily found purchase in the orc's body, spilling its lifeblood. Milo took careful aim at the blackened orc from his earlier attack. His quarrel pierced its flesh, causing it enough damage to fall. On the south side of the room Mazi pulled her bowstring taut, another arrow knocked. The missile whistled through the air before sinking deep between the eyes of her enemy. The orc fell without a sound from the critical attack.

The two orcs facing Jeremiah attacked again. One made it past his rage-weakened defense and inflicted a horrible wound with its spear. Jeremiah bellowed at the beast, not even showing his pain. This seemed to cause a reaction in the rear of the orcs. The orc leader bellowed a similar shout, almost as if in challenge of the raging barbarian. Milo noticed quite a bit of frothy spittle beginning to drip from the orc's mouth. He worried for Jeremiah, the orc leader appeared to be a berserker as well! To Jeremiah's right Brigit blocked a spear thrust with her shield and pulled her axe back for a vicious blow. To the left of the barbarian Mazi used the cover of the table to defend herself from the spear thrusts of the orc beyond her. More of the orcs pressed in, as well as the raging leader and his concubine.

Milo found another target past the table, his bolt grazing the orc's face. It didn't seem to notice, focusing solely on the berserker attacking its tribe. Mazi fired her arrow at her would-be attacker, making the point blank shot look easy. The orc was thrown back a foot or so from the force of the arrow before it fell to the ground. Brigit completed her back swing and carried straight through the orc before her. The ax bit through the air mere centimeters before the next orc's nose. It caused the beast to pause in its advance for a moment. Milo shouted at Jeremiah, trying to penetrate the battle-induced haze that had come over him. "Step back and drink a potion Jeremiah! You're bleeding to death!" He could only hope the barbarian understood him. Jeremiah looked slightly dazed, his arms still quivering slightly from the vibrations of his earlier fumble.

Only two orcs were within range of the party now. One thrust its spear at Brigit, finding nothing but shield. The other attempted to take advantage of Jeremiah's hesitation. Jeremiah wasn't too dazed to dodge the clumsy attack. He took a half step back as the spear came at him, arching his back so it fell short of his stomach. The shouted warning from Milo seemed to have sunk in. The berserking orc and its concubines moved to the front of the battle but were unable to quite reach the combatants. The raging orc bellowed again, completely unintelligible to even Brigit, who understood their guttural language.

Jeremiah fished into his pack as he completed his wary retreat. In a second he had quaffed a healing draught. He then made to pick up his discarded bow. Milo was amazed at his friend's self-control. He knew what the battle lust did to Jeremiah. It was impressive to see the barbarian withdraw to fight from a distance. Milo fired off his own ranged attack, aiming for the orc he had already wounded. The bolt flew with precision, scoring a similar mark to Mazithra's earlier arrow between the eyes. Milo grinned over to her in satisfaction. He watched as she released her bowstring. Her arrow soared towards the raging orc. It passed by, ricocheting off the wall to fall unnoticed at the floor. The angry beast didn't even realize it had been attacked. One of the orcs approached the table Milo was hiding behind as he loaded his crossbow. He was unaware of the danger as he crouched behind the barrier. Brigit attempted to end the threat but her ax swing was dodged by the wary orc at the last moment.

The raging orc reached Brigit and brought its longsword to bear. The massive orc made a huge vertical blow cutting through the air as Jeremiah had moments ago. Brigit was not there, she moved swiftly despite her heavy armor. More chunks of stone flew up from the impact of the orc's blow. This time the blade was stuck in a crack on the stone floor. The berserking orc wrenched at the sword, attempting to dislodge it. Near the orc leader the beast behind the table stabbed its spear over the top. Milo didn't see the blow coming as it pierced his shoulder deeply. His instincts reacted immediately and he dropped down further before rolling to the side away from his enemy. He left a red smudge on the ground where his wound came in contact with the stone. Milo nearly rolled into the attack of one of the orc leader's concubines. He narrowly dodged the female orc's spear thrust, swearing at his inattentiveness.

Milo quickly fired off a shot at the female. He was surprised by her agility as she dodged the bolt. A smile spread across her grotesque features. Jeremiah had reached his bow and he picked it up while drawing an arrow from his quiver. He looked up to chose a target, his eyes falling to rest on the leader. As he watched, the berserking orc pulled its sword from the ground and jumped back right before Brigit's ax made contact with its torso. On the other side of Brigit was Mazi, aiming her bow now at the orc leader. Her arrow missed its mark however, the orc once again displaying remarkable speed as it dodged the missile.

All three orc concubines had made it to the front. All three attacked different combatants. One focused on Milo along with the last remaining orc guard. Milo moved nimbly, avoiding their spear thrusts with halfling grace. The other two focused on Brigit and Mazi, neither landing their blows. The leader started forward again. It roared a challenging war cry as it lifted its sword above its head.

Jeremiah switched targets, realizing that the orc leader could be taken down easier without its concubines cluttering the battlefield. His arrow pierced the concubine attacking Milo, almost running straight through. The orc concubine died before it hit the floor. Brigit attacked the approaching berserker, her ax finally biting into its skin. The orc bellowed again and continued its approach. Mazi and Milo were unsuccessful in their attacks, both of their missiles flying past the intended targets to shatter or ricochet off the far wall. Halfling and elven curses could be heard as they drew more shafts to reload.

The orc leader completed its swing at Brigit, somehow clearing her shield. The blow struck her hard, inflicting great pain to the dwarf. Brigit gritted her teeth and set her shield before her, preparing to swing her own blow at the raging beast. The last concubine attacked Mazithra past the table, but was unable to get past the cover of the table. The orc attacking Milo had a similar problem. Its spear didn't have enough reach to tag him as he moved swiftly around the table.

Mazithra pulled back her bowstring and let an arrow fly at the concubine facing her. She scored a glancing hit as the arrow sliced past the orc. Near her Brigit swung her ax at the orc leader, again biting into the beast's flesh. The orc raged on, almost oblivious to the pain. Behind Brigit, Jeremiah loosed his own arrow at the last orc facing Milo. The arrowhead sunk deep into its chest and Milo was no longer threatened. He decided to take advantage of the gap created by the dead orc. Milo tumbled past the raging leader and spun about to fire his crossbow. He may have landed a bolt if the weapon did not snag on a rock protrusion. The crossbow was ripped out of his hand as he spun about. Milo cursed again.

Now only two orcs remained, the raging leader and his last concubine. The orc female thrust her spear at Mazi. She used the partial cover of the table to her extreme advantage, ducking and weaving around the orc's thrusts. The leader put all its force behind a thrust of its sword at Brigit. The point pierced a thin portion of her armor, wounding her badly. Brigit did not cry out though, she reached down with a gauntleted hand and forcefully withdrew the blade from the joint in her shoulder where the orc found a weakness. Her strength was impressive as she pushed the orc back a fraction while removing the blade.

Brigit was furious, nearly raging herself. She brought her dwarven waraxe around in a horizontal slash, nearly laying the orc leader's belly open. She could tell the ax met muscle though, and a grim smile spread across her face. Mazithra and Jeremiah let their arrows fly almost simultaneously. Mazi found that the partial cover that served her so well worked in reverse too. Her arrow missed the bobbing and weaving orc concubine. Jeremiah's arrow flew past the wounded orc leader, barely missing the beast's shoulder. Milo had finally recovered his crossbow and finished reloading it, he took a moment to aim at the back of the raging orc.

The concubine thrust its spear at Mazi again. The orc was unable to overcome the table and Mazi's graceful dodging. Mazi was in rare form as she pulled another arrow from her quiver and knocked it to the string, all the while avoiding the spear aimed at her. The orc leader took another swing at the stout dwarf. It was obvious that it was weakening as its blow fell short of Brigit. The dwarf's grim smile widened as she gripped the haft of her ax, preparing to cut down the berserking leader.

She didn't get the chance as Milo's careful aim paid off. His crossbow bolt punctured the orc leader's lung from behind. It rasped a weak sound before toppling to the ground. The orc's concubine wailed before it was cut short by Mazithra's arrow, silencing the grotesque female forever. Milo stood from his stable crouch and let out a ragged sigh. Even with tactics and strategy this battle was close. All four of them had taken a lot of punishment, but they were all standing and none of the orcs lived.

Milo surveyed the damage to his companions. Wounds greeted him everywhere he looked. He was grateful for his healing spells. He used all of them in a short space and stopped most of the bleeding. Milo was unable to bring any of them back up to complete health, but they all looked much better than they had a few moments before he started.

The group set about the corpses, looking for valuables. Quite a bit of silver was found on many of the bodies, over ninety pieces all told. The orc leader also carried a ring and some gold in a pouch at its belt. They stowed the ring for future examination. Two passages led out the back of the room. The party decided to investigate further. The fight had exhilarated them and Milo's healing bolstered their morale. They were also eager to find the cups before the undead army reached the Keep. Milo hated undead, really.

A short tunnel led to the orc's warrens. The leader's brood was here, along with smaller females. Brigit wasted no time in dispatching the evil spawn. She worked methodically, ridding the caves of one orc at a time. Once she was finished the group set about searching the room. Nothing was found in the warrens so they decided to check down the other passages.

Milo led them to the second intersection and they moved cautiously down the passage to the west. No reinforcements came during the battle, but they weren't going to assume that no orcs were left. After a few paces past the intersection another hallway branched to the south. Milo investigated it quickly. It ended in a curtained opening. He drew the curtain to the side carefully and found an empty alcove. A hole in the wall was all that he could see. Jeremiah looked through the hole and found that he could see the entrance to the cavern. He related the fact to the others. They deduced that they were on the other side of the grisly display of heads. If one were to put his or her head through the hole no one would be able to pick it out easily, making it a perfect vantagepoint for spying. It was no wonder to the adventurers that the orcs knew they were coming so quickly.

The group returned to the main passage and followed it up a slope to another intersection. They decided to continue on through the main passage before investigating the northern branch. The tunnel ended in a stout wooden door. Milo motioned the others back and checked the portal for traps. There were none he could detect and the door was unlocked. He signaled Jeremiah to move up and kick in the door, making sure that all had their weapons ready. The room was devoid of life, but was full of supplies. They found spears and other weapons as well as crossbow bolts. Milo picked out enough to restock his supply and the party finished searching the room. Besides some mediocre weapons there was nothing of value there.

The group made there way back to the northern branch of the last intersection and found a shallow alcove. Brigit ran expert fingers over the stone, sensing something different about a portion of the wall. She found a loose stone that covered a sizable niche. Inside was a small flask of liquid and what appeared to be a parchment tube. Milo inspected the flask and determined it to be a healing draught. Brigit took the potion back from him and downed it in one gulp. Her wounds were still the most severe and none in the party argued with her. She sighed contentedly as the potion restored even more strength to her limbs. Meanwhile Mazi was inspecting the contents of the tube. She declared the scroll inside to be a powerful fire spell. She stowed the scroll in her pack while mumbling something about "To cast or scribe, that is the question."

Mazi decided that the shield that the orc leader had used would serve her well. She told the others that she'd like to go back and retrieve the large metal shield before they explored any more of the cavern. They trooped back into the main room, the bodies of the orcs still lie where they left them. For some reason that comforted the group. At least none were shambling about undead or worse yet, disappeared completely. Mazi lifted the shield from where it fell after the berserker's death. She remarked on how light and easy to wield the shield was.

Milo reminded them that there was one more passage to investigate. The four headed back to the cavern entrance and continued past to the west. This tunnel ended in another alcove, this one with furniture and tapestries. One thing caught Milo's eye though, a chest in the corner. He moved quickly to its location and immediately set about searching it for traps. After he found none he used his small lock picks to work the lock. With a satisfying click the lid opened and a mass of coins greeted his eyes. Another good haul, he thought to himself before motioning the others over to see. While he was working on the chest they had found two suits of chainmail. One was dwarven sized while the other would fit a human. Consideration was given to equipping Jeremiah with the chain, but the decision was put off until later.

The group was exhausted. By then the excitement from the battle had worn off and the pain from their wounds had hit. It didn't take long for them to agree to find a camping ground and rest for the night. They were slightly disappointed in the fact that the cups were still at large, but mostly heartened by their hard won victory over the orcs. Especially Brigit, once they trooped out of the cavern and found a clearing in the forest nearby, she could be found carving small tick marks in the back of her shield. Milo guessed she was tallying off the body count from their most recent battle.

The adventurers set up watch with Brigit first, Milo second, Jeremiah third, and Mazithra last. Before they slept Milo asked Mazi to cast her magic detection cantrip on the items they had found. To their surprise her shield glowed with a similar light to his magic dagger. They figured that this explained its uncharacteristic lightness. Mazi was even more pleased with her decision to keep the shield. Night fell uneventfully as they settled down to rest.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part fifteen (session four)

A strange thing happened while Brigit kept watch. The air seemed to coalesce before her, right above a low boulder. The swirling mist solidified. Suddenly an old man in robes and with a long staff appeared before her, a mountain lion at his side. He was a kindly man, Brigit could tell as he looked down at her. The man stepped down from the boulder and moved to each party member in turn. He touched each of them on the head with his staff, first Milo, then Mazi, then Jeremiah, and finally Brigit. The other three awoke, completely refreshed and strangely at peace.

"I have healed each of you of your wounds." He said to them all. Then, turning to Brigit and Mazithra, "The fever will not affect you, I have cleansed your bodies of the infection." The old man shook his head sadly. "I have tried to remain apart from this conflict, but the events that you witnessed yesterday have forced me to take hand in the matter. Now I must help you to bring the Balance back to my forest."

"You will help me. You must continue in your quest, find the cups and destroy them so my children may find rest." The old man turned to each of them.

"You, Milo Windby, know that the One whom you follow has plans for you that will conflict with your responsibilities. When the time comes you must chose well." He said as he pointed his staff at Milo.

"Brigit Deeperdown, know that revenge is futile. Once completed your life will be empty." The old man told Brigit. The taciturn dwarf only glowered.

"Mazithra, know that the faster you run from your destiny, the closer you draw to it." He said to Mazi. She looked slightly embarrassed to Milo.

"Jeremiah Tansden, know that you are almost the warrior that your people need for the struggle ahead." The barbarian ducked his head at the statement. It almost appeared that he blushed.

The old man disappeared in a wisp of mist before any of them could respond.

"But wait!" Milo cried, "I have so many questions!" Milo spoke thin air. The man was gone, without a trace. The mountain lion was gone too, no tracks to indicate where it had loped off. The four friends looked at each other, at a loss for words. Each of them had many things to think about. They set up another watch and settled down to consider the old man's words. Milo was very curious as to what the old man meant to the others. He had a pretty good idea of what he was trying to tell him though. He thought about how long it had been since he sent a letter back to Darokin. People were likely to become concerned if he didn't communicate with them soon. These were his thoughts before he drifted back to sleep. It was an extremely restful sleep. He even got a few good hours of sleep after his uneventful watch.

The morning found the group hale and hearty. All felt completely refreshed and much better than they could remember for a long time. Milo smiled and slapped Brigit on the back.

"Well everyone, ready to find us some cups to break?" Milo said good-naturedly. Jeremiah even smiled at him. The adventurers gathered their belongings and made their way from the clearing back to the gorge. Not even the oppressive atmosphere could bring down their spirits. They chose the north most cavern at the top of the depression to investigate next, methodically working their way around the upper level of the shallow valley.

Milo led the way again, with the others following him in their standard formation. A few paces into the cavern they came to a natural fork. Bones and debris scattered the floor. A horrible stench filled the air, almost palpable. Milo searched the area for traps, making sure that a repeat performance of their kobold adventure was not forthcoming. No traps were evident so the party moved on. They took the left branch, heading west. The cavern grew dark as they ventured deeper. All four of them heard a growling noise coming from deep within the caves. Jeremiah whispered that it sounded to him like a bear. Since they didn't want to light up the whole cavern it was decided that Brigit would go investigate the sounds. She moved past the light cast by Milo's lantern and crept into the darkness.

The noises grew slightly louder after a few moments, then quieted again. Just as the group began to fear the worst for Brigit she emerged from the depths of the tunnel. What she described to the group was a hideous mix of beasts. The bear shaped creature had a beak like a bird and was covered with feathers and fur. Milo knew what it was from her description right away. He had seen one in the travelling Darokin zoo when he was young. It was an owlbear. A crazed mix of the nocturnal predator and the feared beast of the forest. Milo warned them that owlbears were extremely ferocious and territorial. He asked Brigit if the owlbear had seen her. When she responded in the affirmative he readied his weapon. The beast had heard her coming and saw her around the corner. The loud sounds they heard were the monster rising up and shambling towards her. If they didn't attack the owlbear, it would come after them. The four moved forward through the caverns carefully, almost expecting the creature to pounce on them from the darkness. They reached a widening of the cave and saw the owlbear, the beast reared up on its hind legs and let loose a cry that was somewhere between a roar and a screech.

Milo was in the rear, they were prepared for the fight in their normal battle positions. He fired his crossbow into the body of the monster, causing it to howl in pain. It swiped out with its claws at the closest party members, it missed with one swipe then stumbled as it moved forward to strike at Mazi with its other taloned paw. As it regained its balance its beak snapped at Brigit, scraping a long line down her steel shield with its sharp point. Jeremiah was in the rear with Milo, unable to come to the front in the confines of the cave tunnel. He sheathed his greatsword and drew his bow, readying an arrow to fire at the unnatural creation before them. Brigit and Mazithra made a beautifully concerted attack, both scoring good hits on either side of the beast. Once again it howled in pain.

The wounded and enraged beast swiped at Brigit, missing her by the breadth of a hair. It took another bite at the party, this time towards Mazi. It's jaws snapped on air. Just as she dodged the beak Mazi brought her longsword down across the creature's neck, slicing a long gash through its hide. Brigit swung from under and up, into the underside of the owlbear's chin. Her ax clove through the monster's jaw and embedded itself within the bottom of its brainpan. The beast fell heavily to the side, taking Brigit's ax with it. She reached down and yanked the ax out with one foot steadying the owlbear's head.

"Ain't so tough, Milo. Ya had me thinkin' we'd be up against a challenge!" Brigit said to the side as she pulled on her stuck ax.

"We got off lucky there Brigit, I've heard tales of owlbears rending a man apart once they get a hold of him. They're no joke, we can count ourselves blessed for coming through this unscathed." Milo responded to Brigit. "I wonder if anything else lives in this cave, owlbears are pretty territorial."

Near where the beast bedded at night Milo found a parchment tube made of bone. Inside was a scroll containing the spell of protection from evil. Milo explained the spell to his friends and stashed it in his pack for later. The entire group found in the owlbear's den besides that was more refuse and stench. Milo noticed two other branches of the natural passage on their way into the den. He suggested to the others that they might want to check them out just in case.

Milo took lead again as they left the den. The first branch they came back to extended east beyond the southern branch they came from. After a turn to the right the passage narrowed into nothing, just a dead end. Back in the southern passage the party continued through the other branch, this one also petered out into a dead end. The last unexplored area of this cave was to the west of the entrance.

After a turn to the left the cavern widened again into a natural room. A shallow pool of water filled the northeast corner of the cavern. The walls glistened with slime and moisture dripped from the stalactites. Suspicious, Milo picked up a bone from the debris that littered the floor and tossed it into the water. He half expected some other monstrosity to leap from the pool and attack. Nothing happened. Milo shrugged and ventured further in the cave to explore the water. Just as he approached the pool the dripping from the ceiling intensified. Milo heard a loud sucking noise emanated from above Milo and he jumped back instinctively. It turned out to be in the nick of time, a mass of gray ooze plopped onto the ground before him, its tendrils reaching out hungrily.

Milo tumbled backwards and fired his crossbow at the slime. The bolt sank into the gelatinous mass and began to sizzle. Milo did notice that a bit of runny ooze seeped from the ragged hole his quarrel created.

"Don't hit it with your swords or anything, it's acid! See the bolt melt?" Milo shouted to his friends. "Back away and fire at it with your range weapons!" The others responded by drawing their bows and moving away from the room. Just as Brigit and Jeremiah moved two more oozes dropped from the ceiling and began to reach for Milo. Mazi fired her arrow at one of the new oozes, her missile also starting to sizzle as it pierced the mass of goo.

Milo couldn't back up any more from the approaching ooze, he fired his crossbow and sighed in disappointment as it flew past one of the gray blobs. All three of the others moved back a pace and fired their bows. Mazi's arrow found its mark and more liquid spewed from the ooze, her arrow sizzling as it suspended within the creature. Brigit's arrow grazed one of the ooze, causing some of the brackish liquid to seep out as well. Jeremiah's shot flew high, he was attempting to fire above Milo. Only one ooze was in contact with Milo, the creatures couldn't move very fast, he noticed. Tentacles formed from its amorphous body and reached for him. He jumped back in alarm, barely avoiding the surprisingly fast tendril.

Milo hopped back another pace and fired his crossbow. His bolt went clean through the previous hole he created and out the other side of the ooze. More liquid spewed out of the mass, it deflated as the grayish muck pooled on the ground. One down, two to go, Milo thought. Mazi, Brigit, and Jeremiah ran out of room to back into. The three of them turned and moved down the tunnel from where they came, ready for the ooze to round the corner. The one ooze in range of Milo formed two more tentacles, reaching out to him. He dodged the grasping arms of goo, shuddering to think of the damage that the acid might cause him.

Milo could see no way to retreat from the ooze without it attacking his back or sliding up to him if he took a backward step. He tumbled backwards in an acrobatic somersault, attempting to put space between himself and the gray mass. He was too slow, the ooze reached out with a tendril and slapped his foot while he was tumbling. The contact made him wince and he felt his foot burn. Once he completed his backward roll he fired his crossbow at the ooze that attacked him, wounding it as well. The other ooze moved towards Brigit, who wasn't able to move very far away due to the encumbrance of her heavy armor. Its formed tentacles raced out and smacked into her as well. Milo could actually hear the sizzle as the ooze made contact. Brigit grimaced and pushed the tentacle away.

Milo moved back another pace and fired at the ooze, creating a new hole in the creature. Brigit moved back with him and fired as well, her own arrow sinking into the shifting mass before sizzling away. Jeremiah and Mazithra fired their arrows from down the hall, Jer's making contact with the ooze advancing on Milo. The ooze absorbed the arrow, bleeding more of the gray liquid. It reached out for Milo again, barely missing his arm as he weaved and bobbed to avoid the disgusting blob. Brigit was not as nimble and the ooze slapped into her again, the sizzling noise was even apparent to Jeremiah and Mazi down the tunnel. Brigit once again pushed the blob away.

Mazi and Jeremiah moved back another pace to leave room for Brigit and Milo's retreat. Both fired their arrows at the approaching ooze, both hit their target with unerring aim. The two masses of ooze deflated as the first one, the gray liquid that passed for their innards creating two puddles of putrid goo on the ground.

Milo breathed a sigh of relief and moved to Brigit. She was hurt, but not too badly. Her skin was red under her armor where the acid had seeped through. Milo used a spare tunic to wipe the excess acid off her armor and tossed it into one of the puddles. They noticed that the cloth continued to sizzle in the leftover acid of the ooze. They stepped gingerly around the puddles and made their way back into the cavern. No more ooze dropped from the ceiling as the entered the cave. They couldn't see any more in wait above. Milo figured that they couldn't be that intelligent, he hoped that they all came at once.

A glint from the pool caught his eye. Deeper in the water he could make out the form of a goblet. After making sure it wasn't one of the cups the priest described Milo asked Jeremiah to wade in and grab it. The water was a little deep for halflings. Jeremiah retrieved the goblet and Milo examined it. He guessed the value to be over 1000 gold. Mazithra looked over the cup as well, her guess was closer to 1300 gold. Not a bad deal, Milo thought.

"That seems to be it. I don't think there's anything else here." He said as he handed the goblet to Brigit for safekeeping. The party still felt good, especially after a quick healing spell for Brigit. The party readied themselves for an assault on one of the other caverns.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part sixteen (session 4)

Milo and the adventurers emerged from the cavern into the gloomy half-light that seemed to pervade the gorge. It was a short hike to the next cavern opening along the slope. Brigit and Mazi followed a few feet behind Milo with Jeremiah bringing up the rear. Milo approached the entrance carefully, stepping inside with a cat-like tread.

Just about five paces in he spied a thin wire suspended between the cavern walls. He motioned for everyone to stop. Following the strand with his eyes he could see it lead up the right-hand wall to the ceiling. When he looked up he saw to what the wire was attached. A large net stretched across the ceiling. It was covered with what looked like tar and spanned from two paces back to five or so paces down the tunnel. Just past where the net was hanging they could make out an intersection. The passage continued straight while two branches went off from either side. Milo and the crew slowly backed out of the cavern to regroup and plan.

"How about we make a lot of noise and attract whatever guards that are in there?" Milo suggested. "They'll come running, thinking someone is caught in their trap, then we can surprise them."

"Wi'out springin' tha trap? Don' ya think they'll be a bit suspicious if they come a'runnin' and they see that their trap ain't sprung?" Brigit retorted.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well how do we spring it without getting caught? The wire is right under the net." Milo said.

"I know a spell that would do the trick perfectly." Mazi interjected. "I haven't had the opportunity to use it much yet. I can spring the trap from here and we can wait for the guards to come from out here. We all have the range to hit them."

"Perfect Mazi! Any objections?" Milo asked Brigit and Jeremiah, when there were none given, "Ok then, everyone get your bows out and Mazi can do her stuff."

The group arrayed themselves right at the parameter of the net, Mazi and Brigit directly in front of it while Jeremiah and Milo waited behind them just outside of the entrance. Mazi spoke some arcane words and made a few slight gestures with her hands. A faint light emanated from her fingers before floating out away from the concentrating elf. The light slowly moved towards the tripwire. When it reached the destination the glow rested on the wire, then snapped forward. The net came down with a loud clatter, there were rocks to weigh down the edges.

Mazi brushed her hands off each other while she grinned in satisfaction. She readied her bow and crouched with Brigit, aiming down the passage. Before long stamping feet could be heard approaching from a distance. Four orcs rounded the corner, armed with swords. Brigit and Jer shot their arrows at the first orc they saw. Brigit's missile flew past its ear, but Jeremiah's sunk deep into its chest. The orc died in mid-run. Milo fired his crossbow at the other sword-bearing orc. He too sunk his missile into the beast's chest, killing it in mid-stride.

Mazi could see from her vantagepoint over half a dozen more orcs with swords approaching. She realized that the monsters would be on them in no time and put away her bow. She wanted to have her sword ready to take out the orcs at close range.

Brigit and Jeremiah began to draw their own melee weapons. The dwarf and human moved towards the intersection and the orcs, being careful not to get their feet caught in the tarred net. Ahead of them Mazi had already drawn her long sword. She slashed expertly at the first orc to approach her. Her blade cut into its throat, the wound was critical. The orc fell with a spray of blood from its neck. Milo winged one of the other orcs visible to him. His bolt barely caught the beast on the arm as it raced by. An orc made a move to attack Mazi. She parried the blow with expert skill, her hand twisted and the orc's sword clattered to the floor. The shocked orc ran for its weapon.

One other orc attacked the elf but she blocked his sword thrust as well. She began her graceful sword dance, weaving away from attacks and moving in to slash at the openings. Rather than face the willowy elf and her strange swordplay, another orc advanced on Jeremiah. The creature scored a blow with its sword, slicing a nasty gash along Jeremiah's upper arm as it bypassed his guard.

Jeremiah tried to return the blow but nearly lost his sword from his weakened grip. He held onto the hilt firmly and avoided the fumble. Brigit moved up to engage her hated enemy. The orc she attacked growled as it dodged her waraxe. It too recognized it's ancestral adversary. Another orc from the left passageway pressed in on Brigit. Neither was able to breach her defense as she wielded her shield before their blows.

The orc that dropped its sword finally recovered it and jumped back up before Mazi. She was busy attempting to dispatch the orc that Milo wounded. Her sword danced in the air but failed to make contact. The orc had no more luck hitting her. Her spins and twists made Mazi an elusive target. Milo fired his bolt at the wounded orc. The quarrel whizzed past, breaking on the cavern wall behind it.

"Keep moving orc, doesn't matter. You're going down." Milo muttered at the beast.

Milo hurriedly reloaded his crossbow as the action continued before him.
He fired off his crossbow at the bleeding monster facing Mazi. It sunk home and the orc fell back. Brigit moved forward to engage more orcs, staying within the initial passage so none of the foe could surround them. She missed her target and snarled at the elusive orc.

"Move Mazi, please." Jeremiah said to the elf almost impatiently. Because of their positioning he could not bring his greatsword to bear. Mazi grumbled a bit but took a step back, disengaging from the orc that tried to hit her. She sheathed her sword and drew her bow. Milo hoped that bad feelings weren't going to form between the two.

Jeremiah swung his sword in front of himself. The great blade cleaved through two orcs in one blow. Mazi nodded appreciatively as she knocked an arrow to her bow. Maybe they'll be all right after all, Milo thought.

Two heavy bolts flew at Jeremiah and Brigit. It seemed that they had come in range of some crossbowmen in the back. Both bolts missed the adventurers but they did serve to hasten their efforts. They needed to get to the orcs in the rear before they reloaded. A clatter came from the other passage. Four more orcs followed by two more heavy crossbowmen charged down the tunnel. The two orcs before Brigit and Jeremiah attacked. Jeremiah batted the sword away with his own weapon while Brigit fended off the attack with her shield.

Brigit followed her successful block with a doubly successful attack. Her ax hacked through the orc in front of her and continued on to the orc before Jeremiah. The second beast didn't even see the blow coming as her ax cut its spine in two. Jeremiah charged past the corpses to attack the orcs that were preparing to reload their crossbows. Milo fired off a bolt at one of the orcs from the other tunnel. The orc moved forward right before the quarrel struck and it fell to the floor.

This put him in the line of fire of the fresh crossbowmen from behind. Luckily for Jeremiah they had to shoot past their own comrades and were unable to aim accurately. The other orcs turned their crossbows around and tried to club Jeremiah with them. Jer swatted them away with his sword and stabbed at the beasts. He missed, but the barbarian did strike fear into the orc's faces. The look they gave each other hinted that they would have fled, if a barked orcish command hadn't stopped them dead in their tracks. Milo spotted a huge orc stomping down the passage straight ahead. He could also make out another guard and a female with the leader. It shouted more commands in its snarling voice and the orcs rallied against the group.

Milo fired his crossbow again, this time his shot went high. He had tried to avoid hitting Brigit who was engaged with the orc front. She heaved her ax down through the shoulder of her enemy. The ax head sliced through the orc as if it weren't there. Jeremiah swung his great sword at the two crossbow men. Splinters flew as the heavy blade bit into their weapons. The orcs were soon to follow the crossbows into oblivion, as his weapon sliced through them both in one powerful motion.

More orcs moved up to Jer and Brigit. They attacked swiftly and caught the adventurers off guard. Jeremiah was wounded in the side by one of the wicked long swords. Brigit bled profusely from a ragged wound caused by a stabbing thrust. The sword had found one of the few chinks in her armor and the orc wielding it had twisted the blade as he withdrew.

The other two crossbowmen were busy cranking their strings to fire another volley. Up the other passage the orc leader's guard moved towards the combat. Behind him the leader waited with arms folded across its chest, waiting for the outcome to be more certain before it committed itself to the battle.

In the original passage Milo and Mazi took aim separately and fired. Mazi's arrow flew down the hallway, missing the general maelstrom of the melee. It skimmed along the wall for a few moments before falling to the earth. Milo's bolt pierced his target's chest, the flight protruding from its breastbone.

Near the dying orc Brigit's ax scythed through the air. Two more orcs fell from her viscous onslaught. She vanquished many of her hated enemies that day. Jer swung his sword next to Brigit, but no orcs fell from his blow. The porcine beasts were wary after Brigit's massive attacks. After his mighty swing the beasts pounced on Jeremiah, both of them slashing at him with their long swords. He took two ugly wounds from the viscous attack.

Mazi fired her bow at the crossbowmen, which in turn fired their weapons at the hated dwarf. None of the missiles found their targets. Mazi reached back for another arrow as the orcs bent down to crank their strings back into position.

Down the main passage the leader and his female started towards the fray. The leader evidently decided that he could turn the tide of the battle. They were blocked from direct combat by the other orcs facing Brigit and Jeremiah. The leader shouted something in orcish and pointed its sword at Brigit. Apparently it wanted a chance to fight its despised foe. Milo noticed as the orc drew near that it was armored completely in plate. He grimaced before turning his attention to his friends.

Milo was concerned about Jeremiah. He noticed that the barbarian's wounds were bleeding badly and thought that Jer may not be on his feet much longer. He chanted quickly and ran up to place his hands on his companion. A powerful feeling of well being emanated from his hands into Jeremiah. His wounds closed and he drew in a deep breath, invigorated by the stronger spell. Milo was getting better at this healing thing.

Brigit brought her ax down on the last normal orc that they faced. She spit on its corpse before surveying the scene. There was still the two crossbowmen, reloading their weapons, as well as the leader, his female, and his guard. Brigit saw the leader charge at Jeremiah, its sword held high and its shield poised in front of it. The sword came down in a feint before thrusting forward past Jer's sword block. It pierced his abdomen and started another bleeding wound. Jeremiah was unable to recover in time to retaliate. His great sword swished through the air, inches from his attacker.

Mazi spied the opening left by her friends' movement. She slung her bow across her back and moved to engage the crossbowmen with her longsword. The orcs took a lesson from their compatriots just moments before. They turned their crossbows around, abandoning hope of reloading in time, and brandished the weapons as clubs. Neither was able to hit the nimble and graceful elf with their clumsy makeshift cudgels.

Before the orc leader could attack Jeremiah or Brigit again Milo began a different chant. He finished and pointed dramatically at the orc leader. The beast threw its head back in a throaty laugh at the diminutive halfling. When it tried to move forward it stopped laughing. Its limbs were frozen in place. A look of fear and terror filled its eyes. It was Milo's turn to laugh.

Three things happened in quick succession. Brigit gave a mighty heave and swung her waraxe straight down the middle of the leader's orc guard. The beast was cut in two separate pieces. A mist of blood suspended for a brief moment between them before they topple to the ground on either side. Next Jeremiah stood up straight and peered at the frozen orc. A broad smile spread across his face. He lined up his sword with the leader's unprotected face and pulled back. He thrust forward with his whole frame, splitting the orc leader's head in two. Lastly, Mazi slashed her sword past the upheld crossbow of the orc before her, slicing through the beast's armor and chest.

The orc female realized that she was out numbered and in serious trouble. She turned up the main hall and fled. The other crossbowman made a feeble stroke at Mazi. She sidestepped the crossbow as Jeremiah charged towards it. He ran the orc straight through and skidded to a halt. He pushed the orc off his sword with his boot.

Milo, Brigit, and Mazi chased the female up the passage. They caught up to it around the corner and in front of a wooden door. It stopped fumbling with the door and turned to run again. Brigit cut her down in her tracks before she could take more than a half step.

"Ah, nuthin like a good ole fashioned orc slaughter, eh boyos?" Brigit said as she leaned on her ax.

"Riiiiggghhht." Milo said as he breathed heavily from the run.

The four adventurers returned to the intersection, viewing the mass destruction that lay at their feet. If nothing else, thought Milo, we're clearing these caves of the hordes of orcs, kobolds, goblins, and other assorted beasties. Just as he started to think about the undead army and their contribution to its forces the past few days, Milo saw Brigit hacking away at a corpse.

"Just- in- case- tha'- robed- guy- tries- ta- raise- these- suckers-" Brigit said in-between swings, "I'm- gonna- make- it- hard- for- the- bugger- ta- get- any- satisfaction!" By the time she was done talking four of the orcs were completely dismembered, head, legs, and arms.

"Hmm, not a bad idea. How about we check them for valuables before we hack them to pieces though?" Milo replied.

They got down to the business of stripping the bodies of valuables. The leader had a silver belt with a gold buckle, Brigit stashed it in her pack for safekeeping. In the belt was a handaxe. The haft was crafted of bone and the head was exceedingly good craftsmanship. They decided to stow it for later examination, not wanting to throw something potentially valuable at a lowly enemy. The leader's sword had a beautiful gem embedded in the pommel of the hilt. Mazi snatched the sword up and examined the stone. She weighed it against her own sword, obviously considering using the new weapon for aesthetic reasons alone. Milo grinned at the vain elf.

They decided to strip the plate mail from the orc and bury it to take back to town later. Milo tossed the shield in with it. The pile of armor was left near the entrance so they could check out the rest of the cavern before heading out. Jeremiah helped Brigit finish dismembering the corpses. The grisly work took a few minutes and Milo and Mazi spent the time discussing differences in divine and arcane spells.

After the human and dwarf were finished the four traveled back up to where the female fell. Milo spotted an ivory bracelet around her thick wrist. It wouldn't fit Mazi's slender arm so he stashed it for later.

The door was unlocked, the female had almost made it in before they struck her down. Inside they found some crude furniture and a bed. On a table next to the bed a copper bowl sat filled with garbage. Milo dumped it out and looked over the bowl. It would fetch a good price for its quality. In the corner they found an untapped barrel of wine. Brigit, ever the connoisseur, recognized the vintage stamp and pronounced to be high quality wine. Good enough to haul back with them, for drinking or selling. The last thing they found was a coin bag tied with a rope. Inside were fifty platinum pieces. Milo whistled at the haul. All told he guessed they had in excess of two thousand gold pieces of money and valuables.

Before they went any further Milo decided to use one of his magic detection spells on all of the items they came across. They returned to the entrance and placed all of the new gear next to the pile of plate mail. Milo spoke the minor cantrip and gestured to the pile. Two faint glows could be detected. One came from the bone-hafted handaxe, the other from the rope that tied the coin purse.

"Interesting! I wonder what this rope does?" Milo said as he fingered the braided rope. "We need to get this stuff identified." Milo considered what he said and the reason they were in the caves. "But not until we find those cups."

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part seventeen (session 5)

Before heading to the next cave complex Milo decided to use one of his healing spells on Jeremiah. After he had finished the chant and touched his hands to the barbarian's wounds, he shook his head sadly. The spell didn't heal much, perhaps Milo wasn't focused enough. Jeremiah supplemented the spell with his last healing draught, healing many of the wounds he had received.

The group made their way up the slope and to the next cave mouth. Near the entrance was a multitude of signs in many languages. Mazi and Brigit only recognized one, orc. Jeremiah and Milo couldn't make out any of the characters and waited for the two women to translate. Brigit muttered something about a recruitment office. Mazi told them what the sign said:

"Welcome humanoids. Come inside for food, shelter, and warmth. Please apply to the guard station at the left."

It was obvious to the adventurers that they would encounter intelligent foes in this cavern. They discussed various options, finally settling on a stealthy approach. Milo and Mazi would go invisible, Milo using a spell that was specially granted to him and Mazi using the potion that they had found days ago. Milo readied his short sword before casting his spell. He hoped to get close to his opponent and surprise them with a viscous sneak attack before they knew what hit them. Brigit and Jeremiah would come in after Milo and Mazi as soon as the fighting started.

The two stealthily crept into the cavern. Not far from the entrance they arrived at an intersection. Remembering the sign, they headed to the left. After another intersection and a length of passage they spied a fire. Around the fire sat three large humanoid shapes. Bugbears! All three were roasting something over the heat with skewers.

Milo tiptoed behind one of the hulking beasts and took careful aim. Both he and Mazi struck simultaneously. Rendered visible, the two adventurers were spied by the bugbears. The beast before Milo dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding his sword. Mazi slashed down at the bugbear in front of her, leaving a nasty gash along its back. The bugbears roared in defiance.

One roar was cut short as Jeremiah's arrow whistled out of the darkness. It plunged deep into the wounded bugbear's chest. The creature fell to the ground with a great "whomp". Brigit quickly ran in after Jeremiah's arrow, hacking away with her dwarven waraxe. The head cleaved through the gut of one bugbear, spilling its contents on the ground. The weapon continued through the air to slash through the hide of the next monster. The bugbear bled profusely from the wound but mustered the strength to spear Brigit with its skewer. The flimsy weapon skittered off her shield as Milo moved behind the beast. His sword flashed quickly and the bugbear fell to the floor.

"Whew, fat lot of good the invisibility did me." Milo said as he wiped his blade clean with a rag torn from the bugbear's tunic. "At least we took them down before they could sound an alarm. I'm sure there's more about."

The others agreed and they set about looting the corpses. After they had found a few gold pieces on each corpse, Brigit began her grisly work. She hacked away at the large bodies until she was satisfied that no necromancer could bring them back, at least not easily.

They decided to skip the second intersection after noticing that the passage sloped upwards and possibly into another cave system. As they continued past the entrance, trying to tread as softly as possible, Brigit stumbled. Her armor clanked loudly as she righted herself. The sound startled Milo who was already on edge. He too stumbled, his lantern swinging wildly before it bounced off the cavern wall with a loud din. Mazi shushed them both as they stood as silently as possible. They waited for a few seconds, fearing that an alarm may be sounded. But they waited in vain. No running feet, no shouts down the halls, nothing.

The party continued on, suspicious that no one came to investigate the clamor. The passage terminated in another intersection. This one branched to the north and south. The southern passage led down a flight of stairs. They decided to head north and finish the main level of the caverns before going down into the depths.

After a short curve to the east the tunnel ended in a door.

"OK everyone, considering that the whole cave probably knows we're here, why don't we take the old tried-but-true approach?" Milo said after checking the door for traps. "Which one of you wants the honor?" He asked Brigit and Jeremiah, bowing to them while motioning to the door.

A glint appeared in Jeremiah's eye. He stomped up to the door, leaned back, and heaved himself forward with his foot extended. The door burst open behind his weight, slamming into the opposite wall. Over a dozen mildly surprised bugbears stared back at them. Three large males stood in front of seven considerable females. Three young bugbears peaked through from the back, their own weapons ready.

Milo fired a bolt at the first bugbear, winging the beast. Brigit rushed in past Jer and hacked into the wounded bugbear. Her ax clove through the first and into the female standing next to it. Both died almost simultaneously.

Mazithra moved next to Brigit and slashed at the male to her right. Her sword swished through the air, failing to make contact with the snarling monster.

The bugbears recovered from their initial shock and pressed in on the two fighters. Mazi deftly dodged the ugly brutes' attacks. The male she attacked swung a heavy blow down at her, but she was no longer there. She spun to the side and hopped back a half step to avoid two attacks from the females to her right. Brigit was not as agile as her companion was, but the bugbears had no more luck attacking her than they did her elven friend. The bugbears' maces made loud reverberations throughout the large cavern as they bounced off her magical shield.

Jeremiah spied an opening from his position next to Milo and fired his bow. The arrow sped past Mazi and Brigit but did not meet any resistance before it shattered against the far wall. The barbarian looked anxious to draw his great sword and wade into the battle but drew another arrow instead.

Another bolt from Milo's crossbow flew into the fray. It sunk into the big male's hide with expert precision. Regardless of the accuracy of Milo's shot, the beast roared and fought on. It swung its bludgeon at Mazi. It roared again as she dodged the blow.

Mazithra performed a graceful pirouette, attempting to avoid the two females. She completed her spin and swung her sword arm out to attack the male when one of the females brought its mace down hard. She pulled her arm back quickly, a large bruise already forming under the skin.

Oblivious to Mazi's plight, Brigit swung her ax for another attack. The other male fell to her mighty swing. It made to claw at her as it fell back, barely missing one of the approaching young. Her ax continued its lethal work and the female attacked her moments ago fell with a harsh scream.

Two more females took their place against the hated dwarf. Three females and one youth were arrayed against the dwarf. Unfazed, Brigit warded off each of their blows easily. She scoffed at them and watched in satisfaction as an arrow grazed the youth. She glanced back to see Jeremiah reloading his bow. He nodded to her quickly then focused on the enemy, taking aim.

Another young bugbear approached Mazi. Milo lined up his crossbow and pulled the trigger. The youth fell with the bolt protruding from its chest cavity. Mazi was busy attacking the last male and avoiding his mace. Neither combatant hit the other, but one of the females landed a blow on the slender elf. She jumped away from the offending mace before it could strike again.

Mazi took care not to get too close to Brigit's deadly ax. The head bit through bugbears as easily as air. The dwarf didn't even appear to break a sweat as she cleaved through two more females. A mist of blood floated to the floor, following the bodies of the dead monsters.

Two more youth approached Brigit. One had a chance to swing at her before it was cut down by Jeremiah's arrow. The other youth and the female tried to bring their maces down on the dwarf. Her shield once again deflected the heavy weapons.

Brigit pulled back, heaving her ax above her head. The lethal blade crashed down upon the unprotected shoulder of the bugbear youth, cutting it from neck to waist. She brought the ax up in a curving motion, slicing through the female to the side. It fell atop the cleaved body of the youth.

Mazithra sprung at the last remaining male, her sword finally inflicting a wound. The bugbear bared its yellowed fangs at the elf and roared. Its mace swung at the elf, causing the wound Mazi dealt to bleed even more. It missed her completely, she had already spun around the reach of the clumsy bugbear. The two females tried to hit the madly whirling elf but couldn't land a blow on her graceful form.

Jeremiah and Milo moved into the room, through the pathway cleared by Brigit. They fired their missiles at the male. Jeremiah's arrow landed in its chest, puncturing its lung. The beast fell back with a loud wheeze. Its body crashed to the floor.

Milo quickly reloaded his crossbow and fired at one of the remaining females. His bolt found its target, wounding the bugbear gravely. Mazithra spun to the side and sliced through it. Her sword made short work of the injured female.

Brigit stumped to the final female. Her ax literally whistled in the air before sinking deep into the female's chest. Brigit grunted as she pushed the heavy bugbear off of her ax blade.

"Not a very hardy bunch, is they?" Brigit said to no one in particular.

"Bah, I hate the stupid louts." Mazi said as she spat on the corpse of the bugbear that gave her so much trouble. "They can all rot!"

"A little upset at your battle prowess today, Mazi?" Milo teased. "I'm sure you'll have more chances to spill bugbear blood." he finished with a grin.

Milo was already floating over the corpses, his little fingers working deftly to remove any valuables he found. One of the males had a large key ring. Milo clipped it to his belt for future inspection. The males and females all carried gold. It began to strike Milo as suspicious. Almost every humanoid they had fought so far had some sort of coin on them.

"All of these beasts we've been battling have got to be in the employ of that robed guy." Milo thought some more. "Well, maybe not the cultist kobolds, but I've noticed that the rest of them have all had money. I bet they're paid by that fiend."

The others considered the idea while they finished looting the bodies. Once they were done, Brigit set about hacking the arms, legs, and heads off the corpses. The others stood to the side and looked on. The dwarf was quickly earning the nickname of Brigit the Butcher. At least it's for practical reasons, thought Milo.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part eighteen (session 5)

They left the room in good spirits, intent on investigating the lower portion of the cave complex before heading north to the sloping passage. A flight of stairs led them into a widening of the cave. Two hallways branched from the main cavern to the east and west. All along the walls were stacked boxes and sacks of supplies.

"Well here's the supplies they won't be needing anymore." Milo said as he toed one of the sacks on the ground.

"Aye, them undead don't need no grain 'n food." Brigit agreed.

Jeremiah hushed the two impatiently. He had a concentrated look on his face. After peering intently into space he spoke to the others.

"People shouting for help that way." Jeremiah said, pointing to the east.

"We should probably help them then, but that makes me a little too suspicious." Milo said. "Everyone keep your guards up, this could be a trap."

The crew readied their weapons and advanced down the hall. The quarters were tight due to the stacked boxes and sacks. After a zigzag in the tunnel they came to a door. All four could now hear the shouts for help. There was more than just one language too. Milo checked the door for traps. Nothing caught his trained eye. He fished out the key ring he found on one of the guards and located a key that would fit the door. A couple of tries later he heard the satisfying "click" that he loved so much. He swung open the door, ready for an ambush.

What he and the others saw was far from an ambush. A variety of humanoids were chained to the walls. They were all in a horrible state, some of them had been there for a long time. Milo spied three kobolds, a goblin, four orcs, and two humans that wore the remnants of a familiar livery. All of them cringed when he opened the door until they noticed that he wasn't quite the size of a bugbear. They all started clamoring for attention as soon as they realized that the adventurers could rescue them.

Milo ignored the beasts and made his way over to the humans. "Hello, who are you?" He asked them.

"We're caravan guards," one answered weakly, "we were captured and brought here."

Milo and Mazi walked back a pace to discuss the situation while Brigit talked to the orcs. Mazi was distrustful as always. Milo reasoned that they were wearing the remnants of the caravan's livery and that the other caravan guards were trustworthy. The least they could do was escort them out of the caverns. Mazi agreed reluctantly.

"We're going to let you down," Milo told the humans, "Just beware that there may be other bugbears about, keep behind us and don't get into trouble."

Mazi whispered to Jeremiah to keep an eye on them. Milo found the keys that matched the shackles and handed them to Jeremiah. While the barbarian released the humans Brigit walked over to talk to Milo and Mazi.

"The orcs're askin' ta be let go. I don' trust em tho." Brigit said to her friends. "They be a pitiful bunch. Apparently them bugbears keep this rabble on hand ta supplement their food supply." She said with a wicked gleam to her eye. "I kin think of some more creative ways ta use em."

The orcs and other creatures were whining by that time. Brigit further relayed that the orcs promised to help them if the party freed them. The dwarf and elf couldn't seem to decide what to do. Milo stowed his crossbow and drew his dagger. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Milo walked to the kobolds first, methodically slitting their throats and ending their lives. He moved from creature to creature until none remained alive.

"I don't fancy having my enemies travel with me when there's a much more simple solution available." Milo said to the slightly shocked stares of his companions. Brigit cracked a smile while Mazi just shrugged. The dwarf set about hacking off the legs and arms of the prisoners.

Jeremiah had released the humans and the party took stock of their situation. Nothing of value remained in the room so they moved back into the corridor. When they reached the main cavern again they could hear more shouts for help faintly down the other hallway.

The inflated group moved through the western passage. A branch headed south while the supply corridor continued west. The shouts were coming from behind a door at the end of the hallway. Milo found the key that matched the lock and they peered into the room. No ambush greeted them here either. Chained to the wall were three hobgoblins, two gnolls, a large bearded human, and surprisingly, a bugbear.

Milo moved first to the hulking bearded man. "So who are you?" He started companionably.

"A traveler." The man replied.

"Riiiiiight. So you 'traveled' into those chains? Doesn't sound like a good journey. Where will you go if we release you?"

"I will travel." He answered cryptically.

Nonplussed, Milo asked, "Alright then, are you any good in a fight?"

At that the burly man grinned. "Oh aye, I can swing a weapon."

"You wouldn't by any chance be a berserker, would you?" Milo asked hopefully. Another barbarian at their back could be a good thing, though he didn't quite trust the furry human.

He just shrugged, "Ye'll never know if yeh leave me up here, now will yeh?"

"True enough, then you can travel with us until we get out of these caves. We'll find you a mace from the bugbears."

"It's not an axe, but it'll do." The big man said as Jeremiah reached up to his shackles to release him.

Mazi trusted this fellow even less than the caravan guards. She once again whispered to Jeremiah to keep an eye on the newly freed prisoners. The poor barbarian is going to have his eyes full, thought Milo. While the mountain man and Milo were discussing things Brigit had kept herself busy. The other prisoners were already dead and dismembered by the time they were ready to leave. The caravan guards looked a little green and they seemed to avoid looking at the dwarf.

The large party now moved back up the stairs. They only paused for the guards and the mountain man to pick up a mace each from the bugbear's corpses. No sounds echoed down the hallway but the sound of their boots. The adventurers passed the cavern entrance and turned the corner to look up the sloping passage. They could see it curve up to the right, but more interestingly, they could see a door on the western wall.

Not one to leave a stone unturned, or a door unopened, Milo cautiously stepped forward. He quietly searched for traps before examining the latch. It didn't appear to be locked. Milo motioned to Jeremiah, pointing to his boot. The barbarian grinned as he moved in front of the door. Brigit moved herself next to Milo as Jer kicked in the door.

Milo fired his bolt at the first bugbear he saw. There were only two in the room, a large male and an equally large female. The male snarled as the bolt sunk into its shoulder. The great beast hurled its handaxe at Milo. The axe head sunk into his left shoulder, almost causing him to drop his lantern. Milo staggered from the blow and looked down. He dimly recognized the axe through the haze of pain. It was exactly like the handaxe they found on the orc leader's body. He ripped the axe from the wound and sucked in a deep breath of air at the fresh wave of pain.

Brigit moved in next to him and hacked at the female. Her axe cut it down even as it swung its mace at the dwarf. Jeremiah fired his bow from behind the crew, his arrow whizzed by the head of the huge bugbear. Mazi readied her sword, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Milo quickly moved to the side and fired another bolt from his crossbow. The quarrel missed but his movement gave Mazi an opportunity to move in. She worked out her frustration with the previous bugbears on the hapless beast. Her sword inflicted a grave wound on the monster. Near the back Jeremiah loosed another arrow at the bugbear.

His arrow missed the retreating form of the bugbear. Apparently it had a rudimentary knowledge of arithmetic and found the numbers to be against it. It pressed an unseen switch and the wall beside it swung away. The beast ran down the passageway. Brigit gave chase. She ran full tilt with Milo, Mazi, and Jeremiah close behind.

They all reached the bugbear just as it was turning back to watch for the pursuers. Brigit heaved mightily with her axe as the bugbear tried to run again. The blade cleft through the monster's skull and it fell face-first with a heavy thud.

"Good job Brigit!" Milo said, out of breath from the chase.

"Stupid bugbear, shoulda knowt better than ta turn yer back on a dwarf!" Brigit said to the dead body.

Milo stooped down and searched over the body. He found a pouch with a good amount of platinum coins and a key. Under the coins he found three small gems, he guessed to be about 50 gold apiece. A key was at the very bottom of the pouch.

"Not bad guys, check out the coin he was hauling around!" Milo said as he showed the pouch to the others. "I'm guessing this was the bugbears' head honcho."

Brigit merely grunted as her axe swung again and again, severing the leader's limbs. Mazi peered into the pouch and agreed with Milo. Jeremiah simply stood to the side and stared down the secret passage.

Milo and the others decided to investigate this passage before they rejoined the guards and mountain man in the leader's room. A short distance from where the bugbear fell they emerged into a small room with four other tunnels branching in all directions. All four experienced a queasy feeling as they entered the room. They had no time to reflect on the odd sensation as three large, glowing beetles skittered towards them, their pincers snapping.

Milo and Jeremiah reacted quickly, firing their crossbow and long bow respectively. Milo's bolt skittered off the hard carapace of the lead beetle. Jeremiah's arrow found a soft spot on one of the two following bugs, but it didn't seem to damage the beetle much.

Mazi slashed down at the first beetle before it could close its pincers around her legs. The insect made a piercing sound as her blade bit into it. Its legs twitched as it flattened to the ground. The other two beetles reached Mazi and Brigit. Mazi winced as the razor sharp pincer of the beetle sliced a gash on either side of her right leg. She beat the beetle off and backed up.

Brigit swung her axe at the bug reared up before her. The insect fell back to its legs just before the blade passed through it. Milo shot another bolt at the beetle attacking Mazi. It again skittered off the glowing shell of the bug. Mazi kicked at the beetle that wounded her other leg, cursing the luck. She was unable to bring her sword to bear while she fended the beetle off.

Brigit gave a hoarse battle cry and swooped her axe low, she sliced the legs off the first beetle before pulling the blade up through its mandibles. The axe continued its journey through the air and finished in the carapace of the beetle that wounded Mazi. A green ichor covered her axe head as she withdrew it from the beetle's back.

Milo noticed that the beetles' shells still glowed after they died. He figured that it must be a way for the insects to find their way around the caverns. Milo walked to the other tunnel openings and listened to any sounds filtering through. In one tunnel he could hear flapping, like leathery wings rubbing against each other and the air. Not good. He heard the skittering of insect feet down another tunnel. Milo wasn't eager to fight more bugs. Yet another tunnel yielded a heavy, monstrous breathing.


"I don't think we should investigate these tunnels just yet." Mazi said.

"Yeah, I feel a little disoriented and we may still have some bugbears to deal with." Milo agreed.

Before they left Milo cast a healing spell on Mazi. Her wounds sealed and some color flushed into her cheeks.

The adventurers trooped back up the tunnel into the bugbear's room. The guards and the mountain man were still in the room, waiting. The caravan guards looked a little nervous but the mountain man was sitting in the corner, disinterested. Milo leaned over the body of the female, noticing a glint on its ear. He found a pair of gold earrings and pocketed them after showing them to Mazi. She seemed interested, but it could wait for later.

Brigit was peering intently at a bare spot of rock a space above them, near the cavern roof. Milo looked up where she was staring and saw nothing. He just shrugged and turned to search the rest of the room.

Brigit tapped him on the shoulder and pointed up to the wall. "Ya see that, halflin?"

"See what?"

"That little spot on the wall, jus' a tad differnt from tha rest." Brigit said, trying to point out what she saw.

Milo stared at the wall for a long moment. After a good thirty seconds he noticed what Brigit had seen. There was a square of rock, almost indistinguishable from the wall. Milo called Jeremiah over and asked for a lift up. The barbarian obliged and heaved Milo up to his shoulders. Milo inspected the rough patch closely.

"It's a chest! Brigit, you are amazing! You sure you didn't get any training on the streets?" Milo teased Brigit. "It looks like it would take two of you to heave it out, but it's possible."

Jeremiah called over the burly mountain man and they heaved on the chest. A low rumble could be heard as the chest slid from its cavity. It fell with a resounding thunk to the floor. The lid flew open and the adventurers were treated to an impressive sight. Over a thousand silver pieces were piled in the stone chest. An alabaster and ivory statue rested on the pile of silver. Two small flasks that were wrapped in silk lay next to the statue.

Brigit unwrapped the potions and handed the silk to Milo. "Let's see what we got here." she said as she sipped from the first flask. She perked up a little and sighed. "I think it's a healin' potion. I feel pretty refreshed." She sipped from the second flask and related the same. They stowed the two healing potions for later. Brigit loaded up the coins and statue in her pack. She was feeling the weight now. They had to unload some of these goods soon.

"Let's check out the other door we passed up before." Milo recommended as he gestured to the door. "I think we can leave the other complex for later."

The party filed out of the leader's room and returned to the original passage. Considering the amount of noise they made in the other room they figured that any more bugbears would be ready for them. The tunnel branched to the other door. Milo listened carefully, his head pressed up to the rough wood. Hearing nothing, he checked the door, frame, and lock for any traps. He noticed that the lock matched the key they found in the leader's pouch. Milo retrieved the key from the pouch in Brigit's pack and tried it in the door. The lock clicked and the wooden door swung open.

A medium sized room lay before them, more supplies stacked to the ceiling. There was ale, dried meat, oil, and even an old shield. The group restocked their rations and Milo refilled his oil flasks. He asked the group to lay down all the items they had found so far so he could cast his magic detection cantrip. After he completed the short chant he could see a faint glowing around the handaxe the bugbear leader threw at him. Another faint glow was around the large shield that Brigit had been using. It was a similar glow to the magic shield Mazi had picked up. Everything else was either mundane or had already been detected as magical, so Milo ignored them. He imparted his findings to the rest of the group.

With only one more passage to investigate the party trooped on. Back up the sloping, curved passage the group came to a door. Milo listened in again, this time hearing grunting and shuffling. He quieted his friends and motioned from Brigit to kick in the door, figuring she could surprise the inhabitants and have the advantage.

Brigit brought up her steel boot and smashed it into the door. It flew open and was greeted by the ugly faces of more bugbears. They were ready for the infidels. Mazi was a split second faster than the monsters, she let an arrow fly from her elven bow, straight into the heart of one of the males. It keeled over without a sound.

Three bugbears, a male and two females, rushed at the elf. She dodged two swings of their maces when she felt a clipping blow on her shoulder. She stumbled but righted herself before another mace could land. Brigit moved past the door and introduced her axe to the closest bugbear. The beast fell before her mighty slash.

Milo pulled the trigger on his crossbow, only to see the string jam in the mechanics. He cursed and went to work on the faulty crossbow. Jeremiah shook his head at the halfling and let go of his bowstring. His arrow sunk into the leg of an advancing female. He smirked at Milo. He might have been offended if he wasn't so intent on fixing his weapon.

Mazi dispatched the bugbear that Jeremiah wounded, her long sword pierced the female's chest. She withdrew her sword and readied herself for the other two bugbears' imminent attacks. She twirled past one mace and parried the other with her long sword.


Brigit closed in behind one of the attacking bugbears. Her muscles bulged under her armor as she heaved her axe down. The axe head swung straight through the bugbear's head, through its neck and continued down its torso. The monster fell in two perfectly even parts, one to the left, one to the right, from the critical blow.

Jeremiah loosed another arrow at the last bugbear. He took care to aim away from Mazithra and his arrow flew wide of the mark. Next to the barbarian Milo was still muttering under his breath about his crossbow. He almost had another bolt loaded before a whirlwind of action brought the fight to its finish.

Mazi parried a blow from the bugbear. She in turn was repelled from her opponent. The bugbear couldn't concentrate on the elf and the dwarf at the same time though. Brigit's axe flew through the air and sunk into the monster's hide. The blade bit deep before the bugbear fell in a heap.

"Aha!" said Milo as he jumped up with his crossbow aimed towards the former battleground. His face fell when he realized that there were no more bugbears to take out. Milo lowered his weapon, shrugged, and set about to relieving the dead of their valuables. These bugbears carried gold as well, a few pieces each. Milo also noticed something funny about the fireplace in the back of the room. Behind the old fireback he found a blackened spittoon. On a hunch he ripped off a rag from one of the corpse's threadbare clothes. After some vigorous polishing he found that the spittoon was really a silver urn. A valuable one at that.

He motioned to Brigit and tied the urn to her pack. He didn't notice the look of bare avarice in the mountain man's eyes. They all searched the rest of the room and found nothing.

"I'm just about out of energy and spells, what say we camp before we check out any more caverns?" Milo suggested. He thought about the other cavern they found and the disorientation they felt there. He'd rather be fully rested before tackling that place.

"I agree with Milo, let's find another campground and rest for a little bit." Mazi said.

"Just...let...me...finish...what...I'm...doin..." Brigit said between strokes of her axe. The butcher was at work.

The guards' queasy faces returned at the sight of Brigit's handiwork. The mountain man only had eyes for the urn, the most valuable item he had seen the party pick up besides the statue that was stowed in Brigit's pack. The adventurers left the cavern with the former prisoners trailing behind.

After a half-day's walk the party found a suitable campground. The four friends discussed watch and decided that the two guards and the mountain man could sleep while they stood watch. Mazi still didn't trust them. The seven of them set about making a cold camp.

 

[Milo Windby]

Keep of the Borderlands -part nineteen (session 5)

The party and the liberated prisoners settled in for another cold camp. Watch was set and Milo slipped into his bedroll after doffing his chain shirt. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as his old leathers but he had to admit it offered him much more protection. It was a few minutes before Brigit had finished removing her plate mail. The heavy pieces of metal clanked noisily to the ground. Milo sighed, he was going to have to teach her how to be quieter with that stuff. He had drifted off into a light, alert sleep before the thought was even complete.

Milo awoke with a start. He heard a leathery flapping and a shout from Jeremiah. He was up in a flash, reaching for his crossbow and lantern before he even knew what had happened. Milo looked about the campsite and saw what made the sound. He could barely make out a huge bat hovering over Jeremiah. Milo found his flint and steel and struck a light to the lantern.

The others were up by then, each reaching for their weapon, not even taking time to don their armor. Jeremiah was in trouble as he dodged the bat as best he could. In one uncharacteristically fluid motion Jer sidestepped a lunge from the beast and brought his great sword straight down. The blade bit into the foul monster's hide, splattering the barbarian with blood. The creature snapped its neck back and sunk its fangs into his arm. Jeremiah jumped back, hand held to the twin wounds on his forearm.

Mazi wasted no time, as soon as she stood up from retrieving her bow she loosed an arrow. Her aim was remarkable and would have wounded the bat seriously if it hadn't raised a hair's breadth from its position. The arrow skimmed along its underside, grazing through its hide. Milo drew back his crossbow string, loading a bolt as quickly as he could.

Brigit had drawn her bow as well. Her shot was not as successful as Mazithra's. It flew past the huge bat's wings on a downbeat. She swore and tossed the bow to the ground. Jeremiah and the bat continued their deadly dance. They exchanged a flurry of blows, the bat's glistening fangs biting at Jeremiah's sword. Somehow the huge flying beast made it past Jeremiah's guard. It pierced his armor at the shoulder and drew more blood. Jer returned the favor with his sword. He brought the great blade down on the bat's flank, slicing through the furry hide.

Brigit rummaged through her gear and heaved out her waraxe with a satisfied exclamation. She turned to charge back into the fray. She noticed the mountain man and guards cowering at the edge of the camp and snorted her disdain before returning her attention to the giant bat.

Milo loosed his first crossbow bolt at the creature. He sighed in disappointment as the bolt bounced harmlessly off the bat's thick hide. He grabbed his bolts and moved closer for a direct shot. Mazi suffered a similar problem. Her arrow grazed the beast's underside again, but no wound trailed the arrowhead. She grabbed another arrow from her quiver.

Jeremiah slashed at the flying monstrosity a moment too late. The bat flew in too close and bit down on his other shoulder. Jeremiah staggered back, bleeding profusely from many wounds. The bat looked to be about to finish him off.

Milo grabbed one of the flasks he always kept handy on the outside of his pack and rushed it to Jeremiah. The barbarian recognized the vial and immediately downed its contents. His wounds stopped bleeding immediately and he looked greatly refreshed. He let out a loud roar and gripped his sword, ready to dispatch the loathsome beast.

Brigit moved in and swung her axe. For the first time she cursed her smaller stature. It was as if the bat taunted her, flying just inches above her swinging axe. The bat waited for a pause in her attack and lunged at Jeremiah again. Its glistening fangs sunk once more into his flesh, this time two puncture wounds in his leg began to bleed.

Mazi sensed a perfect moment to attack as the bat pulled away from its bite. She drew back hard on her bowstring, ready to plunge the arrow into the bat's heart. A resounding snap could be heard in the clearing as her string whipped off the top notch. Her arrow remained in her hand and a bewildered look crept across her face. She immediately set about rummaging through her pack for her spare string.

Meanwhile Jeremiah roared again and charged at the bat before it could rise above the group. His muscles bunched up around his shoulders as his sword swung down at the huge, le creature. The blade sliced clean through its hide and didn't stop until the bat's head was completely severed from its body. Its heavy corpse fell like a rock to the ground. Jeremiah stood over the dead bat with his sword tip embedded in the earth. He was breathing heavily and his wounds were bleeding again.

Milo rushed over to Jer and began his chants. After a couple of healing mantras Jeremiah felt revived and healthy. Mazi had found that in the confusion the mountain man she distrusted so much lived up to her expectations. The silver urn they had found that day was gone, as was he. She muttered under her breath and threw a nasty glare at the remaining caravan guards as if challenging them to flee with any more of their goods.

The guards were happy to still be alive and they thanked the party profusely again. They swore their trustworthiness and promised to keep a low profile if the party would allow them to stay. Milo saw no problem with the guards, the one he didn't halfway trust had already fled. He was glad that all the burly mountain man took was the urn. They had many more valuables that could have gone missing.

Brigit hacked off the wings of the great bat and they rolled it out of the clearing. Milo was half-worried that the carrion may attract other residents of the cursed forest but the party was too tired to move out. They decided to set up watch again and brave the rest of the night where they were.