The Waterdeep Adventures or Kobold Soup is good eatin!

[spacehulkster]

“We should cut across these hills” Pudge enthusiastically states striding the ridge. He looks back and then understands his error. Dank and he have made the rise, while the little ones with the Elves lending a hand are barely half way up.

Milo looks up with a smile, “That’s OK Pudge, we can do it. We understand your anxious to get to Waterdeep.

The weather was exceptional and they made good time. They spent two calm and peaceful nights under the stars. Dusk the third day found them approaching the small village of Oakhurst. So small in fact, it wasn’t on any map. There were only a dozen buildings, but the party smiled eagerly at each other at the prospect of a home cooked meal and warm beds.

Narog, the owner of the Ol’ Stag Inn, looked up from cleaning the counter with a smile, “Well met, what can I….. get you……ah…gentlemen!?” His smile faded to a query as he eyed his new customers.

Pudge started to order, but Vern quickly interrupted “A hot meal and some ale for us adventurers.”

Pudge stole a glance into the party funds pouch. “My friends, we might be getting a little low on funds. By the time we get to Waterdeep, I believe we will need at least double what we have now. Basti told me Waterdeep wasn’t cheap!”

All agreed and Pudge went to work on the Innkeeper. “Good evening Innkeeper, there wouldn’t happen to be any problems around here that me party and me could solve?”

“Problems?” the Innkeeper stated scratching his head. “Well, the farmers in the area have been reporting some cattle stolen and killed. You might want to talk with the constable about that though.”

Pudge thanks the owner, brings back another pitcher of ale and reports back to the group. They all agree to a good nights rest and see the constable in the morning.

Within minutes of the party finishing their meal an older woman approaches the group. She introduces herself as Kerowyn Hucrele and that two of her grandchildren are missing. She would give a reward if the group could find them and bring them back or at least bring back their signet rings. She informs them of the ravine and fortress that is cradled in it. Her grandchildren, along with two other friends from out of town, went to investigate the place a week ago and have not been seen since.

The group agrees to search for them but will still meet with the constable in the morning. As the group decides to bed down for the night, Dank informs the party that he will sleep under the stars this night just outside of town.

Dank pitches is newly won tent along side the road and a fenceline a few yards away from the blacksmith’s shop. The two cut eyelets give him a small view of the starry night and he easily falls asleep. But his senses awaken him as he hears some rustling outside. Dank grabs his sword, intent on surveying the area without donning his armor. After a quick scan of the area, with his dark vision, he decides to relieve himself along the fence line on some bushes.

Suddenly a bush lashes out at him, not once but twice.

 

[pogre]

Man, poor Dank! I hate it when a bush lashes out at me right after I pitch my tent...

 

[Stormcrowe]

I admit it! I did it! I cast Animate Plant on the bush! It was a drastic measure I know but I had to act fast in order to save nature!! An Orc taking a leak on a bush! Do you have any idea what Orcs drink?!?!?! He could have deforested everything in a 50 mile radius!!!!

 

[spacehulkster]

WOW Pogre! You are a master of words. Sounds like something I might say in your game.
Have I infected you?

Don't let StormCrow fool you. He hasn't come into the game yet. Although, I wouldn"t put it past him to do such a thing.

 

[spacehulkster]

Into the Ravine

Exposed, Dank recovers his sword. He is surprised that he is not bleeding, as the thing missed him. As the bush takes a small humanoid form, Dank quickly cuts the sapling into three parts. While the thing stops quivering, Dank takes another hard look around. He eyes the remaining bushes along the fence suspiciously but nothing seems to be moving. After piling the parts up out side his tent, Dank peacefully sleeps till dawn.

The party is enjoying a home cooked breakfast as Dank walks in and tosses the sapling upon the table.

“Dank, what is the meaning of interrupting our breakfast like this?” Vern asks.

“This… attacked me last night” Dank states.

“But it’s a bush!” Felix retorts back

“Ah, but a bush with claws.” Dank points out the limbs ending in needle like fingers.

“I must say,” Milo states while stuffing his mouth with pancakes, “it does resemble something somewhat humanoid.”

“Well, get that off the table and join us for some delicious pancakes, Dank. We will show it to the constable when we are through.” Vern replies.

The party meets with Felon, the constable, and inquires as to the missing teens and the mutilated cattle. Dank points out the sapling as Felon eyes him disbelievingly. Felon answers that the teens set off for the ravine a couple of ten days (term for Forgotten Realms standard week) ago and have not been seen since. Armed with more questions than answers, the group sets out for the ravine.

After six hours the group spots the first signs of their goal, pillars that jut up from the earth. A few moments later reveals the ravine and more post, broken and scattered around the area. From one, is tied a rope.

The first to climb down the rope is Pudge followed closely by Dank and Vern. They are quickly assaulted by three dire rats, which Pudge and Dank dispatch quickly.

The group makes it down to a landing of steps that proceed further down. Slowly and cautiously they walk down the steps to the base of the tower with a door clearly in front of them.

Valen walks right up to the door and falls into a pit trap. He falls 10 feet suffering some humiliation, but minor damage.

Gaining access into the tower, they see two doors, but Elric finds a secret door and opens it. Pudge nudges past and finds a skeleton rising and attacking him.
Valen attempts to shoot it, but his arrows glance off the bones. Pudge is able, after a few rounds of suffering hits, to take down the bony man. He quickly searches its tattered clothing for valuables.

Felix decides for the group to take the right hand door. They find themselves walking down a hallway with a wooden door ahead, wooden door on the right and a stone door on the left.

They decide the stone door holds more interest and proceed to open it. They find an upright keg with rusted iron pipes running from it to the floor. Inquisitive, Vern ask Dank to open it and search for treasure.

Dank is assailed by a water mephit that deals quite a bit of damage before being destroyed.

Finding the door on the right as an empty closet, they proceed to the end of the hall.

They hear weeping and scratching in the room beyond and ready for battle lunge into the room.
A brief scan of the room shows a small broken iron cage, a fire pit in the center of the room and a small wooden bench with a cloth and several small items upon it. And still a weeping or crying coming from a bedroll in a corner of the room.

Dank approaches it with Pudge close by. But he holds his action as he uncovers a wimpering kobold. It looks up at him without a care for its own safety.

“What are ye yimpering ‘bout?” Dank ask.

“Meepo’s pet gone! The clan’s dragon is gone!” it exclaims in common.

“Meepo? Whats Meepo? And what about this dragon?” Vern frighteningly ask.

“Pitiful wretch” Dank mutters, throwing down the covers back onto the kobold.

“I be Meepo and I keeper of white dragon. But it gone now, stolen by greenkins! My poor Calcryx” it mutters.

Valen looks about the room and the writing and graffiti that is scribbled around the walls, “Here there be dragons!” he states.

“Dragons! Where?” Felix exclaims.

“No this room, the writing says it on the walls” explains Valen.

“Maybe you help get back Calcryx? Help Meepo regain lost honor.”

“Ah, I’m not sure about that” Milo states looking nervously around at the others.

“Oh pplleease, Meepo take you to leader. She help you if you help me.”

“Well sounds like a trap but lets take a chance” Pudge states.

He is able to persuade the group and they follow Meepo through the next door and around a corner into a great hall with pillars and a chair with a creature in ropes sitting upon it. All the while other kobolds are eyeing this peculiar site and readying their weapons.

Meepo advances ahead to the figure on the chair and introduces the group in Draconic. Valen understanding draconic interprets for the group. Meanwhile Milo hovers close to Pudge and Vern does the same behind Dank. Elric tries to slip behind a pillar, but he is noticed by kobolds that give him a nod with a raise of their crossbows.

Feeling comfortably safe the Matriarch addresses the party, “is this true, you will help Meepo regain the wyrmling?”

“Oh, it’s just a wyrmling!” Vern exclaims with relief.

“Easy Vern, even a wyrmling is dangerous” Dank offers.

Valen acknowledges the groups intent to the matriarch and she introduces herself and relates the situation.

“We inhabit this side of the keep, goblins the other and the Outcast is below with his pets.”
“The goblins raid us constantly and recently stole our wyrmling. If you return the dragon to us, I shall grant you a reward. Meepo will accompany you.”

“Ok, ask her what the Outcast is Valen. This just keeps getting more involved!” says Felix.

“Matriarch, who is the Outcast? And have you seen four teenagers recently?” Valen implores.

“He worships the great tree below, that is all I know and as for the four… yes, they went to fight the goblins and have never returned.”

Agreeing to another task, the group backs its way out of the hall with Meepo leading the way.

 

[spacehulkster]

The Dragon

That is, Meepo led the way until they got into the area of contention between the Kobolds & Goblins. He then started hanging behind Pudges legs, chattering nervously and constantly poking Pudge’s legs with his crossbow.

Slowly into the fountain room crept the party. As Valen noticed the Draconic along the fountain, he was sure that the fountain contained something. But not having pronounced the name aloud, the secret of the fountain remained a mystery.

Further down the corridor, Elric & Felix heard some chattering and scurrying. The rest of the party slowly makes their way down to the end of the corridor, where another dry fountain awaits.

Elric holds Pudge up, surveying the floor, “Wait, the floor panels are uneven, like a secret trap door or something.” “Well, lets take a look,” replies Pudge.

As the party moves into the room, carefully avoiding the floor panels, a couple of dire rats jump out of their hiding spots and attack Vern. The rats get a couple of good bites on him before he is able to get away from them.

Pudge and Dank quickly take up to slicing these rats when another jumps out at Dank, biting his arm. Dank throws it off into the wall. It quickly runs away into its lair, alerting the rest of the litter. Dank deals a death blow to the one he had started on.

Meanwhile Valen and Thalez, disgusted at not finding anything at the fountain, run up to help. Seeing where the rat had run off to, Valen quickly opens the door in hopes of getting a surprise shot on it. Instead, he himself is attacked by 3 dire rats and succumbs to their disease.

The two Elves are sickened at the site of cadavers, bones and filth in the room. That and the rather large rat snarling at them does not give Thalez any comfort. “Uh, guys. We got something big & ugly here. And I think its laughing at me.”

“How bad could it possibly be, you babies,” Pudge states, stepping into the room. “What the!” he yells upon seeing the monstrous rat. The dire rat is twice the size of a normal dire rat. “I have never seen …” he trails off as he attacks.

Elric and Dank lend Pudge a hand slicing the remaining rats, while Thalez carriesValen out and draws his own bow. Unfortunatley the fight ends before Thalez gets a chance to shoot.

Elric and Pudge search the filth and find what seems to be the body of one of the teen-agers they're looking for, because it is wearing a ring like one that lady Hucrele had described. They also find a few gems, gold, and a potion.

Finding no large passages out of the rat den, the party backtracks to an intersection they had bypassed. After listening and searching for traps they enter the empty room. Another door leads out and the same procedure reveals nothing new. Opening this door reveals a barricade at the end of a 30’ hallway and a couple of javelins heading Felix and Elrics way. Valen shoots one goblin down from behind the barricade and the other goblin takes off.

Pudge and Elric give chase. Elric successfully glides over the barricade. Pudge however, catches his foot and trips over the barricade, destroying it and his pride. With Pudge down, Felix runs ahead to cover Elrics back. They round the corner and open the door onto another "L" shaped passage.

“Stay back Felix, I want to take a quick glance around this corner first,” states Elric . “Why don’t I,” answers Felix, who immediately disappears from site. A stunned Elric turns to the rest of the group, slowly following behind, with a finger to his mouth motioning for silence.

“I think Felix went ahead to check,” he starts. “Nope, I’m back,” Felix states flatly. “There’s another barricade with a couple more Gobbo’s waiting for us.” “Hey, where are you?” whispers Pudge. “Right here!” answers Felix, tapping Pudge’s right leg “I’m going back in to get the drop on them.”

“OK, on three then,” Elric announces, nocking an arrow on his bow. Valen and Thalez also nock arrows, while Dank and Pudge heft their large axes.

“How about some quick spells?” Vern asks. “Na, not necessary. You just don’t get hurt,” Dank replies caressing his weapon. Dejected, Vern begins to load his crossbow and hides behind Dank. Elric begins to count, “One, Two, HEY!”

Valen jumps the gun, with Thalez in tow. The two blood hungry elves round the corner and narrowly miss a few javelins hurled their way.

Elric rounds the corner and fires a blind shot into the barricade. Valen takes up a position in the corner and shoots down a goblin. Thalez’s shot also goes wild into the door behind the goblins.

As Pudge and Dank rush the barricade, Felix takes this moment to fire his bow and reveal his position, hitting a goblin in the arm. The door behind the goblins bursts open and two more goblins rush into the room, just in time to hold Pudge off at the barricade.

Exposed now, Felix is the target for a couple of javelins that fortunately miss. Vern rounds the corner and runs up to within 10 feet of the barricade and casts sleep. Pudge, along with the two remaining goblins, slumps to the floor.

Dank begins slapping Pudge after beheading the goblins. “wh…ah…what happened?” questions Pudge.

“Not much. The WIZARD decided to throw a spell!” Dank replies. “Hey, those goblins nearly had us cornered,” states an insulted Vern.

Before a scuffle begins because of poor planning, Felix and Meepo remind everyone that there are two other doors in this room, besides the one the goblins came in from.

Opening the closest door, the party finds 3 kobolds tied with rope to a large spike and a gnome resting in a rusting cage. Meepo immediately attempts to cut the rope on the kobolds. Pudge puts his hand on Meepos' shoulder to stop him cutting, “Maybe we should inform them of the situation first Meepo.”

“Meepo tell them, they help,” Meepo responds, quite happy to have found fellow kobolds.

“They don’t look in too good a shape to help anyone. In fact, why don’t you take them back to your leader, Meepo,” insists Dank. “Then get back to us as fast as you can.” “Great, that’s just three more we’ll have to kill later!” Felix complains as the four kobolds leave through the door.

“What about the gnome?” asks Pudge. “I think he’ll be fine,” Milo replies. “No, I mean does he have anything interesting?” Pudge retorts.

After releasing him and Milo giving him some healing, the gnome introduces himself and answers the party’s questions. The group finds out that the three teen-agers were captured by the goblins a month ago and then given to a druid who lives below. They also learn of a new threat of the twig blights and the tree on the level below.

“Those sounds like the thing that attacked you, Dank,” states Milo . “Are there a lot of these things?” Pudge asks. “I don’t know," says the gnome. I’ve just heard the goblins talking about the twigs, and the fruit that the druid lets them sell to the farmers in the area.”

“Should we move on or take Erky here back to town?” asks Felix. “Let’s go a bit further,” reply the two young Elves in unison.

The adventurers gather up Erky and opt to not open the second door. They instead open the door that the goblin reinforcements came from. They enter a 40 foot long hallway. Elric takes the lead, and at the end of the hall, falls into a pit trap. Thoroughly pissed at himself for not seeing it, he yells up to be pulled out of it immediately. He spends no time searching the pit floor.

Straddling the trap, Elric listens and checks the door it is in front of. Not hearing anything or finding any traps on the door, he opens it and hears a loud screech. Broken furniture litters the floor in front of the door. On the walls are poorly mounted trophy heads of assorted animals...and kobolds. A small white dragon sits on top of an overturned table flapping its wings.

Elric rushes in and promptly slides across the room into a door at the opposite side of the room. Thalez jumps the pit and also slides across the room head first into the wall. Elric announces from his prone position that the room is full of ice and to be careful jumping across the pit into the room.

Dank and Pudge take some time to rig a rope across the pit for the rest of the party to cross on. Meanwhile Valen jumps across the pit and successfully lands in the room and takes a shot at the dragon.

“We need that thing alive!” screams Vern. “Subdue it.” Disgruntled at not being able to kill the dragon, the two elves attempt to regain their footing, only to fail and fall again. Valen drops his longbow and draws his sword, carefully stepping towards the beast. The dragon claws and bites at Valen, but he manages to dodge and keep his footing.

After rigging the rope securely, Pudge is the first to attempt to cross the pit, but looses his grip on the rope and falls.

Once again the elves try to regain their footing and help Valen subdue the dragon. Pudge climbs out of the pit on the side by the door and promptly gets a waft of cold air for his trouble, chilling him to the bone.

Dank, Milo and Vern finally make it over the pit and help out the elves, who are having a terrible time subduing the dragon Calcryx. With great effort and many wounds, the party is finally able to subdue the beast and tie it up for transport back to Meepo’s cage.

Searching the room before they go, they find a figurine, silverware, a goblet and a sealed scroll case of bone with crumbling parchment inside. They decide the bone scroll case is of no value and discard it. Pudge makes sure he packs the silverware and goblet carefully away and the group travels back to the kobold area.

After giving the dragon back over into Meepo’s care, they confront the Kobold martiarch,Yusdrayl. Again with Valen as interpreter, and under close guard, the matriarch asks them what would they like as a reward. Eyeing the throne beyond her, Pudge spots a metallic key in a carved dragons mouth, ”How ‘bout that key there?”

Yusdrayl agrees and gives them the key. “What door does this key go to?” Vern asks Valen to translate.

Responding to the question, Yusdrayl says she has no idea and offers another reward if the adventurers can destroy the goblins so that her clan can take over the entire keep and grow. The group agrees that they will do what they can, but for now they must retire to heal and sleep.

“I don’t like the idea of working for kobolds,” Felix states.

“True. But at least they seem nice,” Milo points out.

“You obviously haven’t seen them look at you,” Vern adds.

Oblivious to the conversation, Pudge fondles the key and asks, “I wonder what this key goes to?”

It’s at this point that Dank informs the party that he has had enough of this citadel and country side. He feels the caverns calling him and has decided to go wander the depths below for an unknown amount of time.

“You take care of yourself, Dank,” Vern says, with a tear in his eye.

“We’ll meet again. Of that I am sure, Wizard.” Dank states patting the gnome's head. He marches off as darkness falls.

 

[pogre]

Valen jumps the gun, with Thalez in tow. The two blood hungry elves round the corner and narrowly miss a few javelins hurled their way.

There's a shocker

 

[pogre]

Did you give up? I know you have a lot of good stuff left, but I know you're a busy man too

 

[spacehulkster]

Very busy, plus the next part was a fun session and i want to do it justice.

 

[spacehulkster]

Back at Oakhurst, Pudge and Milo were making friends with the village cleric, Corkie Nakle. She‘s a female gnome cleric of Pelor, and quite glad to be busy making potions of healing for the adventurers.
But to Pudge’s disappointment, she never make’s enough in the day.

The next morning Pudge and Felix got the Elves up early.

“We’re head’ in back to the ravine and we thought we’d get an early start,” Pudge said.

“What about Vern and Milo?” asked Thalez.

“Milo is not feeling too good, so he’s resting in today,” Felix states. “But I’m prepared,” Vern answers, rounding the hall corner.

“Just the six of us then! Looks like we won’t have any healing,” Elric points out.

“We’ll be fine. It’s just a few goblins. Anyway I can’t wait to see where this key goes,” states Pudge enthusiastically.

The six adventurers make it back to the ravine and start making the climb down the rope with no problems.

“I think that I will try these babies out!” Felix boast, flexing his newly grown wings. The Elves smile proudly at their friends new found freedom.

“When did that happen?” Pudge questions.

“Yesterday I noticed that my nubs were itching uncontrollably,” Felix proudly explains. “Then last night while I was washing up, I scrapped the outer husk, (which was cracked and peeling) and out formed me wings! I tried not sleeping on them last night. I hope they are ready.”

“Do you want me to get down there first and catch you if they fail?” Pudge asked.

“If I fall, well, I fall,” Felix responds, still flexing his wings.

As Pudge descends, Felix takes off and heads down the ravine. It was touch and go to start with, but he is finally able to control his dive. Felix waits for everyone at the entrance to the keep.

“That looked like fun Felix,” says a wide eyed Thalez. He and Valen congratulate Felix.
This time they check the area in front of the entrance to the keep and find that the trap is reset.
Elric successfully disarms it and the group enters the tower.

They all look at the southwest door, then at Pudge.

“Shall I try the key?” Pudge finally ask.

“No, just check it for traps and secret compartments!” Elric smarts off.

Pudge steps up to the door and trys inserting the key. It doesn’t fit. “I don’t think this is the right door,” he says.

“Well, open it and let’s move on,” torts the Pixie.

Opening the door, Pudge stares in at a dark, rubble filled room. The south wall has collapsed and the east wall doesn’t look much better. But, the west wall has a stone door with a dragon carved in relief on it. Elric moves in and starts surveying for traps, then ask for some light, to which Felix complies. After carefully searching the door, Elric is sure that there are no traps. The door contains a single keyhole in its open mouth. Elric tugs at the door first, then cast a glance at Pudge.

Stepping forward, Pudge ask, “Do you need some help?” He begins to roll up his shirt sleeves, making sure that they all get a good look at his biceps.

Disappointed, Elric responds, “No, the key you dolt!”

“Oh,” Pudge grumbles, digging out the key from his belt pouch.

Elric examines the key and slowly inserts it into the dragon’s open mouth. It goes in, he gives it a slow turn and the door cracks open. A hissing sound and a puff of dust comes from around the door.

“Looks like it’s been awhile since the door has been opened,” Felix states.

Squinting, Elric bats down the dust from his face and looks back at the party, “shall we?” he points into the next chamber.

Felix shines the torch into the room and cautiously the group enters the hissing room. Pudge and Elric instinctively reach for their weapons. Valen draws his bowstring taut. On the north side of this 30’ x 30’ room, are three alcoves and the south contains one alcove. Each alcove contains a pedestal with a dust covered crystal globe upon it. Only the one globe in the south alcove glows with a soft blue light. Faint tinkling notes spring from it.

Felix creeps slowly towards the “tinkling” globe. Just a few feet away from it, the sound becomes louder and ominous. Pudge’s hands move from his hilt to his ears and he runs out of the room back towards the keep entrance. Thalez follows closely behind.

“Why is that getting louder?” ask Vern.

“I wonder what shuts it off,” shouts Felix. Elric steps up and begins to examine the globe.

Screaming, “make it stop,” Valen runs from the room, followed by Vern. The four stop running once they get to the keep entrance.

Certain there are no traps, Elric picks up the globe. But the noise now get louder. Squinting with the pain in his ears, Felix reaches for the globe.