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Adventures in the Eastern Provinces
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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 5178674" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p>Our heroes sneak up to the barricade at the top of the stairs. They are noticed before they can climb over, and four of the five duergar in the chamber beyond rush to repel their advance. The final gray dwarf hangs back. He wears robes that have a religious look to them, and immediately begins incanting diabolically.</p><p></p><p>Karl fires a <em>magic missile</em> at the theurge, but the duergar cackles maniacally as <em>vile fumes</em> burst around our heroes, blinding several of them. </p><p></p><p>From behind the barricade, the duergars guarding the entrance laugh as they swing their weapons. Cavemouth reels under the assault, but Shar's <em>healing words</em> keep her standing- and fighting. Sepia, uncaught by the fumes, darts up and hurls a dagger into the theurge's chest with a <em>sly flourish</em>, leaving him grunting in pain. </p><p></p><p>Shifty and Karl, blinded, hang back long enough for their eyes to clear. By then, Cavemouth has managed to clamber over the barricade, suffering two severe blows from duergar hammers as he does so. He lays about himself, swinging his axe in a wide arc, while Shar continues to feed him strength. </p><p></p><p>Shifty, Sepia and Karl focus their attacks on the theurge in the back. Shifty hurls a shuriken, Sepia a dagger and Karl a volley of <em>magic missiles</em>. The theurge crumples. </p><p></p><p>The other duergar blanch, suddenly caught between Cavemouth on one side and the barrier- and Shifty and Sepia- on the other. “It doesn't have to end this way for you!” calls Shar. “We don't want to fight you. We're here to talk! But if you keep attacking us, we will show you no mercy.”</p><p></p><p>The duergar, already demoralized, stand down- although they don't surrender. Shifty sighs. “God damn it. Why can't we just kill anything?”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Negotiations ensue, as is usual for this band of adventurers. Privately, even Shifty has to admit that Shar has a point. If they can achieve their goal and get the <em>Bell of Salash</em> for the marid without violence, she will reward them all the same. Sure, there is potential loot from the duergar that the party will miss, but they also will miss a lot of potential trouble. <em>Evil, devil-worshiping dwarves are bound to have tunnels full of guardians, traps and probably even devils,</em> he thinks. <em>Maybe it isn't such a terrible thing that we are missing that.</em></p><p></p><p>Shar explains to the duergar, “We're looking for a bell.”</p><p></p><p>“The <em>Bell of Salash</em>,” one of the duergar says immediately.</p><p></p><p>“You're a bright one,” the governess replies. “What's your name?”</p><p></p><p>“Tincup.” The duergar eyes her speculatively. “And what do we get in return?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, Tincup, if you can help us get the bell, we can avoid a lot of unpleasantness. </p><p>As you can imagine, we are about to attack your home and lay waste to many of your people, but we'd prefer to avoid that. Why don't you take us to someone that can negotiate for your folk?”</p><p></p><p>The guard shakes his head. “We don't like outsiders,” he growls, “and we won't suffer them in our city.”</p><p></p><p>“If you're useless to us, we'll just kill you,” Shifty interjects (almost eagerly, one might think).</p><p></p><p>One of the other guards scowls and starts to heft his warhammer again. “Wait a minute,” Shar urges. “We can get back to fighting if you want, but it's still possible that we can talk this out. Can you bring someone to talk to us?”</p><p></p><p>Tincup and the guard that started to lift his hammer exchange a glance. They withdraw a few paces and have a quick conversation, then Tincup swaggers back towards the party. “I'll talk to you,” he declares. “What do you need the bell for, anyway?”</p><p></p><p>“There is a creature that your kind imprisoned. We want it to free her.”</p><p></p><p>“No,” says a third guard. The others are shaking their heads.</p><p></p><p>“If you free her,” Tincup states, “she will destroy my people. She will raise the water level to flood our tunnels and drown us like rats.”</p><p></p><p>“Maybe you deserve it for enslaving her,” Sepia retorts.</p><p></p><p>The duergar are scowling more direly again. Shar once more tries to smooth the negotiations. “My husband,” indicating Shifty, “and I are the new governors of the lands above this area. We can ensure that she leaves you in peace- we can extract an oath from her before we release her.”</p><p></p><p>“And if she refuses your oath?”</p><p></p><p>“Then we will not release her,” Shar pronounces. Cavemouth groans quietly. </p><p></p><p>Again, the dour looks on the gray dwarves retreat until they show mere displeasure. “We must discuss your offer,” Tincup announces, and pulls his men back a few dozen feet to mutter amongst themselves in Dwarven.</p><p></p><p>“Think about it, brothers,” Tincup mutters. “If we steal the bell for these outsiders, we will undermine the authority of the Darkchain clan so much that we may be able to take the Thanedom from them!”</p><p></p><p>Another scowls back at him. “But think of the risks. If she were to flood the tunnels, we would all die.”</p><p></p><p>“Yet, if these surfacers can keep their word and force her to leave...”</p><p></p><p>“Just imagine,” his eldest brother Zelthug says, “our father on the throne!” <em>And then before long, it would be my turn!</em></p><p></p><p>“A bold scheme,” Gravel, the youngest of the four of them, nods. “Can we secure the bell?”</p><p></p><p>“You are young,” Tincup drawls. “You do not yet know of the Gray Ways. We shall show you, brother.” <em>And we will make an offering of Zelthug to Lucifer, that he may bless our undertaking- and that I will be the oldest left alive to succeed our father.</em></p><p></p><p>The duergar return to our heroes. “You still have not told us what you offer us.”</p><p></p><p>“We'll leave you in peace,” Shifty replies.</p><p></p><p>“You don't understand our power,” Cavemouth says. “We tore up your theurge very quickly. Just imagine what we could do to the rest of you!” The goliath glowers fiercely at the gray dwarves.</p><p></p><p>A long-suffering look on her face, Shar adds, “We're the governors of the lands above you. We can open up many possibilities with trade for you. Failing that, we can also help insure your privacy.”</p><p></p><p>The duergar guards mutter amongst themselves again for a moment. Finally, Tincup nods. “Very well. We will gain the <em>Bell of Salash</em> for you, but only if you can obtain an oath from the marid that she will leave us in peace.”</p><p></p><p>“Fair enough,” agrees Shar. </p><p></p><p>“But if you cross us, or fail to deliver,” Shifty threatens, “we'll finish you like we did your friend.”</p><p></p><p>Tincup shows his gritty teeth again.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>The marid is easy enough to persuade. Though she freely admits that she would prefer to gain her vengeance against the duergar that used her for so long, she is rather philosophical about the whole thing. Better freedom and writing off her revenge than continued imprisonment, she agrees.</p><p></p><p>The wererats happily take the party's “entrance fee” each time they go to see her. Their purple dragon companion (? pet? master?) perches on high rocks and keeps a lofty, arrogant eye on the party.</p><p></p><p>Back down to the duergar, where Shar announces that the marid has agreed to their terms. Tincup nods decisively and says, “We'll have the bell for you in a day.”</p><p></p><p>“We'll just camp here, then,” replies Shifty.</p><p></p><p>“Out of the question!” barks another of the duergar guards.</p><p></p><p>“Leave,” Tincup demands. “Leave and come back.”</p><p></p><p>“We'll keep an eye on things here,” insists Shifty.</p><p></p><p>“Then the deal is off.” Tincup and his men reach for their weapons.</p><p></p><p>“Hold on!” protests Shar. “Wait, wait- we can live with this.” She draws Shifty away. “I think they want to get rid of us because there is a secret door to their home in this room,” she murmurs. “They don't want outsiders in, so we have to leave or else they have to reveal the way in to their home to us.”</p><p></p><p>“Which, practically speaking, they just did,” adds Karl.</p><p></p><p>Shar returns to the duergar. “All right,” she says. “We'll be back in twelve hours.”</p><p></p><p>Tincup grins a nasty, gray-toothed grin. “We'll see you then.”</p><p></p><p>As the party leaves, Cavemouth quietly points out, “We could have just given them time to set a trap for us, to gather reinforcements and stuff.”</p><p></p><p>“Sure,” agrees Shifty, “but if they try anything, we'll kill them.”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>But Tincup and his men are true to their words. Twelve hours later, when the party goes to see them, they have the <em>Bell of Salash.</em> Our heroes depart without any further violence, although each side is ready for treachery from the other, and return to the pool imprisoning Katimah the marid above.</p><p></p><p>She swims to just below the icy surface of her prison. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of the bell that promises her freedom. “You did it!” she exclaims.</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” says Shifty. “But before we free you, you must swear to do no harm to the duergar below.”</p><p></p><p>Katimah does not hesitate for even an instant. “I so swear,” she cries. “Free me, I beg of you!”</p><p></p><p>Despite her reservations, Shar rings the bell.</p><p></p><p>Immediately, the layer of ice at the top of the pool begins to crack. Jagged edge and blue, a web of ruptures begins to tear the layer apart. In the water below, Katimah gives a great cry and rushes upward, slamming into the ice.</p><p></p><p>In an explosion of water and slush, the marid breaks free.</p><p></p><p>Laughing, she swirls around the chamber in a rush of water. Our heroes are staggered by the force of it, and several are almost swept away; then there is a sound like a great wave roaring, and Katimah is gone, leaving behind only an echoing, fading “Thank you...”</p><p></p><p>The floor is wet and a few flecks of sea foam cling here and there, to the rocks or to our heroes. But the pool is now empty save for a remnant of water a few inches deep. The marid, it seems, has gone- somewhere. Home? </p><p></p><p>Home. What a great idea. And for now, at least, home is the Governor's Tower.</p><p></p><p>Our heroes begin their ascent, heading back towards home.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> The invasion of Woodcut! Ambushed by druids! A daring rescue! Who will our heroes negotiate with next??</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 5178674, member: 1210"] Our heroes sneak up to the barricade at the top of the stairs. They are noticed before they can climb over, and four of the five duergar in the chamber beyond rush to repel their advance. The final gray dwarf hangs back. He wears robes that have a religious look to them, and immediately begins incanting diabolically. Karl fires a [i]magic missile[/i] at the theurge, but the duergar cackles maniacally as [i]vile fumes[/i] burst around our heroes, blinding several of them. From behind the barricade, the duergars guarding the entrance laugh as they swing their weapons. Cavemouth reels under the assault, but Shar's [i]healing words[/i] keep her standing- and fighting. Sepia, uncaught by the fumes, darts up and hurls a dagger into the theurge's chest with a [i]sly flourish[/i], leaving him grunting in pain. Shifty and Karl, blinded, hang back long enough for their eyes to clear. By then, Cavemouth has managed to clamber over the barricade, suffering two severe blows from duergar hammers as he does so. He lays about himself, swinging his axe in a wide arc, while Shar continues to feed him strength. Shifty, Sepia and Karl focus their attacks on the theurge in the back. Shifty hurls a shuriken, Sepia a dagger and Karl a volley of [i]magic missiles[/i]. The theurge crumples. The other duergar blanch, suddenly caught between Cavemouth on one side and the barrier- and Shifty and Sepia- on the other. “It doesn't have to end this way for you!” calls Shar. “We don't want to fight you. We're here to talk! But if you keep attacking us, we will show you no mercy.” The duergar, already demoralized, stand down- although they don't surrender. Shifty sighs. “God damn it. Why can't we just kill anything?” *** Negotiations ensue, as is usual for this band of adventurers. Privately, even Shifty has to admit that Shar has a point. If they can achieve their goal and get the [i]Bell of Salash[/i] for the marid without violence, she will reward them all the same. Sure, there is potential loot from the duergar that the party will miss, but they also will miss a lot of potential trouble. [i]Evil, devil-worshiping dwarves are bound to have tunnels full of guardians, traps and probably even devils,[/i] he thinks. [i]Maybe it isn't such a terrible thing that we are missing that.[/i] Shar explains to the duergar, “We're looking for a bell.” “The [i]Bell of Salash[/i],” one of the duergar says immediately. “You're a bright one,” the governess replies. “What's your name?” “Tincup.” The duergar eyes her speculatively. “And what do we get in return?” “Well, Tincup, if you can help us get the bell, we can avoid a lot of unpleasantness. As you can imagine, we are about to attack your home and lay waste to many of your people, but we'd prefer to avoid that. Why don't you take us to someone that can negotiate for your folk?” The guard shakes his head. “We don't like outsiders,” he growls, “and we won't suffer them in our city.” “If you're useless to us, we'll just kill you,” Shifty interjects (almost eagerly, one might think). One of the other guards scowls and starts to heft his warhammer again. “Wait a minute,” Shar urges. “We can get back to fighting if you want, but it's still possible that we can talk this out. Can you bring someone to talk to us?” Tincup and the guard that started to lift his hammer exchange a glance. They withdraw a few paces and have a quick conversation, then Tincup swaggers back towards the party. “I'll talk to you,” he declares. “What do you need the bell for, anyway?” “There is a creature that your kind imprisoned. We want it to free her.” “No,” says a third guard. The others are shaking their heads. “If you free her,” Tincup states, “she will destroy my people. She will raise the water level to flood our tunnels and drown us like rats.” “Maybe you deserve it for enslaving her,” Sepia retorts. The duergar are scowling more direly again. Shar once more tries to smooth the negotiations. “My husband,” indicating Shifty, “and I are the new governors of the lands above this area. We can ensure that she leaves you in peace- we can extract an oath from her before we release her.” “And if she refuses your oath?” “Then we will not release her,” Shar pronounces. Cavemouth groans quietly. Again, the dour looks on the gray dwarves retreat until they show mere displeasure. “We must discuss your offer,” Tincup announces, and pulls his men back a few dozen feet to mutter amongst themselves in Dwarven. “Think about it, brothers,” Tincup mutters. “If we steal the bell for these outsiders, we will undermine the authority of the Darkchain clan so much that we may be able to take the Thanedom from them!” Another scowls back at him. “But think of the risks. If she were to flood the tunnels, we would all die.” “Yet, if these surfacers can keep their word and force her to leave...” “Just imagine,” his eldest brother Zelthug says, “our father on the throne!” [i]And then before long, it would be my turn![/i] “A bold scheme,” Gravel, the youngest of the four of them, nods. “Can we secure the bell?” “You are young,” Tincup drawls. “You do not yet know of the Gray Ways. We shall show you, brother.” [i]And we will make an offering of Zelthug to Lucifer, that he may bless our undertaking- and that I will be the oldest left alive to succeed our father.[/i] The duergar return to our heroes. “You still have not told us what you offer us.” “We'll leave you in peace,” Shifty replies. “You don't understand our power,” Cavemouth says. “We tore up your theurge very quickly. Just imagine what we could do to the rest of you!” The goliath glowers fiercely at the gray dwarves. A long-suffering look on her face, Shar adds, “We're the governors of the lands above you. We can open up many possibilities with trade for you. Failing that, we can also help insure your privacy.” The duergar guards mutter amongst themselves again for a moment. Finally, Tincup nods. “Very well. We will gain the [i]Bell of Salash[/i] for you, but only if you can obtain an oath from the marid that she will leave us in peace.” “Fair enough,” agrees Shar. “But if you cross us, or fail to deliver,” Shifty threatens, “we'll finish you like we did your friend.” Tincup shows his gritty teeth again. *** The marid is easy enough to persuade. Though she freely admits that she would prefer to gain her vengeance against the duergar that used her for so long, she is rather philosophical about the whole thing. Better freedom and writing off her revenge than continued imprisonment, she agrees. The wererats happily take the party's “entrance fee” each time they go to see her. Their purple dragon companion (? pet? master?) perches on high rocks and keeps a lofty, arrogant eye on the party. Back down to the duergar, where Shar announces that the marid has agreed to their terms. Tincup nods decisively and says, “We'll have the bell for you in a day.” “We'll just camp here, then,” replies Shifty. “Out of the question!” barks another of the duergar guards. “Leave,” Tincup demands. “Leave and come back.” “We'll keep an eye on things here,” insists Shifty. “Then the deal is off.” Tincup and his men reach for their weapons. “Hold on!” protests Shar. “Wait, wait- we can live with this.” She draws Shifty away. “I think they want to get rid of us because there is a secret door to their home in this room,” she murmurs. “They don't want outsiders in, so we have to leave or else they have to reveal the way in to their home to us.” “Which, practically speaking, they just did,” adds Karl. Shar returns to the duergar. “All right,” she says. “We'll be back in twelve hours.” Tincup grins a nasty, gray-toothed grin. “We'll see you then.” As the party leaves, Cavemouth quietly points out, “We could have just given them time to set a trap for us, to gather reinforcements and stuff.” “Sure,” agrees Shifty, “but if they try anything, we'll kill them.” *** But Tincup and his men are true to their words. Twelve hours later, when the party goes to see them, they have the [i]Bell of Salash.[/i] Our heroes depart without any further violence, although each side is ready for treachery from the other, and return to the pool imprisoning Katimah the marid above. She swims to just below the icy surface of her prison. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of the bell that promises her freedom. “You did it!” she exclaims. “Yes,” says Shifty. “But before we free you, you must swear to do no harm to the duergar below.” Katimah does not hesitate for even an instant. “I so swear,” she cries. “Free me, I beg of you!” Despite her reservations, Shar rings the bell. Immediately, the layer of ice at the top of the pool begins to crack. Jagged edge and blue, a web of ruptures begins to tear the layer apart. In the water below, Katimah gives a great cry and rushes upward, slamming into the ice. In an explosion of water and slush, the marid breaks free. Laughing, she swirls around the chamber in a rush of water. Our heroes are staggered by the force of it, and several are almost swept away; then there is a sound like a great wave roaring, and Katimah is gone, leaving behind only an echoing, fading “Thank you...” The floor is wet and a few flecks of sea foam cling here and there, to the rocks or to our heroes. But the pool is now empty save for a remnant of water a few inches deep. The marid, it seems, has gone- somewhere. Home? Home. What a great idea. And for now, at least, home is the Governor's Tower. Our heroes begin their ascent, heading back towards home. [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] The invasion of Woodcut! Ambushed by druids! A daring rescue! Who will our heroes negotiate with next?? [/QUOTE]
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