Banewarrens d20 (Angelsboi's party)

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A good Knight's rest...

"You say Malkith fell," Saggarintys asked. "What else has happened I wonder."

Fiddle filled in what he could. Eventually enough chatter had occurred for the others to snap out of it. Arendel returned. The bear would not.

"I am hungry," Saggarintys sniffed the air. "And I smell something wonderful to eat."

Fiddle waved his arms at Calrom and pantomimed a course of action.

"It is not polite to whisper," the dragon nodded.

"I was just telling my friend Calrom to see to his animal companion," Fiddle smiled. "All of our companions."

"Oh, very well, I will not eat them," the dragon sighed. "Come if you wish I would check on some of the warrens. It is good you did not open this bane door." He said as they passed the first set of doors. "The guardian would have easily slain you all."

Arendel grimaced for he had tried. Alya practically swooned. He followed the dragon around like a lost puppy dog. And he almost looked like one too, but for the scales and horns.

"Fiddle we should have words," Darian finally said when he had Fiddle alone. "What were you thinking?"

"I played a hunch," the hin replied. "It payed off. We now have a rearguard. But wouldn't his head look nice on my mantle."

"Fiddle?" Darian shrugged and went to relax.

The Dragon took the party to the generator room. He curled around the base and sat contemplating. Fiddle, Calrom, Sully and their animals went back to the room with panels on the wall. Fiddle explained his theory and what he did. They set up camp and then told the others how to stir them safely. Fiddle set a trap on the door. And Calrom placed an audible spell trigger, just in case. Alya, Darian, Marcus of Tyr, and Arendel stayed with the Dragon and rested.

 

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Going down...another layer off the onion

Sometime during Fiddle's babbling he had mentioned the purpose of the party's expedition. And Darian had reaffirmed it. The next morning there was a knock at the door. Fiddle gave the counter reply. And then there was a pause and a

"Are you coming or what?" from Alya.

The party was ready to go. The colo(u)r had returned to Marcus of Tyr's face. Arendel opened the door to the South. Another corridor with stairs going up. At the top of the landing was a part of the wall ajar. Calrom found the tracks again. They led from here back to the Northwest passage in the Dragon's room and to a set of double doors. Fiddle checked the doors and then opened them.

A stone statue of an elf woman holding a silver ewer pouring water into a fountain was the only furnishing. The statue's head turned to Fiddle.

"What does it mean to be good?" she asked.

"Do the right thing," Fiddle blurted out. "The famous bard Spike Lee always tells us to DO the Right Thing."

"To be virtuous and righteous," Darian added. "To keep true to your ideals."

The statue's head returned to its initial state and the wall in the corner opened. Fiddle refilled his empty waterskin in the fountain after checking for trouble. Nothing lived in the water. But it looked and felt normal enough. He didn't try it. Not until he was really thirsty. Who knew when they would find water again. And food for that matter. He checked his pack. He had enough for only 8 more meals...about 2 days.

The wall led to a door. And the door was at the top of a set of stairs. Going down....Fiddle marked the walls and banged on the steps the whole way down. He made sure it was safe. He had heard too many tales about collapsing staircases and slides to pits of fire...They came to a landing and then a cavern. The ledge they were on had spikes for rope, but no way across. The opposite ledge was 60 ft or so away.

"The perfect spot for an ambush," Fiddle smacked his forehead.

 

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Mind games...

Sully and Alya agreed to change form. Sully into a pixie and Alya into an Avariel. Sully would carry Redd. And Alya would carry Fiddle. Fiddle held onto a rope. He and Calrom secured the rope on this side. Calrom and the others would cover the recon team with their bows.

They made it safe. Fiddle quickly tied the rope off. Alya and Sully went to scout ahead. Fiddle turned back to the others to let them know all was safe. When he turned back to Alya and Sully...a familiar blast of energy struck his mind. The mind flayer had done it again. Fiddle couldn't move. He saw a blast of Lightning out of the corner of his eye. Sully must be free he thought. And then a bright light streaked past. One of Darian's light spells.

"Fear not, Alya," Marcus of Tyr called out. "I'm coming."

Something was wrong with Alya. But Fiddle couldn't see. And then another ball of Lightning exploded.

"It is done," Sully yelled in relief. "We are victorious."

"I'm done for," Marcus of Tyr yelled. His voice trailing off. "Continue the quest....."

(There was much activity for the next half of a minute, but Fiddle could neither see in that direction nor move)

Feeling returned. Fiddle scrambled to the mind flayer. The others were gathered on either side of the cavern looking down. The body was on a stairs leading down. He rifled thru the mind flayer's things. A pouch with two vials; one empty, one full; and two rings on the mind flayer's hands. Fiddle didn't have time to pry the rings, so he cut the fingers and pocketed them. He scouted ahead. There were 7 more bodies. Whether the lightning killed them or the mind flayer Fiddle couldn't tell. He went back to the others. A hippogriff dropped Marcus of Tyr on this side of the cavern. A large eagle, Arendel, buffeted the paladin with its wings. Calrom and Darian glided across the rope. Neither made it without some trouble. The animals had to stay behind.

"Marmaduke," Fiddle yelled. "Guard Mulebone."

The Brown bear, Rothe, and Riding dog made an odd group.

"And what did you find, Fiddle?" Alya asked.

"Sully," Fiddle said. "I think you killed several more things with your Lightning balls. I found 7 more bodies."

"Fiddle the Mind Flayer is missing its fingers," Darian called out.

"I wonder how that happened," Fiddle shrugged and scouted ahead.

 

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Halfling tossing

Fiddle thought fast. He dumped the pouch and the rings among the other corpses.

"Hey," he yelled back. "Look what I found."

"Sure, Fiddle," Darian smiled. "What is it? Mind flayer fingers."

"They are mine," Fiddle snapped. "I get some kind of trophy."

The spellcasters tried to decipher the magic auras on the rings. One was a familiar bone ring. Darian tucked it into his pouch of things to destroy. The other radiated protective magic. Fiddle put it on. And no one had any luck with the potion vial. Fiddle replaced that into his potion belt. He also put the empty vial away just in case he found something later.

Another stairway down. At the bottom Fiddle's light blinked out. He tumbled back. And felt for the wall. The light returned.

"A no magic zone?" Sully guessed. "Why'd it have to be another no magic zone."

"Anyone got a torch?" Calrom asked.

"Of course," Marcus of Tyr reached into his overloaded pack. "Doesn't everyone have adventuring gear?"

"Nope," Fiddle laughed. "I left mine back with the horses."

"We have stuff with our houses too," Marcus started to say.

"Had," Calrom reminded him. The ranger held up what few useful items remained.

Fiddle took a torch and went ahead. Calrom beside him. They found another ledge and another cavern. A shorter crossing this time. But still one of difficulty without their magic. Darian, Calrom, and Marcus of Tyr held a rope while Fiddle tied it around his waist.

"When I get over there you should be able to follow," Fiddle said. He took a step off the ledge and held onto the wall. It was slick. Too slick. He fell a couple feet.

"Perhaps we should try something else?" Darian proposed.

Fiddle stepped back and made a running leap. He jumped halfway to the ledge. He grabbed the wall for a few seconds and then....Smack. He banged against the ledge 15 ft down. The others hauled him up.

"Good try and a good idea," Darian beamed. "Maybe we can help. How much do you weigh?"

Fiddle sailed out over the ledge the others help launch him. He grabbed the wall safely this time. Twenty-three feet. Another twelve and he would be safe. He squirmed to the side. No footing. Smack....

Again he sailed over the ledge...Twenty-five feet this time. And he found better footing. He easily scrambled down to the new ledge. His face smarted from the previous attempts. He secured the rope. The others followed.

 

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Lightning Fodder

Fiddle struck his torch. He edged ahead. Nothing. Another tunnel. A few feet later his coin relit. He doused the torch. A small proper room. It contained broken tools and bones. It reminded Fiddle of an old work area. The others caught up. A few feet further along they came upon another abandoned work site. This one had 2 doors. Fiddle had no trouble with one door. The West room had 5 squat constructs. Fiddle remembered them from near the Octopus Room. Nothing else. The South door took some doing. Fiddle couldn't pick the lock. And the others pounded away. Marcus of Tyr, Darian, and Calrom bulled it open. They found themselves staring at another Bane door. Marcus of Tyr quickly went to work painting the outside.

"Well we've woken up any other possible foes," Alya stated. "I guess it is safe ahead."

The party had a bite to eat. They planned what to do next. Marcus of Tyr scouted. He found another large chamber with irregular carved walls, a series of stairs some going up and some down. The party followed. Fiddle stood guard at the midway point with Marcus of Tyr, Calrom, and Darian. Arendel climbed took the stairs up. Sully and Alya went with him.

A movement caught Fiddle's eye. A mob approached. He tossed Hole Punch and moved aside. His toss hit a gray skinned humanoid in the throat. It was dead before it hit the ground. Darian nonetheless tried to get the mob to retreat. He presented his holy symbol. They only looked undead. Alya covered the stairs with Grease magic. Arendel looked down on the group. He fired his bow. Marcus of Tyr charged the group. He slipped in the grease and tumbled a few feet. Sully had more luck. With such a tight formation it was almost too much for the sensitive gnome. They would be slaughtered. He dropped a ball of Lightning in the middle of the group. Only two on the edge still stood. Calrom fired down into the group. Only 1 remained.

Fiddle tossed Hole Punch again. It was a long throw. The creature moved forward. Darian waited. Alya ended the threat with a well placed arrow. She dismissed her spell. Marcus of Tyr regained his feet. The party scoured the floor below. It led nowhere. But they found the sleeping quarters of the beastmen. The way up was their next stop.

It wound around and around and finally came out on a platform. The beastmen were still dead below. Fiddle guessed from his map they were headed East. The platform opened into a chamber. One door in the far South wall. And a stairway in the middle of the room going down. Way down. Beyond the light and sight of any in the party. Fiddle tried the door. The door was unlocked. A small proper room. An orc and a pie were sketched on the back wall in bas relief. Also a fading Sun symbol. Darian spent time cleaning off the graffiti and restoring the original scene.

 

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The Baneheart

The party went down. Fiddle checked and marked every step on the way. Finally they came to a landing. The walls were worked, gray stone. A 50 X 30 ft room with a vaulted ceiling which spanned nearly 40ft. The largest feature was a metallic statue. Metal blades and terrible serrated plates covered the tall, demonic humanoid. This could only be Eslathagos Malkith, The Dread Lord. The air was cold and heavy. An exit to an even larger chamber was in the Northeast corner of the room. The party could almost taste the evil and feel the power from the magic of the Banes.

This was the Baneheart.

"Somewhere in that next chamber on the Eastern side, 120 ft below is the Sword," Fiddle stated.

Arendel examined the statue. The others went to check the room too. Finally they edged to the Northeast. The chamber was huge and foreboding. A dull glow shone here. The party stood on the lip of a great hole. A mile maybe more deep. And on occassion thin bridges led from one side of the shaft to the other.

"She got the gold mine," Fiddle sang out. "And I got the shaft."

"Now what?" Alya asked.

"I think I may have a solution," Sully smiled. "I have been working on creating a new magic since we left Amarak's Tomb. Hopefully it will be just what we need."

 

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update after this Sunday's session.

the party is on the brink of completion of their quest. soon darian will have his geas lifted.

we just need to fly/dimension door down to the eastern door. open it. avoid the traps, constructs, summoned monsters, undead, whatever and solve the riddle of steel. to claim the sword of truth, lies, and videotape.

if some other group hasn't already.

then flee back to the surface to get the dragon to seal the deal.

 

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Hag Warts

The party stood in hushed silence. They knew they had reached their final destination.

"Fiddle let us scout ahead," Calrom finally whispered.

Fiddle nodded. The two rangers quietly vanished in the shadows. They rounded the corner. There was a rim around the pit. Six doors were evenly spaced around the rim. Several feet away a Large hunched cowled figure tugged at one of the doors. Calrom backpedaled. Fiddle stayed put.

"There is trouble ahead," Calrom whispered to the others. "Big nasty monster trouble."

Alya wandered close to the rim to see. He began singing his lilting spellsongs. The creature turned to face him. A bent crone whose shape belied her fierce power and swiftness. She was troll like in appearance with a green hue and many heavy wrinkles. Her eyes shone with villainy and cunning She carried an axe that dripped blood onto the floor. Alya's song fascinated the hag.

Sully, Arendel, and Calrom moved into position on the shelf. Fiddle stepped further into the shadows. Darian quickly struck the creature in the face with a blast of light. The fascination was broken. She vanished from sight.

Arendel and Calrom waited with spell and bow handy. Sully tried to light up the area to make the hag visible again.

She reappeared in another area. She leveled the axe at Calrom from 10ft away. A gout of blood covered him and caused him pain. The party quickly returned fire. Fiddle held his position. He knew she would soon close and expose herself.

She pulled a wand out with her other hand and struck Alya and Sully with a bolt of lightning. Some of the party's spells worked and some did not. Still the hag was injured. She charged forward at Sully with the axe.

And Fiddle struck. Lightning Strike bit deep. Darian too leveled a blow with his mace. Fiddle followed up with three more stabs. Lightning Strike, Hole Punch, Lightning Strike. The hag fell. Calrom shot two arrows into the corpse just to make sure.

Alya searched the body. He found a bone ring, a scroll in a pouch, a finely crafted mithril ring with 3 dull gemstones, the wand of lightning, and the bloody axe. It was still dripping. Fiddle noted scars on the Hag's arms. Calrom took the axe and handed Arendel his rapier.

Fiddle whispered to Darian, "Look at the hag's forearms and the blood is...the same on the axe. I think this is a bane." Alya overheard it.

"Oh Calrom," Alya smiled. He wasn't going to let it be easy for the half-breed.

 

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Pick a winner

"There goes the ring of wishes, too," Fiddle swore.

The party dumped the body. Marcus of Tyr finally appeared. He had gone to take care of nature's business. Fiddle quickly asked him to paint the doors.

"And down we go," Alya transformed into an Avariel. He carried Fiddle down. He transformed into a trog when they landed.

Sully opened a doorway down for he, Darian, and Calrom. Arendel became a Large Bat. The druid grabbed Marcus of Tyr midpaint and plunged below. The party now stood on a walkway 120 ft from their starting point.

"The door to the East..." Fiddle started to say. It was ajar.

He and Calrom quickly scouted ahead. Calrom heard some noise inside. He pushed the door further open. A large metal statue with a sword stood at the back of the entryway. Two chambers led off behind it. Fiddle hit the statue with his light coin. It didn't lose its magic nor did the statue react. He tumbled into the room. The figure moved. It brought its weapon to the ready. Calrom likewise entered.

Fiddle crept forward. Images of the last construct he meant still danced about in his conscious memory. He cautiously retrieved his coin. The others entered. The party chose the Southern Chamber. It had 3 doors, a wall full of shields, and a painting on the far wall. Darian and Marcus of Tyr went to examine the painting. Fiddle got one of the shields down and played with it.

"That door is the one," Fiddle stated with confidence.

"And what makes you so sure," Sully asked.

Fiddle shrugged. He grew bored and went back to the statue and the other chamber. Calrom, Sully, and Alya each picked a door and listened. Calrom's door was locked. He played with the handle.

Fiddle had just reached the Northern Chamber. A mangled statue and a skeleton occupied the room.

"Calrom, Come here." Fiddle shouted.

Calrom tugged on the door. "No, you come here..."

The door by Sully opened and two wolflike humanoids strode out.

 

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Fight or Flee

The door handle went still in the Northern Chamber.

"Calrom?" Fiddle puzzled. He heard the clash of arms and saw a brilliant flash of light from the Southern Chamber. He edged around the corner with weapons drawn.

Two wolfmen and a woman were engaged in melee with Calrom, Sully, and Marcus of Tyr. Darian and Arendel hung back. Alya lay covered in his own blood at the woman's feet. She looked familiar, but also devilish. She had small horns on her head under a headband. The image of Nicolon flashed into Fiddle's head. Sully too was in dire need of aid. No one noticed the hin. Fiddle flung Hole Punch. It should've bit deep into the kidneys of one of the wolfmen. It barely made a scratch. But it was enough to get the creature's attention.

Sully shouted a spell at the woman. She dropped the sword and ran for the exit. Lightning Strike left a scratch. One wolfman attacked Fiddle.

"Pick it up you fools," the woman commanded. "And follow me."

Calrom dropped the bloody axe and leapt at the remaining wolfman. Darian fired an errant crossbow bolt at the woman. Arendel called down a bolt of lightning on one of the wolfmen. Fiddle stepped back and tossed Hole Punch again. It struck true, but left not even a mark.

"She's getting away," Fiddle yelled. "But she's left the sword of lies."

A cackle of electricity hit all around Fiddle. He escaped unscathed. He looked at his new ring and smiled. "That's how the mind flayer did it," he thought. Plus he was nimble of foot.

The wolfmen weren't so lucky. One picked up the sword the other collapsed. The woman was gone. Redd tried valiantly to slow her. He took a nip at her heels.

"Are you sure it is the sword Fiddle?" Sully yelled. "I've only got one shot at this."

The other wolfman hurried for the door. He too underestimated the gnome's magic. He tossed the sword far away, over the pit. It would've plummeted if not for the gnome's fast thinking. It floated like a feather. Arendel streaked past in the form of a large hawk. He snatched the sword. Marcus of Tyr, Calrom, and Darian gave chase after the woman and wolfman. The woman was long gone. The wolfman was not so lucky. Arendel's storm knocked him from the ledge. Down, down, down....

Fiddle searched the other wolfman for a potion of healing or anything else that might be useful. Alya was still down. Sully was already there pouring a potion down the kobold's throat. The two casters were both so close to death's door. Fiddle stayed to protect them in case something else came from the doors.

Fiddle did find some useful items, but not a potion. It was then Fiddle realized he too had taken a few blows during the combat.