Banewarrens d20 (Angelsboi's party)

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The Ferry fishman

They traveled on thru the day taking side passages and avoiding patrols from the duergar, drow, trogs, ogres, illithids, fishmen, and whatever else the Underdark would throw at them. Grishelm proved a very good guide. He knew when to signal for silence and when to lower the light and when to push the party to hurry. By the end of the first day the party had covered much ground. Fiddle placed one of the few magics he possessed on the passage just behind the party. An alarm would wake him if trouble approached.

The next day was more of the same. They reached a river and a strange sight. A towering humanoid fish. The kuo-toa held out his hand. Fiddle placed 7 platinum pieces into it as Grishelm had instructed him. Unfortunately, the fishman wanted 2 more for the lizards. Pony and Grishelm's. Fiddle paid. Fiddle also helped Pony into the longboat. When Fiddle tried to strike up a conversation with the scaler, he was quickly rebuked.

"You didn't pay to talk," the fish croaked.

He poled them across. Fiddle jumped ashore and tried to coax Pony. The lizard wouldn't budge. So Darian poked it in the hindquarters with a dagger. Pony bucked and the boat rocked. Alya fell overboard.

"OUT, OUT," the kuo-toa demanded. "Stupid surface dwellers."

The party made shore and setoff again. They didn't travel far before they had to make camp. Fiddle covered the rear with his magic.

An hour or two later, Fiddle woke with a start. He quickly kicked, punched, and shook those around him. Alya, Vlad, and Sully woke.

 

[diaglo]

Remembering the dead

Two bodies in armor creaked down the corridor. They were close, real close. But no light shone, so no one knew what they faced. Well almost...

"Death to my enemies," Alya reacted first. The oathbow sang out in elven and arrows whistled thru the air.

Thump, thump, thump

And then there was light. Very bright light. Sully activated the clasp of Lathander. Daylight filled the tunnel. Two dead drow in rusted armor and weaponry faced off against Fiddle and Darian. Both seemed intent on their victims only. Revenants like the one the party had faced in the Banewarrens and Tilverton. Darian called on the might of Lathander. Nothing. Calrom peppered it with arrows. Fiddle made quick work of his enemy. But his dagger strikes seemed to heal over. Vlad ran forward and hacked into the other one from behind.

The undead drow warriors attacked Fiddle and Darian. Fiddle gained a nick. Alya ended the battle for the one by Fiddle. Two flashes of flame left Sully's fingers. They struck the remaining drow in the face. For just a split second victory was at hand. And then the magic dissolved. Darian lowered the boom with his Mace.

Grishelm slept thru the whole thing.

Darian made sure these two would not come back again. The party rested until they had regained their magic and their strength. Then off they went.

"This is as far as I've ever traveled. The passage to the East is the Dracolisk," Grishelm whispered when the party came to the next fork. "The one to West goes to a Lake controlled by Giants. They don't like gnomes much."

"To the West then," Darian said. "We aren't for risking being turned to stone or swallowed alive."

 

[diaglo]

Miles by foot

"We are nearing the Giant's home," Grishelm cautioned.

Fiddle confirmed the prints. Around 12 to 14 ft in height and weighing about 1500 to 1800 lbs each. Stone Giants.

The party crept forward. A boulder sailed out of the dark and struck the passage ahead of Grishelm, Calrom, and Fiddle.

"I could've hit you if I wanted," a gruff voice called in Undercommon.

"Aye," Fiddle replied. "But where is the sport in that."

"Fiddle..." Darian quickly jumped into the conversation. "Who threw that wonderful toss?"

A giant stepped into the light of Fiddle's lantern. The giant resembled a lean, muscular human. Its hard, hairless flesh was smooth and gray. It had gaunt facial features and deep-sunken, black eyes that made it seem grim. * He, Darian, and Sully were soon locked into negotiations. A lake 17 miles across blocked the party's progress. The giant was not alone. Fiddle caught another giant in the light and heard the sounds of a large bear overhead in a cave. The talk droned on. A whole clan of Giants occupied this shore. And a colony of fishmen lived on an island just across the way. A kraken was also known to feed in the lake. The party was allowed to go to the lake. Two large rafts with giant guards were on the beach. When Sully asked for passage the Giants told him to swim. Darian bought a conference with the giant's elders for a nice emerald. The party saw the cave bears up close and more giants. It would've been a tough time if they had to fight their way out.

Ghunda and Thurrak, the elders, were gracious hosts. And soon Alya had them convinced to allow the party to use the rafts. It would only cost the performance of the deep halfling's life. If he failed to impress the giant's would keep him or another as a slave. Alya lived up to his boast. He even got the giant's to pay up their end of the bargain. A trip across the lake.

* stone giant entry page 124 MM

 

[diaglo]

Fishing Tale

The raft ride was slow but enjoyable. The two giants rowed slow and steady. Fiddle broke out his infinite bundle of slings and laced them together using a skill he'd learned involving baskets and underwater. Once complete he attached his fishhook. It had been so long since he'd had a chance to fish.

"Don't catch the kraken, Fiddle," Darian laughed.

Fiddle tossed his line in and began to troll... "OD&D is the only true..." he sang, but was interrupted. He got a bite. A big bite... (44 on a survival check.) and fought for a while before pulling in the whopper of a blind cave fish. Bigger and heavier than he. Even the giants were impressed. The giants cooked up the fish and shared the meal with the party. It was a nice respite in an otherwise otherworldly place. When the party was eventually set ashore on the other side of the lake it was almost sad to say goodbye to the giants.

But there was still so much to do and so many unknown dangers. The party pushed on to make camp. Two passages with multiple elven prints were found. The party chose the right passage. It had the most prints. They went to the lake but not back for the most part.

 

[diaglo]

An old new friend

The elf tracks were numerous. This put Calrom on edge. They had fled it seemed or left for an invasion. The majority of the tracks went only one way.

"I am no help now," Grishelm claimed.

So Fiddle and Calrom took the lead with Grishelm close behind on his riding lizard. The party moved cautiously and hid at every new sound. An hour later they were too slow.

"Hello little ones," a voice called.

"Hiya," Fiddle replied. "Show yourself, please."

A drow elf stepped into the light of Fiddle's coin. He didn't seem bothered at all by the light. He had sharper features and even darker, colder looking skin than the other drow the party had fought. The hair on the back of Fiddle's neck stood up. The hin's senses began to tingle and his hand clenched on Lightning Strike.

"Well met," Calrom also said. "Are you alone?"

The figure laughed. "I'll ask the questions. And if you give me something perhaps I'll let you live."

"How about a song?" Alya moved forward a little.

"Yeah, Alya can sing real good," Fiddle kept his eyes on the drow.

"Fiddle," Darian cut in. "Why don't you let Alya or me talk to the elf."

Sully told the drow of the party's search for the faerzress. The drow seemed to be full of all sorts of information. He told the party what lay ahead and off side passages, and where to find the magical rocks. He seemed to be sizing the party up for something. And then it hit Fiddle when the drow ask for some information in return.

"Nightscale, the deep dragon," Fiddle spoke up, "is dead."

The drow took this information in the way Fiddle expected. It approached quickly and stood looming over Fiddle. Its tail began to flick from under its cloak.

"The deep dragon also known as F'knarth," the drow dragon demanded. "And you know who killed her."

"Yes," Fiddle replied, "The Band of the Burning Brand."

"But we avenged her," Sully quickly added. "We killed them."

The Dragon didn't buy it and started to become even more agitated. As Sully started to go into even more of an elaborate tale. Fiddle pulled out his trophy claws. It was a shame Arendella wasn't around. As she was wearing Nightscale. Literally. Fiddle had donated the deep dragon's hide to Arendella to be made into armor.

And combat was joined.

 

[diaglo]

Son meets Mother again in Hell

In truth although the Drow Dragon appeared to loom over Fiddle and Calrom, it was a bit away. Alya reacted first and quickly pulled out and consumed a potion. Fiddle giddily charged his enemy. Yet another chance to Kill a Dragon. He buried Lightning Strike deep into the Dragon's side. (crit, sneak attack, favored enemy, etc...). The Dragon felt that. Sully cast several bolts of flame. They struck the Drow in the face (another crit) and washed over it to no effect (failed vs. SR). Calrom too unleashed a volley of arrows. They too stuck into the creature. Darian called on Lathander. A beam of hot light reached out and scarred the drow's side. The Dragon had second thoughts about just what he faced.

"I am Indigo Montoya, You killed my mother," it roared. "Prepare to die." It spit an acidic stream out of its mouth and leapt backwards into the air.

Fiddle jumped aside and raked the Dragon again with Lightning Strike.. (min damage 1+2+4= 7 on an AoO). The Dragon was now just outside of the light of Fiddle's coin. Grishelm and Calrom weren't so quick or lucky. Vlad moved closer with his axe drawn.

Alya fired his bow. One arrow sailed off into the night. And another. and One arrow hit the dragon.

"Mother," the dragon hissed. "I have failed you."

"NoooooOOOOoooOOo," Fiddle sprinted forward and leapt into the air. The hin and the Dragon struck mid-air. Fiddle continued to drive Lightning Strike into the carcass long after they hit the ground. BUt he was too late. Alya had stolen his kill. ( darn d6... all i needed was to roll a 3 or higher on my AoO attack damage and it would've been mine... but i rolled a 1 on damage.)

 

[diaglo]

a 3 way

Darian came over and pulled Fiddle off the Dragon. Alya checked for anything left of value. A greatsword, a set of bracers, and a bandoleer of spell components. It was a good thing the party got the jump on the Dragon.

"Why, oh why," Darian continued to shake Fiddle. "We didn't need to have this fight."

"But there was no way for me to let you know it was a Dragon without..." Fiddle responded.

"Umm," Grishelm tapped Darian. "Do you have any healing magic?"

Darian set Fiddle down and started to see to Calrom's wounds. Alya helped. And Fiddle broke out his wand to fix up the smurf. When the party was whole again. They set off to make camp and to rest. It had been a long day. And they needed to figure out just how much of what the Dragon had told them they could believe.

According to the Dragon one of the side passages led to a marshy area. And they would be close enough to the faerzress in that mire. Another passage led to an area dominated by winged beasts. And the last tunnel was a direct route to Maerimydra, the drow stronghold. The party decided the Mire was their best option. Even though, they knew it would not be without peril.

The hours went by very slowly as the party tried to prepare for the last step of their journey.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

"I am Indigo Montoya, You killed my mother," it roared. "Prepare to die." It spit an acidic stream out of its mouth and leapt backwards into the air.

The horror. Sometimes the artistic license taken with table talk is a bit much. Only one of those three sentences was spoken at the table.

 

[diaglo]

A Grim Morlock

D'nd's map had been accurate so far. The Strange Beasts were off to the Southwest, the Marsh to the East, and Maerimydra to the Southeast. Which meant the party had to reach an intersection in the tunnels before heading directly East. The perfect spot for an outpost or trap or some other form of warning for the drow.

Fiddle thought about this as he led the party forward with Calrom and Grishelm close on his heels. Fiddle pulled out the light from his coin only. It was still a beacon, but nearly as bright nor projected as the one from his lantern. The passage to the intersection was short. The foot traffic was hard to determine. Many creatures had been this way, some recently. The ceiling was beyond the light. Fiddle watched for trouble from all directions.

There were no guards. Just a very large Gong and Hammer. Before Fiddle could test his idea about the thing being trapped. Alya hummed a tune of magic. The area went quiet. Fiddle yelled but nothing came out. So he pointed to the East. And mouthed THAT WAY TO THE MARSH. Still no one heard him, but they understood. The party went East.

Almost immediately the new tunnel was more damp and full of fungi, moss, and slithering slugs. This didn't slow the party's progress but it made them cautious of just what might be living here. An hour or so later, the tunnel opened wider and a stream ran thru the break. A small pond formed at the back of the chamber. And fungi were in abundance. Fiddle hurled a stone from his sling into the mess to see if a cloud of spores would be released. He remembered the yellow mold spores he'd inhaled all to well. But this wasn't them. And everything looked okay. Fiddle and Vlad leapt the stream. The other party members mounted or clung to the lizards as they travelled the thinner side of the stream.

Fiddle caught sight of a humanoid tilling the fungi. A fungi gardener. He had no eyes, coarse dark hair, and gray skin. He was larger than Darian and very muscular. Fiddle waved and pointed and then leapt back over the stream. Vlad soon followed suit as the humanoid reacted to the sounds.

"Who goes there?" the thing mumbled and drew a vicious makeshift axe.

 

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The lesser of 2 weevils

Fiddle broke out his lantern. Darian quickly spoke up and began negotiations with the thing. Grishelm mentioned it was a Morlock. A creature of the underdark with a savage nature. But the Morlocks weren't known to be very bright. This one was a slave. And his master, Quthnorak, was at war with a Sekker. When asked to describe either Quth or Sekker, the Morlock mentioned tentacles on opposite sides. A Mind flayer came to mind and Fiddle waved fingers under is chin to indicate his opinion.

The Morlock became agitated with the talking. It wanted to know which side the party favored. So it could tell its master if they were new slaves or new enemies. Darian told it he would not be a slave. So the Morlock left to find its master.

The party hurried down the passage to reach the faerzress. Fiddle found another chamber. As he passed the light around. He saw another pool and Two drow females. The party was on the side of Sekker's territory.

"SEKKR," the guards yelled.