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Message: <blockquote data-quote="cthuluftaghn" data-source="post: 248317" data-attributes="member: 4799">Session II: Chapter 6Chapter 6 - The Millhouse28 Coldeven, Early EveningAfter splitting the profits from the sale of the mace to the wizard merchant, Thester, the group left the area of Southbridge and marched across town to the millhouse.  Valeria and Tonan were hoping that they would find that their friends, Karlun and Mandy Fies, had returned home safely. However, with all that they had seen over the past two days, the others were less confident that the millers' fate was a pleasant one.Tonan was back in familiar territory after the group passed over Eastbridge.  They were very close to the home of his friends, and he had been this way many times before.  The ranger quickened his pace, and he strode purposefully to the front of the party with his wolf companion, Thor, at his side.  He appreciated the help of these kind strangers, but Tonan preferred to fight his own battles.  He wasn't used to following anyone's lead.As the ranger drew closer to the millhouse, his steps slowed and gradually wound down to a halt.  He stood in Karlun’s front yard and frowned as his new friends gathered around him.  “It looks like nobody’s been here in a while,” he observed.  The comfortable family home was stark and lifeless.  The lantern on the stoop was cold and dark, and the candles on the windowsills remained unlit.  Tonan tried to peer inside through the front window, and he stepped away shaking his head.  “There’s nobody home.  I don’t get it… our visit has been planned for weeks.  We were expected.  Something’s not right.”Tyris stepped forward and tried the latch.  “It’s unlocked!” she declared, and stepped back down into the yard.  Tonan noted the look in Valeria’s eyes.  She was truly worried for their friends, that much was obvious.  However, in the fading light of the setting sun, he could tell that there was a much deeper fear welling up inside of her.  She was highly distressed.  The ranger had seen this expression on Val’s face more than once in the past few months, and he made a mental note to ask her about it in private sometime.“I’m going to check it out,” Tonan announced.“Hold on,” said Gann, pushing his way past the ranger who glared at him viciously.  The cleric pointed at the door and announced importantly, “Look here. The door latch and stoop have some kind of white… umm... white… uh... well, more or less whitish… err… goop on them.” “I have an uneasy feeling here, like this is some kind of trap,” Willow suggested.  “I think we should probably take a look around back, first.”“There’s nothing back there but the river,” Tonan stated, and he entered the house, apparently disregarding the concerns of both Gann and Willow.  “Besides, these people run a flour mill.  There’s nothing unusual about a little bit of flour paste on a doorknob.”  The druid shrugged back at the once again deflated cleric and stepped in behind Tonan, followed closely by Gann, and then Tyris.  Valeria remained outside on the front steps, staring out uneasily into the evening gloom.“It’s so quiet,” Willow whispered.  She wasn’t sure why she felt the need for stealth and silence.  There was certainly nothing threatening about an empty country home.  Regardless, the young druid remained on alert.The large front room was tidy, but had a comfortable “lived-in” feel to it.  Soft, well worn cushions formed a semi-circle around a low table in the middle of the room.  Shelves with various trinkets and keepsakes lined the walls.  A dining area, which was prepared for two, was set up in the corner.  Tonan frowned again as he took note that the guest chairs had not been brought out.  Growing more concerned, he moved back towards the kitchen.“Ugh!” gasped Tonan as he pushed the kitchen door open on its squeaky hinges.  The smell of decaying refuse hit him full in the face, and he nearly gagged before he composed himself and moved forward.  Ants and roaches skittered freely about in the small cooking area, feasting on the rotting food that was left lying out on the counter and cutting stone.  “Oh no,” sighed Tonan, as his worst fears came to light.“Oh,” said Willow as she peered inside to see what the source of the smell was.  “It looks like they just disappeared in the middle of preparing breakfast.”  A block of moldy, roach infested cheese sat on the cutting stone with the knife still stuck into it, mid-slice.  What appeared to have been a fresh baked loaf of bread was on the counter.  It was now rock-hard and covered with a pale blue, fuzzy fungus.  The severely scorched remains of what once may have been bacon and eggs sat on top of the stove.  The coals underneath had burned themselves out many days ago.“There is no sign of a struggle that I can see,” Tonan pointed out.  “It’s like they just left?  I don’t understand… I just don’t get it?”Just then, Valeria called out from the front of the house in a harsh whisper.  “There’s somebody out here,” she said shrilly.  I can hear whistling from the side of the house.”  Thor growled.“I told you we should have checked around back,” Willow scolded.  She stormed out of the house and went straight to the east side of the yard where the sound of a sad, slow tune could clearly be heard.  She moved with caution as she reached the edge of the front wall, and she peered around the corner.  There was nothing there.The men gathered around her, and they moved as a group into the side yard.  They stood there looking at each other, baffled.  “It’s right here!” shouted Willow, the frustration on her face was plain for all to see.  “You hear it too, don’t you?  It’s like there should be someone standing here, right between me and you… whistling!”Suddenly, an arrow shot across the front yard towards Tyris… from the opposite side of the house!  “Ambush!” the sorceress yelled as the projectile whizzed by her ear, close enough for her to feel the fletching tickle her neck.Valeria turned around to face west as the “thwap” of a second bowstring could be heard.  She winced as the arrow tore through her blouse and opened a deep gash in her side.  She looked up at her attacker with fire in her eyes.  First blood had been drawn.  She snarled, “It’s on!”The bowman that had wounded Valeria dropped his weapon and charged the group, drawing a large axe from behind as he ran.  Gann met the attack head on, and in a single whirling motion he drew his mighty Truncheon of Truth and brought it about in a wide arc.  The blow caught the villain square in the gut with the full force of the cleric’s righteous rage behind it.  The sound of the air rushing out of the unfortunate man’s lungs was mingled with the sickening crack of splintered ribs.As the second bowman took cover behind the west side of the house, Willow noticed the doubled-over victim of Gann’s powerful swing was reaching for a dagger that was hidden in his boot.  She quickly filled her mouth with spittle as she called upon the power of the earth.  The druid took aim and spat the magically enhanced wad directly into the would-be assassin’s face.  The man cried out as the ball of spit filled his eyes and hardened instantly, stinging horribly and effectively blinding him.On a signal from Tonan, the mighty Thor leapt upon the wounded man’s back and tore into him with savage fury.  The assassin barely had time to scream before his throat was torn out, thus ending his pain.Tyris turned her attention towards the remaining attacker.  The sorceress raised her arms in the air, and she could feel the magical energies gathering within her mind and body.   “Obdormio” she shouted, and she thrust her hands out, towards her foe. The bowman staggered and he dropped his weapon, suddenly feeling very drowsy.  The cultist’s force of will was stronger than Tyris’ power, however, and he was able to shake off the magical effects of her sleep spell.  Using the corner of the house for support, the enemy rose once more and looked Tyris in the eye.  He raised his index finger and moved it back and forth in a tick-tock motion as a mother might do to a naughty child, and he smiled.Valeria stepped forward as she mashed some iron dust and powdered brimstone into a sticky ball of tallow wax.  “Succendo,” she said as she swung her right arm around in a bowling motion.  The moment the wizard’s components hit the earth, they ignited into a flaming sphere which rolled with destructive fury directly towards the cocky assassin.  Val’s satisfaction at the success of her spell was short lived, as a wave of colorful, sparkling lights washed over her and her companions.  The female wizard went down on one knee, stunned by the arcane power of the lights.  “Color spray,” she managed to gasp as she watched Gann Tolar collapse onto the hard stone path.Unaffected by the surprise magical attack, Willow turned to face this new threat.  A gnome, dressed in the garish trappings of an evil arcanist, stepped out from the shadows and started casting a new spell.  Willow began summoning the power of the air, working on a spell of her own.Suddenly, from nowhere, a new combatant entered the fray.  Before any of the companions had time to react, a halfing ran across the yard from the direction of Eastbridge and quickly pumped two crossbow bolts into the cocky bowman.  With a look of pain and astonishment, the evil man collapsed into Valeria’s oncoming flaming sphere, and he burst into flame.  The newcomer swiftly smothered the fire and began searching the corpse.Tonan, unsure of the unidentified killer’s motives, sent Thor to the corner of the house to keep an eye on him.  The wolf growled at the halfing menacingly, and the diminutive rogue backed off.  Satisfied that the situation was under control, the ranger grabbed his bow and turned back to face the gnomish magic user.  Tonan drew back to fire, but he was momentarily distracted as a swarm of bats burst forth from the night air and surrounded the evil mage.  The gnome’s spell casting was disrupted, and Tonan’s arrow flew wide.  Confused, the ranger looked over his shoulder just in time to see Willow ball up her fist and jerk her elbow back into her side in a victory motion. “Yesss,” Willow shouted gleefully as her summoned swarm of bats ravaged her enemy from above!Tyris leapt over the inert body of Gann Tolar and pointed all ten fingers at the gnome as she bellowed, “Contendo!”  Two magic missiles fired from her fingertips and they struck the mage square in the chest, frying a couple of bats in the process.  The swarm scattered and the gnome fell to the ground, quite dead.Tonan swiftly knocked another arrow and turned back towards the mysterious halfing, and he saw yet another figure coming across the bridge.  This time, it was a woman dressed in shining armor, and she was waving her arms in the air.  “It’s all right,” she was shouting.  “Don’t shoot!”Gann groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, and he propped himself up on his knees.  “My head hurts,” he moaned.  “And I can’t see so good.”  He jerked his head back and forth, trying to shake off the effects of the color spray.“Endora?” said Willow in surprise as she recognized the approaching woman.  “Is that you?  What are you doing here?”“Call off the wolf,” the paladin said as she stepped into the circle of friends, out of breath.  “I think he’s about to eat Tas!”Tyris, who hadn’t seen the halfing enter the fray, looked surprised.  “Tas is here too,” she asked?“I think I’m gonna throw up,” moaned Gann.</blockquote>

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