Thomas Hobbes
First Post
Re: "The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 7
I love this bit.
Good as always.
Capellan said:
I love this bit.
Good as always.
Company of the Random Encounter ('complete' 14 Nov 2004)
- Thread starter Capellan
- Start date
Capellan
Explorer
"The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 8
The night of rest passes uneventfully, and the next day, the Padre calls upon his god to provide more healing for his companions, until most of them have reached some semblance of their usual strength. Despite all the healing, it appears that Twinkle, perhaps as a memento of her brush with death, has still not recovered her hearing, though Anastria's is back in full - as are her acerbic comments.
"Should we send her back to town?" Mantreus suggests.
"WHAT?" Twinkle asks, "Speak up!"
"We might need her help, if there are more kobolds." Rose observes.
"WHAT?"
"Her help? Won't she just be a liability?" the sorcerer persists.
"No more than usual." The Padre grunts in response: as well he might, for he still bears scars he earned while healing her in the midst of the melee.
"Hey!" Twinkle protests, glaring at the cleric. The priest returns the glare coolly.
"Hearing improved, has it?" he asks sweetly, prompting a sulky pout from the gnome.
"Everybody spoils my fun."
"Not true at all." The Padre smiles. It's not an altogether nice smile. "Here's some fun for you: you can take the lead when we head deeper into the mine. After all, with your faculties back in working order, you're the best equipped of us to spot any danger ahead."
Still pouting, the gnome moves to the front of the group. Her mercurial nature soon reasserts itself, however, and within a few minutes she is proudly reminding everyone of her position at the head of the group.
As the adventurers proceed down the sloping tunnels that lead deeper into the mine, the dim and flickering light of their lantern makes it hard for them to see any distance. Their ears still work, however, and Twinkle clearly hears the scampering sound of some kind of creatures in the darkness ahead, just beyond the reach of their light. Unfortunately, as she strains their eyes in search of any threats that might lurk ahead, she misses one that lies beneath her feet.
The ground gives way beneath the lead row, and both Twinkle and Anastria tumble into a pit, landing heavily at the bottom of a jarring, twenty foot drop. Still bearing injuries from the great battle in the store room, both women lose consciousness.
"We should have gone back for the rope." The Padre grumbles, moving up to the side of the pit and peering down. He frowns, gauging the condition of the two women and the climb that will need to be made to reach them. "They look bad."
"It's a good job our healer isn't one of those clerics in a can, then." Mantreus slaps the priest on the back, nearly toppling him into the pit, "You'll be able to climb down just fine, right?"
"Right." The cleric gives the sorcerer a sour look, and the shrugs off his pack. Moving to one corner of the pit, he carefully begins the climb, wedging himself tightly between the two walls so that he does not simply fall. It's far from the most elegant of climbing techniques, and he becomes extremely dirty in the process, but it does the job.
"The pit is freshly dug." He calls up in a hoarse whisper, "Some of the earth is still damp. Keep an eye out for trouble."
The others quickly prepare to defend themselves if an attack should come, while the Padre stabilises the two women, and then uses his remaining healing spells to restore them as best he can. Unfortunately, Anastria was so badly injured that she remains unconscious, even after the cleric's curative spells are exhausted.
"Can you carry her up?" Rose stares down from the lip of the pit. Her expression makes it clear what she thinks of the priest's chances. The Padre shakes his head,
"Mantreus will have to do it. He's the best climber here. But wait for me to climb up, before sending him down. Anastria's not in any danger, and we don't want three of us to be caught down here if someone does attack."
Twinkle, who is still in the pit, coughs meaningfully at the count of 'three down here'. The cleric ignores her, and begins the climb out. Pouting once more, the gnome quickly scurries up past the slow-moving Padre, showering several clods of loose dirt upon him as she does so. Quite by accident, no doubt.
As suggested by the priest, Mantreus climbs down into the pit, then uses the group's belts to crudely lash the unconscious Anastria to his back, after which he slowly and laboriously clambers out once more.
Once the group are all gathered together again, those who are still conscious discuss their options. Eventually, it is decided that Rose and Mantreus will climb past the pit to scout further along the tunnel. Twinkle actually has better low light vision than them, but she is still quite badly injured after her fall. Besides, having dimmed their own lights to conserve oil, the group can now see that there is a very faint luminescence in the tunnels ahead. It is surely not enough for a human to use for navigation at any speed, but the pair are confident that it will be sufficient for the slow, careful movement that they have planned.
Quietly bidding farewell to their companions, the two scouts slip off into the darkness.
The night of rest passes uneventfully, and the next day, the Padre calls upon his god to provide more healing for his companions, until most of them have reached some semblance of their usual strength. Despite all the healing, it appears that Twinkle, perhaps as a memento of her brush with death, has still not recovered her hearing, though Anastria's is back in full - as are her acerbic comments.
"Should we send her back to town?" Mantreus suggests.
"WHAT?" Twinkle asks, "Speak up!"
"We might need her help, if there are more kobolds." Rose observes.
"WHAT?"
"Her help? Won't she just be a liability?" the sorcerer persists.
"No more than usual." The Padre grunts in response: as well he might, for he still bears scars he earned while healing her in the midst of the melee.
"Hey!" Twinkle protests, glaring at the cleric. The priest returns the glare coolly.
"Hearing improved, has it?" he asks sweetly, prompting a sulky pout from the gnome.
"Everybody spoils my fun."
"Not true at all." The Padre smiles. It's not an altogether nice smile. "Here's some fun for you: you can take the lead when we head deeper into the mine. After all, with your faculties back in working order, you're the best equipped of us to spot any danger ahead."
Still pouting, the gnome moves to the front of the group. Her mercurial nature soon reasserts itself, however, and within a few minutes she is proudly reminding everyone of her position at the head of the group.
As the adventurers proceed down the sloping tunnels that lead deeper into the mine, the dim and flickering light of their lantern makes it hard for them to see any distance. Their ears still work, however, and Twinkle clearly hears the scampering sound of some kind of creatures in the darkness ahead, just beyond the reach of their light. Unfortunately, as she strains their eyes in search of any threats that might lurk ahead, she misses one that lies beneath her feet.
The ground gives way beneath the lead row, and both Twinkle and Anastria tumble into a pit, landing heavily at the bottom of a jarring, twenty foot drop. Still bearing injuries from the great battle in the store room, both women lose consciousness.
"We should have gone back for the rope." The Padre grumbles, moving up to the side of the pit and peering down. He frowns, gauging the condition of the two women and the climb that will need to be made to reach them. "They look bad."
"It's a good job our healer isn't one of those clerics in a can, then." Mantreus slaps the priest on the back, nearly toppling him into the pit, "You'll be able to climb down just fine, right?"
"Right." The cleric gives the sorcerer a sour look, and the shrugs off his pack. Moving to one corner of the pit, he carefully begins the climb, wedging himself tightly between the two walls so that he does not simply fall. It's far from the most elegant of climbing techniques, and he becomes extremely dirty in the process, but it does the job.
"The pit is freshly dug." He calls up in a hoarse whisper, "Some of the earth is still damp. Keep an eye out for trouble."
The others quickly prepare to defend themselves if an attack should come, while the Padre stabilises the two women, and then uses his remaining healing spells to restore them as best he can. Unfortunately, Anastria was so badly injured that she remains unconscious, even after the cleric's curative spells are exhausted.
"Can you carry her up?" Rose stares down from the lip of the pit. Her expression makes it clear what she thinks of the priest's chances. The Padre shakes his head,
"Mantreus will have to do it. He's the best climber here. But wait for me to climb up, before sending him down. Anastria's not in any danger, and we don't want three of us to be caught down here if someone does attack."
Twinkle, who is still in the pit, coughs meaningfully at the count of 'three down here'. The cleric ignores her, and begins the climb out. Pouting once more, the gnome quickly scurries up past the slow-moving Padre, showering several clods of loose dirt upon him as she does so. Quite by accident, no doubt.
As suggested by the priest, Mantreus climbs down into the pit, then uses the group's belts to crudely lash the unconscious Anastria to his back, after which he slowly and laboriously clambers out once more.
Once the group are all gathered together again, those who are still conscious discuss their options. Eventually, it is decided that Rose and Mantreus will climb past the pit to scout further along the tunnel. Twinkle actually has better low light vision than them, but she is still quite badly injured after her fall. Besides, having dimmed their own lights to conserve oil, the group can now see that there is a very faint luminescence in the tunnels ahead. It is surely not enough for a human to use for navigation at any speed, but the pair are confident that it will be sufficient for the slow, careful movement that they have planned.
Quietly bidding farewell to their companions, the two scouts slip off into the darkness.
Capellan
Explorer
"The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 9
The results of the scouting expedition prove discouraging.
"We advanced as far as the next cavern," Rose reports, speaking softly, "Not more than sixty or seventy feet. It was large - we couldn't see the far side - and had lots of stalactites and stalagmites in it."
"Rose snuck out behind some of the stalagmites." Mantreus breaks in on the story, "While I kept her covered with my crossbow. Plus, of course, my magic."
"That was very brave of her." The Padre observes, in a neutral tone of voice.
Rose continues the tale,
"There was an entrance to a smaller cavern, set high on the wall to the right of where we entered -" she uses a finger to draw a rough map in the dirt, "- I saw kobolds in there. They looked like they were on watch. I'd say there's a nest of them, further in."
"Can we reach the smaller cave?" Twinkle asks, eyes shining at the thought of fighting her people's traditional enemies.
Rose frowns,
"We probably could ... given time. But there's quite a lot of empty space near the entrance, and we'd have to climb up a rock-face to reach it. That would give the kobolds lots of time to get ready, and to attack us with spears and bows while we climbed."
"It'd be very dangerous, given how injured most of us already are." Mantreus emphasises, for those who are a little slow on the uptake. "Especially since we don't know how many kobolds might be in there."
"I agree." The Padre nods, "We need to rest before we face them."
The adventurers make camp and set guards, then try to rest as best they can, waiting until the new day - and new healing spells - arrives. The hours pass slowly, the group enclosed in near total darkness, with only the smallest flame still burning in their lantern.
And in the darkness, the kobolds stir ...
Pee'rak has always taken great pride in being the tribe's finest scout. Now, as he edges nervously into the tunnel that leads toward the surface, he dearly wishes the pride was someone else's. His tongue flickers out to taste the moist air.
"Go scout, Pee'rak." He mutters to himself, in a poor imitation of his chief, "See if surface scum try to stop us leaving. M'dok commands." A sibilant hiss escapes his lipless mouth, "Pee'rak should have told your eggs to curdle, M'dok."
Inching further forward, the kobold peers around a corner, immediately jerking back when he catches sight of what lies ahead.
Just beyond the pit trap the tribe dug so recently, the small group of surface dwellers have set up camp. Pee'rak's snout twitches as he scents human, elf ... and stinking gnome.
"No way out without fight." He mutters, as he scuttles back to the nest, "Pee'rak tell M'dok we should go before, but M'dok too frightened for eggs. Stupid. Mates can always make more. Tch. It M'dok's problem now."
Reaching the great cave, Pee'rak signals the guards, who lower a crude rope ladder for him to climb. Not waiting for them to pull it up behind him, the scout goes to report to his leader. As he expects, M'dok is not happy.
"Stupid surface dwellers!" the chief curls his tail in derision, "They must be fever-brained! They think kobolds not know how to use bows?"
"Maybe they forget we see in dark." Pee'rak toadies, "They have stupid brains, burnt to crisp by standing in sun. Not like mighty M'dok."
The leader waves aside this sycophancy,
"How many?"
"Six." Pee'rak holds up five fingers and his tail, "Including one gnome female."
M'dok's teeth snap at the air, drool forming on the edges of his mouth,
"We should eat its marrow." He hisses, then pauses and glances at the clutch of eggs in the corner of the chamber, "But it more important to keep eggs safe."
Pee'rak forces his tail to remain straight, and respectful, as M'dok turns back to him,
"Summon warriors." The chief commands, "We go, give surface scum choice. They let us go, or we use crossbows, kill them all. They will see they cannot win."
The results of the scouting expedition prove discouraging.
"We advanced as far as the next cavern," Rose reports, speaking softly, "Not more than sixty or seventy feet. It was large - we couldn't see the far side - and had lots of stalactites and stalagmites in it."
"Rose snuck out behind some of the stalagmites." Mantreus breaks in on the story, "While I kept her covered with my crossbow. Plus, of course, my magic."
"That was very brave of her." The Padre observes, in a neutral tone of voice.
Rose continues the tale,
"There was an entrance to a smaller cavern, set high on the wall to the right of where we entered -" she uses a finger to draw a rough map in the dirt, "- I saw kobolds in there. They looked like they were on watch. I'd say there's a nest of them, further in."
"Can we reach the smaller cave?" Twinkle asks, eyes shining at the thought of fighting her people's traditional enemies.
Rose frowns,
"We probably could ... given time. But there's quite a lot of empty space near the entrance, and we'd have to climb up a rock-face to reach it. That would give the kobolds lots of time to get ready, and to attack us with spears and bows while we climbed."
"It'd be very dangerous, given how injured most of us already are." Mantreus emphasises, for those who are a little slow on the uptake. "Especially since we don't know how many kobolds might be in there."
"I agree." The Padre nods, "We need to rest before we face them."
The adventurers make camp and set guards, then try to rest as best they can, waiting until the new day - and new healing spells - arrives. The hours pass slowly, the group enclosed in near total darkness, with only the smallest flame still burning in their lantern.
And in the darkness, the kobolds stir ...
Pee'rak has always taken great pride in being the tribe's finest scout. Now, as he edges nervously into the tunnel that leads toward the surface, he dearly wishes the pride was someone else's. His tongue flickers out to taste the moist air.
"Go scout, Pee'rak." He mutters to himself, in a poor imitation of his chief, "See if surface scum try to stop us leaving. M'dok commands." A sibilant hiss escapes his lipless mouth, "Pee'rak should have told your eggs to curdle, M'dok."
Inching further forward, the kobold peers around a corner, immediately jerking back when he catches sight of what lies ahead.
Just beyond the pit trap the tribe dug so recently, the small group of surface dwellers have set up camp. Pee'rak's snout twitches as he scents human, elf ... and stinking gnome.
"No way out without fight." He mutters, as he scuttles back to the nest, "Pee'rak tell M'dok we should go before, but M'dok too frightened for eggs. Stupid. Mates can always make more. Tch. It M'dok's problem now."
Reaching the great cave, Pee'rak signals the guards, who lower a crude rope ladder for him to climb. Not waiting for them to pull it up behind him, the scout goes to report to his leader. As he expects, M'dok is not happy.
"Stupid surface dwellers!" the chief curls his tail in derision, "They must be fever-brained! They think kobolds not know how to use bows?"
"Maybe they forget we see in dark." Pee'rak toadies, "They have stupid brains, burnt to crisp by standing in sun. Not like mighty M'dok."
The leader waves aside this sycophancy,
"How many?"
"Six." Pee'rak holds up five fingers and his tail, "Including one gnome female."
M'dok's teeth snap at the air, drool forming on the edges of his mouth,
"We should eat its marrow." He hisses, then pauses and glances at the clutch of eggs in the corner of the chamber, "But it more important to keep eggs safe."
Pee'rak forces his tail to remain straight, and respectful, as M'dok turns back to him,
"Summon warriors." The chief commands, "We go, give surface scum choice. They let us go, or we use crossbows, kill them all. They will see they cannot win."
Capellan
Explorer
"The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 10
The Padre is in that dark and comfortable place just below the edge of consciousness. He can still feel the bone-deep ache of weariness, but it's distant, far removed from him. Almost as far removed as the voice repeating his name, over and over again, or the small hands that tug urgently on his arm.
He mutters under his breath, shrugging off the distractions that are trying to keep him from his rest. The voice dims, no longer intruding into his dreams.
And then something cold and slimy snakes into his ear, and he all but leaps to his feet, yelling and clutching at the side of his head, horrid thoughts of flesh grubs or ear seekers uppermost in his mind.
"It's about time you woke up." Twinkle wipes her saliva-wettened finger on her shirt, "I've been shaking you for ages."
"What is it?" the Padre asks, stonily, his tone making it clear that this had better be important.
"Kobolds." Twinkle points into the darkness on the far side of the pit trap. "They say they want to talk. They say they'll shoot us all if we don't agree to a deal. I told them I'd have to wake you."
The Padre stares blankly in the direction the gnome is pointing.
"I don't see any kobolds -" he begins, but as he does, a dim light flares briefly in the darkness, and he catches a glimpse of more than a dozen of the small dog-men, each pointing a crossbow at his heart, "- okay, I'm willing to listen to their offer."
"You let us go with no more fighting, we not kill you." A voices rasps softly out of the darkness, "We take all food from store, leave this place. Nobody die."
"We can't let murderers go." The priest folds his arms, stepping in front of Twinkle as he does so. Shielded from view, the small gnome slips into the shadows and begins to quietly wake the others. Each remains still, lying in place as they listen to the Padre's negotiations.
"We not murderers." The kobold responds, "You the murderers. We peaceful tribe in nice home, you break in and attack us, not us attack you."
"What about the miners who were here?"
"We not kill!" the kobold denies, despite the clear evidence to the contrary, "They dead when we come. Demon kill them."
"A demon?" the Padre's tone shows his disbelief, "Where is this 'demon' now?"
"Below. You let us leave, you able to go deeper and kill demon. Kill murderer. You know when demon close; caves become hot like volcano."
"We should take the offer." Twinkle hisses quietly to the Padre, moving up beside him, "There are too many of them."
"They killed the miners."
"And we killed a bunch of them, in return. I like kobolds even less than you, you know. But there's no way these little brutes are responsible for the disease. They aren't smart enough."
Reluctantly, the Padre accedes, and the group allows the kobolds to depart. The decision still nags at the Priest, however, and he takes Stormstrider aside,
"Can you follow them?" he asks, "Keep at a distance, but make sure they don't hurt anyone."
The elf nods, gathers up his things and, after waiting a while to give the kobolds a head-start, slips out of the mine to pick up their trail.
Down one of their most experienced fighters, the group resumes their camp - this time retreating to the safety of the now-empty store room - and waits out the night. Unfortunately, by the time the Padre is able to regain his spells and begin the process of healing their injuries, the first symptoms of the disease are becoming apparent among them. Almost the entire group are suffering to some extent, with pounding headaches and feverish temperatures. Anastria alone seems unaffected, as they learn once the Padre has restored her to consciousness.
Despite the dizziness and nausea that is now afflicting most of them, the group chooses to press on, knowing that their symptoms will only grow more severe. The longer they delay, the more difficult their job will be. At least now their injuries are almost entirely healed.
As they continue into the dark tunnels, the air grows slowly hotter and more moist. For those adventurers who are already feverish, the heat and the close air come to be almost unbearable, but they press on doggedly. Eventually, this persistence pays off, as they enter a cavern of baking heat and stifling humidity.
Scattered around the cavern are several corpses, consisting of a mix of humans and kobolds. As the group enters, these corpses slowly draw themselves to their feet and move forward to attack, emitting wordless moans as they come.
Such challenges no longer hold much danger for the Company, however, and the battle is over almost before it begins: the Padre invokes his god, instantly sending most of the creatures fleeing in terror. Unfortunately for the zombies, of course, they flee very slowly, and the group ambles after them, hacking them down almost at will.
Only one of the zombies is able to flee far enough into the tunnels to - at least temporarily - escape them, and the group wastes no time in pursuing it.
As they travel still deeper into the mine, the oppressive heat begins to diminish, though the air remains clammy and filled with moisture. The sound of running water reaches them, and ahead they spy another cavern, dotted with patches of luminescent moss. Unlike the other caverns they have seen, this one does not appear to have been worked with tools, but instead has been hollowed out naturally by a cascading underwater stream. The stream runs smoothly between dozens of slick, smooth stones, each coated by a light sheen of spray.
As the group reaches the entrance of this cave, the zombie that had escaped them earlier lurches out of the darkness, clawing ineffectually at the Padre. Barely breaking stride, the cleric of St Cuthbert strikes the undead creature to the floor.
"I'm not very impressed by this so-called demon, thus far." He remarks.
As he speaks, a hoarse, guttural chant breaks out from the furthest end of the cavern, and a scarred orc, dressed in animal skins and black armour, steps into sight. The adventurers react immediately: an arrow from Twinkle lodges in the orc’s thigh, while one of Mantreus’ magical missiles slams into its chest. In response, the orc growls a magical phrase and gestures, and immediately a dense cloud of greenish-yellow gas boils out of his hands, surging rapidly toward the group.
The Padre is in that dark and comfortable place just below the edge of consciousness. He can still feel the bone-deep ache of weariness, but it's distant, far removed from him. Almost as far removed as the voice repeating his name, over and over again, or the small hands that tug urgently on his arm.
He mutters under his breath, shrugging off the distractions that are trying to keep him from his rest. The voice dims, no longer intruding into his dreams.
And then something cold and slimy snakes into his ear, and he all but leaps to his feet, yelling and clutching at the side of his head, horrid thoughts of flesh grubs or ear seekers uppermost in his mind.
"It's about time you woke up." Twinkle wipes her saliva-wettened finger on her shirt, "I've been shaking you for ages."
"What is it?" the Padre asks, stonily, his tone making it clear that this had better be important.
"Kobolds." Twinkle points into the darkness on the far side of the pit trap. "They say they want to talk. They say they'll shoot us all if we don't agree to a deal. I told them I'd have to wake you."
The Padre stares blankly in the direction the gnome is pointing.
"I don't see any kobolds -" he begins, but as he does, a dim light flares briefly in the darkness, and he catches a glimpse of more than a dozen of the small dog-men, each pointing a crossbow at his heart, "- okay, I'm willing to listen to their offer."
"You let us go with no more fighting, we not kill you." A voices rasps softly out of the darkness, "We take all food from store, leave this place. Nobody die."
"We can't let murderers go." The priest folds his arms, stepping in front of Twinkle as he does so. Shielded from view, the small gnome slips into the shadows and begins to quietly wake the others. Each remains still, lying in place as they listen to the Padre's negotiations.
"We not murderers." The kobold responds, "You the murderers. We peaceful tribe in nice home, you break in and attack us, not us attack you."
"What about the miners who were here?"
"We not kill!" the kobold denies, despite the clear evidence to the contrary, "They dead when we come. Demon kill them."
"A demon?" the Padre's tone shows his disbelief, "Where is this 'demon' now?"
"Below. You let us leave, you able to go deeper and kill demon. Kill murderer. You know when demon close; caves become hot like volcano."
"We should take the offer." Twinkle hisses quietly to the Padre, moving up beside him, "There are too many of them."
"They killed the miners."
"And we killed a bunch of them, in return. I like kobolds even less than you, you know. But there's no way these little brutes are responsible for the disease. They aren't smart enough."
Reluctantly, the Padre accedes, and the group allows the kobolds to depart. The decision still nags at the Priest, however, and he takes Stormstrider aside,
"Can you follow them?" he asks, "Keep at a distance, but make sure they don't hurt anyone."
The elf nods, gathers up his things and, after waiting a while to give the kobolds a head-start, slips out of the mine to pick up their trail.
Down one of their most experienced fighters, the group resumes their camp - this time retreating to the safety of the now-empty store room - and waits out the night. Unfortunately, by the time the Padre is able to regain his spells and begin the process of healing their injuries, the first symptoms of the disease are becoming apparent among them. Almost the entire group are suffering to some extent, with pounding headaches and feverish temperatures. Anastria alone seems unaffected, as they learn once the Padre has restored her to consciousness.
Despite the dizziness and nausea that is now afflicting most of them, the group chooses to press on, knowing that their symptoms will only grow more severe. The longer they delay, the more difficult their job will be. At least now their injuries are almost entirely healed.
As they continue into the dark tunnels, the air grows slowly hotter and more moist. For those adventurers who are already feverish, the heat and the close air come to be almost unbearable, but they press on doggedly. Eventually, this persistence pays off, as they enter a cavern of baking heat and stifling humidity.
Scattered around the cavern are several corpses, consisting of a mix of humans and kobolds. As the group enters, these corpses slowly draw themselves to their feet and move forward to attack, emitting wordless moans as they come.
Such challenges no longer hold much danger for the Company, however, and the battle is over almost before it begins: the Padre invokes his god, instantly sending most of the creatures fleeing in terror. Unfortunately for the zombies, of course, they flee very slowly, and the group ambles after them, hacking them down almost at will.
Only one of the zombies is able to flee far enough into the tunnels to - at least temporarily - escape them, and the group wastes no time in pursuing it.
As they travel still deeper into the mine, the oppressive heat begins to diminish, though the air remains clammy and filled with moisture. The sound of running water reaches them, and ahead they spy another cavern, dotted with patches of luminescent moss. Unlike the other caverns they have seen, this one does not appear to have been worked with tools, but instead has been hollowed out naturally by a cascading underwater stream. The stream runs smoothly between dozens of slick, smooth stones, each coated by a light sheen of spray.
As the group reaches the entrance of this cave, the zombie that had escaped them earlier lurches out of the darkness, clawing ineffectually at the Padre. Barely breaking stride, the cleric of St Cuthbert strikes the undead creature to the floor.
"I'm not very impressed by this so-called demon, thus far." He remarks.
As he speaks, a hoarse, guttural chant breaks out from the furthest end of the cavern, and a scarred orc, dressed in animal skins and black armour, steps into sight. The adventurers react immediately: an arrow from Twinkle lodges in the orc’s thigh, while one of Mantreus’ magical missiles slams into its chest. In response, the orc growls a magical phrase and gestures, and immediately a dense cloud of greenish-yellow gas boils out of his hands, surging rapidly toward the group.
Capellan
Explorer
"The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 11
The adventurers scatter, most of them avoiding the noxious fumes. Only Mantreus and Twinkle are caught in the cloud, falling to their knees as their eyes begin to burn and their throats fill with bile. The green fumes carry a stench so foul that it is all they can do to try and stagger free.
Even for those who have avoided the stinking cloud of fumes, the trouble is only just beginning. They have no option but to splash through a pool of ice-cold water, then try to scramble over the smooth, wet stones that surround the stream. These prove dangerously slippery, forcing any movement to be painfully slow, unless they are willing to risk a heavy fall. At one point Padre even throws pride to the wind and resorts to crawling over the rocks, so determined is he to avoid further painful tumbles.
The next few seconds are a maddening time of frustration, as the adventurers lurch and scramble from rock to rock, unable to spare any attention for the orc, which produces two potion vials, quickly swallowing one. The creature smirks as it immediately fades out of sight, lifting the other vial to its lips as it does so.
With many muttered curses - not least about this profligate use of potions they could have used themselves - the adventurers press forward resolutely, favouring safety over speed. Though they are unable to target their foe, they know that he is not be likely to risk the slippery rocks over which they climb: his own armour is too heavy and cumbersome for such work.
When the orc blinks back into sight, it is to hurl a green ray of energy at the Padre, who has managed to get closest to the broad rock on which the creature stands. The beam strikes him squarely, and the cleric staggers as it leeches the strength from his muscles. The armour he wears suddenly seems five times as heavy as it did before, nearly driving him to his knees.
Weakened so much that he can barely stand, let alone lift a weapon, the Padre summons a crackling black energy to his hand, and tries to lift himself onto the rock to strike the orc. His strength fails him, however, and he slides back, before gathering himself for another attempt.
Mantreus unleashes another magic missile at the orc, which seems completely recovered from its earlier wounds - evidently the second potion it drank was a curative of some kind. The white bolt of energy strikes home, but is more than answered when the orc loads and fires a crossbow at the sorcerer. The bolt flies with deadly aim, striking Mantreus high on the chest and dropping him instantly to the ground.
Faced with a higher priority than attacking the orc, the Padre allows the black energy around his hand to dissipate, and moves to Mantreus’ side. Despite the difficulty of movement in his wet clothes and armour, he invokes his healing magic, managing to restore the sorcerer to consciousness. Mantreus celebrates by unleashing another magic missile at the orc, which snarls a defiant curse, pulling a scroll from its belt as it does so.
Their enemy unrolls the scroll and reads the mystical words upon it, chanting for several long, drawn out seconds. As the sound of the chanting fades, there is at first no visible effect.
"Watch out for the pool!" Twinkle suddenly cries, pointing into the deep, icy water. Looking where she points, the other spot movement below the surface: a black octopus has suddenly appeared there, its red-banded tentacles writhing around it.
Wanting to give the summoned creature a wide berth, the adventurers move away from the edge of the water, to a distance that they hope lies beyond the reach of the beast's tentacles.
Slowly, more and more of the group are reaching the stones on which their adversary stands. However, he is proving a fierce opponent, delivering crippling blows to both the Padre and Anastria, as each tries to reach him, without success. The elf crumples to the floor, knocked cold by the heavy mace the creature bears, while the Padre clings to consciousness only by sheer stubbornness, as he staggers over to try and bind Anastria's wounds.
The Company resorts to ranged attacks; the orc is plagued not only by arrows from Twinkle, but also rays of crackling ice, hurled by Mantreus, who still sways slightly from blood lost to the crossbow injury he recently suffered.
Tiring of this distant harassment, the orc rushes forward, striking a mighty blow against the sorcerer. Mantreus staggers, slips, and then falls, sliding down over the rocks, his body limp as the injury plunges him once more in unconsciousness.
And then suddenly Rose appears beside the orc, her sword flicking out and through a gap in his armour. Dark red blood flows from the wound, and the creature’s injuries finally overcame it. It topples heavily to the ground, leaving five exhausted adventurers: most reduced to the very last of their strength.
Within seconds of the orc’s collapse, the water in the stream – which had been murky and cloudy – becomes clear and sparkling. Though they still feel the affliction of the disease in their own flesh, the group now know that they have at last destroyed its source.
The adventurers scatter, most of them avoiding the noxious fumes. Only Mantreus and Twinkle are caught in the cloud, falling to their knees as their eyes begin to burn and their throats fill with bile. The green fumes carry a stench so foul that it is all they can do to try and stagger free.
Even for those who have avoided the stinking cloud of fumes, the trouble is only just beginning. They have no option but to splash through a pool of ice-cold water, then try to scramble over the smooth, wet stones that surround the stream. These prove dangerously slippery, forcing any movement to be painfully slow, unless they are willing to risk a heavy fall. At one point Padre even throws pride to the wind and resorts to crawling over the rocks, so determined is he to avoid further painful tumbles.
The next few seconds are a maddening time of frustration, as the adventurers lurch and scramble from rock to rock, unable to spare any attention for the orc, which produces two potion vials, quickly swallowing one. The creature smirks as it immediately fades out of sight, lifting the other vial to its lips as it does so.
With many muttered curses - not least about this profligate use of potions they could have used themselves - the adventurers press forward resolutely, favouring safety over speed. Though they are unable to target their foe, they know that he is not be likely to risk the slippery rocks over which they climb: his own armour is too heavy and cumbersome for such work.
When the orc blinks back into sight, it is to hurl a green ray of energy at the Padre, who has managed to get closest to the broad rock on which the creature stands. The beam strikes him squarely, and the cleric staggers as it leeches the strength from his muscles. The armour he wears suddenly seems five times as heavy as it did before, nearly driving him to his knees.
Weakened so much that he can barely stand, let alone lift a weapon, the Padre summons a crackling black energy to his hand, and tries to lift himself onto the rock to strike the orc. His strength fails him, however, and he slides back, before gathering himself for another attempt.
Mantreus unleashes another magic missile at the orc, which seems completely recovered from its earlier wounds - evidently the second potion it drank was a curative of some kind. The white bolt of energy strikes home, but is more than answered when the orc loads and fires a crossbow at the sorcerer. The bolt flies with deadly aim, striking Mantreus high on the chest and dropping him instantly to the ground.
Faced with a higher priority than attacking the orc, the Padre allows the black energy around his hand to dissipate, and moves to Mantreus’ side. Despite the difficulty of movement in his wet clothes and armour, he invokes his healing magic, managing to restore the sorcerer to consciousness. Mantreus celebrates by unleashing another magic missile at the orc, which snarls a defiant curse, pulling a scroll from its belt as it does so.
Their enemy unrolls the scroll and reads the mystical words upon it, chanting for several long, drawn out seconds. As the sound of the chanting fades, there is at first no visible effect.
"Watch out for the pool!" Twinkle suddenly cries, pointing into the deep, icy water. Looking where she points, the other spot movement below the surface: a black octopus has suddenly appeared there, its red-banded tentacles writhing around it.
Wanting to give the summoned creature a wide berth, the adventurers move away from the edge of the water, to a distance that they hope lies beyond the reach of the beast's tentacles.
Slowly, more and more of the group are reaching the stones on which their adversary stands. However, he is proving a fierce opponent, delivering crippling blows to both the Padre and Anastria, as each tries to reach him, without success. The elf crumples to the floor, knocked cold by the heavy mace the creature bears, while the Padre clings to consciousness only by sheer stubbornness, as he staggers over to try and bind Anastria's wounds.
The Company resorts to ranged attacks; the orc is plagued not only by arrows from Twinkle, but also rays of crackling ice, hurled by Mantreus, who still sways slightly from blood lost to the crossbow injury he recently suffered.
Tiring of this distant harassment, the orc rushes forward, striking a mighty blow against the sorcerer. Mantreus staggers, slips, and then falls, sliding down over the rocks, his body limp as the injury plunges him once more in unconsciousness.
And then suddenly Rose appears beside the orc, her sword flicking out and through a gap in his armour. Dark red blood flows from the wound, and the creature’s injuries finally overcame it. It topples heavily to the ground, leaving five exhausted adventurers: most reduced to the very last of their strength.
Within seconds of the orc’s collapse, the water in the stream – which had been murky and cloudy – becomes clear and sparkling. Though they still feel the affliction of the disease in their own flesh, the group now know that they have at last destroyed its source.
Yay us! We rock!
You got the closeness of that fight across nicely Capellan. The relief when Rose downed him was palpable. I think The Padre was down to 0 hit points, Anastria and myself were unconcious, Twinkle was stuck behind the octopus (little legs
) Rose was low on hit points...
Phew!
You got the closeness of that fight across nicely Capellan. The relief when Rose downed him was palpable. I think The Padre was down to 0 hit points, Anastria and myself were unconcious, Twinkle was stuck behind the octopus (little legs
) Rose was low on hit points...Phew!
Capellan
Explorer
"The Burning Plague" by Miguel Duran (WotC Free Adventure) - Part 12
With the symptoms of the disease now plaguing them all - even Anastria is now complaining of dizziness and fore joints, though no-one seems to much care - the adventurers struggle back to town, where they begin the slow process of healing. The wounds of the battle with the orc pass quickly, cured by the Padre's restorative magic, but the disease lingers for several days, and the adventurers are still weak and drained even after they finally fight off the effects.
Once their convalescence is complete, however, they take the town's markets by storm. As a strategic and commercial centre, Duvik's Pass offers far more goods in its markets than a small village like Amberdale, and the group is eager to take the utmost advantage of this, quickly spending almost all of the treasure they discovered in the mines. Mantreus in particular spends coins like water, treating himself to a small arsenal of top quality thieves' tools.
In addition to all these individual purchases, the group clubs together to buy a partially depleted wand of cure light wounds. Having found themselves short of healing at several times during their trip through the mines, they are resolved to be better prepared for any future adventure.
The night after she recovers enough to get out of bed, Twinkle looks for the Padre in the common room of the town's inn. The place is quiet - most people are still recovering - and the priest has a secluded corner to himself. He is slumped back in his chair, nursing an ale and clearly trying not to fall asleep. Dark circles ring his eyes: like anyone in town with medical training, he has been working throughout the day, tending those who are still sick. The numbers of the ill are dwindling, it is true, but those left are the weakest and the most sickly, making them the most demanding to treat.
Seeing the gnome, he raises one palm,
"Not tonight, please. I lack the energy for one of your pranks."
Twinkle shrugs and scoots into the seat on the opposite side of the table,
"Actually, I wanted to thank you." She pauses at the priest's look of evident surprise, "Rose told me what you did in the fight. She said I would have died -"
"You're a comrade." The Padre cuts her off, "I would have done it for anyone in the group."
"That doesn't make me any less grateful." Twinkle makes a shushing gesture, "What you did ... it's the bravest thing that anyone I know has ever done. And it saved my life. I won't forget it." she glances down at her hands.
Despite himself, the Padre is touched by the thank you - and by the young gnome's bashful earnestness. He takes a swallow of ale, then replies, voice a little gruff.
"You're welcome. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."
"Yeah." Twinkle wrinkles her nose and grins, "And I've never let you hear the end of it, after I did."
Her sudden change of mood startles a chuckle out of the usually dour cleric.
"If you'd saved my life, I think I could learn to live with the grief I'd get about it." his tone grows more serious, "Now get to bed. You're still not fully recovered."
To his surprise, the gnome actually nods, and slides out of her chair.
"G'night." She gives him a tired half-wave, then trots off toward the stairs. As she reaches the halfway point, she suddenly straightens, then rushes off, leaping up the steps, two at a time. The Padre shakes his head and leans back, eyes half-closing.
"Someone's in for a rude awakening. Hope it's not me." He yawns, slowly losing the battle with his exhaustion. His tiredness feels bone deep, making every muscle in his body ache. As sleep dulls the pain, he finds himself wondering what the others are doing in Amberdale.
We've been gone over a week, now. Still, how much trouble could they get themselves in?
His last conscious thought, as he drifts into a doze, is that he probably doesn't want to know the answer.
With the symptoms of the disease now plaguing them all - even Anastria is now complaining of dizziness and fore joints, though no-one seems to much care - the adventurers struggle back to town, where they begin the slow process of healing. The wounds of the battle with the orc pass quickly, cured by the Padre's restorative magic, but the disease lingers for several days, and the adventurers are still weak and drained even after they finally fight off the effects.
Once their convalescence is complete, however, they take the town's markets by storm. As a strategic and commercial centre, Duvik's Pass offers far more goods in its markets than a small village like Amberdale, and the group is eager to take the utmost advantage of this, quickly spending almost all of the treasure they discovered in the mines. Mantreus in particular spends coins like water, treating himself to a small arsenal of top quality thieves' tools.
In addition to all these individual purchases, the group clubs together to buy a partially depleted wand of cure light wounds. Having found themselves short of healing at several times during their trip through the mines, they are resolved to be better prepared for any future adventure.
The night after she recovers enough to get out of bed, Twinkle looks for the Padre in the common room of the town's inn. The place is quiet - most people are still recovering - and the priest has a secluded corner to himself. He is slumped back in his chair, nursing an ale and clearly trying not to fall asleep. Dark circles ring his eyes: like anyone in town with medical training, he has been working throughout the day, tending those who are still sick. The numbers of the ill are dwindling, it is true, but those left are the weakest and the most sickly, making them the most demanding to treat.
Seeing the gnome, he raises one palm,
"Not tonight, please. I lack the energy for one of your pranks."
Twinkle shrugs and scoots into the seat on the opposite side of the table,
"Actually, I wanted to thank you." She pauses at the priest's look of evident surprise, "Rose told me what you did in the fight. She said I would have died -"
"You're a comrade." The Padre cuts her off, "I would have done it for anyone in the group."
"That doesn't make me any less grateful." Twinkle makes a shushing gesture, "What you did ... it's the bravest thing that anyone I know has ever done. And it saved my life. I won't forget it." she glances down at her hands.
Despite himself, the Padre is touched by the thank you - and by the young gnome's bashful earnestness. He takes a swallow of ale, then replies, voice a little gruff.
"You're welcome. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."
"Yeah." Twinkle wrinkles her nose and grins, "And I've never let you hear the end of it, after I did."
Her sudden change of mood startles a chuckle out of the usually dour cleric.
"If you'd saved my life, I think I could learn to live with the grief I'd get about it." his tone grows more serious, "Now get to bed. You're still not fully recovered."
To his surprise, the gnome actually nods, and slides out of her chair.
"G'night." She gives him a tired half-wave, then trots off toward the stairs. As she reaches the halfway point, she suddenly straightens, then rushes off, leaping up the steps, two at a time. The Padre shakes his head and leans back, eyes half-closing.
"Someone's in for a rude awakening. Hope it's not me." He yawns, slowly losing the battle with his exhaustion. His tiredness feels bone deep, making every muscle in his body ache. As sleep dulls the pain, he finds himself wondering what the others are doing in Amberdale.
We've been gone over a week, now. Still, how much trouble could they get themselves in?
His last conscious thought, as he drifts into a doze, is that he probably doesn't want to know the answer.
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