Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1520701" data-attributes="member: 6294">"The Hallowed Hills" by Miguel Duran (WotC Cliffhanger) - Part 8There is an orange flash as Mantreus fires a magical bolt of energy into the creature's side.  The fungus writhes its tentacles, turning from the Padre to this new foe.  It wreaks a fierce vengeance: both Twinkle and Mantreus are struck by the poisonous barbs, the gnome sagging to the ground as the muscles of her chest slacken, making it hard for her to breathe.It is a fierce vengeance, but it is also just the opening the Padre needs.  Pushing himself up on one arm, he raises his mace overhead:"Saint Cuthbert smite thee!"Black energy courses along the mace as it smashes a huge chunk of the creature's pulpy flesh.  Green and purple goo sprays from the wound, and the fungus thrashes its death throes. With this threat removed, the shrieking fungi are easily destroyed.  Then Briar and Mantreus help the Padre to his feet, and he gingerly tests his leg.  It nearly buckles, then holds, trembling slightly from the effort."You look terrible." Mantreus opines."I feel it.  How's everyone else?""Sirdros is helping Twinkle; I think she is going to be okay." The sorcerer glances over at the gnome, who is being tended by the elven priest, "But I doubt she can go on.  How about you?"Pride and caution war in the Padre's eyes, before he grudgingly answers,"It would be best for me if we turned back, I think.  The numbness is spreading.  You were lucky not to be poisoned, as well."Mantreus shrugs,"I'm too pretty to look as bad as you do, right now."The Padre snorts,"Let's check this cave, and then head back.  The priests should have more restoratives: at least potions and scrolls.  If we can persuade them to give us some, we can come back down again.""I've never persuaded a priest to give me some, before."Whatever response the Padre might have to Mantreus' comment is forgotten as Briar calls out to them,"There are two bodies here - I think they might be two of the missing brothers."The bodies lie under a layer of fresh fungal growth.  Though both are partially decomposed, one is sufficiently intact to show signs of a wound to the neck.  Both also lie close to the cave-in, which looks fresh enough to have occurred around the time the men went missing."This can't be good." Is the Padre's assessment."At least we can take my brethren for a proper burial." Sirdros seems to be the only one who draws some solace from this thought. "Anastria and I can take one of the bodies, while Briar and Mantreus take the second.  Can you and Twinkle make the journey back, unaided?""We'll make it." The Padre responds, stoically.Make it they do; though the return march is long and slow, and accompanied by a constant stream of muttering from Anastria, who seems less than pleased to act as pallbearer for a 'human cultist'.With the bodies of the two monks returned to the monastery, and fortified by healing and restorative potions they have bullied out of Abbot Gerrard, the group ventures once more into the darkness of the tunnels.  Passing the fungi chamber, they travel on for several minutes, until they reach a cavern which is split by a fissure; not more than ten feet across, but deep enough that they cannot see the bottom.On the far side of the fissure they can dimly make out the shapes of boulders, and from amidst these dark shapes comes a voice, speaking in broken Common:"This Broken Tusk Cave.  You leave.  We not kill.""Orcs." Twinkle identifies the race of the speaker, "Hiding in the boulders." She points, and Sirdros and Anastria nod their agreement."I'm glad you can see them." The Padre mutters, then raises his voice, "You leave, and we not kill.""You know, it's going to be hard to reach them, over there." Twinkle eyes the fissure, "Unless you plan on jumping.""We have bows." The Padre waves her objection away."They have pretty good cover.""Listen, so far in these caves we've been smacked around by ghouls, stirges, and casserole ingredients that decided to bite back.  After all that, there's no way we're backing down to a bunch of orcs." The priest of St Cuthbert glowers at the others, "Am I right?"Anastria nods,"No true elf runs from orcs."And thus the adventurers follow up the Padre's words with a hail of arrows and crossbow bolts.  One of the orcs goes down.  A ragged volley of javelins arcs back at them, but they clatter harmlessly on stone or shield."I told you we'd take them." The Padre exults.  And then a javelin slams into him, driving right through his body to emerge, gore soaked, from his chest.  The priest stares at it in shock; not just from the pain of the wound, but from the direction of the attack:The javelin came from behind them.</blockquote>

Verification