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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pell-Mell" data-source="post: 3606360" data-attributes="member: 50273">CASE FILE 001: THE CASE OF THE MISSING HOLYMANSession 5, Part 2: Rogue on Fire OR The Worm BurnsGuns out and trained on the door, the battered and weary group readied themselves for battle. There was a booming thud on the other side as something heavy fell to the ground. The door opened slowly, many tiny claws suddenly appearing and grabbing the edge. In the widening crack, the group could make out the reptilian form of kobolds and they lowered their weapons. A large kobold with a bloodstained bandage covering one eye appeared and gestured at the group with his spear, saying something in Draconic.Dirk stuck his pistol into his belt, "Come on. The queen wants us." They were led out into the hallway filled with draconic columns and back into the Yusdrayl's chamber. The Queen of the Kobolds sat upon her throne and looked down, her eyes glittering with arrogance and her mouth set in a fanged smirk. She made a broad, mock-welcome gesture, "The Children of Ashardalon have purified this part of His House of the goblin scum." She moved her glare from one of the group to the next, her stare finally settling on Meepo, who cowered behind the massive Case Nine, her eyes narrowing as arrogance gave way to malice. Meepo gave a moan and clung to the robot's leg."As you have assisted our holy cause, we saved you from the goblins when you fell before them." She extended her claw and pointed at Meepo, her voice trembling with restrained rage, "We have even spared lowly Meepo, who has used sacred magics, even though he is not worthy of them!" Yusdrayl sank back into her throne, "But our benevolence is limited. I have been blessed with a vision from holy Ashardalon. He has told me to allow you pass through into the lower chambers." Her voice quivered with anger, "And I am stay my hand and allow Meepo to live. However, he is forever exiled from this House of Ashardalon!"Dirk thought for a moment, "Sounds fair. But we are going to need a day or so before we go down to lower level." The Queen of the Kobolds nodded, "Agreed. But know that my patience with you is at an end. Once you exit from the halls below, I will allow you to pass though our territories only once."*   *   *Two days later, the group now whole and healthy, returned to the octagonal room that had once been the lair of the Goblin King. The room had been swept clean by the conquering kobolds and only brown stains marked the site of the pitched battle. They made their way to the pit in the center of the chamber and looked down. The shaft was choked with thick, pale vine-things. Below, the shaft appeared to open into a large chamber bathed in an alien violet light.Case Nine was the first to make his way down, the vines straining under the weight of the robot. Clambering down, the Lud-Man found that the shaft opened into a vast natural cavern, the walls studded with odd fungal growths that shed a weird purple light. In two of the walls were large rents that lead into darkness and against another was a door. The floor of the cavern had been covered in soil and a strange garden of sorts had been cultivated. Unhealthy and wilted plants were laid out in neat lines and four creatures tended to them: Two humanoid skeletons and two of the twig-things. Spotting the descending robot, they ran over to intercept him as he approached the floor.Risk algorithms and previous experience determined a minimum level of threat from these assailants and the robot made no attempt to strike from a distance. Instead, he lowered himself to the ground, the claws of the skeletons and twig monsters useless against his thick armor, and methodically dispatched them with his greathammer. By the time the others had reached the floor of the cavern, the four creatures had been destroyed and no harm had been done to Case Nine.As the group began to get their bearings, a mighty roar suddenly came from one of the cave entrances and a massive bugbear could be seen. A helm adorned with great twisting horns sat upon the head of the bugbear and in his hands was a morningstar graven with stylized dragons.[SUP]1[/SUP] At the bugbear's feet were two snarling dire rats and with a gesture, he set them upon the group. Meepo screeched, "It is Baslag, the Great Hunter!"The robot was already moving, his greathammer swinging back as he charged into his foes. The rats scattered, scrambling out of the way of the Lud-Man and seeking the more palatable targets behind. Baslag met Case Nine head-on and the Great Hunter swung under the robot's guard, the morningstar crushing his side and the warforged staggered back. The Lud-Man recovered, sending the bugbear sprawling with a massive blow with his hammer. Spitting blood, Baslag came up and the two traded blows. But in the end, metal proved stronger than flesh and Case Nine was victorious.Behind the warforged, the two rats scrambled toward Dirk, Mere, and Meepo. Dirk calmly leveled his pistol at one of the monstrosities and shot. The creature stumbled and crumpled to the ground, one leg spasming uselessly. Mere shot the other dire rat with her rifle and though wounded, it continued forward. Meepo stabbed it with his spear, finishing it off.The battle over, Mere mended some of the damage on Case Nine as Dirk and Meepo investigated the cavern Baslag had emerged from. Within they found the lair of the Great Hunter and they quickly rifled though his meager belongings, finding some coin and baubles among the nests of the dire rats. Meanwhile, Mere determined that Baslag's morningstar was enchanted and the bugbear had a curious potion. Drawing upon her knowledge of alchemy and magics, the priestess postulated that the potion would protect the imbiber from fire for a short time. Case Nine took both.Regrouping in the central chamber, Dirk took off the horned helm off Baslag and placed it upon his head, "Not bad, eh?" Mere rolled her eyes and Case Nine ignored the question, "Which way now?" A bit crestfallen, Dirk tossed the helm to the ground, "Let's take the door. I'll have a listen." Pulling out his short sword, the rogue made his way to the door, and after he determined it was not trapped or locked, listened intently.*   *   *Dirk held up his hand and gave a signal for silence, a confused look on his face. He then made his way over to the others, "I hear something, but I can't figure out what it is. Sounds like somebody stomping around in water. The door isn't locked, so I am going to sneak in and see what we got. Get ready if you hear something." The others nodded and the rogue padded over to the door, listening first, then opening it slowly and peering in.The hallway beyond was short, with high vaulted ceilings and columns carved with dragons, similar to the halls above. More of the bioluminescent fungus clung to the ceiling and pillars, bathing the hall in the queer light. Six open doorways, three on each side, could be seen and a large stone door stood at the far end. The hall itself was choked with worktables and haphazardly strewn farming implements. Seeing no one, but hearing the strange sloshing sound, Dirk crept in, his short sword out and ready. Stealthily moving forward, he peeked around one of the open doors and found the source of the odd sound. Two goblins were stomping in a mashing-tun, occasionally stopping to catch their breath. Dirk quickly surveyed the other equipment in the room and determined they were making liquor. Leaving them to their work, the rogue made his way to the doorway across the hall. In here he found several bunk beds and after letting his eyes adjust to the gloom, discovered that two of the bunks were occupied by sleeping goblins. Moving silently and quickly, Dirk smothered these two and then continued down the hall. In the next set of rooms, he spied two goblins repairing armor in one and two more goblins examining a sickly looking dire rat that had been strapped to a table in the other. The last two rooms in the hall appeared devoid of goblins and looked to be for storage, although the rear of one had collapsed, leaving a rent that led to a dark, irregular passage.Dirk made his way back to the others undetected by the goblins and told them of what he had seen and done. After some discussion, they decided they would surprise the goblins and barge into the chamber, hoping to slay them before they could organize. Putting word into deed, Case Nine kicked in the door and made his way in, surprised goblins darting from side chambers. Moving quickly and methodically, the group easily defeated the goblins and soon were alone in the hallway. They examined the rooms, but found little of interest. The rat that been lashed to the table appeared to have been an experimented on and Mere suggested that the poor creature would soon expire. Case Nine quietly put the creature out of its misery.Moving forward, Dirk listened at the stone door at the end of the hall, hearing nothing. Finding no lock, he opened it slowly. Through the crack, Dirk could see another vast chamber, this one constructed rather than natural. In the violet fungi light, he could see great fading frescos of dragons holding dominion over the antediluvian world. The floor of this vast chamber had also been converted into gardens of stunted surface world flora. As the rogue surveyed, a large creature lumbered into his line of sight, evidently heading for a stone door across the chamber.It was another bugbear, but this one wore the clothing of a farmer and held a scythe over his broad shoulders. Dirk held his breath, but it was clear that he had not been spotted. Suddenly, the bugbear stopped, held up its face, and began to turn this way and that, its broad nose quivering as it caught an unfamiliar scent. The rogue closed the door slightly and retreated, scampering back to the others, telling them what he had seen. Taking up positions behind workbenches, they leveled their guns at the door and waited. A moment later, the bugbear, his scythe at the ready, kicked open the door and glared about. The guns thundered and the bugbear was shot down, his body hitting the floor before he could even enter the chamber.Waiting a moment to see if reinforcements would appear, but seeing none, the group moved forward and entered the vast garden chamber. Several thick stone doors were evident and the group picked one. Dirk checked it for traps or locks, but found neither and heard nothing on the other side. Waving the rogue back, Case Nine opened the door and revealed a large octagonal room. Like the other rooms, its floor was covered in a dark soil, but here strange underworld plants flourished: great pale mushrooms, quivering fungus stalks, and the ubiquitous glowing growths. However, it seemed that something had burned a part of the garden, for many of the plants bore mysterious scorch marks.Seeing nothing untoward, the group ventured into the room and looked around. On one side of the chamber, Dirk made a discovery: several peculiar holes in the wall, including one that seemed to be glowing with a warm yellow-orange light. Going to one knee to investigate, he gave a scream as something sprung from the hole. The creature was worm-like and about two feet long. It blazed with flames, the air around it wavering in the heat. The fire creature darted toward the surprised rogue and hit him square in the chest. Immediately the rogue caught on fire and dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. Mere shook off her surprise and shot the fire worm with her rifle, but it was Case Nine who killed it with an overhead slam with his hammer.Grabbing the smoldering rogue, who had passed out from the pain, Case Nine and the others retreated to the hall of the goblins.Notes:[SUP]1[/SUP] A nice illustration by Claudio Pozas is available <a href="http://www.enworld.org/Pozas/Pictures/Play_Aids/balsag.jpg" target="_blank">here</a></blockquote>

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