Intrepid Adventures of Legend or Hobo Murderers on the Loose (a pogre storyhour)
Episode 11
The Only Good Elf is…
“By the gods,” Cabo cried out.
“What’s wrong with him?” Brodek asked Osbourne.
“I gather he is having trouble with his necessaries this morning,” Osbourne replied.
“What does that mean?” Brodek asked.
“He’s got the trots,” Gideon interjected.
“Well, you should have said so,” Brodek gruffed.
Cabo returned to the group looking fairly pale.
“What ails ye’ peck?” Brodek asked.
“My stomach feels like a balled-up fist,” Cabo replied. “It must have been something I ate.”
“Likely. You can just bring up the rear,” Brodek guffawed loudly at his pun.
*****
The adventurers headed across the hall to the door. Listening, they heard yipping and growling indicating canines beyond the portal. When the door was opened they were confronted by three vicious war dogs.
Gideon and Brodek jumped to the front to confront the dogs, while Osbourne prepared a spell. Cabo pitifully moaned helplessly in the back of the group.
The dogs struck first and very nearly dragged Brodek down to the floor. Gideon was bitten deeply by one of the beasts, but also managed to avoid being dragged down. The dogs were clearly battle-tested and worked in concert against the adventurers. Meanwhile, Brodek and Gideon struggled to do much damage. Osbourne did slam some magic missiles into one of the dogs, but it was only wounded.
Gideon had another wound rented in his leg by a brutal bite. Now the monk could feel his life blood slipping away from him. Brodek smashed the skulls of one of the dogs and Osbourne jumped forward in the fray, while Gideon fell back. The melee was tense and the dwarf was tripped at one point, but eventually the adventurers were victorious and all three dogs lay slain.
Exactly ten minutes into the morning, the group needed a rest.
*****
The adventurers descended the stairs into a room with a pair of humanoid guards.
The guards were killed fairly quickly.
“Keep moving pecks!” Brodek bellowed. “There’s bound to be more!”
“And if the combat did not alert them, he certainly did,” Osbourne complained.
The group burst through another door and found a chamber with an odd pentagram shape with doors on every wall. There were also a trio of Dark Elves with hand crossbows leveled at the adventurers.
One of the bolts hit Brodek, but the dwarf managed to shrug off the weapon’s poison. Brodek and Gideon charged across the room. The pair quickly had one of dark fey slain and Osbourne’s magical bolts quickly put another down.
The remaining Dark Elf made a fighting retreat to one of the doors and disappeared in a cloud of absolute darkness.There was the distinctive sound of a door opening and closing.
Brodek charged ahead through the door and entered an odd-shaped room with a corner obscured in absolute darkness and another niche partially concealed to the group. Brodek charged into the darkness, but struck air. The dark elf cut a deep slit in the dwarf’s arm. “Now, I got ye’”, Brodek called out. Judging the dark elf’s position quickly, Brodek smashed the warrior and the darkness lifted.
Meanwhile, Osbourne had worked around the darkness and peered into the niche. There he saw a female dark elf preparing to cast a spell.
The sorcerer unloaded a barrage of magic missiles on her and dropped her.
“She would have been bad news,” Osbourne commented.
“Aye, any elf is bad news,” Brodek replied.
The group surveyed the room and ascertained it was some sort of converted temple. Following a quick search for secret egresses and discovering none they returned to the pentagram room.
*****
The adventurers quickly opened the doors in succession and killed several dark elves that they discovered. The melees were loud and at times lengthy.
“Why don’t they come to each others’ aid?” Osbourne queried.
“They’re elves. Perfidity is second nature to them,” Brodek answered.
“Racial prejudices aside, there is something odd going on here,” Gideon replied.
“There is a conflict amongst them. It is the only explanation. Perhaps we can use some of the dark elves against the others,” Osbourne mused.
“Unless you are referring to somehow crafted weapons from their bones, the only use I can see for any of these elves is making ever higher piles of bodies,” Brodek stated.
“I am just suggesting…” Osbourne began.
“I know what you are suggesting, peck. These halls are of dwarven construction and though I am not familiar with this fortress or its history, I know these elves are desecrating its hallowed halls with their very presence. We will rededicate it with their life blood!” Brodek declared.
*****
One door revealed a room with stairs down.
“We should finish looking around this level,” Gideon suggested. “Particularly, with Cabo of no use.”
“Hey!” Cabo called weakly.
“Yer’ up to helping then peck?” Brodek asked
Cabo could only shake his head.
“Next door on this level then,” Brodek declared and marched off.
*****
The beast was towering, menacing, and appeared ready to charge across the narrow chamber.
“Let’s whittle him down to our level,” Gideon sneered.
“That’s the spirit peck,” Brodek cheered. The dwarf then ran into the room with a blood-curdling scream.
The huge beast landed a crushing blow on Brodek and in an instant the dwarf was bloodied and barely able to stand. Gideon vaulted into the room and landed a fury of blows on the huge humanoid that seemed to actually stagger it. Osbourne unleashed a spell on the enemy that forced it back. Roaring in a rage, the creature swung its huge weapon wildly, nearly decapitating the dwarf. Brodek braced himself and with a mighty swing fell the creature.
A quick search of the creature turned up a bag of gems and a key. Brodek needed to bind his wounds, but all were concerned that any attempted rest might be disturbed in this room.
“This door is locked. Let me see that key,” Gideon said.
Osbourne tossed him the key and Gideon quickly unlocked the door. The group soon found a welcome sight beyond, a storeroom stuffed with weapons, dry goods, and high quality foods.
Brodek ignored his wounds for the present to get his fill of food. The halflings squealed with delight at the unboxing of each new delectable food stuff. The door was locked and the group settled in for a rest. The only disturbance was Cabo’s frequent exit to relieve himself and return. Fortified and in high spirits the group set-off again exploring.
*****
The next chamber contained a dark elf mage.
The dark elf attempted to speak and was rewarded for his efforts with a quick death.
Down another long hallway the group found a pair of doors facing the hallway from opposite directions.
“Cabo, you watch that door while we take care of whatever is beyond this one,” Osbourne suggested.
The halfling thief grunted his assent miserably while clutching his stomach.
The adventurers broke through the first door and surprised a trio of dark elf warriors.
Gideon was poisoned by a dark elf blade, but the group managed to slay their enemies. Just as the final elf fell, Cabo rushed into the room, “More coming.”
These dark elf warriors had more time to prepare and numerous times Brodek had to stave off the effect of their poisoned blades. This trio of dark elves was felled as well, but not at insignificant cost. Brodek and Osbourne were wounded and Gideon was fighting off the effects of dark elf poison. Cabo was panting heavily from the exertion, despite not having raised a blade.
The adventurers retreated to the store room and bound their wounds and rested again.
*****
Setting off again into the darkness the group happened into a chamber with a clean water cistern. Down the hall from this they found a dining or meeting room.
Further down the hall from this chamber the group chanced into a medium chamber that had been converted into a living quarter. Therein they found a lone dark elf.
The dark elf made the mistake of trying to say something and was dead in a pool of blood in seconds.
“We could listen to what one of these dark elf’s have to say,” Osbourne suggested.
“If you want to hear lies, I can provide plenty,” Brodek retorted. “This - (Brodek pointed to his magical longsword “steelwill”) - is my elfish communicator!” Brodek then broke into grumbling, coughing chortle.
*****
“That’s it for this level,” Brodek announced confidently.
*****
The adventurers descended the stairs onto yet another level.
Both passages led to more dark elf warrior barracks. The group made quick work of the guards in the rooms.
The only way out was an imposing set of double doors.
“Like sheep to the shearing chute, there is but one way for us,” Cabo announced.
The rest of the group turned toward Cabo, surprised to hear him speak above a whisper.
“Feeling a bit better,” the thief smiled weakly.
to be continued...