the Jester
Legend
weiknarf said:
No, it's really unlikely... but last night we had our first fumbles with severity >1d20.
Yes, in fact, last night was fumble-rific. For everyone.
Of Sound Mind the Halfling Way
- Thread starter the Jester
- Start date
No, it's really unlikely... but last night we had our first fumbles with severity >1d20.
Yes, in fact, last night was fumble-rific. For everyone.
omrob
First Post
ShennanigANZ!
When we first found the war wagon and found the Yuan Ti tracks that led to the cave we knew it was gonna be a total trap...
We kept trying to think of a plan to lure them out of their cave so we could take them a lot easier...
Chief Jawbreaker came up with an excellent idea (or so Federico thought)...
He said he would take some of the lizrd/snake blood and rub it all over himself and call out like he was a wounded halfiling and gimp around the front of the cave...
Of course Federico suggested he execute his plan, and of course JB failed his will save...
After a good long performance in front of the cave, he moved inside and continued, and then came across the pit, iirc.
That was some fun *ss stuff - JB's player is an excellent old skewl Role Player, and he always makes us laugh it up when he's carrying this stuff out...
Also Humphrey was guest played by a visitor I believe...
When we first found the war wagon and found the Yuan Ti tracks that led to the cave we knew it was gonna be a total trap...
We kept trying to think of a plan to lure them out of their cave so we could take them a lot easier...
Chief Jawbreaker came up with an excellent idea (or so Federico thought)...
He said he would take some of the lizrd/snake blood and rub it all over himself and call out like he was a wounded halfiling and gimp around the front of the cave...
Of course Federico suggested he execute his plan, and of course JB failed his will save...
After a good long performance in front of the cave, he moved inside and continued, and then came across the pit, iirc.
That was some fun *ss stuff - JB's player is an excellent old skewl Role Player, and he always makes us laugh it up when he's carrying this stuff out...
Also Humphrey was guest played by a visitor I believe...
the Jester
Legend
Brain said:hey teh Jester: so close to being completely caught up, only part of one game untold on this thread. way to go mang.
In total, between both SH's, I'm less than four games behind.
Compare this to a month and a half ago- I was in the neighborhood of 12-18 games behind. Not too bad!
the Jester
Legend
Meanwhile, in the Underdark...
10/28/369 O.L.G., Noon, the Underdark beneath Dyshim
The chill breeze has accompanied Aristoclese, Nara and Erazmuz for miles. The small boat they are in sides quickly along, carried by the current. Aristoclese, as the only one without darkvision, sits in the middle of the boat; Erazmuz mains the tiller while Nara keeps a wary eye out for their quarry.
It has been a long chase, Aristoclese muses to himself. He and his adventuring party had been hired to retrieve a family heirloom, and their chase had led them deep into the bowels of the earth. But now he’s the last member of the group left alive. The ring he had been hired to retrieve had been stolen by a doppelganger named Rimmer, who has changed his role from hunted to hunter and back again on several occasions. When the party and the doppelganger’s forces met in the deep halfling city, Aristoclese’s party had been cut to ribbons, and only the timely intervention of a pair of the deep halflings managed to save Aristoclese himself. Ari himself is a male, small even for a halfling, skinny even. A mop of shaggy black hair shows under his patchwork leather wide-brimmed hat. He wears hide armor and skins, which are also patchwork. The effect is a kind of regulated chaos such as tree roots or a river bed. He carries a spear, but mostly as a walking stick. His mount/companion is a boar named "Greased Lightening", or "Greaser". It takes all the strength Ari can muster to strap up the exotic riding saddle. He eats a bowl of cooked grains with bits of meat and veggies for each of his three meals, augmented by truffles dug up by Greaser. He sometimes munches on halfling-style trail mix of nuts, roots and dried fruits. He is friendly and good natured with a rustic accent, but has no problem
unleashing the power of nature upon them as needs it.
The other two, Erazmuz and Nara, were proving themselves formidable companions. Erazmuz seemed very versatile; he was even able to perform minor acts of healing, though he claimed to sneer at gods. Nara was a prophet, and she was full of healing. And of course, all three of them shared halfling blood.
Erasmuz is a deep halfling, so he is even shorter than most of the halflings (2'2" 35 lbs.) His clothing can be described as both refined and rugged. He looks like he is an experienced explorer – he has everything put away precisely in his packs so that he can find it quickly. He shaves his head daily, excepting a black goatee that he trims meticulously. He is on the older side, nearly middle-aged for a halfling, and he has some creepy habits, like standing too close to other people and unsolicited physical contact. When traveling, he rides along on a lizard. Nara, like Erazmuz, is a Deep Halfling. Nara is 2'4 1/4" weighing in at 38.46lbs. Nara is fair skinned bordering on pale, has sky blue eyes (though she does not, at this point, even know what the sky is, much less its color), and has big spiky silver hair. Nara's attire, while not fancy or extravagant, suggests that this is someone that should be followed because she is a leader even if she dresses somewhat provocatively.
The loss of halfling life inflicted by the doppelganger’s attacks- for it turned out to be a powerful wizard with a penchant for lightning bolts- so infuriated the two that they joined Ari in his hunt for vengeance (and the ring). They have been just a step behind their target for days. Now his boat comes into view, pulled up onto a narrow underground shore.
Our heroes put ashore as well. Carefully, they leave the boats and advance up the beach, to where they can see a cave entrance. His throat thick, his heart pounding with grief for his friends, Ari follows behind Erazmuz as he leads the way in.
Almost immediately the passage splits. Our heroes move to the left, caution slowing them down a little. As they move forward, there is a skittering sound and a bunch of giant beetles rush out, intending to feast on the party’s flesh. Erazmuz squawks like a frightened chicken as the beetles scuttle up on him and one bites a chunk of his leg out!
“Hey, buddy, that’s not cool!” Erazmuz exclaims, and manifests force screen. Then, reluctantly, he stands his ground, pulling out his rapier. In response, the beetle sprays him with an acrid, wet vapor that burns his flesh. Ari is busy summoning, and as soon as his dire ape appears, it rips into one of the beetles with deadly force. He immediately follows this up by starting another summons. Meanwhile, his boar (which the others keep having trouble not calling ‘Bacon’) gores and slays one, and in moments it is done, as Nara pounds the last one with her morningstar.
Examining the split in the passage, our heroes find that the left branch leads to a dead-end chamber with a raised portcullis leading into it. It appears that the beetles live in the chamber and the portcullis was raised, presumably by the halflings’ prey, to release the bugs and slow the party down.
The right-hand passage is blocked off by a portcullis. A lever in the wall beyond it tantalizes our heroes; one can only assume that it controls the mechanism blocking them from following Rimmer. The halflings, small as they are, cannot move past the portcullis without raising the lever.
Erazmus uses a wand he has to summon forth a dwarven bard on the other side of the portcullis, and then asks him to raise the lever. After some negotiation- for the wand compels the bard only to listen to the tales of the summoner- the dwarf complies, and with the sound of hidden chains groaning, the barrier rises, allowing our heroes passage.
Hurrying forward, the halflings spill into a room where they see Rimmer the doppelganger and his bodyguard of four bugbears! Instantly battle is joined- as close as they are to victory, our heroes will brook no delay! Though Rimmer opens up with a lightning bolt, Nara has already warded our heroes against electricity, and the blast does little to them. Then, immediately, she manages to blind Rimmer with a spell, and the doppelganger gasps and starts to retreat, stumbling up a stairway to the back of the chamber. The bugbears fall quickly to the summoned beasts of Nara and Ari while Erazmuz wards himself with a sanctuary spell ripped from the bosom of the gods and sets off in pursuit of the doppelganger. In less than a minute, the little ur-priest has pounced, and soon their enemy lies dead at the party’s feet.
The ring that Ari has been pursuing for so many weeks is in his hands at last! Grinning, he turns to his friends. “Let’s check out the rest of this place and then go back to my patron to get paid.”
“That’s in the upper world, isn’t it?” asks Nara.
“Yep.”
“I’ve never seen it before,” she says nervously.
“Hey, relax, buddy, put your feet up!” exhorts Erazmuz. “It’s worth a trip up there, we’ll get paid!”
The doppelganger’s escape route turns out to end on a shelf on the edge of a chasm. Light filters down faintly from above, and a narrow trail leads upwards for several hundred feet. Looking up, Ari grins. “That looks like it leads to the surface to me!” he exclaims. “We can avoid a good week of traveling back and then through the kuo-toan caverns if we just go up here.”
The three halflings ascend and find themselves in a thick jungle. Neither Nara nor Erazmuz have ever even heard of such a thing before; though they have seen fungus forests, the bright greens and vivid browns of the jungle are new and exotic to them. Moisture drips from the canopy, and the smells are rich and mysterious. Our heroes make camp and rest, more than glad to have a chance to rest after their long climb.
***
10/29/369 O.L.G., 830 a.m., Sriti’s Jungle
Arthur On-Tap stumbles through the bushes, seeking a good place to void his bladder. His head pounds. He could really use a drink to take the edge off, but he seems to have misplaced his camp. He is a little concerned about that, but more concerned by the lack of contact from Sandy, Beau and Lundey.
Splash! Hey, he’s found a creek. Sighing gratefully, he answer’s nature’s call, then glances downstream.
Halflings?
He shakes his head and rubs his eyes to be sure. Yes, those are halflings, all right, just stirring from a night’s sleep. Three of them, in fact.
“HEY!” he calls, staggering and waving to them.
From within one of the bedrolls, a bleary-eyed, shaven-headed face pops out. “What’s up, buddy?” it calls in a high-pitched voice.
“You’re halflings!” exclaims Arthur, stating the obvious with aplomb.
“Yeah? So are you,” replies the bald little fellow.
Soon the three have introduced themselves, and Arthur follows suit, suspiciously refraining from offering to share his remaining liquor at this point. He explains that he has a group of more halflings around here somewhere, he’s just lost them for the moment. The deep halflings have some interest in meeting more of their surface kin, and Ari is all too aware of the potential dangers of the jungle. “Safety in numbers” seems a good philosophy to adopt, so they follow Arthur as he staggers around trying to find his friends.
Soon the four of them emerge into a clearing. Not far away, Arthur spots the serpent folks’ cave. He frowns.
”Hey, hold on a second,” he slurs. “Maybe you can help me with something....”
Next Time: Arthur and the underworld halflings make a desperate rescue attempt!
10/28/369 O.L.G., Noon, the Underdark beneath Dyshim
The chill breeze has accompanied Aristoclese, Nara and Erazmuz for miles. The small boat they are in sides quickly along, carried by the current. Aristoclese, as the only one without darkvision, sits in the middle of the boat; Erazmuz mains the tiller while Nara keeps a wary eye out for their quarry.
It has been a long chase, Aristoclese muses to himself. He and his adventuring party had been hired to retrieve a family heirloom, and their chase had led them deep into the bowels of the earth. But now he’s the last member of the group left alive. The ring he had been hired to retrieve had been stolen by a doppelganger named Rimmer, who has changed his role from hunted to hunter and back again on several occasions. When the party and the doppelganger’s forces met in the deep halfling city, Aristoclese’s party had been cut to ribbons, and only the timely intervention of a pair of the deep halflings managed to save Aristoclese himself. Ari himself is a male, small even for a halfling, skinny even. A mop of shaggy black hair shows under his patchwork leather wide-brimmed hat. He wears hide armor and skins, which are also patchwork. The effect is a kind of regulated chaos such as tree roots or a river bed. He carries a spear, but mostly as a walking stick. His mount/companion is a boar named "Greased Lightening", or "Greaser". It takes all the strength Ari can muster to strap up the exotic riding saddle. He eats a bowl of cooked grains with bits of meat and veggies for each of his three meals, augmented by truffles dug up by Greaser. He sometimes munches on halfling-style trail mix of nuts, roots and dried fruits. He is friendly and good natured with a rustic accent, but has no problem
unleashing the power of nature upon them as needs it.
The other two, Erazmuz and Nara, were proving themselves formidable companions. Erazmuz seemed very versatile; he was even able to perform minor acts of healing, though he claimed to sneer at gods. Nara was a prophet, and she was full of healing. And of course, all three of them shared halfling blood.
Erasmuz is a deep halfling, so he is even shorter than most of the halflings (2'2" 35 lbs.) His clothing can be described as both refined and rugged. He looks like he is an experienced explorer – he has everything put away precisely in his packs so that he can find it quickly. He shaves his head daily, excepting a black goatee that he trims meticulously. He is on the older side, nearly middle-aged for a halfling, and he has some creepy habits, like standing too close to other people and unsolicited physical contact. When traveling, he rides along on a lizard. Nara, like Erazmuz, is a Deep Halfling. Nara is 2'4 1/4" weighing in at 38.46lbs. Nara is fair skinned bordering on pale, has sky blue eyes (though she does not, at this point, even know what the sky is, much less its color), and has big spiky silver hair. Nara's attire, while not fancy or extravagant, suggests that this is someone that should be followed because she is a leader even if she dresses somewhat provocatively.
The loss of halfling life inflicted by the doppelganger’s attacks- for it turned out to be a powerful wizard with a penchant for lightning bolts- so infuriated the two that they joined Ari in his hunt for vengeance (and the ring). They have been just a step behind their target for days. Now his boat comes into view, pulled up onto a narrow underground shore.
Our heroes put ashore as well. Carefully, they leave the boats and advance up the beach, to where they can see a cave entrance. His throat thick, his heart pounding with grief for his friends, Ari follows behind Erazmuz as he leads the way in.
Almost immediately the passage splits. Our heroes move to the left, caution slowing them down a little. As they move forward, there is a skittering sound and a bunch of giant beetles rush out, intending to feast on the party’s flesh. Erazmuz squawks like a frightened chicken as the beetles scuttle up on him and one bites a chunk of his leg out!
“Hey, buddy, that’s not cool!” Erazmuz exclaims, and manifests force screen. Then, reluctantly, he stands his ground, pulling out his rapier. In response, the beetle sprays him with an acrid, wet vapor that burns his flesh. Ari is busy summoning, and as soon as his dire ape appears, it rips into one of the beetles with deadly force. He immediately follows this up by starting another summons. Meanwhile, his boar (which the others keep having trouble not calling ‘Bacon’) gores and slays one, and in moments it is done, as Nara pounds the last one with her morningstar.
Examining the split in the passage, our heroes find that the left branch leads to a dead-end chamber with a raised portcullis leading into it. It appears that the beetles live in the chamber and the portcullis was raised, presumably by the halflings’ prey, to release the bugs and slow the party down.
The right-hand passage is blocked off by a portcullis. A lever in the wall beyond it tantalizes our heroes; one can only assume that it controls the mechanism blocking them from following Rimmer. The halflings, small as they are, cannot move past the portcullis without raising the lever.
Erazmus uses a wand he has to summon forth a dwarven bard on the other side of the portcullis, and then asks him to raise the lever. After some negotiation- for the wand compels the bard only to listen to the tales of the summoner- the dwarf complies, and with the sound of hidden chains groaning, the barrier rises, allowing our heroes passage.
Hurrying forward, the halflings spill into a room where they see Rimmer the doppelganger and his bodyguard of four bugbears! Instantly battle is joined- as close as they are to victory, our heroes will brook no delay! Though Rimmer opens up with a lightning bolt, Nara has already warded our heroes against electricity, and the blast does little to them. Then, immediately, she manages to blind Rimmer with a spell, and the doppelganger gasps and starts to retreat, stumbling up a stairway to the back of the chamber. The bugbears fall quickly to the summoned beasts of Nara and Ari while Erazmuz wards himself with a sanctuary spell ripped from the bosom of the gods and sets off in pursuit of the doppelganger. In less than a minute, the little ur-priest has pounced, and soon their enemy lies dead at the party’s feet.
The ring that Ari has been pursuing for so many weeks is in his hands at last! Grinning, he turns to his friends. “Let’s check out the rest of this place and then go back to my patron to get paid.”
“That’s in the upper world, isn’t it?” asks Nara.
“Yep.”
“I’ve never seen it before,” she says nervously.
“Hey, relax, buddy, put your feet up!” exhorts Erazmuz. “It’s worth a trip up there, we’ll get paid!”
The doppelganger’s escape route turns out to end on a shelf on the edge of a chasm. Light filters down faintly from above, and a narrow trail leads upwards for several hundred feet. Looking up, Ari grins. “That looks like it leads to the surface to me!” he exclaims. “We can avoid a good week of traveling back and then through the kuo-toan caverns if we just go up here.”
The three halflings ascend and find themselves in a thick jungle. Neither Nara nor Erazmuz have ever even heard of such a thing before; though they have seen fungus forests, the bright greens and vivid browns of the jungle are new and exotic to them. Moisture drips from the canopy, and the smells are rich and mysterious. Our heroes make camp and rest, more than glad to have a chance to rest after their long climb.
***
10/29/369 O.L.G., 830 a.m., Sriti’s Jungle
Arthur On-Tap stumbles through the bushes, seeking a good place to void his bladder. His head pounds. He could really use a drink to take the edge off, but he seems to have misplaced his camp. He is a little concerned about that, but more concerned by the lack of contact from Sandy, Beau and Lundey.
Splash! Hey, he’s found a creek. Sighing gratefully, he answer’s nature’s call, then glances downstream.
Halflings?
He shakes his head and rubs his eyes to be sure. Yes, those are halflings, all right, just stirring from a night’s sleep. Three of them, in fact.
“HEY!” he calls, staggering and waving to them.
From within one of the bedrolls, a bleary-eyed, shaven-headed face pops out. “What’s up, buddy?” it calls in a high-pitched voice.
“You’re halflings!” exclaims Arthur, stating the obvious with aplomb.
“Yeah? So are you,” replies the bald little fellow.
Soon the three have introduced themselves, and Arthur follows suit, suspiciously refraining from offering to share his remaining liquor at this point. He explains that he has a group of more halflings around here somewhere, he’s just lost them for the moment. The deep halflings have some interest in meeting more of their surface kin, and Ari is all too aware of the potential dangers of the jungle. “Safety in numbers” seems a good philosophy to adopt, so they follow Arthur as he staggers around trying to find his friends.
Soon the four of them emerge into a clearing. Not far away, Arthur spots the serpent folks’ cave. He frowns.
”Hey, hold on a second,” he slurs. “Maybe you can help me with something....”
Next Time: Arthur and the underworld halflings make a desperate rescue attempt!
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the Jester
Legend
Arthur lays out the situation for Nara, Aristoclese and Erazmuz. He explains that his friends had assaulted a group of serpent-folk within the cave, and after the fight several had stayed behind. “The wizard had gone through a door and they were waiting for her to” –he belches- “come back out. But none of them have come out yet!” Arthur pleads with them for his aid.
Of course, Nara, Erazmuz and Ari aren’t about to leave some of their halfling brethren in danger. The four of them advance to the mouth of the cave of death (as Arthur is now thinking of it as he stumbles forward).* The ground is muddy from the flood the afternoon before. They advance through it until they reach the smashed in door at the end of the cave. With growing trepidation, Arthur mounts the stairs and the four of them end at the door behind which Lundey had blinked.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur opens the door.
***
The party’s campsite
As Naomi cooks breakfast, Martini starts to become concerned at the absence of Arthur. Nobody has seen him in almost an hour. After the group feasts on steaming sausages- Naomi may be a hideous bitch, but she can cook, Martini admits to himself- the ranger sighs and starts tracking their drunken friend. As he follows the impressions Arthur left in the ground, Martini also worries over his other missing friends.
Arthur’s tracks wander fairly wildly and for some distance before ending at a small creek that trickles along through the jungle. Across the creek Martini finds the remains of a campsite- three small humanoids, one halfling sized and two gnome-sized, thinks Martini. Arthur emerged from the creek here and met them, then they went off together. What were you thinking, Arthur? Who were they? Martini draws his bow and nocks an arrow. The tracks lead him in a staggeringly irregular direction; it seems Arthur must have been in the lead. They gradually curve around, until-
“Oh, Arthur, you fool,” murmurs Martini to himself.
The trail leads right back into the cave of death.
***
Inside the cave
The serpent folk monk, wearing a living garter snake around his throat as some sort of weird necklace, springs forward at Arthur but his foot scrapes the wall and he stumbles, giving Arthur (who is holding a torch) a chance to shove his burning brand at the monk’s face. The monk jerks back, then kicks Arthur in the wrist with crushing force, knocking the brand from his hand. It rolls down several of the steps. Grinning in the shadows, the monk snarls, “Fools! We shall feed you to our god Meershaulk!”
Arthur tumbles back and partway down the stairs, screaming, “I don’t want a milkshake!”
Behind him, a huge serpent’s head made of green stone gapes, and a twitching, shuddering thing lies in the great idol’s mouth.
The other creature resembles a large serpent, save for its pair of arms. It slithers forward and slashes at Greased Lightning (Ari’s boar). The boar dances back, squealing, and the blow misses, but then both serpent folk are pressing in on Arthur again.
Erazmuz fortifies himself with a series of powers and spells, keeping well back as he does. As Arthur tries to get away, the shaved head little deep halfling cries, “Come back, buddy!” He draws out his rapier.
Ari, meanwhile, moves into position and summons a trio of dire wolves. Then he calls up some dire badgers. It takes time, though- precious time. By the time he’s got them, the serpent folk have retreated into their room, having pressed all the halflings out, and shut the door behind them.
“Don’t let ‘em get away, buddy!” cries Erazmuz. He moves up, initiating a force screen.
Ari, casting speak with animals, commands his dire badgers to tear through the door. In mere moments, they do so and the fight continues. The delay has given both sides a few moments to drink potions of healing and such, and the battle’s fury is immense now that everyone is spoiling for a fight. Arthur hollers as he staggers drunkenly forward, having used the delay to take a shot or two. That guy sure can drink like a demon! The summoned wolves bound into the room, barking and tearing, and take down the monk! He cries out as they rip at him, and he falls to the ground. They tear out his throat- and also nearly slay the garter snake. They are about to finish it off when they vanish back from whence they came.
The dire badgers start rushing at the more serpentine one, but it hisses and sways and they stumble to a halt. It seems that they have somehow become entranced. Arthur tumbles in next to the serpent creature and it holds up a jug of slimy yellow fluid, similar to that surrounding the thing in the idol’s mouth.
“Drink this,” suggests the serpent.
“Eat thish!” replies Arthur, landing a stunning blow on the serpent’s nose! Nara touches it with an inflict critical wounds and blood pours from its body. The serpent hisses angrily and tries to cast defensively, but it is surrounded and shaken by the fierce halfling onslaught. He can’t pull it together! He starts to panic when Nara swipes at him again, this time with an inflict serious wounds, but fortunately she misses.
Erazmuz, still reasonably distant from harm, loads his crossbow and fires. The bolt flies true, sinking feather-deep in the serpent’s neck. A fleeting look of agony passes over it, and then it sinks graciously to the ground and stops moving.
Arthur stumbles to the serpent idol, staring in horror. “No,” he gasps. “Sandy?”
“Wow- it’s a good thing you didn’t drink that stuff,” remarks Nara with a wrinkle of her nose. She kicks the jug over, spilling the foul contents.
Ari nods agreement. “I’ve heard stories, told in druidic circles, about the serpent folk. They feed you a nasty potion to turn you into some kind of half-snake slave. Anything other than a human dies a horrible death.”
Arthur stares down at the form in the snake’s mouth. Surrounded by thick yellow fluid and cast off skin, the form is wearing the tattered remains of Sandy’s garb, torn and stretched, for whatever the creature is that is in the mouth now, it is nearly 6’ tall. Its misshapen limbs and deformed face bear only the slightest resemblance to Sandy- but the resemblance is there.
Out of mercy, Arthur breaks his neck. Then they burn the body, taking only his wand of cure moderate wounds.
There is no sign at all of Lundey or Beau.
When they search for loot, they find the remains of a magic fluid smashed in the fight in one of the cabinets. In addition there are a few potions on the serpent-folk and a scimitar that is too big for our heroes to use. The monk wore a jade room carved into a serpent (that is not magical). Perhaps oddest of all, the little garter snake that the wolves savaged is magic as well. Erazmuz puts this in a box. Finally, there is a map that appears to show the location of a monastery deep in the jungle.
Suddenly they note a light coming up from below, and Martini and Naomi enter the scene.
”Halflings!” exclaims Martini. “I thought they were gnomes.”
“Hey, who are you, buddies?” asks Erazmuz, and introductions are soon made all around, with Arthur as the center point between them, albeit one that is busy vomiting and then passing out in the corner. Soon the Underdark halflings have explained the sad fate of Sandy, and after some speculation about the others the group decides they must have been sacrificed. There is a massive amount of blood within the mouth of the serpent.
A search by Martini and Naomi finds that one of the serpent head’s teeth pivots. When it is pivoted, a secret panel in the back of the snake’s mouth opens, and Martini crawls through and finds a chest. He shoves it back out and the party bashes it open. It holds more monkish robes and several more of the jade rings.
Martini and Naomi explain that they got into this mess following a war wagon that had been stolen. “It’s right outside,” remarks Naomi. They all troop out and look it over. The group easily identifies two main issues with getting it moving: the broken wheel and the lack of a team. The wheel, claim both Ari and Nara, is easy. But the team...
“How were we going to get it out of here anyway?” wonders Martini. He frowns.
Erazmuz has a riding lizard; Ari has Greased Lightning. “I have a dog,” Naomi offers doubtfully.
“I can push from behind as a bear,” offers Ari.
“All right, we need to rest first, and tomorrow when I renew my spells I’ll be sure to pack a make whole. Then we’ll see how it goes.” Nara smiles. “It just takes a little time.”
Next Time: Our heroes attempt to move the war wagon! What trouble and mishaps will befall them? Will the snake-people make an attempt to retrieve the wagon? Who will keep it? Will our (remaining) heroes survive??
*The pcs were referring to it as the cave of death by this time in the game notes they were taking, and when referring to it ooc.
Of course, Nara, Erazmuz and Ari aren’t about to leave some of their halfling brethren in danger. The four of them advance to the mouth of the cave of death (as Arthur is now thinking of it as he stumbles forward).* The ground is muddy from the flood the afternoon before. They advance through it until they reach the smashed in door at the end of the cave. With growing trepidation, Arthur mounts the stairs and the four of them end at the door behind which Lundey had blinked.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur opens the door.
***
The party’s campsite
As Naomi cooks breakfast, Martini starts to become concerned at the absence of Arthur. Nobody has seen him in almost an hour. After the group feasts on steaming sausages- Naomi may be a hideous bitch, but she can cook, Martini admits to himself- the ranger sighs and starts tracking their drunken friend. As he follows the impressions Arthur left in the ground, Martini also worries over his other missing friends.
Arthur’s tracks wander fairly wildly and for some distance before ending at a small creek that trickles along through the jungle. Across the creek Martini finds the remains of a campsite- three small humanoids, one halfling sized and two gnome-sized, thinks Martini. Arthur emerged from the creek here and met them, then they went off together. What were you thinking, Arthur? Who were they? Martini draws his bow and nocks an arrow. The tracks lead him in a staggeringly irregular direction; it seems Arthur must have been in the lead. They gradually curve around, until-
“Oh, Arthur, you fool,” murmurs Martini to himself.
The trail leads right back into the cave of death.
***
Inside the cave
The serpent folk monk, wearing a living garter snake around his throat as some sort of weird necklace, springs forward at Arthur but his foot scrapes the wall and he stumbles, giving Arthur (who is holding a torch) a chance to shove his burning brand at the monk’s face. The monk jerks back, then kicks Arthur in the wrist with crushing force, knocking the brand from his hand. It rolls down several of the steps. Grinning in the shadows, the monk snarls, “Fools! We shall feed you to our god Meershaulk!”
Arthur tumbles back and partway down the stairs, screaming, “I don’t want a milkshake!”
Behind him, a huge serpent’s head made of green stone gapes, and a twitching, shuddering thing lies in the great idol’s mouth.
The other creature resembles a large serpent, save for its pair of arms. It slithers forward and slashes at Greased Lightning (Ari’s boar). The boar dances back, squealing, and the blow misses, but then both serpent folk are pressing in on Arthur again.
Erazmuz fortifies himself with a series of powers and spells, keeping well back as he does. As Arthur tries to get away, the shaved head little deep halfling cries, “Come back, buddy!” He draws out his rapier.
Ari, meanwhile, moves into position and summons a trio of dire wolves. Then he calls up some dire badgers. It takes time, though- precious time. By the time he’s got them, the serpent folk have retreated into their room, having pressed all the halflings out, and shut the door behind them.
“Don’t let ‘em get away, buddy!” cries Erazmuz. He moves up, initiating a force screen.
Ari, casting speak with animals, commands his dire badgers to tear through the door. In mere moments, they do so and the fight continues. The delay has given both sides a few moments to drink potions of healing and such, and the battle’s fury is immense now that everyone is spoiling for a fight. Arthur hollers as he staggers drunkenly forward, having used the delay to take a shot or two. That guy sure can drink like a demon! The summoned wolves bound into the room, barking and tearing, and take down the monk! He cries out as they rip at him, and he falls to the ground. They tear out his throat- and also nearly slay the garter snake. They are about to finish it off when they vanish back from whence they came.
The dire badgers start rushing at the more serpentine one, but it hisses and sways and they stumble to a halt. It seems that they have somehow become entranced. Arthur tumbles in next to the serpent creature and it holds up a jug of slimy yellow fluid, similar to that surrounding the thing in the idol’s mouth.
“Drink this,” suggests the serpent.
“Eat thish!” replies Arthur, landing a stunning blow on the serpent’s nose! Nara touches it with an inflict critical wounds and blood pours from its body. The serpent hisses angrily and tries to cast defensively, but it is surrounded and shaken by the fierce halfling onslaught. He can’t pull it together! He starts to panic when Nara swipes at him again, this time with an inflict serious wounds, but fortunately she misses.
Erazmuz, still reasonably distant from harm, loads his crossbow and fires. The bolt flies true, sinking feather-deep in the serpent’s neck. A fleeting look of agony passes over it, and then it sinks graciously to the ground and stops moving.
Arthur stumbles to the serpent idol, staring in horror. “No,” he gasps. “Sandy?”
“Wow- it’s a good thing you didn’t drink that stuff,” remarks Nara with a wrinkle of her nose. She kicks the jug over, spilling the foul contents.
Ari nods agreement. “I’ve heard stories, told in druidic circles, about the serpent folk. They feed you a nasty potion to turn you into some kind of half-snake slave. Anything other than a human dies a horrible death.”
Arthur stares down at the form in the snake’s mouth. Surrounded by thick yellow fluid and cast off skin, the form is wearing the tattered remains of Sandy’s garb, torn and stretched, for whatever the creature is that is in the mouth now, it is nearly 6’ tall. Its misshapen limbs and deformed face bear only the slightest resemblance to Sandy- but the resemblance is there.
Out of mercy, Arthur breaks his neck. Then they burn the body, taking only his wand of cure moderate wounds.
There is no sign at all of Lundey or Beau.
When they search for loot, they find the remains of a magic fluid smashed in the fight in one of the cabinets. In addition there are a few potions on the serpent-folk and a scimitar that is too big for our heroes to use. The monk wore a jade room carved into a serpent (that is not magical). Perhaps oddest of all, the little garter snake that the wolves savaged is magic as well. Erazmuz puts this in a box. Finally, there is a map that appears to show the location of a monastery deep in the jungle.
Suddenly they note a light coming up from below, and Martini and Naomi enter the scene.
”Halflings!” exclaims Martini. “I thought they were gnomes.”
“Hey, who are you, buddies?” asks Erazmuz, and introductions are soon made all around, with Arthur as the center point between them, albeit one that is busy vomiting and then passing out in the corner. Soon the Underdark halflings have explained the sad fate of Sandy, and after some speculation about the others the group decides they must have been sacrificed. There is a massive amount of blood within the mouth of the serpent.
A search by Martini and Naomi finds that one of the serpent head’s teeth pivots. When it is pivoted, a secret panel in the back of the snake’s mouth opens, and Martini crawls through and finds a chest. He shoves it back out and the party bashes it open. It holds more monkish robes and several more of the jade rings.
Martini and Naomi explain that they got into this mess following a war wagon that had been stolen. “It’s right outside,” remarks Naomi. They all troop out and look it over. The group easily identifies two main issues with getting it moving: the broken wheel and the lack of a team. The wheel, claim both Ari and Nara, is easy. But the team...
“How were we going to get it out of here anyway?” wonders Martini. He frowns.
Erazmuz has a riding lizard; Ari has Greased Lightning. “I have a dog,” Naomi offers doubtfully.
“I can push from behind as a bear,” offers Ari.
“All right, we need to rest first, and tomorrow when I renew my spells I’ll be sure to pack a make whole. Then we’ll see how it goes.” Nara smiles. “It just takes a little time.”
Next Time: Our heroes attempt to move the war wagon! What trouble and mishaps will befall them? Will the snake-people make an attempt to retrieve the wagon? Who will keep it? Will our (remaining) heroes survive??
*The pcs were referring to it as the cave of death by this time in the game notes they were taking, and when referring to it ooc.
the Jester
Legend
10/30/369 O.L.G., 10 a.m.
Despite a night time encounter with a shambling mound of motile vegetation, our heroes find themselves reasonably well-rested in the morning. They spend the morning restfully, hoping to get enough good rest for Naomi to recover the psionic energy she expended fighting the plant in the night. Soon enough Nara has made whole both the wheel and the peg that holds it in place, and our heroes have harnessed up the lizard, boar and dog. With Ari in bear form pushing from behind, the war wagon awkwardly starts its slow progression back to town.
”Hey buddy, how far is it?” asks Erazmus.
Martini shrugs. “It took a couple of days for us to walk it, but we were catching up to them the whole time- the war wagon obviously travels slower than we do on foot through this terrain.”
The jungle’s heat and humidity, the insects and spiders, the strange scents- all take their toll on our heroes’ senses. After three days of travel, Erazmus starts to feel ill; Nara fixes him up, but it reminds Jawbreaker all too uncomfortably of the blinding sickness both he and Beau had fallen victim to.
Ah, Beau... poor Beau, doubtless sacrificed to the serpent folk.
Or so Jawbreaker believes; so do all our heroes believe. In fact, Beau, a garter snake in both mind and body, is shut tight in a box in Erasmuz’ pack. The pale little halfling of many talents (though of dubious nature) seems to have a thing for snakes, for his familiar is a snake as well.
In any event, our heroes find themselves assaulted again that evening as they continue to try to make their escape. Another wave of the serpent folk rushes the party, trying again to overcome them, but the party manages to throw off their assault. Unfortunately, Greased Lightning is felled in the battle. Grief-stricken, Ari takes the corpse into the bush and cuts strips of meat that he tosses into the woods for the beasts of the jungle. “Anyone who wishes to partake of him must do so as nature intended,” he says, his eyes full of pain. Jawbreaker shrugs and eats some raw pig.
After cleaning up from the battle, Naomi complains, “This jungle is going to be the death of us yet!”
“In all fairness, we should have seen that coming,” Nara states. “You said that these snake guys have gone to great lengths to steal this thing in the first place, right? So why would they give up now?”
“Very true,” says Erazmus.
”Worse yet, how are we going to pull it now?” Ari sighs. “Without Greased Lightning...” His voice trails off ominously. To their dismay, our heroes realize that he’s right.
“We can’t take it,” whispers Naomi, stricken.
”Then we burn it,” says Ari firmly. “At least that way, whatever they want it for, we’ve spoiled it.”
Slowly, reluctantly, our heroes agree. Ari first casts pass without trace on the party, and then sadly flame strikes the war wagon. Every time they glance behind themselves, the plume of smoke in the distance makes them wince.
***
11/3/369 O.L.G., 11:30 p.m.
The campsite of our heroes is quiet. They have settled down into sleep, save for their watcher, Ari. Suddenly, from above, a short bamboo javelin shoots down, stabbing into his shoulder! Hissing his breath between his teeth, he sounds the alert, and the party struggles up and brings weapons to hand. Nothing emerges from the jungle canopy, however.
This sets the tone for the night- although at one point Naomi slays one of the creatures responsible with a psionic attack at range, the party is intermittently attacked by javelins from the trees. After a few attacks, Nara suggests that she can use a spell of hers called nap to allow them to rest quickly (except for a watcher), and then they can move quickly in a short time. The party agrees, and about an hour and a half later they are moving by torchlight through the dark jungle.
Near dawn, they break at last from the jungle. With a collective sigh of relief, they move the last few miles and finally find themselves back in Sritivara. After some discussion, the combined halfling force agrees to go to Methwo first to receive the reward promised for the ring that the doppelganger Rimmer stole, and thence to Zacradose to ‘discuss’ the political situation with the self-proclaimed King Stackler.
Next Time: Shenanigans in Methwo! Will the halflings get paid for the ring? Who will try to poison them? And how will they get to Zacradose?
Despite a night time encounter with a shambling mound of motile vegetation, our heroes find themselves reasonably well-rested in the morning. They spend the morning restfully, hoping to get enough good rest for Naomi to recover the psionic energy she expended fighting the plant in the night. Soon enough Nara has made whole both the wheel and the peg that holds it in place, and our heroes have harnessed up the lizard, boar and dog. With Ari in bear form pushing from behind, the war wagon awkwardly starts its slow progression back to town.
”Hey buddy, how far is it?” asks Erazmus.
Martini shrugs. “It took a couple of days for us to walk it, but we were catching up to them the whole time- the war wagon obviously travels slower than we do on foot through this terrain.”
The jungle’s heat and humidity, the insects and spiders, the strange scents- all take their toll on our heroes’ senses. After three days of travel, Erazmus starts to feel ill; Nara fixes him up, but it reminds Jawbreaker all too uncomfortably of the blinding sickness both he and Beau had fallen victim to.
Ah, Beau... poor Beau, doubtless sacrificed to the serpent folk.
Or so Jawbreaker believes; so do all our heroes believe. In fact, Beau, a garter snake in both mind and body, is shut tight in a box in Erasmuz’ pack. The pale little halfling of many talents (though of dubious nature) seems to have a thing for snakes, for his familiar is a snake as well.
In any event, our heroes find themselves assaulted again that evening as they continue to try to make their escape. Another wave of the serpent folk rushes the party, trying again to overcome them, but the party manages to throw off their assault. Unfortunately, Greased Lightning is felled in the battle. Grief-stricken, Ari takes the corpse into the bush and cuts strips of meat that he tosses into the woods for the beasts of the jungle. “Anyone who wishes to partake of him must do so as nature intended,” he says, his eyes full of pain. Jawbreaker shrugs and eats some raw pig.
After cleaning up from the battle, Naomi complains, “This jungle is going to be the death of us yet!”
“In all fairness, we should have seen that coming,” Nara states. “You said that these snake guys have gone to great lengths to steal this thing in the first place, right? So why would they give up now?”
“Very true,” says Erazmus.
”Worse yet, how are we going to pull it now?” Ari sighs. “Without Greased Lightning...” His voice trails off ominously. To their dismay, our heroes realize that he’s right.
“We can’t take it,” whispers Naomi, stricken.
”Then we burn it,” says Ari firmly. “At least that way, whatever they want it for, we’ve spoiled it.”
Slowly, reluctantly, our heroes agree. Ari first casts pass without trace on the party, and then sadly flame strikes the war wagon. Every time they glance behind themselves, the plume of smoke in the distance makes them wince.
***
11/3/369 O.L.G., 11:30 p.m.
The campsite of our heroes is quiet. They have settled down into sleep, save for their watcher, Ari. Suddenly, from above, a short bamboo javelin shoots down, stabbing into his shoulder! Hissing his breath between his teeth, he sounds the alert, and the party struggles up and brings weapons to hand. Nothing emerges from the jungle canopy, however.
This sets the tone for the night- although at one point Naomi slays one of the creatures responsible with a psionic attack at range, the party is intermittently attacked by javelins from the trees. After a few attacks, Nara suggests that she can use a spell of hers called nap to allow them to rest quickly (except for a watcher), and then they can move quickly in a short time. The party agrees, and about an hour and a half later they are moving by torchlight through the dark jungle.
Near dawn, they break at last from the jungle. With a collective sigh of relief, they move the last few miles and finally find themselves back in Sritivara. After some discussion, the combined halfling force agrees to go to Methwo first to receive the reward promised for the ring that the doppelganger Rimmer stole, and thence to Zacradose to ‘discuss’ the political situation with the self-proclaimed King Stackler.
Next Time: Shenanigans in Methwo! Will the halflings get paid for the ring? Who will try to poison them? And how will they get to Zacradose?
the Jester
Legend
Our revised party line-up:
Chief Jawbreaker (barbarian 7/bear warrior 2); just reached 100 hp with this level!; CG.
Federico (kobold bard 6/sorcerer 2/jester 1); CG.
Naomi (psion/elementalist 5/3)- headed for Willing Deformity (Obese) and, eventually, Cancer Mage; LE.
Martini (ranger 3/fighter 3/order of the bow initiate 2); CG.
Nara (cleric of Coila 5/prophet 3); LN
Erasmuz (wizard 1/psion 1/ranger 1/ex-monk 2/ur-priest 2); NE.
Aristoclese (druid 7); N.
Arthur On-Tap (monk 5/drunken master 2); LN.
Chief Jawbreaker (barbarian 7/bear warrior 2); just reached 100 hp with this level!; CG.
Federico (kobold bard 6/sorcerer 2/jester 1); CG.
Naomi (psion/elementalist 5/3)- headed for Willing Deformity (Obese) and, eventually, Cancer Mage; LE.
Martini (ranger 3/fighter 3/order of the bow initiate 2); CG.
Nara (cleric of Coila 5/prophet 3); LN
Erasmuz (wizard 1/psion 1/ranger 1/ex-monk 2/ur-priest 2); NE.
Aristoclese (druid 7); N.
Arthur On-Tap (monk 5/drunken master 2); LN.
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