Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1780636" data-attributes="member: 1210">6/17/368 O.L.G., 6 p.m., the Hidden MonasterySandy gulps in almost physical pain as the monks once again cast a mouthwatering meal into their sacrificial flame.  No! he wants to scream, but he knows that he cannot interfere with their ritual.  Oh, but the pain!  And now a little gob of sticky white rice- ugh!  No spices, not even salt...Almost weeping, our heroes eat their rice.After dinner Sandy takes Brother Astophos aside.  “Listen,” he says, “I don’t want to freak you guys out or anything, but there’s a bunch of monsters at the base of your mountain.  We want to help you, but you have to help us help you.”Brother Astophos smiles serenely.  That’s right, Horbin thinks, they maintain silence after dinner.  Argh!!  The monk gestures at the chapel next to their living quarters, then makes an encompassing gesture.“I know, I know,” Sandy sighs, “god will provide, right?  But maybe he works in mysterious ways.  Like, through halflings and stuff.  And maybe we’re here to help him help you, but you have to help us help him help you.  Now, come on, isn’t there a quicker way down to the base of the mountain than that damn Path of Humility?”Brother Astophos smiles again.  He makes a few incomprehensible signs in the air.  And after a moment he leads our heroes to one edge of the plateau.  Behind a screen of rocks over the shoulder of the mountain is a hidden path.  His hands scrub the air some more, but Sandy has seen what he needs to see.  “Thanks,” he says.Soon the party is descending sneakily in the darkness, hoping to see signs of weakness in the firenewt camp, or at least to get an idea of the numbers they will soon be facing.  Their descent is easier and more direct than the Path of Humility offers, but the darkness makes their trip down slower.  It is only a few hours before dawn when they finally get a good look at the enemy camp.  “There must be a couple of dozen of them,” whispers a dismayed Martini.“Let’s camp out,” murmurs Sandy, “eat a good breakfast, and pick them off as they come up the path.”The others agree with Sandy’s assessment of the situation, and soon (except for a watch) they are asleep.  Phenyl Sandybanks himself has run himself ragged to the point of near-exhaustion, and he sinks into sleep like a rock into the sea.  Of course it doesn’t last. ***7 a.m., on the secret pathSandy snaps awake as Jawbreaker shakes him roughly.  “They are moving,” the barbarian grunts.  “Of course they are,” groans Sandy, but he unsticks his eyes and struggles up to his feet.  The group hurriedly moves back up the hidden path- by which time the firenewts have begun the long, arduous climb up the Path of Humility.  The party wastes a few precious moments trying to bring Brother Astophos around to the idea of doing something, anything to protect himself, but Astophos’ response amounts to a serene, deeply spiritual ‘No.’“Well then, it looks like it’s up to us,” states Martini.  And our heroes sneak back down the secret path until they reach a place where they might cross the face of the mountain to the Path of Humility, still hundreds of yards above the advancing group of firenewts.  The halflings set their trap as best they can, with Martini, Sandy and Jawbreaker arrayed to catch them with missile weapons just as they come around a corner and Timothy hiding nearby, ready to unleash his sorcerous powers.  Lita hides nearby.  The advance guard of firenewts numbers half a dozen, and when they round the corner our heroes all wonder momentarily if they’re making a mistake trying to take out so many of these things at once.  But though they are not all the bravest halflings on Strogass, they are no cowards; and with a cry, the three missile-firing members of the group let loose!  Martini and Sandy both wound firenewts with their arrows, and Jawbreaker misses with his javelin.  Then, as the newts break into a charge, the barbarian pulls forth his axe and chops a stern message into the chest of the advancing newt!  It drops like a sack of grain.  Jawbreaker laughs even as Sandy and Martini fall back a few paces, hoping to continue their barrage of missile fire.  One of Martini’s arrows takes one of the wounded firenewts in the throat and it drops.A volley of magic missiles zips out and blasts one of the other newts as Timothy steps out of hiding, his eyes darting around fearfully.  “I’ll protect you!” the former asylum inmate cries out, standing firm.“Timothy, no!” Sandy shouts.  But it’s too late.  Two of the newts have crossbows out, and now they’ve loaded them; and as our heroes watch in horror, both fire at the young sorcerer who is bravely standing in front of his retreating friends.By some miracle, both shots miss.The other two advance firenewts charge in on Lita.  She has shrunken herself down to a tiny size, but the two newts just seem to think that makes her an easy target.  They flank her and slash with their longswords, but she tumbles away unhurt.  They turn to pursue her, but there is a sudden flash of colored light and one of them reels and stumbles back.  He drops his sword and then falls over flat on his back.  Timothy smiles.  He has protected his friends.Sandy and one of the crossbowmen exchange fire, and the halfling’s arrow is the truer.  The newt misses, then gags as an arrow pierces its lung.  Glowing yellow-orange blood coughs out of the monster’s mouth and it falls.  Jawbreaker, meanwhile, cleaves the head of the one stunned by the color spray.The remaining crossbow wielder switches to his blade and leaps in at Sandy, who steps away and draws his longspear, letting his bow tumble to the ground.  A single deadly thrust impales the firenewt he’s facing.  The last one, meanwhile, screams as Martini shoots off its foot.  It staggers for a few seconds, spewing fire-colored blood from its stump, then goes down with a grunt as Jawbreaker stabs him in the gut with a spear of his own.  Talk about poking him with a stick.“There’s more,” Martini says immediately. “We should set up another ambush,” Sandy says, “but quickly, before they get here!”  The group scrambles up the slope a few dozen yards to the next switchback with some cover and set their trap.  They prepare with missile weapons first, just as they did before.  “We’re lucky they haven’t been breathing fire at us,” comments Timothy, and Lita chuckles.“We aren’t giving them time.”The party sets up in wait, but they don’t have long to wait. Crap, thinks Sandy as they approach.  There must be twenty of ‘em left.  Crap crap crap.One of the firenewts is about twenty feet of the others, and he carries a white flag.  In thickly accented Strogassian, he hisses, “Hello!  We are not here to fight!  We wish the aid of the monkss!”Uh oh, thinks Martini.  This just got more complicated.Next Time: The conclusion of our little firenewt adventure!</blockquote>

Verification