NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 2186269" data-attributes="member: 1210">Martini leaps aside, an arrow zinging through the air and sticking in the umber hulk.  It roars and swipes a massive claw at Thelonious, batting him aside.  The human gives a startled cry, then turns and starts attacking Jawbreaker!  Arrows land in the Chief, and he grunts in surprise.  “Happy Flapjacks, orange dragon death!” he cries, while Beau moves around aimlessly.Confusion has taken hold.Only Martin, Ezeekiel, Hortense and Mys are unaffected by the umber hulk’s terrible confusing gaze.  The ranger starts firing arrow after arrow at the hulk while Ezeekiel moves forward, enhanced by a bull’s strength from Hortense, and Mys starts singing in a clear high voice to inspire courage.The umber hulk roars and tears into the group.  Naomi leaps away, and for an instant her head is clear.  What’s going on? she wonders wildly, then thrusts out with her mind, tearing at the monster’s brain.  It gives another roar, and Zeke darts in, swinging at it with deadly accuracy.  Thelonious snarls and turns to shoot the umber hulk, as it is the closest creature to him; and ironically, in his confusion his arrow flies true, sinking deep into the umber hulk’s eye!  It sways on its feet, then collapses to the ground.Momentarily, the confused folk settle down and come to their senses.  Though shaken by the experience, they do not lose their collective nerve, and a search ensues.  340 gp, 29 pp, 500 sp and a large flawed opal turn up.  The party collects the loot and then examines the isle more closely.  Soon they ascertain that a rubble-choked burrow- probably the umber hulk’s- might be clearable given enough work.And work it is: hauling broken chunks of stone, clearing a longer and longer passage, with only enough room for two to fit at the head of it at a time; but as it gets longer and deeper, the others can line up behind them and pass the rubble down the line to be discarded on the isle.  Even so, it takes about four hours to clear the passage, and when it has been cleared it leads to a wide natural passage heading deep into the earth.Our heroes rest for a while, then shoulder their packs once again and move on.  Naomi grubs on a sausage as they set out. The passage goes for about a mile without anything of note changing; then, several of our heroes hear a strange sound ahead, a rasping that seems to be gradually approaching.  Our heroes begin moving forward (with Hortense hitting Ezeekiel with a bulls strength and Naomi initiating an energy retort in case of trouble), and suddenly their light reveals a huge slug, easily 20’ long!  Jawbreaker charges. His sword hacks into the slug, damaging it.  Yellow fluid gushes from the wound.  The monster’s head rears back, and then it writhes as Beau blasts it with his newest spell- scorching ray!  The slug’s head whips downward suddenly, and it delivers a terrific bite to Jawbreaker.  He staggers under the impact, and swings his sword in reply, driving its head back away from him again.  Ezeekiel, on his dog Bartholomew, suddenly charges in, but the slug focuses on Jawbreaker mindlessly, biting at him again.Arrows and crossbow bolts are flying in; Zeke and his dog are circling around to flank it.  But this one is really all about Jawbreaker.  Standing toe to, er, foot with the giant slug, Chief Jawbreaker hacks and hacks it until it dies.  In the end, he’s battered and bloodied, but Hortense and her new wand fix him up soon enough.The party continues down the passage for several more hours.  “How far down this do we want to go?” inquires Federico.  “It seems to be taking us down into... the Underdark!”  (He throws some drama into his voice for that one.  You goof, you, Federico.)“We go half of one more day,” Jawbreaker says.  That settles it.  The Chief has spoken.***7/22/369 O.L.G., Noon, Dyshim’s UnderdarkAfter they encounter the triceratops, the party decides to turn back.  The battle is quick and deadly, and very satisfying for Jawbreaker, for he breaks its jaw.  Again, Jawbreaker stands toe to toe with the beast, but this time it almost kills him.  It is tough.  But my god, it sure is tasty!They spend a little while harvesting it and putting it into the sack of supplies.  Then they turn about and return up the passage, not resting until they have reached the isle of the umber hulk.Exhausted, they fall asleep.Next Time: The death of a pc!  Always a sad moment!</blockquote>

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