End of Session #51
Session #51 (part iii)
Balem, the 5th of Sek – 565 H.E.
The Fearless Manticore Killers reached the elven enclave by mid-morning. They waved to the sentries atop the squat, covered towers of lacquered logs that stood with the rest of the huge structure atop a foundation of gray carefully cut weathered stone blocks.
Ethiel met them at the gate, and greeted them without smiling. He led them to parlor to wait, and an hour later returned with two other familiar elves. They bowed and brought in a lunch of light airy bread with a taste of lemon with slices of squash marinated in buttermilk and spices.
Over the meal the party shared news with their elven host, telling him of the Necropolis, Mozek’s claims, and about the Circle of Thorns and Jana’s death.
Ethiel nodded solemnly, and shared his own news.
“Arion has left less than a fortnight ago to a forested valley west of here, where Tirhas Tesfey was spotted,” he said. (1)
“Tirhas was spotted?” Jeremy nearly leaped out of his seat upon hearing the elf maid’s name, he had been licking the spicy strawberry sauce from his fingers, from where it had dripped from a slice of pear smeared with a soft white cheese.
“Who?” Derek looked at his friend.
“I’ll explain later,” Jeremy said quietly when Ratchis threw him a dirty look for interrupting Ethiel. The elf was did not seem to care.
“Yes, some woodsmen of Archet went hunting that way and the rumor is among them of an elf woman and strange spirits in the wood,” Ethiel explained. “The place is the site of a battle that happened long ago to the counting of
your races.”
Kazrack grunted disapprovingly, but again Ethiel did not seem to notice or perhaps care.
“There was an orcish fortress there, at the time when the blood of the One-Eye was still strong in that broken race.” (2)
Now it was Ratchis’ turn to grunt.
“We should go help find her,” said Jeremy, eagerly.
“We are going to the Pit of Bones,” replied Beorth, flatly.
“Is it on the way?” Jeremy tried again.
“No,” Martin replied.
“I want to save her, too Jeremy,” Ratchis said as gently as the orcish brute could make his voice sound. “But the bare-faced truth that finding Hurgun’s Maze and stopping Mozeks has a priority over that. It is more pressing and more dire.”
Ethiel nodded solemnly, ‘Arion is well-trained for her retrieval, though if it were not for the wedding I could have sent a detachment of elven archers with both him and you, to give aid in your quests.” (3)
Teflem, the 6th of Sek – 565 H.E.
The next day found the Fearless Manticore Killers marching further south than they had been during their whole time in and around Gothanius. Down here the forests were small tight clumps of trees separated by narrow fields of tall crabby grass that swelled and gave way like the sea in a slow-coming storm.
Ahead and to the right they could see brown hills dotted with green rising out of the earth, and not soon after stopping for lunch they found themselves walking through stony eroded hills, that created tall gullies.
“This is a good place for an ambush,” commented Ratchis.
“Don’t worry, no one know we are coming down here, except the gnomes and the elves,” Kazrack replied.
“And whomever is scrying on us,’ Martin said with his usual pessimism.
“Just stay extra alert,” Ratchis said, moving ahead to take point.
But less than an hour later Beorth leaned over to Kazrack and said, “Do you see that?” The paladin pointed off to the right, just behind a low outcropping of igneous rock that had hardened in the shape of a long claw from the gully wall that flanked them. “It looks like someone is hiding behind there…”
“And not very well,” Kazrack added, seeing the small figure. The dwarf called out to Ratchis and pointed.
The half-orc spun around surprised for he had walked right past it not seeing, but he saw it now.
“It is a gnome!” he called out.
Ratchis held up ah and to make the others wait and he crawled quickly towards the diminutive figure, just out of its sight. He hopped up quickly, holding a javelin in one hand to throw it quickly if it turned out to be Mozek or one of his brothers, but what he saw was even more surprising.
The gnome had not moved; not one inch. He stepped closer and could now see it was not a gnome at all, but a statue of one. It seemed to have been carved with great skill and detail and was in a position as if jogging, one hand pointed in the air, a warhammer in the other. The mail was incredibly detailed, every link perfectly carved, and even the subtle bulge where it was bunched up from running.
Ratchis signaled for the others to come closer, “But not too close I am looking for tracks.”
“Wow, that is amazing craft,” Kazrack said, seeing the statue. “A dwarf must have made it.”
“Why would a dwarf make a statue of gnome out in the middle of nowhere and then just leave it there?” Martin asked.
“Maybe it is a marker of some kind,” Derek conjectured.
“No, I think it is real,” Martin replied. “I mean, I think it was once a living gnome and has had a spell cast on it.”
“What? No. It’s a signpost of some kind,” Jeremy said, agreeing with Derek. “There is probably some other gnome village around here.”
“There were no statues of this kind in Garvan,’ Martin explained. ‘From what I learned of gnomish culture while there, I do not think this is what you claim it is.”
Ratchis came back from searching for tracks.
“Several gnomes were around here perhaps three or four days ago,” Ratchis said. “There is a small cave or tunnel going into this rock wall behind us, it seems this one came running from there. There are also some kind of flightless bird tracks.”
“What kind of bird?” Beorth asked.
“Something with a heavy tail that is not feathered,” Ratchis said, shrugging his shoulder. “Perhaps the size of a wild turkey, slightly larger.”
“So what do we do now?” Derek asked.
“We go search the cave,” Ratchis said, turning and heading towards it.
“Too bad it is too early to find a place to rest,” Kazrack said. “A cave would be nice.”
Derek looked at the dwarf as if he were insane.
Ratchis entered first, followed by Kazrack and then Beorth. Jeremy took up the rear, with Martin before him and Derek behind the paladin.
The cave had a low ceiling, so Kazrack squeezed ahead of the towering half-orc, who had to squat low to make it through. All the humans had to lower their heads to one extent or another, though Derek, being the shortest of them, only barely so.
“More bird tracks,” Ratchis whispered.
“There is light from up ahead,’ Kazrack said, moving forward. The cave turned to the left and the dwarf could see that the cave was really a small tunnel that cut through the igneous rock and to an open area encircled by the gully walls.
The dwarf turned to Ratchis, who was trying to squeeze past him to leave the cave first and explore the area beyond. “Are we trying to catch this bird for our evening meal? If not, perhaps we should leave and not get sidetracked with this.”
Ratchis grunted, “We are still looking for a group of gnomes to learn the fate of gnome chieftain who originally left seeking the elves’ help, remember? This could be a clue.”
“Or fool’s gold,” Karack said., shrugging. (4) He scratched his beard, and let Ratchis past.
Just beyond the cave opening was green field of cut grass, interspersed by clumps of half-buried reddish stones that ranged in height from a foot or two to six or more. These stones, along with two large clumps of trees near the center of the field obscured vision of the far wall.
“What place is this?” Beorth asked as he came into the tiny valley behind Ratchis and Kazrack. The half-orc moved around some stone and could see what was a well-tended garden off to the right.
“Here’s another one,” Kazrack called. He had found another stone gnome behind one of the tall stones, looking as if it had been squatting and peaking out from behind it. This one was female, and the stitches of her studded leather armor were so perfectly dimpled Kazrack began to consider Martin’s hypothesis as more likely.
“Bwock Greeeeet!” There was a severe bird-like squawk above them and behind on the ridge wall.
“Well, maybe we
will be having fowl for dinner,” Kazrack said, hungrily.
“Do you hear that?” Ratchis turned to the others, and gestured for them to hurry and take positions, while he looked up and around to get sight of the bird.
“Skraaaaw, Greeeet!” the bird creature said hopped up on a rock from behind it. It had dirty golden feet, but a body like a long and sinewy great big turkey, with a gray giblet and patches of mangy looking brown and magenta feathers on its brown and red mottled and dimpled skin. It dragged a long heavy tail behind it, that was bereft of feathers, but instead had a lizard-like hide covering it. The bird’s eye was open wide, and its head turned to look down at Ratchis, its head jerking nervously, as it took in the entire scene.
“It is only a bird,” Kazrack laughed.
“Quiet, if you want to have it for dinner,” Ratchis was reaching for his bow on his back, when the thing hopped up again and flapping its stubby nearly featherless wings to slow its decent swooped down pecking at the half-orc viciously.
“Brawnt! Greeet!”
Ratchis side-stepped out of the way, dropping his bow and going for his warhammer.
Derek came rushing out from the safety of the mouth of the cave and brought his battle axe down at the thing, but it screeched again and hopped backward. The axe grazed the fowl with an ineffective blow, but Derek felt his arm shake as if he had hit something harder.
“It feels like stone!” he complained, leaping back to avoid the viscous-looking beak. Kazrack hurried forward to support the young woodsman, while Jeremy looked for a flanking position. The Neergaardian noted yet another gnome statue as he came around a squat stone.
“What’s going on?” Martin the Green asked with some nervousness in his voice. He craned his head to look out from the cave entrance where he hid.
“Derek! There is another!” Kazrack cried out as he turned seeing another of the monstrous birds hop out from behind a rock. He barely was able to fend off an attack of its beak with his halberd, shoving the haft in the bird’s face.
It jerked its head around to get a good view and squawked.
The first bird seemed distracted by the presence of new targets and the arrival of another of its kind. It swung its head to gain a better view with its vacant eyes on either side of its head, and Ratchis did not hesiste. He slammed it in the head with his warhammer, and it cried out shrilly in pain and confusion. It pecked him while hopping backward out of reach. Its beak was bloody, and a bunch of feathers were flying about where it had been.
Ratchis grunted as the sharp beak scratched his arm deeply. He looked at the wound for half a second and see it was not as deep as it might have been, but the wound tingled for a moment, and he felt his arm begin to stiffen a bit. He flicked his arm vigorously and the sensation went away.
“These are poisonous beasts!” the half-orc warned his companions.
Derek didn’t need to hear more. He chopped ferociously into the bird that had leapt down at him and Kazrack., and gritted his teeth as the shockwave of the blow came up his arms. The bird cried out weakly, and black blood spurted out from the slash in its side.
By nowMartin had emerged from the cave and seeing the second beast cried,
Lentus! and the jerking of the thing’s head and defensive flapping of wings and ruffling of feathers slowed down.
Kazrack thrust his halberd into is neck, and whipping it back out pf the dying bird’s corpse, hustled over to aid Ratchis.
Martin and Derek decided to go the other way around the tallest stones as Jeremy had. The blonde warrior came around and shoved
the Right Blade of Arofel deep into the first bird-beast, and it shrieked again. But as the watch-mage and the ranger made their way around the earth suddenly shook, and pebbles and dust went flying between the larger stones where the fight was happening.
Boom, there it was again.
They looked and saw a great figure emerge from beyond the two clumps of trees. It was a humanoid nearly twice as tall as Ratchis, broad-shouldered, with gray stony skin, and no hair, and a chiseled profile. It wore a kilt of wolf hides and leather, and had a strap of fur over one shoulder and decorated with stones. At its side was a pouch the size of a huge sack. It bulged and bounced against his thigh as he ran towards the where the party was. With each step the ground shook, and its steel gray eyes scanned the melee.
Ratchis finished off the remaining bird-beast with two heavy slams of his hammer. It had tried to get away from Jeremy and had come right back into his range.
“What’s happening to my chickens!!?” the giant hollered angrily in a deep deep voice. Derek could see that the giant held a huge stone club in his left hand, and he hefted it to his shoulder.
“Who is that?” Ratchis whirled around to see, but Beorth had already seen and crying out to Anubis to grant him
divine favor went hustling to the huge figure with sword at the ready.
Derek hung his axe on his belt and calmly pulled out his bow and prepared to pepper the giant with arrows.
Martin climbed up on a stone behind Derek and pointing at the giant, chanted “
Sagitta Igneum!” and a great arrow of fire came flying from his hand and roared as it flew towards the giant, exploding into a ring of flame as it hit.
Kazrack cried out, filled with the fury of battle and hustled after Beorth towards the giant.
“What are you doing?” Jeremy cried after them. “Run! The
other way!”
The giant stopped and spied Kazrack headed towards him. He cocked his head back in the direction that he came from while reaching into his sack to pull out a rock nearly 13 inches in diameter.
“Perika!” He cried. “We got ‘venturers killing our chickens!!” He flicked the rock with his right hand, and it slammed into Kazrack’s left arm. The dwarf spun around and fell. Groaning, he tried to get up, but found his arm was numb and useless. It felt rubbery and covered in pins and needles.
“Nephthys, grant me your strength so that I may protect my friends,” Ratchis called to his goddess, and felt strength surge though him. He moved towards to close the gap between him and the giant.
Meanwhile, Derek was having a hard time piercing the giant’s hide and Martin spoke a word and suddenly there were four of him dancing atop the rock, blurring in and out of each other and mimicking each other’s movements.
Kazrack finally made it to his feet, leaving his halberd on the ground and grabbing for his flail. At that same moment, Beorth and the giant met.
“What are you all doing? Do you want to die? That’s a giant!” Jeremy simply stood and yelled at his companions.
The giant was able to reach Beorth wit his club before the paladin’s blade could reach him. There were two resounding blows and the crunch of metal and Beorth was down on the ground, holding his sword before him and trying to drag himself away and to his feet.
Ratchis moved in to cover Beorth’s retreat and the paladin laid hand on himself and called on his god to close his nearly mortal wounds.
“I think this has been a misunderstanding!” Ratchis called up to the giant, raising one hand up at him.
“Ratchis! There’s another one,” Jeremy warned. And sure enough, they saw the head and shoulders of another giant appear above the treeline all the way on the other side of this enclosed area. They could tell this giant was female by the swell of her breasts, but she too was hairless and stony.
Derek tumbled trough the giant’s legs, and tried to take a swipe with his axe as he did, but it leapt up deftly avoid the attack, but was off-balance when trying to keep Kazrack away from him, batting at the dwarf with his club. Kazrack ducked in and moved to flank the thing. Distracted by so many foes, the giant was unable to keep Jeremy from slipping under his reach and stabbing him.
Jeremy grimaced as he felt the tough hide try to resist his blow, but gray-black blood oozed from the wound.
But the giant only grunted and spun around his club stretched downward. Jeremy ducked, but Derek caught the club in the shoulder and was knocked down.
“Ho! Ho!” the giant called out happy about striking the little man, but his joy was pre-mature and laughter turned into a cry of pain as Ratchis slammed the huge figure’s kneecap with his hammer.
Martin spoke the word,
Lentus! again and this time it was the giant’s turn to have his movement and reactions
slowed to half his normal pace.
Beorth was on his feet and took a place in the ring about the giant as well, but the club came down and parried the blow.
However, the giant was now not moving fast enough to deal with the wolfpack tactics of the Fearless Manticore Killers, and Derek was on his feet shaking off the pain and hacking into the giant’s hip with his axe. The stony skin was hard to break through, and blows that would have killed a man, only made narrow cuts in the giant.
Martin remained outside of the melee, certain that even one blow would crush him like a bug. Instead he cast
shield, and kept an eye on the other giant which had disappeared in the trees while approaching.
Kazrack and Jeremy both rained blows on the flailing giant. It struck out frantically and struck Beorth with the end of the club in the face. The paladin went down again, but immediate scrambled to his feet as a blow from Ratchis distracted the giant once again.
“Why are you doing this?” the giant asked, sounding as confused as he was angry. (5)
End of Session #51
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Notes:
(1) Remember, it was discovered that Tirhas had been possessed by one of the drow witches’ spirits.
(2) According to legend, Ashronk One-Eye, god of the orcs spit his blood across his people and those it landed upon grew in strength and cunning.
(3) The king of Tempestas, the isle of elves, is marrying the Queen of the Sylvan Elves to mend a thousands year old schism. The wedding is to happen sometime this elven stellar year and elves from all over Aquerra are traveling for the associated parties and games, which had already started last solar year. An elven stellar year varies in length according to elvish astronomical theory, ranging from as little as four and a half years to as many as 17.
(4)
Fool’s Gold is the dwarven equivalent of the expression ‘red herring’.
(5) This adventure is based on the adventure
Flesh to Stone from Dungeon issue #85. (Damn! They sure don’t know how to name adventures in Dungeon Magazine anymore.
