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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pogre" data-source="post: 1075340" data-attributes="member: 6588">Episode 16Mayhem in the Wine CellarThe night passed peacefully and the group woke to the smells of cooking eggs and grain cakes. “Oh, that smells wonderful!” Hilde wiped the sleep out of her eyes and then focused on the fire. Hunched over the flame was Vostark, holding two pans and watching another. “You are a talented druid.”“Come eat sister, Opheria will not begrudge you,” Vostark suggested.“You tempting devil of the forest,” Hilde laughed. She gently woke Inga, “Come sister, let us say our morning prayers so we can partake of Vostark’s bounty.”Inga rolled to her feet and followed Hilde to the side of the canyon. They went to their knees and began the gentle rolling chants of honor to the goddess.The elves never truly slept, but even to their sophisticated noses the cooking breakfast smelled delicious. “What kind of eggs?” Ranin asked.“There is a covey of prairie chickens not far from here,” Vostark answered. “They always overproduce and these eggs will be replaced by tomorrow. The prairie chicken keeps laying eggs until it gets a chick.”“Do they not defend the nest?” Ranin asked.“I asked nicely,” Vostark replied.“Asked?” Ranin repeated.“Of course,” Vostark grinned.Ranin paused, “I have a lot to learn, this will prove to be an interesting few days.”The clerics returned from their morning supplications and the group quickly ate Vostark’s offerings. The drow slept while the adventurers picked up camp.Vostark motioned to Viziona, “Pick her up Ranin.” Ranin snarled his lip in response. Vostark chuckled, “She will not wake while the sun is high. Think of it as a test.”The druid and rangers parted company with the rest of the group. Hilde pulled out the map Viziona had drawn the night before, “Here is the lower level, and here is the upper level.”“I say we go to this room we have not explored yet,” Gerhardt stated.“The wine cellar?” Inga asked.“From there we can head down to the deeper ruins,” Hilde stated. “Viziona told me the lower level was connected to the outer. It is the only path to the tower, besides the guarded drawbridge.”The group agreed and headed back to Griffon Rock.…..Quarion spotted something moving in the cellar and moved to gain a better viewpoint. “We’ve got company,” he called out. A kobold moved behind a barrel right in front of him and a number of female Hobgoblins emerged from the shadows.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0603_Quarion_in_wine_cellar.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0603_Quarion_in_wine_cellar_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>Gerhardt charged into the room and was immediately swarmed by a number of the Hobgoblins.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0604_Gerhardt_charges_in.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0604_Gerhardt_charges_in_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>Fortunately, the hobgoblins were poor combatants and none of their marks hit the shifty fighter. Inga, E’lissar, and Hilde piled into the room and a short time later a couple of the hobgoblins and the kobold were killed.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0605_full_melee.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0605_full_melee_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>When three of the hobgoblins were down, the remaining three made a sign. “They are surrendering,” Inga called out. Gerhardt beheaded one of them, and set upon a second. The remaining hobgoblins fought as hard as they could, but the group quickly slayed them as well.Hilde scolded, “Gerhardt, that was unnecessary they were surrendering.”“What would be gained?” Gerhardt questioned. “We already have a map of the area. We already know who is here. It would have only complicated things to have three loud hobgoblin females in tow.”“It was not your decision to make,” Inga countered.“They chose their fate when they came to this place,” Gerhardt retorted.“What?” Hilde furrowed her brow. “That’s utter nonsense. I have heard of baffling people when you are short on brilliance, but really Gerhardt you just sound silly. In the future our policy is to accept the surrender of our opponents.”“I will make a note of your policy,” Gerhardt growled.Hilde pulled Viziona’s map out again. “The way to the lower ruins lies here. She warned me that it is guarded by a construct called a guardian door.”“There is nothing here but wine,” Quarion reported after his search.“Some of it is high quality though,” E’lissar added.“OK let’s go,” Gerhardt insisted. “The wine will be here when we finish.”…..“Portal we are but simple travelers and seek to pass,” Hilde said to the plain wooden door before the group.The wooden door did not reply. E’lissar quipped, “I think the drow witch would have gotten a kick out of this.”Gerhardt smashed the door and a short passage opened up before the group to another door. This portal was far more ornate and had the head of a lion on its front. “Who approaches?” the Lion’s head asked.“This must be the guardian door,” Gerhardt said.“Your intuition is staggering,” Inga noted.“Guardian of ages, stalwart defender, gift of the gods, and greatest of portals we beseech thee to allow us to pass. Lowly though we are, we respect your great task and humbly request passage,” Hilde bowed lowly to the door.“Am I in a barnyard? Because I’m up to my chest in bull…” Gjord was interrupted by the door’s response.“Fair travelers you may pass,” the door opened up to a spiral staircase descending into the darkness.Gerhardt chortled on his way down the stairs.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0606_going_down_stairs.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0606_going_down_stairs_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>“Never underestimate flattery,” Hilde stated.“Or groveling,” E’lissar quickly added.The lower level was completely dark. The passage to their left was unnaturally so. Gerhardt climbed down from the stairs and looked around with a torch.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0607_Gerhardt_leads.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0607_Gerhardt_leads_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>“Viziona said this was the lair of Morgang, cultist of Theta and a dangerous foe,” Hilde warned.“A spell caster?” E’lissar asked.Hilde confirmed, “Yes.”“There is a tomb ahead, it appears to be quite old,” Quarion announced. Quarion worked his way ahead and began inspecting the sarcophagus.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0608_ancient_tomb.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0608_ancient_tomb_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>“Anything dangerous?” Gerhardt asked.“It does not appear to be trapped,” Quarion answered.Gerhardt moved rapidly into the room and pushed the lid to the sarcophagus off. A dark horrible creature rose up from the sarcophagus. Its upper half’s shape was roughly humanoid but it lacked any distinct features and swirled about in a dark fog as it moved. A cackling madness came forth from the creature spreading dark oaths through the chamber.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0609_allip_arises.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0609_allip_arises_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>E’lissar and Inga immediately followed the creature’s suggestions to leave the room. Dark tendrils came forth from the dark madness and enveloped Quarion. The elf could feel his soul’s substance draining from him.“By Opheria, I banish thee!” Hilde attempted to turn the beast. Her effort was without effect.Gerhardt’s weapon cut deeply into the creature, but it would not turn its attention from Quarion. Quarion waved his weapon haphazardly as more of his soul substance was sucked out.“The light of the Goddess commands you out foul spirit!” the creature once again ignored Hilde’s attempt to turn it.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0610_turning_fails.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0610_turning_fails_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>Quarion could feel his spirit starting to leave his body. He was dazed and again his blade passed harmlessly through the creature.Gerhardt hit home again and the creature’s form wavered with the force of his blow. Hilde abandoned her attempts to turn the beast and instead addressed it with her mace. The blunt weapon hit home dissipating the evil spirit. Quarion sagged from the effort, but managed to stay on his feet. “I have little Will left.”Inga and E’lissar reappeared in the chamber. “Hmmm, very odd as soon as the creature was slain I realized we were under its influence,” Inga said.“Quarion, I can help you in the morning, but can you go on for now?” Hilde asked.“Yes,” the Elf pulled himself erect and began searching the sarcophagus. His search yielded some old armor and a weapon. He stashed the loot in a sack and handed it to Gerhardt. “That’s it.”E’lissar also confirmed that he could find nothing further in the sarcophagus.“I do not like the looks of this corridor,” Quarion called back to the group.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0611_niches_in_hall.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0611_niches_in_hall_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>“What is not to like?” Gerhardt laughed and walked into the corridor. A pit trap immediately collapsed under the fighter’s weight.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0612_into_pit.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0612_into_pit_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>The pit trap door immediately swung shut behind the fighter as he plummeted down and landed loudly at the bottom.“Gerhardt are you…” Hilde began to ask.She was interrupted by Gerhardt’s scream.To be continued…*The creature the group faced from the sarcophagus was an Allip (MM p. 10). It very nearly consumed Quarion’s wisdom. Fortunately, Quarion has an unusually high Wisdom score for a rogue.</blockquote>

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