Rappan Athuk: Ravage of The Unusual Heroes!
- Thread starter Ziona
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Ziona
First Post
More Shiny Objects
After Dent and Venus returned from leading Koopra and the monkey from the lab to the surface, the party regrouped and began venturing further into the dungeon. Gideon decided to stay with the heroes to help them find their missing friend Drexel, since they had helped him by changing him back to human form. But, he did say that once their friend was found, he had pressing business elsewhere.
And so they traveled, most of them in glum silence, thinking about where Drexel might be. The only person who was very talkative at all was Lox. The halfling took great pride in telling Gideon all about their “grand adventures.” Just when Gideon thought he could take no more, Lox’s attention turned to something else.
“Look at the eye on that statue,” he exclaimed. “It’s so shiny!”
The party gazed at the statue of Gruumsh that stood along the corridor wall. The only eye it had appeared to made from a fire opal.
“I want to have a closer look,” said Lox excitedly.
“Now wait a minute, lil’ buddy,” said Doc stopping Lox in his tracks. “We don’t know what sorts of traps or villainous turmoil might be caused if you mess with that stone.”
“That’s why I’m going to inspect it,” said Venus. Using his Spiderclimb ability, Venus slowly walked upon the wall next to the statue and reached for the stone.
“I’m not sure I like this idea,” said Ziona with a worried tone.
“Oooh, I can’t wait to see it,” said Lox happily.
Venus tugged at the sparking eye, but it didn’t want to budge. On this third try however, he nearly shook himself off the side of the wall when the stone came loose.
“See? Not a problem,” said Venus climbing down from his perch.
Then suddenly a loud, unearthly cry sounded from somewhere deep within the dungeon. So startled were the companions that many of them drew their weapons for fear of an attack. They stood tense for long moments, but nothing more happened.
“Like I said,” Ziona reiterated, “I’m not sure I liked that idea.”
Venus let Lox roll the opal over and over in his little hands. Lox was in awe watching the sparkling colors change, then Dent took the stone from them both.
“I’ll hold onto the stone,” said the ranger. “I want the first attack on anything that tries to take it.”
No one argued with Dent over the opal, they just watched as he tucked it away in his pack. It was obvious, even to Gideon, that the half-elf had a deep hatred for the inhabitants of Rappan Athuk.
The day wore on and the heroes moved forward. Occasionally they would come upon rooms, usually full of undead orcs or vicious wights. None of them could withstand the sheer force of Ziona’s faith, however. Similarly, almost none of the locks could withstand the skill of Lox’s nimble fingers. However, when the halfling came across one that defeated his picks, he became rather irate.
“By my Grandpap’s hairy feet! Stupid lock…gotta be magical or something…”
“May I be of assistance, Lox?”
Lox looked up to see Gideon standing over him.
“If I can’t open this door,” said Lox with a nod of his head, “no one can.”
“I wasn’t going to open the door,” said Gideon with a smirk. “I was just going to see what’s in the room.”
“That would be a neat trick, friend,” said Doc. “But you see, the walls are made of stone, and sto…”
The heroes watched as their new ally seemed to blink and phase in and out of their sight. Then the lightly armored warrior seemed to disappear. Only Rossal and Glindil could see him as he plunged his head into the door as if it were an illusion!
Then Gideon pulled his head back from the door.
“It looks like a bedchamber,” he said matter-of-factly. “But there seemed to be nothing of value, mostly just rats and vermin.”
“Lemmie try,” said Lox.
Both Lox and Doc raced towards the door and instead of their heads sticking through the door, their heads struck the door with a loud thud.
“Ow,” said Lox.
“That smarts,” agreed Doc.
“Do you mind telling us how you managed to do that?” asked Dent.
“Are you some sort of magic user yourself?” asked Venus.
“Actually, I am a warrior. I do not use magic,” said Gideon.
“Then how could you have done that?” asked Ziona.
Rossal and Glindil were sitting upright on each of her shoulders, eager to hear his answer.
“It is simply part of my ability,” said Gideon. “That is all.”
“And what sort of ability is that?” asked Venus suspiciously.
Gideon turned and glared at Venus.
“Have I asked about your ability to scale the walls, or why you avoid your cleric’s holy gifts?”
Venus was taken off guard, not thinking that Gideon would have noticed such things so quickly.
“We all have our gifts,” said Gideon in a softer tone. “Ziona has her divine gifts, your friend Drexel you speak of, his were magical. Mine happen to be my psychic abilities. And your gift…”
“I would not necessarily call mine a gift,” said Venus bitterly. “Vampirism is usually considered more of a curse.”
Gideon looked around the group, which now seemed darker, almost uneasy.
“I meant no offense,” said Gideon. “I just don’t speak so openly with those I just met.”
“I understand,” said Venus. Then after a moment, “We should move along.”
The next door the group came upon was locked as well. Again Lox tried to best the lock, and again his picks were defeated.
“Give me a moment,” said Gideon.
The psychic warrior began to flash again as he phased through the wall. The party listened carefully, but heard nothing. In a moment, the door opened.
“I was able to unlock it from the inside,” said Gideon holding the door for them.
The large room within contained four pillars, and two smoking vats of liquid. The heroes entered cautiously with their weapons drawn, but none of them were ready for what was about to happen.
Lox, being his usual curious self, began skipping around the room searching for anything shiny.
“Hey guys, I found stuff!” he called as he reached into a small alcove. “It looks like a pile of treasure or something. It’s all shiny.”
As the group turned, they saw a massive jelly-like creature dangling on the ceiling above the halfling.
“Lox, run!” cried Dent, but it was too late. The large green slime dropped from it’s perch and landed on Lox, completely covering him in a painful ooze.
“Hold on, Lil’ Buddy!” called Doc. He took out his whip and began lashing at Lox, trying to pull him free from the ooze that was burning into his halfling flesh.
“AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!! It’s burning me!!! Get it off, get it off!”
Doc’s whip began to sizzle when it had touched the slime, making him realize that separating Lox from it was impossible.
Lox fell to his knees screaming from the immense pain. He took out his rod, pointed it in the air and shouted “ROD OF WONDER!”
Heavy rains began pelting him, but only managed to wash away a tiny spot where the slime was eating away his flesh.
Dent fired two flame arrows into his friend, burning away another patch of the painful ooze. Lox fell backwards, his final scream fading out.
Ziona and Doc ran forward towards their friend, and Doc began administering a potion.
“C’mon, Roundy! C’mon!”
The slime sizzled at the leather gloves that Doc wore, making him take them off once the potion was consumed.
Lox began coughing and struggling, trying in vain to escape the clutches of the green slime. Weakly, the halfling lifted his rod and pointed it at himself.
“Don’t fail me now…” he muttered. “Rod of…wonder….”
A tiny bead shot out of the rod and exploded into a giant Fireball as it made contact with Lox’s small body. Doc and Ziona managed to dive out of the way, but could hear the halfling’s cry die out as his life was draining from him.
Ziona quickly got to her feet and rushed to Lox’s side. She could see that the green slime had been obliterated, but so had her friend. Placing one hand on Lox and the other on her holy symbol, the half-drow began praying and chanting, the tears rolling down her cheeks. Doc, Dent, Venus and Gideon stood waiting to see if the blast had been too much for the poor halfling to bear. Haley made a low whining noise, while the dragons hovered near her for comfort. In a moment, which felt like an eternity, Lox opened his eyes and looked up at Ziona.
“Did it have any thing shiny?”
The rest of the group erupted into laughter and surrounded the halfling.
“Keep back and give him some room,” said Ziona sternly. “I fear what other wounds the creature may have caused.”
“I feel weak, Miss Ziona,” said Lox lethargically. “I don’t feel like I can stand up.”
“You don’t have to, Lox. Just rest.”
“Is he going to be okay?” asked Dent.
“He will require more serious healing,” replied Ziona, “but his health will be restored.”
Ziona took off her pack and took out a small violet pouch. She opened it and poured a small pile of shining granules into her palm.
“Just sit still and relax, Lox,” she said soothingly. “Everything will be just fine.”
Lox saw the sparkling dust and smiled.
“Shiny things always make me feel better,” he murmured.
Ziona smiled, then began sprinkling the diamond dust onto Lox as she prayed.
Meanwhile, Doc and Venus were inspecting the “stuff” that Lox had nearly died for. It was a pile of corroded metal and bits of bone. The only item they managed to find was a tiny stone horse.
“Weird,” said Doc. “Must have been too tough for the slime to disintegrate.”
“Perhaps it’s magical,” said Venus. “Let me have a look.”
Venus began casting Detect Magic on the figurine, then brought it over to Dent, who was patting Haley and talking to Gideon.
“We found this among the debris that Lox was sifting through before that slime attacked,” he said. “It seems to be magical. We thought you would want to hold onto it.”
“Thanks.”
Dent’s words of thanks were only echoed tenfold by Lox, who was now jumping up from the spot he nearly died in and was hugging Ziona. The cleric accepted the hug, but then held onto the halfling for a moment, a sad and serious look growing on her face.
“Lox Lumley,” she said getting his attention. “You must be more careful. You were nearly lost to us this time. If you do not take more care and caution in your actions, you may not only hurt yourself, but you might hurt any one of us. Promise me you’ll be more careful and less hasty from now on.”
Lox looked down at the ground, thinking about how much pain he had been feeling only a short time ago. The burning was unbearable, and the fear was immense. Lox looked up into Ziona’s cool silvery-violet eyes.
“I promise, Miss Ziona. I’ll do my best to be more careful.”
Gideon, standing beside Dent gave a chuckle.
“Imagine that,” he said with a grin. “A halfling making such a promise.”
“He has made such promises in the past,” said Venus with a sigh. “I just hope this time he’s frightened enough to mean it.”
The Adventure Continues…
After Dent and Venus returned from leading Koopra and the monkey from the lab to the surface, the party regrouped and began venturing further into the dungeon. Gideon decided to stay with the heroes to help them find their missing friend Drexel, since they had helped him by changing him back to human form. But, he did say that once their friend was found, he had pressing business elsewhere.
And so they traveled, most of them in glum silence, thinking about where Drexel might be. The only person who was very talkative at all was Lox. The halfling took great pride in telling Gideon all about their “grand adventures.” Just when Gideon thought he could take no more, Lox’s attention turned to something else.
“Look at the eye on that statue,” he exclaimed. “It’s so shiny!”
The party gazed at the statue of Gruumsh that stood along the corridor wall. The only eye it had appeared to made from a fire opal.
“I want to have a closer look,” said Lox excitedly.
“Now wait a minute, lil’ buddy,” said Doc stopping Lox in his tracks. “We don’t know what sorts of traps or villainous turmoil might be caused if you mess with that stone.”
“That’s why I’m going to inspect it,” said Venus. Using his Spiderclimb ability, Venus slowly walked upon the wall next to the statue and reached for the stone.
“I’m not sure I like this idea,” said Ziona with a worried tone.
“Oooh, I can’t wait to see it,” said Lox happily.
Venus tugged at the sparking eye, but it didn’t want to budge. On this third try however, he nearly shook himself off the side of the wall when the stone came loose.
“See? Not a problem,” said Venus climbing down from his perch.
Then suddenly a loud, unearthly cry sounded from somewhere deep within the dungeon. So startled were the companions that many of them drew their weapons for fear of an attack. They stood tense for long moments, but nothing more happened.
“Like I said,” Ziona reiterated, “I’m not sure I liked that idea.”
Venus let Lox roll the opal over and over in his little hands. Lox was in awe watching the sparkling colors change, then Dent took the stone from them both.
“I’ll hold onto the stone,” said the ranger. “I want the first attack on anything that tries to take it.”
No one argued with Dent over the opal, they just watched as he tucked it away in his pack. It was obvious, even to Gideon, that the half-elf had a deep hatred for the inhabitants of Rappan Athuk.
The day wore on and the heroes moved forward. Occasionally they would come upon rooms, usually full of undead orcs or vicious wights. None of them could withstand the sheer force of Ziona’s faith, however. Similarly, almost none of the locks could withstand the skill of Lox’s nimble fingers. However, when the halfling came across one that defeated his picks, he became rather irate.
“By my Grandpap’s hairy feet! Stupid lock…gotta be magical or something…”
“May I be of assistance, Lox?”
Lox looked up to see Gideon standing over him.
“If I can’t open this door,” said Lox with a nod of his head, “no one can.”
“I wasn’t going to open the door,” said Gideon with a smirk. “I was just going to see what’s in the room.”
“That would be a neat trick, friend,” said Doc. “But you see, the walls are made of stone, and sto…”
The heroes watched as their new ally seemed to blink and phase in and out of their sight. Then the lightly armored warrior seemed to disappear. Only Rossal and Glindil could see him as he plunged his head into the door as if it were an illusion!
Then Gideon pulled his head back from the door.
“It looks like a bedchamber,” he said matter-of-factly. “But there seemed to be nothing of value, mostly just rats and vermin.”
“Lemmie try,” said Lox.
Both Lox and Doc raced towards the door and instead of their heads sticking through the door, their heads struck the door with a loud thud.
“Ow,” said Lox.
“That smarts,” agreed Doc.
“Do you mind telling us how you managed to do that?” asked Dent.
“Are you some sort of magic user yourself?” asked Venus.
“Actually, I am a warrior. I do not use magic,” said Gideon.
“Then how could you have done that?” asked Ziona.
Rossal and Glindil were sitting upright on each of her shoulders, eager to hear his answer.
“It is simply part of my ability,” said Gideon. “That is all.”
“And what sort of ability is that?” asked Venus suspiciously.
Gideon turned and glared at Venus.
“Have I asked about your ability to scale the walls, or why you avoid your cleric’s holy gifts?”
Venus was taken off guard, not thinking that Gideon would have noticed such things so quickly.
“We all have our gifts,” said Gideon in a softer tone. “Ziona has her divine gifts, your friend Drexel you speak of, his were magical. Mine happen to be my psychic abilities. And your gift…”
“I would not necessarily call mine a gift,” said Venus bitterly. “Vampirism is usually considered more of a curse.”
Gideon looked around the group, which now seemed darker, almost uneasy.
“I meant no offense,” said Gideon. “I just don’t speak so openly with those I just met.”
“I understand,” said Venus. Then after a moment, “We should move along.”
The next door the group came upon was locked as well. Again Lox tried to best the lock, and again his picks were defeated.
“Give me a moment,” said Gideon.
The psychic warrior began to flash again as he phased through the wall. The party listened carefully, but heard nothing. In a moment, the door opened.
“I was able to unlock it from the inside,” said Gideon holding the door for them.
The large room within contained four pillars, and two smoking vats of liquid. The heroes entered cautiously with their weapons drawn, but none of them were ready for what was about to happen.
Lox, being his usual curious self, began skipping around the room searching for anything shiny.
“Hey guys, I found stuff!” he called as he reached into a small alcove. “It looks like a pile of treasure or something. It’s all shiny.”
As the group turned, they saw a massive jelly-like creature dangling on the ceiling above the halfling.
“Lox, run!” cried Dent, but it was too late. The large green slime dropped from it’s perch and landed on Lox, completely covering him in a painful ooze.
“Hold on, Lil’ Buddy!” called Doc. He took out his whip and began lashing at Lox, trying to pull him free from the ooze that was burning into his halfling flesh.
“AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!! It’s burning me!!! Get it off, get it off!”
Doc’s whip began to sizzle when it had touched the slime, making him realize that separating Lox from it was impossible.
Lox fell to his knees screaming from the immense pain. He took out his rod, pointed it in the air and shouted “ROD OF WONDER!”
Heavy rains began pelting him, but only managed to wash away a tiny spot where the slime was eating away his flesh.
Dent fired two flame arrows into his friend, burning away another patch of the painful ooze. Lox fell backwards, his final scream fading out.
Ziona and Doc ran forward towards their friend, and Doc began administering a potion.
“C’mon, Roundy! C’mon!”
The slime sizzled at the leather gloves that Doc wore, making him take them off once the potion was consumed.
Lox began coughing and struggling, trying in vain to escape the clutches of the green slime. Weakly, the halfling lifted his rod and pointed it at himself.
“Don’t fail me now…” he muttered. “Rod of…wonder….”
A tiny bead shot out of the rod and exploded into a giant Fireball as it made contact with Lox’s small body. Doc and Ziona managed to dive out of the way, but could hear the halfling’s cry die out as his life was draining from him.
Ziona quickly got to her feet and rushed to Lox’s side. She could see that the green slime had been obliterated, but so had her friend. Placing one hand on Lox and the other on her holy symbol, the half-drow began praying and chanting, the tears rolling down her cheeks. Doc, Dent, Venus and Gideon stood waiting to see if the blast had been too much for the poor halfling to bear. Haley made a low whining noise, while the dragons hovered near her for comfort. In a moment, which felt like an eternity, Lox opened his eyes and looked up at Ziona.
“Did it have any thing shiny?”
The rest of the group erupted into laughter and surrounded the halfling.
“Keep back and give him some room,” said Ziona sternly. “I fear what other wounds the creature may have caused.”
“I feel weak, Miss Ziona,” said Lox lethargically. “I don’t feel like I can stand up.”
“You don’t have to, Lox. Just rest.”
“Is he going to be okay?” asked Dent.
“He will require more serious healing,” replied Ziona, “but his health will be restored.”
Ziona took off her pack and took out a small violet pouch. She opened it and poured a small pile of shining granules into her palm.
“Just sit still and relax, Lox,” she said soothingly. “Everything will be just fine.”
Lox saw the sparkling dust and smiled.
“Shiny things always make me feel better,” he murmured.
Ziona smiled, then began sprinkling the diamond dust onto Lox as she prayed.
Meanwhile, Doc and Venus were inspecting the “stuff” that Lox had nearly died for. It was a pile of corroded metal and bits of bone. The only item they managed to find was a tiny stone horse.
“Weird,” said Doc. “Must have been too tough for the slime to disintegrate.”
“Perhaps it’s magical,” said Venus. “Let me have a look.”
Venus began casting Detect Magic on the figurine, then brought it over to Dent, who was patting Haley and talking to Gideon.
“We found this among the debris that Lox was sifting through before that slime attacked,” he said. “It seems to be magical. We thought you would want to hold onto it.”
“Thanks.”
Dent’s words of thanks were only echoed tenfold by Lox, who was now jumping up from the spot he nearly died in and was hugging Ziona. The cleric accepted the hug, but then held onto the halfling for a moment, a sad and serious look growing on her face.
“Lox Lumley,” she said getting his attention. “You must be more careful. You were nearly lost to us this time. If you do not take more care and caution in your actions, you may not only hurt yourself, but you might hurt any one of us. Promise me you’ll be more careful and less hasty from now on.”
Lox looked down at the ground, thinking about how much pain he had been feeling only a short time ago. The burning was unbearable, and the fear was immense. Lox looked up into Ziona’s cool silvery-violet eyes.
“I promise, Miss Ziona. I’ll do my best to be more careful.”
Gideon, standing beside Dent gave a chuckle.
“Imagine that,” he said with a grin. “A halfling making such a promise.”
“He has made such promises in the past,” said Venus with a sigh. “I just hope this time he’s frightened enough to mean it.”
The Adventure Continues…
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I am sorry that I shot Lox, but we needed to get that stuff off him.
Breakstone
First Post
Woah!
Poor Lox!
I only wish I had a player like that...
Poor Lox!
I only wish I had a player like that...
Ziona
First Post
The Maze and The Mage
After the heroes left the room of the green slime, they followed the corridor downstairs to the sixth level of the dungeon. Gideon was never quite sure if he believed Venus was a vampire, but when the group began discussing where to leave the coffin, Gideon decided it must be true.
“You actually rest in a coffin?”
“I must,” said Venus flatly.
“And what about sunlight?” asked Gideon.
“I am unaffected by the glorious light of the sun…The Morning Lord has granted me much,” said Venus with reverence.
“So you are the one, then? The ‘Soldier of Lathander?’” asked Gideon with wide eyes.
“I am he,” said Venus with surprise. “I certainly hope you do not plan on collecting a bounty on my head, friend.”
“I only hunt wizards,” said Gideon with a smile. “You needn’t worry about that.”
As the heroes traveled through the endless corridors, they slowly realized that they were going in circles. Occasionally they found dead ends, which would result in their turning and changing direction again.
“To the Abyss with this maze,” spat Dent.
The companions sat down after nearly three hours of endless wandering. It felt as though they would never find their way out of the dungeon. As they snacked on their rations, Ziona strummed her Elven lute lightly and hummed a soothing melody. Lox watched Gideon as he created light blue mind blades and twirled them about his fingers. Just as they were ready to begin wandering about the maze again, Gideon stopped twirling the blades, and hushed them all.
“Someone is approaching,” he said, readying the blue blades.
“How do you know?” asked Doc.
“I can hear their thoughts with my ring,” said Gideon. “He must have heard the half-drow’s music.”
Ziona’s face flushed as she put away the lute and pulled out her bastard sword. The party awaited their next foe, thankful for something to think about other than the winding passageways of the maze.
From around the corner came a hulking half-orc with a short sword in his hand and a lute strapped to his back.
“Halt, vicious foe, or I’ll have your hide!” cried Doc.
The half-orc stopped and stood his ground.
“Who are you that wonder Rappan Athuk?” he called.
“We are those who have come to smite the evil that inhabits these halls!” shouted Venus.
“Then why are you threatening me?” called the half-orc. “I am not evil. I am merely lost in the maze, like yourselves.”
“If you are not evil,” said Ziona stepping forward, sheathing her sword, “then you won’t oppose me when I cast on you.”
“Well, milady,” said the half-orc, “that depends what you want to cast on me.”
As Ziona stepped closer, the half-orc saw her silvery hair and grey skin.
“You are a drow and you dare ask if I am evil?!” he exclaimed.
“I am a half-drow Priestess of Eilistraee,” said Ziona evenly. “You have my word that I will only cast to see if your intentions are for good or evil.”
Meanwhile, Rossal communicated to Ziona that he could read no evil thoughts from the half-orc, only that he was unsure whether to trust her or not.
“Very well, milady,” said the half-orc. He knelt before her as though she were a princess, and allowed her to cast Detect Evil on him.
“It’s okay,” she called to the others. “What is your name?”
“I am called Gorthat, milady, and you are?”
“I am Ziona,” she said. “These are my companions.”
“Well met, Gorthat,” said Dent.
“It’s Gee-or-they,” he corrected.
“Right,” said Dent with confusion.
“How long have you been lost within the maze, Gorthat?”
“As far as I can tell,” he replied, “nearly four or five hours. But, I believe I have found a way out. I only turned back because I thought I heard music.”
“That was Miss Ziona,” said Lox. “She has a pretty voice.”
“I am quite fond of music, myself,” said Gorthat.
“I imagine not many half-orcs become bards,” said Ziona curiously.
“Well, I don’t imagine many half-drow are clerics of good deities, either,” he said.
“About that exit,” said Gideon.
“Ah, yes. This way.”
Gorthat lead them back the way he had come, which eventually brought them to a small room with a door leading out.
Rossal, who had been communicating with Gideon on the way, had concluded that Gorthat wasn’t leading the party into a trap. (Or if he was, he wasn’t thinking about it at all!) He communicated this to the rest of the party so they could relax around the strange bard.
Gideon was almost happy that Gorthat happened upon the party, because now Lox had a new person to tell his tales of wonder and adventure to. The odd thing was, Gorthat didn’t seem to mind, and even began to put the stories to music as they traveled.
Eventually, the group came to an open room with a stream running through it, which they entered slowly and carefully, at Gideon’s suggestion.
“Someone was just here,” he warned. “Goblins, maybe. I couldn’t understand their language.”
But for all their caution, their foe still caught them off guard. The sudden sound of chanting filled the air. Before they knew it, a mud and stone avalanche dropped between them, separating Gideon, Doc, Dent and Haley from the rest of the group. Ziona, Lox, Venus, Gorthat and the dragons began trying to dig through the debris, while their companions fought the onslaught of the goblins.
Venus, frustrated that they were getting nowhere, reverted to his gaseous form and seeped through the crevasses in the rocks.
Meanwhile, Ziona cast Stone Shape to try and create a passageway through the stone and mud.
On the other side of the wall, Doc lashed out at the invisible magic user and interrupted their spell, while Gideon used his mind blades to attack the goblins that poured into the room. Dent fired his flaming arrows into the advancing goblins, while Haley chomped and tore into any that got too close to the ranger.
Seeing that he was losing the battle, the invisible mage jumped into the stream and tried to swim away unnoticed. However, both Doc and Gideon saw the shape moving through the water and leapt in after it, not realizing the fast moving stream ended with a waterfall.
Thinking quickly, Gideon used his psionic ablility to make himself float, and began wading around at the bottom of the waterfall. Doc jumped out of the stream, rapier in hand, and watched for movement in the water. But, the invisible mage cast Fear on Doc Midnight, and Gideon watched as his new companion fled in terror, running deeper and deeper into the caverns of Rappan Athuk.
Gideon, realizing Doc was long gone, and not sensing his opponent nearby, created a light blue oar and paddled back up to the rest of the party.
The Adventure Continues…
After the heroes left the room of the green slime, they followed the corridor downstairs to the sixth level of the dungeon. Gideon was never quite sure if he believed Venus was a vampire, but when the group began discussing where to leave the coffin, Gideon decided it must be true.
“You actually rest in a coffin?”
“I must,” said Venus flatly.
“And what about sunlight?” asked Gideon.
“I am unaffected by the glorious light of the sun…The Morning Lord has granted me much,” said Venus with reverence.
“So you are the one, then? The ‘Soldier of Lathander?’” asked Gideon with wide eyes.
“I am he,” said Venus with surprise. “I certainly hope you do not plan on collecting a bounty on my head, friend.”
“I only hunt wizards,” said Gideon with a smile. “You needn’t worry about that.”
As the heroes traveled through the endless corridors, they slowly realized that they were going in circles. Occasionally they found dead ends, which would result in their turning and changing direction again.
“To the Abyss with this maze,” spat Dent.
The companions sat down after nearly three hours of endless wandering. It felt as though they would never find their way out of the dungeon. As they snacked on their rations, Ziona strummed her Elven lute lightly and hummed a soothing melody. Lox watched Gideon as he created light blue mind blades and twirled them about his fingers. Just as they were ready to begin wandering about the maze again, Gideon stopped twirling the blades, and hushed them all.
“Someone is approaching,” he said, readying the blue blades.
“How do you know?” asked Doc.
“I can hear their thoughts with my ring,” said Gideon. “He must have heard the half-drow’s music.”
Ziona’s face flushed as she put away the lute and pulled out her bastard sword. The party awaited their next foe, thankful for something to think about other than the winding passageways of the maze.
From around the corner came a hulking half-orc with a short sword in his hand and a lute strapped to his back.
“Halt, vicious foe, or I’ll have your hide!” cried Doc.
The half-orc stopped and stood his ground.
“Who are you that wonder Rappan Athuk?” he called.
“We are those who have come to smite the evil that inhabits these halls!” shouted Venus.
“Then why are you threatening me?” called the half-orc. “I am not evil. I am merely lost in the maze, like yourselves.”
“If you are not evil,” said Ziona stepping forward, sheathing her sword, “then you won’t oppose me when I cast on you.”
“Well, milady,” said the half-orc, “that depends what you want to cast on me.”
As Ziona stepped closer, the half-orc saw her silvery hair and grey skin.
“You are a drow and you dare ask if I am evil?!” he exclaimed.
“I am a half-drow Priestess of Eilistraee,” said Ziona evenly. “You have my word that I will only cast to see if your intentions are for good or evil.”
Meanwhile, Rossal communicated to Ziona that he could read no evil thoughts from the half-orc, only that he was unsure whether to trust her or not.
“Very well, milady,” said the half-orc. He knelt before her as though she were a princess, and allowed her to cast Detect Evil on him.
“It’s okay,” she called to the others. “What is your name?”
“I am called Gorthat, milady, and you are?”
“I am Ziona,” she said. “These are my companions.”
“Well met, Gorthat,” said Dent.
“It’s Gee-or-they,” he corrected.
“Right,” said Dent with confusion.
“How long have you been lost within the maze, Gorthat?”
“As far as I can tell,” he replied, “nearly four or five hours. But, I believe I have found a way out. I only turned back because I thought I heard music.”
“That was Miss Ziona,” said Lox. “She has a pretty voice.”
“I am quite fond of music, myself,” said Gorthat.
“I imagine not many half-orcs become bards,” said Ziona curiously.
“Well, I don’t imagine many half-drow are clerics of good deities, either,” he said.
“About that exit,” said Gideon.
“Ah, yes. This way.”
Gorthat lead them back the way he had come, which eventually brought them to a small room with a door leading out.
Rossal, who had been communicating with Gideon on the way, had concluded that Gorthat wasn’t leading the party into a trap. (Or if he was, he wasn’t thinking about it at all!) He communicated this to the rest of the party so they could relax around the strange bard.
Gideon was almost happy that Gorthat happened upon the party, because now Lox had a new person to tell his tales of wonder and adventure to. The odd thing was, Gorthat didn’t seem to mind, and even began to put the stories to music as they traveled.
Eventually, the group came to an open room with a stream running through it, which they entered slowly and carefully, at Gideon’s suggestion.
“Someone was just here,” he warned. “Goblins, maybe. I couldn’t understand their language.”
But for all their caution, their foe still caught them off guard. The sudden sound of chanting filled the air. Before they knew it, a mud and stone avalanche dropped between them, separating Gideon, Doc, Dent and Haley from the rest of the group. Ziona, Lox, Venus, Gorthat and the dragons began trying to dig through the debris, while their companions fought the onslaught of the goblins.
Venus, frustrated that they were getting nowhere, reverted to his gaseous form and seeped through the crevasses in the rocks.
Meanwhile, Ziona cast Stone Shape to try and create a passageway through the stone and mud.
On the other side of the wall, Doc lashed out at the invisible magic user and interrupted their spell, while Gideon used his mind blades to attack the goblins that poured into the room. Dent fired his flaming arrows into the advancing goblins, while Haley chomped and tore into any that got too close to the ranger.
Seeing that he was losing the battle, the invisible mage jumped into the stream and tried to swim away unnoticed. However, both Doc and Gideon saw the shape moving through the water and leapt in after it, not realizing the fast moving stream ended with a waterfall.
Thinking quickly, Gideon used his psionic ablility to make himself float, and began wading around at the bottom of the waterfall. Doc jumped out of the stream, rapier in hand, and watched for movement in the water. But, the invisible mage cast Fear on Doc Midnight, and Gideon watched as his new companion fled in terror, running deeper and deeper into the caverns of Rappan Athuk.
Gideon, realizing Doc was long gone, and not sensing his opponent nearby, created a light blue oar and paddled back up to the rest of the party.
The Adventure Continues…
Last edited:
Breakstone
First Post
Heh, Gideon's cool...
Who's playing Gee-or-they?
Who's playing Gee-or-they?
In meta game terms...
The party is on level 6, Doc Midnight just found himself badly injured (5 hps remaining), and is tromping through level 10A fear-stricken.
Gideon, making a smart move in my book, decides it prudent to return to the party.
Thus Rappan Athuk claims another. Not necessarily dead, but certainly out of action.
The party is on level 6, Doc Midnight just found himself badly injured (5 hps remaining), and is tromping through level 10A fear-stricken.
Gideon, making a smart move in my book, decides it prudent to return to the party.
Thus Rappan Athuk claims another. Not necessarily dead, but certainly out of action.
