Rappan Athuk: Ravage of The Unusual Heroes!
- Thread starter Ziona
- Start date
gordonknox
First Post
Great Story!
I hope to someday play/run the RA series.
Looking forward to the next installment.
gk
I hope to someday play/run the RA series.
Looking forward to the next installment.
gk
Ziona
First Post
Road to Rappan Athuk
During their second day on the road, the new companions exchanged stories from their past adventures and explained more about themselves.
Dent recalled with sadness and anger the murder of his parents at the hands of goblins. He explained to the group how he and his Dwarven mentor, Carok Goodstone, set out to avenge his parents and retrieve his father’s bow and his mother’s armor. After several battles, they found the family heirlooms. However, in the last battle, Carok was mortally wounded. His dying wish was for his axe to be retrieved from Dogmouth, the Goblin king, and Dent had vowed to do just that.
Drexel, feeling that their new allies were trustworthy, removed his Hat of Disguise and showed them that he is actually a tiefling. He explained to them how he keeps a low profile because of a mage slayer known as Zygamor the Hunter. Zygamor, a half-fiend himself, associates with the followers of Bane, and has been hunting Drexel because he is a descendant of the evil God. He explained that he, much like Ziona and Venus, is misunderstood by many.
Ziona explained to her background to her allies, telling them about her father’s escape from the Underdark and how he and her mother fell in love. Ostracized from their home in Ashabenford, the drow and human had a farm on the outskirts of town. It was there that Ziona was born and raised to worship the Goddess Eilistraee. Since then, a drow raid forced her parents to seek seclusion in Icewind Dale with the help of the drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden.
Doc cheerily explained that he is not from the area, but that he has had many “dandy” adventures alongside Drexel and Ziona. He explained that it doesn’t always matter where you’ve been, or where you’re going, just as long as you do good deeds and uphold justice along the way. (“Right, Roundy?”)
Lox spoke of his happy memories in the tiny farming town of Murkton within Featherdale. He talked about living near Nuttin and his wife, and how Nuttin had several children that left Murkton. Lox told them all how his dream has always been to become famous, and how he thought his wish was finally starting to come true. He rambled on and on, changing the subject many times before Dent asked him to quiet down. The only thing that managed to take his attention away from his stories was Rossal, who flew down to his shoulder and started telling Lox stories of his own. (This pleased the group since Rossal communicated telepathically.)
All the stories and tales helped make the last day of the journey pass quickly. Finally, the heroes had reached the dreaded Rappan Athuk. They made camp a short jaunt away from the cemetery surrounding the entrance to the dungeon and split up watches. Ziona, Rossal, Dent and Haley took first watch, Doc and Lox took second watch, and Drexel and Venus took the last. The night passed without incident, and the group prepared to enter Rappan Athuk at dawn. They left Spleckle with the cart at their campsite. Dent and Lox had taken great care to hide the cart within the woods so that it would not be ravaged by thieves or monsters. Before hiding the cart, however, Dent helped Venus remove his coffin and carry it to the dungeon.
Dent remembered the exit they used to get from floor two to the surface after Nuttin’s death, and they used that passageway to enter. Once inside, Lox and Dent hid the coffin and the group continued on.
Since a few of them had been here recently, there weren’t many creatures impeding their way down to the third level. As they approached the wall that read “Beware of Purple Worms,” Lox shuddered.
“Dent,” he whispered, “do you think there will be more worms?”
“I don’t know, Lox,” he said quietly. “But we have our guard up, so don’t panic.”
They entered the cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites and began to feel rumbling beneath their feet.
“Dent…” said Lox sounding worried.
“Be calm,” said Dent. “Listen carefully and perhaps we can determine where the beast will come from.”
They walked slowly through the cavern and continued to feel the rumbling in the ground. Luckily, the group made their way across the room without event. Lox scrambled to open the door and they made their way inside. The rumbling seemed to continue as they entered.
“Do you hear that?” asked Lox.
“I didn’t hear anything,” said Drexel. “I just feel that rumble below the surface.”
Rossal informed the group that he heard something else as well, something he couldn’t really place. Everyone took out their weapons and proceeded forward into the large empty room. Suddenly, the rumbling stopped and everyone stood very still. They waited to see if they heard any further movement, but no one seemed to detect anything. Then it happened…Umber Hulks tore through the ground and ripped a hole in the ceiling!
The first of the three attacked Venus, but it looked sluggish as it reached out for him with it’s claws. Doc, being nearby, took advantage of the creature’s clumsiness and lashed out at the Umber Hulk with his rapier. As he began to swing at the monster, he stopped short, caught in it’s unnatural, eerie gaze. He sat there for a moment looking at the creature as though he was confused, and just rubbed his chin.
The second Umber Hulk was busy attacking Dent with it’s claws, which sunk painfully into his flesh. As it dove in to bite him with it’s mandibles, he shouted out and Ziona came over to flank the creature. The two heroes began attacking the Umber Hulk while Rossal cast Magic Missile at it.
Meanwhile, Drexel took an empty cocoon from his belt pouch and rolled it about in his hand carefully, and began reciting sharp words. As he completed his spell, the third Umber Hulk fell to the floor in the form of a small white bunny.
“Wow! Look! It’s a bunny! I wonder what a bunny is doing here in Rappan Athuk…” pondered Lox to himself.
As he continued to amuse himself with ways that a bunny could have ended up in the dungeon, a fourth Umber Hulk came careening through the wall behind Lox and bit into the halfling’s back.
After Venus disposed of the creature attacking him, Doc seemed to snap out of his odd funk. The two of them heard Lox’s cry and ran to his side to defend him.
“Hands off Roundy, you despicable beast!”
Ziona and Dent continued fighting the Umber Hulk on them, and had help from Haley and Rossal. Since the monster was flanked on all sides, it wasn’t long before the beast hit the ground, it’s sap-like blood forming a puddle around it.
Once Doc and Venus charged over to the last Umber Hulk and began attacking it, Lox took out his short sword and hacked into it’s knee. The vile creature teetered then slumped against the wall dead.
“Roundy, are you okay?”
“My back is really sore,” said Lox with a frown. “Hey, where is the bunny?”
“There’s a bunny? I want to see the bunny,” said Doc excitedly.
“I have the rabbit,” said Drexel. “I Polymorphed one of the creatures to reduce the threat.”
“Can I play with the bunny?” asked Lox.
“It is no ordinary rabbit,” said Drexel sternly. “It is actually an Umber Hulk in rabbit form. It is still potentially dangerous, so I’m sorry to say, you cannot play with it. Try to remember we’re in a dungeon, Lox.”
“Of course,” said Doc, suddenly realizing what had happened. “No ordinary cute and fuzzy bunny would live in such a vile stink hole! It must be evil. It is not good to play with creatures that have sharp gaping teeth, Lox. Even if they are cute and fuzzy.”
The two disappointed adventurers followed Drexel and Venus over to where Ziona was healing Dent.
“Are you in need of healing, Lox?”
“Yes, Miss Ziona.”
Ziona healed Lox and they walked through the rest of the room, keeping an eye out for anymore Umber Hulks. As they came to the back of the room, they found a set of double doors ajar. Peering inside, they found dead goats, pentagrams and blood. Ziona and Drexel agreed that the symbols throughout the room were evil, and are used to summon outsiders.
Doc was in an uproar over the death of the goats and began defiling the room. He smashed vials and scratched out the pentagrams, knocked over tables and cut down the goats hanging around the room. When he was satisfied with his work, he turned to the group and shouted “Sally forth!”
Venus, Dent and Lox looked to Drexel and Ziona for an explanation, and they just shrugged…
The Adventure Continues…
During their second day on the road, the new companions exchanged stories from their past adventures and explained more about themselves.
Dent recalled with sadness and anger the murder of his parents at the hands of goblins. He explained to the group how he and his Dwarven mentor, Carok Goodstone, set out to avenge his parents and retrieve his father’s bow and his mother’s armor. After several battles, they found the family heirlooms. However, in the last battle, Carok was mortally wounded. His dying wish was for his axe to be retrieved from Dogmouth, the Goblin king, and Dent had vowed to do just that.
Drexel, feeling that their new allies were trustworthy, removed his Hat of Disguise and showed them that he is actually a tiefling. He explained to them how he keeps a low profile because of a mage slayer known as Zygamor the Hunter. Zygamor, a half-fiend himself, associates with the followers of Bane, and has been hunting Drexel because he is a descendant of the evil God. He explained that he, much like Ziona and Venus, is misunderstood by many.
Ziona explained to her background to her allies, telling them about her father’s escape from the Underdark and how he and her mother fell in love. Ostracized from their home in Ashabenford, the drow and human had a farm on the outskirts of town. It was there that Ziona was born and raised to worship the Goddess Eilistraee. Since then, a drow raid forced her parents to seek seclusion in Icewind Dale with the help of the drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden.
Doc cheerily explained that he is not from the area, but that he has had many “dandy” adventures alongside Drexel and Ziona. He explained that it doesn’t always matter where you’ve been, or where you’re going, just as long as you do good deeds and uphold justice along the way. (“Right, Roundy?”)
Lox spoke of his happy memories in the tiny farming town of Murkton within Featherdale. He talked about living near Nuttin and his wife, and how Nuttin had several children that left Murkton. Lox told them all how his dream has always been to become famous, and how he thought his wish was finally starting to come true. He rambled on and on, changing the subject many times before Dent asked him to quiet down. The only thing that managed to take his attention away from his stories was Rossal, who flew down to his shoulder and started telling Lox stories of his own. (This pleased the group since Rossal communicated telepathically.)
All the stories and tales helped make the last day of the journey pass quickly. Finally, the heroes had reached the dreaded Rappan Athuk. They made camp a short jaunt away from the cemetery surrounding the entrance to the dungeon and split up watches. Ziona, Rossal, Dent and Haley took first watch, Doc and Lox took second watch, and Drexel and Venus took the last. The night passed without incident, and the group prepared to enter Rappan Athuk at dawn. They left Spleckle with the cart at their campsite. Dent and Lox had taken great care to hide the cart within the woods so that it would not be ravaged by thieves or monsters. Before hiding the cart, however, Dent helped Venus remove his coffin and carry it to the dungeon.
Dent remembered the exit they used to get from floor two to the surface after Nuttin’s death, and they used that passageway to enter. Once inside, Lox and Dent hid the coffin and the group continued on.
Since a few of them had been here recently, there weren’t many creatures impeding their way down to the third level. As they approached the wall that read “Beware of Purple Worms,” Lox shuddered.
“Dent,” he whispered, “do you think there will be more worms?”
“I don’t know, Lox,” he said quietly. “But we have our guard up, so don’t panic.”
They entered the cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites and began to feel rumbling beneath their feet.
“Dent…” said Lox sounding worried.
“Be calm,” said Dent. “Listen carefully and perhaps we can determine where the beast will come from.”
They walked slowly through the cavern and continued to feel the rumbling in the ground. Luckily, the group made their way across the room without event. Lox scrambled to open the door and they made their way inside. The rumbling seemed to continue as they entered.
“Do you hear that?” asked Lox.
“I didn’t hear anything,” said Drexel. “I just feel that rumble below the surface.”
Rossal informed the group that he heard something else as well, something he couldn’t really place. Everyone took out their weapons and proceeded forward into the large empty room. Suddenly, the rumbling stopped and everyone stood very still. They waited to see if they heard any further movement, but no one seemed to detect anything. Then it happened…Umber Hulks tore through the ground and ripped a hole in the ceiling!
The first of the three attacked Venus, but it looked sluggish as it reached out for him with it’s claws. Doc, being nearby, took advantage of the creature’s clumsiness and lashed out at the Umber Hulk with his rapier. As he began to swing at the monster, he stopped short, caught in it’s unnatural, eerie gaze. He sat there for a moment looking at the creature as though he was confused, and just rubbed his chin.
The second Umber Hulk was busy attacking Dent with it’s claws, which sunk painfully into his flesh. As it dove in to bite him with it’s mandibles, he shouted out and Ziona came over to flank the creature. The two heroes began attacking the Umber Hulk while Rossal cast Magic Missile at it.
Meanwhile, Drexel took an empty cocoon from his belt pouch and rolled it about in his hand carefully, and began reciting sharp words. As he completed his spell, the third Umber Hulk fell to the floor in the form of a small white bunny.
“Wow! Look! It’s a bunny! I wonder what a bunny is doing here in Rappan Athuk…” pondered Lox to himself.
As he continued to amuse himself with ways that a bunny could have ended up in the dungeon, a fourth Umber Hulk came careening through the wall behind Lox and bit into the halfling’s back.
After Venus disposed of the creature attacking him, Doc seemed to snap out of his odd funk. The two of them heard Lox’s cry and ran to his side to defend him.
“Hands off Roundy, you despicable beast!”
Ziona and Dent continued fighting the Umber Hulk on them, and had help from Haley and Rossal. Since the monster was flanked on all sides, it wasn’t long before the beast hit the ground, it’s sap-like blood forming a puddle around it.
Once Doc and Venus charged over to the last Umber Hulk and began attacking it, Lox took out his short sword and hacked into it’s knee. The vile creature teetered then slumped against the wall dead.
“Roundy, are you okay?”
“My back is really sore,” said Lox with a frown. “Hey, where is the bunny?”
“There’s a bunny? I want to see the bunny,” said Doc excitedly.
“I have the rabbit,” said Drexel. “I Polymorphed one of the creatures to reduce the threat.”
“Can I play with the bunny?” asked Lox.
“It is no ordinary rabbit,” said Drexel sternly. “It is actually an Umber Hulk in rabbit form. It is still potentially dangerous, so I’m sorry to say, you cannot play with it. Try to remember we’re in a dungeon, Lox.”
“Of course,” said Doc, suddenly realizing what had happened. “No ordinary cute and fuzzy bunny would live in such a vile stink hole! It must be evil. It is not good to play with creatures that have sharp gaping teeth, Lox. Even if they are cute and fuzzy.”
The two disappointed adventurers followed Drexel and Venus over to where Ziona was healing Dent.
“Are you in need of healing, Lox?”
“Yes, Miss Ziona.”
Ziona healed Lox and they walked through the rest of the room, keeping an eye out for anymore Umber Hulks. As they came to the back of the room, they found a set of double doors ajar. Peering inside, they found dead goats, pentagrams and blood. Ziona and Drexel agreed that the symbols throughout the room were evil, and are used to summon outsiders.
Doc was in an uproar over the death of the goats and began defiling the room. He smashed vials and scratched out the pentagrams, knocked over tables and cut down the goats hanging around the room. When he was satisfied with his work, he turned to the group and shouted “Sally forth!”
Venus, Dent and Lox looked to Drexel and Ziona for an explanation, and they just shrugged…
The Adventure Continues…
Last edited:
Dr Midnight
Explorer
Those poor goats...
