Rel
Liquid Awesome
The Best Laid Plans of Dwarves and Men
Speaks was awakened by Raven to take his turn at watch. He moved closer to the fire and warmed his hands against the cold night of early spring. A bit later, he stood to stretch his legs and noticed a small light down slope from their camp. As he watched, the light became bigger until it was identified as a fire. And it continued to grow further until Speaks realized what it came from. The smelting works was on fire.
He muttered under his breath, “Damn Kobolds!” He considered waking Raven and going to investigate but figured that it was probably a distraction to get them to abandon the Everflowing Bottle. Instead, he called down one of his birds and tried his best to get across the message that he wanted the bird to go and look for Kobolds around the burning building. The bird flew off into the night and Speaks resumed his vigil.
Just over a mile to the east, Scar woke from his nap to the smell of woodsmoke. He reasoned that he must be near a large campfire, but whether it was the fire of the Gnolls or the “Heroes” he sought, he couldn’t be sure. He cautiously made his way upwind to the west.
A short while later, he could make out a fire in the distance and it was much larger than a campfire. It was a large building completely enshrouded in flames. He wasn’t sure what that meant but he wasn’t going to wait around for a written invitation. He clutched his pick in hand and continued forward.
He made his way to within a hundred feet of the fire and that was plenty close enough. The ground around the building was completely saturated with water and was a morass of thick mud. Why anyone would build a building in the midst of a small swamp was beyond him. And why anyone would burn it down was too. He figured his first assessment was still correct. It was either the Gnolls or the Heroes who had burned down the building and either way, it didn’t pay for him to sit around thinking about it. He moved in a wide circle around the burning building until he spotted another fire, this one much smaller, further up the ridge. He quietly crept toward it.
The bird dispatched by Speaks returned to him and seemed to indicate that there were no Kobolds near the burning building. More than ever, Speaks was convinced that the whole thing was a distraction. He continued to peer about into the darkness, looking for any sign of a Kobold ambush. Then he heard a furtive noise down slope from him and prepared to attack the source if it turned out to be a Kobold.
Scar cringed as the piece of bark broke off the tree he leaned against. A cloaked figure just over a hundred feet away was looking in his direction. Gnolls didn’t usually wear cloaks and a Gnoll could probably see him at this distance anyway, but it didn’t pay to take chances when you had no backup. He stayed still and continued to watch the figure, hoping something it did would give away its identity as a friend or foe.
Speaks couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Worse yet, he was probably silhouetted by the camp fire. He concentrated and transformed into the form of a wolf to take advantage of that creature’s superior senses. He crept forward a few feet go get clear of the firelight.
Scar swore that he hadn’t blinked at the wrong moment. One second the cloaked figure was standing there and then it just seemed to collapse in on itself and was gone. Perhaps whoever it was had crouched down to take advantage of the ample underbrush to hide in. Scar kept his senses alert for an ambush.
Speaks moved between a cluster of bushes at the edge of the camp and padded his way slightly down slope. Then he could finally see who was creeping around in the darkness. It was a humanoid figure, definitely too big to be a Kobold and too furless to be a Gnoll. Most likely it was a human. Speaks transformed back to human form and called out, “I know you’re there. Show yourself and let us talk.”
Scar noted that the figure had reappeared several feet from where it had disappeared. Then it spoke to him in Imperial and offered to parlay. Probably not a Gnoll then. He stood and approached the figure, stopping some 30 feet away. “You from Glynden?” He asked in his raspy voice.
“I am from around those parts, yes.” Replied Speaks.
“Father Tomas sent me.”
“Father Tomas?”
“Ya. He wants to know how you’re doin’ against the Gnolls.”
Speaks grimaced at the thought of how well they were doing lately. “Come over by the fire and we can talk.”
Speaks and Scar gathered near the fire and spoke quietly while Raven snored loudly nearby. Speaks explained that while they had been successful in driving the Gnolls away, Krase had died in a showdown with one of their champions and now Rhys had died in their attempts to clear the mines of Kobolds.
During the conversation, Scar handed over a pouch that contained a pair of healing potions the Father Tomas had sent to the group. After hearing Speaks' tale of woe, Scar nodded and asked if he had any other messages to deliver back to Father Tomas.
Speaks understood that Scar was acting in the capacity of a messenger but he pleaded with the warrior not to carry the news back yet. Speaks wanted a chance to redeem himself and send more positive news back to Glynden. Plus, he admitted, he and Raven could use some extra help against the Kobolds.
Scar considered this. He knew that he wasn't all that welcome back in Glynden anyway. Being the bearer of bad tidings would probably not help that situation. It was clear that those folks would benefit if the mines could be cleared of Kobolds. And besides, he hadn't gotten to smite any evil-doers with his pick and mace lately.
"I'm in." Said Scar.
Speaks smiled, "Let me introduce you to Raven." He bent and shook the dwarf awake. Raven woke and Speaks explained that a messenger from the church of St. Cuthbert had come from Glynden. He introduced Scar.
The still bleary eyed Raven regarded Scar in the half light of the fire, "Bloody hell you're ugly! Well, welcome anyway." And with that, the dwarf rolled back over and resumed sleeping.
Speaks looked sheepishly at Scar. "He's a little grumpy when he's awakened during the night." Scar rolled his eyes. He was used to comments like that.
He settled in by the fire and listened to Speaks talk for a while longer about how he had "made a river pour from that stone" which was flooding the mines below them. A short while later, Speaks was interrupted when part of the hillside slumped into a shallow hole and the geyser of water emanating from the back of the stone was revealed. It seems that the flow of water had undermined the slope of the ridge and a large slab of the hillside had collapsed. The narrow tunnel was now blocked by this mass of mud and stone and most of the water from the Bottle-rock was now just pouring out and running down the ridge.
Speaks acted casually about the whole thing in the face of several questions from Scar. He told the half-orc that they would simple move the stone up to the higher tunnel in the morning.
Scar had been growing impatient anyway and upon learning that there was another hole nearby, he hefted his pick and went to check it out. He found it with no difficulties and discovered the pair of support timbers were laid neatly beside the hole and the stone carving tools were nowhere in sight. Scar shoved the timbers back down into the hole as far as he could and then positioned himself on the tree roots just above the hole with pick in hand. He hoped that the Kobolds would try again to emerge from the hole and he could wallop them. But the rest of the pre-dawn hours passed uneventfully. Scar returned back to the campfire as he heard the dwarf putting on his armor.
As Scar strode back into their small camp, Raven did a double take. "Criminy! It's an ORC!" he shouted and fumbled for his warhammer. Speaks tried to calm the dwarf and explained that while Scar was indeed of orcish heritage, he had renounced the ways of the orcs and followed the path of St. Cuthert now. Raven listened with disbelief and then stalked away for his morning prayers muttering something about, "hope he doesn't slit yer' throat before I get back!"
Raven returned a short while later and used one of his spells to assure himself that Scar was Evil incarnate. He was shocked and disappointed to find that he wasn’t. (We all had a good laugh when Raven's player made a motion as though he was shaking his holy symbol and saying, "Is this thing on?"). Raven allowed that while, apparently, Scar wasn't evil, he still didn't trust him.
(GM Note: These guys go out of their way to portray their less than stellar Charisma's. Speaks used to be regarded as the Grumpy Hermit with his low-ish Cha score. But there was also the silver tongued Rhys and the quirky but affable Krase to offset him. Now, Speaks is tied for the highest Charisma in the group. He and Raven both have an 8. Scar has a 6. Some Dale Carnegie courses would probably help this crowd out a bit. If it weren't for the "Crucible of Combat", I'd be a bit worried about group cohesion. But, believe me, the "Crucible" is very much fired up at the moment.)
Speaks communed with nature to regain his magic while Scar and Raven eyed each other suspiciously. Then Speaks returned to the camp and got right to work.
First, he re-molded the Bottle-rock into more of a wheel shape (turning off the geyser in the process). Then Scar and Raven carried the stone up to the upper hole and replaced the timbers with the Bottle-rock. Speaks had left the back end of the Everflowing Bottle exposed this time so that he could turn it on and off more easily.
With the stone firmly capping the tunnel exit, Speaks then used his wood molding magic to move several of the larger roots of the oak tree to hold the stone in place. He also placed a root over the back of the bottle to cover it and to help hold it in place against the back-pressure of the geyser. With that done, he turned the water back on. With that done, the group gathered their things and descended the ridge to the burned remains of the smelting works.
The ground around the base of the ridge was now a complete swamp. The smelting works sat in the midst of this area with only the bottom couple of feet of the building having escaped the flames. There was very little ash since most of it had been washed away by water flowing out of the sump well.
At the moment, the water still flowed from the well, but only a trickle compared to what they had seen the previous day. The wooden plank they had covered it with was gone, either sabotaged by the Kobolds or burned in the fire. Either way, they knew that a more permanent cap was needed for the well if they hoped to flood out the Kobolds.
They searched a perimeter around the burned out building and found a rock formation near the base of the ridge, just under a hundred feet away. They estimated how difficult it would be to move a stone of the necessary size through the woods between the base of the ridge and the well. It seemed too far, especially given all the trees.
Speaks decided that if he shaped one of the large boulders down into a wheel, they could turn it on its side and more easily maneuver it through the woods. He set to work molding the stone and muttering his incantations. Although he had borne the appellation "Speaks With Stone" for several years, he felt that he had finally, truly earned that title.
Once the stone was molded, the three of them wrestled it upright onto one edge. It was six feet across and weighed as much as ten men. They began to slowly roll it through the woods toward the sump well. This was no easy task to begin with and was made especially difficult because of the muddy ground. Their feet slipped and sank in the mire as inch by inch, the wheel of stone rolled to it's destination.
They were half way to the remains of the smelting works when Scar and Raven heard a sound to the east. The looked up to see several Kobolds moving furtively through the woods in their direction. The Kobolds saw that they had been spotted and before the party could react, the trees around them became enshrouded in sticky Webs. Speaks and Scar huddled close to the stone and remained un-stuck but Raven was covered in Webs and was going nowhere.
Scar struggled to fight his way through the sticky mess to get at the Kobolds but the strands were surprisingly strong and he made no progress. Speaks on the other hand was through with attempting half-measures to escape these things. He muttered an incantation and called forth a Flaming Sphere right between Scar and Raven. The ball of fire hissed as it rolled across the swampy ground, carving a path through the flammable webs.
The fire quickly spread throughout the webs and although they were lightly burned, the party was now free. Scar made it out of the webs first and saw that the Kobolds were retreating. He dashed after them at an astounding rate, rapidly closing the distance. Speaks saw the way they were headed and feared that they were making for the tower. He knew that if they got inside, it would be hell getting them out again. He concentrated and took the form of an eagle.
Raven looked at their stone wheel and saw that it presently rested against a tree. It would probably stay standing if left unattended so he did the only thing he could. He slogged through the swampy woods after Scar at his slow and steady pace. As he went, he drew out his bow, figuring that his arrows would be in range to harm the Kobolds long before his hammer would.
Scar continued to race after the fleeing Kobolds and could now see that there were eight of them. They were barking rapidly back and forth to each other in a language that Scar didn't understand. No matter. In just a second, he was going to introduce them to a language that he understood quite well: The language of DEATH!
Speaks took to the air and raced overhead seeking to outdistance the Kobolds and get ahead of them. His avian speed was more than up to the task and he landed some 200 feet beyond the diminutive raiders.
But instead of continuing to charge headlong toward where Speaks waited for them, the Kobolds suddenly turned to face the approaching Scar. Four of them grouped into a loose defensive screen and the other four let fly with a volley of Magic Missiles (5 to be exact).
The bolts of power slammed into the half-orc but he charged on undeterred. He had seen that one of the Kobolds had fired a pair of the bolts and must therefore be more powerful than the others. Scar hurled himself forward ready to strike with his pick. As he ran through the defensive screen, two of the defenders slashed him along the flanks dealing minor wounds to the powerful young warrior. But still Scar did not relent. He charged the Kobold spellcaster and drove his pick into the creature dealing a nasty wound. It was clear that the Kobold would not survive another such strike.
While this was taking place, Speaks transformed himself back to human form. He felt that he was close to mastering the ability to use his magic while in animal form, but he wasn't quite there yet. As for Raven, he continued to slowly close the distance between himself and where the fight was taking place, cursing the orc for his speed.
The Kobolds who had arrayed themselves defensively now quickly moved to surround Scar, slashing at him from every side with their short swords. A pair of them scored nasty wounds along Scar's flanks. Apparently, Scar's name would be even more appropriate after this battle. If he survived.
The Kobold that he had wounded before stepped back away from the fearsome warrior and let fly another pair of Magic Missiles and the three other Kobold spellcasters each cast one of their own. The bolts snaked through the air and struck Scar with unerring accuracy, sending him reeling to the ground, unconscious.
Speaks could now tell that the Kobolds were no longer advancing in his direction. They had stopped to fight Scar. Speaks moved closer to where the battle was taking place and saw the Kobolds tightly clustered around the prone body of the half-orc. In the distance, he could hear the sound of Raven clanking and crashing through the undergrowth.
Raven still hurried toward the fight. He was within a long bowshot now, but with all the trees in the way, the chances of his arrow making it to the target were not favorable. Better to get closer for a better shot.
The Kobolds heard the dwarf coming too and four of them once again moved to form a defensive screen to attack any who threatened the Sorcerers. The three lesser Sorcerers turned and saw Speaks approaching from the rear. Two fired off Magic Missiles at him, wounding the Druid lightly. The third waited, keeping an eye on Speaks. Meanwhile, the other Kobold Sorcerer, still wounded from Scar's pick, drew a dagger from his belt and stepped over the fallen half-orc.
Through the trees, Speaks couldn't be certain what was going on, but he knew it wasn't good. Scar was down and Raven was still too far away to help. He needed to give those Kobolds something to think about. He began chanting and moving his hands in an expansive gesture.
Seeing this, the third of the lesser Kobold Sorcerers fired his Magic Missile at Speaks, hoping to ruin whatever magic he was doing. The bolt struck the Druid but Speaks was able to ignore the pain and finish the spell. The area of woods around the Kobolds (and the fallen Scar) came to life as the branches and roots attempted to Entangle the Kobolds.
Raven was finally close enough to brave a bow shot. He drew out an arrow and fired in one smooth motion but his target ducked the shot just barely. Raven took a few steps closer and could see that Scar was down amid the throng of Kobolds. He had admittedly mixed feelings about that.
Roughly half of the Kobolds were Entangled in the first instant of the spell. But several managed to escape the grasping branches around them. Among these was the one who stood over Scar with dagger in hand. He briefly considered slitting the throat of the brute. But he could tell that every second he remained in the area of this magic he was in danger of being grabbed by the roots and branches around him. Seeing the Dwarf firing arrows at them made the decision for him. He was wounded already and couldn't afford to get shot with an arrow. He bolted for the edge of the Entanglement. So did several of the others.
Speaks saw that between those who had avoided his spell immediately and those who had deftly escaped the bonds of the plants, more than half of the Kobolds were now free. Most were at the edge of the Entanglement opposite him, closest to Raven. He decided that they had gotten off a bit too easy and cast a second Entangle spell that attempted to recapture those who had gotten away.
Raven saw one of the Kobolds standing near Scar with a knife in hand. Then he saw the creature begin to limp away, dodging the tree limbs that tried to ensnare it. He pulled another shaft from his quiver and smoothly fired a shot at the Kobold. He smiled as the arrow struck true and the Kobold toppled to the ground. He moved forward again and saw that the Kobolds were now widely scattered in an attempt to escape the grasping limbs of the surrounding trees and bushes.
The Kobolds who were free of the entangled areas ran in all directions at top speed. Those who were captured by the vines and roots desperately attempted to slip free of their bonds.
Speaks noted that the Kobolds looked like they were in full retreat. But he had fought these dubious creatures too many times to take this at face value. He transformed himself into an eagle again and took to the sky.
Raven knew that he was too slow to catch up to those that fled. But some 60 feet away, he saw one of the Kobolds was being held fast by some tree roots. The Dwarf sent an arrow plunging into the Kobold's chest, severely wounding the creature.
Another of the Kobolds who had been held fast by the Entangle spell escaped and fled at top speed. From his vantage high above, Speaks could see them running with his superior vision. It didn't look like they were trying to circle back to attack Raven. He looked down and saw Scar lying entangled by the saplings around him, bleeding. He needed healing and needed it soon.
Raven fired a second shot at the entangled Kobold and mercifully ended the life of the pitiful creature. Looking around, he saw that all the other Kobolds had fled. He approached the edge of the area where the tree limbs were grabbing everything that moved. It looked like Scar was hurt but he couldn't tell how bad. He was also pretty sure that if he went in to help him, the roots and limbs of the Druid's spell would hopelessly envelop him. Where was that Druid, anyway?
Speaks was just about to dive down to aid Scar when he spotted something with his acute vision. Up along the ridge he could see a black smudge through the budding spring foliage. He couldn't make it out exactly but something dark and larger than a Kobold was up on the ridge, right where the Bottle-rock was. He looked down and saw Scar slowly bleeding to death and looked back up to where the latest nefarious Kobold plot was doubtlessly unfolding. Then he dove down to help Scar.
He dove quickly through the treetops, dodging the tree limbs animated by his very own spell. He made it to the ground and transformed back to human form. As he bent to help Scar, he called out to Raven, "They're trying to stop the Bottle! They're up there right now!"
Hearing this, Raven turned and ran back in the direction of where the tunnel was that they were flooding. Meanwhile, Speaks used his healing wand to stop Scar from dying. Then he used it again to bring him to consciousness. While he did this, he felt a branch from a nearby bush snake out and grab his ankle. He was now captured by his own spell. He handed the pouch with the healing potions sent by Father Tomas back to Scar. "Use these! We've got to get back up there and stop the Kobolds!" With that, he began to try and pull free of the branch that held him.
Scar was rather confused at this point. He wasn't sure exactly where "there" was or what the Kobolds were doing that needed stopping. But he gladly drank one of the offered healing potions as he started to think about escaping from the weeds and roots that held him fast.
Raven continued to trudge toward his objective as fast as his short legs would carry him. It didn't help any that he was having to slog through the waterlogged earth saturated by the Bottle he was now trying to save. Speaks managed to break free and ran clear of the Entanglement. Soon, he too was hurrying to where the Bottle-rock had been left.
Scar felt better now that he had drank one of the potions. He pocketed the other and strained against the roots that held his leg. At first, the roots proved too strong but he planted his other foot and strained and with a pop the roots snapped in half. He dashed out of the area of grappling plants and ran in pursuit of Speaks.
About that time, Speaks was passing the painfully slow Raven just as they were exiting the virtual swamp at the base of the ridge. Speaks peered through the trees ahead but couldn’t see the dark shape any longer. He continued to hurry forward.
Scar raced along with almost deer-like speed. He passed Raven as though the Dwarf were standing still. A few seconds later, he caught up with Speaks. Rather than racing ahead like he had when the Kobolds had nearly killed him, he hung back and ran at the same pace as the Druid.
Within a few moments, they came to where the Everflowing Bottle had been set in its rock. It was eerily quiet as they approached. They looked at the tunnel opening to find the stone still present but in the center was a gaping, irregular hole. An acrid smell hung in the air and they could see that the roots of the oak tree as well as the stone were deeply pitted, as though by acid. The Everflowing Bottle was nowhere to be seen.
"DAMN IT!" yelled Speaks as he kicked the stone in frustration. "I swear I'll kill every one of these Kobolds if it is the last thing I do!"
Finally, Raven came clanking up the side of the ridge. He could tell from the looks of anger and frustration on the faces of his comrades that their plan to flood the mines had failed. They quickly decided that there was nothing left for them to do up on the ridge. Dejected and irate, they walked back to the tower.
At the base of the tower, Speaks gazed up at the closed drawbridge and said, "If one of you can't climb up there, I'm afraid we're locked out." His voice dripped in frustration. (When he and Raven had last left the tower, Speaks had brought the drawbridge up from the inside and then flown out in eagle form.) Scar regarded the tower for a moment and told them that he would give it a try.
Scar found that while the tower seemed sturdy enough, whoever had cut the stones hadn't gone out of his way to assure that they were terribly smooth. He found ample handholds and managed to climb up to the top of the lower portion of the tower without difficulty. He entered through the door in the turret and made his way down to the main floor. There, he released the windlass and lowered the drawbridge (noting in the process that it was geared to allow someone much weaker than himself to operate it).
Raven and Speaks mounted the staircase outside and wearily began to walk across the drawbridge. Glancing down, they noticed that some writing was carved into the inside of the drawbridge in Draconic. Speaks read it to himself, "The mines are ours. You may have the town. Do not enter the mines again." Unbelievable. The little bastards had even gotten into the tower.
"What does it say?" asked Raven.
"It's just a bunch of insults." replied Speaks. "They're just taunting us."
Raven spat in disgust. "Lemme' get close enough with this hammer and I'll do more'n just taunt them!" He stalked into the tower.
With the knowledge that the Kobolds had been in the tower, Speaks descended the stairs to the kitchen, fearing the worst. He found Rhys' body, apparently undefiled with his hands folded over his breast. But except for his clothes, all of his belongings were missing.
Speaks tried to reach out for the calming influence of nature. But all he felt inside was the boiling rage of a hurricane.
NEXT: Loading For Bear
Speaks was awakened by Raven to take his turn at watch. He moved closer to the fire and warmed his hands against the cold night of early spring. A bit later, he stood to stretch his legs and noticed a small light down slope from their camp. As he watched, the light became bigger until it was identified as a fire. And it continued to grow further until Speaks realized what it came from. The smelting works was on fire.
He muttered under his breath, “Damn Kobolds!” He considered waking Raven and going to investigate but figured that it was probably a distraction to get them to abandon the Everflowing Bottle. Instead, he called down one of his birds and tried his best to get across the message that he wanted the bird to go and look for Kobolds around the burning building. The bird flew off into the night and Speaks resumed his vigil.
Just over a mile to the east, Scar woke from his nap to the smell of woodsmoke. He reasoned that he must be near a large campfire, but whether it was the fire of the Gnolls or the “Heroes” he sought, he couldn’t be sure. He cautiously made his way upwind to the west.
A short while later, he could make out a fire in the distance and it was much larger than a campfire. It was a large building completely enshrouded in flames. He wasn’t sure what that meant but he wasn’t going to wait around for a written invitation. He clutched his pick in hand and continued forward.
He made his way to within a hundred feet of the fire and that was plenty close enough. The ground around the building was completely saturated with water and was a morass of thick mud. Why anyone would build a building in the midst of a small swamp was beyond him. And why anyone would burn it down was too. He figured his first assessment was still correct. It was either the Gnolls or the Heroes who had burned down the building and either way, it didn’t pay for him to sit around thinking about it. He moved in a wide circle around the burning building until he spotted another fire, this one much smaller, further up the ridge. He quietly crept toward it.
The bird dispatched by Speaks returned to him and seemed to indicate that there were no Kobolds near the burning building. More than ever, Speaks was convinced that the whole thing was a distraction. He continued to peer about into the darkness, looking for any sign of a Kobold ambush. Then he heard a furtive noise down slope from him and prepared to attack the source if it turned out to be a Kobold.
Scar cringed as the piece of bark broke off the tree he leaned against. A cloaked figure just over a hundred feet away was looking in his direction. Gnolls didn’t usually wear cloaks and a Gnoll could probably see him at this distance anyway, but it didn’t pay to take chances when you had no backup. He stayed still and continued to watch the figure, hoping something it did would give away its identity as a friend or foe.
Speaks couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Worse yet, he was probably silhouetted by the camp fire. He concentrated and transformed into the form of a wolf to take advantage of that creature’s superior senses. He crept forward a few feet go get clear of the firelight.
Scar swore that he hadn’t blinked at the wrong moment. One second the cloaked figure was standing there and then it just seemed to collapse in on itself and was gone. Perhaps whoever it was had crouched down to take advantage of the ample underbrush to hide in. Scar kept his senses alert for an ambush.
Speaks moved between a cluster of bushes at the edge of the camp and padded his way slightly down slope. Then he could finally see who was creeping around in the darkness. It was a humanoid figure, definitely too big to be a Kobold and too furless to be a Gnoll. Most likely it was a human. Speaks transformed back to human form and called out, “I know you’re there. Show yourself and let us talk.”
Scar noted that the figure had reappeared several feet from where it had disappeared. Then it spoke to him in Imperial and offered to parlay. Probably not a Gnoll then. He stood and approached the figure, stopping some 30 feet away. “You from Glynden?” He asked in his raspy voice.
“I am from around those parts, yes.” Replied Speaks.
“Father Tomas sent me.”
“Father Tomas?”
“Ya. He wants to know how you’re doin’ against the Gnolls.”
Speaks grimaced at the thought of how well they were doing lately. “Come over by the fire and we can talk.”
Speaks and Scar gathered near the fire and spoke quietly while Raven snored loudly nearby. Speaks explained that while they had been successful in driving the Gnolls away, Krase had died in a showdown with one of their champions and now Rhys had died in their attempts to clear the mines of Kobolds.
During the conversation, Scar handed over a pouch that contained a pair of healing potions the Father Tomas had sent to the group. After hearing Speaks' tale of woe, Scar nodded and asked if he had any other messages to deliver back to Father Tomas.
Speaks understood that Scar was acting in the capacity of a messenger but he pleaded with the warrior not to carry the news back yet. Speaks wanted a chance to redeem himself and send more positive news back to Glynden. Plus, he admitted, he and Raven could use some extra help against the Kobolds.
Scar considered this. He knew that he wasn't all that welcome back in Glynden anyway. Being the bearer of bad tidings would probably not help that situation. It was clear that those folks would benefit if the mines could be cleared of Kobolds. And besides, he hadn't gotten to smite any evil-doers with his pick and mace lately.
"I'm in." Said Scar.
Speaks smiled, "Let me introduce you to Raven." He bent and shook the dwarf awake. Raven woke and Speaks explained that a messenger from the church of St. Cuthbert had come from Glynden. He introduced Scar.
The still bleary eyed Raven regarded Scar in the half light of the fire, "Bloody hell you're ugly! Well, welcome anyway." And with that, the dwarf rolled back over and resumed sleeping.
Speaks looked sheepishly at Scar. "He's a little grumpy when he's awakened during the night." Scar rolled his eyes. He was used to comments like that.
He settled in by the fire and listened to Speaks talk for a while longer about how he had "made a river pour from that stone" which was flooding the mines below them. A short while later, Speaks was interrupted when part of the hillside slumped into a shallow hole and the geyser of water emanating from the back of the stone was revealed. It seems that the flow of water had undermined the slope of the ridge and a large slab of the hillside had collapsed. The narrow tunnel was now blocked by this mass of mud and stone and most of the water from the Bottle-rock was now just pouring out and running down the ridge.
Speaks acted casually about the whole thing in the face of several questions from Scar. He told the half-orc that they would simple move the stone up to the higher tunnel in the morning.
Scar had been growing impatient anyway and upon learning that there was another hole nearby, he hefted his pick and went to check it out. He found it with no difficulties and discovered the pair of support timbers were laid neatly beside the hole and the stone carving tools were nowhere in sight. Scar shoved the timbers back down into the hole as far as he could and then positioned himself on the tree roots just above the hole with pick in hand. He hoped that the Kobolds would try again to emerge from the hole and he could wallop them. But the rest of the pre-dawn hours passed uneventfully. Scar returned back to the campfire as he heard the dwarf putting on his armor.
As Scar strode back into their small camp, Raven did a double take. "Criminy! It's an ORC!" he shouted and fumbled for his warhammer. Speaks tried to calm the dwarf and explained that while Scar was indeed of orcish heritage, he had renounced the ways of the orcs and followed the path of St. Cuthert now. Raven listened with disbelief and then stalked away for his morning prayers muttering something about, "hope he doesn't slit yer' throat before I get back!"
Raven returned a short while later and used one of his spells to assure himself that Scar was Evil incarnate. He was shocked and disappointed to find that he wasn’t. (We all had a good laugh when Raven's player made a motion as though he was shaking his holy symbol and saying, "Is this thing on?"). Raven allowed that while, apparently, Scar wasn't evil, he still didn't trust him.
(GM Note: These guys go out of their way to portray their less than stellar Charisma's. Speaks used to be regarded as the Grumpy Hermit with his low-ish Cha score. But there was also the silver tongued Rhys and the quirky but affable Krase to offset him. Now, Speaks is tied for the highest Charisma in the group. He and Raven both have an 8. Scar has a 6. Some Dale Carnegie courses would probably help this crowd out a bit. If it weren't for the "Crucible of Combat", I'd be a bit worried about group cohesion. But, believe me, the "Crucible" is very much fired up at the moment.)
Speaks communed with nature to regain his magic while Scar and Raven eyed each other suspiciously. Then Speaks returned to the camp and got right to work.
First, he re-molded the Bottle-rock into more of a wheel shape (turning off the geyser in the process). Then Scar and Raven carried the stone up to the upper hole and replaced the timbers with the Bottle-rock. Speaks had left the back end of the Everflowing Bottle exposed this time so that he could turn it on and off more easily.
With the stone firmly capping the tunnel exit, Speaks then used his wood molding magic to move several of the larger roots of the oak tree to hold the stone in place. He also placed a root over the back of the bottle to cover it and to help hold it in place against the back-pressure of the geyser. With that done, he turned the water back on. With that done, the group gathered their things and descended the ridge to the burned remains of the smelting works.
The ground around the base of the ridge was now a complete swamp. The smelting works sat in the midst of this area with only the bottom couple of feet of the building having escaped the flames. There was very little ash since most of it had been washed away by water flowing out of the sump well.
At the moment, the water still flowed from the well, but only a trickle compared to what they had seen the previous day. The wooden plank they had covered it with was gone, either sabotaged by the Kobolds or burned in the fire. Either way, they knew that a more permanent cap was needed for the well if they hoped to flood out the Kobolds.
They searched a perimeter around the burned out building and found a rock formation near the base of the ridge, just under a hundred feet away. They estimated how difficult it would be to move a stone of the necessary size through the woods between the base of the ridge and the well. It seemed too far, especially given all the trees.
Speaks decided that if he shaped one of the large boulders down into a wheel, they could turn it on its side and more easily maneuver it through the woods. He set to work molding the stone and muttering his incantations. Although he had borne the appellation "Speaks With Stone" for several years, he felt that he had finally, truly earned that title.
Once the stone was molded, the three of them wrestled it upright onto one edge. It was six feet across and weighed as much as ten men. They began to slowly roll it through the woods toward the sump well. This was no easy task to begin with and was made especially difficult because of the muddy ground. Their feet slipped and sank in the mire as inch by inch, the wheel of stone rolled to it's destination.
They were half way to the remains of the smelting works when Scar and Raven heard a sound to the east. The looked up to see several Kobolds moving furtively through the woods in their direction. The Kobolds saw that they had been spotted and before the party could react, the trees around them became enshrouded in sticky Webs. Speaks and Scar huddled close to the stone and remained un-stuck but Raven was covered in Webs and was going nowhere.
Scar struggled to fight his way through the sticky mess to get at the Kobolds but the strands were surprisingly strong and he made no progress. Speaks on the other hand was through with attempting half-measures to escape these things. He muttered an incantation and called forth a Flaming Sphere right between Scar and Raven. The ball of fire hissed as it rolled across the swampy ground, carving a path through the flammable webs.
The fire quickly spread throughout the webs and although they were lightly burned, the party was now free. Scar made it out of the webs first and saw that the Kobolds were retreating. He dashed after them at an astounding rate, rapidly closing the distance. Speaks saw the way they were headed and feared that they were making for the tower. He knew that if they got inside, it would be hell getting them out again. He concentrated and took the form of an eagle.
Raven looked at their stone wheel and saw that it presently rested against a tree. It would probably stay standing if left unattended so he did the only thing he could. He slogged through the swampy woods after Scar at his slow and steady pace. As he went, he drew out his bow, figuring that his arrows would be in range to harm the Kobolds long before his hammer would.
Scar continued to race after the fleeing Kobolds and could now see that there were eight of them. They were barking rapidly back and forth to each other in a language that Scar didn't understand. No matter. In just a second, he was going to introduce them to a language that he understood quite well: The language of DEATH!
Speaks took to the air and raced overhead seeking to outdistance the Kobolds and get ahead of them. His avian speed was more than up to the task and he landed some 200 feet beyond the diminutive raiders.
But instead of continuing to charge headlong toward where Speaks waited for them, the Kobolds suddenly turned to face the approaching Scar. Four of them grouped into a loose defensive screen and the other four let fly with a volley of Magic Missiles (5 to be exact).
The bolts of power slammed into the half-orc but he charged on undeterred. He had seen that one of the Kobolds had fired a pair of the bolts and must therefore be more powerful than the others. Scar hurled himself forward ready to strike with his pick. As he ran through the defensive screen, two of the defenders slashed him along the flanks dealing minor wounds to the powerful young warrior. But still Scar did not relent. He charged the Kobold spellcaster and drove his pick into the creature dealing a nasty wound. It was clear that the Kobold would not survive another such strike.
While this was taking place, Speaks transformed himself back to human form. He felt that he was close to mastering the ability to use his magic while in animal form, but he wasn't quite there yet. As for Raven, he continued to slowly close the distance between himself and where the fight was taking place, cursing the orc for his speed.
The Kobolds who had arrayed themselves defensively now quickly moved to surround Scar, slashing at him from every side with their short swords. A pair of them scored nasty wounds along Scar's flanks. Apparently, Scar's name would be even more appropriate after this battle. If he survived.
The Kobold that he had wounded before stepped back away from the fearsome warrior and let fly another pair of Magic Missiles and the three other Kobold spellcasters each cast one of their own. The bolts snaked through the air and struck Scar with unerring accuracy, sending him reeling to the ground, unconscious.
Speaks could now tell that the Kobolds were no longer advancing in his direction. They had stopped to fight Scar. Speaks moved closer to where the battle was taking place and saw the Kobolds tightly clustered around the prone body of the half-orc. In the distance, he could hear the sound of Raven clanking and crashing through the undergrowth.
Raven still hurried toward the fight. He was within a long bowshot now, but with all the trees in the way, the chances of his arrow making it to the target were not favorable. Better to get closer for a better shot.
The Kobolds heard the dwarf coming too and four of them once again moved to form a defensive screen to attack any who threatened the Sorcerers. The three lesser Sorcerers turned and saw Speaks approaching from the rear. Two fired off Magic Missiles at him, wounding the Druid lightly. The third waited, keeping an eye on Speaks. Meanwhile, the other Kobold Sorcerer, still wounded from Scar's pick, drew a dagger from his belt and stepped over the fallen half-orc.
Through the trees, Speaks couldn't be certain what was going on, but he knew it wasn't good. Scar was down and Raven was still too far away to help. He needed to give those Kobolds something to think about. He began chanting and moving his hands in an expansive gesture.
Seeing this, the third of the lesser Kobold Sorcerers fired his Magic Missile at Speaks, hoping to ruin whatever magic he was doing. The bolt struck the Druid but Speaks was able to ignore the pain and finish the spell. The area of woods around the Kobolds (and the fallen Scar) came to life as the branches and roots attempted to Entangle the Kobolds.
Raven was finally close enough to brave a bow shot. He drew out an arrow and fired in one smooth motion but his target ducked the shot just barely. Raven took a few steps closer and could see that Scar was down amid the throng of Kobolds. He had admittedly mixed feelings about that.
Roughly half of the Kobolds were Entangled in the first instant of the spell. But several managed to escape the grasping branches around them. Among these was the one who stood over Scar with dagger in hand. He briefly considered slitting the throat of the brute. But he could tell that every second he remained in the area of this magic he was in danger of being grabbed by the roots and branches around him. Seeing the Dwarf firing arrows at them made the decision for him. He was wounded already and couldn't afford to get shot with an arrow. He bolted for the edge of the Entanglement. So did several of the others.
Speaks saw that between those who had avoided his spell immediately and those who had deftly escaped the bonds of the plants, more than half of the Kobolds were now free. Most were at the edge of the Entanglement opposite him, closest to Raven. He decided that they had gotten off a bit too easy and cast a second Entangle spell that attempted to recapture those who had gotten away.
Raven saw one of the Kobolds standing near Scar with a knife in hand. Then he saw the creature begin to limp away, dodging the tree limbs that tried to ensnare it. He pulled another shaft from his quiver and smoothly fired a shot at the Kobold. He smiled as the arrow struck true and the Kobold toppled to the ground. He moved forward again and saw that the Kobolds were now widely scattered in an attempt to escape the grasping limbs of the surrounding trees and bushes.
The Kobolds who were free of the entangled areas ran in all directions at top speed. Those who were captured by the vines and roots desperately attempted to slip free of their bonds.
Speaks noted that the Kobolds looked like they were in full retreat. But he had fought these dubious creatures too many times to take this at face value. He transformed himself into an eagle again and took to the sky.
Raven knew that he was too slow to catch up to those that fled. But some 60 feet away, he saw one of the Kobolds was being held fast by some tree roots. The Dwarf sent an arrow plunging into the Kobold's chest, severely wounding the creature.
Another of the Kobolds who had been held fast by the Entangle spell escaped and fled at top speed. From his vantage high above, Speaks could see them running with his superior vision. It didn't look like they were trying to circle back to attack Raven. He looked down and saw Scar lying entangled by the saplings around him, bleeding. He needed healing and needed it soon.
Raven fired a second shot at the entangled Kobold and mercifully ended the life of the pitiful creature. Looking around, he saw that all the other Kobolds had fled. He approached the edge of the area where the tree limbs were grabbing everything that moved. It looked like Scar was hurt but he couldn't tell how bad. He was also pretty sure that if he went in to help him, the roots and limbs of the Druid's spell would hopelessly envelop him. Where was that Druid, anyway?
Speaks was just about to dive down to aid Scar when he spotted something with his acute vision. Up along the ridge he could see a black smudge through the budding spring foliage. He couldn't make it out exactly but something dark and larger than a Kobold was up on the ridge, right where the Bottle-rock was. He looked down and saw Scar slowly bleeding to death and looked back up to where the latest nefarious Kobold plot was doubtlessly unfolding. Then he dove down to help Scar.
He dove quickly through the treetops, dodging the tree limbs animated by his very own spell. He made it to the ground and transformed back to human form. As he bent to help Scar, he called out to Raven, "They're trying to stop the Bottle! They're up there right now!"
Hearing this, Raven turned and ran back in the direction of where the tunnel was that they were flooding. Meanwhile, Speaks used his healing wand to stop Scar from dying. Then he used it again to bring him to consciousness. While he did this, he felt a branch from a nearby bush snake out and grab his ankle. He was now captured by his own spell. He handed the pouch with the healing potions sent by Father Tomas back to Scar. "Use these! We've got to get back up there and stop the Kobolds!" With that, he began to try and pull free of the branch that held him.
Scar was rather confused at this point. He wasn't sure exactly where "there" was or what the Kobolds were doing that needed stopping. But he gladly drank one of the offered healing potions as he started to think about escaping from the weeds and roots that held him fast.
Raven continued to trudge toward his objective as fast as his short legs would carry him. It didn't help any that he was having to slog through the waterlogged earth saturated by the Bottle he was now trying to save. Speaks managed to break free and ran clear of the Entanglement. Soon, he too was hurrying to where the Bottle-rock had been left.
Scar felt better now that he had drank one of the potions. He pocketed the other and strained against the roots that held his leg. At first, the roots proved too strong but he planted his other foot and strained and with a pop the roots snapped in half. He dashed out of the area of grappling plants and ran in pursuit of Speaks.
About that time, Speaks was passing the painfully slow Raven just as they were exiting the virtual swamp at the base of the ridge. Speaks peered through the trees ahead but couldn’t see the dark shape any longer. He continued to hurry forward.
Scar raced along with almost deer-like speed. He passed Raven as though the Dwarf were standing still. A few seconds later, he caught up with Speaks. Rather than racing ahead like he had when the Kobolds had nearly killed him, he hung back and ran at the same pace as the Druid.
Within a few moments, they came to where the Everflowing Bottle had been set in its rock. It was eerily quiet as they approached. They looked at the tunnel opening to find the stone still present but in the center was a gaping, irregular hole. An acrid smell hung in the air and they could see that the roots of the oak tree as well as the stone were deeply pitted, as though by acid. The Everflowing Bottle was nowhere to be seen.
"DAMN IT!" yelled Speaks as he kicked the stone in frustration. "I swear I'll kill every one of these Kobolds if it is the last thing I do!"
Finally, Raven came clanking up the side of the ridge. He could tell from the looks of anger and frustration on the faces of his comrades that their plan to flood the mines had failed. They quickly decided that there was nothing left for them to do up on the ridge. Dejected and irate, they walked back to the tower.
At the base of the tower, Speaks gazed up at the closed drawbridge and said, "If one of you can't climb up there, I'm afraid we're locked out." His voice dripped in frustration. (When he and Raven had last left the tower, Speaks had brought the drawbridge up from the inside and then flown out in eagle form.) Scar regarded the tower for a moment and told them that he would give it a try.
Scar found that while the tower seemed sturdy enough, whoever had cut the stones hadn't gone out of his way to assure that they were terribly smooth. He found ample handholds and managed to climb up to the top of the lower portion of the tower without difficulty. He entered through the door in the turret and made his way down to the main floor. There, he released the windlass and lowered the drawbridge (noting in the process that it was geared to allow someone much weaker than himself to operate it).
Raven and Speaks mounted the staircase outside and wearily began to walk across the drawbridge. Glancing down, they noticed that some writing was carved into the inside of the drawbridge in Draconic. Speaks read it to himself, "The mines are ours. You may have the town. Do not enter the mines again." Unbelievable. The little bastards had even gotten into the tower.
"What does it say?" asked Raven.
"It's just a bunch of insults." replied Speaks. "They're just taunting us."
Raven spat in disgust. "Lemme' get close enough with this hammer and I'll do more'n just taunt them!" He stalked into the tower.
With the knowledge that the Kobolds had been in the tower, Speaks descended the stairs to the kitchen, fearing the worst. He found Rhys' body, apparently undefiled with his hands folded over his breast. But except for his clothes, all of his belongings were missing.
Speaks tried to reach out for the calming influence of nature. But all he felt inside was the boiling rage of a hurricane.
NEXT: Loading For Bear
