Episode 4-1
Episode FOUR - Still exploring the moathouse - Part 1
(The Late Paladin strikes ... or would like to ...
part two, the curse continues.)
- Moonday 17th Planting, mid-afternoon -
We meet again our heroes in the moathouse great hall, where they first
encountered Utreshimon the terrible blue dragon, and after that a
dangerous band of gnolls backed by an evil priest.
They are curently discussing what will be their next action. They have
quickly scanned the ground-floor, no other gnoll or any other
monster. They should explore the underground of the moathouse but the
first attempt by Diane and Rousing Fox revealed that this part is full
of undeads and especially ghouls, which seems to make them think twice
before rushing towards the dungeon.
Then Gandigoot, who is guarding the entrance of the stairs to the
lower levels of the fortress since he heard of ghouls undeground, sees
a hooded face looking into the room which quicly withdraw when they
see each other.
Immediatly the gnome warns his friends and strongly enjoins the man to
show himself and advance into the light. This gnome could be quite
authoritative when he wants, or is it the bloody fight with the gnolls
still in his veins ?
The man advances and reveals himself as Spugnoir, the potion maker of
Hommlet. His obvious weariness, his clothes and the small black cat
following him are enough proof for the party. Spugnoir is quickly
helped and Killasha use some healing magic to help him while Gandigoot
gives him his own sandwich ... what a heroic act from the gnome, his
MEAL ! As Mayaheine is helpfull today, Spugnoir thanks her but doesn't
know more than others who is this Mayaheine Killasha is speaking of
(to be paladin of a young godess as some attached duties, like
explaining who is your godess
). Our adventurers are eager to hear
his story, where he was and what has he done since three days ?
Sugnoir went to the moathouse three days ago. He started to explore
the dungeon, as he was doing since several weeks (one or two days a
week, no more because he also has a daughter and a shop to run), when
he was surprised by some gnolls and evil priests, he hid himself for a
time and was hoping to be able to sneak out at night. But the same
day, a young dragon decided to use the old fortress as a new lair,
trapping the clerics and Spugnoir into the underground part of the
dungeon. The clerics tried to go out but were severely wounded by the
dragon, two of them were slain, since this time, they were waiting in
the underground complex ... until some foulish adventurers save them
by forcing the dragon to flee. Spugnoir himself tried to sneak out the
dungeon but was also wounded by the dragon and compelled to hide in
the first part of the undergrounds (where there is less clerics), he
was waiting there until this very moment.
Our heroes are quite surprised and afraid when hearing that several
other clerics surely await them ... with the ghouls ! Spugnoir gives
them a rough plan of the underground complex that he draws upon a
scroll fom Lywen. He tells them about other gnolls, wearing black
cloaks with a burning eye symbol and that the clerics and gnolls were
working in the outmost part of the complex, doing a lot of noise
... even if doesn't know more about that. When some members of the
party are asking themselves how to enter the lower level without
falling into a trap, Spugnoir explains them that several months ago he
used once a back-entry, it is a secret passage leading to the other
side of the undergrounds than the stairs. Diane is quick to rally the
others to the idea of entering the undergrounds by this secret passage
where they will be less expected.
Once again they quit the moathouse after a bloody fight, but this time
they are decided to continue the exploration. Following the directions
given by Spugnoir, they continue on the track in the swamp until
several hundred meters from the moathouse, there they enter the swamp
and found, not so far from the track, the entry of the secret
passage. It is not really hidden but surely hard to find by
yourself. The entry is a flight of stairs going right into a dark
underground. Gandigoot spot some tracks let by animals going into the
passage, the animals must be something like big birds ... going
underground in a small passage ... strange for sure, at least it is
enough to incite them towards prudence.
At this point, they part into two groups. Alahija, Lywen and Xaod are
escorting Spugnoir to Hommlet while the others continue the
exploration of the undergrounds by this secret passage. - This could
seem strange but Alahija and Lywen players were not present for this
game, simple when you know that no ? -
So the group formed by Ezekiel the priest of Kord, Killashalandilis
(yes this name is too big) the paladine of Mayaheine, Rousing Fox the
monk, Gandigoot the gnome ranger of the Lortmills Mountains and Diane
the stylish fighter from Chendl is entering a small, dark and stinking
flight of stairs going underground towards a dungeon full of eveil
priests, gnolls and undead ... at least ... yeah, it's better like
that
Gandigoot is carrying a bullseye lantern while Rousning Fox and Diane
are using torches. Slowly they advance into the passage. The stairs
are not long, they quickly give upon a small passage carved into the
stone, it even seems natural. After two minutes they enter a natural
cave were a small river if flowing, Gandigoot is first, scouting for
the party. There is a ford made nearly in the middle of the cave, it's
old but surely not natural. The exploration continues.
After the cave, the passage is slowly changing. After one or thwo
hundred meters, it starts to be real masonry walls, they are entering
the complex. The passage is wider here but still no more than one
meter and a half ... this fact could be important as we will see
soon. They are still advancing and two more hundred meters after that
point they approach a door. In fact two doors were hear, one in front
of them, still in good shape and closed, and another on their right,
but this one is totally broken, only remains of it are still scatered
on the floor.
Diane starts to study the closed door, it's a big wooden door
reinforced by metal, as it will be hard to break and she decides to
give a try to her rogue's skills. During this time the others are
speaking with low voices, still wondering about the aim of the
clerics, what are they doing there ?
They weren't there for more than one or two minutes when Gandigoot
hears a sound coming from the right corridor, Rousing Fox also heard
it and he throws his torch into the passage. Fithteen meters farther,
the torch hits the ground ... at the very feats of an hawfull
creature, something like an hybrid of cockerel and lizard with bat's
wings. They will learn afterwards that this creature is a
cockatrice. But for the moment the creature utters a terrible shriek
and charges the monk. But the adventurers were aware of the dangers
and on their guard, Gandigoot and Rousing Fox quickly shoot on the
creature, two crossbow bolts hit the monster. Dropping her tools on
the ground, Diane is also quick to respond, she jumps up the gnome and
stab the creature, this was enough to kill it. Some of you could ask
themselves were is the priest of kord and the paladin ? Ezekiel was as
paralysed when he saw the cockatrice, even if he finally resumed to
normal after a round, this was enough to frighten the
others. Killasha, her, discovered that huge greatswords are not quite
good in small corridors. Used to fight in the open like during the war
against the froces of Iuz the evil, the paladine was not prepared for
such a situation and is quite powerless when her friends are attacked
by a monster, it really seems to shake her.
But the danger is not passed, Diane sees another hideous cockerel
coming right on her. She retreats a little before tumbling beside the
creature and stab it from behind. Gandigoot is then firing crossbow
bolts onto it, using his great shooting skills to prevent any bolt
from hitting Diane. Even before Rousing Fox is able to drop a punch on
the creature, it falls to the ground, dead. Good fight ! I was
impressed
Breathing again, our heroes resume their occupations. Diane is back on
the door, Gandigoot continues the exploration of the right corridor
(where the cockatrices came from), Killasha and Ezekiel (who is also
using a greatsword) are searching improvised weapons to use in those
small corridors, Rousing Fox is listening and guarding the group.
Killasha decides to follow the gnome few minutes after his departure
and she joins him in a room full of garbage at the end of the right
corridor. He is quietly and prudently exploring the room, a quick
search reveals three big nests in the room. It stinks hawfully and the
nests are built of a lot of rubbles, bits of wood, pieces of clothes
... Gandigoot even search the nests without fiding anything
interesting. He, there is three nests ... and probably three
cockatrices ...
The two adventurers are already gone since a quarter of an hour and
Ezekiel is worring for them, Rousing Fox is sent to find them. He
joins them at the entry of the nests room and finds Gandigoot carrying
the head of a rat carved into stone, a really big head, really neatly
carved ... as is real ...
The three come back at the cross where Diane just finished to open the
door and the whole party advance into the new corridor. The structure
of the walls is the same massonry indicating that they must be in the
good direction. But twenty meters after the door, they find a stone
wall. This is a dead-end ! This was not expected for sure ... How
could a door open on a twenty meters corridor finising on a dead-end !
There must be a secret passage and they all start to search for it.
Ten minutes later they don't have found anything approaching a secret
panel or lock or lever or paddle or ... anything in fact. But a
strange fact appears to them, the blocking wall seems to be made of a
stone different of the side walls, and the stone are not really
connected the ones to the others. After a detect magic from Ezekiel
revealing a faing magic aura, they conclude that this wall should be
magical ... but this doesn't help them anyway and they are blocked on
their way towards the moathouse under-levels.
They are forced to continue the exploration trough the cockatrice
rooms. No sooner said than done, they are back into the nests
room. The room is a real pile of rubish, a whole mess, but they are
able to cross it. Once again Gandigoot is scouting ahead and enters
another room connected to the nests room.
The gnome finds a room in the same state as the first, probably an
ancient guard room but all furnitures are broken and rubble is
everywhere. Gandigoot decides to slide on the ground hoping to see
something. And he spots something, the feet of a big bird ... the
third cockatrice shrieks and rushes on him at this very moment.
Gandigoot is then alone in the room, Rousing Fox is not far behind and
rushes to his help. The gnome has seen the power of those creatures
when Ezekiel was paralysed and chose to blind fight the monster, the
gnome is used to underground and knows how to fight without seeing,
his master of blindfighting will soon be demonstrated and it perhaps
saved his life.
The gnome is not touched in the first rush but only has the time to
drop his crossbow and take his short sword and dagger, as ranger he is
trained to fight with two light weapons (light because gnomes are
small you know). In the second round of fighting, the creature misses
him once again but the gnome scores a hit on it, getting a shriek of
pain as sole reward. Rousing Fox is then into the fight, and the other
members of the group are aware that something is wrong in the other
room, they enter it one after the other seeking to help their
friend. Next round, the cockatrice hits Gandigoot, an hawfull
paralysing sensation courses trough his body but he is able to resist
to the magical effect and responds by hitting once again the
creature. Rousing Fox hits it also with a good punch (hopefully for
him, only the beak of a cockatrice could turn you to stone ... yes TO
STONE !). They are now all into the room which is lit by the torches
of Rousing Fox and Diane, once again the paralysing power of the
creature hold one of them, but this is Killasha this time. Next round,
the monstrous cockerel tries to hit the monk but he quickly evades the
attack, Gandigoot then stabs it again and Ezekiel charges the
cockatrice (or tries to as there is so much rubble in the room), he
lands a good strike on it and the monster falls to the ground ... an
action after the paladine is on the monster at last ... quicking the
corpse as hard as she can. You know, when you are doomed to always
arrive too late .. it's hard for a fighter, especially a paladine
devoted to the protection of others ... as Killasha
This time it must really be finished, the three monsters are dead on
the ground, they can quietly explore the rooms at last.
During the fight, Diane discovered a door, still intact behind a
broken risen table. She starts to investigate this door when Gandigoot
and Killasha explore the rest of the room. The two find another room,
as a mess as the two others, connected to this one as the first nests
room is (the three room are vaguely forming a U). They start to search
the two rooms for anything valuable. Then Killasha hears a cry from
Diane : "An undead a skeleton, turn it, turn it !". As fast as
lightning (eager to fight monsters) the paladine is beside the
fighter-rogue, the door is open and a skeleton lies on the ground in
front of them. Killasha calls the powers of Mayaheine and channel
positive energy to fight the undead creature ... and nothing happens,
nothing at all, the skeleton still lies on the ground, untouched
... it was only a normal, real and dead skeleton ... Diane quickly
present her excuses to Killasha, she was surprised and frightened
because of the ghouls earllier in the day she says ... and she really
seems to be frightened. (In fact the rogue wanted to play a little
with the paladine, and with the passive support of Ezekiel and Rousing
Fox who didn't said anything she sets up the "trap").
Anyway the door opens onto another small room, it seems to be a
bedchamber, but an old one ... a sent of dust is everywhere in the
room. A bed in in the center, a desk on the left, a wardrobe against
the right wall. Tapestries hang to the front and left walls. One
depicts a flaming eye and the other a swirling purple design.
Just in the entrance, on a carpet, lies an ols skeleton. It was a man
dressed in priest robes and wearing the Elemental Eye symbol. On the
desk, they also found a scroll written in a language not known to any
of them. Ezekiel uses his last spell to read the scroll, it speaks
about a man devoted to Lolth (the dark spider queen, godess of the
drows) and working for the Temple of Elemental Evil. There was a
spider symbol hidden into the rolled scroll, probably a holy symbol of
Lolth. They conclude that this must be the corpse of Lareth the
Beautifull, a priest of Lolth and the Elemental Eye who worked for the
temple during its second rise, ten years ago. This seems to connect to
the story of the black gnome illusionist who wanted to search for
facts about this man, in the moathouse.
Gandigot was searching the other rooms during this time, it took him a
good part of an hour, but he is not able to find anything of value
beside two bucklers, a short sword and other small things. Lareth's
room is also ransacked but nothing of interest lies within it. There
is nothing more to find here ... and no more access to the moathouse
dungeon.
What a shame after so much efforts ! But they are now forced to
backtrack and two hours after they entered the secret entrance in the
swamp, they are once again at this very point ... good try but this
dungeon will not be finished so easily. Anyway Diane is really upset,
she was hoping to go round the ghouls by this way but it only push
them in the claws of cockatrices ... and they still have the ghouls to
fight !
It is now late, and their moral is shaked. Our heroes are once again
going back to Hommlet ... tomorrow will be the final strike on the
moathouse, at least it is what they have decided.
... soon ...
-----------------------------------------------------------
Episode FOUR - The gnomish night - Part 2
(Those gnomes know how to feast.)
