Shackled City Epic: "Vengeance" (story concluded)
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Lazybones
Adventurer
Heh just checking...Dungannon said:Methinks Lazy wants to get lynched.
* * * * *
Chapter 108
They returned to a small cavern they’d passed on their route to Bhal-Hamatugn, about a mile distant from the city. The place was little more than a widening of the tunnel, a small bubble in the rock, but it featured a stony overhang that could be easily defended by someone perched up above. Exhausted from the battle and their hurried flight, the companions forced the difficult ascent with the aid of Mole’s rope, dragging the canoe up after them. They lacked the resources for a fire, but Mole’s magical bag provided a variety of carefully packed foodstuffs, so they were at least able to enjoy a satisfying repast. Mole turned her lamp down to where a bare flicker of flame clung to the wick, and the darkness settled around them until it was nearly total.
“How are we doing for supplies?” Zenna asked, with a nod at the pack.
“Fair,” Mole said. “Enough for the hike back, plus a day or two extra, if we don’t splurge.” She shot Hodge a look as she said it, and the dwarf paused in the midst of devouring a flat corn cake the size of a dinner plate.
“Well, at least there’s plenty of water down here,” Zenna offered.
The five of them sat in silence in the darkness for a moment, weary to the point of collapse, but unwilling to rest until they had settled at least the outline of their intent.
“We’re going to need to refine our tactics,” Zenna suggested finally.
Arun turned to her. “Just keep supporting us with your healing and spells,” the dwarf said. “Leave the tactics to us warriors.”
Zenna just looked at him in disbelief. A mental image flashed in her mind, a composite of the dozens of times that the paladin had charged blindly into danger, often against foes that far outnumbered them. The irony was so thick that her mouth had opened to offer a stinging retort, but then she heard a familiar voice in her mind. Advice, once given by her stepmother, long ago.
The trick to handling men, she’d told her, isn’t so much that they have to be in charge all the time. They just have to think they’re in charge. Give them that illusion, and it won’t matter that you are pursuing the sensible course from behind their backs...
“Well, at least there be a sight fewer o’ them than there were before,” Hodge offered.
“I don’t know about that,” Dannel replied. “That one with the shield, he had the look of a cleric, what they call ‘whips’. I’m sure that he was able to stabilize at least some of the fallen; we may see some of them again on our next visit.”
“Yer never got nothin’ good to say ‘bout nothin’, do yer?”
“I believe in being realistic,” the elf said.
“You do not have to come with us,” Zenna said. “If you prefer, wait here until we return; this site is readily defensible.”
Hodge shot a quick glance at Arun before responding. “And miss my share of the treasure? I dinna say I’d not go, but nay do I be wantin’ to throw me life away,” he growled.
“Enough then,” Arun said. “We are resolute; the decision is made. Take your rest. I will stand first watch.” The paladin rose and crossed to the edge of the overhang, perched fifteen feet above the floor of the main tunnel below. The others drew out their blankets and tried to find someplace comfortable on the hard stone. In their current state of exhaustion, it wasn’t long before they all drifted off to sleep.
* * * * *
The cavern was much as she remembered it, so much so that she felt a profound sense of deja vu, even the sound of Arun dipping the oar into the water echoing off of her memories of the earlier trip. The mists were as thick and cloying, and seemed even more malicious this time, hiding what might be empty space ahead, or a score of kuo-toa warriors waiting for them. They would find out, soon enough...
“It’s quiet,” Dannel’s voice drifted back to her, from the bow of the canoe. “Too quiet.”
Arun lifted the oar, and a pure silence descended upon them. Zenna felt a vague uneasiness suffuse her, edged by a growing fear. Dark shapes flashed by them in the water beneath the canoe. Zenna’s eyes widened in alarm...
The water around them erupted in noise and spray, as rubbery hands grasped onto the sides of the canoe. Zenna heard a scream—Mole’s voice—as the canoe tilted dangerously, and she fought to retain her balance as more hands clasped onto the sides and pulled or pushed. She saw Arun bring his hammer down onto the head of one of the kuo-toa, but even as it sank beneath the surface of the lake, the boat lurched deeper and both dwarves went tumbling over the side, hitting the water with a loud splash. Zenna reached out for Hodge, who was the closest to her, but even as she tried to grab his outstretched hand, a pair of rubbery hands closed over his face, and he vanished beneath the water.
Then the canoe went over, and she found herself in the water. The weight of her pouches and clothing weighed her down, threatening to drag her under, but by flailing out violently with her hands and feet, she found that she could just keep her head above water. She wasn’t a strong swimmer, even in the best of circumstances, and as she cast around desperately for the canoe, having gotten all turned around in the chaos, she knew that she would never be able to reach either shore.
Then she saw a dark head crest the surface of the water, coming toward her. There was nothing she could do, as the kuo-toa came closer, closer...
“Zenna!”
Broccli_Head
Explorer
I guess it took you only a week to get back to your old form...those horrible Friday Morning Cliffhangers! I need a drink!
I was a little confused, however, at first since that last bit was from Zenna's perspective. On the first read it looks like Zenna yells her own name. I think it's Mole who's crying for help, but it is not clear.
thanks!
BH
I was a little confused, however, at first since that last bit was from Zenna's perspective. On the first read it looks like Zenna yells her own name. I think it's Mole who's crying for help, but it is not clear.
thanks!
BH
I'm guessing it was Dannel, actually. He's the only one not directly mentioned in the update.
Of course, since he was talking about sleeping immediately before the cliffhanger, it could just be a nightmare... especially since Arun, going over the side in his armor, would certainly drown.
Besides, the cry of "Zenna" makes a lot more sense if it's one of her friends trying to wake her from a nightmare.
Great update as usual, LB!
Of course, since he was talking about sleeping immediately before the cliffhanger, it could just be a nightmare... especially since Arun, going over the side in his armor, would certainly drown.
Besides, the cry of "Zenna" makes a lot more sense if it's one of her friends trying to wake her from a nightmare.
Great update as usual, LB!
Lazybones
Adventurer
Heh you guys know me too well.
* * * * *
Chapter 109
“Zenna!”
The tiefling shot up, her breath frozen in her lungs like the water she’d drunk in on being knocked from the canoe...
She looked around, disoriented. She was on the outcropping, her blanket gathered in a pile around her legs, Dannel crouched over her, a look of concern on his face.
It was just a dream. A dream. Relief flooded her, and she began to shake.
“You were having a nightmare,” Dannel said, softly. He took her into his arms, and while Zenna hated showing him this weakness, she was inwardly grateful for his reassuring presence.
“We... we were in the boat, heading back across the lake,” she said into his shoulder, wishing that her voice was more even than it was. “They swam up from below, they overturned the canoe, we all... we all...”
“Shhh,” he said, caressing her hair. “It was just a dream.”
She drew back enough to clearly meet his eyes. “A warning. They’ll be waiting for us, Dannel.”
The elf nodded. “I know. But what else can we do? There’s no other way; the lake fills the entire floor of the cavern, and the walls to either side are sheer cliffs.”
“There has to be another way,” Zenna said.
Her dream had faded enough for her to recover an awareness of her surroundings. Mole and Hodge were still asleep, and Arun was still perched at the edge of the outcropping. “How long has it been?” she asked the elf, unable to gauge the passing of time her in the depths beneath the world above.
“Six or seven hours, I think,” he replied.
Zenna rose, adjusting her clothes and settling her cloak more comfortably about her shoulders. She still felt a chill, but whether it was due to the cold air of these tunnels, or the aftereffects of her dream, she couldn’t be certain.
“You need some rest as well, Arun,” she said, kneeling beside him on the cold stone.
The dwarf did not immediately reply, and Zenna realized that his eyes were closed, his mouth moving slightly in silent words. She realized that he was probably praying to his god, in a way that she never truly did, to her more enigmatic patron. She moved to get up and back away, to leave the paladin his privacy, but he turned and looked at her.
“You do not have to go.”
“I don’t wish to intrude upon your prayers.”
“You are not intruding. You are troubled; I heard your distress earlier.”
“It was just a dream. Dark dreams, for a dark place.”
“Yes,” Arun said. “Dark, true... but the Underdark can also be a place of beauty, of wonders hidden forever from the light of the world above. My people, the dwarves of the Rift, spend much time in these depths; many among my folk never visit the surface, or only very rarely.”
“But there are so many terrible things that dwell down here. The drow, mind flayers, duergar, aberrations, grimlocks, others...”
“Is that truly different from the world above? Some of the dangers above wear nicer faces, but there is just as much evil there as there is here.”
Zenna nodded, acknowledging the justice of the remark.
“You are worried about our return to Bhal-Hamatugn,” Arun finally stated. Zenna nodded. “I feel it as well.”
“They will be waiting for us,” she said. “There’s something more going on here, something beyond which we came here for. I’ve felt it ever since we spoke to that insane boatman. I fear that we may be walking into a trap.”
“Then we shall have to do something that they do not expect,” the dwarf said. He nodded to himself, as if coming to a decision. “And I shall have to accept the legacy of my heritage.”
“What do you mean?”
But Arun refused to elaborate, asking that she leave him to conclude his prayers. The others were already stirring, so Zenna turned back to help prepare the “morning” meal and strike their camp for travel. For the most part, that involved tucking items back into Mole’s magical backpack for storage; the carrying capacity of the magical haversack was truly impressive.
We’ll be in trouble if we manage to lose that, she thought. Gods, you’re cheerful this morning, she added to herself, ruefully.
The companions prepared to depart. Arun joined them as they were readying to leave, accepting his rations without comment and eating quickly before taking up his hammer and shield. Using Mole’s rope once again, they lowered the canoe to the tunnel floor before descending themselves. In a matter of minutes, they were on their way again.
Back to Bhal-Hamatugn.
* * * * *
Chapter 109
“Zenna!”
The tiefling shot up, her breath frozen in her lungs like the water she’d drunk in on being knocked from the canoe...
She looked around, disoriented. She was on the outcropping, her blanket gathered in a pile around her legs, Dannel crouched over her, a look of concern on his face.
It was just a dream. A dream. Relief flooded her, and she began to shake.
“You were having a nightmare,” Dannel said, softly. He took her into his arms, and while Zenna hated showing him this weakness, she was inwardly grateful for his reassuring presence.
“We... we were in the boat, heading back across the lake,” she said into his shoulder, wishing that her voice was more even than it was. “They swam up from below, they overturned the canoe, we all... we all...”
“Shhh,” he said, caressing her hair. “It was just a dream.”
She drew back enough to clearly meet his eyes. “A warning. They’ll be waiting for us, Dannel.”
The elf nodded. “I know. But what else can we do? There’s no other way; the lake fills the entire floor of the cavern, and the walls to either side are sheer cliffs.”
“There has to be another way,” Zenna said.
Her dream had faded enough for her to recover an awareness of her surroundings. Mole and Hodge were still asleep, and Arun was still perched at the edge of the outcropping. “How long has it been?” she asked the elf, unable to gauge the passing of time her in the depths beneath the world above.
“Six or seven hours, I think,” he replied.
Zenna rose, adjusting her clothes and settling her cloak more comfortably about her shoulders. She still felt a chill, but whether it was due to the cold air of these tunnels, or the aftereffects of her dream, she couldn’t be certain.
“You need some rest as well, Arun,” she said, kneeling beside him on the cold stone.
The dwarf did not immediately reply, and Zenna realized that his eyes were closed, his mouth moving slightly in silent words. She realized that he was probably praying to his god, in a way that she never truly did, to her more enigmatic patron. She moved to get up and back away, to leave the paladin his privacy, but he turned and looked at her.
“You do not have to go.”
“I don’t wish to intrude upon your prayers.”
“You are not intruding. You are troubled; I heard your distress earlier.”
“It was just a dream. Dark dreams, for a dark place.”
“Yes,” Arun said. “Dark, true... but the Underdark can also be a place of beauty, of wonders hidden forever from the light of the world above. My people, the dwarves of the Rift, spend much time in these depths; many among my folk never visit the surface, or only very rarely.”
“But there are so many terrible things that dwell down here. The drow, mind flayers, duergar, aberrations, grimlocks, others...”
“Is that truly different from the world above? Some of the dangers above wear nicer faces, but there is just as much evil there as there is here.”
Zenna nodded, acknowledging the justice of the remark.
“You are worried about our return to Bhal-Hamatugn,” Arun finally stated. Zenna nodded. “I feel it as well.”
“They will be waiting for us,” she said. “There’s something more going on here, something beyond which we came here for. I’ve felt it ever since we spoke to that insane boatman. I fear that we may be walking into a trap.”
“Then we shall have to do something that they do not expect,” the dwarf said. He nodded to himself, as if coming to a decision. “And I shall have to accept the legacy of my heritage.”
“What do you mean?”
But Arun refused to elaborate, asking that she leave him to conclude his prayers. The others were already stirring, so Zenna turned back to help prepare the “morning” meal and strike their camp for travel. For the most part, that involved tucking items back into Mole’s magical backpack for storage; the carrying capacity of the magical haversack was truly impressive.
We’ll be in trouble if we manage to lose that, she thought. Gods, you’re cheerful this morning, she added to herself, ruefully.
The companions prepared to depart. Arun joined them as they were readying to leave, accepting his rations without comment and eating quickly before taking up his hammer and shield. Using Mole’s rope once again, they lowered the canoe to the tunnel floor before descending themselves. In a matter of minutes, they were on their way again.
Back to Bhal-Hamatugn.
Lazybones said:
Heh. Called it.
Bizarre to see Arun actually showing some of his "paladin" side. He's almost... nice to Zenna there.
It's not that he's always been rude and obnoxious before, just that it is cool to suddenly see his more spiritual side. And from his comment, I'm guessing we're going to see them approaching his people.
Cool.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Chapter 110
The journey back to the cavern was uneventful, and before too long they stood at the entrance to the huge cavern where Bhal-Hamatugn was situated. The place was as they had left it, and while they could make out the outlines of the fortress through the omnipresent mists, there was no indicator of anyone or anything moving about.
“Well, here we are again,” Dannel said simply. The five of them remained crouched in the tunnel, concealed from casual view by the stones that framed the uneven entrance to the Underdark passageway.
“If they’ve got any kind of watch at all, they’ll see us making our way down to the lake,” Zenna said. “And with the mists blocking our view at the level of the cavern floor, they could slip into the lake and assault the canoe at any point, without us being able to see them coming.”
Dannel nodded, and sighed. “Again, if you have an alternative plan, I’d be happy to hear it,” he said.
Arun rose. “Give me a moment,” he said. Before any of the others could comment, he turned and walked a short distance back down the tunnel. Reaching a flat spot a stone’s throw distant, he knelt, removing his helmet and placing his hammer shaft-down on the stone before him. Holding the hammer with both hands to balance it, he pressed his forehead to its cold metal head.
“Great All-father,” he said, his voice a low rumble, not carrying more than a few paces away, “your servant calls upon your aid. We face a potent evil, here in the deep places...”
“What’s he doing?” Mole asked, as she and the others watched him from the mouth of the tunnel.
“Praying, I think,” Dannel said.
“Oh? Does that help?” the gnome asked. “I’d offer one to Garl, but he’d probably be just as likely to sink the canoe, for a laugh.”
“Hsst!” Zenna said. “Something’s coming!” She pointed down the tunnel, where she’d caught sight of a dark form that had seemingly seeped out of the very stones of the tunnel wall, and now approached Arun.
“I can’t see it!” Dannel said, but he set an arrow to his bowstring anyway. He considered a light cantrip, but even as the thought appeared he glanced over his shoulder at the kuo-toa cavern; the spell would give away their position like a beacon.
“What in the blazes!” Hodge said. He’d raised his crossbow, but the loaded bolt had fallen free, making a small noise as the steel head hit the stone floor and clattered about.
The words of a spell came to Zenna’s mind, but even as she considered which magic to hurl at the newcomer, realization washed over her. She held up a hand to forestall the others. “Wait,” she said, stepping forward toward Arun.
“Zenna!” Dannel said, in alarm.
They followed her as she approached. The dark shadow had moved to a position directly above the paladin, who now slowly rose up, looking up in amazement. As they drew nearer, they could see that the creature was a massive lizard, its limbs articulated in slender but muscular claws that gripped the wall of the tunnel, holding it in place as if the sheer surface were a floor. Its scaled hide was flawless, burnished with a faintly golden sheen that was lost in the darkness of the tunnel, and there was an intelligence in the dark golden orbs of its eyes. A ridge across its back formed a sort of saddle, and it looked strong enough to support any of them with ease. It regarded Arun with clear deference, awaiting his command.
“Arun...” Zenna said, staring up in wonder at the giant lizard. “Where did this come from?”
“Moradin sent him,” the paladin replied. “The Sacred Creepers are rarely sent to any but the most devoted and powerful members of my order, the champions of the Deep Halls. I... I did not believe that one would come to me, but our need was great...”
Zenna laid a hand on the dwarf’s armored shoulder. “It does not surprise me,” she said softly. “I know of no greater champion against evil, and no man of greater conviction.”
Arun laid a hand upon the celestial lizard’s flank, and its long forked tongue darted out to caress his bare face.
“With your ally, we can come at Bhal-Hamatugn in a way that our foes are not expecting, perhaps,” Dannel offered.
Arun nodded in agreement. But Hodge shook his head.
“Well, it be nice to have a pack animal, but how’s that thing gonna help us get across the lake...” His eyes widened in sudden realization. “Nay, yer don’t be thinkin’...” The dwarf paled. “Yer all touched, yer are!”
“Oh, this’ll be fun!” Mole said, hopping up into the air in her excitement.
The journey back to the cavern was uneventful, and before too long they stood at the entrance to the huge cavern where Bhal-Hamatugn was situated. The place was as they had left it, and while they could make out the outlines of the fortress through the omnipresent mists, there was no indicator of anyone or anything moving about.
“Well, here we are again,” Dannel said simply. The five of them remained crouched in the tunnel, concealed from casual view by the stones that framed the uneven entrance to the Underdark passageway.
“If they’ve got any kind of watch at all, they’ll see us making our way down to the lake,” Zenna said. “And with the mists blocking our view at the level of the cavern floor, they could slip into the lake and assault the canoe at any point, without us being able to see them coming.”
Dannel nodded, and sighed. “Again, if you have an alternative plan, I’d be happy to hear it,” he said.
Arun rose. “Give me a moment,” he said. Before any of the others could comment, he turned and walked a short distance back down the tunnel. Reaching a flat spot a stone’s throw distant, he knelt, removing his helmet and placing his hammer shaft-down on the stone before him. Holding the hammer with both hands to balance it, he pressed his forehead to its cold metal head.
“Great All-father,” he said, his voice a low rumble, not carrying more than a few paces away, “your servant calls upon your aid. We face a potent evil, here in the deep places...”
“What’s he doing?” Mole asked, as she and the others watched him from the mouth of the tunnel.
“Praying, I think,” Dannel said.
“Oh? Does that help?” the gnome asked. “I’d offer one to Garl, but he’d probably be just as likely to sink the canoe, for a laugh.”
“Hsst!” Zenna said. “Something’s coming!” She pointed down the tunnel, where she’d caught sight of a dark form that had seemingly seeped out of the very stones of the tunnel wall, and now approached Arun.
“I can’t see it!” Dannel said, but he set an arrow to his bowstring anyway. He considered a light cantrip, but even as the thought appeared he glanced over his shoulder at the kuo-toa cavern; the spell would give away their position like a beacon.
“What in the blazes!” Hodge said. He’d raised his crossbow, but the loaded bolt had fallen free, making a small noise as the steel head hit the stone floor and clattered about.
The words of a spell came to Zenna’s mind, but even as she considered which magic to hurl at the newcomer, realization washed over her. She held up a hand to forestall the others. “Wait,” she said, stepping forward toward Arun.
“Zenna!” Dannel said, in alarm.
They followed her as she approached. The dark shadow had moved to a position directly above the paladin, who now slowly rose up, looking up in amazement. As they drew nearer, they could see that the creature was a massive lizard, its limbs articulated in slender but muscular claws that gripped the wall of the tunnel, holding it in place as if the sheer surface were a floor. Its scaled hide was flawless, burnished with a faintly golden sheen that was lost in the darkness of the tunnel, and there was an intelligence in the dark golden orbs of its eyes. A ridge across its back formed a sort of saddle, and it looked strong enough to support any of them with ease. It regarded Arun with clear deference, awaiting his command.
“Arun...” Zenna said, staring up in wonder at the giant lizard. “Where did this come from?”
“Moradin sent him,” the paladin replied. “The Sacred Creepers are rarely sent to any but the most devoted and powerful members of my order, the champions of the Deep Halls. I... I did not believe that one would come to me, but our need was great...”
Zenna laid a hand on the dwarf’s armored shoulder. “It does not surprise me,” she said softly. “I know of no greater champion against evil, and no man of greater conviction.”
Arun laid a hand upon the celestial lizard’s flank, and its long forked tongue darted out to caress his bare face.
“With your ally, we can come at Bhal-Hamatugn in a way that our foes are not expecting, perhaps,” Dannel offered.
Arun nodded in agreement. But Hodge shook his head.
“Well, it be nice to have a pack animal, but how’s that thing gonna help us get across the lake...” His eyes widened in sudden realization. “Nay, yer don’t be thinkin’...” The dwarf paled. “Yer all touched, yer are!”
“Oh, this’ll be fun!” Mole said, hopping up into the air in her excitement.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Man, these forums are busy... a story sinks fast! 
Lots of my favorite stories have been getting updates, though, so I suppose I cannot complain.
Just got Dungeon 109, including another installment in the Adventure Path. Now I'm three full adventures behind in the series, so I guess I'd better pick up the pace
I've only given it a once-over, but it looks like "Secrets of the Soul Pillars" should offer some good opportunities for RP and smackdown (especially given the BBEG at the end). But first we need to get through "The Demonskaar Legacy" and "Test of the Smoking Eye". Expect a BIG twist at the start of the next module, and other startling new developments as the plot thickens in Cauldron...
* * * * *
Chapter 111
“Well, so far so good,” Dannel whispered. “That wasn’t so bad, eh?”
Zenna shook her head. “I’ll wait until Hodge and Mole make it over before I rest easily,” she replied. “And then we still have to get inside, without alerting the whole place.”
“You worry too much,” he said with a grin. The elf crept forward, slowly, careful to keep his profile low against the damp stone. Zenna kept her position, close against a looming stone projection that slanted up fifteen feet above her like a great dorsal fin, while Arun remained yet further back, far from any of the edges that promised only a precipitous fall at the slightest careless step.
The three of them were perched atop the massive back of the stone “fish” that comprised the main structure of Bhal-Hamatugh. Behind them the stone of the temple structure merged with the steep slant of the cavern’s cliff wall. Elaborate stonework that had no doubt been striking at one point was now muted, worn down by centuries of action of wind and water, and coated with a thin layer of slick muck. The air was thick with moisture, and a hundred smells that warred with each other with every breath, until the nose was overwhelmed by them.
Zenna glanced up, but it was hopeless; her darkvision couldn’t penetrate farther than a good sixty feet or so, and the faint illumination cast by the glowing lichens that coated the cavern walls was insufficient to reveal what she was looking for. At least that same darkness would protect Mole and Hodge from the watchful eyes of the kuo-toa.
At least she hoped so.
Dannel crept slowly back to her. “See anything?” she asked.
“Still quiet,” the elf replied. “I didn’t see any obvious guards, but it’s damned hard to see anything in this murk, and the mists climb almost to the mouth of the fish.”
She reminded herself that his vision, despite his keen elven senses, was only as good as the light that was available. She opened her mouth to say something else, but abruptly caught sight of a shadow that had shifted along the ceiling of the cavern above. “There!” she hissed.
* * * * *
Balthazar Hodge wasn’t having a very fun time; in fact, he was about as terrified as he could ever remember being before. Dangling upside down, lashed to the back of a giant lizard, the floor VERY far down below. His experience wasn’t improved by the fact that that damned gnomish girl strapped in behind him seemed to be having the time of her life.
“There they are,” came Mole’s voice over his shoulder, even her whisper sounding her enthusiasm clearly. She—blast it—leaned forward against the straps, twisting her body around his frame to get a better view.
“Bloody blazes, stop yer shiftin’, the beastie will lose its grip!” he warned, barely catching himself before the words came out in an undignified shriek.
“Oh, don’t worry, she’s very good at climbing... and don’t forget, Clinger made it across and back twice already! Hey, do you think Arun will mind, that I named her? Clinger just seems so appropriate...”
But Hodge was unable to reply, forced to spend all of his effort just to keep from losing his morning meal as the lizard started down the far side of the cavern, toward the roof of the massive structure where the others were already waiting.
The sure-footed mount continued down the cliff face without hesitation, managing a constant pace despite the heavy and shifting burden upon its back. Hodge, tied in place by ropes slung around the creature, found himself looking straight down at the roof of the temple structure below. For a moment the dwarf felt a strange twisting sensation, as if the cavern were spinning around him, then he felt a lurch as something pressed against his back, seemingly intent on pushing him out of his precarious perch.
It was Mole, trying to get a better view around the considerable bulk of the dwarf. Hodge opened his mouth to speak, but his words froze in his throat as the lizard abruptly shifted, turning to work its way around a sudden gap in the cliff face. Hodge tried to hold onto something, anything, his hyperactive senses certain that the ropes were giving way...
His sudden movement caused his axe, Betsy, to slip out of the looped length of leather cord that held it at his side. Mole offered a warning, and made a precarious grab for it that nearly caused Hodge’s heart to stop beating in his chest. As she hung there, on his shoulder, he realized that she wasn’t roped in, that she was simply balancing on his back as the lizard continued down the cliff face!
The axe tumbled away into the darkness, plummeting toward the ground below. A loud clang echoed through the chamber, as the waraxe impacted hard against the side of the kuo-toan building, followed a few heartbeats latter by another rattle as it settled onto the uneven stones of the cavern floor.
Almost immediately, a pair of kuo-toa emerged from the mouth of the great stone fish, looking around warily, loaded hand-crossbows clutched in one hand, their slender rapiers in the other. For a few seconds everything was still. The kuo-toa started in the direction of the cavern where the axe had finally come to rest, but their attention was drawn upward by a sudden exclamation.
All of the shifting and abuse to the makeshift harness of rope holding the passengers in place across the back of the giant lizard had taken its toll. Even as they neared the relative safety of the curving roof of the fish-building, a length of rope shifted, and Hodge slipped free with an unavoidable cry of alarm. Mole, clinging to his back, let out a, “whoah!” as the two of them slid from the back of the lizard into the back void beneath them.
Lots of my favorite stories have been getting updates, though, so I suppose I cannot complain. Just got Dungeon 109, including another installment in the Adventure Path. Now I'm three full adventures behind in the series, so I guess I'd better pick up the pace
I've only given it a once-over, but it looks like "Secrets of the Soul Pillars" should offer some good opportunities for RP and smackdown (especially given the BBEG at the end). But first we need to get through "The Demonskaar Legacy" and "Test of the Smoking Eye". Expect a BIG twist at the start of the next module, and other startling new developments as the plot thickens in Cauldron...* * * * *
Chapter 111
“Well, so far so good,” Dannel whispered. “That wasn’t so bad, eh?”
Zenna shook her head. “I’ll wait until Hodge and Mole make it over before I rest easily,” she replied. “And then we still have to get inside, without alerting the whole place.”
“You worry too much,” he said with a grin. The elf crept forward, slowly, careful to keep his profile low against the damp stone. Zenna kept her position, close against a looming stone projection that slanted up fifteen feet above her like a great dorsal fin, while Arun remained yet further back, far from any of the edges that promised only a precipitous fall at the slightest careless step.
The three of them were perched atop the massive back of the stone “fish” that comprised the main structure of Bhal-Hamatugh. Behind them the stone of the temple structure merged with the steep slant of the cavern’s cliff wall. Elaborate stonework that had no doubt been striking at one point was now muted, worn down by centuries of action of wind and water, and coated with a thin layer of slick muck. The air was thick with moisture, and a hundred smells that warred with each other with every breath, until the nose was overwhelmed by them.
Zenna glanced up, but it was hopeless; her darkvision couldn’t penetrate farther than a good sixty feet or so, and the faint illumination cast by the glowing lichens that coated the cavern walls was insufficient to reveal what she was looking for. At least that same darkness would protect Mole and Hodge from the watchful eyes of the kuo-toa.
At least she hoped so.
Dannel crept slowly back to her. “See anything?” she asked.
“Still quiet,” the elf replied. “I didn’t see any obvious guards, but it’s damned hard to see anything in this murk, and the mists climb almost to the mouth of the fish.”
She reminded herself that his vision, despite his keen elven senses, was only as good as the light that was available. She opened her mouth to say something else, but abruptly caught sight of a shadow that had shifted along the ceiling of the cavern above. “There!” she hissed.
* * * * *
Balthazar Hodge wasn’t having a very fun time; in fact, he was about as terrified as he could ever remember being before. Dangling upside down, lashed to the back of a giant lizard, the floor VERY far down below. His experience wasn’t improved by the fact that that damned gnomish girl strapped in behind him seemed to be having the time of her life.
“There they are,” came Mole’s voice over his shoulder, even her whisper sounding her enthusiasm clearly. She—blast it—leaned forward against the straps, twisting her body around his frame to get a better view.
“Bloody blazes, stop yer shiftin’, the beastie will lose its grip!” he warned, barely catching himself before the words came out in an undignified shriek.
“Oh, don’t worry, she’s very good at climbing... and don’t forget, Clinger made it across and back twice already! Hey, do you think Arun will mind, that I named her? Clinger just seems so appropriate...”
But Hodge was unable to reply, forced to spend all of his effort just to keep from losing his morning meal as the lizard started down the far side of the cavern, toward the roof of the massive structure where the others were already waiting.
The sure-footed mount continued down the cliff face without hesitation, managing a constant pace despite the heavy and shifting burden upon its back. Hodge, tied in place by ropes slung around the creature, found himself looking straight down at the roof of the temple structure below. For a moment the dwarf felt a strange twisting sensation, as if the cavern were spinning around him, then he felt a lurch as something pressed against his back, seemingly intent on pushing him out of his precarious perch.
It was Mole, trying to get a better view around the considerable bulk of the dwarf. Hodge opened his mouth to speak, but his words froze in his throat as the lizard abruptly shifted, turning to work its way around a sudden gap in the cliff face. Hodge tried to hold onto something, anything, his hyperactive senses certain that the ropes were giving way...
His sudden movement caused his axe, Betsy, to slip out of the looped length of leather cord that held it at his side. Mole offered a warning, and made a precarious grab for it that nearly caused Hodge’s heart to stop beating in his chest. As she hung there, on his shoulder, he realized that she wasn’t roped in, that she was simply balancing on his back as the lizard continued down the cliff face!
The axe tumbled away into the darkness, plummeting toward the ground below. A loud clang echoed through the chamber, as the waraxe impacted hard against the side of the kuo-toan building, followed a few heartbeats latter by another rattle as it settled onto the uneven stones of the cavern floor.
Almost immediately, a pair of kuo-toa emerged from the mouth of the great stone fish, looking around warily, loaded hand-crossbows clutched in one hand, their slender rapiers in the other. For a few seconds everything was still. The kuo-toa started in the direction of the cavern where the axe had finally come to rest, but their attention was drawn upward by a sudden exclamation.
All of the shifting and abuse to the makeshift harness of rope holding the passengers in place across the back of the giant lizard had taken its toll. Even as they neared the relative safety of the curving roof of the fish-building, a length of rope shifted, and Hodge slipped free with an unavoidable cry of alarm. Mole, clinging to his back, let out a, “whoah!” as the two of them slid from the back of the lizard into the back void beneath them.
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