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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 3736341" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dungeon Crawl Classics #2 The Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho An Adventure for First Level CharactersTurn 15: Two way splitThe trio of pursuers; Jim, Bec & Cas, head down the tunnel following the fleeing Kobold, he flashes in and out of sight, Bec is having trouble keeping track of the creature, Jim has the light and he’s not keeping up.The Kobold heads towards a larger cavern, thank Pelor, it’s lit, there’s a brazier burning in there, a guard room, without the guards.The Kobold zags behind a stone pillar, Bec runs around it, the Kobold comes back round the other side- towards Jim, dodges left and up another sloped passage, and away from his pursuers again.Meanwhile…“Help me.”Ala screams clutching onto the rock, Anya has no way to get to her, she dives forward, onto the bank, and scrambles up the side and out of the stream.She crawls up the slope, spots the Kobold that Newt had seen earlier, the creature grins, steps aside, four huge Dire Rats spring from the cavern, head towards her.“RAAAAAAATTTS.”Newt screams and fires.ThwungWings one of the creatures, only slows it down a little.Anya drags herself to her feet, reaches behind and looses “Swish”, the broom sweeps forward as Anya steps back.Meanwhile…The Kobold dashes up the slope towards a lit chamber, screaming-“Slazzik, save me- intruders.” Bec, Jim and Cas exchange glances, they’re running up a slope after the Kobold still, shadows appear at the top- more Kobolds, they seem to be grappling with something.CRUNCH-WIBBLE-WIBBLE-WBBLE-WBLE-RUMBLEEEEE.A huge stone comes rolling down the slope, a huge stone bowling ball, and they’re the pins.Meanwhile…Two rats snap at Swish, the broom holds them off, the other two snake past the broom and are on Anya- she smashes one of them with her staff- dead.FWUNGA crossbow bolt thumps into the side of the other rat, its dead. Anya looks left, Newt winks at her, she smiles, the odds are getting better. Ala lets go of the rock stepping stone, kicks her legs, swims- thrashes the water, she drifts hard right, and to the shore, she drags herself out.FwunkA crossbow bolt passes over Anya’s shoulder and, she’s back in the room.Meanwhile… RUMBLE-CRUNCH.The boulder takes out the Kobold ahead.RUMBLEThe boulder rushes on, hits Jim- a glancing blow, he staggers and falls on to the hard cavern floor.Bec and Cas rush into the room ahead, and into a gaggle of Kobolds, four of them- heavily armed and armoured, as usual- nasty looking, same as the others.There are another two Kobolds over the far end of the chamber, one guarding the other, the other being a scabrous looking individual, short even by Kobold standards, wearing a tatty yellow robe. The chamber itself is dirty and smelly- five stinky beds and at the far side a crude stone desk, old moth-eaten and filthy tapestries on the walls, a huge black candle burns brightly on the desk.The Kobold wizard, Slazzik, has something in his hand- it’s a wand.“Wiiiizard.”Cas screams.“Smidgin.”A bolt of force dances and swoops around the room, and slams into Cas, knocking him back a few feet.Cas reaches down and stabs a Kobold through the chest, Bec meanwhile fares less well, he over-extends himself and is cut twice, one of them a deep blow to his thigh, the giant man staggers, but doesn’t go down.“Smidgin.”Another bolt of force slams into Cas, he staggers back again. Jim gets into the room, a Kobold dashes forward to meet him, catches him on the shin- hard, Jim shoots an arm out to the cavern wall steadies himself, he’s bleeding badly, the Kobold snarls. This isn’t going too well.Cas swings again and decapitates one of the Kobold guards. Bec’s back on form- stabs one through his armour- dead, lashes the end of his longspear round and smacks the second in the face, the Kobold’s head jolts back, neck snaps. “Smidgin.”A third Magic Missile slams into Cas’ chest, he wavers but stays on his feet.Jim and his Kobold tormentor exchange blows, no damage done.Cas and Bec rush on, charge towards the Wizard and his guard.Jim slices into the Kobold, it slumps to the floor dead. He rushes forward towards the Wizard and co.Flames leap from the Wizard Kobold’s outstretched hands- engulf all three of the adventurers, and his guard, which expires in flame.Cas hits the deck, crisped a little around the ages.Jim dodges back, avoids the majority of the flame. Bec just rushes through it, smoking, still burning in places, he emerges- stabs at the Kobold Wizard, Slazzik dodges aside, he misses.Slazzik’s desperate, he stumbles over Draconic phrases, another spell, Bec stabs again, Slazzik dodges again, he misses but the spell is disrupted.Jim drags himself up and rushes forward.Slazzik dodges another crude blow from Bec, and this time conjures up a spell, another Burning Hands, the flames engulf Jim and Bec; Jim is crisped, falls. Just Bec left standing.Slazzik stumbles backwards to the cavern wall, attempts the same spell again, Bec charges, disrupts the Wizard’s spell as he rams his spear through the Kobold’s chest, the Wizard sinks, gasps- and dies.Bec breathes hard then trudges over to Cas, pours a Potion of Healing down the Paladin’s throat, then another down Jim’s- thirty seconds later they’re back up. Jim gulps down his goodberry, he’s been carrying it a while, who knows if it does any good.Cas grabs the Wizard’s wand.Meanwhile…Two Dire Rats snap at Swish, the Magic Broom, Ala drags herself out of the stream and up the bank.A bunch of Kobolds spill out of the cavern, another guard room, three more Kobold Footmen, and two with crossbows, as usual, armed to the teeth.“KOBOLDS.”Newt screams. FWUNGHis crossbow sings- one of the Kobold Artillery sinks to the floor- dead.“Smidgin.”Anya vogues with her wand.One of the other charging Kobolds crashes to the floor- dead.Ala draws her sword, ready for the two Kobold Footmen approaching.FwungAnother crossbow whistles by Anya.Swish scratches one of the rats attacking it.FWUNGThe second Kobold Shooter hits the deck; Newt’s getting good at this.“Smidgin.”And another Kobold Footman hits the deck.Ala and the remaining Kobold Footman slug it out, to no effect.One of the rats has hold of Swish, dragging the broom left and right, when it lets go Swish is still unharmed, the broom flicks over and ‘clonks’ the rat on it’s skull- dead.FWUNGNewt’s crossbow takes out the last rat.Anya parries the Kobold’s blow then brings the pommel of her sword up swiftly, caves the creatures head in.Newt leaps from stepping stone to stepping stone, traverses the stream, easily.And then the other members of the adventuring group reappear.“Where the hell have you been?” Ala’s angry.“I…” Cas starts up.“Of you go, rushing ahead, I was in the river.”“You nodded, smiled at me, I thought you were OK.” Cas looks guilty, then spots the bodies, Kobolds and Dire Rats.“What happened here?”“They did.”Ala and Cas stare at each other for a while, in the background Newt is scooting round stealing as many of the pendants as he can.The pair break up, Ala sets to healing the others, they’re not speaking to each other.Five minutes later the adventurers move out.“So where are we? What is this place?” Anya asks.Newt shrugs, nobody has an answer.They enter the second cavern.Newt shuffles ahead, puts his hand up, wait. He points up.“Trap… Look...”The Gnome creeps in, following a rope down to a tripwire, he cuts it- the net ahead falls, netting nothing.They move forward, and in, through a guard room and into a rats den, there’s nothing to find.And in silence they wander back to the stream.“Look will you two just sort it out?” Newt’s tired of the looks and long silences; he stares at Ala and Cas.The pair wander off a way.“I thought you were ok?” Cas begins.“I was… I am, it’s just you can’t keep running off all the time.”“I…”“No listen Cas- I don’t know what you want, and the problem is neither do you… you need to take better care of yourself, of your friends, of me. If you’re going to be a leader, then lead, don’t follow- that was stupid splitting the group up, you could have got us all killed.”“I know, I…”“No you don’t know. You need to know. You scare me, I never thought it would be easy… being with you, but you’ve got to understand, you need to look out for all these people- they depend on you. I depend on you. I…”Ala grabs Cas’ arm.“Just take it easy from now on.”Cas goes to reach for her, but she’s gone.They head off to the Wizard’s chamber, Cas catches up with Anya, gives her the wand he found, “the command word is ‘Smidgin’, use it wisely”, Anya grins at Cas.“Anything I can help you with back there.”Cas thinks about it, Anya’s look lingers on the forlorn Paladin.“Nothing I can’t handle, now let’s stay sharp.”The chamber is as before, except for a steady pulse from the Wizard’s robe, about where the heart is.“He’s still alive.” Jim states.“Nope”, Newt stamps on the Wizard’s heart, a squidgy sound, then rips the creatures robes open, a dead toad inside, “his familiar.”“Let’s see what else he’s got.”A full search follows and everything that looks to be of worth is placed on the desk, the Wizard has all the good stuff- a glowing Pearl and a set of Bracers. Anya takes the Pearl, “I think it’s some sort of magical focus… for Wizards.” She stares at Ala. The Bracers go to Bec, because he likes them, or at least he takes them and straps them on- they expand to fit his tree-trunk arms, nobody argues.The black candle they saw earlier sits in a golden candle-holder, they take that, and a dark tome, that no-one, not even Anya can read, she’ll have to try her magic on it later.They head off again- another empty guard room and then on, they’re at a docks area, or at least there are several rafts pulled up at an underground pool, they follow the flow, there’s a dark cavern ahead, the stream heads that way.“We’ll rest here. I think that’s enough for a while.”Nobody complains so they find a safe place and build a fire, eat something, feel human again.Next Turn: She’s my one and only…And thus endeth the first session of play in this scenario, which is only the third session of actual play in total for these hardy folk.</blockquote>

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