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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 3747814" data-attributes="member: 16069">Thanks for that Richard, much appreciated.Dungeon Crawl Classics #2 The Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho An Adventure for First Level CharactersTurn 16: She’s my one and only…We’re back at the camp, the fishing expedition.“And I think we should go back.” Cas states.Ala grabs his arm- tender.“What the feck for?” Newt spits.“Food.”Newt stops speaking. Ala lets go of Cas’ arm, he looks back, she looks away.“We need to get some food, I mean who knows what’s down that river, or how far it goes- we may be in here a while.”“Good idea.” Newt grins.“Why ARE we here?” Ala asks.“Because THERE’S something wrong here, you saw the Kobolds.”“So they’ve got something wrong with them, a disease, it could be a disease.”Jim itches.“Ala, please. We should do this right, you said so yourself. There’s something down here- something bad, I can feel it.”“Me.”Everyone turns to look at Bec, he struggles for the next word.“Too.”Cas looks back at Ala, she sighs and turns away.“Then what are we waiting for?” Newt is off. “We should check out that big cavern, where we came in, I could have sworn I saw another exit from it, don’t want to leave enemies behind us Cas- you said that, last time.”Cas sighs, “I remember.”The group gather up their gear and head back, the stream is easily forded this time- they have time and patience on their side. Same too with the grappling hook and the rope down, although they leave it in place, and well secured.They’re back in the first large cavern, right at the entrance- the Ogre’s cave; the bodies of the Stirges are still there.“Look, I told you.” Newt’s spotted another cavern passage already, he heads of.“Wait”, Cas calls but the Gnome is gone.Ala rushes past him, after Newt, a glance says it all.And into another chamber, Newt is pressed hard against the wall fiddling with his crossbow, “there”, he whispers, and points- a pair of bobbing glowing lights approach, at speed, there are other pairs of lights within the cavern.“Fire beetles.” Newt hisses, and giggles.THWUNGNewt’s crossbow bolt buries itself into the creatures carapace, only slows it, a little.“Ca…” Ala begins, but he’s already there, all of them are.They fan out to meet the approaching beetles, all three of them.The Fire Beetles, seemingly enraged, tumble forward into the light, their carapaces glow, tiny human skulls, like a ladybug’s but much creepier.“What are these things?” Jim asks.FWOOMJim’s magic arrow slices through one of the creatures, it spurts and oozes as it thrashes dead, the stink is appalling. Bec, caught in the blast of the stench, twists away and stumbles over. Ala leaps in and ends another of the beasts. Anya, watches her, and then rushes in with her staff, she connects, but only serves to further enrage the clambering beetle, it snaps and bites at her, she dodges back, leaving a perfect gap.FWUNKFor another crossbow bolt from Newt, the last beetle stumbles and sinks, they’re all gone, and the smell.“Pelor save me, is that you Jim?” Cas grins.The others chuckle, Jim reddens, even Ala smiles.“Can I have sandwich?” Bec’s up.“Come on big guy.” Cas pats him on the back. “There’s another tunnel- straight over.” Newt goes to make for it. Cas reaches out and grabs him.“OK Newt, this time by the numbers.”The Gnome grins, dances a little ahead, looks back to make sure it’s not too far.They head into the next passage, and into another chamber, and into some more Fire Beetles, with equally strange decals.Newt and Jim are first in, they fire.FWUMPTHONGAnd two of the three beetles are dead, the artillery moves out of the way as Bec jogs forward, longspear at the ready, and skewers the last of the beetles.“Bee-kul.” He states, then the stink gets to him again and he tosses the dead thing away.They check the chamber out thoroughly, there’s nowhere to go and nothing in it.Back to the main chamber and...“There’s another passage.” Newt dashes over.“Wait.”And does so, “same again people, we’re in the groove. Ala?”“Yes Cas.”“Watch my back.”She grins, “yes Cas, whatever you say.”Anya sneers, silently, and unseen.They’re through the passage and into another large cavern, nothing of interest, at first.Then…<    >No noise, just a blanket of darkness that settles over Bec and Ala, one second they’re there, the next they’re gone from sight.Becs pauses, then feels something, something rubbery on his shoulder- he seizes whatever it is, just as several other rubbery something’s- tentacles by the feel of them, grab for him. He rips the thing off of him, before it can get a grip, and then Ala’s light spell flares and he’s holding some kind of flying octopus in his hands. “SQWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.”The Darkmantle is not so enamoured with the light, it pulses, rips itself free from the Barbarian’s hands, and jets upwards.THONGJim’s magic arrow slices through it, it flutters and pulses- struggles to remain afloat.“Smidgin.”The Magic Missile finishes the job.“Good work Anya, Newt.”The pair smile at Cas.There’s another cavern ahead, when they get close they realise it’s not all that grand, a low chamber lies beyond, the ceiling only two to three feet high.“We’ll leave it.” Cas is about to turn around.“Hang on, there might be something in there.”“Newt?”“Please Cas, let me take a look.”Cas looks at Ala, she looks away.“Be quick then.”And the Gnome is gone.“Jim, watch his back.” The Ranger shuffles in crouches to see as Newt and his sunrod crawl inside.For his part Newt does the best he can to put his body between the chest he spotted earlier, and Jim’s watching brief.He scrambles in the dirt to the chest, a cursory check- no traps, he unlocks it, and it’s as easy as that. Knocks it over- towards him, there’s no room to see into the chest from above. The contents spill out- mostly money but there’s some other stuff, including- strange, four wooden dolls which are…Getting up.He looks on horrified as the four petticoat wearing milking-maids totter towards him, grab at his ankle, his hand, his shirt, his hair- scratching, biting, gouging- he screams.“I’M SORRRRRRRRREEEEEE.”Jim drops his bow and crawls in, Cas follows, and in seconds they’re on the scene.The four dolls have still got a hold of the thrashing Gnome, who’s bleeding from over a half-a-dozen nicks and cuts.Cas grabs out, catches hold of one of the dolls and repeatedly smashes it onto the stone cavern floor until it’s splintered wood in his hands. Jim struggles to grab one, so swivels around and kicks a doll, sending it hurtling off into the dark.“Get them off me, get them off me.” Newt screams.The other two dolls continue to claw and scratch at the Gnome, he takes some more damage, until Jim swats one, and Cas the other.“Go.” Cas barks.Newt furiously scrambles back out.Jim and Cas spot the open chest, scoop the money back in until-“Cas.”“Yep.”“It’s coming back- behind you.”Cas looks beyond Jim.“You too.”They shuffle round to meet their adversaries again- there’s one heading for Jim, two for Cas.Outside Newt shivers, “living dolls, living dolls, I hate…”Cas scrabbles at the creatures, eventually grabs hold of one, he’s clawed and scratched several times in the process, and smashes the thing as hard as he can into the low ceiling- till it’s splinters. He manages to kick the other away.Jim sees another way out. Waits for the doll to approach and then launches himself at it, kicking it as hard as he can.“INCOMING.”The doll shoots out of the chamber, Bec traps it with his foot, Newt picks himself up and runs away, Bec stamps on the thing until it’s gone.“Kick it out… out to the others.” Jim manages.The last doll wends its way back towards Cas, he tries Jim’s trick, with equal success, the wooden effigy comes shooting out, Bec goes to stamp on it but it’s not moving, it seems to have lost its head en route.The pair drag the chest out, as Ala deals out the last of her healing.The chest contains lots of gold, half-a-dozen small rubies, three scrolls, which Anya examines, and two coils of rope complete with grappling hooks.A little later they choose straws and, as it turns out, Bec and Anya head off back to Tetknee to recap their adventures so far, grab more food and supplies for a longer campaign.The others head back to the river, to rest for the remainder of the day and night, await the re-supply mission.During the rest the four do there level best to ready themselves for the trials ahead, equipment repaired, cleaned, polished- made good again; backpacks re-ordered- everything needed within reach.Cas takes the opportunity to talk again with Ala.“I known there’s something bad here Ala, something terrible.”“I can feel it too- I don’t like the place, there’s something wrong here.”“Then we’re agreed, we need to go on- to find what’s causing these aberrations, put an end to whatever it is?”“Yes. Of course, it’s just… I don’t trust some of the others.” Ala states.Cas looks hard round at her.“Who don’t you trust, I mean… Who?”“It’s not for me to say- I can’t, I don’t know, I’m just worried that something bad is going to happen, and I can’t see where it’s going to come from, in front or behind.”Cas snakes an arm around her, pulls her too him.By the water’s edge Jim and Newt are refilling their flasks, Newt looks over to Cas and Ala.“I wonder how they met?” Newt asks.Jim shrungs, “dunno, she’s nice though”, he grins a little.Newt spins round, “I’m not so sure… She’s always worried… Something’s always going to happen- dangers ahead, don’t do this, don’t do that… and the looks I get. We’re here to explore… Not…”, he trails off.Jim stares at the Gnome, and then beyond to Ala.“She’s alright.” The Ranger rests his hand on Newt’s shoulder, the turns and heads off- canteen full.Leaving Newt staring hard at the holy pair.Ala, at that moment, turns to meet his eye.Next Turn: Incey-Wincey.</blockquote>

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