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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 3854531" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dungeon Crawl Classic #14 Dungeon Interludes Chapter 1: The Eye of the Night Level 1-3 (Scaled to level 4)Turn 43: Bloody Whiskers.Jim heads in, a tiny cave rat hops over his boot- STAMP, and it’s gone. “Bloody vermin.” The Ranger creeps forward, “it looks safe.”Which proves to be untrue very quickly, Fiendish Dire rats explode from the walls of the chamber, a crouching Blood Whisker, rapier drawn, stays hidden in the shadows.“FLAME ON.” Anya screams as she stumbles into the cavern, aiming hard right in order to miss Jim- flames lick and fold, bathe the chamber, two Fiendish Dire Rats are a little singed, a dozen innocent cave rats are instantly immolated. Bec charges into the chamber gets perhaps, four feet before a spike of steel lances out of the shadows, Blood Whisker’s rapier, the blade pierces the Barbarian’s lower chest, and passes through; the tip protrudes an inch through his back. And then the blade is withdrawn. Bec moans duly, clamps his hand instinctively on the spot, his next breath ragged and laboured, his lung punctured, blood spills from his mouth, he swats with his giant sword, ineffectively. Blood Whisker grins and retreats a little further into the darkness that surrounds them.Ala screams, “for Correllon”, her Bless spell encompasses her compatriots, for a second they feel uplifted, confident- then reality hits them.The rat’s crash into them, one of the Fiends nips and tears at Cas’ hand, leaves a bloody streak in its wake. The Paladin slices down on the creature as it retreats, almost removes its right front leg, it totters back. Another leaps at Bec, the Barbarian scrambles to palm it away, but it hooks its forelegs into the Barbarian’s belt, dodges in and takes a gobbet of grisly flesh out of Bec’s face, it’s almost too much for him, and the fight is less than ten seconds in. Jim is left stranded, surrounded, he swishes and swirls his axe about him, attempting to keep all of the rats at bay, one sneaks past his guard, takes a slice out of the Ranger’s knee.“Akkat.” Anya hurls Swish into the fray, the Magical Broom manages a fey swat at a passing rat, which then scurries on and launches itself at the Wizard, crashes into her sending her falling backwards, scratched and bitten Anya crashes into the cavern wall, manages to drag herself back to her feet. Swish quickly hops over to save his mistress, swats hard and merely scratches Anya’s attacker, the Fiend pays the broom no heed.Bec eventually knocks the rat on his belt to the ground, slaps his other hand on the handle of his two-handed sword, draws it, and rushes at the figure he’s just spotted deep in the shadows, Blood Whisker. “BAAAAAssssTTTTUUUDDD.” He swings with all his might, crashing through Blood Whiskers defences, the blade thumps into the Wererat, but doesn’t even break the skin. Blood Whisker realises this at the same time as the Barbarian, the Lycanthrope grins, “thisss sssshhhhooouulldd beeee ffffun.” The rat Bec so recently levered off of him sees its chance, nips in and bites a hunk of flesh out of the Barbarians left leg, Bec staggers again, puts a hand out to try and steady himself, hangs his head, already exhausted, breathing is incredibly hard, cave rats crawl and bite at his feet, he can’t take much more of this. He looks up just in time to see Blood Whisker’s rapier thrust, the blade is coming straight for his face.At the last moment he twists aside, the blade bites briefly into the packed dirt cavern wall, and then is withdrawn at lightning speed.Newt so far is playing a game of ‘rat and mouse’, he’s the mouse with a Fiendish Dire Rat on his tail, then the Gnome remembers, and scurries up a wall. “Feck off, vermin.” He flicks the V’s at the stranded rat which leaps and jumps, snapping its jaws about a foot short of the Gnomes legs, he climbs a little higher up the wall. Ala rushes towards the nearest rat, deflects its snarling leap with her shield and then stabs her longsword through the creature’s brain; it curls, bleeds and begins mewling, not long for this world.Jim drags himself to Bec’s side, “put your back in to it, come on.” The Ranger swings wildly, just as Blood Whisker dodges forward to lance the Barbarian again, Jim’s axe connects with the lycanthropes off-hand, shatters the elbow, sends Blood Whisker dancing back, one hand limp- to his side. Cas sees they have the advantage slices at the Fiendish Dire Rat before him and cuts the thing clean in two, he sprints to Bec, adds his sword to the fight against the Lycanthrope, just as another Fiendish Dire Rat takes a chunk out of the Barbarians left calf, Bec screams and crashes into the cavern wall, it’s the only thing keeping him up.DM’s note Bec is on 1hp.Anya spots Newt out of the corner of her eye, the Gnome is trying to load a silver bolt into his crossbow, which is pretty difficult when you’re hanging onto a wall. Anya tries the same move, heads towards the cavern wall, set to climb up and out of the fray, a Fiendish Dire Rat reacts quickly and blocks her path; harries her, sends her scrambling backwards. The rat leaping forlornly at Newt notices the Wizard, rushes in, leaps and crashes, bites and claws at Anya’s back; she’s buffeted badly but still manages to keep her feet. Swish turns to meet this new attacker but proves as ineffective as usual. Blood Whisker launches a killing blow, its rapier set to pierce Bec’s heart, when at the last minute Jim rushes in and puts his body in the path; the blade pierces his chest and emerges a good distance through the other side. Blood fountains out as the rapier is withdrawn, Jim flails then finds his footing, he’s losing blood fast, his face whiter than white, almost translucent. Ala kicks her way past the Fiendish Dire Rat ahead of her and rushes to flank Blood Whisker, her sword thumps into the creature right shoulder, streaks across its back, the force enough to split the thing open, and yet her blade leaves not a trace, doesn’t even pierce the skin. Ala back-pedals furiously out of the fight, screaming, “magical weapons”, as she retreats. Blood Whisker turns to spy her, grins and nods to acknowledge her insight. Anya sees an opening, and leaps, and grabs, and grips onto the cavern wall, she scurries up towards the ceiling out of the Fiendish Dire Rats reach, the pair quickly abandon their prey, look over and spot Bec barely moving leant against the wall- they share a look and then sprint over to engage the Barbarian, who in the last instant levers himself upright and forward, swings with all his might, his blade cuts through both of the creatures, curtailing, forever, their charge.FWUNGA silver crossbow bolt thunks into the wall, about a foot from Jim’s head. “Sorrrrrry.” Newt calls over. Ala circles back again, further away from Blood Whisker; she reaches out and touches Bec, warmth and healing spill into the Barbarian, who however remains sorely wounded.Jim scurries back a little, meets a Fiendish Dire Rat coming the other way, one of only three left alive now. The Ranger dodges away swiftly back towards Blood Whisker, foolishly not looking where he’s going; he meets head-on the lycanthropes blade, which pierces his throat, the Ranger slumps, but is grabbed mid-fall by Blood Whisker, who leans in and bites a chunk of flesh out of his shoulder, spits the bloody bolus onto the filthy cavern floor, where it is soon consumed by the tiny cave rats.“Nexxxxxxt.” It whispers, then glugs down a Healing vial, while blocking Cas’ amateurish attack with Jim’s body. The creature drains the vial and drops it as the Paladin almost trips and staggers forward,  Blood Whisker throws Jim aside and grabs Cas, yanks him towards him and spins him round, Cas becomes his new human shield. The creature sinks its teeth through the skin and into the base of Cas’ skull, rips a hunk of flesh free, exposing bone, and then shoves the Paladin back the way he came, Cas stumbles and falls, lies motionless on the hard-packed ground, cave rats swarm.Ala, whispers prayers, just inches away from placing her hand on Jim, who also lies seemingly lifeless on the floor, she sees Cas fall, she has only one Healing spell left. “Decisssionsss. Decissssionss.” Blood Whisker calls.Bec stumbles, leaden legged towards Blood Whisker, then realises the folly of his endeavour, fumbles in a pouch and produces his Vial of Silversheen, pops the cork, all fingers and thumbs, as the Lycanthrope approaches.Next Turn: To Love, Honour & Obey.OooopsDungeon Crawl Classic #14 Dungeon Interludes Chapter 1: The Eye of the Night Level 1-3 (Scaled to level 4)Turn 44: To Love, Honour & Obey.Blood Whisker leaps at the barely standing Bec, still fumbling with his Vial of Silversheen, trying to coat his blade.“Smidgin.” A Magic Missile launches from Anya’s hand, smashes into the Lycanthrope, diverting its lunge, the creature still manages to get an attack in, off-balance though its blade is easily avoided.FWUNGA silver crossbow bolt sprouts from the Wererat’s chest, the creature gasps and staggers back, grabs another Healing vial and brings it to his lips, and the wound is all but gone. Blood Whisker pulls the bolt from his chest, casually lets it fall from his hand, and mockingly motions for Bec to join him in the fight; the Barbarian backs away, still fumbling with his sword.Ala looks again at Cas, still not moving, then back at Jim, she gets up reddening furiously and heads over to help the Paladin, her love.Who rises as she approaches, badly wounded but only momentarily stunned, “Jim”, the Paladin states, and clambers back to his feet. Ala is quickly back to the Ranger, the last of her Healing surges into the him, wounds instantly close over, Jim lets out a ragged breath and nods his thanks, while fetching out one of his own Healing vials, he sucks the contents down, and then pops another- his last.Cas heads straight back into the melee, brave or just plain stupid- definitely fearless, he tangles with a Fiendish Dire Rat in his rush to get back to Blood Whisker, is bitten again, on his right hip, in the process. Blood Whisker welcomes him back with a smile. Cas slashes wildly, Blood Whisker dodges inside the blow, stabs his rapier out but the blade is deflected by the Paladin’s shield. Anya is fast running out of spells, and yet she tries again, flashing lights circle the Lycanthrope’s head momentarily- but the Daze spell has no obvious affect- the lights quickly fade. She shrugs, while continuing to grip tight to the wall, unhooks her light crossbow from her belt, and attempts, badly, to get it loaded.THWUNGAnother silver bolt slices in, and through, the Wererat’s arm, the creature snarls back at the Gnome, Blood Whisker looks, for a moment, a little nervous, for the first time unsure of the final outcome of the fracas. The Wererat reacts quickly, barrels into Cas and sends the Paladin spinning back the way he came, unharmed but out of the melee. The creature adopts a defensive stance, grabs and drinks down yet another Healing Potion. Bec’s has at last finished lathering his two-handed sword with the Silversheen, a Fiendish Dire Rat tries to interrupt his progress towards Blood Whisker, but arrives late and is cut down by a lazy swipe.And then Jim is up and charging back at the Lycanthrope, the pair exchange blows, seemingly evenly matched, that is until Jim is flung back, almost falls- the creature is incredibly agile. Another Fiendish Dire Rat blocks Bec’s path, and is cut down in an instant- the Barbarian grins as he strides at last to Blood Whisker- armed & deadly with his silvered sword, which sweeps all before him, fearsome strokes, Blood Whisker has nowhere to go and so backs into the wall, before leaping forward with a precision blow, which however fails to penetrate the Barbarian’s armour. Bec’s final swing connects and leaves a raw gash along the Wererat’s chest and stomach, the creature whines a little. Specks of spittle, mixed with blood, fall from its maw- it doesn’t look pleased.FWUNGFWUNGNewt fires his final two silver bolts, in quick succession, the Gnome has crawled along the ceiling to a perfect spot, to the side, and almost behind Blood Whisker, both bolts hit home, creating a porcupine affect. More blood spills from the Wererat’s maw.Bec dodges back as Blood Whisker surges forward, looking for escape, a lightning fast set of swipes and swishes, the last of which passes only an inch before his eyes. Jim and Cas leap back into the fray, attempting to flank the creature, Blood Whisker manages to keep them all at bay, however his forward moment is blocked, he has to retreat back again to the cavern wall.Anya leaps off her perch on the wall, steadies herself and grabs Swish, rushes over to help Ala, who’s facing off against the last of the Fiendish Dire Rats, and not faring so well- the Priestess is bitten again, no more than a scratch on her hand, but another distraction, she swings wide and curses her luck. Anya menaces the creature with her staff, Swish, well… swishes- all to no effect. The rat comes again, it’s decided its going to eat Ala first, however the Priestess is a little too canny- she dodges backwards, lures the rat in, then lunges forward and plants her blade deep in the vermin’s body, the rat shudders and expires.“Together… Now.” Cas screams and all three of the warriors shuffle forward swinging hard, Blood Whisker for a moment looks truly terrified, then decides its fate, lances it’s rapier straight at Cas, who swats the blade aside with his longsword, however the Wererat’s not finished it continues its charge, smashes into the Paladin and bites into Cas’ neck and shoulder.“SSSSsssssseeee yooooooooo inn Heeeelllllllll.”Bec chops hard, his blade bites deep into the creatures body, exposing organs and bones. Jim does the same from the other side; Blood Whisker is almost cut in two. The Wererat stiffens, clasps its hands around Cas, pulls the Paladin to him, in a hug, and whispers in his ear- “Beware… the Devil’s Eye.”And then dies. Silence, except for the cave rats pathetic squeaks, and the chorus of heavy breathing, the adventurers are spent- Jim flops to the floor, followed by Cas, then Bec, they find walls to lean against. Even Newt has a little sit down, then Ala, then Anya.“So where is he then?” Anya asks.“Who?” Cas enquires.“Thistle. The Druid.”Cas looks around, rats continue to spew from the patch of ground at the far side of the chamber, but there’s plenty to eat for the vermin, they’re not after a fight- they leave the adventurers well alone, give them a wide berth.“OooooA.”There’s a sound coming from the area, Cas, with difficulty, creaking and cracking, levers himself to his feet- Newt follows him, then Anya, to the rat pile.“It’s a pit.” Newt points.Cas nods, “Bec.”The giant man, limping slightly, wheezing a little, wanders over.“Give me a hand.” The Paladin grabs the rope that disappears into the pit of scurrying, scrabbling rats. Bec grasps the rope, then Jim. “Heave.” Seconds later a… man? Of sorts, at least humanoid in shape and yet not made of flesh and bone, more bark and root- covered in scratches and bites which are steadily regenerating, rises to the surface of the enormous Rat Swarm.“Pull him out.” Jim shouts.“Thistle.” Bec simply states as the Druid is hauled out and to his feet, they grasp the Druid and swiftly move him away from the pit, to safety, mid-way the creature’s eyes blink open, Thistle whispers, “thank you”, and without joy smiles.They lay Thistle down, keep the area clear of cave rats, and watch as the plant-man fully regenerates. “Open.” Newt has sprung both of the chests; he sorts through a mixture of coin, although not a lot, some low-grade gems, and some well-made weapons and armour. Bec helps Newt to decant one chest into the other, then the Barbarian hefts the full chest onto his shoulder. Anya uses her Detect Magic spell to strip the body of Blood Whisker, a rapier and a ring, both enchanted.Ten minutes later Thistle is back on his feet, and no longer smiling, not even pretending.“All gone?” Thistle asks again.“Almost, we found one survivor, Farmer Giles, sent him back to the Church of Pelor in Grimbo, to recover. Others may have escaped, fled to the hills, the forest.” Cas replies.“I will wait for them, they will return, we will build Molton Clay again.” Thistle states and forlornly staggers out of the chamber.“Wait.” Cas grabs at the Druid’s arm, “what was this all for- the ‘Eye of the Night’, where is it? What is it?”“Your dagger.” Cas looks a little disturbed, and then complies, passes his dagger to Thistle, who takes it, takes a deep breath and then carves into his trunk, or rather torso, splits and cuts into his wood-like flesh, a sticky white liquid leaks from the wound- sap.“What are you?” Jim watches and wonders.Thistle drops the dagger, delves into the wound, and pulls out a sap covered, slightly glowing, topaz.“Here.” He hands the sticky gem to Cas, “the ‘Eye of the Night’, we cannot, I mean, I cannot keep it safe any longer.” Thistle turns to Jim, “what am I? I am Thistle, born of the rich earth, nurtured by cool clear water, raised by the warmth of the sun. I am a Druid, the protector of Molton Clay, and the last of my kind… again.”Thistle moves off again, into the darkened tunnels.“We’ll take the gem to the Church of Pelor, they will guard it for you, until you’re ready to take it back. When you’ve built Molton Clay again.” Cas tries to comfort Thistle, but the Druid walks on.The adventurers grab their kit and follow him back into the rat tunnels.Several minutes later, after a few false turns, Thistle finds his way to a rough chamber, a halo of light, a spotlight on the cavern floor- there’s a smaller passage back to the surface. There’s also a very large Badger, which licks and nudges Thistle’s hand, obviously the Druid’s Animal Companion.“This is Snarl.”Snarl snarls.Instinctively the warriors, except for Jim, take a step backwards remembering previous encounters with Badgers; Dire, Giant and mostly just plain furious.“He won’t hurt you.” Thistle manages a half a smile, then shrugs, turns back to stare at the obvious exit, and slowly clambers up, momentarily, bathed in the light.“Give him a minute.” Jim stops Cas in his tracks.Thirty minutes later Thistle and the gang have completed their sweep of the village, Molton Clay is no more. There are no survivors, just lots of bodies. Thistle is beyond words. “We need to get some healing- the rat bites, there’s a good chance we’re going to be sick, again, for a while.” Ala breaks the silence.“Bloody rats.” Bec mumbles.“We bury the dead first.” Cas holds Thistle’s gaze.The Druid nods slowly.In the end they settle for collapsing a wall in the Blood Whisker’s lair, creating a sealable burial chamber- beneath the barn, there’s no other solution, such are the number of corpses in the village.  It takes a day and a half, and at the end of the endeavour, Jim, Bec and Ala are suffering, their wounds are not closing over, their bones ache, they feel cold, and at times dizzy.Thistle seals the burial chamber and leads the Goodman Gang into the woods.“I have friends here; they will take care of you. I thank you for your efforts, for rescuing me and the gem, all that I have is yours, your needs are my needs, if I can ever help you… I am forever in your debt.”Jim blushes, the others follow suit.“And yet questions remain unanswered.” Thistle states. “Who were these… these killers? Where did they come from? Who sent them? And why did they want the gem?”Next Turn: Review.</blockquote>

Verification