The Waterdeep Adventures or Kobold Soup is good eatin!

[spacehulkster]

The Riddle

Elric screams, “What are you doing, Felix?”

“We must destroy this!” Felix yells as he rips the globe from Elric’s hands and throws it to the floor. The globe disintegrates into a hundred pieces and the music stops.

Elric looks at Felix with a new perspective, “Your stronger than you look! And did you know that your wings flutter wildly when you are agitated?”

Felix blushes, “Well, we had to stop the noise. It frightened us all and alerted any creatures that are beyond.”

“Rightly so. Lets have a look around before the others wander in.”

They find nothing of value while the others wander back. Elric examines the only other visible exit, a stone door. He instructs Pudge to proceed with opening it.

“HOLD!” Elric screams as Pudge was about to step onto a pressure plate. Pudge freezes, his leg a few inches above the plate.

“Step back Pudge. Your about to step onto a pressure plate.”

“No problem. Can you disable it?” Pudge responds, slowly retrieving his leg.

Elric steps forward, “The possibilities are endless.” He examines the edges and is able to wedge some metal and wood scraps (that he keeps for just these instances) into the plate.

He pats the plate gently, “yep, you may now proceed.”

They open another stone door that leads into a narrow 40’x80’ room with one end rounded. At the rounded end, is a sculpture of a dragon carved in red-veined white marble. The floor is thick with dust.

Vern nears the sculpture to get a better look. As he gets to within 5’ the dragon animates and speaks in common.

“We come at night without being fetched; we disappear by day without being stolen.”

“What was that about?” Thalez ask.

“I believe it is a riddle,” Felix responds, now approaching the sculpture. He and Vern glance at each other with knowing looks.

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

“Rightly so. Lets have a look around before the others wander in.”

more accurate would be "before others (monsters) start wandering in"

 

[spacehulkster]

“STARS,” they respond together.

A low rumbling reveals an opening secret stone door on the west wall. The group follows Elric into the next room. It’s a 20’ wide by 45’ long hall, with three alcoves on each side of the long walls. Each alcove houses an Elven statue in the same red-veined white marble, except for one alcove on the south, which is empty. At the end of the hall is an arch that opens into a room beyond where a greenish light glows. On the floor, at the arch, is a ten foot wide by fifteen feet long pit.

Pudge’s inquisitive nature gets the best of him and he doesn’t see the pit as he steps forward towards the lit room. His companions shake their heads in disbelief.

“Didn’t you hear me say, Careful of the pit there, Pudge?” ask Elric.

“Uh, no I didn’t. Sorry guys. I narrowly missed these spikes. Someone want to help me up?”
(Truth be told, the player was looking at his character sheet and not paying attention to the room description.)

Elric, Valen and Thalez help Pudge up out of the pit. Vern and Felix take some time searching for a secret door, especially where the empty alcove is, but find nothing. Elric scans the room quickly and finds no secret doors or treasure.

Pudge stands staring intently on the green glowing room on the other side of the pit and pays little attention to the rest of the party. He finally comments, “Let’s take a look at this room next door.”

He takes a running jump and makes it across the pit. The others follow one at a time, except for Felix and his new found wings. Of which Felix displays quite proudly.

Wall sconces are at each corner, but only one still bears a torch, that burns with a greenish light. A large marble sarcophagus (nine feet long) lies in the center of the room. A dragon motif is carved into the sarcophagus and the lid has folded wings and a dragon head perched above. The lid is held in place with some rusting metal clasp.

“This looks awesome,” comments Thalez.

Vern interjects, “We should probably leave this untouched!?”

“What’s the fun in that!” Pudge exhales, as he starts to struggle with one of the clasp. “I’ll bet there’s something magic inside!”

The rest of the group take up positions around the sarcophagus, ready to help with the lid once Pudge breaks all the metal clasp.

As Pudge struggles with the last claspe, he is attacked, blood flowing from wounds now on his arm.
A Quasit appears, laughing hysterically at Pudge’s now slowed reaction.

“You have broke the binding, my watch on the Dragon Priest is over!”

It then strikes again on Pudge, who’s dexterity is now cut nearly in half. Pudge misses with his double axe. Vern hits it with a magic missile. Both Elric and Thalez can’t get close enough to take a swing.

“I can’t get a shot. It’s too close to Pudge,” Valen screams.

Felix flies up into a flanking position with Pudge, but misses. “It’s a fast little mother!”

Feeling the combat going the way, the Quasit flies up and over Felix to the corner, where a secret door is hidden. Felix takes pursuit. “It’s now a question of who has the better flight speed,” he thinks to himself.

The Quasit opens the door and flies into the underground passage, Felix in tow. Unfortunately for Felix, he has no dark vision and his speed is halved through the tunnel, as he gropes his way forward.
The group stares down the tunnel entrance, straining to hear sounds of battle, but hear nothing.

Felix reaches the end of the tunnel just as light streams into it from above. “Now I have you!” he belts out at the Quasit. The demon turned and hissed a warning at Felix. As it attempted to escape out the tunnel, Felix, undaunted, charged straight for it. Like a bird of prey, Felix sank his short sword deep into the demon’s back. It fell with a shudder upon the alcoved area floor.

“Felix the demon-killer! Boy, the folks back home would be proud,” Felix thinks to himself. “If only my kin could see me now.” He reminisced about his home. How he missed the easy life. But back there he was just another pixie. He wanted more, to be somebody of importance. To be bigger than he actually was! With his wings, he felt he added a new dimension to this group of friends and actually was of some importance.

“Vern did hit it with a spell that caused the demon to run, but Vern couldn’t of flew after it and deliver the killing blow, like he did,” he thought. Felix dragged the body back to the sarcophagus room. He found the elves staring at him in disbelief, their jaws agape. Vern was helping Pudge bandage his arm. There was a puddle of blood next to the sarcophagus.

“I wish Milo would have been feeling better this morning and come with us,” Pudge stated.

“I’m sure the wound isn’t too bad,” Vern consoles.

“I feel so sluggish. What that thing hit me with?” ask Pudge.

“Being it was a demon, I believe they have certain abilities that can sap away strength and other abilities,” Vern says.

“It’s not sapping anything else away. You can be sure of that,” Felix says dropping the quasit to the floor.

“That was awesome!” Valen cries out. “I looked down the corridor and saw that Quasit flying out of that door. Next thing I see is you with your sword protruding from its chest. You must have been flying!”

“Actually, I was,” responds Felix questioningly, eyeing everyone with his hands outstretched and pointing to his wings.

“Inconceivable!” Elric shakes his head at Valens comment. “The things I put up with,” he mumbles as he turns back towards the sarcophagus.

Pudge stands, “You all ready to lift this lid off?”

“You can’t be serious?” questions Vern.

“Treasure! We want treasure!” Valen, Thalez and Pudge say in unison.

“Wait! Let’s all get in position. Valen, bow ready?” Vern ask.

“Ready.”

“How ‘bout you Felix?”

“I’m good” answers the pixie.

“Ok, one good shove should do it,” states Pudge. With that the lid glides off and a bright flash of green light temporarily blinds everyone.

 

[pogre]

“Uh, no I didn’t. Sorry guys. I narrowly missed these spikes. Someone want to help me up?”
(Truth be told, the player was looking at his character sheet and not paying attention to the room description.)

Oh surely not! A player not paying attention to critical room details - I'm glad that NEVER happens in my campaign!

 

[spacehulkster]

“Ouch!” Pudge cries out, as a claw rakes past his mid-section.

Vern, the first to act, sees a large skinny troll-like creature sit up and instinctively backs up five feet, raises his hands shooting a magic missile at it.

Valen also backs up a fires an arrow, doing little damage. Thalez also backs up awestruck, then realizes he has no weapons in his hands. Felix, in the air shoots an arrow, missing the creature. Elric, flanking the troll delivers a strike that would of took down an ogre, but the troll shakes it off and looks directly at him.

Pudge recovers his weapon and takes a swing missing wildly, his dexterity severly hampered by the quasit earlier. The beast this time stands and concentrates its attacks on Elric. But misses as Elric dodges back and forth.

Vern, standing behind Pudge, ignores the consequences and blast a lightning bolt through Pudge, into the Troll and exits into Elric, who narrowly misses the bulk of the damage.

Valen and Felix again fire arrows into the “Dragonpriest”. Thalez, not wanting to get close to the troll, switches to his bow and fires. But he forgets that he is within reach of beast as it rakes its claws across his arm, making his shot miss.

Muscling up everything he can (raging!), Pudge delivers the death blow to the priest. It falls half-way out of its sarcophagus.

The trip back to Oakhurst was a long, whiny trek. Valen complained that all they found for their trouble was 50 gold, a few pieces of jewelry (which Elric was quite happy with!) and some Divine scrolls, while Pudge kept asking everyone to quick moving so fast and slow down. When the small party makes it back to the inn, Pudge immediately sets about finding Milo.

“I cannot heal what is causing you such sluggishness Pudge,” Milo points out. “But I believe a few days rest may heal what ales you. We can ask Corkie if there is anything she can do when we get back.”

Corkie tells Milo that his assumption was right and that only rest could restore Pudge’s dexterity. He purchases as many healing potions from her that he can and returns to the inn.

 

[Heavy Hitter]

The Waterdeep Adventures or Kobold Soup is good eatin

The story so far is good reading. It sounds like the characters are having fun. I especially like Pudge and those elves, they really mix it up! Hope to read some more soon. HH

 

[spacehulkster]

The party learns that there have been more cattle mutilations in the area from the constable. They feel an urgency to get back to the citadel, but Pudge is allowed a days rest.

Back at the citadel, the group seeks council with Yusdrayl, the kobold leader. Though annoyed now with the adventurers, their offer to get rid of the goblins and the dark one below, appeals to her and once again she volunteers Meepo to lead them to the goblin side of the citadel. They are becoming quite useful to her.
Easily fighting through the goblin barricaded area and making sure no guards make it back to warn the tribe, they find themselves faced with five possible doors in a large columned hallway. They elect to not enter the door at the end of the hall and open the middle door on their right. It turns out to be a winding corridor that connects to the main tribe room and the chieftains room.

“It sounds like this might be the leader’s room.” Pudge states, “I hear what could be a female explaining something to another, who sounds like he’s large.”

“I’m ready with an arrow,” Valen volunteers, beginning to struggle towards the door.

“Hold on here,” Felix whispers, pulling on Valen’s cloak, “we need to have more of a plan than just an arrow!”

Vern speaks up, “Pudge will take care of any guards by the door, Elric and Felix will locate any other exits from the room and guard them. Thalez and Valen will make out the leader and assault him. Meepo, Milo and I will provide support.”

“Sounds good!” Felix tugs Elric’s cloak, “I’ll be right next to you.” With that he disappears.

“Got any more tricks we don’t know about?” a startled Elric questions of Felix.

“A few that I’m working on!” Felix reports. “I’ll be flying, so everyone be careful shooting Elric’s way.”
The last bit of information he intends for the two younger elves, but realizes that they weren’t paying any attention. He glares at them, but then realizes they can’t see him either.

Pumped up for a fight, they open the door. Pudge steps through and hacks at the closest guard. Elric and Felix move towards the guard at the only other door in the room. Valen steps into the doorway, scans the room and lets loose a carefully aimed shot into the skull of the hobgoblin sitting on a chair with guards flanking him, pinning his head to the chair.

A small female goblin cast “Bane” at the hero’s and heads for the exit. The remaining guards try in vane to attack, but are cut down quickly. The goblin proves to be the most stubborn. She survives a magic missile from Vern, reaches the door, only to be cut down as she opens it. An arrow stcking out from her head.

Vern quickly notices the horde of goblins through the open door and moves to sleep as many as possible.
“There’s a few more here guys!” he shouts, pointing into the other room.

Thalez and Valen run into the common room, smiles wide on their faces. The goblins, morale broken, climb over each other trying to escape. Slaughter ensues, much to the delight of Pudge and the younger elves.

Searching through the goblins, reveals only small amounts of standard treasure, except for a ring found on the Hobgoblin.

“My kill, so I’m keeping the treasure!” Valen demands. He pulls the ring off the chieftains finger.

“If that’s a signet ring, we must return it to its owner, lady Hucrele. Remember?” Milo states flatly.

Valen rips the ring from his own finger, grumbling obscenities in elvish.
They all noticed the large well like fixture in the chieftains room, but Pudge finally looks down it.
“I wonder how far this goes down?” he questions, looking at the vines that cling to the side of the well wall.

“Looks dangerous. Maybe we shouldn’t worry about going down there,” inputs Felix.

Milo steps up to the well, looks down then remembers, “Didn’t that Kobold matriarch say something about a madman that lives down below? Maybe this is the way.”

Meanwhile, Elric is busy honing is skills on a chest he found near the chieftains chair.
“Whoa, that was close! Little chest nearly pricked me. I got goodies here guys! he states.
“A potion, scroll and coinage.”

Vern’s attention is quickly averted to Elric, “Scroll you say. Lets have a look at it.”
“ah, two spells! Very nice, may I keep?” he surveys the faces in the room.

Everyone but Pudge acknowledges him. Pudge is busy getting a rope ready to drop down the well opening. “Who’s first down? Maybe I should go first.” He answers is own question.

“I’ll follow Pudge,” Thalez quickly responds. Not wanting to be left out of the possible killing down below.

As the two fighters descend into the darkness, Felix flies slowly down with a torch, lighting their way.

“Aah, I slippeeeeeeed,” Pudge’s voice echoes.

As he looks down to see Pudge falling, Thalez misses his footing. He desperately grabs at the rope, his fingertips grazing the rope, and he falls.

 

[spacehulkster]

Felix flies down with a torch. Scanning the luminescent fungus that clings to the walls of the earthen area, he spots two skeletal figures moving toward the unconscious Pudge and Thalez. “We need help down here quickly!” he yells up. But Elric is already on his way, climbing down the vines that cling to the wall of the well.

Vern, Milo and Valen shimmer down the rope as fast as possible. Meepo guards the rope top side and debates to himself whether to climb down and help or not. Felix does a flyby on the skeletons which interrupts their movement towards the unconscious hero’s. He spies two smaller figures out of the corner of his eye coming closer.

“Yee Haw!” Elric drops from the rope on top of one of the skeletons, sending its head into the freshly tilled earth.

“There’s more coming,” Felix shouts, pointing to his left.

A magic missile from above destroys the other skeleton. “The cavalry is here,” Vern states landing softly on the ground floor.

Milo quickly pours a healing potion down both Pudge and Thalez, “They’ll be fine in a minute.”

“I don’t think we have a minute,” quips Felix. “I thought I saw some other figures over there.” He points towards a door on the south wall, but all they see are a couple of bushes. Confused, Felix scratches his head.

The party takes stock of their surroundings. They notice a door on the east wall and a cavernous opening on the north. As they allow Elric to listen and check the door for traps, Milo hears a strange whistling coming from opening.

“Guys, we got company,” he whispers and tugs on Pudge’s surcoat.

 

[spacehulkster]

Ready for a fight, Pudge whirls around to see a Bugbear and two dire rats hissing at him. One rat lunges at him, the other at Milo. Pudge cleaves his and is able to hit the other as it claws at Milo. Milo backs away to give the barbarian room.

Valen is able to get one shot on the bugbear before it runs up to him and tears a gash in his arm. Valen then also retreats.

Thalez steps in front of Valen and hits the bugbear, grazing its forearm. He then pays a dear price for the attack, as the bugbear critically gashes his leg.

The second dire rat is easily cut in two and Pudge strikes the bugbear from behind. In return Pudge is hit, but for minimal damage. Valen again shots it, Thalez hits it and Elric gets a sneak attack in before it goes down.

Milo heals what damage he can and suggest that maybe they should go back to town and rest.

“I really would like to probe around down here for a little bit. Find out what’s down here.” Elric suggest.

“It doesn’t look like much, maybe a few gobbo’s. I don’t see a point,” Felix retorts.

Pudge interjects, “We told that kobold matriarch we would rid them of the Goblins. I’d like to keep my word!”

“whatever,” Felix responds, opens the door and flies down a hallway.

The group finds themselves in a 20’ wide hallway with pillars in two rows and 6 doors. They carefully check each door and room, killing the few goblins that inhabit the area. They find one room with a break in one wall with a fissure and don’t investigate beyond it. Another room has a door that leads to another door at a large hall. At this point the group decides that they must rest before continuing to investigate this level.

“I really don’t see a point to come back here. Haven’t we done what was asked of us?” Felix complains.

“We’ve only found one signet ring and one partial body of those adventurers we were asked to find,” Pudge answers.

“I’m in agreement with Felix,” Vern states, “besides didn’t you want to get to Waterdeep?”

“Yep, but maybe there’s more treasure to be found below there.” Pudge implies.

“Let’s sleep on it,” Milo suggest.

That evening Pudge and the three Wood Elves are still talking about going back and what might be found down there.

The constable comes into the ‘Ole Stag Inn for his evening meal, “How’s the investigation at the ravine, boys?”

“A lot more goblins than we thought,” responds Pudge.

“I guess they won’t be auctioning off any fruit seeds this Autunm,” replies the constable. “Hey, I think you boys might be interested in this. I got a report this afternoon of another mutilation and stolen cow out at one of the farms. I’m going tomorrow morning to investigate.”

With eyes wide, Thalez responds quite enthusiastically, “How far away?”

“About an hour and a half to the north.”

“We should go with and find out what happened,” Thalez implores.

“Ah, I don’t know,” Vern mulls, “I think we’ve done all we can to solve these mutilations.”

The party heads to their bunks for rest, but Pudge and the elves are still anxious to go back to the ravine.

The next morning, Vern, Milo and Felix wake up. Pudge and the Elves are gone!

 

[pogre]

The next morning, Vern, Milo and Felix wake up. Pudge and the Elves are gone!

Aha! A split party - the DM's dream!