GM: Jim Dugger
Players: Mark Daymude (Mitsu the Monk)
Jeff Rees (Ventros, Priest of St. Cuthbert)
Rachel Sandrock (Anya the Elven Wizard)
Jim Davenport (Dibly the Rogue, Log Writer)
Mike Steiner (Bull the half-orc Barbarian)
QUOTE LOG
"Bigger bat, easier to hit." - Bull
May 24, 2265 Old Empire
As he rested in the cold silence of the mausoleum, Dibly was convinced that his decision had been the right one. These were not the tombs of evil, but the rightful resting places of average folk, be they kings or paupers. He knew that they had walked away from a good bit of wealth, but he didn't need to start his adventuring career as an indiscriminate tomb raider.
Time was hard to judge beneath the ground, but after all had slept their fill and the spellcasters had finished the meditations, the group prepared to continue their explorations.
The remains of the ghouls were still lying in the outer hall of the mausoleum. They were hideous things, melting away in putrid decay. Dibly made sure he didn't step near them.
As they pass the hobgoblin leader, Ventros bent over and pulled the creature's shield free. It was obvious that the priest would have preferred to scrape the beast's symbol from its face, but let it go for the time being as he strapped it to his arm.
Looking out across the vast opening of the first level, Dibly had the feeling that they were missing something, perhaps crypts they didn't want so easily seen or accessible. He asked the others to join him and they carefully searched the level for hidden doors, secret levers, or any other evidence of deception.
An hour passed before they felt convinced no hidden doors existed. Dibly wasn't completely convinced, but agreed the party should move onward. They formed a line in their standard order (Dibly first searching for traps and moving quietly, followed by Bull and his orcan sight, next Ventros holding a torch aloft, followed by Anya and finally Mitsu watching for dangers from behind.) and headed down the spiral staircase at the far edge of the level.
They moved quietly, although Dibly was not pleased about the slickness of the stone in the whole area. Dust and grime had conspired to make uneasy footing.
At the next landing, they saw a level just like the first. They could look up through the open center and see the level they'd just left some 15' above them. Dibly led them to the right to begin exploring the level.
Hiding in the shadows above them were nasty, bat-like creatures slurping softly to themselves as they eyed the adventurers as large bags of walking food. They could not resist the temptation and swooped down upon our unlucky heroes.
They flew down screeching, painful to the ears, but not deafening. Dibly wasn't watching so was only barely missed. Ventros swung quickly, connecting with one bat-thing with a resounding thud. Bull also connected with a flying foe, tearing a slice in the creature and feeling its foul blood splatter him.
The creatures soon made their hatred felt as they struck Dibly, Bull and Mitsu with their claws and dagger-like nose. Dibly was able to hit back as well as Anya, but the others could only hold their ground.
And then Dibly took the step that would almost cost him his life. He tried to slip to one side for a better rapier thrust, slipped and nearly fell clean off the open ledge beside them. Only with great luck and fast reflexes was he able to catch hold of the ledge and fall down past more levels of tombs than he could see. Somehow he didn't think the bottom would be packed with fresh hay to cushion his fall.
Even dropping over the edge, the bat-thing pursued Dibly and raked him again, painfully. Another struck and Anya who returned the attack, slicing her foe open, sending its body over the edge next to Dibly.
Bull, seeing Dibly in trouble, grabs his hand and yanks him back up to the walkway. Dibly's shoulder would be sore for days after the unexpected maneuver, but he gave Bull a slap on the back in gratitude and turned back to the flying demons with a laugh of excitement. Later, when his blood cooled and his heart did not race quite so fast, he would have a nice private quivering session over his near demise.
The flying creatures got cautious and none were struck for a time until Dibly nicked one and Ventros slew another. Enraged, the wounded creature struck back at Dibly, nearly knocking him unconscious.
And then Anya began to act less like a wizard and more like a warrior of legend. She swung and sliced one creature completely in two before turning and killing another out of hand. Ventros dispatched the last of the disgusting creatures, letting them all catch their breaths.
These tombs were getting more dangerous by the minute, but they healed themselves and continued onward.
They began searching this level as they had the first, walking to the northeast mausoleum, with Dibly looking for traps and listening at each door. In the first mausoleum on the level, Dibly heard movement inside. Ventros, expecting more of the living dead, pushed in first, his holy symbol shining bright in the torchlight.
He did not expect the monstrous spiders who had set up home in the mausoleum, their webs stretched from wall to crypt to wall in every direction.
Undaunted, Ventros charged one of the two evil spiders, striking its many legs. Bull followed a moment later, chopping his opponent in half in one swing. Anya let her magic fly, striking Ventros' foe and burning it.
The spider struck back at Ventros, cutting his skin, but no venom struck the wound. Wth glee, Bull turns and slays Ventros' spider. We quickly burned off the webs in the room, in case they had brethren out hunting in the night.
One of the crypts held a corpse clutching an ornate sword, untarnished by time. Even though it might be magic, the group stayed with its decision and left the treasure with the person it was given to.
The third mausoleum on the second level was also infested with bat-things, which Bull called Stirges, from the orcan tongue. The room was cramped which made combat difficult. Still, it did not take long for the party to slay the flying rats. Bull took particular pleasure in killing 3 out of the 4 stirges, with Ventros ending the last one's life.
"We'll just be picked apart here with these infestations. We need to understand what we're dealing with better," suggested Dibly. They began to examine the tombs, the wall carvings, and any writing they could find with more care.
They found people from all walks of life in the tombs, from farmers to smiths to sheriff's and what might have been nobles. Various gods were represented, some using old style symbols of the gods that rule the land today. Ventros was unable to detect any true evil anywhere in the tombs.
"Let's forget these tombs and see where this stairwell goes. I bet we can avoid a lot of unnecessary bloodshed if we do," suggested Mitsu. The party agreed and they headed down.
The floors looked the same until they reached the 6th level. The dust and grime on the floor looked more thoroughly disturbed. A quick check of the 7th showed a return to the generally undisturbed detrius.
Ventros cast light on his shield and doused his torch, leaving him free to wield his mace. They carefully approached the north east mausoleum. They quickly encountered three hobgoblin guards. Ventros, Bull, and Mitsu split up the job of killing the hobgoblins, after a tough fight.
The mausoleum had been broken into from the west from a fissure in a some caverns. We followed the fissure into hobgoblin territory. Looking back on it, we should have withdrawn as we were tired, wounded, and the spellcasters were almost spent. But we headed on anyway into the den of a squad of trained hobgoblins.
I would recount the battle in detail, but only a few things truly stood out. Bull ran into the darkness chasing retreating crossbow bearers. He was attacked by many and fell dead to the rough stone floor, decapitated by the swift and powerful sword-stroke of the hobgoblin captain.
We were outnumbered and weak with our greatest fighter lying dead already. We hated to abandon his body, but saw no other choice. We ran fast and far, leaving the hobgoblins caught in Anya's magical web.
For a time we debated how we could retrieve his body or how we could best our enemies. We moved massive stone crypts to block doors to slow the hobgoblin's pursuit. But it was no use.
It took us three days to limp back to Endhome. We counted ourselves lucky that the Hobgoblins didn't foray en masse to avenge their fallen comrades.
It didn't take long for word of our failure and Bull's death to spread. Turasoq came to us as we healed and rested. We entered into our bargain yet again and she raised Bull from the dead, leaving him hale and hearty at our sides.
I do not think we shall ever be able to repay her.
- Dibly.
"Oh no, Dibs! You're a dead man!
As Dibs hangs on for dear life on the edge of the walkway, the other PCs roll their spot checks. They see one hand on the ledge. "One hand is enough to target a magic missile." - Mitsu/Mark
GM attacks Dibs as he hangs on the ledge. "My god you're cruel" - Anya to GM.
Anya, Batslayer
"Oh! Magic Missile! I forgot I was a wizard!" - Anya
"Rawr" - Bull, said in any number of inflections for statements, questions, and threats.
Mark, pushing Dibly into the Stirge-infested room and shutting the door behind him: "It's the only way he'll learn."
Comparing print qualities of the PC portraits on character sheets. Jim: "Mine came out okay." Mark: "That's one good thing on that sheet." Ouch!
"It's 12:01am, I can rage again. Rawr!" - Bull
"I’m gonna die and I'm okay with that." - Bull, before running off into the darkness after two crossbow-wielding hobgoblins.
"I think I might actually die!" - Bull, seeing all the hobgoblins waiting for him.
"Yargh?" - any barbarian question
"D'argh?" - barbarian equivalent of d'oh.
"St Cuthbert favors the bold, but not the stupid." - Jeff as Ventros