The dwarves have sealed the back of their mine after discovering valuable
minerals in a new cavern and losing a whole dwarf mining family shortly
afterwards. After some negotiation the dwarves agree to pay the party per foot (as in high not
appendage) of monster slain. The party are led through the mines blindfolded and pass through a
gate which is locked behind them. Lura scouts ahead and reports the sound of
running water and sound of (possibly webbed) feet. The party enter a cavern
with a central lake to confront strange hairy human-like creatures. The party’s
strict First Encounter Protocol is then put into action – they wipe the
bastards out. Who knows what these hapless creatures were? Simple burrowing
creatures whose daily toil is essential to the ecology of the surface world?
The afterworld bodies of the ancient dwarvish ancestors? The party themselves
in cursed forms sent back in time to meet a grisly fate? We shall never know.
They are quickly turned into 47’ 4”@ 5gp per 2’ of adventuring fodder.
Ditto the next few caverns and rooms until Midge becomes slightly queasy at
slaughtering the females and young (the rest of the party are chanting 82’ 2”,
85’ 4”, 89’ 8”……). The party find a secret passage going up (TBEL – to be
explored later), a trap going down (niftily avoided by Brand) and three out of
five missing dwarves (damn – forgot to negotiate a rate for them). So far so
good.
The next room contains a fountain (with coins) a throne (too heavy to carry)
and an entrance to an evil temple.
Let me see statues of wolves, murals of giant wolf stomping on cities, carved
relief of grinning wolfshead above altar. Bit of a theme here - this must be
an ancient temple of the Order of the Goat or perhaps Chicken?
(TBEL because TMGOD (too much gold on display)). Next a room with pillars –
carved pillars – carved I Bet They Come to Life pillars. Intelligent and
careful movement brings Roc next to a pillar which does indeed try to beat the
crap out of him. But adventuring is a game of two halves. Final score: Party 2
Pillars 0.
A bridge to cross – the party show off their new boots. A few more secret
doors are discovered. A few suits a plate mail are also discovered and valued and an
ancient alchemist’s lab is picked over by Dindle, after disposing of its small
(barely 5gps worth) but aggressive inhabitant. Now the party are working their
way towards the serious stuff. A skeleton with TMGOD? Hmm. An evil looking
wraith in the next room. Hmm. Lets attack the skeleton although we know it
could be dangerous. Whooomph! Half the party gone. Lets have a go at the
skeleton’s treasure. Whoomph! The other half are gone!
Lura follows Roc to a tower in Dolgold castle. Kaala and Dindle merely end
up in the alchemist’s lab next door. Midge is transported to the entrance from
the mine so at least he knows where he is. The party slowly reassemble. But
where is Ralph? And Brand? The magic appears to have worn off the skeleton,
however, and he is duly destroyed and his treasure looted. The wraith next
door paralyses at a distance through magic and provides a tough opponent but
Dindle’s Magic Missiles finally finish him off (although Kaala, Roc and Midge
are paralysed in the process). An iron door which cannot be opened. A rusty
lever. What to do next? Meanwhile Brand wakes up in what appears to be a broom
cupboard. But whose? Oh dear!
After a while it transpires that Brand has been captured by a magician with
a beard plus at least four nasty
goblinoid creatures.. He makes a brave escape to another room with sadly only
one entrance and makes a
severe nuisance of himself before being overpowered. The magician is interested
in where the rest of the party
has got to and Brand says they are in an underground complex without giving
the location. The magician
is frustrated and retires to think of an evil plan, preferably involving
maiming and torture.
Meanwhile some of the party get wet feet as a room they enter begins to fill
with water. Happily they find
the plughole before the shorter members of the party begin to have breathing
difficulties. The next room
to be investigated contains a chest, an iron snake and a falcon on a plinth.
The snake comes to life which is
followed very quickly by death. The chest is effortlessly opened for 1522gps of
loot and a small secret
compartment is detected in the plinth. In the compartment are 27 gems worth
1740gps plus a spell book
and a replica (i.e. the real) falcon. On the flyleaf of the spellbook are the
words ‘Blackbird Fly’ which
Dindle quickly works out should not be read out aloud without careful thought.
Unable to get through the iron door (the lever was tried but broke) the party investigate
the upper level.
Some deserted rooms and then a temple is found. On the altar is a lump of stone
(very similar to those
in a well-known stone-circle) and the wall is covered with carvings of squat
troll-like creatures. In the next
room (sneakily observed) are some squat troll-like creatures round a fire.
Midge decides that scouting invisibly might be a good idea and finds several
dormitories containing more of these creatures. Then he finds
a rubbish room complete with shute which much to the delight of the hungry
gelatinous cube below he falls
down. Is this the end of our hero or will some recently acquired boots save the
day?
Midge is in trouble, the cube only needs to succeed with a single attack to
immobilise him. Midge, however, fights on the run and by dint of his newly
acquired speed wins the day. A little engineering lets him out of the trap and
back to his companions. Brand meanwhile escapes and rejoins the party. Using
the old Silence Spell
On Pebble trick they effectively isolate the remaining inhabitants of the
underground complex. Various trollings, a wight and a powerful skeleton are
disposed of (not to mention a water creature). The party return to the dwarves to
collect their reward and to discretely send out for further supplies.
A trip to the Bluebell flushes out the assassins who appear to have been
after Priscilla as well. They have barely ordered their first drinks when the
air becomes thick with flying daggers, which as Midge finds out are coated with
a particular noxious substance. Priscilla, however, has taken the precaution
of entertaining a friend from Ristenby who also happens to be handy with the
dagger. Despite some invisible reinforcements the assassins lose out and their
equipment adds to the party treasure.
Meanwhile Brinn, the dwarves and some local businessmen are drawn deeper
into pacts of mutual cooperation and everyone is sworn to secrecy regarding the
underground complex. Nordegai the magic user has, however, left the hobbit hole
and may be out there plotting revenge…..
Midge, however, takes to the air, courtesy of Blackbird Airlines, and flies
over the wood where Lura’s tracking suggested Nordegai might be. He duly spots
an encampment deep in the wood and the party use their skills at ambush once
again. Nordegai and his goblinoid allies lack any kind of woodcraft skills and
are taken by surprise before Nodegai can bring his powers to bear on the
situation. The party recover an interesting artefact, the wand of Dolgar, which
after some experimenting in the stone circle, they deduce can (depending on
which end you use) do Stone to Flesh or Flesh to Stone. The one process charges
the other to a maximum of 6HD. Gradually the missing of Dolgold are returned to
life, even Erin the Wolf, who is dumped in Brinn’s dungeons for safekeeping.
Prando the hobbit is very grateful for his release and reveals to Midge that
his ill gotten gains were indeed the proceeds from a raid on an Order of the
Wolf secret temple which he made with Priscilla. He donates half the remaining
loot to the party.
The party then turn their attention to the one small detail they have not
investigated. The barrels found by the lake and the mystery of the alleged
giant otter attack. It is quickly established that the otters are innocent (at
least that’s their story) and the lake has had giant eels dumped in it. The
party aren’t too happy at the prospect of underwater combat but Dindle conjures
a few sharks who in the tight space created by a large net (courtesy the
villagers) create havoc among the eels. The village looks forward to many fish
and chip suppers
Having achieved more than could have been hoped for the party settle down to
some serious celebrations which the villagers are only too happy to encourage
and the local economy receives a welcome boost. While this is going on various
messages wing their way around the vicinity and high priced goods are ordered
and received. Kaala is recalled to Ristenby to take over the adventuring party
there and the party are joined by a Healer, Lana to compensate.
Perkin has received a plea of from Griffon Duchy, who have heard of the
party’s reputation (as have all insurance organisations within a hundred mile
radius), and need help with a delicate matter (yes, they’re desperate!). The
party make for the Duke of Griffon’s castle (where if necessary more shopping
can take place) where they are briefed on their mission. While they are there,
Lura (who may be surprised to hear this!) receives, a parcel from Prando
containing her father’s sword which he found in a secret compartment in his
hobbit hole and some accompanying experience points.