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From humbug Fri May 28 09:16:48 1999
From: humbug
Subject: diddles. (long)
Newsgroups: redbrick.rpg.board
Organization:
Summary:
Keywords:
User-Agent: tin/pre-1.4-980202 (UNIX) (SunOS/5.7 (i86pc))
Status: RO
Content-Length: 11258
Lines: 202
Well, here's the next bit.
6 months pass eking out an existence at the foot of the mountains.
Jonas sets up a bit of a forge area in a cave where he can bang away at
some metal. Slate explores and finds an entrance to some Charonti caves
but doesn't enter. Eltric's wispy followers go away after plenty of
prayer and meditation. Nickos learns some Dwarven from Slate. Eltric also
decides that the spell cast on Nickos probably will not work because of
the pre-existing geas to help set up a church of the passing on Charonti
lands.
It is decided to test this theory, and the party heads towards the
cave entrance. Nickos steps in, and doesn't die. Slate then takes the
lead in exploring the area. After a while the party have discovered 2
teleporty rooms (pyramid rooms with a star in the centre) and a larger
room with more ornate and plentiful artwork.
The group press on, continuing to get an idea of the area before fully
exploring any rooms. Progressing down a tunnelled corridor, Slate says
something about the floor being a little different, just before a pit
opens up and he falls through the ground. Luckily he isn't hurt badly as
he lands, unluckily his lantern is, and a layer of burning oil is spread
over the ground beneath him. That, and he's surrounded by zombies.
Eltric tries to lower his staff into the pit so as that Slate
can climb out, but Slate's first instinct (despite standing in fire) is
to slay the zombie in front of him. In the next round of combat the same
occurs, Slate too eager to kill what's in front of him to grab the staff.
At this point Eltric decides to try to turn the undead. Brandishing his
holy symbol, and chanting away, he is successful. The zombies turn and
try to leave, but being in a small pit they keep on walking into the
walls. At the same time, Slate is swinging his axe towards one of the
zombies. Realising he doesn't want to snap the zombie out of it, he tries
to stop himself, and succeeds. Eltric also realises that the turning
will not last long when the zombies are walking into walls, and again
lowers his staff to help Slate climb up. This approach proves difficult
and Slate takes his rope and grapnel. After successfully failing to throw
the grapnel up and out for a couple of rounds, Slate eventually manages,
and climbs out just as the zombies are beginning to attack again. The
'unseen servant' spell is then used to recover the broken lantern, and as
the zombies appear to have stopped moving at this point, the group press
on.
Finishing the exploring and finding a total of 3 teleport rooms
and 2 larger decorated rooms, the second of the latter is explored first.
The room has a low broad set of steps leading up to a height of only
about 5 feet to the far wall of the room, which appears to have what
looks like a mirror hewn from the rock. It is not reflective, and made of
rock, but is clearly the centrepoint of the room. Finding nothing else of
interest the first of the larger rooms is explored. After a while an out
of place gargoyle head carving with an open mouth is found, a similar
carving with a closed mouth on the opposite wall discovered soon after.
When this is pressed the first gargoyle mouth begins to pour green liquid
(teleporty green liquid the party hopes). A wineskin is filled, and the
group heads for the mirror room, the plan being for Greebo to drink some
of the green stuff and see if anything happens there, before heading to
one of the teleport rooms (the room with the least aggressive carvings on
the wall seems a good idea).
Nothing does occur in the mirror room, and as the group are
checking out the first teleport room, with Greebo waiting outside lest
he accidentally sets something off, Greebo gives a yelp. He had been
feeling around the walls outside because they looked different, and cut
his clawed hand on a needle, presumably poisoned. Slate recognises that
a secret door is indeed present, and Eltric shoulders it open. Slate
steps inside, now with Eltrics candle lantern, and is attacked.
A nasty, 8 feet tall, black as black, glowing yellow eyes,
glowing wavy-bladed sword guy kind of appears from the ceiling, and quick
as hell attacks Slate. The passageway seems too small for any kind of
large weapon, but when the black guy swings his sword it appears to pass
through, or disappear and reappear, unhindered by being swung as though it
would hit the rock walls.
Slate is hit, and retches violently, feels like crap, but doesn't
take too much damage. Jonas moves to attack the black guy, but misses, the
situation at the end of the round being Jonas attacking from the corridor,
and Slate on the other side of the black guy in the small passage.
Next round, Slate decides he didn't like the feeling of being hit one
bit, and moving further into the small passage he encounters a stone table
with small items atop, and spends the this and the next round putting them
into his pack. Jonas also decides to discontinue attacking (?) but before
he can back off the black buy has hit him, freezing him where he stands.
The next round Eltric finds himself being attacked by a yellow-eyed
possessed Jonas.
Rather than risking badly injuring Jonas, Eltric attacks with his
fists, and at the same time Nickos limits Jonas' damage potential by
casting 'grease' on his longsword, causing him to drop it. A couple of
rounds pass, Nickos and Eltric trying to knock-out/restrain Jonas, Slate
at the same time fighting the black guy, changing weapons a bit before
settling on his axe. Greebo and Gandu doing nothing in the meantime due
to lack of room.
Jonas is at this stage attacking Eltric with his dagger, so it is
decided not to hold back on attacking him any longer. Gandu slams him with
two (instead of one, thanks to wild magic) well cast 'magic missiles' and
Eltric manages to hit Jonas too, but after a couple of nasty stabs from
Jonas, Eltric falls to the ground. Greebo determines that Eltric is
merely unconscious, but is unable to naturally heal him. Slate has been,
in the meantime, fighting away against the black guy, but is again hit,
and at the start of the next round a possessed Slate appears in the
passage, just beside Jonas who is standing in the corridor.
As the round begins Greebo casts 'burning hands' at Jonas, and
best as he can at Slate. Jonas is at last felled, and Slate merely singed.
At the same time Nickos casts 'grease', aiming to make Slate drop his axe,
but messes up, and causes Slate to slip and fall (It is soon realised that
the grease has been cast on Slate's feet (a fluke) and that Slate is too
dumb to realise this, thus falling each time he attempts to stand.) Greebo
and Nickos attack Slate while he is on the ground, but all that can be
managed is for Nickos to hit himself and break his staff. It is soon
decided that the black guy behind Slate should be the target.
Gandu reluctantly moves into position in the corridor so as to
fire a 'magic missile' at the black buy in the passage. He hits causing
average damage. Slate is not yet on his feet, so Gandu risks casting a
spell at the black guy that causes a wild surge, a random, strange
magical event. The result is a 'magic missile' unfortunately
emanating from both Gandu and the black guy. Gandu takes some damage,
and it looks like the black guy takes a little more.
Grease due to expire soon, one 'burning hands' being the only
offensive spell left, two possessed party members, one unconscious and
the three mages left to do the fighting. Things are looking grim.
Gandu and Nickos decide to swap places, Nickos, being able to
take more of a hammering, to go in front of Slate, Gandu to move to the
unconscious Eltric to try to administer a potion (hopefully curative)
previously found in the jungle.
The potion does indeed work well, restoring Eltric to full health, and
in the next round the four party members are able to flee, Slate taking
a last swipe at Nickos, but missing. With no sign of pursuit, the party
discuss their options at the entrance to the tunnels. It is decided to
head back to base where the party can safely meditate and gather
necessary spell components if any attempt to resuce Slate/Jonas / kill
the black guy is to be made.
On the way back, however, things are upset.
From out of a small cave the party are passing a roaring noise
sounds. Running like hell seems like a good idea, but almost immediately
a large bear is bearing down on the party. The tiny Greebo is ignored as
the bear heads for Gandu. Eltric tries to steady the groups resolve,
turning to face the bear. Nickos keeps running, unwilling to attack a bear
with his bare hands. Greebo goes to cast 'burning hands' but decides
against, realising he isn't close enough. Gandu also opts to run, but
before he can do so, the bear has attacked.
Gandu is demolished. The bear claws him, grabs his body, crushes it,
spine-cracking noises are heard, and at the end of the round the bear is
standing it's full nine feet, holding aloft Gandu's broken corpse. It
seems a good bet that the bear has found it's meal, but the group prepare
to attack. Nickos and Eltric are unable due to the necessity of Eltric
passing Nickos his staff, and in turn drawing his own dagger. Greebo
does manage to cast 'burning hands', but misjudges and gets Nickos as
well as the bear. The bear takes the damage, but Nickos saves, and is
only scorched. The bear replies by throwing Gandu's body onto some nearby
rocks, and turning to attack Greebo.
The group run in three different directions, the enraged bear
pursuing but unable to hit the small dexterous Greebo. As this is
happening Eltric returns to see if he can recover Gandu's corpse. The
bear, however, has the same idea, and as Nickos and Greebo are fleeing
back to base, Eltric is faced with a curious sight. The bear recovers
the corpse. Gandu's spellbook falls from the slumped body, and even as
Eltric is thinking that this is fortunate, the bear proceeds to pick up
the book, and heads off with both corpse and book.
Greebo, Nickos and Eltric meet up at base a while later, and
decide to wait a day so as that spells can be meditated for, and
components can be prepared/blessed in order to face the black buy again.
With Greebo on watch in his tree, he wakes the meditating Nickos and
Eltric, reporting that Slate is coming.
Rushing outside, preparing for combat, Slate is seen trudging
towards the base, head down, axe in hand, trailing along the ground
behind him. As his name is called out his head lifts slightly before he
collapses to the ground.
Running to his attention, Greebo and Eltric, both proficient in the
healing arts, agree that he hasn't got long left. Eltric meditates for
spells to help determine what's wrong with Slate while Greebo tends to
him, but there isn't much hope. The spells determine that he is neither
poisoned nor affected by evil, but simply on the verge of death from
the ordeal. But perhaps, now, a few hours later, to the healers surprise,
not quite so near death. Another few hours pass, and it even seems as
though Slate is getting better. By the time Eltric has finished
meditating a second time, the two healers agree that Slate should be
back on his feet within a week.
That's that.
humbug.
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