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From humbug Mon Nov 15 15:03:43 1999
From: humbug
Subject: d&d
Newsgroups: redbrick.rpg.board
Organization:
Summary:
Keywords:
User-Agent: tin/pre-1.4-19990805 ("Preacher Man") (UNIX) (FreeBSD/3.2-STABLE (i386))
Status: RO
Content-Length: 8876
Lines: 157
Starring:
afrodite as Roderick, the Transmuter.
humbug as Synd, the cleric of chance.
pooka as Gwyfrie, the halfling thief.
Sandman as I'kanta, the Invoker.
Sares as Telar, the half-elven fighter.
Thayl as Meltar, an Elven fighter.
With:
ggoat as DM, and everyone else in the universe.
On the first day of Clarmont in the year of 362 a group of strangers talk
around a table. The war is just a few months over but never really
affected these islands to the south. Nobody really knows how the war was
won, just that the Elves got together and did something, and now they are
gone. Gone, apart from the one sitting in the Tavern of the Sea of Dread
in Minrothad City.
Meltar has heard all the questions before, and doesn't know, or
isn't saying, where his people have gone, or why he isn't there with
them. His half-human son Telar may have something to do with it, but they
just talk to one another in Elven when anyone seems to get close. Across
the table sit two humans, describing themselves as mages but with nothing
to show for it aside from the fact that they're not wearing
armour. I'kanta is large and dark-skinned. His friend Roderick is smaller,
and a little jumpy. The two others are noticeable by their youth. Gwyfrie
appears to be a halfling, but insists that he's just a small human. Synd
is a cleric of Chance, but she too seems a little young to be that. Meltar
and Telar are planning on travelling south to Dunson Fell in the morning,
and the others (out to seek their fortunes) agree to come along.
Synd and Gwyfrie share a couple of rounds of Scotch before Gwyfrie
goes upstairs to have a look at the room the Elf has paid for. Telar
decides he wants to go for a walk. I'kanta and Roderick do the same a few
moments later, I'kanta wanting to see the docks.
Meltar and Synd share conversation in the common room of the Tavern. As
they are doing so a man in a bath-towel enters the common room from
upstairs. He has a longsword in one hand, and with the other he tosses the
slumped figure of a halfling onto the floor. "Whoever owns this better
deal with it" he declares, and returns upstairs. Synd runs over to
Gwyfrie's body and checks his condition. He is dead. Head clouded by
alcohol; Synd casts 'cure light wounds' in hope of restoring Gwyfrie. The
spell succeeds, and Gwyfrie survives the shock. Synd casts one more spell
to restore Gwyfrie to consciousness, and at this point the innkeeper is
getting agitated. He mutters something about the man in the bath-towel
being a good customer, and ejects Synd, Gwyfrie and Meltar from his
bar. Meltar complains that he had already paid for a room. Synd enquires
of Gwyfrie what happened. His response of "He attacked me for no
reason" is not convincing.
Still wondering what to do next, Roderick comes running towards
the three outside the Tavern. I'kanta has been mugged, and Roderick rushes
to lead Synd, Meltar and a bloodied Gwyfrie to the alley.
Synd checks I'kanta's condition, and manages to splash him awake with a
facefull of Scotch. All of I'kanta's valuables are gone, including his
spellbook. I'kanta is naturally concerned, and after Telar shows up, and a
couple of minutes are wasted in the alley discussing things, he's not
pleased. Gwyfrie heads off towards the docks in an effort to see about
recovering the spellbook. The rest move out of the dark alley, and to find
another inn. Rooms are taken in the Inn, and Synd heads upstairs to
meditate for more healing spells.
By the time Synd has finished meditating, Gwyfrie has returned to
the inn. He carries a large book. I'kanta gladly takes back his spellbook
as Gwyfrie lists off the possessions he lost in order to retrieve
it. I'kanta acknowledges the debt, and after Synd has cast a couple more
'cure light wounds' spells the night passes.
Next morning, after wasting some time going back and forth buying rations,
the group of six set off for Dunson Fell. The Elf entertains the party
along the way with some stupid Elven singing, and even manages to attract
something to the party that otherwise wouldn't have noticed it. Thankfully
it is only an ironmonger and his guards. His wares are of no interest to
the group, and the party continue towards Dunson Fell. Meltar doesn't seem
to have much to say about why he is travelling south, but I'kanta has a
few words of Elven and realises that it is Telar's mother that Meltar and
Telar are trying to find. Soon enough the group arrive in Dunson Fell,
where housewives everywhere are admiring their new pots and pans.
Meltar heads for the location of his wife's house as he remembers
it, and is met by an old shack. Meltar and Telar head inside, the rest
wait around. After a minute or two Telar gives a yelp, and calls for the
others to come inside. As they do so they realise that Telar has been
injured, and that a rotting bag of bones is standing in the middle of the
shack. Meltar quickly explains that this is his wife, and that he doesn't
know what is going on. Before anyone can act the wife turns to Meltar and,
pointing a bony finger, curses him to experience what he left her to
experience all those years ago. With that she crumples in a dusty heap.
Telar and Meltar and understandably upset. After a while the party move to
a yard behind the shack in which there is a grave. The grave is that of
Meltar's wife, and shows the year of her death as being this one. Synd
offers to say a few words over the corpse, but all that's really left is a
pile of dust and some rags. Without warning the run-down shack
collapses. Everyone but Synd and Roderick leap away, who find themselves
under a large portion of wall. Roderick is rendered unconscious, but Synd
manages to pick herself up and use natural healing on Roderick in the
succeeding round. With nothing much else to do at the now collapsed shack,
the party head off into town. Meltar is eager to gain more information
pertaining to his now deceased wife, and heads to the local church (of the
Harvest, as it happens) and engages in conversation with a jolly cleric.
The cleric (who's didn't give his name) was well aware of the
condition of the mother, but for the past few years she had been keeping
to her house, just being a crazy person. There was some trouble in the
past, with the mother zombifying children who went to play in the scary
old shack, but that hasn't happened in a while. Efforts had been made to
put the mother to rest, and sanctify the ground, but to no avail. The
cleric also mentioned that the year of death on the tombstone seemed to
change with each passing year, the real year of her death being some
twenty years ago. Back when she was just a crazy person, and not an undead
crazy person, the mother used to come into town and buy Elven stuff and
pictures, just so as that she could mutilate them. It is at that point
that it appears to dawn on the cleric that he is talking to an Elf, as
well as a Half-Elf, and he chuckles to himself. The party mention the fact
that Meltar appears to have been cursed, and the jolly Fr. nods to
himself. When enquired of, the Fr. states that he is not powerful (or
inclined) enough to do any curse removing and suggest the party try
Minrothad for that kind of thing.
With that the group set off to find an Inn for the
night. Naturally, the only Inn in town is full, but the Innkeeper lets the
party sleep in the stable for 1 gold piece. Come morning, Telar is still
injured from his encounter with his undead mother and Synd offers to cast
'cure light wounds' upon him. Instead, she casts 'cause fear' and sends
Telar running out into the streets of Dunson Fell in his underwear. Telar
returns a few minutes later, just a little agitated. Synd explains that it
was a 'cure light wounds' spell that didn't work properly, and offers to
cast another one. Telar accepts, making various decapitation based threats
should the spell 'fail' again. It doesn't, and Telar suspiciously thanks
Synd for the healing.
With no more business in Dunson Fell, the group consider leaving that
afternoon, but the fact that Synd is out of healing spells sways the party
towards staying another night in the stable, which passes without
incident. In the morning, after acquiring food for the journey, the group
set off for Minrothad City, and arrive by sundown. The cityguards, as
usual, require palms to be greased before granting admittance to the city,
and the group head off to find a Inn with the now weary Elf. The curse
appears to be taking its toll. Indeed, Meltar passes out when he is
forcibly ejected from an Inn for offering below the standing rates. It
becomes evident that Meltar will need treatment sooner than the party had
thought, and the group head to the nearest church (The Harvest, again) to
ask assistance.
Fr. Bread does not appear pleased to have had his dinner
disturbed, and enquires of the party as to what they want.
humbug.
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