Khartelosch ponders the timing and the situation for a moment before he speaks. It is best not to accept the mayor's task, then. Do not work for people you suspect will betray you. That is how to stay alive in the Mana Wastes.
Khartelosch ponders the timing and the situation for a moment before he speaks. It is best not to accept the mayor's task, then. Do not work for people you suspect will betray you. That is how to stay alive in the Mana Wastes.
I had not specified a time to check in with them. Though it sounds like this stone is important to many. Even if we are unsure of the mayors honor, it may be fate that placed us here to locate the magic it contains.
The mayor is paying 5000 gold per adventurer that we find, yes? I see no reason not to rescue some adventurers (or recover their bodies) for a price like that. If we should happen to find the gem, we need not turn it over to the mayor.
The cretinous Thaane snores during the conversation of his comrades. Sleeping soundly next to the rotting orc head on a stick and saddle bags, soiling the luxurious bed with velvet coverings.
After the party's needs are met and as they fall deep into slumber, a loud crash wakes them as they find that an iron gate has dropped in front of the doors and the back wall of the room has collapsed almost straight downward into a hole outside of the room. The hole opens up into a cavern as a metal bridge is dropped connecting the cavern with the room.
A large bug-like humanoid is staring at them screeching as it crosses the bridge and enters the room.
The aberration strikes out at the sleeping Thaane with a razor-sharp claw.
Thaane awakes in agony as his patched up jacket is ripped deeply.
AAAHHH!
Thaane fumbles widely around for his pistol in the pile of equipment that he was sleeping on.
Round 1
Silvash
Ibrah
Verrin
Thing
Thaane
Khart
Verrin, still mostly nude, leaps to his feet, his newly sharpened sword always close to hand and stabs at the creature while muttering infernal words, causing his blade to glow red.
Ibrah rolls out of bed, picking up his Temple Sword as he does so.
Ibrah begins giving advice to his companions, Don't let it get too close -- watch out for the mandibles -- etc.
Silvash grabs his rapier and rolls out of bed and casts Mage Armor on himself.
"What the heck! That's no way to treat visitors!"
The horrid and thick-shelled bugman strikes at Thaane again before he locates his pistol.
Thaane cries out in agony as his blood sprays the creature.
Thaane raises the pistol with both barrels loaded and unleashes a deafening crack as both barrels fire at the mass.
The creature squeals as the black blood burns it followed by fractured pieces of shell being shot off of the thick fore claws.
Khartelosch's natural evennaturedness fails him at the abrupt and threatening awakening. With a feral growl, he rages and takes up his lucerne hammer, swinging it at the new threat if it is within his extended reach.
Verrin and Khartelosch both miss the hulking and agile beast as Silvash arms himself and Ibrah tries to conduct the conflict.
Muttering more demonic syllables, Verrin strikes at the creature like a whirlwind.
Silvash moves to flank with Verrin and attacks.
Silvash yells out, "Face off with me Verrin!"
Ibrah continues shouting advice as he closes with the creature, then swings his blade wide, missing the creature.
If the creature is still alive after Thaane acts, Khartelosch also attempts to flank and strike.
+2 if flanking.
Verrin and Silvash flank the over-sized aberration, whittling away at its carapace. The creature responds by shrieking in agony and spilling ochre onto the cool stone floor. The creature snaps it's claws wildly at Silvash.
Enraged and in pain, the claws swoosh by the agile Sylph.
Thaane reloads quickly and holds his ground as another loud crack eliminates from his barrels.
Seventeen
The creature absorbs the shells in horrid astonishment shortly before Khartelosch's hammer crashes into the bug man's head disabling it's enormous mandible.
Round 3
Verrin continues his whirling dance along the creatures flank.
"That's the idea Verrin! We got him."
Silvash attacks the flanked creature again.
Ibrah's stream of advice continues as he positions himself at the best place to attack, then delivers a neat cut with his Temple Sword.
Silvash concentrates to attack any weak points, but only comes against a parry that deflects his blade.
Ibrah delivers the killing blow after studying the situation closely.
The creature sinks into a lifeless heap of fractured shell and sanguine.
A section of ceiling slowly slides open and the mayor is seen standing on the grate peering down.
Nice work fellas! I'm sorry about the unorthodox wake-up call, but I had test your mettle. No one wants to willingly fight the hulk when they see him first. Just continue in the cavern and you should at some point find what I'm looking for. Be careful, no one has ever returned in one piece.
Can I get a little help here?
Thaane inquires of his comrades pointing to the deep claw marks in his chest.
He seems drowsy and lays back down.
I'm tired. Let me just rest for a second.
Silvash quietly puts on all his gear and packs everything up. He sheathes his rapier and readies his short bow and waits for the others to help Thaane and get fully dressed.
5000 gold for each of you for the safe return of the blue stone. Whatever else you find is yours. Come back to a hero's reception!
Khartelosch uses the wand of inflict light wounds on Thaane.
That taken care of, he looks up at the mayor through the grate. This dishonorable act has just cost you the stone, you stupid smug old man. And your life when you are least expecting it to end.
So sorry to hear that Orc. I shall send yours to your next of kin. Just let me know who they are.
Thank you Khartelosch. I will be picking up the rear. I am considering riding a beast should one be silly enough to wander through the caverns.
A large metal door serves as a makeshift bridge over a crevass into the cavern. The cavern is big, but not totally dark. Giant fungi glow in a variety of spots along the cavern floor and provides soft light where darkness seems to cloak the walls but about 100 yards ahead there are two tunnels. One on the right and one on the left. The floor is covered with fine gray sand that is mostly dust. You can see clumps of smooth stones here and there. Vision beyond 60 feet is difficult but not impossible.
My eyes are sharp and my feet quiet. I will take point. Ibrah casts a spell, and Khartelosch's belt begins glowing. He casts another spell on himself as he pulls out his Glaive. Then he leads the way 60 feet ahead of the party to act as a scout. He walks slowly and carefully, eyes peeled for any danger or anything of interest.
Ibrah, can you see whether that beetloid came from one of the two tunnels? Also, anyone know what sort of fungi these are?
Khartelosch attempts to detect if the spores are poisonous by casting detect poison, logically. He follows Ibrah at a twenty-foot distance, looking around for nests, traps and signs of previous adventurers passing, aided by his glowing belt and his darkvision.
His senses are on high alert as he picks up minor shifts in air temperature, gradations in the stone and sand floor, slight changes in the scents wafting down the tunnels.
hmm he seems to have used this beast as a test before. I will examine it while you two seek our path.
Thaane clutches his chest and reloads his pistol before resting it in it's holster.
He grabs the saddle bags and short spear with rotting orc head atop. Quietly, lumbers behind the group. Waiting for Ibrah to tell them which way they should go.
As Verrin dismantles the buganoid, Ibrah, Silvash and Khartelosch examine the cavern as closely as possible. The glowing blue fungus comes does not seem poisonous to Khartelosch. No nests are obvious, but there is a pile of bones behind a group of small boulders, along with some scraps of metal and shards of indeterminate objects.
A faint clicking can be discerned coming from the tunnel on the right. The tunnel on the left seems quiet, but produces a very slight and cool breeze. Some sort of translucent slime begins to drip from the ceiling in very small amounts and extremely slow in doing this.
The mayor's trap door had closed pretty rapidly after he wished them luck.
Verrin, seemingly inured to the mess, tosses a chunk of meat at the translucent slime.
Better messy than disolved. He says with a shrug.
Verrin, seemingly inured to the mess, tosses a chunk of meat at the translucent slime.
Better messy than dissolved. He says with a shrug.
The meat sticks briefly to the slime on the ceiling and then falls to the floor unharmed.
Standing in front of the two tunnels, Ibrah in front of the others notices a small iron door in the wall to the left of the left tunnel. It is slightly concealed by a boulder standing upright. Farther to the left is the pile of bones and metal shards.
Thaane walks intently towards the bone pile after he notices a crushed metal box that is long but slim. He picks it up to see the runes on it. Dumbfounded, he shakes the box until a solid silver wand falls from the box. After carefully inspecting the box, he places it into his saddle bags and reaches down for the wand. He studies it carefully and hands it to Verrin and says
Here. before finding a smooth stone and sitting down. He takes out the box and his gunsmithing tools and disassembles the box and begins to file the edge.
Silvash approaches the door and takes a few minutes to check for traps and to see if it is unlocked.
The door is locked tight. The locking device is small and seems complicated. The door is about one foot thick. You can tell by the small but hefty foot prints in the fine gray sand in front of the door that there has been recent activity concerning it.
Ahh, good find. Lets see what we have.
Verrin adds his own search to the mess, just in case.