William fires off a volley of arrows at the shaman hoping to put an end to him.
William strikes the shaman with another arrow, eliciting another grunt of pain. The shaman follows the remaining morlocks down the cliff face into the darkness as they all retreat from the martial prowess of the heroes of Phaendar.
Treasure:
+1 greatclub
potion, cure serious wounds
mwk hide armor
3 doses bloodbrain venom
amulet of natural armor +2
mwk large scale mail
mwk large heavy wooden shield
jade crown
potion of haste
potion of resist fire x2
magical large obsidian 9-rings broadsword
+1 studded leather
+1 chakram
cloak of resistance +2
gold and ivory necklace
"Good plan, Grum! It worked."
Benedict begins gathering up the gear.
"Let's explore the remaining caves, beginning with the one to the south, and then go through that door to the Long Walk."
Benedict heads to the south end of the room and peers down the tunnel.
Haela moves up and heals Grum.
She then attends to William.
"I don't want to expend everything... but I can also work on healing wounds the slow way if we have some time."
The final two caves are evidently the living space of the clan's chieftain. Poorly preserved animal furs line the floor of the first cavern, while the one furthest in the back contains a pile of detritus -- mostly ragged bits of armor or ruined weapons.
Picking through the pile for anything of value takes a while, though utilizing detect magic helps identify magical auras on a ring, three arrows, and a small tin containing a fragrant substance inside.
When Haela looks up at Aerel after healing Grum and William, he waves her off, "Thank you, but save it for now."
William takes a moment to identify the magical items. He then says "I am ready to proceed when you are."
"Let's bring those items and get out of here.
Once we are past that door that was stuck, the one that goes to the Long Walk, we can try to wedge it back into place again. Keep the morlocks from following us easily.
We can rest when we are outside of the morlock lair."
Benedict heads through the door to the Long Walk.
Once out the door, Haela takes her time tending to injuries, using 6 of the 10 daily charges from her Healer's Satchel.
”Thank you, Lady Storm, that does feel much better.”
He rubs his leg where he was bitten earlier. ”What do you think about these bites? I think those creatures earlier must have had some sort of venom.”
"This should help a bit, and it will improve with rest. I can try to channel power again if we think we are safe to rest."
”Very well. I’m more concerned that Grum and Benedict are able to hold the line. I’m sure it will improve with time.”
The arrows are searing arrows and the tin contains three doses of seer's tea. The ring's magic is too complex for William to ascertain for now.
The party takes a few more minutes to have Haela patch up their wounds, and then go back to the door near the vault where the steps descend into the area of the Darklands known as the Long Walk.
Absolutely no light penetrates this deep underground. Without a torch or light spell, William is completely blind. Already easily two hundred or more feet or more underground, the steps take the party almost two thousand more into the depths before they finally reach the end.
There, the stairs open into an old side tunnel that opens upon the Long Walk. It is an expansive cavern with tall, ancient columns supporting the arching ceiling. A massive fissure overhead allows for the water from the ancient cistern to rush into a large black pool.
The party picks along a crumbling bridge to reach the Walk itself. As with the stairs, no light anywhere in the expansive cavern means that the party has to provide some for William. However, any light source could become a beacon for those things that lurk in the dark.
"The naga's journal had directions.
'The way south and east is simple enough along the gray dwarf highway that runs below my chasm.'"
Benedict will consult the journal for any other notes about the journey.
"Should we go ahead now, or rest up first?"
"We could also go back to Longshadow, then return here. Navah could possibly craft something to help William and Amkarang see in the dark. Though I would rather keep going to Kraggodan. If light attracts attention, we will deal with it."
|
”Bah! He is fine!” Grum growled as he slapped his friend on the back, hard. As he did, his innate magic forced itself onto him, giving him darkvision.
Vision mastery, can use twice per day. So 22 hours Darkvision!
William about falls to the ground at the slap on the back. "Thank you my friend! That will do better than my light." He reaches up and grabs his ioun stone that has continual light on it and puts it in his haversack. "Onward into the dark!" he says.
Amkarang shakes his head, "Gah, don't like this. Give me earth or a ship's deck underfoot and Hei Feng's sky above, not stone all around like a rich man's tomb."
The Heroes of Phaendar find themselves in a vastly different world from what they're used to. The ancient Duergar highway supposedly stretches on ahead for miles, though the pitch blackness of the lightless realm presses down upon them. Darkvision gives everyone the ability to see each other and the ground beneath their feet, but beyond sixty feet the darkness is impenetrable. The possibilities of what lurks beyond the edges of their vision is unnerving.
With the journal's directions giving them the best option to reach the dwarven stronghold of Kraggodan and avoid the armies of the Ironfang Legion and Molthune, the heroes brave the darkness and begin their journey.
Without a sky to track time, they can only measure their steps and own fatigue to estimate how much time has passed. The Long Walk's features change over the course of their first few hours. Sometimes they feel the road ascending, sometimes descending. Sometimes there are gradual turns, while other times it feels to go straight. Sometimes the passageway narrows so that they can see the far wall, giving them an estimate that the passage had narrowed to less than fifty feet wide. Most of the time, however, the passage was so wide that the far side was completely out of sight.
After several miles of travel, several of the party hear movement ahead, likely that of a fairly large group traveling together. Knowing that many subterranean races have greater darkvision ranges than those of the party, it will likely be only moments before the group is spotted.
Aerel returns to the group. ”I hear a large group ahead. There’s a fair chance they can see farther than we can. I suggest we back up to a spot where we can manage some cover and see who approaches before announcing our presence.”
"Oh? I heard they had lousy magical gear that disintegrated in sunlight."
"Anyway, I think Aerel's plan is good."
Benedict presses himself into an alcove and tries to remain quiet.
Haela tries to hide as well, with less success.
Aerel, seeing the others taking cover, will find a niche closer to the approaching party on the opposite side of the cavern and attempt to disappear.
The sounds of the group ahead get louder as they draw closer. The party tries to hide, but some are just not skilled at remaining unseen. After a moment, but before anything comes into view, some whispered words are exchanged amongst the newcomers.
"Hey! Up ahead, you see that?"
"Sure do. Op! See another one, tryna hide."
"Surface folk, gotta be. Must be my lucky day. More slaves to join you, Kisegar. Bring them with little damage, and I might cut you a finder's fee."
"Thank you, Flendak. By your orders."
"Stay alert. There's probably more. Get ready!"
There's the sound of spellcasting in the darkness. Aerel catches a glimpse of a large figure suddenly but at the extreme edge of his darkvision.
William begins casting and the group is suddenly sped up.
Aerel has a pouch of pebbles at his belt for distractions and such, but he has another purpose for one now. He fishes one out and focuses his attention on it, causing it to glow suddenly like a torch before closing his hand around it to obscure the light.
The hasted members of the party see a brief flash of light from the far side of the tunnel between them and the unknown threat.
Benedict uses Total Defense for AC 37 (with Haste), although if they snipe him from beyond his Darkvision range then he is only AC 27.
Haela moves up next to Benedict, uses a swift action to enter Dwarven Hatred Style, and also uses Total Defense.
This makes her AC 32 (25 flat-footed).
Haela and Benedict share Lastwall Phalanx, so with Haela's Auspicious Birth (Conjunction) feat they each have +2 sacred bonus to AC and saves vs attacks from evil foes.
"A spellcaster! They'll fetch a great price! Soften it up! Then bring me the rest of them!"
In a heavily accented Taldane, a voice calls out from the darkness. "Surfacers! I claim you as chattel! You can flee into the dark and get gobbled up, or live under Flendak's yoke!"
Several heavy crossbow bolts whistle out of the darkness at William!
Then three giant-sized dwarves with dark grey skin come into view of Aerel! Benedict sees only the lead dwarf, and the rest of the heroes can only peer to the extent of their darkvision and wonder what's there.
Aerel throws the glowing pebble down the tunnel to illuminate the area and back-light the giants.
He moves to duck back into cover and hide.
Seeing the creatures lit up William unleashes a volley of arrows at the first one.
The light source illuminates the deep dwarves and their giant beetle pack "animals."
Grum brings the melee warriors into reach quickly with his dimension door.
William fires back, hitting the lead dwarf three times and wounding him severely.
Amkarang takes a step forward and grins, "I don't know who you are, what you are, or most of what you're saying, but by Hei Feng's beard, I bet you'll die if I hit you enough!"
With that, he unleashes a furious flurry of swings, the magical speed enhancing his deadliness to terrifying heights.
Amkarang grins as he takes a step forward, "I don't quite know what you are, I certainly don't know who you are, but by Hei Feng's beard, I know damn well you'll die if I hit you hard enough!"
With that, he unleashes a furious flurry of swings at the duergar.
Brought into the battle by Grum as allegedly one of "the melee warriors", Benedict tries to live up to the half-orc's example. He takes a step and hammers away at the nearest foe.
Haela takes a step to remain adjacent to Benedict and attacks the foe to her north.
Her strikes are rather wild, unfortunately.
Haela has Dwarven Hatred Style active; if an opponent hits her, she can choose to apply her Defensive Training bonus (+4 AC) as an immediate action. This ability lasts until the opponent dies, the combat ends, or she designates a different opponent, whichever occurs first.
As before, Haela and Benedict share Lastwall Phalanx, so they each have +2 sacred bonus to AC and saves vs attacks from evil foes. And they both have Haste for +1 AC. Benedict is AC 31 (33 vs evil) and Haela is AC 28 (30 vs evil) with the ability to apply Dwarven Seething for +4 vs an opponent that hits her.
Amkarang's hammer deals a number of punishing blows to his target, leaving it reeling and on death's door.
Haela strikes her target once.
Benedict hits his foe a couple of times, sending her retreating behind the beetle, which loyally interposes itself in between her and the Clever warrior.
She holds up her hand, fear on her face. "Wait! Wait! Truce! I'm friend!" she says in heavily accented Taldane. She quickly points her crossbow and sends a bolt whizzing past Benedict's shoulder, sinking into the wounded duergar turning to bring his enlarged waraxe down on Amkarang! His muscles slacken and he falls!
"See? See?" the duergar woman looks desperately at Benedict.
"Kisegar!! I'll have your next twelve generations in servitude!!" The duergar Flendak who appears to be the leader roars at the woman's betrayal, though he can't get to her with all the enemies around him. He steps into a flanking position against Haela using the defending beetle and strikes.
Unfortunately for Flendak, he can't find a weak spot in Haela's defenses.
The two enlarged duergar left make their own attacks, one on Amkarang and the other on Grum.
William steps out and fires another volley at the duergar shifting to the last standing large one if it falls. He shouts in minitan "Fireball coming on those bugs if I can."
Benedict shouts a quick reply to William, "Bugs aren't attacking us!"
And then to the Duergar sniper. "If this is a trick I will kill you."
He steps and attacks the apparent leader Flendak.
Haela steps into a flank with Grum and attacks the commander. Benedict having struck the foe inspires her to greater feats of combat prowess.