The bug is blown to smithereens! When the insect pops off Haru's neck, she snaps out of her trance.
She blinks. What… where am I… how… how did I get here? She rests her hand on Peaches's shoulder for support and sits down in the grass. I don't remember.
I think there's something… strange here… something… calling me. She shivers and looks at the dark cave behind her. In there.
Look. Maybe you can find out what's going on. By going in. If you do, I'll lend you my gear. She nods at the man in white. And keep an eye on him. Not that I'm much good in my current state, but Peaches and I can fend off a few bloodseekers, at least. Will you go?
She lends you a cold iron dagger and two vials of holy water, as well as an empty vial. She suddenly pauses, giving Gaz a funny look. That's a creepy thing in your bag — and I've had my fill of creepy for the day. I've seen it before… somewhere…
The man in white looks at his empty hands and mumbles, red… eyes… the dark…
Haru nods as Max sets the man in white down next to her. I can protect him while you go inside.
Haru nods at Zallarra. A healing potion, I think. Never hurts to have a spare vial.
- an old, ink-black vial identified as a potion of Invisibility
- lesser antidote
- suit of gold-plated half-plate armor
- one minor healing potion.
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"So... a potion of invisibility. Who might be able to use that the best... the antidote and healing I guess we can just use as a group, see who needs it. Do we even have anyone who might fit in that armor? Certainly not me!"
After the items have been handed out Zallarra lights a torch.
"OK. In we go.."
You enter the mysterious cave — guttering torchlight reveals carved steps descending into the bowels of the earth. To the side is a pile of discarded picks and shovels. Their handles are decayed and the metal parts are rusted beyond use — this is ancient mining equipment. This cave may have once been the back entrance to a working mine, but it was forgotten long ago.
The twig snaps, and for a few breathless heartbeats there's silence… then, you think you hear something moving around below but you can't be sure whether it's just a draft. You draw your weapons.
At the bottom of the stairs you see a wide entryway and passages to the left and right — Max moves left, and when he rounds the corner his black-and-white darkvision allows him to see a group of squat humanoids with huge heads — an unfortunate circumstance, considering how ugly their puffy faces are.
Bramble's torchlightfalls upon them, and you can see that they they are blue. One of them is dripping a vile of vile-looking liquid on an arrow. He grins at you, showing sharp teeth.
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 1!
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Max Titan
Big Blue
Little Blues
Bramble cannot connect against the small blue creature in the flickering torchlight.
One of them screams in pain as a blob of acid hits it squarely in its puffy face, then they both howl when they are jolted by electricity! The one hit by the acid seems to avoid the worst of the electric arc.
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 1!
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Somethign happens
Max Titan
Big Blue
Little Blue 1
Little Blue 2
Suddenly a mean-looking bloodseeker buzzes around the other corner where it was hidden, seeking to feast upon on the group's flank!
The tiny creature flies into Gaz's space. It's so hungry!
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 1
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Surprise Bloodseeker
Max Titan
Big Blue
Little Blue 1
Little Blue 2
When max easily kills the small blue creature, the other one starts to shriek. GWIBBLE GWIBBLE GWIBBLE GWIBBLE GWIBBLE!
The creature in the back incants some jiberish in his squeaky voice, pudgy fingers of his left hand making arcane signs as he does so. The space around him begins to shimmer with translucent shadows that sometimes coalesce into terrified faces.
He then chucks the dart, dripping with some vile green fluid, at Max. Luckily for Max it clacks harmlessly against the cave wall. The creature looks very dismayed at this bad luck: Gwibble get you next time!
The second creature moves in for two strikes, poking its shortsword into Max's flesh only once. It's too afraid to be very effective.
Another blue creature darts in from the other side of the cavern, wielding a shortsword and screaming like a maniac. He glances at the the powerful and frightening Max before choosing to instead stab weaker-looking foes on the back lines! He frantically waves his shortsword in the air as he makes a beeline at Zallarra.
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 2
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Surprise Bloodseeker
Max Titan
Big Blue
Little Blue 2
Surprise Little Blue 3
Gwibble!? The one stabbed falls down, unconscious.
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 2
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Surprise Bloodseeker
Max Titan
Big Blue
Surprise Little Blue 3
|
Gaz turns, smoke billowing from his mouth and his eyes a blaze as the bug flies toward him. He curls his fingers making crude claws and his mouth curls into a vicious sneer.
"What this? You think you can challenge me? You are, quite literally, a bug to be squashed. Your last mistake."
He expels another arc of lightning. It slams into the bug and arcs to the blue creature attacking Zallara.
The lightning arc misses the insect, but hits the other creature square on the nose, frying a blue pustule.
Blinded for a split second by the electric arc, the creature somehow misses the effects of Zallara's color spray.
It continues screeching. Aiiiiieeee!
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 2
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Surprise Bloodseeker
Max Titan
Big Blue
Surprise Little Blue 3
The bloodseeker furiously buzzes around Gaz's head, but its proboscis cannot find an opening!
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 2
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Surprise Bloodseeker
Max Titan
Big Blue
Surprise Little Blue 3
Max moves like a wrecking ball around the battlefield, destroying the bloodseeker in one powerful blow.
The creature in the back says more jibberish words and the aura expands. It then draws a shortsword and moves out of sight.
The last blue creature, panicking now, attacks Zallarra!
It only hits once, drawing a little blood. These enemies are flailing rather pathetically.
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 3
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Max Titan
Big Blue
Surprise Little Blue 3
Zallarra finishes iff the creature next to her! Gwibb... elll...
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 3
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Max Titan
Big Blue
The creatiure weaves its head, bobbing out of the way. The electric arc harmlessly melts some iron ore in the wall.
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 3
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Max Titan
Big Blue
Bramble and Seebonickk feel a momentary terror, then push past it.
The creature snarls, lashing out at the rogue and hitting twice — but not very effectively!
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 4
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Max Titan
Big Blue
|
|
Gaz growls at the deft blue creature. He curls his hands, turning them upward. Glowing energy swirls around his hands as his eyes narrow.
"Dodge this cretin!"
Three spheres of magical force leaps from Gaz's hand. They rises in the air then, like shooting stars, dart forth slamming into the blue attacker.
The creature is ricked by the blow of pure force, but still standing — it looks badly hurt, though!
Battle of the Iron Cave: Round 4
Bramble the Brave
Gaz
Seebonickk
Zallarra
Max Titan
Big Blue
Max does what Max does best, destroying the creature. It falls with a final Gwibble.
Out of combat!
Seebonickk looks down at the puffy-faced blue bodies, identifying them as Mitflits, fey creatures who can empathasize with vermin… vermin such as bloodseekers!
You move deeper into the mine, where you find a colony of mitflits hiding in a fogotten nook. The creatures cower in terror — not of you, but of the mosquito witch. One of them speaks in broken common:
Gwibble! Gwibble make pretend to be witch! Tell bugs to bite! Drive off people! Want land for us! People go away! Scared! All swamp and all bugs for us! Fun! As a measure of good faith, they offer you their pitiful treasures.
There's a set of tiny little stilts leaning in the corner — clearly designed to create pointy footprints that look like the witch's. Now you know why the tracks you foud earlier were so small. You also see rusty old carving knives that might be used to slice jibberish onto tree trunks.
The mitflit continues. But now… not fun. Real witch here. It watch us. Red eyes in dark. Wings at night. We scared. No Gwibble now. You kill Gwibble. No more boss. So we go away. No more scared of red eyes in dark. No want to be here. Witch watching, now. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You feel suddenly as if you're being watched. The mitflit stares intently off into the dark. We promise! No more fake witch! We go!
You start to make your way out of the old min, which now seems more than a little creepy. You feel assured that without their leader Gwibble, and their fear of the witch, the mitflits will leave the area and stop directing bloodseekers and mosquitoes to plague Shimmerford.
You blink in the sunlight, releived to be in the open air once again. Haru and Peaches wait, safe and sound. Max shoulders the man in pristine white, and you turn to leave. The witch doll rests the mud where Gaz dropped it. Good riddance!
Something deep and loud moans from deep within the old mine, as if the bones of the earth itself are breaking. You turn back as the moan becomes a loud rumble. You realize what's happenign too late: an explosion of dust rushes out from the entrance, blinding you!
When you're done coughing and blinking the grit from your eyes, you see that the old mine is completely caved in. The mitflits are dead in a freak accident and you left just in time.
You remember words written on the insane man's paper doll… "The iron cave will fall." You turn away and find, resting at your feet in the mud, an intricately carved paper doll. The sun is setting. You hurry back to town as fast as possible.
Back in town it's immediately apparent that the attacks on Shimmerford have ended — there's merely a normal level of annoying insects in the humid air. Haru thanks you sincerely, but quickly departs to continue her mission. You head back to Tymon with Andor, the man in white, where he can receive the healing he needs.
Safely back in Tymon the Mosquito Witch seems like a mere legend — there was surely a rational explanation for what happened. You open the door to your lodging, ready for a good night's rest. Sitting on your pillow is a mosquito witch doll, watching you with red eyes.