Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 154
Adventurers
| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tikatu | Human | Druid level 3 | A dirty little ma with dark and dirty skin, wearing loincloth with no back. “What will be, will be” is his favourite aphorism. |
| Amari | Human | Ranger level 1 | Black hair that shines blue. Scarred like a gladiator. |
| Drokh | Human | Monk level 1 | A tall, lean human monk with piercing eyes, weathered skin, and a warrior’s poise—calm and charismatic, he speaks with purpose and strikes with precision, wielding spear, bow, and blade. |
| Tobias Lindflags | Hobbit | Thief level 3 | A sixth-born son standing to gain nothing from inheritance, so he set out to make his own fortune in the world. |
| Heinrik | Human | Magic-User level 1 | Muscular mage with short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. |
| Dalkanarion | Human | Fighter level 6 | A youthful specimen in full strength, full of purpose, bluster, and eagerness to prove himself. |
Warmshade 5th, Spiritday
The dead-end cave vibrated from constant tremors. Tobias, Drokh, and Heinrik desperately searched for any hidden opening while Dalkanarion, Amari, Tikatu, and Seren held the narrow tunnel leading into the cave.
As time passed so did adventurers become more and more desperate. And in a moment of darkness they asked the sword to guide them out. “Well, I have shown you the way out once and you cursed me!” the sword told them. Dalkanarion asked it nicely to lead the way.
Forward they went, into the cave with dead Altanian bull-man and curled up shit-stained dwarf, and then spent time figuring out how to carry the latter since Ambros could raise him from the dead. Planning done, they moved past the the basket of copper pieces acting as trap for the dumb and greedy, and then stopped by the tunnel opening leading into a four way junction.
“Yes, there, and then straight, you know, like the last time I guided you...”
But as they stepped forward their light illuminated a large, bull-headed figure at the end of the tunnel. The figure just stood menacingly. Party retreated and went down the hereto unexplored tunnel. Amari protested, unhappy with having exposed behind.
Several winding tunnels and perplexing cave later, adventurers decided to back track. No bull-man will bully them in changing their course. They ran into the beast sooner than they expected. Now it was blocking their return.
Illustration by MLord.
“Maybe it is paralysed?” Dalkanarion theorised, for it hadn't charged not roared. It was obviously breathing and moving, but a man can dream. Myrmidon approached carefully, for which he was rewarded with a greataxe to the thorax.
Dalkanarion held the front, while Drokh and Amari stabbed with spears from the second rank. Mighty warrior, tired, naked, and wounded, delivered a good number of cuts to the beast.
Bull-man reciprocated in kind, and sent Dalkanarion flying, knocking him out. Drokh capitalised on the grim moment by crouching and then lunging upwards, piercing the monster through the chin and skull. He paused for dramatic moment, and then pulled it out. The beast slumbered few steps and then collapsed to the ground.
They checked on Dalkanarion. Wounded and shaken but still alive. Then they proceeded on, intent on returning to cave Tobias, Amari, Seren, and Heinrik entered through.
“Yes, that way. Maybe left. Maybe right. It's been a while.”
Adventurers eventually reached the Y-shaped split leading into the cave. But there was light coming from it, as well as excited yelling and hollering. Tobias took the initiative, slid on his Ring of Invisibility, and then advanced toward the light. He observed a dozen of Altanians, squatting, wrestling, and uttering “Hunt! Hunt! Hunt!” in rotations. He reported back.
Locked in arguing about what to do next, adventurers were surprised by a mighty earthquake that knocked most of them prone. Same thing happened to Altanians next cave, momentarily interrupting their festivities. Indecisive adventurers approached the cave, but then Dalkanarion made a gross error.
“You want WHAT?!” the sword thundered “YOU WANT TO DO WHAT, YOU UNGRATEFUL MEATBAG?!” It was deeply insulted by Dalkanarion suggesting to pass the sword to another, less muscular and impressive adventurer.
“Move! Follow me!” Tobias quick wit saved the party, for he quickly realised cannibals had heard them and were now acting. Remembering the tunnels, he navigated the adventurers down the tunnel, then through the cave with beheaded bull-man, then left, straight, left again, which led them to the lit cave, now bereft of Altanians.
“To the right and straight!” they turned and moved, tremors making the advance challenging. But yelling and hollering was now behind them, in far distance. They walked and crawled, until they could see the tunnel splitting left and right.
Light and distressed yells were coming from the right. Steps carved into the cave floor led up to the left. Tobias scouted ahead. A cave, some forty by forty feet, was a beehive of activity, with three dozen or so Altanians milling about. There were two adjoining caves, one straight ahead and one to the left. Invisible hobbit returned to the party and informed them of the options. They decided to sneak past the cave opening and go left, up the carved steps.
They entered a foul smelling cave filled with emaciated men and women of the Wilderlands. Starving Alyrians, Altanians, Thabrians, and more, numbering between two and three dozen. They were huddled on one side of the cave, while broken Heran Marod lied on the other. He emanated heat so powerful that it could be felt in the whole cave.
Dalkanarion ran up to him, and whispered “We are here! Bring down the wrath of your god!”
Three tribesmen walked in from the other side. At first they did not notice adventurers mixed with captives. Amari, Drokh, and Heinrik seized the moment and struck true. Dalkanarion lifted Heran's broken body, hoping that he could use him as a holy symbol that spews fire at infidels. He pointed him towards the cannibal barbarians, but nothing happened. Catatonic cleric let out a doleful moan.
“Dalkanarion! Quick, pass me to the invisible hobbit! I can help him struck with surprise!” the sword suggested.
“Shut up and do your job!” the myrmidon retorted, putting Heran down gingerly.
Amari was hit hard and fell down in defeat. Drokh drove the spear through the man's throat. Tobias took off his ring and surprised another barbarian with dagger through heart.
“Oh no, it is you who will shut up now.” the sword announced deviously.
Tobias felt sharp pain in his back. Then he felt nothing but longing for his mother. And then all was black.
Heinrik watched as Dalkanarion split the hobbit in half with a single swing of a sword. “Huh” he thought “he is a cool guy, so probably the other guy had it coming.” Then he turned around and stabbed another barbarian.
Drokh watched in horror as Dalkanarion seized the Ring of Invisibility and disappeared. Heinrik the Muscle Wizard parried the cannibal's attack and then killed him with a clean overhead dagger to the skull.
Drokh rushed to Tobias. Hobbit had a deep gash from top of head to the bottom of his butt. He was most certainly dead. Heinrik checked in on Amari. “Kill me now...” she muttered “just kill me now... I don't want to fall in hands of these savages...”
Heinrik was distracted for long enough to go into wish fulfilling mode.
“Quick, look at them. They are all naked and bloodstained! Get rid of your clothes and smear blood over yourself!”
Drokh, Heinrik, and Seren discarded their armours and clothing. Then they painted themselves red with crimson blood of the Altanians.
“What about women, how are they dressed?!”
“No idea!”
“Tie me up and pretend I am your prisoner then!” Amari suggested.
Another powerful earthquake shook the caves. Whole tribe buzzed with chaos and madness.
“Now is our chance! Let's go!” Drokh led the way.
They exited into an elongated cave adjoined by five other caves. Altanians were running around, some in panic, some in confusion. Something was happening.
Disguised adventurers moved cave by cave, surrounded by countless tribesmen hollering and pushing through in the darkness. They followed the mass moving up and down a tunnel.
At one moment a tribesman ran into Drokh. Barbarian stopped and looked at Drokh. Monk pumped his muscle, grunted, and spat on the ground. Barbarian backed off and continued wherever he was headed to initially.
“Light!”
Hearts pounding, adventurers moved forward towards huge ball of orange light. Overpowering smell of seared hair and flesh permeated the damp cave air. Huge column of liquid fire melted through the cave rock.
The party moved hard left, towards the only solid opening. They ran through winding tunnels, hoping that at least some of the tribesmen were wise enough to flee for their life. Tunnels turned left and right, junctions split all the ways, but adventurers pressed on and on. At few occasions some of them almost fell down, to be trampled by the moving horde, but were saved in the last second.
“Light!”
Drokh, Heinrik, Seren, and Amari escaped the lair of Bull God alive. They ran as fast as they could, making distance from the cave entrance. They ran past the skull-adorned stakes driven into the ground. They ran past roaring Altanians hurling insults at the sky. They ran until they reached Ambros and Tikatu, guided by Forseti's divine intervention. And then they all ran together, as the sun melted the very Ghinarian Hills they stood on.
⁂
Dalkanarion watched as his hand swung towards the right. That was not the direction he wanted to go in. Was he now so tired that his very limbs were failing him? Bloodied, tired, wounded. Is this how he would go down? By slaying his ally?
Then he heard it. That annoying, arrogant, anxious voice. “You thought you were better than me, did you not? You doubted me? Well, now I will show you!” The sword spoke to him mentally.
Dalkanarion watched as his arms frisked the hobbit's corpse. He watched as he put a ring on his blood finger. His only solace was that Tobias died quickly and without suffering. The cut was clean. Straight through the brain and down the spine. He didn't even realise he died.
“Watch now, watch!”
Dalkanarion could se the environment change. Amari was knocked down. Heinrik, Drokh, and Seren put up a desperate fight. But he was moving away from them and through the mass of Altanians buzzing through the caves. He moved, pushing them aside with ease.
“What a body! What power! You, boy, will server me well!”
Sword did care little for Dalkanarion's torn feet, skinned shins, or bleeding palms. It had driven him mercilessly. It drove him forward, through the mass, and away from the fire.
It drove him true. It did not care for Dalkanarion's eyes screaming in pain as they were exposed to bright sunlight after weeks of being captured underground. It did not care for Dalkanarion's body almost falling apart from exertion, pain, and exhaustion.
It drove him downhill, until the body could take no more.
“I know a cleric that could heal us. Then we would be stronger.” Dalkanarion spoke to the sword. He might have lost control of his body, but his mind was his.
“Do you take me for a fool! A cleric! So he can Dispel Evil! You will obey me, slave!” sword yelled in anger.
“We need to rest. Heal up. I know safe places. You seem lost.”
“Shut up! I know exactly where I am going. Shut up! Get up!”
Dalkanarion, a youthful beast of a body, slowly rose from the ground. The body crawled on, dragging itself in defiance of nature.
And while the body might have been enslaved, the mind waited patiently for its chance. It was surprised by the Sword once. Now it will surprise the Sword—when the chance presents itself.
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