Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 199
Adventurers
| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ainsley | Human | Ranger level 1 | An older gentleman with a groomed moustache and a wooden pipe in his mouth, covered in dark green cloak. |
| Astrid Hunnisdottir | Dwarf | Fighter level 4 | A dwarf with burning hair and a belt fashioned from harpy scalps as a reminder of dangers of friendship and singing. |
| Aurella | Elf | Fighter level 1 / magic-user level 1 | Exiled and chased out of her tree commune, she now wanders the Wilderlands. |
| Bragi Twinefinger | Hobbit | Fighter level 3 | A stout strong hobbit. As a devotee of the Great Tailor he is always smartly dressed (under his armour) and overly fond of multiple breakfasts. |
| Drokh | Human | Monk level 3 | 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. |
| Hedwig Hogwarts | Elf | Fighter / magic-user | An always alert owl masquerading as an elf. |
| Herbaecious Roncule | Human | Druid level 3 | A sun tanned, grubby, dried-berry-looking fellow dressed in green cloak. Chews a large cigar. |
| Ivor | Human | Cleric level 2 | A young, soft-spoken worshipper of Umannah with thick black beard. |
| Kenso San | Human | Fighter level 2 | An arrogant and self-assured sell-sword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Syd Grundy | Human | Fighter level 3 | Tall, middle aged and scruffy looking man of the wilderness. |
| Volkard | Human | Ranger level 1 | Bushy hobo from the wilderness. |
Sweetrain 19th, Fireday
Adventurers dragged the paralysed Kenso, Syd, and Tarkus to the cave with a poorly concealed pit trap. They rested there until the trio had recovered. During that time they were joined by another group, led by Astrid Hunnisdottir. The dwarf came here on the rumours of dwarven vault in the depths of the gorge. She was joined by characters known to others: Drokh, Hedwig, Ivor, and Bragi Twinefinger.
Now counting eleven souls, they discussed at length where to go next. Astrid was here to find dwarves, others to find orcs. Eventually they settled on briefly inspecting the eastern caves. This resulted with them rolling in stale bat guano, being covered by fresh bat guano, and then mucking through the bat guano as well. No valuables were found.
A cave with rotted remains of orcs, humans, and other unfortunate creatures was more generous, with a handful of copper pieces and one grime-encrusted wooden shield with an iron rim. Reluctant to cross the field of black, crooked, spindly vegetation which gave Herbaecious vivid dreams, the party backtracked to the chamber with mineral deposits.
Astrid confirmed that the small person corpse was not a dwarven one. They went further south, reaching a curious chamber. The floor was recessed a few feet, compared to the tunnels leading into and out of it. The floor was smooth rock, as if polished by water. Most of the central area was carpeted by subterranean clover. Herbaecious inspected them, and took a handful.
Following the south-west tunnel led them into a spacious cavern. Then, at the edge of light, what they had been looking for! Two pig-faced orcs, leaning on their spears, staring north. They were assaulted with fury unknown, with adventurers shooting missiles as if fighting the Titan of Black Monastery itself.
Arrows broke!
Orcs did not react!
Few brave souls came closer. The orcs were petrified!
“Basilisk! Cockatrice! Gorgon!”
“Get out! Let's get out! OUT!”
The party bravely backtracked north-east, north, north-west, west, around the pit, north-west, and out on the ledge.
“You know, I think they might be across.”
“Yeah, but we can't see up there, and no path connects to it...”
Indeed, they were now on the south side, some ninety feet above the river. The ledge on the north side was approximately hundred and twenty feet high, without obvious access points.
And so they went further west, to explore the cave mouth. Astrid took the lead. She noticed a flat stone on the cave floor and stepped on it bravely. She, and Bragi right behind her, were rewarded with a rain of heavy rocks beating on their heads.
Gently concussed, but alive, adventurers pushed on. Narrow tunnel splintered, with west fork leading to a cave mouth overgrown with brambles and thorns. The south for led to a tunnel connecting to the overgrown mouth and leading deeper in to the caves to the east.
Somehow Ivor ended up being at the front of the group checking the east side. As he turned around the corner the light of Umannah blinded six pig-faced orcs who stood at ready with large, petrified tree trunk. They swung it at the adept. They missed!
Overcome with absolute joy, the adventurers stormed the cave with righteous fury. Ainsley decapitated one of the orcs with a perfect shot, Kenso cleaved another in half, Syd hacked third, Herbaecious penetrated the fourth, and Bragi kebbabed the last two.
The cave they were in now spanned some fifty by thirty feet. Besides the narrow tunnel they came from, there were two more, wider ones. The one leading to the east slopped downwards, while the one leading south-west widened into a junction. Adventurers chose the former.
With a dwarf in the party, they knew they descended some fifty feet. The slopping tunnel varied in width, terminating at barely five feet wide. Beyond was a damp cave spotted with purple and violent shrooms. Party turned around and returned to the cave above. This time they went for the wider passage.
This was a well trodden tunnel. After eighty feet or so it split south-west and south-east. The former led down a narrow tunnel, while the latter led to another junction. Astrid spotted that a portion of tunnel was smooth rock, like a rectangular piece of shale.
They opted to descend down the narrow tunnel. This led them into a sun-bathed, spacious cavern. At nearly hundred feet wide and tall, the final rays of sun shone down an opening in the ceiling. A lush moss and lichen garden flourished under these condition. Light-coloured toadstool dotted rotting tree trunks, and tiny geckos slurped the rainwater puddles.
Adventurers carefully investigated the cave. They found no treasure nor any secrets. It was late in the days. Perhaps an hour or two of daylight left. They backtracked, stepped around the smooth rock, ignored the south tunnel and stopped in another large cave. The cave narrowed and twisted towards the north, slopping down heavily. It narrowed into a tunnel to east. North they went.
The descent was long. The air turned colder with each step. Astrid was unsure how deep they went. A hundred feet perhaps? Either at, or beneath, the water level. Adventurers turned around and went back up. East tunnel it will be.
Alas, it led them to the other side of the petrified orcs. They discovered a third one as well, all three facing north. One of the brave souls borrow a mirror from one of the other, less brave soul, and went on, north.
The tunnel narrowed. Then it turned left. Narrowed again. Right. Left. Opened up—into a cave with violet and purple shrooms! Now everyone lined up behind. Only one tunnel was left unexplored, the one to north-east, where fungi were concentrated.
“IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!”
Horrible shrieks pierced the eardrums and the silence, reverberating throughout the cave system. Five fat, three feet tall, wide capped, mushrooms quivered and trembled as they produced the ungodly sound. Those who dared storm the fungal cave were rewarded with pierced eardrums, and bleeding earache. It took them quite some time to hack all five down.
With fungal screamers eliminated, the adventurers were left with a tiny ringing sound, a tinnitus, and slightly disoriented. Tiredness began to set in. It had been a long day of hiking and delving. Aurella and Herbaecious persisted, and foraged the edible fungi. Elf promised to make a nourishing mushroom soup to lift the spirits.
Suddenly ferocious barking and baying echoed from south. The sounds were distant but most definitely louder by the second. And they got only louder as adventurers discussed what to do.
Party decided to go up, and hold their ground in the tunnel leading into the cave where they killed six orcs. By this time the barking sounded like it was coming from all directions. And whatever produced the howling and baying did not sound exactly small. Volkard and Astrid broke off, positioning themselves in the narrow tunnel where Ivor dodged the tree trunk.
Barking stopped.
Adventurers readied themselves.
The night has fallen.
The caves shook as bull horns blared.
Meme by Lord Jubalon Flux.
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