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Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes :
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Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 25
Adventurers
| Character | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Francis Goreaxe | Dwarf level 2 | A son of a jeweler aspiring to become a great chef. Wears apron over his copper plate mail, and cast iron pot instead of a helmet. |
| Morfindien | Elf level 1 | Seeks a cure for his genetic ugliness. Despite his great strength and intellect, his face is only barely acceptable in elven circles so he is treated by them with disdain. |
Later:
| Character | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mac | Thief level 1 | Young and stuttering rogue looking for his lucky break. |
Unknown date
Who knows how long they've been stuck in this burning hellhole in the middle of nowhere. Kod'l locals call it. More like Chock'l! Scorn of the society forced the unlikely duo of Francis Goreaxe and Morfindien to collaborate in their attempt to get out of here. Trading ships go down the river every few days, but since neither had coin to pay for their travel nor enough charm to convince the ferrymen otherwise, they've been forced to loiter around.
Their luck turned for the better when a fine looking man approached them with a most generous offer:
“You look like the hardened type that'd be up for some delicate work... Couple of hours from here is an abandoned temple that holds deep within a large golden egg. In fact, it is as big as an adult dwarf!”
“Retrieve it for me, and I will take care your journey is a most pleasant one. The temple has two entrances. The front is on top of the ziggurat. Three large stones hide the back entrance. Beware the birdmen. Oh, and make sure you do not open the egg. I will know. You might find the following useful...”
The mysterious patron handed them over hundred feet of rope, two oil flasks, a small mirror, and a healing potion. Too poor to get themselves anything else, and too ugly to find additional help, the duo set out for the desert temple.
Following their patron's instructions, a ziggurat with two tiers came into their sight after some four hours of walking. It looked faded brown, bleached by the unforgiving sun. Although stone bricks were chipped by time, the ziggurat stood strong.
Opting to go for the secret back entrance, the duo spent and hour looking for the described three stones. The man wasn't lying—an opening into the temple was just behind them. Francis rushed towards the passageway, and then slammed himself to the side. The elf followed. Peeking around the corner revealed a piece of ground that looked much cleaner than the rest, almost as if it had been swept.
Morfindien prevented the dwarf from further rash action, for he wanted to inspect this curiosity further. What if it was a trap? He took out hundred feet of rope and threw the bundle on the cleared area. As the sand started setting, his elven eyes noticed a find stand spanning the whole width of the hallway.
Next, he tied an unlit torch to one end of the rope. His plan was simple: throw it over the strand, and then pull it back in order to activate the trap from safe distance.
IOUUU! IOUUU! IOUUU! IOUUU! IOUUU!
Oh, and activate it he did! Loud, repetitive shrill could've been heard echoing from the inside. A quick glance between the two was all the communication needed—they were sprinting out. Both rushed behind one stone and did their best to push it toward the opening. Alas, they weren't strong enough. So they did the next best thing—run around to the front of the temple and hide underneath the ramp.
It took them half an hour to collect enough courage to move on. This time they opted for the main entrance. A sharp smooth decline is all that greeted them. Progressing carefully, the quickly reached a large chamber with three doors.
Each had a small bronze plaque on them. From left to right, they read: Dexterity, Strength, Mind. They beefy elf knocked down the middle door; vicious bites from a feral dog being his only reward. Heavily armoured dwarf pulled him out of the danger. They took care of Rex with speed. While Morfindien explored the chamber, the dwarf decided to practice his butchering skills.
Moving on, the duo came into a T-shaped junction. Three doors were down the corridor to the right; a door and corridor into darkness to their left; and a sprawling chamber straight ahead. To the left they went.
Another turn, another dark corridor. Their torchlight illuminated a skeleton propped against the eastern wall. The duo quickly frisked it, finding nothing but bones. In doing so, they raised enough dust and sand to notice yet another tripwire. Francis took of the skeleton's head, and placed it by the wire, to serve as the reminder when they come back.
It took the duo nearly ten minutes to move on because the wire was at hip-height for the dwarf. He had to take his backpack—pots, and all—off, crawl under, then get his stuff from elf, then put it back on... Proceeding, they arrived to yet another turn, and then yet another T-junction.
A familiar looking chamber was to their right, and a rather large door to their left. Opting to go right, the duo found themselves in a large chamber with four stone statues in the middle. They all looked like primitive take on human figure, with blocky heads and limbs. Their torsos were facing in different directions, but their heads all faced toward the center of the room. There a stone slab stood, slightly elevated compared to the rest of the sandy floor.
“You know what? I gonna do it.” and with those words Morfindien stepped on the stone dais. Rumbling sounds immediately filled the rooms the statues' bodies turned towards the center. One of them rotated a bit too fast and feel down to the ground. The remaining three promptly started pummeling the confused elf in the middle. A stone punch to his gut brought him down to his knees; two stone hammer fists to his face turned him into a bloody mush.
“Oh no! My face will be even uglier now!” were his last thoughts.
For a second Francis looked in horror. Not longer, because he fled out of there as fast as he could. Unwilling to abandon the golden egg, he rushed toward the large doors. It took him three tries to get in. Nothing followed.
“A-a-are you here to save me?” a weak voice addressed him. Mac, a young thief, was caught by a group of armed birdmen whilst sneaking around. They roughened him up and threw him into this arid, dark chamber.
“Get up boy!”
This was by far the biggest chamber they've found so far. A large nest, full of bones and small carcasses, was in the north-west corner. Three dwarves could've easily snuggled there. Opposite of the entrance was a passageway with tall arch. Fresh air was emanating from there.
A quick investigation revealed a circular room with a hole in the centre. Looking down, it seemed as if there was water below. Indeed, that was confirmed once Francis lowered Mac down. It was some thirty foot descent, which terminated with a square chamber barely illuminated by the torch. The water was dark and chilly, but otherwise nothing else stood out. Except a dark corridor to the east.
“Pull me up!” the dwarf couldn't resists pranking the thief by lowering him instead “Hey, don't be an ass!”
BAM!
Somebody—or something—burst open the doors to the south. The very doors they came through moments ago. Mac quickly hid in the shadows and prepared his bow. Francis tensed his grip on his trusty butcher's cleaver in right and lit torch in his left. And then he charged forward.
He met four human figures with crow heads. Two of them had spears, and two from behind seemed to drag some humanoid figure between them. In the ensuing confusion Mac took down two of them, the dwarf butchered one and in return got stabbed twice, and one ran away. The figure turned out to be puréed remains of Morfindien.
Helping themselves to the elf's possessions, Francis gulped down the healing potion, while Mac put aside a long sword and a “spell book.” And then they went back to the chamber with the hole in the ground.
They came up with a brilliant plan: use grappling hook and iron spike to create solid anchoring points, tie hundred feet of rope together, and then throw it down. Francis took off everything but his underwear with sausage motifs. Down they went.
The water was even colder than it seemed, but both managed to swim to the east corridor without too much hassle. This time it was a sharp ascend, nearly 45 degrees. They found themselves in a rectangular chamber. To their left was a three feet wide opening on the wall, and to their right were two large wooden chests and a massive golden egg on a pedestal.
“Watch this, boy.”
Francis took off his underwear and used it to cover the opening on the left wall. Then they both proceeded to rummage through the chests. Thousands and thousands of gold coin. Both silently wept at the realisation they have no way of taking all of it out. Mac stuffed his large sack as much as he could, but that wasn't even a tenth of the coins there. Francis went for the egg.
The moment he touched it, the water started gushing violently out of the opening behind them. His underwear was nowhere to be seen.
“Time to get out!”
Mac was out first, lugging a sack of coin with him; Francis barely escaped in time, hugging the golden egg with one arm, and pulling himself up with the other.
“Come on, we have no time to waste! Let's leg it!”
The dwarf remained naked, sans the butcher's cleaver, iron pot on his head, and the golden egg. The thief quickly threw the backpack on his back, and together they took a run for it.
Alas, they did not get far.
A large, deformed human head emerged from the darkness. It hovered nearly ten feet above ground, and was tilted sideways; contorted in some sort of maniacal expression.
“Kh-kh-KHRO!” the spittle flew out from its crooked lips. The monstrosity soon revealed its horrible secret—the horrendous head was joined to a body of a giant crow. It threw out a fat tongue, like an innocent dog, and licked its lips suggestively whilst twitching incessantly.
And then it took a few steps towards the naked dwarf and the trembling thief.
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Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 24
Adventurers
| Character | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sinai | Cleric level 3 | White-robbed beduin, worshipper of Bukera, The Silent Scorpion. |
| Rhovar | Fighter level 2 | A generic Nordic guy. |
| Adkin the Butcher | Fighter level 2 | A hot headed warrior quick to fury trained by Marco Vitelli, retired quartermaster of the army of the Invincible Overlord. |
| Rad | Thief level 1 | A young, short and malnourished rogue. |
| Amanda Hugencuise | Thief level 4 | A new girl in town, claiming to be foreign exchange student, up for some “exciting missions” and enjoying the local cuisine. |
| Gon'd'elf | Elf level 2 | “Surely magnificent, am I not?” is his favourite opener. Works every time, 40% of the time. |
Sinai's report linked at the end of the post.
Warmshade 6th, Airday
“Please, I keep dreaming him! I see him in a black, tar black hole. He is suffering! But it is not a dream! It is real! I know it is! I beg of you, please rescue him! Please!” a heavily distraught woman pleaded with Rad, a Hydra Company officer. “He is in a dark hole! Lost and scared! And there is this hairy creature with him... Oh, please, I beg of you!”
“Miss, please calm down. We will take care of it. Can you tell us more about his location or anything?” alas, the woman was getting more and more upset, and had little to offer except possibility to inspect her husband's workshop.
A month passed since she visited Rad, and she was overjoyed to receive his visit. The party rummaged through his belongings while she described her dear husband “Oh, he stands over six feet tall with long, gorgeous blond hair. A smile that melts peoples' hearts! Very wise and gifted man. We were so happy, but one day he decided that he wants more for us. He joined a band of adventurers who sorely needed his arcane talent. It went fine for some time, but then they went missing...”
Indeed, most of scroll and books were on arcane matters. They did find mentions of a “lost city” with a supposedly “vast library of long forgotten knowledge.” No maps could be found, although the entries indicated that the entrance might be where from “whence the Whitecrown Stream emerges.”
“Penelope, we will take care of your husband. But we must research more about his whereabouts.” Unfortunately no sage was to be found in all of Antil. They did learn about Drommo, a divination extraordinaire. Apparently, he visits Antil once a month.
“You know what? We could visit those peasants that sought our help as well. I mean, they are on our way anyway, right?”
And so the party consisting of Sinai and his three followers Herat, Phelim “The Scorpion”, and Norna “The Repulsive”; Rhovar, Adkin “The Butcher”, Rad, Amanda, and Gon'd'elf with his two trusty retainers Ariad and Ehrman, started preparing for their expedition.
Warmshade 8th, Earthday
What a sight to behold! Heavily armed and armoured party of twelve, ridding their magnificent steeds through the Gates of Antil! A banner depicting the purple, three-headed hydra, fluttered against the wind as they galloped along the coast of Romilion Sea. Fearless! Glorious! Unabated!
They scoffed at villagers of Kestizar; crossed the River Highcourse unchallenged; and rode to the heart of Bathdawn with gentleness of Great Thabrian Khans of Old. Peasants fled for their lives—some threw themselves into the wheat fields, others ran into their modest huts, and whomever remained soiled themselves.
“Fear not, we are here to help!” Adkin The Butcher announced striking the Hydra banner into the ground. An eternity later, two young—broad shouldered and red skinned—men walked out to face them. Both were visibly shaking, but tried their best to hide it.
“Y-You said you a-are here to h-h-help us?”
“Indeed!”
“D-Do you know Winslow? T-The fighter we asked for help in Antil?”
“I know not him; but he too was an office in our glorious company! We are here to offer our assistance with your problem!”
Colden, the cool one, and Eilif, the stuttering one, did their best in describing the happenings that have been plaguing them for months now. First, some cattle went missing. Then, people started going missing as well. They are all perplexed since there are no carcasses left. They did find some sort of sticky white residue from time to time, but it was so unfamiliar they've simply ignored it.
Whilst searching for his brother, Eilif found his armband close to the rocky banks of a small river in the hills. The trail disappeared down into a fissure in the limestone rock. He was too scared to go into the darkness... Hence they sought out warriors who'd be willing to help them.
“Take us there!”
Leaving Herat behind to guard the horses, the party followed a fast-running stream into the fissure... They traversed a narrow and uneven path, ever watching not to hit their head on the hanging stalactites, nor to slip on the treacherous floor. They were chilled by the fresh stream. After some half an hour, they found where it terminates—a waterfall.
Rad, secured with a rope around his waist, edged closer and closer. A fungal (or mossy?) overgrowth crusted on the southern cavern wall caught his attention. Alas, it was so interesting he slipped and lost footing. Waterfall was quick to pull him down, and gallons of ice-cold water poured down his back. Luckily, his friends quickly pulled him up.
Unsure how to proceed, the party spent an hour discussing different plans. “How about we build a dam?” “What about re-routing the stream and waiting for whatever is inside to come out?” “Maybe if we get a bunch of sheep and use them as bait?” “That moss is evil! We have to scrape or burn it!” “Anybody got climbing hooks? We can nail them to the ceiling and have one of the thieves traverse it from above?”
“Maybe I can take another peek?”
And so Rad approached the waterfall once more. Having learned his lesson, this time he went on all four, ensuring he doesn't slip. The crusted fungus looked like it sprawls down into the darkness. There seemed to be holes in it as well, as if for climbing. Another curiosity caught his attention as well. There was a wooden pipe, roughly five feet below the waterfall, that seemed to be fed by the flow of water. It hung in the air and followed the northern cave wall.
“Hold me guys, I'm going down!”
And down he went. A large, wet cavern it was. The stream continued south-east. Following it led him to a narrower tunnel flanked on both sides by an extraordinarily ugly plants. Both looked as if they were growing straight out of the rock. A group of tendril-like appendages hung from their bottom side. Rad took a shot at one; it responded by releasing some goo and flattening itself against the cave wall.
Unwilling to proceed further alone, Rad inspected the cavern once more. This time he found that the stream actually splits in two before reconnecting. The smaller flow seemed to run through a hand-made canal that has a small pool to the side. There he found a small wooden casket which contained a wooden key. He went straight back to inform other adventurers of his findings.
“Are we sure these plants are evil? I'm not willing to go around exterminating life on potentially erroneous assumptions.” Gon'd'elf offered. After some back and forth, Amanda decided to come closer and see if plants actually do anything. Indeed, as she came within ten feet of the northern plant, it attempted to lash out by flattening itself against the cavern wall, and then bouncing of it. Amanda was too quick and experienced to fall on such trick, and was quickly out of danger.
It didn't take long until both plants were filled with arrows.
Down the tunnel was yet another waterfall, but this time so wide there was no clear access point. There was a round wooden indentation on one side of the tunnel, and a small wooden box on the other side. The latter had a keyhole. Lo and behold, the key Rad found fit in perfectly.
Turning the key triggered the round door-like wooden indentation to come out and divert the flow of water to a narrow canal to the side, revealing natural looking wooden-rung ladder going down. After brief descent, the party ran into a four-way intersection. A large growth of the wood in the middle of the junction divided the stream into three parts, guiding them down the central channel of each tunnel. So far all the encountered wooden object seemed naturally grown.
Without any leads, the party decided to flow the west tunnel. Even without a dwarf they could feel they are descending. It was a long, winding tunnel. Nothing but the stream and their armour clanking could be heard. After some time they passed by a cavern whose entrance seemed blocked b ropy pillars of fungus growth. They moved on, following the stream.
Much to their surprise, they encountered a waterwheel connected to a large wooden box. A funnel fed into it. Clicking and creaking noise came from inside the box, as did a strong smell of fish. One of the members dared to open it, revealing some sort of mincing device producing a pinkish paste.
Proceeding further, they encountered a T-shaped junction. The southern tunnel continued visibly downward, and the stream seemed to speed up as well. Stalagmites covered the uneven ground, and stalactites were more numerous then so far. It looked quite difficult to descend. Hence they opted for the eastern tunnel.
They quickly found themselves at what seemed to be another large cave. Nine crooked trees in large earthenware pots were illuminated by bluish light from numerous strands of glowing moss hanging from the ceiling. The floor was grooved, creating three channels from the stream. Each was flowing under three pots.
Sinai felt something was horribly amiss. A feint, but constant, murmuring could be heard. It filled the chamber, and sounded like it was coming from every imaginable direction. The tree closest to them started shivering. Its branches descended down, as if they were arms, and it pulled itself out of the pot. Stretching its warped frame revealed its true size, towering nine feet tall.
Two more trees joined it. The hateful sounds became louder.
Player Session Reports
- Sinai's diary entry
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Palladium Fantasy RPG on sale
Palladium Fantasy RPG 1E and 2E books are currently on sale at DriveThruRPG. I found their old stuff to be quite well made, but I mostly use it for inspiration, drawings and maps. Here are few of my favourite picks:
- Palladium RPG Book II: Old Ones. Includes 21 forts, 34 towns and cities, over half a dozen adventures, monks, illusionists, and the dreaded Old Ones. 50+ locations all described and mapped, information about the Old Ones, the Illusionist, Monk, and Minotaur, many NPCs, seven adventures, plus adventure ideas and more.
- Palladium RPG Book III: Adventures on the High Seas. Ships of the world, Demon Black Ships, ship combat, islands of the world, 12 O.C.C.s including the Sailor and Pirate, character sheets, maps, and countless adventure ideas when you visit a dozen island ports including the Isle of the Cyclops, Y-Oda, Zy, the Four Sisters, Forbidden Island, the Floenry Islands, and others, each offering adventure opportunities.
- Palladium RPG Book VII: Yin-Sloth Jungles. Includes Yin-Sloth Jungles, the Orcish Empire, notable cities, 25+ locations and maps, four full adventures, adventure ideas and more.
I also love their weapon books, but they currently aren't on sale.
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Overlord's Annals Zine: Volume 1 Issue 2
A zine chronicling the Conquering the Barbarian Altanis D&D campaign.
This issue details the third, fourth , and fifth session. I also write about Clinging to Life house rule.
Download here.
Overlord's Annals zine is available in print as part of the legendary Alarums & Excursions APA, issue 562:
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Fresh From Postbox: Carcosa & Neverland
Fresh From Postbox: The Complete Chronicles Of Conan
The Complete Chronicles Of Conan: Centenary Edition:
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#RPGaDAY2022 – Day 31: When did you first take part in #RPGaDAY?
This year. I stumbled upon it on Timothy's The Other Side blog, and thought to myself “eh, why not try it.” And here I am, 31 days later.
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Fresh From Postbox: Swords of Cthulhu & Bottomless Pit of Zorth
Adventures Dark and Deep: Swords of Cthulhu:
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Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 23
Adventurers
| Character | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rad | Thief level 3 | A young, short and malnourished rogue. |
| Gon'd'elf | Elf level 2 | “Surely magnificent, am I not?” is his favourite opener. Works every time, 40% of the time. |
| Sinai | Cleric level 3 | White-robbed beduin, worshipper of Bukera, The Silent Scorpion. |
Longrass 15th, Spiritday
“Retreat to safety!” the elf commanded. Rhovar was grievously wounded in the ambush just moments ago, and he required immediate care. The party managed to slay their hobgoblin enemies, much due to elven arcane tricks.
Once they were back in safety of their camp, they decided to observe the mine entrance for the rest of the day. A tall, broad shouldered figure dressed in white hooded robes, approached their camp. The man was Sinai, a desert cleric from Queans Waste. He quickly demonstrated his worth by healing Rhovar.
Not a soul came in or out of the mine.
Longrass 16th, Airday
They came here to explore the mithril mine where Aergal Firebeard's son went missing some six months ago. Unwilling to risk another ambush, Rad scaled the hills by the mine entrance, in search of any other camps or entry points.
Lo and behold, nearly an hour later he found a shaft with primitive elevator. The hole was bounded by simple wooden fence. Three wooden pillars were connected with a cross above, and a simple—but sturdy basket—was suspended with two thick ropes. Rad felt like two persons could fit inside. There was a crank on the outer side of the right beam. The whole contraption looked old and unused, but still functional. The thief quickly found his way back, and informed the party of his findings.
After some discussion, the following adventurers went to explore: Rad, Sinai, Gon'd'elf and his two retainers—Ehrman and Ariad. Elf noticed a sight most terrifying, just as they were approaching the sight: a great black dragon was flying far above. The brave heroes quickly hid in whatever bushes and overgrowth they could find around. It seemed as if the dragon came from the direction of the Romilion Sea, and went further south-west.
It took them some time before they emerged from their hiding spots. Had to make sure the dragon is really gone!
How does one explore a shaft that leads deep into the mountain? The party tried throwing stone, lowering the lantern on a rope, staring intensely into the darkness... They learned one thing only: it is deeper than 50 feet. Finally, Rad had enough, and asked to be lowered down in the basket.
Old and unmaintained, the contraption creaked and moaned, as Rad went deeper and deeper. It took some thirty minutes, but the thief had emerged into a cavernous chamber. It was full of foul smell. Rad could see five sacks filled with straw. Three were roughly human sized, and two were much larger. His light barely illuminated two exits, one to the east, and one to the south. Too scared to investigate further on his own, he shook the rope, hoping his friends above would understand the signal.
“Take him out!” the elf commanded. Rad's relief didn't last for too long—two arrows that came from souther darkness barely missed him.
“What now?”
“Main entrance?”
“Main entrance.”
What followed is best described as extremely cautious delving. They party took their time and advanced with great care and slowness. After few hours, they arrived to the same room Rad was in before. It was an irrefutable fact, supported by the evidence of the shaft, five sleeping sacks, and two arrows stuck in the beams leading up to the ceiling.
Collecting their courage, the party went into the south corridor... Only to discover noone there. There was a split, a T-shaped junction leading west and east. Both sides descended further down. West side terminated in a stone wall with large reinforced doors, while the east side seemed to curve further. Leaving Ariad behind to watch their back, the party went to investigate the eastern tunnel.
Another dark cave—albeit with a small difference: a bloated trapdoor in the south-east corner. Rad failed to open it—thrice! Gon'd'elf watched guard, omnipresent being he is, while Sinai took a look around. Alas, this was no desert.
“Master!” Ariad's alarmed voice rung down the tunnel. “I need reinforcements, Master!”
The party quickly ran back, ready for some violence. By the time they arrived, Ariad was locked in melee with a large hairy brute and a massive deformed wolf. Everybody but Rad joined in the brief, but brutal melee. Ehrman decapitated the wolf with his greatsword, while Gon'd'elf skewered the hairy monster with his polearm.
“They burst from the doors to the west. You've taught me well master—and I kept my watch as you instructed!”
Unwilling to risk further assaults from behind, the party descended down the western tunnel, intent on exploring what lies behind the doors. A fifty foot long and thirty feet wide chamber it was. But this was no natural cave; it was a man made chamber. Two long wooden tables, flanked by wooden benches, indicated this might've been a mess hall once. Iron rings and manacles in the north-west corner told a story of their own, as did the scratch marks on the floor... Was this where the monstrous wolf was chained?
The door far west side of the room led into a broad tunnel. Onwards and downwards the party went! An hour or so later—it's difficult the tell the passage of time when one trods through dark and monotonous tunnels—they emerged into a chamber so massive their light showed nothing but darkness.
Rad and Gon'd'elf could pick up feint sounds of metal hitting metal, and metal hitting stone, echoing from somewhere far west.
“Let's crawl east-ward, alongside the northern wall...” Indeed, after another half an hour or so, the party found a tunnel framed with wooden beams. The sign to the side said “Exhausted mithril node.”
“Well, if one were to keep prisoners, they'd probably throw them in some dead end like this?” the adventurers were quick to hypothesize. Only one way to find out.
Following the tunnel for another half an hour or so, they arrived to a dead end. The tunnel was cut short by a pile of rocks and stones, that seemed to be some sort of cave-in. Just before the cave in was a hewn chamber. There was a small wooden desk, and two rotten chairs, as well as some mining equipment strewn around on the floor. Old-looking ladder in the north-east corner went up into a claustrophobic-looking shaft.
While exploring the chamber for any valuables, few of the members picked up on the weird grumbling noises coming from behind the debris in the dead end. Stopping to listen, it definitely sounded like some sort of language. The voice seemed agitated. It went quiet once Rad came closer and asked a question in common.
“I am Bergal Firebeard, and this is my mine! I've been stuck here for months! Can you please get me the fuck out of here?! There are some pickaxes by the side. Start by removing the rocks by the left side, that will prevent further cave in...”
Following Bergal's instructions, the party was able to set him free after an hour of work. The dwarf that came out had the most offensive smell imaginable. His beard was large and scruffy, and apparently home to few fungi as well. Sinai almost offered his water, but then decided to drink it himself, instead.
“I've been working here with my crew when we got ambushed by those foul hobgoblins. I'll kill them all with my two hands!”
“How about we get you out first, and then you can come back for vengeance?”
And somehow that was enough to convince this half-mad dwarf to follow them. It turned out that the ladders led into the cave chamber where Rad was unable to open the trapdoor. Luckily, he was able to open it from this side. Moving quickly, the party reached their camp unmolested.
Having had a brief moment of respite, they asked Bergal to rest in the VVagon, and then took off for Antil. The dwarf was complaining all the time “Six months gone, and my father sends someone just now? What a greedy bastard!” They arrived on the morning of Warmshade 1st.
“You know, I'm not as mad as I seem. You have saved my life, and for that I will be forever grateful. Once I retake my own mine, I promise to craft a mithril weapon or armour of your choice—for each one of you. Rad, Guha, Rhovar, Sinai, Francis, Dolgo, Ariad, Ehrman, and yes, even you Gon'd'elf—I'll remember your names forever!”
Player Session Reports
Sinai's map:
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