Day 1, From Darkness To Light And Back Again

With the Tree behind us we went back down to the pleasure room and went down the last tunnel that we saw. It ended, not to far, with a strong wooden door bound in iron bands. We tried the door but it wouldn't budge. Not to be discouraged, we tried the door in groups even. Each time we failed there was a report amongst the men that they just couldn't try the door again. Like a weariness, only none of them wanted for sleep.
We finally got the door open, by one of our mages none the less. The warriors must have loosened it up for him. And through the door we found our salvation.

The days light pored down on us. We rose from the tunnel among the debris of a collapsed building, all of which was overgrown with thick moss and ground cover. Our door had not only be rusted shut but also tied closed by the plants and their roots. We'd ripped our way to the surface.
We'd finally gotten to the surface and our sense of time was restored. We could see the sun close to setting on the horizon. Not wanting to spend the night under the arena, with skeletons, slimes, Errol, poisonous air and a bewitched killer tree, and who knows what else, we decided to stay outside and go else where.

We hadn't gone far before we were back in the swamp, up to our ankles in mire and stagnant water with it's slime and squishy plants. Our feet were making sucking noises as we lifted them with each step. We made so much noise that none of us were prepared when two crocadillos attacked us.
We swarmed over the monsters. We quickly killed one and drove the other off. Being attacked actually had a side benefit. As we took stock of the situation following the melee, we noticed the remains of other adventurers, and their possessions. We armed ourselves with a few spears and even found an ivory statuette.

And now darkness of night is creeping up on us.

Day 1 - The Map

         __                             
     ___|  |___
    /          \___                                            
   /   *    *     |  Tree of Malloc                              
  | *  &&&        |                                              
  |   &&&&&   *  /   Pits surrounding
 |     [o]       | 
 | *  ,[ ],      |______                
  |           *         \                
  |             ______  \                [E] Exit
  |   *   *    /      \  \              /  /
   \          /        \  \            /  /
    \__    __/          \  \          /  /
       |__|              \  \        /  /
                         |  |        |  |
     ---------           |  |        |  |
    |   Gas   |          |  |        |  |
    |  Jars   |          |  |        |  |
    |         |    ------|  |--------|  |------ 
     --|   |--    |                            |
       |   |-------                            --------- Rocks,
       |  \S            Pleasure room                o0O unknown
       |   |-------                            --------- beyond  
       |   |      |-------------[S]------------| [S] Secret door
       |   |      |                            |
       |   |      |           _____            |
       |   |      |          /     \           |
       |   --------         |  ~~   |          |
       |                   \D  ~~~  |          | Magical healing 
       |                    |   ~~  |          | pool we fell in
       |   --------          \_____/           | from arena pit
       |   |      |                            |  
       |   |      |                            | Skeletons
     --|   |--    |           ____             | Attacked
    |         |   |          /    \            |
    | Slimes  |    ----------|    |------------ 
    |   Bath  |              |    |   Arch way
    |_________|    ----------|    |------------ 
                  |       __         __        |
                  |      /  \       /  \       | Copper Braziers
                  |      \__/       \__/       |
                  |                            |
                  |        ~~              ~~  |
                  |~   ~~~~~~~~~       ~~~~~~~~| Whiskers the fi-
                 |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| sh. Also known
                |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| as Errol.
               |~~~~~~~~___~~~~~~~~~~~__~~~~~~~~~~| ***DO NOT GO
              |~~~~~~\\/  o\~~~~~~~~~/||\~~~~~~~~~~| FISHING***
             |~~~~~~~//\___/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Chest in
            |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| water
           |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 
          |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Dead adv-
         |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| venturer
        |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     o-v--:  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 
       |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 
      |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 
     |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
    |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
   |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
  |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|

Day 1, The Tree's Gifts

The roots are still striking at us, but we're fighting them off. No one seems to be getting hurt for the moment.

In this temporary calm, two things happened. One of our clerics ran up to the tree and started praying or meditating and then Gilch ran forward and grabbed the chalice out of the gaping maw. And that's when the battle tipped the scales.
Gilch get ensnared by hundreds of smoky tendrils from the maw. They wrapped around him and constricted his movement and started to drag him into the mouth.
Where moments before we'd been able to ward off the roots from the pits now they struck out with renewed strength and immediately a bunch of the guys got entwined and were also being pushed towards the maw.
We tried our best to free them but with the roots waving about the woodcutter actually slashed Gilch with his axe mighty fierce. Others were able to untangle themselves through their own strength and others needs our help to free them. We attacked the roots time and again. If we were lucky we freed someone, but never did we hurt the roots.

The tree must be magic and so we got desperate. We took the golden talisman with the tree symbol and we threw it inside the maw, nothing happened and so we threw the golden chalice in too. Still nothing.
We're getting desperate because nothing is working. We're looking around for our next best option. A couple people are still being dragged kicking into the maw, the cleric sits entranced in a meditation towards the tree, which very strangely the tree hasn't even struck out at him. It's as if they share a bond. But the cleric isn't talking and so we don't know anything about this magic tree.

That's when poor Gilch finally got pulled into the maw, and the tree went calm. The roots let everyone go and they pulled back into the pits and we heard an evil voice speak to our minds.

The tree asked us if we wanted to worship Malloc. I said no and felt a force strike me. The next thing I know I'm waking up and I see about half the group is laying on the floor and slowly getting up, shaking their heads and steadying themselves. The other half of our group all look different in odd ways. One guy now has horns, another has a scaly arm, yet another has green tinged hands, and another still is sitting on the floor touching some growth on his foot. When I asked them what had happened they didn't even seem to notice that half of us had fallen to the ground, they all just said they felt different. I don't know how, one says he's never felt so healthy, another says he feels like he likes more people and another says everything feels lighter, or he's stronger, he really didn't know the difference.

This room seems like it was a big mistake to enter. Gilch died and we have two pieces of treasure less than we entered with and nothing more to be seen. As we're leaving the room I see Old Mac throwing a hook down the maw of the tree with a rope and actually fished out the amulet, and then the chalice.
That's some bravery to even touch that tree after what it just done to us.

We're back to exploring this dungeon and we found a door. Only it's sealed tight. It's not locked but all the same no one can move it. We've almost all tried and the effort we gave is leaving us tired and worn.

Maybe tomorrow we'll find out what's behind the door.

Day 1, The Lonesome Tree wants Solitude

This place is a labyrinth.

We've found a hidden set of rooms and hallways that is just as extensive as the main hallways. Who knows how big it really is, we went down one hallway to find a rock cave in. The dead end wasn't a total loss though, we found some dead guy in the rubble and his adventuring had been prosperous, up until his death. So, we relieved him of his golden amulet.
He must have found the amulet here because it had the emblem of the gnarly tree on it. We've seen that emblem in a couple places now. On the button in the arena pit that turned off the lightning wall and on the white towels. I guess it's the sigil of the Lord of this land.

We went down some more tunnels and found the very tree we've seen so many times. The true doesn't look natural, like stone instead of living wood. The clerics say the room has a very eerie feel to it. I can see a bunch of holes in the floor that form a circle around the tree. A couple of our toughs walked closer to the tree, and the holes, to investigate what looks like a skeleton's bones sticking out of some maw in the tree. They shouted back that the maw has some magic in it, little black smoke fingers waving around. It almost sounds like the dead was stuffed into the mouth of a tree. Evil indeed.

We didn't want to get to close to that maw and so we trying to rope the skeleton and tug it out. No one is good at throwing this rope and so we just couldn't get it. Then Gilch, not seeing any danger, walks up and grabs the skeleton. This caused a big reaction. Roots are shooting out of the holes in the floor and are waving at us and coming closer. We've been striking at them and this seems to drive them back temporarily but it doesn't seem to be hurting the roots.

Now we're standing, trying to fight the roots and we don't know what's going to happen next...

Day 1, Breathe deep in the Pleasure Room

Twelve dead.

That slug room appears to have been a waste. We squished some slimes and got six white towels for our effort. Risk our lives for towels.

So, out the room we go and head north into another room. Here we found a collection of curious stoppered clay jars.

Best to be prepared, the clerics cast some spells to look for magic, but at exactly the same time Gilch ran up to a jar and popped the stopper off easy as you please. He immediately reaches inside and gives this face of pain and effort. I'm thinking the fool should have waited for the clerics to tell us if it's safe. Likely he'll lose that hand. But then out he pulls a bit of electrum. The grin on his face tells me he never once thought this was dangerous.

So, old man farmer goes up and fetches two jars and another warrior, Sigorn, grabs one. The farmer pulled out a piece of electrum from each jar, the other warrior popped open the jar and out spewed a vile green cloud. The smell quickly spreads over the room but it seems only those closest actually cough. Sigorn even grabbed his stomach in pain.

The cloud was growing bigger so we decided to run. As I turn around to flee I see one of the elves in our party push open a trick door. We all quickly enter within and hurry down the narrow hallway and out we come into another room where we see some once beautiful, yet now ragged tapestries hanging. We'll get a better look at the tapestries after a rest, but for now I need a break. That gas has me breathing rough. But the good news is, the tapestry room already has some riches that we've taken. Someone freed a silver rod from one of the tapestries.

I sat down near that chest making dwarf, a wise idea to keep an eye on him. He was already sitting down and going through his chest, taking inventory I guess. I hear him mutter faintly about caltrops, a dagger, hammer, bags, sort of mundane stuff, but he gets this look in his eyes and so I listened harder and I hear him clearly say, "Three hundred and fifteen silver pieces. I've done it." Scheming little Dwarf. The secret is out, now I know how much my cut is. I'm Hoping I'm not the only one seeing this, so I look around and I see a couple others nearby, pretending not to stare, but it's obvious they're watching the dwarf too, and a couple of them are grinning and licking their lips.

Day 1, What's that smell, Fish or Slime?

Twelve in the party dead.

We're finally getting some treasure. The guys on the boat came ashore and said they'd found some money and some caltrops by a skeleton on the island. And a journal.
We read the last entry of the journal and it told us the fish was intelligent. Said his name was whiskers, but that he didn't like that name. Well, we already know to not make that fish angry, or was the fish just hungry? He ate two of our party after all. So, instead call him Errol, because that's the name he likes. I'm thinking the dead man on the island called the fish Whiskers one too many times.

We are in an underground level of the arena and know nothing of the place. Since the journal says the fish is intelligent we decide to chat him up (Whose idea was that anyways? The fish just ate our companions). But we had no idea if he'd come if we just said his name, so one of the group tried to summon the fish with his magic. You know why people keep dying when the mage casts his spell and instead of Errol coming to talk two normal fish appear above the water in the air. Well, Errol came anyhow and ate the two fish. So, now we're talking to a giant man eating fish.
We posed the fish some riddles, I can't remember them cause they was complex riddles. No wait, one was a trick. We asked him, "What is my name?" and the fish spoke it... eerie. The other riddle's answer was, "A fish." I couldn't remember the riddle, but you'd think a Fish would know a fish when he heard one described.
And then Errol swims away and we're all none the wiser, and actually we had to give him gifts every time he guessed our riddle.
We still hadn't asked our real question, where is the treasure? So, we tried speaking to Errol again. He came up and spit water on a couple of us, the jet stream of water even knocking one guy down to the ground, hard.
Yeah, maybe that's a taste of what you get if you call him Whiskers.
One of our vain companions had a hand mirror with him, pretty boy was actually an ugly one, so what he thought to do with a mirror I don't know. He offered to let Errol see himself in a mirror, mayhaps for the first time in his life, and the fish actually liked it. He swam down into the water and back back up with a slime covered chest. It was full of silver.

I knew I'd get rich out here, or die. I'll tell you who is gonna die. That dwarf chest maker keeps volunteering to carry everything, and he's done it this time. As soon as we got the silver he's putting it into his chest. I better find out where he keeps the key.

Getting all of that silver has made us bold again, after the arena pit, and we've begun exploring even more.
We found a room with purple slugs everywhere. They were covering every bit of wall, and they was making some kind of humming noise. While I was looking around at the slugs our farmer man walks into the room and out slides two nasty looking purple slimes. Before I've even had a second to think the farmer is shredding into the slime with a fury and a cleric is casting magic, then when he struck the slime it stopped moving and went all firm and solid. We quickly killed the slimes and were able to look around the room some more. We found a chest, and inside the chest we found six perfectly folded and clean white towels with that same wicked tree embroidered on them. Nows the first time I'm thinking about how dirty I've gotten, what with walking through a swamp and jumping in a sand pit and falling into a pool, getting splashed by a giant fish and rummaging through a dungeon.

I think I'd trade some of my silver for one of them fine towels.

Day 1 - To Feed a Fish

Twelve dead in the party, five joined earlier.

After taking stock of the situation and getting ready, we left the pool and headed towards the door.

Old man farmer is a bold one, he opened the door and was confronted by a skeleton. And we're back to fighting.
We destroyed eight skeletons but not without loss. One of the monster men got wrapped up by one of the skeletons wicked chains. We rushed to his aid but as we killed the skeleton he jerked the chain and ended the armadillo man's life.

Outside the pool room we entered a large hallway with three different ways to go. We found some torches and candles and those chains and passed them out among ourselves.
While we're doing this the old farmer man goes off again, this time throwing some of his food off down the hallway. I don't know if he was trying to ditch the hen because he threw the food awful far. Waste of food.

So, we all walk down between the arches because we see a shimmer in the distance and we find a slow moving underground river.
It sparkles mighty fierce and we can see thousands of crawfish and one of us swears they saw something big move under, deep.
Something deep in the water? So what's the Halfling do? he rigs a pole with some chicken and makes a fishing pole. Funniest death of all. Fool must have had it coming. He was dangling it in the water and a gigantic fish comes surging out of the water and pulls him in. Before we know what's happening the water gushes red with his blood and he doesn't come back up.

Across that river we can see some building remains and we all want to go see, but after seeing that big river fish a couple of the lads just aren't sure, but a couple of them grab a bronze brazier next to the arch and toss it into the river like a boat and then paddle across. We can see them but they don't tell us nothing. Then they're paddling back to us. And that's when the fish strikes. He rocks the brazier and knocks two guys into the water.
We'd already seen what that fish had done for the halfling, but that fish didn't strike for a whole minute and then one of the boys got pulled under and didn't come back up.

Well, just be smart. Some guys are dying, but some are already getting riches.

Day 1 The Friendship Pool

Nine dead in the party.

After the chaos above the fall was peaceful.
It seemed to go on for a long time but then before I knew it I'd landed in a magical pool.
All of my pains and injuries were healed.

After me and a few others climbed out of the pool a few more fell in, and they too healed.

Their tale was more of the same grisly.
More of our party jumped down from the stands into the pit and got hurt real bad by the fall and the metals balls that were shooting around.
They couldn't get a proper look for having to run real fast but we think five more of the party died in the pit.
With all this danger around us I wish I could have gotten the armor off one of the dead fellows. Now the next poor adventurers to enter the pit will get his armor, that is if they don't die.

What surprised me the most was to see some of those monster men fall into the water, what we fought out in the swamp. And they're talking to us. At first they went searching through the belongs of one of our party who fell dead into the pool. We all banded together and pushed them away from our dead companion. But then, they started talking with us. They'd come into the arena to explore and got caught in the same trap as us. They aren't hostile towards us, not like the first group who attacked us without even a word.

The chaos has made strange friends of us.