Adventure 3 - Poor Bliggit... I hardly knew thee.

With Rocky's gift of a round of ales we let the cares of the fighting pass and we started to have a little fun. Quack and Bilgdwarf led a conversation at a table of their own, and the rest of us sat around a table to sing drinking songs.
We soon had the attention of a group of young adventurers who sat nearby. They came to us like excited puppies to meet their master, asking questions of where we'd found treasure, what we had to fight to get it, and how dangerous it was.
By the end of the night we'd befriended the troupe of newlings and said that if they dared, they could come with us.
And so Childon, Villidillus, Tedrick and Romshell joined us.

We left in the morning for the barrow mounds and with luck we didn't find any roaming beasts or monsters when we arrived. We climbed down the chain and descended into the darkness.

We lit up torches and the experienced campaigners that we are, immediately set out, while the mewlings stalled and one of them gave out money to the rest. Do your shakedown later!! I hope they realize what they've gotten themselves into, but I can tell by their dress and gear that they aren't prepared. Tedrick is wearing a kettle on his head with eye holes gouged out and has no armor but wields a very fine sword. Villidillus holds no weapons and keeps pounding his fists together and baring his teeth. Romshell has only a dagger. And lastly Childon has a dagger and whips it around. I swear he only did that because I was watching, perhaps trying to impress me, only I can tell he has no idea. He's holding the dagger like he's going to strike down into someones back and not at all like a slashing knife. Plus, he keeps rubbing that floor grime on his blade. He's bound to nick himself and his hand is sure to get infected from this graveyard mold and lichen. Actually, I don't Childon is right in the head, he's called a few of us by the name Bliggit at least three times, even though his friends have told him our names just as many times.
I'm just glad we're an experienced crew, and don't need to rely on these green boys to watch our backs.

We walked down the hall a little further, and peaked inside the rooms as we went. Nothing in the first door, but at the second door Mort listened and heard a quick and tiny chittering and squealing. It didn't sound dangerous, and so we opened the door.
We expected to see a few rats, rather we saw more than a few giant rats. Their eyes glistening in the shadows of our torches they immediately turned on us and started biting and clawing. We squished a few and pushed our way into the room, but found ourselves over extended and surrounded. While Bilgdwarf splashed one rats body across the floor, half of the pack turned on his and started ripping him to pieces. Blood was shooting everywhere. Bilgdwarf quickly fell to their attacks and we knew we had precious few moments to save him, but in the midst of this pack of rats we couldn't take our time.
Then the newlings made their appearence. Villidillus knelt and began praying aloud, Tedrick whipped out his sword and eviscerated a rat, Childon screamed and challenged Bliggit to combat. He rushed in with his grimy dagger and was chewed up by the rats. Romshell struck out, killing one rat, but falling to another. Their two deaths in the briefest of moments.
Sigorn struck out at a rat and missed, then backed up and came forward and layed his hands on Bilgdwarf and invoked his god for healing. The bites and wounds around Bilgdwarfs throat and eyes closed up and some color returned to his face, the briefest flutter coming to his eyes as he lay prone.
Mort lay into the pack of rats with a ferocity. Striking at no single rat, and all at the same time, his hammer wizzed through the air and struck the wall with a shattering sound, the weapon falling to the ground in pieces. With no weapon in hand, his axe was put back to use.
The chaos surged around us as our group forced their way into the room to cut down the rats. Quack immediately took up a position over Bilgdwarf and struck out at any rat coming close. Alas, her hammers didn't make the rats disappear and their tiny size inflicted only moderate wounds to the rodents.
With his prayers concluded, Villidillus surged to his feat and lunged at a rat, howling, striking it's wiry flesh with his hammy fists, pounding and pulping the rat into mash.
We continued to fight, dealing out death as much as taking wounds.
In the end, many had been savaged, but all rats lay dead. Bilgdwarf had been healed by Sigorn's god, and Childon and Romshell lay torn to shreds.

In the end we prospered. We found a sack full of silver. We shared it among our living. I'm sure we'll drink a toast to our fallen, later. In the mean time we need to get out of the mounds and back to Kalas before the darkness of night settles upon us.

Adventure 3 - I said who I was

The trip is long, but sleeping in the comforts of town every night has proven to be worth the long trek back. We've visited the burrow mounds a few times now and not ventured deep within yet.
However, this time was different. We came up to the mound, prepared to fight. Every time we arrive some new dangerous monster has arrived.
After we dispatched a pack of monsters a queer little bird creature came to us. She greeted us happily and took an instant liking to Bilgdwarf and gave him a favor, a splendid spear. But, apparently for that favor she walked easy as you like right up to one of the skeletons we'd bested and picked up a golden urn and kept it for herself.
She said her name was Quack McDaniel and when we pressed her about the golden urn she ignored us and pointedly talked about her two hammers and how she can defend herself.

With that conversation going nowhere fast we decided to descend into the mound.
One of the huts had a chain rope suspended in the center of the room, descending through a hole in the floor.
We all climbed down and started exploring the hallways and rooms.
If we thought the monsters who kept occupying the grounds above were dangerous, the hallways below were not to be taken lightly. Rocky walked into a room and a stone door fell like a trap, seperating him from us. Immediately we heard the moan and clatter of skeletons.

We couldn't get in, the stone door was to heavy and to powerful for us to force. As Sigorn pushed at the stone, Mort found a loose stone on the floor which he pried up. Underneath it he found a lever which, when activated it pulled the stone door away, and the battle was joined.
Each of our strikes would chip and crack bones, but the skeletons were very strong. In the midst of the melee we were hard pressed by the skeletons, but Quack, she was so small she slid in between us and pulled her two hammers from her side and whirled them about and layed into the skeletons.
With each strike of the hammer a strong glow imbued the hammer and the skeleton simply disappeared. The mere tap of the hammer and they vanished.

But all the risk appeared for naught. The skeletons did not have any riches and we left back to town without being any richer, except for Quack, who still retains the golden urn.
Rocky was feeling very free and he bought us all a round of ale to drink the dust from our throats.

Another day is passed.

Adventure 3 - The City and the Graveyard

This life of adventuring is both exciting and tiring.

After we returned to the shanty town, leaving behind the pit beast and the cult, some of the party decided to take life easy and stay in town. The rest of us got ourselves embroiled in something new already.
We arrived in the shanty town and decided we'd travel into the city proper. We bought passes to enter and as we made our way down a central boulevard we heard squawking and shouting. The crush of the crowd surged and pushed us to the edge of the road as a dozen men can racing past us on large birds. None of us knew what was happening but we quickly heard both cheers and curses. As the dust still hung in the air a crier shouted out odds and took bets on the race, just as a squad of guards scrambled out of a building and gave pursuit to the disruptive racers.
With so much going on around us, all of it new, we stood around like a bunch of onlookers and as the excitement died down we just continued walking on into the center of town.

When we finally reached a central plaza we looked around and decided on splitting up for an easy evening. We planned on meeting together at an Inn and collecting ourselves then.
I don't know what the others got up to, but when we later got back together I see Sigorn is wearing the strangest new hat, he says it's part of his new faith, and some of the others are talking about talking plants and talking statues and mystic seers.
Amidst our talking we heard there was some treasure we might find in the ancient burial tombs. Seems like the whole town is fine with grave robbers snooping around these ancient burial mounds. I'm thinking the city stopped burying their dead there long long ago, now it's just a place that people talk about but everyone seems to recommend avoiding.
When we was talking about it, both Searos and Sigorn were strongly in favor of going there, but they didn't explain why. Sigorn was adamant, but didn't even tell us what he'd heard we might find for treasure, he just really wanted to go. Searos was the oddest. He was skeptical of Sigorn's enthusiasm, but at the same time was enthusiastic himself.
Well, with some of us equally divided between going to the ancient burial mounds and somewhere else, and a few of us being really set on going to the mounds, we've decided in favor of the mounds. When we toasted our new adventure and hoisted our drinks to the glory we'd find at the mounds, all other patrons of the inn turned and looked at us. The looks on their faces was all mixed. No one seemed eager at our cries of wealth and fortune, some shook their heads, cast glances at us and muttered to their companions. Another pair both upended the contents of their mugs on the floor and set them down on the table upside down, leaned back, folded their arms, and made satisfied grunting sounds with grim determined looks on their faces. All of this was the oddest reaction we've had to our band announcing our impending adventures.
Maybe the inn back in the shanty town is the best place to speak of adventures, there a man get's cheered for his tenacity and his group becomes renowned for their exploits. Here, they'd just as soon forget us.


I haven't written for a few days.
Twice we've been up to the mounds and twice we've come back to town.
I feel like a ghost has followed me all the way back. I think he's watching my now.
The first time we went up there we were snooping around and a bunch of crazy townsfolk attacked us. We beat them back easily, but still we felt shaken by the experience.
Something felt really wrong about looking in the mounds, but I just shrugged and brushed the feelings aside. Enough people back in town said they'd buy anything we found of worth, so I'm sure the locals don't mind us poking around up here, so it's not guilt at grave robbing I feel.
I just don't know.
The second time we came up a large black monster can and attacked us. It had 4 legs with two arms that had claws to grab with, and a tail as sharp as a sword that would strike out. As quick as lightning the beast attacked us. It grabbed and stabbed at Rocky but it's blows were easily deflected. Mort, seeing the beast to be mighty strong, turned to get out of it's reach, only to be instantly set upon by the creature. Again with lightning speed and precision it struck a wicked blow to Mort, nearly taking off his head. If Mort wasn't a healer I'd venture he would have died on the spot. As it is, he only looks half dead now.
We all set to, pounding on it's armoured body, but it was so strong we barely seemed to bother it. Except Searos. He coolly drew bead with his bow and arrow and stuck the creature with one shot, then walked right up and stuck it with his short sword. Twice he slashed and stabbed into it, finding weaknesses in the beast's body.
Just as Searos had the beast heavily wounded, and it turned to run, Rocky took a mighty swing with his hammer and crushed down on the beasts head. Sundering the bone with a loud crack and a spray of monster blood spewed from the head in a big splash, getting all over Sigorn, Rocky and Searos.
With the creature vanquished, we stopped to take a look around again.
We see before us an archway that has a darkness to it, thicker than the dead of night. It being the middle of the day and rainy, this darkness sets itself apart.
We cautiously take a look inside, with Rocky leading the way, holding a torch tied to a pole. Inside we find a large open room, with four pillars in the center, and a hole in the floor with a tripod over the hole, suspending a rope down inside.
We judged the depth of the hold to be rather shall after we tossed in some bone scraps we found nearby.
Again that feeling of unease touched us.

We all decided quickly and easily that we might like to go back to town to rest, it's not even barely midday, but a tiredness invades me. As we walk back to town, I realize something important. I can't trust anyone.

Everyone around me wants to steal my shoes.

Adventure 2 - The Hidden Lord has spoken!

We walked into the large room to find nothing but an exit to the east and to the south. So, we decided to look to the side and see what we find.
When we entered the room strange rock beasts stood up and started shuffling towards us. These rocks were shaped like a box. They kept coming towards us, slowly, and so we didn't know how to react. It wasn't exactly threatening.
Sigorn decided to run past them and the rest of stood still. Suddenly pebbles erupted from the rock creatures, spraying out and striking us. Rose had her head bashed in by a rock the size of my fist and everyone took a severe pounding. We struck out at the creatures but they were tough as rocks and we couldn't hurt them or even chip away at their bodies. Sigorn tried to handle one of the creatures, to push it around, but the thing was too heavy and wouldn't budge.
Since the beasts were very slow we all run past them and left out of that room.

What we saw next sent shivers down our backs.

Before us we saw a large gathering of cultists and some ape like creatures as well as a screaming village girl. It appeared that a Blue robed cultists was leading the sacrificing of the virgins and he had a yellow, crimson, and gray robed cultists with him and half a score of the ape creatures.
Our fierce warriors formed up and struck at the heart of the group, striking down three of the apes. Searos drew his brow and drew bead on the blue robed cultists and let loose an arrow. It struck home but the cultists seemed completely indifferent to the hit.
And then we were massively surprised.
We hear brief chanting or prayer from Mort and a very strong feeling of power settled over us all. Upon Mort's shout to his God the very ground beneath the cultists crumbled away and the blue robed cultist began to fall into the abyss.
Beyond the edge the monstrous tentacle monster shot it's writhing arms up and began grabbing everything in sight. The falling blue robed cultists, the cultists standing at the edge, the ape creatures, even the very walls.
Rocks began to fall around us and the whole area where we stood began to fill up with debris.

We scattered and started to run for cover. Sigorn and Bruun headed for a building, Kadelthin, Mort, Searos and Old Mac were taken by surprise and hit by a spray of rocks as the pit beast struck the wall with it's writhing tentacle. One of the boulders struck Bruun and knocked him to the ground. As I tried to find my own safety I saw that he did not get back up. Was anyone going to save him? Old Mac had the same idea and picked up Bruun and carried him towards safety. But once Searos shouted that there were virgins in a distant hut he dropped Bruun back to the ground and went charging after Searos to free the virgins. Sigorn came after and carried Bruun to safety. Kadelthin barely escaped the deluge with his life, so battered and beaten by the rocks as he was. Searos and Old Mac returned with 4 of the fairest villagers you have ever seen. Two women and two men.
With our lives saved and out of the rain of rock and boulder we all looked to Mort for his healing powers. He told us he couldn't do it, that his God, the Hidden Lord had already answered his prayer to smite the cultists down and had shut himself off from Mort's communion. I could tell that some of the others were angry. In fact, Old Mac started to demand Mort lay his hands on Bruun or else.
Bruun lay dying and Mort and Old Mac got into a fight. Old Mac struck Mort with his pitch fork and Mort prayed to his god, not for healing, but for some other magic. Mort was surrounded with black whispy tendrils and that flowed around his body and then drew themselves into his axe. Mort struck out with his axe and hit Old Mac, who immediately went rigid and stiff as a board.
We were all astonished. Kadelthin started shouting at them in Elvish and Searos drew his arrow and aimed at both of them.
But Sigorn paid them no mind. He leaned over and layed his hands on Bruun and prayed to Amun Tor. Sigorn is a warrior, but mysteriously he now professes to worship the god of Mystery. In this sudden change Bruun was healed and brought back from the brink of death.

It took us a few minutes, but eventually we simmered down and stopped trying to kill each other. The rumbling around us stopped and when we looked outside we could see that the cliff side was no longer sheer, but actually full of climbable paths.

We ascended the cliff and freed ourselves from the pit of the cult and their monster god.

Adventure 2 - Is this the end? For some already.

We've been crawling around this abyss for many hours now and not much to show for it. Some of the group began grumbling, foremost being Battlebeard, about only finding a little treasure and finding only a few villagers to rescue. They think that the rest have already been sacrificed to the tentacled monster and we're risking our lives over nothing more to be gained.
So, we had a divide. Half of them decided on going back to town and the other half decided to stay and continue on. Stostine, Battlebeard, Dalhi, Skel and Biff all decided to return to the others who are back in town. Stostine's ever faithful dog has gone with her, leaving Rose behind with us. Rose refused to go to safety with the others, insisting on searching for her childhood friends.
Of those who remain behind we have Kadelthin, Searos, Mort, Rocky, Brunn, Old Mac and Sigorn. Old Mac only barely stayed. He was really angry at Sigorn for spewing his sickness on Rose.

Sigorn decided it was a fine time to tell everyone that he has found a new calling in life. He wishes to be a cleric. He speaks of the god Amun Tor and his mysteries, as though mysteries explain mysteries. I was talking with the others and they tell me he's tried many professions and be mediocre at all of them. It's no surprise he's moving on from being a tough to being a cleric. We'll see, if we care to watch.

Now facing the sickening wall that is shaped like the tentacled monster, we descended down the central passage way and found ourselves in a hallway that branched off into three rooms.
In the first room we found one of those magical transportation patterns on the floor.
In the second room we were attacked by a yellow robed cultist, who we slew, but not before he viciously wounded Old Mac several times. This cultist actually carried a chest with him. Inside the chest we found clothing, some food and numerious stoppered vials. Kadelthin looked upon each of them and identified most of them to us. Some vials of blood, ash, salt and crushed flower petals. We could not identify the vials with a dark green content.
In the third room we found the giant tentacle with the rope transport system fastened to it.

We climbed along the tentacle and found ourselves in a very large room. These rooms have commonly held large groups of cultists and the owl-beasts, so we prepare carefully before we walk in.