Showing posts with label Dībités Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dībités Rock. Show all posts

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Game log 23 January 2022, 6 February 2022, 6 March 2022, 3 April 2022, 1 May 2022: Big log two

Personae dramatis

Tulip, elf bard
Grignok, orc druid
Felcanis, elf cleric
Honsou, bowman

Quid occurrit

Angelista is weirded out by the manner of healing, so she walks off into the night. The night is otherwise uneventful. The next day, they make it to Káddrakos, after finding old caterwaul dung around midday, of which Grignok takes some.

Tulip has taken up a residence in the Winking Friar at Káddrakos. Honsou and Felcanis recognize her. Felcanis chats her up and asks her to come along, and she agrees. She mades 12 copper for the night, short change from the gnomes.

Honsou pickpockets the gnomes for 25 copper. A stooped gnome woman with wooden teeth comes up to him. "Hey, s-s-sonny, you look like my kind of boy." She leans over to his ear and whispers, "I know you have sticky fingers, dearie."

Honsou says, "Okay who doesn't?"

She says, "Who doesn't is right. Don't worry, your secret is s-s-safe with me."

Honsou asks, "Is this going to cost me?"

The woman laughs, and leads him to a booth. "S-s-s-s-sonny, I have a deal you might like. I have a few silver-coated spears that f-f-f-fell off a wagon a few weeks ago. You look like you might be the kind to want them. I think I can part with them for 100 copper each."

Honsou says, "I'll take a look at them first."

She shows off the array of spears. She has six. All the spears have a silver-plated point. One shaft has the word 'BRITNEY' carved into it. He can't get her to lower her price. The gnome woman sells him one of the spears, not the one marked "Britney." "Thank you, b-b-b-b-b-b-sonny."

The next morning they go back the way they came. It's generally clear today, a little bit warmer. Not far from the caterwaul shit, they spy a short person. He's a dwarf with no earlobes, and he scowls at them. "Stay away from my home! Especially you, orc! Watch it! I'm one of the Queen's Men!"

Tulip says, "I don't remember asking you where you work."

Grignok says, "You're a queen? I thought you were a Dwarf."

The dwarf says, "I'm no wet boy, orc!"

Grignok says, "Of course not, you're a dry dwarf. I'm the Casumaorc!"

Honsou tells everyone to calm down, but Grignok says he is calm, and that "NoWetBoy" is the upset one. He asks where the dwarf's home is, so that they can stay away, and the dwarf says that it's an old church to the south. Tulip says they'll steer clear of that. The dwarf says, "You do that, pointy-eared lembas muncher." This bothers Tulip greatly.

Grignok and the dwarf talk about theology. The dwarf says he worships Máhal, and that Grignok is "proof that Máhal has a sense of humor." Grignok says nobody is greater than the mother of the land, the Great Mork, and the dwarf says, "Mork can go back to Orson!" The dwarf storms off.

Honsou and Tulip choose to loot the dwarf's church while Grignok wants to teach him of the overlordship of the goddess Mork. So, Grignok turns into a panther and tracks the dwarf. The dward doesn't make much effort to hide his trail, so they follow him easily. Sure enough, he goes back to what looks like an old church. It looks like the church in Little House on the Prairie, only wrecked. There are a few broken windows. Tulip notices that the church is a no-mana zone, so her spells won't work. This bothers Tulip greatly.

The dwarf stands at the door. "What the hell are you all doing here? Go away, goat turds!" Honsou says they only want to see the church, but the dwarf says it's a wreck. Grignok slinks around to the back side as they talk. Honsou and Tulip ask to go inside, but the dwarf won't let them inside without paying him. Honsou asks how he wants them to pay him, and he shakes his head. "You're so simple that you couldn't sell a pie to a starving hobbit." He looks up. "Coin, how else?" After a few more words, he goes back inside and slams the door, then you hear him slamming something else. "Gah!"

Grignok jumps onto the roof and starts clawing it. Honsou climbs in through a broken window. Honsou can see him sit down on an old pew and sigh. "I so give up." Honsou creeps towards the door. Tulip keeps insulting the "half-shaved owl bear," and the dwarf mutters aloud, "Why is that tree-dweller still out there yelling at me?"

Tulip yells back, "Shut up, you dirt midget!"

Honsou opens the door, and the dwarf notices him, as the door isn't quiet. "Argh! Get out!" Grignok breaks through the roof, then tries to fall on the dwarf. He hears Grignok, then runs past Honsou and into the wild. "They're summoning pumas in my church!"

Tulip yells after him. "Yeah! Run away, you hairy brewery!"

Grignok runs around the church, knocking things over. Honsou searches, and finds seven silver pennies hidden in the lectern. He takes the money. Otherwise, there is just standard camping gear: kettle, wood axe, bedroll, that kind of stuff. Honsou takes that, too.

Grignok turns into an orc again. Honsou and Tulip talk about burning down the church. Felcanis isn't down with that, and neither is Grignok. The dwarf isn't far away, and yells out "No!" as he hears them ransack his home. "What the hell are you doing?" Honsou and Tulip heckle him some more as they tell him truthfully they're ransacking him, and the dwarf sobs. "Please stop! I'm sorry, I really am! How do you make money burning down my home?" Grignok poops on the steps to his church, then gets up, leaving an orc-sized green turd.

The dwarf rushes inside towards the lectern. "Please, I have four silver! I'll give it to you if you leave me alone!" Honsou shows the dwarf the coins, and he looks a little guilty and miffed as he sees the seven silver Honsou took. "Seems you found it." He goes inside, walks to the lectern, and looks. "Damn it!"

Honsou adds, "I also have your survival supplies."

The dwarf slams his open palm against the door frame. "Please, take my money, but leave my supplies!" Honsou asks if the dwarf has any more money, and the dwarf says, "That's it! I hunt pelts and bring them to town, and sometimes get a bounty. And I haven't gotten a bounty in awhile! You even took my bedroll!" Grignok asks him about the wood axe, and he says it's mostly for chopping up downed trees for firewood.

Grignok nods. "Hmm, that pleases Grignok. You are dumb, but wise. Why this place smell so funny?"

The dwarf realizes something. "Oh, I need to dump the honeypot." He goes and gets a big wooden bucket, then takes it outside. A minute or so later, he comes back. "Smell better now?" This doesn't sate Tulip, so he lets her take his bucket.

Grignok punches the dwarf in the arm. "We just picking with you, puny dwarf." Honsou and Tulip, however, still want to take the dwarf's stuff.

The dwarf sits on a broken pew and hangs his head down, sobbing. "I can't believe this. I have to turn to an orc for common sense!"

Grignok says, "Not all orcs are bad."

Tulip taunts, "Good, cry, you lumberfoot."

The dwarf wails, "I don't even know what that means!"

Grignok tells him, "It means your foot is made of wood. Or it's a weird Boy Scout rank." The dwarf throws him atop the stuff the murderhoboes don't take, and the murderhoboes take off.

A few hours later they see a wrecked hut with a wolf tree growing near it. The hut is little better than a thatched teepee, with the roof caved in.

Honsou pokes his head in. It's kinda moldy-smelling, and there's nothing much there.

They hear some buzzing in a hole under the roots of the tree. Tulip goes to check out the buzzing. Some swarms of wasps come out and sting her for several seconds as she runs. Grignok casts Windstorm to make the wasps fly elsewhere, and Felcanis casts Major Healing on her. "Don't do it again." 

As they get near evening, they start to see the dead wood and lack of animals that signals you're near Dībités Rock. Grignok can tell that nature is weak here. Past the trees they spot four men on horseback. Tulip looks at their banners. She thinks these riders are from the land of Dis Knee, and must have singing animals with them.

Honsou walks back by the mule. Grignok hides behind a tree. Felcanis casts Shield on Tulip. The riders move towards them. Honsou aims at the rear rider, Grignok starts casting Animate Plant, and Felcanis casts Armor on Tulip, then Sunbolt as the riders get nearer.

One rider rides up to Felcanis and misses, while another rider rides up to Tulip and misses. Honsou shoots a rider, but the arrow sticks in his mail and doesn't get through. Felcanis steps back and tosses Sunbolt at the rider, burning him. Tulip sings that the nearest rider is a douche, stunning him. She then casts Panic, making the two riders flee. When the other two come near, they bug out, too.

Felcanis casts Lend Energy to help Tulip. Honsou shoots a rider as they bolt.  Grignok finishes casting Animate Plant. "Come to me, servants of the forest!" The riders flee harder as they see the lumbering tree.

It's the evening so they camp for the night, an uneventful night. The next morning, they go into the dungeon, trekking down the tunnel out for an hour until they reach a room.

Grignok dons shiny battle armor. "It would be nice to have warrior woman here." He casts Partial Shapeshifting (Panther Paws); Felcanis casts Continual Light at torchlight level on Honsou's helmet. Grignok is no coward, but understands going first is hurtful.

Grignok checks out the passage. Ahead, there is a cliff that goes down about 10 feet. it has loads of handholds, but isn't mule-friendly. He heads back to group. "Hey, guys, come check out this cliff! It's far!"

Straight ahead Grignok sees a cavern wall. To the left, he sees a big spot with some kind of liquid, and what looks like a pond beyond this. To the right, he sees a cavern with a cliff there, too.

Honsou and Felcanis realize that the clerics led them through the area to the right. There is an empty metal trunk there that was there before. a rusty chain is linked to it, with the nearly-mummified corpse of a lizard of some kind.

They go left and see water. Near the edge of the water is a black glowing liquid in a shallow pit. Honsou jumps in while Tulip and Felcanis touch it, all get black goo on them. It does nothing, but Felcanis thinks this is some kind of alchemical goo. Some wizard was doing something with it eons ago and doesn't seem to have been finished.

Grignok goes up to the water and he casts Body of Slime. His armor falls to the ground and he turns into big green blob of goo, a grabasstic piece of amphibian shit. He jumps in the water and starts swimming.

He goes through the passage at the far end of the pool and into another pool. To the right there is a tunnel of some kind under the water. He swims through that passage, which goes for a bit, then into another cavern. He climbs out, there is a bridge here, and some old remnants of carts. If he pulls one, it will probably fall apart.

While this is going on, Felcanis notices a passage to HER right. Then she sees a big blob of slime walk out of it. Grignok ends his spell and says, "Honsou, bring me warrior armor!"

They go right and see some carts, a stream, some rocks going all the way to the ceiling and blocking the way, and a bridge across the stream. Not much is on the carts. There might have been some food or bags once, but now its dust. Once they get to the bridge, they see the passage on the other side once on it, as well as stairs going down on their bank.

They go athwart the bridge. Many bones of small rodents lie along the floor, as does the shed skin of a small snake. The follow the cavern, and after a bit it turns right, and starts being paved. There is a short flight of stairs down, ending in a door. 

The door is not trapped or locked, so Honsou opens it. The door opens into a room. A rough stone altar sits on its four round legs on a one-step dais. Standing to the left are three skeletons, with grey bones, and axes and shields. They start coming towards them.

Honsou steps and readies his bow. The skeletons move forward. Grignok moves backwards. Felcanis starts casting Turn Zombie. Tulip draws her rapier and steps.  Honsou pulls out an arrow, then moves. and the skeletons move forward. Felcanis keeps casting right behind Grignok. Tulip moves.

Honsou steps and shoots a skeleton, but the arrow gets in its shield. It tries to shield slam right back, but Honsou dodges. Another skeleton does the same, slamming down Honsou. One rushes towards Grignok, who grabs the skeleton. Felcanis casts Turn Zombie, and a skeleton flees. Tulip moves.

Honsou goes to kneeling. The skeleton in Grignok's grasp tries to break free but cannot. The other skeleton misses Grignok. Grignok keeps gripping the skeleton, and sees that its bones are made of stone. Felcanis and Tulip up.

Honsou pulls out his knife, rises, and stabs at the skeleton, but it blocks. Tulip stabs her rapier at it but can't get to the marrow of its stone bones. The skeleton in Grignok's grasp tries to break grapple again but fails, and the other skeleton misses Honsou. Grignok increases his grapple on the skeleton he holds. Felcanis casts Major Healing on Honsou. 

Honsou knifes the skeleton but it blocks again. Felcanis swings but it blocks her mace, and Tulip hooks her sword to its axe. The skeleton swings at Honsou but he parries. The skeleton in Grignok's grasp tries to wiggle free but fails. Grignok squeezes tighter on the skeleton in his hands.

Honsou stabs the skeleton but can't get through its bone. It unbinds his axe from Tulip's sword. She tries to hook her sword to its again, but cannot. Felcanis swings at it but it blocks her mace. The skeleton in Grignok's grasp fails to break free and stumbles. Grignok squeezes tighter on the skeleton.

Honsou stabs the skeleton but it parries. It tries to hit Felcanis but she parries. She smashes it, but it blocks Tulip trying to disarm it. The skeleton in Grignok's grasp cannot wiggle away from Grignok, but he can't grip it tighter.

Honsou disarms the skeleton and its axe flies near Tulip. It tries to shield bash Honsou but misses. Felcanis smashes it but cannot get through its bones. The skeleton in Grignok's grasp cannot get free, so he shoves it onto his claws and it splinters. 

Honsou and Tulip both try to de-shield the skeleton but fail. It slams its shield into Grignok cannot hurt him, so Grignok grabs it. Felcanis smashes it with her mace. Tulip tries to cut off its shield again but misses. Everyone starts piling onto it and after a few seconds, Grignok smashes it.

After they rest up, Honsou opens the door to the left. They see the skeleton Felcanis turned cowering in the corner to the right.

With the door open, they see a bend in the tunnel. To the right, there is a door. They see a cabinet at the bend ahead. Honsou checks out the cabinet, and sees that the cabinet is empty. There is a small box under the top of the cabinet that has a hole in it, with some wear around the hole. He thinks that this was once an acid trap, but someone triggered it. 

The hallway slants down and they walk around the bend, now walking parallel to the last hallway. Ahead, there is a crossroads, and to the left, before the crossroads, there is a hallway with stairs. The left hallway at the intersection ends in a door after a few feet.

They go to the door, and Honsou unlocks it. Beyond the door is a room with an old forge. Honsou spots some movement inside the forge, like little things wiggling. He sticks his hand in, and he feels a strange burrowing under his skin, with two holes on his forearm. Felcanis rushes to his side and sees that the holes are where two rot grubs had bit him. She grabs a pen knife from her first aid kit and cuts them out, then casts Major Healing on Honsou to heal the damage she did cutting them out.

They go down the hallway that was to the right when they reached the crossroads, and reach a room with a big table and benches alongside. Honsou checks for food, and no, there's the dust from bread, but even the mold has died. They go back to the crossroads and straight ahead from where they got to it. At the end of the hall, there is a long portcullis to the left, with wide gaps between the bars big enough for the seven hellshots behind it to move through.

Honsou readies his bow. Two hellshots try to slam Grignok but he steps away from one and parries the other with his hand. The others move towards the portcullis. Grignok starts casting Windstorm. Felcanis readies her mace. Tulip readies her rapier.

Honsou nocks an arrow and shoots it at a hellshot, but it bounces off the thick skin. One hellshot tries to stab Grignok with its spear, but he steps away. Another stabs Felcanis, and wounds her chest. A third comes from between the portcullis bars and slams into Honsou, while a fourth does the same to Tulip, but doesn't hit her hard enough to hurt. A fifth one tries to slam into Felcanis, but she dodges and it slams into the wall.

Grignok casts Windstorm, making a mini-tornado, and most of the hellshots fall down, other than the ones outside its winds and the one standing in the middle. Two of their spears go flying out of the tornado and hit the walls. Felcanis steps away. Tulip stabs one in the innards, but can't get through its skin, then steps back.

Honsou steps back and shoots at a hellshot nearby, but the arrow goes flying in the tornado. The hellshot in the eye of the storm stays put. Another tries to slam Honsou, but he steps away, while a third stabs Felcanis, nicking her. Grignok moves the tornado, nocking down two more hellshots, and one loses his spear, which flies over Honsou's head. Felcanis moves away. Tulip tries to stab a downed hellshot in the innards, but misses. Honsou shoots a standing hellshot in the guts with a bodkin arrow, and it gets through.

One hellshot stabs Grignok and nicks him. Another starts to stand up. The others are stuck in the tornado. Grignok moves the tornado, knocking down the last standing hellshots, and the others beat the snot out of the hellshots over the next few seconds, killing them.

Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding and Major Healing on herself. She casts Minor Healing on Honsou after a failure. 

They find nothing in the room behind the portcullis. They rest up, then go back past the crossroads and up the stairs.

An old workshop overlooks the stairs. There are some rotten saw horses, and an old workbench with a rusted saw on it. Honsou takes the saw. Ahead is a hallway that turns, as well as a door. Beyond the door is a privy with four dead bodies. 

Honsou finds a glass vial filled with brindled mint-green fluid on one of the bodies. Felcanis thinks this is a Major Healing Potion. She drops a couple of drops from the potion on the body, and it leaves a couple drops of green splotches with little faded bits of brown.

In the hall there is a slot running along the floor on the left side of the hall. It is 6 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and has a deeply rounded bottom. It runs the length of the hallway in this area. Down the hall, they see a hallway to the right, with a stairway going up in it. Ahead of them they see a couple of bunkbeds with the mattresses rotted away.

They go up the stairs to the right. At the top of the stairs, there is a door, and Honsou unlocks it. Beyond the door is an old room where folks kept weapons, and there are still rusty blades here. Honsou takes a big rusty knife.

On the wall to the right of where they came into the room is an opening to another room, with four alcoves—the one leading into this room, and three others. The iron frames of three bunkbeds in here, one in each alcove. They find nothing in the beds but Honsou sees that if he moves the bed on the far wall, something will happen. So Honsou moves the bed, and the wall slides.

Beyond the wall is a room with three cabinets ahead and to the right, and a way out to the left. Between the hoboes and any of this is a beast with many little legs and a ten-foot long segmented body. Eight writhing two-foot long tentacles come out of its head, right below its mandibles and toothy mouth. A stench of rotten meat is all over this beast.

The carrion crawler moves towards the group. Honsou gets out his bow. Grignok starts casting Lightning. Felcanis casts Sunbolt. Tulip holds her rapier before her.

Honsou shoots and his bodkin arrow gets in the innards of the carrion crawler. Grignok finishes casting Lightning. Felcanis tosses the Sunbolt at the crawler, but it flies past and bursts beyond it.

The carrion crawler's tentacles flail at Honsou, but do not land. Grignok moves around. Felcanis starts casting Sunbolt. Honsou pulls out his rusty knife and stabs, but misses.

The carrion crawler's again tentacles flail at Honsou, and again do not hit him. Grignok tosses Lightning at the crawler, burning it and stunning it. Felcanis finishes casting Sunbolt.

Honsou stabs at the crawler, and nicks it. It steps back. Grignok grapples the crawler. Felcanis lobs Sunbolt at the crawler, burning it. Tulip steps and stabs the crawler, nicking it.

Honsou stabs at the crawler, nicking it. Grignok keeps holding it tighter. Tulip tries to stab it, but can't get through its armor.

The carrion crawler's tentacles try to touch Honsou, but cannot. From there, Felcanis shield bashes it, Honsou and Tulip poke at it, and Grignok squeezes it. After a few seconds, Grignok rips its head off. He smears some of its guts on his cheek bones.

The room itself has a wrecked trophy case along the far wall to the right, with one trophy still in it as it is bolted to a plank. The trophy is a brass one of a man throwing a big ball from an underhand pose.

In the case is a small trunk as well. Honsou thinks taking or opening the trunk will trigger something. Grignok lifts the trunk, and falls seven yards into a pool of water. He summons an air elemental and it lifts him out, then shakes an airy finger at him.

Also in the trophy case is a small chest. In it are two bronze rings, a 3-kt iolite, a 4.5-kt ruby, and 25 copper farthings.

After some rest, they delve to the left and walk a few yards before the hallway turns towards the right. It then angles upwards, and they find themselves at the bottom of a well. Honsou looks around, and there are no coins, and no sunlight coming down.

Honsou can easily climb up the well; it isn't deep. At the top, it looks somewhat familiar. He sees they are underground, like a massive rock is covering a whole human settlement. Ahead and to the right is a big door. After a few minutes of looking around, he realizes this is the level right under the keep.

He wanders ahead and comes to a small house. He remembers the door here is heavy and locked, but cannot pick the lock so pours some acid onto it. As it burns, he goes to get the others. To bring the others up, Grignok summons an air elemental.

Once the acid has burned through the lock, Honsou opens the door. Inside the room, there is a woman in armor. She is stocky with a cleft chin and straight chestnut brown hair over her ears and her nose is broken and bloodied. The woman says, "Hoo are doo? My dame is Mēnébē." Grignok conjures a bit of wind to make his handsome orc hair flow. Mēnévē looks at him. "Wat da fung is dat orc? Dose fuggez bead me up and fugged dup my dose wen dey grabbed me!"

Grignok asks, "Grabbed you for what? I can get your nose fixed if ya like."

Mēnévē shrugs, "Beez da fugg owda me! I was dust passing drough da woods and saw da dead drees. Ow you gonna fix my fuggin dose?" Grignok asks Felcanis to heal Mēnévē's nose, but Felcanis says doesn't know the Restoration spell. "Fug id. Dere's nuddin here 'cept in da one doom. Don't go indo da one doom. My buddy Ádilos wen in dere an 'e poofed. Dere's a drunk in dere, but is a drap. You step in an poof you fuggin gone."

The gang goes into the next room, then opens the door to the right in that about which room Mēnévē told them. First Honsou steps in, and he disappears, then the others follow, though Mēnévē does not.

All of them show up before a marble altar shape of a box, with a big slab under it, sitting on the floor, with a wall on the other side. Honsou tries lifting the altar, but it's too heavy. After some chatter, Felcanis thinks the altar heals. She leads Bill up to it, and he vanishes. Once he does, Grignok lies down on the altar to save Bill, and also vanishes.

Grignok finds himself and Bill back in the room. Mēnévē stands on the other side of the threshold, and asks, "Wadda fug habben doo you?"

Grignok says, "Poofs, like you said."

Mēnévē asks, "How doo gebbak?"

Grignok says, "With more poofs. I don't know how it works, it just poofs and then you poof somewhere else."

Mēnévē asks, "Is Ádilos dere?"

Grignok asks, "What's Ádilos?"

Mēnévē says, "My fuggin buddy doo soo!"

Grignok says he didn't see anyone, and asks what he looks like. Mēnévē says that Átilos has a unibrow. Grignok says that she can come with and take a look for him with them. She dithers, then steps into the room and disappears.

Once she is gone, Grignok checks out the chest. He opens the chest; it's unlocked. Inside are 30 copper farthings, 5 silver pennies, and 3 gold pieces. Grignok stuffs them in the saddle bags, then walks out of the room with Bill, then back inside, and then he shows up again at the altar.

The floor has sand over it. There are footprints, some old ones, most recent are a few days old. The floor slants upwards to each side. They go up to the left, and they reach the same spot and there they see a bunch of dead bodies. Grignok nudges a body with a foot. "Looks like they are mushroom buffet now."

Mēnévē yells out, "Ádilos! Fug! I shoudda wen widdim." Grignok tells her that she would have ended like him had she done so.

They check the bodies. There are five bodies other than Átilos's. Átilos has battered heavy leather armor, a bow, and a warhammer, like Mēnévē, and she takes his gear. The other bodies each have cloth armor, a grapnel, a light cloak, basic lockpicks, a pistol crossbow, a smallsword. They also typically have some rope and other survival gear.

They loot the bodies, getting 145 copper off the dead thieves as well as their gear. As they loot, they hear tittering behind a door to the left. Honsou picks the cheap lock and opens the door. Behind the door are six hellshots.

He moves back and Mēnévē readies her warhammer. A hellshot slams Honsou and hurts him, but he stays up. Another tries to slam Felcanis, but she steps away. The others hold their spots. Grignok casts Windstorm. Felcanis readies her mace and Tulip readies her rapier. Tulip sings, "Red boy, rent boy, ha-ha, charade you are!" which stuns a hellshot. 

Honsou pulls out his knife and swings at a hellshot, but misses. Mēnévē steps and swings her warhammer at the stunned hellshot, greatly wounding it. The impaled hellshot stabs Honsou, hurting him. Another little guy steps and stabs at Felcanis and she steps away. A third slams her, wounding her a little, while a fourth rushes her with her spear but misses. The last two hold back.

Grignok moves Windstorm over three hellshots, all fall, one loses its spear. Felcanis and Honsou both step back. Tulip steps back and calls a hellshot a scruffy looking nerf-herder, which does nothing. Mēnévē pulls out her pick out of the hellshot, and it passes out. A hellshot tries to slam Mēnévē but she steps away.

Grignok grows his Windstorm, knocking down a hellshot. Felcanis whacks a downed hellshot. Tulip and Honsou both stab a hellshot but doesn't get through the tough skin. Grignok keeps up his spell, holds it. 

Four hellshots are in the whirlwind, one is out, and a fifth one is watching, not running. As such, the heroes have an easy time killing them off.

They go into the room, which was living space for servants, with three low beds. Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding on herself, and heals Honsou with Stop Bleeding and Major Healing as they rest.

They check the door to the right, and it's locked, so Honsou picks the lock. They walk down the hallway, and turn left.

They walk past a curtain, and Felcanis peeks behind the curtain, and she sees some movement, with the light shining past and lighting up what looks like fur. Felcanis backs up, but that won't help hide her now, as  behind the curtain are five giant rats.

Honsou pulls out his bow and shoots a giant rat, but it dodges. The rats rush forward. One nips at Mēnévē and another at Tulip, but both miss. Mēnévē steps back and swings her warhammer at a giant rat, and the pick goes in. Grignok casts Lightning. Felcanis steps and waits. Bill moves forward a few yards. Tulip steps and stabs the rat nearest her. Honsou shoots a nearby rat.

Two rats try to bite Mēnévē, and one wounds her. Another two rats rush to bite Tulip, but neither hurt her. The last rat misses Mēnévē, who pulls out her pick. Grignok lobs a lightning bolt at a rat near Tulip, burning but not killing it. Felcanis smacks a rat with her mace. Tulip steps back and pokes a rat, but can't hurt it. Honsou steps back, draws an arrow, and shoots a rat.

One of the rats falls from its wounds. Two rats step and try to bite Mēnévē, but miss. Another tries to grab her, but also misses. The last tries to bite Felcanis, but she steps back and gets her mace in the way. Mēnévē steps and swings at the most hurt rat in the fray, but misses. Grignok steps to the back and tries to cast Frostbite, but the spell fizzles. Felcanis smacks a rat with her mace. Tulip steps and stabs at a rat, but misses.

Honsou pulls out his knife and stabs a rat, which falls to the ground as he slashes it, hurt but not out. The rat tries to bite Honsou back, but can't get through his armor. Another tries to bite Tulip, but runs into the wall, hurting its teeth. A third tries to bite Mēnévē, but she steps away. The last bites Tulip, wounding her. Grignok casts Frostbite again, this time getting the spell off. Felcanis tries to smack a rat with her mace but misses. Tulip steps back warily. Bill edges forward. Honsou tries to swing at a rat, but his weapon turns in his hand.

One rat falls from its wounds. Another tries to bite Tulip, but she steps back. The third tries to do the same to Mēnévē, who also steps back. The last rushes to bite Tulip, but misses Mēnévē readies her weapon. Grignok grabs a rat's head from behind, making its brain freeze from Frostbite, killing it. Felcanis smashes the downed rat to the back of the head. Tulip steps back and tries to stab the rat, but misses. Honsou rushes to stab a rat, and knocks it down.

The one standing rat starts to run away. Mēnévē swings her pick into the downed rat. Grignok casts Lightning. Felcanis smashes the downed rat to the back of the head. Tulip turns, steps, and stabs, but can't hurt the rat. Honsou steps the downed rat in the innards. The last two rats drop from their wounds.

Mēnévē looks ill from the rat bite. Grignok looks at her, and says it's sewer rot and casts Cure Disease on her. Felcanis casts Major Healing on both Mēnévē and Tulip. They rest for 20 minutes before going into the next room.

They poke around, going up some stairs, when Felcanis and Honsou realize they've been through this part of the dungeon before. They go back down the stairs and down a short flight that stops at a wall. Honsou quickly understands that this is a secret door, and Felcanis backs up as he looks for a way to open the door. Honsou finds that he can push on the lower tiles of the brick wall and lift up the wall.

Beyond the door are a bunch of barrels and four big toads with sharp teeth. Honsou pulls out his bow. One toad rushes Grignok and tries to bite him, but he steps back. Another toad rushes Tulip and tries to bite her. She shoves her fist in the way, but it bites her body anyways. Mēnévē readies her warhammer. Grignok casts Lightning. Felcanis readies her mace and shield. Tulip steps out of the way. Honsou pulls out an arrow.

One toad tries to bite Honsou, but his armor stops the teeth. Two more toads try to rush and bite Felcanis, but neither one hurts her. Mēnévē tries to hit one of the toads by Felcanis, but misses. Grignok steps and zaps the toad by Honsou. Felcanis hits a toad with her mace. Tulip pulls out her rapier and tries to stab a toad, but misses. Honsou shoots a nearby toad, dropping it to the ground but not taking it out.

A toad bites Tulip before she can step away. Another toad tries to bite Mēnévē, but she steps away, her back now against "Bid da mood." The last tries to bite Honsou but misses. Mēnévē readies her warhammer. Grignok casts Lightning. Felcanis hits a toad with her mace. Tulip steps back, as does Bill. Honsou steps back and shoots a toad, but misses and instead hits Felcanis in the leg.

The toad on the ground starts to stand. Another bites Mēnévē, as does a third. The last bites Grignok from behind, but cannot get through his armor. Mēnévē steps, turns, and swings her warhammer at a toad. It still stands, but has her warhammer in it. Grignok steps back and lobs his lightning from behind at a toad, burning and stunning it. Felcanis hits a toad with her mace, killing it. Tulip pokes at a toad but misses. Bill will backs away. Honsou shoots a toad in its innards, dropping it but not killing it.

One toad hops back towards the room. Mēnévē tries to pull out her pick but cannot. Grignok kicks a toad in the head, dropping it. Felcanis steps behind the frog hopping into the room, dropping it. Tulip tries to stab the nearest toad in the innards, but cannot get past its breast bone. Honsou whips out his knife and stabs the toad in the head, killing it.

Grignok licks the toad and finds it tastes bad. Grignok bandages Felcanis. Felcanis casts Major Healing on Mēnévē and Tulip. They rest up, with Grignok casting Shapeshifting (Panther) on himself after a bad first casting and Felcanis casting Lend Energy to help get Grignok back strength.

Game log 7 November 2021, 21 November 2021, 5 December 2021, 19 December 2021: Big log one

Personae dramatis

Angelista, slayer
Grignok, orc druid
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

Grignok, a handsome orc, sees a campfire and goes near it. He starts handing leaves to a nearby tree, as if petting it. "You have a nice coat, very strong. You'll be handy."

Felcanis's Watchdog alerts him to the handsome incomer. She gets out her mace, and awakes the others. Honsou gets out his bow once awake.

Grignok sees the weapons. "No need for those. I'm just a traveler, admiring the strength of the trees." He steps back. "I am unarmed."

Honsou keeps his bow aimed at Grignok. Bill neighs.

Grignok hears the neigh. "What a fine beast. May I speak with the beast?"

Angelista nods. "You may speak with the donkey."

Grignok casts Beast Speech and comes up to Bill. "Greetings mighty beast. What is your name?" To everyone but Bill, this sounds like Grignok is neighing like a donkey.

Bill opens his eyes wide. "The elf says 'Bill.'" Again, this sounds like neighing.

Grignok asks, "Do they treat you well, Bill?"

Bill neighs back, "Yes, the elf does."

Honsou stares at the scene. "What's wrong with the new guy?" he asks Angelista.

Angelista smiles, gazing at Grignok's chisled body. "Nothing, absolutely nothing. He's … perfect."

Honsou shakes his head. "You're no help at all."

Grignok pats Bill's coat. Bill asks him, "Why do you talk? The elf doesn't talk to me."

Grignok says, "I am what the orcs call 'Casumaorc.' It means I am chosen to be the leader."

Bill asks, "Leader of the orc herd?"

Grignok says, "Yes, kind of."

Bill asks, "Where is the orc herd?"

Grignok overlooks that question. "Does anybody mistreat you?"

Bill neighs, "No, but the spear woman does not like me. The elf woman is my friend."

Grignok says, "The spear woman is strong like an orc. She has honor."

Bill asks, "What honor?"

Grignok says, "Honor in battle, Bill."

Bill says, "I don't like battle."

Grignok pats Bill. "I must go to the people. Bye for now, Bill." With that, Grignok dismisses his spell. He sits down by the fire, and turns to Angelista. "Nice fire you built. You should be nicer to Bill. A little kindness to your beast of burden goes a long way."

Angelista says, "Bill is just Bill. I am not nice or mean. I just am."

Grignok says, "Bill has been working hard to be support your warrior honor."

Angelista says, "My honor lies in killing monsters, not coddling the donkey. I leave that job to the cleric. She seems to do it well enough. Sometimes at the cost of our own lives."

Grignok says, "Well, don't be surprised if Bill balks at you. Just you know, the animals, the plants, they all know and can fight back." Bill cuddles up to Felcanis, really confused, and really tired.

Angelista says, "We are heading to Dībités Rock, if you wish to travel with us."

Grignok agrees to come along, and says, "Don't be alarmed." He draws symbols in the dirt and mumbles, casting Mystic Mist. Angelista says, "He summons fog. He must be a druid."

Indeed he is, though Angelista and Honsou soon find that he still snores like an orc, and cover their ears.

In the middle of the night, Felcanis's Watchdog goes off again. Saundīvós doesn't shine at night. Three big shapes walk up to the mist, then start puking. This is some nasty puke. It's the stuff an ogre couldn't keep down. A few fingers from various humanoids are in the vomit. After several seconds, the shapes, now clearly ogres, stop retching. "I no like here. We get more food other place!" The ogres walk off.

Angelista grabs her weapons and leaps to her feet. "They're gonna go find others to terrorize. They need to be hunted. There are three of them. We'll have to split them up. If there is a tribe nearby we can use their bodies to send that tribe a message."

As Grignok has no weapons, Angelista has Felcanis and him divert two ogres so she and Honsou can kill the third before killing the other two. "Let their blood feed the trees!" yells Grignok.

They can hear the ogres up ahead, but cannot see them through the trees. They sneak nearer and still cannot see them, but can hear their speech from beyond the nearest copse of trees.

Ogre 1: "You dwarf-puker."

Ogre 2: "You elf-hole."

Ogre 1: "You orc-snot."

Ogre 2: "Orc snot taste good!"

Ogre 3: "I like orc snot too!"

Ogre 2: "Orc snot taste good on boiled horse!"

Ogre 1: "When Kagarak serve elf, she always serve frozen elf. I like fresh elf!"

Ogre 2: "Frozen elf taste just as good as fresh elf! My wife make best frozen elf!"

Ogre 1: "No, frozen elf no taste as good as fresh elf!"

They seem to have stopped and are arguing.

Ogre 3: "Kagarak no put enough orc snot on frozen elf."

Ogre 2: "Kagarak is great cook!"

Angelista gives the signal for Honsou and Felcanis to silently move around the right. 

Ogre 1: "Look, all I say is that nobody make frozen elf as good as fresh elf. You can put lots of elf snot on them, they not as good. Orc snot too strong."

Grignok makes a moose sound. Angelista looks at him with disbelief.

Ogre 2: "That moose?"

Ogre 1: "No, that elk."

Ogre 2: "That moose!"

Ogre 1: "No, that elk!"

Ogre 3: "I think moose and elk are same!"

Ogre 2: "I hungry. We kill moose"—Ogre 1: "Elk!"—"MOOSE and then we bring it back and cook it. Elf blood make it taste better."

Ogre 2: "Come here, moose! We want to eat you! Hey, moose, come from behind tree!"

Ogre 1: "Elk no come if you call it moose!"

Ogre 3: "They same! They no care!"

Ogre 3 spots a light to his left, from Felcanis. "Thanks for light! Moose is hiding!"

Honsou throws a small rock into to the tree to the ogre's left. Felcanis steps, and suddenly the ogre near her realizes that an elf is holding the light. "Hey, elf there! I eat elf, you eat moose-elk!" He rushes towards her, and Felcanis casts Command and bids him to drop his maul. "Here maul, little elf-dinner!"

The ogres get nearer to Angelista.

Ogre 1: "Hey, you man, not moose!"

Ogre 2: "No, it woman! It no respond to 'man'!"

Honsou tries to distract the ogre by throwing another rock, but it doesn't see it. Angelista whips her javelin at the knee of one of the ogres but misses, then pulls out her sword. "Grignok get that second ogre off me"

Ogre 1: "Kill elf, then find elk!"

Ogre 2: "No it moose!"

Grignok starts to build up Lightning. Felcanis casts Command, telling the ogre to lay on the ground. He does, and tries to grab her legs but misses. Two ogres rush up to Angelista but miss. Honsou lobs the biggest rock he can find at the ogre near Felcanis, and it hits. It doesn't hurt him, but he does feel it. "Hey! I no like that!"

Grignok casts Lightning. Angelista swings at an ogre's knee but misses. Felcanis hits the ogre on the neck with her mace. The ogre grabs at her, she casts Command and bids, "Stop!" and the ogre does. Two ogres try to smash Angelista's skull, but miss. Honsou whips out his knife and rushes to stab the ogre's neck, but can't get through his skin.

Angelista swings at the ogre's knee, and he can't parry with his maul, so she cripples his leg, making him fall. Grignok moves and throws Lightning at an ogre, shocking him. Felcanis again hits the ogre on the windpipe with her mace. One ogre reaches for Honsou and another for Grignok, but neither can grab them. The third tries to bash Angelista's skull, but misses.

Honsou tries to stab an ogre in the eye, but misses. Angelista swings to the knee of the other ogre. He can't parry, so she cripples his leg, too. Grignok dashes ahead. Felcanis whacks the neck again, hitting the ogre's windpipe. He grabs Honsou. One ogre turns and tries to hit Angelista with his maul. She steps back but he still lands the blow. The other one on her tries to do the same, but she blocks him.

This time, when Honsou stabs the ogre, he nicks him. Grignok starts casting Animate Plant. Felcanis casts Command, and bids the ogre to let go of Honsou. He does, and tries to grab Felcanis, but misses. The ogres by Angelista crawl.

As the ogres are nearing Honsou, he gets out of the reach of the ogre. Angelista starts to dash around the trees. Felcanis hits the ogre in the windpipe once again. He tries to romance Felcanis with a grab, but she steps away.

Honsou gets out his bow and an arrow and starts aiming. Angelista keeps moving around the trees. Felcanis swings for the skull of the ogre, but misses. He tries to grab her again, but she bids him to stop with Command. The other ogres crawl forward.

Being on the ground helps the ogres, as Honsou steps, shoots, and misses an ogre. Angelista moves. Felcanis again misses the ogre's skull, and he again tries to grab her, and she again casts Command to tell him otherwise.

Honsou draws a bodkin arrow and shoots an ogre in the innards, dropping him. Grignok steps and keeps concentrating on his spell. Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding on Angelista. The ogres keep crawling.
Grignok steps and keeps concentrating on his spell, and Honsou moves, too. Felcanis casts Major Healing on Angelista.

Angelista rushes and swings at the arm of the nearest ogre, but misses, while Honsou only rushes. Grignok steps and concentrates on his spell. Felcanis rushes to join the fray. One ogre passes out as he tries to turn to whack Angelista. The other kneels, facing Angelista as he does.

Angelista says, "You three talked about how you eat others. Imagine what it would be like if we ate you!"

The ogre says back, "We taste good!"

Honsou pulls out an arrow and aims. Angelista rushes towards an ogre and swings but misses. Grignok stops casting his spell and rushes to join the fray. Felcanis rushes towards an ogre and swings but misses. An ogre swings for Felcanis. However, she casts Command, and he freezes. Angelista lines up a stab to the ogre's innards. It cannot swat away her sword so she hits, but he still is awake.

Grignok casts Frostbite on an ogre, but his body stays warm. Felcanis moves away. The ogre swats Angelista with his maul, dropping her.

Honsou lets the bodkin fly at the ogre, but the arrow doesn't hurt him much. Grignok casts Lightning. The ogre stands and steps forward.

Honsou pulls out an arrow and aims. Grignok throws Lightning at the ogre, shocking him. The ogre steps and swings at Honsou, who steps away.

His aim steady, Honsou lets the bodkin fly at the ogre and hits, but the ogre stays standing. Grignok casts Lightning again. Felcanis moves again.

Grignok throws Lightning once more at the ogre, killing him, as Honsou gets out another arrow.

Felcanis heals Angelista the next day. 

They go back to town. The town guards eye Grignok warily, but let him through. Once in town, Felcanis bathes for some reason. The street is usual midday busy. Nobody is paying much heed to them.

A draft horse neighs at Angelista, then steps up to her. After smiling and petting the horse, the horse nuzzles her. She looks around, but cannot find the owner. She smiles. "I wish I could afford you, boy, but I can't. I wonder where your owner is." He keeps nuzzling her, and she turns to Grignok. "Grignok, can you ask the horse where is is owner? And tell him I think he is quite lovely."

Grignok scratches his head. "What makes you think I can talk to animals?"

Angelista says, "You talked to the donkey last night."

Grignok says, "I did? That wasn't a dream? You sure you didn't dream that?"

Angelista rolls her eyes. "No, I did not dream you neighing and braying at my ass last night. Can you find the steeds owner or no?"

Grignok pets the horse and casts Beast Speech. "Where you from, fine stallion?"

The horse says, "From here."

Grignok asks the horse, "Who's your master?"

The horse says, "The woman."

Grignok tells the horse to lead him to her, and the horse pushes his nuzzle into Angelista.  Grignok looks at Angelista and dismisses his spell. "Well, mistress, looks like you are the master of this horse. Treat him well."

Angelista says, "I cannot. You know the penalty for horse stealing?"

Grignok says, "Well, it said you were it's master."

Angelista says, "What it said and what its owner says will be of contention."

Grignok asks, "What is horse stealing?"

Angelista says, "When one steals a horse, of course."

Honsou adds, "That's my job."

Angelista smiles. "Honsou, you stay out of this"

Folks pass by them, looking at them with disdain. Others go in and out of the church, taking no heed of them. But most ignore them or say, "No, not mine, go pick mushrooms, rag!"

After some chatter, Grignok wonders who leads the town, and suggests that he or she might have lost the horse. Angelista knows that the town leader is the Ážanos (Burgomaster), so they lead the horse away and go to the Ážanos's house, which isn't far. It is a luxurious house made of wood and in a nice ward.

Angelista asks to speak to the Ážanos. The maid says he's not there. Angelista asks whether they're missing any horses. The maid looks around, and says no, they're not missing any horses, and certainly not any bred for the farm like that one. Angelista says, "Fair enough," and they leave.

Next, they look for a Town Watchman, and find one, albeit an old and wiry man. "Eh? What you got there, lady? An orc?"

Angelista says, "Excuse me, sir, I found this horse wandering the square but I have no idea who owns him. Do you by chance know who he can be returned to?"

The Watchman cleans out his ear. "Eh, we can figure this all out. Now, missy, this horse isn't yours?"

Grignok says, "I mean I never seen someone try to give away a horse that belongs to them so badly."

Angelista sighs. "You are in front of the guard. Please let me talk." She turns to the guard. "Yes, sir, I found him just wandering the square."

The Watchman asks, "Oh? Right here?"

Angelista says, "Over by the church."

Grignok butts in, "She the master of this horse. He said so."

The Watchman is confused. "Missy, why does your orc keep saying you're the owner, and who said you're the owner?"

Grignok clears it up. "The horse says she's the master."

Angelista groans. "Grignok, stop arguing and contradicting me and stop waving your hair around like that."

Grignok says, "Hey, warrior woman, I am not contradicting you. You are contradicting the horse!"

Angelista sighs. "The horse doesn't understand the law and clearly neither do you." She turns to the Watchman. "Please ignore him. The horse is NOT mine. I found it wandering by the church. The orc is a druid who talks to animals."

The old Watchman stares at Grignok, then turns back to Angelista. "Now, the orcs are beasts and so they can talk to other beasts. I've never heard of a horse lying, but then I've never heard of a horse telling the truth, either. I know those pesky orcs lie. You really need to whip your orc. But have you checked in the church?" Angelista says she has not but will do so. The Watchman nods. "Don't mention it. You should put a collar on your orc and a chain leash. You don't want those orcs wandering around town."

Angelista tells Grignok to be careful of what he says around the Watch. She says Grignok contradicts her, while Grignok says Angelista contradicts the horse. Honsou starts looking for things to steal, so Angelista tells Honsou and Grignok to stay together while she goes into the church. 

While Grignok and Honsou talk about which one can hit the nearest sign with a pebble or an arrow,  Angelista goes to the nearest cleric, and one acolyte smiles at her. "Good day, child, how may I help you? Care to make a donation to the god of light?"

Angelista shakes her head. "I cannot spare any coin at this time but I need some assistance. I found a horse just wandering outside the church. I was wondering if you might know who it belongs to."

After Angelista takes the acolyte outside and shows him the horse, he says, "Why, yes, I think know the owner. She came in from the farmlands and is looking for a blessing." She takes Angelista back inside to a woman who looks a bit like Angelista, but she's shorter, her hair is up in a bad Mohawk, and she's in peasant garb.

The woman looks up. "What do you all want?"

Angelista leads the woman to the way in and points outside. "Excuse me, madame, is this your horse?"

The woman smirks at Angelista. "No, my name is not Madame." She looks outside. "Yeah, that's my horse. Why do you ask?"

Angelista says, "I found him just wandering around outside the church he is quite the fine steed. I do not have the coin to purchase him as much as I wish I could. I am returning him to you."

The woman asks, "Oh, yeah, I brought him with me. He's gonna carry the supplies. What are you doing with him?"

Angelista says, "He was just wandering around so I decided to see if I could get him back to his rightful owner. My code forbids me just taking him."

The woman sneers at Angelista. "Blimey, rag, the law says you can't just take him, too!"

Angelista says, "I didn't. You just let him wander. And watch your mouth.

The woman scoffs. "Yeah, well, I couldn't bring him into church with me."

Angelista raises an eyebrow. "So you didn't even tie him? Are you that stupid?"

Apparently she is. "No, I didn't."

Angelista sighs. "Here is your horse back. Go pick some mushrooms." She walks away.

The two women call each other names—the peasant woman calls Angelista a "rag" and Angelista calls the peasant woman a "whore," leads the peasant woman to say that a certain time didn't count—then go their own ways. Angelista leads Grignok to the town gates, trying to make him understand the ways of the townsfolk, while the peasant woman takes her horse and walks towards the market towards the south. "Dumb rag," she mutters. "Imagine looking like her!"

Felcanis finishes her bath, and steps out of her church. She sees Angelista and Grignok arguing, Honsou eyeing a far-off horse with bad intent (as usual), and Bill gnawing on the grass.

They set forth then camp. Night falls, nothing happens. They then walk to Káddrakos, but the gnomes won't let Grignok inside. there is a tavern in the village, the Winking Friar. Felcanis, Honsou, and Bill can stay the night there. Felcanis buys a week's worth of rations.

The Winking Friar is busy tonight. A short, old elf missing his right hand asks Honsou about guarding him as he takes a trip to Ōrrípon in the north, looking for oil, but when he goes off to tell the others, Grignok tells him that Ōrrípon is well to the north and would take weeks to reach, and is surrounded by mountains, and the old elf says he doesn't have the money to cover for the whole group.

Nothing odd happens the next day as they walk through the woods. The day after that they get near Dībités Rock. As they get near, they spot six men wearing the livery of Dībités Rock hanging out behind some trees. As they do not seem to see the heroes, the heroes get ready. Felcanis casts Silence on area with the heroes. Angelista pulls out her javelin and shield. Grignok sneaks then casts Animate Plant on a tree.

The tree moves forward. The guards easily spot a big walking tree. They shout in amazement, then pull out their bows. Honsou steps and shoots, the bandit falls prone. The others move around the tree. The bandits load their arrows.

Honsou whips out an arrow and aims. Angelista and Grignok move through the silence. The tree slams a bandit, and its branch misses another. The fallen bandit rolls away, while the other five fire arrows at the tree. They hit it, but they can't do enough damage to get through the bark, so they drop their bows.
Honsou steps and shoots a bandit, but misses. The tree tries to grab a bandit, but he gets out of the way. The bandits start turning to run. Honsou whips out an arrow and shoots but misses, while the others move nearer the bandits. The tree grabs two bandits. They can't wiggle out, and one hurts himself twisting onto the tree's branch.

Running as fast as they can, Dead Tree Man lives again!

The heroes take down one more bandit—Grignok tossing a Lightning spell—while the last two flee.

They rest up after dropping the dire boar, and Felcanis casts Major Healing on Angelista. After they rest, Grignok casts Shapshifting to turn into a black panther and start sniffing around the last tracks of the sow. As the sow smells like a pig, he finds the trail easily, and follows it to a clearing. There, they see the weresow as well as four of the big boars, but don't see anything special about the boars. The sow goes into a hole.

Grignok tries to hide in the brush and Honsou aims at a boar as the boars rush towards them. Angelista sheathes her silver-coated sword and then draws the magical broadsword. "We must kill them  quickly before the lycan gets away!" Felcanis casts Armor on Angelista to help her do so.

A boar rushes at Angelista and she cannot block the blow, so it gores her. The next boar tries the same but misses. One boar gets near Angelista and tries to hit, but she parries, and the trees bottleneck the other one away from the gang. Angelista swings for the neck, but the boar dodges. Felcanis casts Shield on Angelista. Grignok claws a boar, and Honsou takes down a boar the same with a shot to the eye.

One of the boars steps and gores Honsou, and another tries to gore Angelista but she blocks his tusks. The last one runs around a tree. Angelista misses whacking a boar, while Grignok keeps clawing at one. Honsou steps back and keeps aiming at a boar, which gores him, knocking him out.

The boar with a blind side to Grignok turns around and takes a wild swing at him, but misses, as do the other two on Angelista and Felcanis. Angelista rams her sword up the boar by Grignok poop chute to get to his innards! She may be a woman, but she slides it in there. Grignok claws that boar, and another one misses him. A third boar misses Felcanis as she steps back. The boar by Grignok turns and tries to gore Grignok but misses.

Angelista moves and misses a boar. Felcanis gets Bill to run. Grignok tries to rush over and hit the boar by Angelista but misses. A boar runs over Honsou and gores Angelista, who doesn't parry. Another nearby nicks her. Angelista steps and stabs at the innards of a boar from its side, but misses.

Felcanis runs to Honsou, and Bill keeps moving. Grignok claws at a boar. A boar tries to bite Felcanis but misses. Another boar tries to gore Angelista, and she blocks his tusk but passes out from her wounds. Felcanis runs away.

A boar spins around and tries to ram his tusks into Grignok but misses, as does one trying to rush at him. The third boar starts munching on Angelista as Felcanis gets away.

Grignok nuzzles Angelista in the leg, but she doesn't respond. A boar misses Grignok and loses his balance. Another one misses, while a third bites on Angelista. Grignok grapples a boar, and gets out of the way of another's bite. Felcanis slips between the trees and tries to pull but Honsou out of the way but cannot.

Grignok pulls Angelista by the leg with his bite, and drops her at Felcanis's feet. Grignok returns to crime scene to see if Honsou is still there. He scoops him up in his panther mouth, and runs off.

Grignok turns back into an orc and casts Mystic Mist. Felcanis comes back with Bill, and heals up Angelista and Honsou. Grignok sets up camp and Felcanis casts Watchdog.

That night, two boars show up, a normal-sized one and one of the big ones. The mist scares and stuns the big one but not the small one. The small  one sniffs around, but doesn't go inside the mist.

The next morning, Felcanis casts Major Healing and Minor Healing on Angelista. Grignok prays and learns a new spell, Heal Plants. He says, "Warrior woman, I can heal your wounds, but you got to trust me." Grignok casts Plant Form Other then Heal Plant on Angelista, healing her before he dismisses Plant Form Other.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Game log 12 September 2021, 26 September 2021, 10 October 2021: Long way out

Dramatis personae

Angelista, slayer
Poklov, Town Watchdwarf
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

They take off their armor, and wrap a rope around Honsou. Felcanis casts Light on Honsou's gear, then Honsou goes into the water.

Honsou moves through the hall and takes a turn to the right, into another room. The room isn't big, with the only things in it being a rusty spittoon stuck on the floor to the left and a big hole to the right. Honsou thinks the flow of the water at the hole triggers some kind of trap, and when he looks, he thinks sticking something into the hole will bring about something shooting or stabbing the fool who does this.

After about 30 seconds, Honsou comes back and tells the others about the room and the hole; Poklov thinks it could be a drain. Angelista tries to get Poklov to leave behind his armor and swim through the maze of rooms, but he balks.

They send Honsou back into the room again, this time to see if the hole is a drain. He sticks his hand into the hole, and a big spear sticks into him. Poklov feels the rope go limp, and he pulls Honsou back to dry land. There, Poklov bandages him, and Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding on him, then Major Healing.
Angelista again tries to talk Poklov to swimming through the tunnels, but again Poklov balks. Felcanis agrees with Poklov once she learns that would mean leaving Bill to die. So, they rest, and Felcanis casts Lend Energy twice to bring the wind back to Honsou.

They go back into the room with the upward-dangling rope, and all of the sudden something rushes out of the darkness to stab Poklov—a hellshot. Poklov steps out of the way, and after a few seconds of trading blows and parries and Honsou dropping his knife, Poklov knocks down the hellshot with his shield. Angelista cuts its neck, Poklov smashes its skull, then Angelista runs it through.

Honsou checks the door on the side opposite the stairs, and finds it safe and unlocked. Beyond it is a hallway with a big curtain to the right. They walk past the curtain, then to a fork in the hall, and take a left. They make it to a door, then bash it open.

Beyond the door is a room with no other ways out and three shocked folks, two women and a man. After Poklov says hello, a short, stocky woman near the door picks up her staff and asks who just now burst into the room. After some testy words with Angelista, the heroes learn the woman is Alligên, a cleric of Saundīvós, who was resting with two acolytes of Saundīvós, Puménē and Vaíkkolos.

As it happens, Alligên is a mighty cleric, at least as far as casting spells, and she heals Poklov's eye for a donation. Alligên lets the heroes know that she and her acolytes did not come through Dībités Rock and instead through a cave, so there is another way out of the dungeon.

Alligên tells the heroes that they have to walk a bit to get to the way out, and that the only thing that has saved the cleric is the Bless spells Alligên has cast on them. The heroes agree to let Alligên show them the way out.

They wind their way back to the room with the upward-dangling rope, then walk into the hallway where the werewolves had turned themselves into beasts. From there, they go around a corner and into another room with leftovers of old crates and barrels, and points at a wall to the right. "Right about here is a doorway," she says. It looks like a normal wall, so Honsou looks and finds the cracks and a rock at the bottom right corner he can wiggle to open the wall. Before he gets the door open, Alligên lets them know there are ghouls on the other side, so the clerics will have their holy symbols ready.

When Honsou gets the door open, they can see a small room with a way out to the far right, an old pipe organ on the far wall with fluid dripping from the ceiling before it, and rotting pews in between. Between the pews and the organ are four ghouls, which Angelista knows to have a hunger for bodies and a paralyzing touch. "Do not let them touch you!"

Honsou gets out a broadhead arrow and aims at a ghoul, while the ghouls wait for the heroes to come to them. Alligên raises her holy symbol, and two of the ghouls scream and hold back. Angelista lobs her spear at a ghoul at where she thinks their vitals are, then pulls out her sword. The spear goes straight into the innards of the ghoul, but doesn't drop it. Poklov moves to the fore of the others. Felcanis points her mace and tries to cast Armor on Angelista, but fails. The acolytes both concentrate, and the ghouls cower from them.

The broadhead arrow flies from Honsou's bow and into Alligên's right leg as Honsou loses his balance. She keeps concentrating through the pain. "I hope your friend doesn't kill me before the ghouls do, Felcanis!" Still up, she steps towards Poklov. Angelista runs up to the ghoul with her spear still in it and swings her sword, but misses. Poklov jumps onto a pew. Felcanis tries to cast Turn Zombie, but again her spell does not go off right. The acolytes, like their master, keep concentrating.

Honsou pulls out another arrow and aims. The ghoul with the spear in it passes out from its wounds. Angelista steps to strike another nearby ghoul, and it claws at Angelista. However, she gets her shield before its claws, and swings her sword so hard into its neck that its head almost comes off, though the ghoul, already being dead, stays up. Poklov slams a ghoul with his shield and also flicks aside its claw with his axe. Felcanis steps and casts Turn Zombie, this time wounding the ghouls. The acolytes keep concentrating, much as Alligên is.

Honsou changes his aim to another ghoul after a step and telling Vaíkkolos to move. The ghoul near Angelista lands a hit on her with its claw, weakening her, though it doesn't paralyze her. A ghoul near Poklov claws at him, but he steps back, while another rushes to claw him but misses. Alligên casts Lend Energy 3 on Angelista, and Saundīvós smiles so much at this that He heals all of Angelista's weakened nerves. Angelista swings for its neck, but its claw pushes aside the sword. Poklov tries to cut off the hand of a ghoul but misses, and Felcanis casts Sunbolt. The acolytes step back.

The thief keeps aiming, bothered since there are two folks between him and the ghoul. The ghoul swings for Angelista, who pushes her shield in the way in time. Another ghoul backs up, and the last one swings for Poklov and hits, claw stopping at the armor. Alligên swings her staff at a ghoul and hits, and it falls apart

Honsou keeps aiming. Angelista swings at a ghoul and misses, and Poklov swings at a ghoul and it steps back. Felcanis lobs her Sunbolt at a ghoul, burning it. The acolytes step to get out of the way of Honsou's shot. The ghouls step back from the crowd, the acolytes' turning them back.

At last Honsou gets off his shot, hitting the ghoul in the neck, weakening it. Another ghoul moves back, while another misses Angelista with her claw. Angelista rushes at the back-most ghoul and swings but misses. Alligên steps and casts Major Healing on herself. Poklov slams his shield into a ghoul. Felcanis goes over the pew, and the acolytes step forward.

Honsou gets out another arrow and aims. A ghoul takes a swing at Angelista, who gets her shield in the way. When another ghoul swings for Poklov, Poklov's axe catches its arm and cuts it. Alligên climbs on the pew. Angelista swings at the ghoul that tried to hit him, but it stepped back in time. Poklov puts his axe in skull of the ghoul near him, taking it out. Felcanis leaps over the pew, and stands before a slightly-raised stone daïs. Puménē steps and concentrates, while Vaíkkolos moves, dropping concentration.

Trying to save arrows, Honsou hides. Alligên moves to the daïs. The last ghoul claws at Angelista. She catches the claw on the rim of her shield then gives the ghoul a sword blow to its neck, sending it staggering backwards. Poklov moves up, and Felcanis goes back around the pew to get Bill. Puménē steps and concentrates, while Vaíkkolos goes around the pew. The ghoul and Angelista trade blows, with neither hitting at first, then Angelista takes off its head.

Among the ghouls' rubble is a ceramic jar. Even though they hear the jingle of coins inside, they hold off on opening it, instead putting it in Bill's saddlebags.

After beating the ghouls, Alligên casts Stop Bleeding on Angelista and the acolytes each cast Minor Healing on her.  After some waiting, Alligên casts Major Healing on Felcanis, and the acolytes cast Lend Energy on Felcanis to bring her back up faster. Alligên casts Stop Bleeding and Minor Healing on Honsou, then they rest some more.

They walk around the corner to the left, but Honsou says there's something happening in the hallway to the right. Since Alligên says the way out is to the left, they go that way, but the din to the right gets louder, becoming the din of growls and claws on stone. Honsou moves to the back in time to see the werewolves burst out from the hallway.

The werewolves rush into the room. Angelista gets out her sword and moves towards them, and Poklov also moves towards them.  Alligên and the acolytes start digging in their pouches for wolfsbane. Felcanis casts Armor on Angelista, and Honsou pulls out an arrow and aims.

The werewolves rush towards Poklov and Angelista but miss. Poklov tries to slam the werewolf before Angelista but misses. Felcanis casts Sunbolt, while Honsou keeps aiming.

One werewolf tries to claw Angelista, but she parries, while the other whacks Poklov in the back of the skull, but his helmet takes the blow. Felcanis lobs her Sunbolt, but hits Vaíkkolos the acolyte instead. "Yow!" he yelps, but steps back and keeps digging in his pouch.

The werewolves try to claw Angelista and Poklov, but sword and armor take the blows. Poklov misses, while Felcanis casts another Sunbolt. The werewolves still cannot get through Angelista's and Poklov's defenses, and Poklov's axe misses a werewolf's skull. Alligên gets out the wolfsbane and steps towards the fray, while Felcanis again misses with a Sunbolt, though doesn't hit anyone by mistake this time.

Honsou likewise shoots at a werewolf, but he misses. The werewolves again cannot get through to claw Angelista and Poklov, while Poklov's axe cannot get through the skull of a werewolf. Alligên steps forward, holding up the wolfsbane, while the acolytes get out their bundles.

As Honsou gets out another arrow and aims, the werewolves swing for Angelista; one gets a scratch through her armor. Poklov slams that werewolf from behind, knocking it down.

Now that the werewolves smell the wolfsbane and having only landed one scratch in many seconds of fighting, they go back down the hallway, though Poklov gets off one last useless blow on the werewolf on the ground, who doesn't care.

Alligên says, "Don't tell me you went into a dungeon without some of this stuff."

Angelista says, "Yeah, we did."

Alligên says, "Were you just thinking, 'Let's go down and kill that balrog! It will be easy!'?"

The heroes, no fully around the corner, make it into a room that looks like an old laboratory. There is an old table with a mortar and pestle on it along with a jar. There is a suit of rusty plate armor with a rusty halberd near the door. Honsou thinks the armor might be trapped, but doesn't care, and goes for the door. Doing so, he foolishly steps on the tripwire of the trapped armor before this. He hears it swing, but it can't get out of the way, so it hurts him good. Alligên casts Major Healing on Honsou, who then unhooks the tripwire.

Honsou opens the door; it is not trapped and unlocked. Beyond the door, this old storeroom is just a bunch of barrels whose wine has long turned to vinegar, with two big centipedes who see the heroes open the door. They try to bite Angelista, who is right by Honsou, but neither hits, with one putting its teeth in her shield. Honsou pulls out an arrow and steps back. Poklov throws his axe into a centipede, and pulls out another one. Angelista tries to stab the innards of a centipede, but she can't hit it.

Both centipedes again try to bite Angelista, but cannot get through her armor. As neither she nor Poklov can get through their shells, it's only fair. They bite back at Poklov and Angelista, but they bite armor and shield. That's more than Poklov and Angelista can do back. Felcanis casts Armor on Angelista. Honsou tries to shoot a centipede but misses.

Poklov, having now stepped behind the centipedes, hits one in the skull from behind, while Angelista pokes on in the innards. The centipedes keep trying to bite Angelista and Poklov, whose armor is too touch for their bites. Poklov takes one down, while Angelista can't get through the shell of the other one. It tries to bite her, but instead bites the floor. Honsou, arrow out again, aims at the centipede, while Poklov tries to play a game he calls "Diablo" and breaks a barrel. Angelista misses the centipede, which bites her armor, and Poklov stops playing Diablo and takes down the last centipede with a blow to the skull.

The gang gets into the barrel room, and blocks the door with some of them. They rest, with the acolytes casting Lend Energy on Felcanis and Poklov. Ten minutes later, Felcanis does the same on Poklov, and after a few more minutes, they're fully rested.

They follow a path to the right out of the room, up a short rise, then reach a fork. Between the fork, there is a metal trunk with a chain and collar linked to it. There is a dead body of a big lizard in that collar, and the chest is open and empty. Alligên says, "It was like that when we came in. That lizard has been dead awhile." After this, she leads them to the left, past some hollow tubes of stone that look like they are growing from the ceiling, then up another short rise. There is a tunnel going left, and Alligên says, "We came from there."

They go through the tunnel, and after about an hour, they come out by a tree with ravens and a lake. Dībités Rock is along the shoreline; it's late afternoon. After telling the clerics they need to get home, Alligên nods at the heroes and says, "We need to get back, too. We're from Blossētétiš"—a town well to the north the north—"so we have a loooong trek. We obviously weren't up to this. We'll be sure to welcome you if you ever come, Felcanis." Poklov gives her a donation of 100 copper, then they start to the north.

They hunt that night (other than Felcanis, who casts Create Food for herself) and pitch camp. They spend the next three days going back to Mīstássun, with Honsou using his last arrows to hunt.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Game log 11 April, 25 April, 16 May, 23 May 2021: Squick

Dramatis personae

Angelista, slayer
Poklov, Town Watchdwarf
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

Poklov does First Aid on Angelista and Felcanis casts Major Healing and Minor Healing on her, healing her fully. From looting the bodies, they get 10 copper farthings, 3 cheap broadswords, and 3 large knives.

While hiking, wasp swarms attack everyone but Honsou. They get them off after some swatting and chasing after Bill, who bolts from the stinging wasps. Felcanis casts Stop Bleeding and Major Healing on Bill.

The group's foraging is good for everyone, and Angelista gets a few small animal furs worth only 5 copper. Angelista sets up camp, and Felcanis casts Watchdog, but nothing happens that night.

The next day, they set forth.  After about an hour and a half of hiking east, you see the trees start to look withered, and fewer animals. There is a copse of bushes that look alive, however. Angelista leads the group away from them, overriding Felcanis's yearning to check them out. Up ahead, things start to thin out a bit more. Farther past, there is a big tent rock in the distance, with what looks like a keep on it. Felcanis points at the big tent rock. "That is Dībités Rock. There's a tower there, and it isn't elven."

As they heroes get nearer, they can see hustle and bustle around the rock and the tower atop it. The tent rock isn't too high, but the tower goes up at least 50 feet above it. A bit past a drawbridge they see a group of men come towards them. There are nine, three are mounted. Poklov steps forward to talk, and a man on a horse with a cleft lip and wearing light mail nods. "Hail, dwarf. Žrêdete (Mannish for "greetings" to more than two folks) to all of you." 

Poklov says, "What has the day been to you?"

The man looks puzzled. "It has, uh, been a day of activity, as always. What has it been to you, Kuzzy?" ("Kuzzy" is a slang word for dwarf, slightly derogatory.)

Poklov isn't bothered. "Uneventful, which is nice for once. We are tracking some leads to find a person of interest, and were looking to see if we can stay in the safety of your walls for the night."

The man's lips curls in what looks like a sneer, but since it's cleft it's hard to tell. "Who's the person?"

Poklov says, "A demonologist or something like that. We've had several stories of strange coming and going a ways from here."

The man stops. "Who told you that, Kuzzy? What stories?"

Poklov nods towards Felcanis. "Oh, our fair priestess heard a few while treating travelers. There have been some tavern stories, too."

He turns his gaze to Felcanis, with a leer. "Oh, did she? What kinda stories you like, lassie?"

Angelista pushes her spear a bit forward, just enough so the man sees. "I would modify my tone when speaking to a priestess of Saundīvós."

The scoffs. "I'll talk to the Albanérēs (elf women) however I like. They're mighty comely."

Angelista says, "Then you obviously have no fear of gods. Poklov, this … person … is rude and uncompromising, and disrespectful to women. Finish our exchange quickly please."

Whether this stops the man or not, he seems to be a bit more respectful. "But I'm on duty. What are these stories, oh Cleric of Saundīvós?"

Poklov cuts in, "I'd hate to have her bore you with stories of common folks and travelers, but if you think you can help us we'll gladly share."

The man laughs. "Sure, I think we can help each other."

Poklov asks, "How about we talk about it over a couple pints?"

The man guffaws. "I'll say this for you, Vérge (Mannish for greeting a dwarf) runt, you kuzzies love to drink. I'm down with that. My commander also would be."

Angelista says, "Is that all you have been taught? Sneering and slinging insults?"

The man doesn't like this. "Hey, I was born with this lip problem, sweetness. I can't help it. I don't think you'd like getting your lip like this!"

Angelista says, "It's not the lips I am offended by. It's is the language coming from them. Your treatment is knave-like in its tone."

This is well above the man's level of understanding. "Eh, all I ever learnt was Mannish. I could be up for a few Elvish lessons, though, if my language isn't good enough."

Angelista says "Then I suggest a little more respect, lest another woman give you lessons of her own." She shrugs. "Unless of course you are into that kind of thing."

This baffles him. "Look, lady, enough of this shit. My commander can talk to you folks."

Poklov cuts in. "Either way, do you and your commander have an establishment we can visit after your duty?" Poklov hands him a few copper for drinks later. 

The man says, "Lemme take you to him." The men lead the heroes towards the drawbridge. Once there, the man tells a guard to fetch "Aidīvós." After a few minutes, a thin, bald man clad in mail with a twisted ear comes out.

Poklov says, "'Ello, good commander."

This bald man says back, "Žrêde, Vérge. What brings you and your friends to our little of neck of the woods?"

Poklov chuckles. "Honestly, with all the rocks, it looks kind of my neck of the woods."

Aidīvós laughs. "You're right, this is a little odd for the woods."

Poklov keeps going. "But, I'm a constable from Mīštássun, and we just tracking down some missing people and trying to find the reason behind it all."

The man looks puzzled. "Missing? Who's missing? Anyone I might know?"

Poklov shakes his head. "Nah, just some local folks, but last we heard some stories of some weird coming and goings and maybe a demonologist further east. We just happened to stumble across your keep, and were looking for some safe lodging, possibly some drinks."

The bald man thinks for a moment. "Demonologist, eh? Sounds like a nasty customer."

Poklov says, "Well it's either true or the story is exaggerated.

The man starts to talk again. "Listen, Vérge of Mīštássun … how the hell did a dwarf get to be on the Mīštássun Town Watch, anyways? It's not common, you know?"

Poklov says, "I'm good at what I do. I'm more like traveling constable."

Aidīvós asks, "And what do you do?"

Poklov says, "I bring justice."

Angelista smiles. "He has proven to be of some value."

The bald man says, "Justice is … good, you know."

Poklov says, "Without law, we are no better than the animals."

Aidīvós smiles. "Yeah, I miss seeing those. We haven't had many animals around here in awhile, you know."

Poklov asks, "Oh really? What you eat then?"

The bald man says, "We have to trade for grain, and we send … hunting parties. Hunting is good once you get away from this rock."

Poklov asks, "Any good fishing near by? A good fisherman and half a day's fishing can feed a small group pretty easy."

Aidīvós puts his hand on Poklov's shoulder. "No, good dwarf, there isn't too much water here, you know. But I think we can make a deal."

Poklov says, "Aye, what do you need? I'll see if we can accommodate."

Aidīvós grins. "Well, we have a problem under the keep. Seems this rock has more below it than someone would think."

Angelista pipes up, "I believe that may be where I come in. Can you describe this problem?"

Aidīvós nods. "Well, good lass, there was something here before this tower. And now, it seems that something is poisoning our woods, you know?" He waves his hand at the twisted, dying plants.
Angelista nods. "I have noticed."

Poklov asks, "Oh, that wasn't just the lay of the land?"

Aidīvós shakes his head. "Nope. And I, uh, can't spare my men to root out anything below there."

Angelista asks, "Are there any other misshapen events or creatures that may also be cause for concern? I have dedicated my life to the slaughter of monsters, demons, and undead."

Poklov agrees, "Aye, and she's pretty good at it. Do not get in a fight with her. She packs a wallop."

Aidīvós and smiles. "I can appreciate that."

Angelista pulls aside Poklov. "However, Poklov, if we do this, we do it all the way. We clear the entire dungeon of this evil: every room. We leave no room for error lest it return. Can you commit to that?"

Poklov nods. "Aye, how long we thinking? Days, months, years? I mean we don't even know how big this thing is."

Angelista says "However long it takes. However many forays we must make."

Poklov chuckles. "I ain't scared of going under some rock."

Aidīvós shrugs. "I don't know how far down this goes. I doubt it's more than months."

Angelista says, "Even if we go in, we attack and then retreat and then enter again and reattack, and we can eventually win. Yhink of it as war. with all its offensives and tactical retreats. The aggressor usually wins the siege when properly equipped. But for a lasting victory then entire dungeon MUST be cleared."

Aidīvós nods. "Now, listen, I can't have you popping out during this. I'm guarding some students who are studying. I don't want them getting startled."

Angelista asks, "Define, 'Popping out.'"

The bald man says, "Once I let you down, the door to the underground has to stay shut. We don't want folks asking questions about all this, you know."

Angelista nods. "I think we can handle that but if it does take weeks then we will have to come back out for things like food and water. My main concern is water."

Aidīvós smiles. "I think you'll find you can live off the surplus of the dungeon easily." He points out the pond feeding the moat. "I'm pretty sure this goes under there, too."

Angelista asks, "Can you describe any other troubles that you are enduring brought on by this problem? It may help us to identify our enemy."

Aidīvós says, "There's the occasional fell demon that gets out that we have to … take care of, you know?"

Angelista says, "Believe me, I know."

Aidīvós grins. "I'm sure you'll do fine. I can spare a few meals and let you spend the night first."

Angelista says, "That will do nicely. I assume we don't need some secret code to leave the dungeon when the job is finished. And I assure you we will finish."

After a night in one of the buildings near the wall, Aidīvós leads the gang into the tower. He takes the heroes down the stairs. "Now, our troops have been trained to whack first and ask questions later about anything that comes out of that door, so even banging on it from the other side isn't a good idea."

Angelista asks, "Then how do we get out when the job is done?"

He thinks for a moment. "Good question, and I don't have a good answer for it. How about you yell your name and what you've found?"

Angelista says, "Or we can yell our names and that the evil is dead. Does that work for you?"

He shrugs. "I suppose. But let us know what the evil was when you do so."

Angelista nods. "As you wish."

With that, he takes off the last bolt, and the guards take their position, looking at whatever is past. He opens the door to a big, dark room. Angelista leads the way, shield and spear in hand. When the heroes walk inside, they fall about a yard as the floor unexpectedly stops. Once everyone is inside—and the guards don't let the heroes tarry—the door shuts, and the heroes can hear the bolting and bars being put back on."

A bit beyond, they see some movement. They look like centipedes as big as a man. Angelista holds back and Honsou stays outside the light, but Felcanis steps forward. The centipedes scurry nearer, then rush towards the gang. Honsou misses with his first shot, but Poklov smashes the nearest centipede with his axe a few times. Angelista steps between the centipede and Felcanis as she stabs at the centipede on her left. Felcanis holds up her shield.

Poklov slams a centipede with his shield, knocking it down. Angelista puts her spear into another. The third turns to run away, but Angelista reaches it, and puts her spear into it, too.

The heroes rest up. Angelista lights a torch and looks around, and finds a short flight of stairs to a door to what looks like an old cottage. Going away from the cottage, she finds an old well. She goes back and tells the others.

They agree to check out the cottage. Honsou tries picking the lock to the cottage, but cannot, being a nasty gnomish lock. So, instead, they walk around the cottage, and see what looks like was once an old village. Was this once on the surface? How?

Moving away from the rock walls and the cottage, they little by little see the walls of an old keep, somehow still intact. Walking a little farther, they see what was once an old stable, with its door stuck open. Inside they see what was three stalls, and the carcasses of who knows what, overgrown with mold.

They leave the stable, and go to the keep. As they walk down this short flight of stairs, you see decorative weapons lining the walls. The weapons are more for show than for actual use. They get to a door, and Honsou picks its lock. They go into a room, and see one wall is lined with bones. A thick rope hangs down from the middle of the ceiling, coming out of the ceiling itself. The rugs there are rotten. The marble altar near the north wall has two stout round legs, and sits on a one-step daïs. There's a few of what looks like a long sequence of segmented shells, which Angelista thinks are the molted shells of giant centipedes.

Felcanis checks out the altar. It heavy and made of marble. She thinks this altar is for the dark god Ažbrátōr. The others check out the bones, and they are from all kinds of humanoids and animals, though nobody knows for sure. Poklov looks under a rug, and finds nothing. However, the bones on the north wall look a little off in the middle of the wall, a little too neat. Poklov studies them, and thinks that pulling on what might have been an ogre toe or a woman's femur might do something interesting. Poklov beckons to Honsou, who moves the bone, and a door in the wall opens


In the middle of the room beyond the bone wall is a stone sarcophagus, and the wall through which they came is lined with bones, much as it is on the other side. The right wall has the outline of a door but they see no way of opening it. On the far wall you see a drawing in chalk.

Angelista looks at the drawing. The drawing is crude, but she can clearly see stick figures of men under what looks like water above. Some are falling over from the oncoming water. She points it out to the others. "A warning, perhaps?" she muses. While she looks at it, Honsou pushes open the sarcophagus. It's heavy, but he can open it after some pushing and shoving. Whoever was in this sarcophagus isn't here now. And he took his grave goods, whatever they may have been.

They go back, and go down a hallway to another room. There are two wrecked tables in the middle of this room. They go past, then down a hallway after a fork. They get to another fork, and peer down it. A man in the corner of a deadend spots them. "Aaah!"

Poklov says, "Hello there."

The man has a stocky body, a sculpted face, light grey eyes, long, bushy black hair, and a braided beard. He's wearing heavy leather armor with a cheap short sword and a shield. Honsou walks towards him with his knife drawn. The man holds up his hands and screams out, "Aaah! No, man, I'm good, I'm good!"

Angelista tells Honsou to hold off. Poklov asks how he got down into the dungeon.

The man looks both ways. "They're madmen up there. I figured they were up to something no good, and they threw me down here when I planned on sneaking out and going to town."

Poklov asks, "Madmen? Care to show us where they are?"

They man waves his hands as he talks. "There's something down here. They know it." He points upwards. "They're not gonna let us out."

Angelista nods. "I believe the mad men are above, in town."

Poklov asks him to them where the "bad thing" is, and the man nods at Angelista. "They're running the keep."

Angelista smiles and nods. "They will be poorly prepared if they try to keep us down here, though."

The man sighs. "Whatever it is, it's below, well below, and they don't want to confront it."

Poklov says, "Well, we have a priest and an expert demon hunter with us. I think we can handle it, if we just knew."

The man's shoulders slump. "They don't think you're gonna live. They don't think any of us are gonna live."

Poklov pours a little wine in a cup and hands it to him. "Well dunno if you heard, dwarves are tough."

The man takes a sip of the wine and nods. "You best dig your way out if you know what's good for you. We're not the first down here. I know they sent some goons from town down here last year and they never came out." He looks up at the heroes. "The master of this keep … did you meet him? That old man is mad."

Angelista asks, "What is going on above? Tell us."

The man lets out a sigh. "That old man is doing something that brought whatever that is into the world." He starts to wave his hands again. "He's in league with some kind of demons, man."

Angelista says, "Well, we are here now. Whatever he is up to, consider it ended very soon."

The man shakes his head and and raises his hands. "No, man, he's too powerful! I've seen one of those things, man. It's some demon, all green and shit!"

Poklov asks, "Want to come with us, good sir?"

The man asks, "Are you getting out of here?"

Poklov says, "Well we going to get rid of this problem in here first, then we will. You're welcome to be with us or take your chances else alone."

The man shakes his head. "I need to get out of here. I'm not going farther down there."

Angelista says, "Then go. We will inform you if we kill it."

The man says, "I have no idea how to get out, lady!"

Angelista sneers. "Go or stop whining about getting out, I don't care which. Just shut up if you are not going to assist."

The man asks, "You mind telling me how the hell I get out of here then, lady?" Angelista walks away. The man mutters, "Bitch," under his breath, and shakes his head.

Angelista walks over and slaps him. "Watch your mouth." He shrinks back, but doesn't act against her. Angelista points to where she came. "The exit is that way. Fuck off with you."

The man says, "Lady, that way is locked. You know damn well they won't open the door for any of us."

Angelista says "Then your kinda fucked, aren't you? So stop whining about it."

The man asks, "Who's whining?"

Angelista says, "You are. You complain about not knowing how to get out but you offer no information other than what we already know. So shut up or offer actual information."

He scoffs. "Lady, I told you what I know. There's something down here, well below us, that the crazy old man brought into this world."

Angelista says, "And I told you we will inform you when we kill it, if you live that long."

He smirks. "Oh, I plan to. It's you I'm worried won't be alive."

Angelista says, "We are not leaving. Do you understand that?"

He waves his hands in the air as he talks, this time above his head. "Do YOU?"

Poklov beckons to the others. "Let's press forward."

The man mutters, "You're fucking crazy," as the heroes walk away.

Down the hall, they turn a corner, and see a big spider web, a broken blade, and a ripped sack. Honsou looks at the sack, and it's empty, though it has some nasty oil on it.

Honsou doesn't have enough time to think about what the oil is before the spider drops on him. The spider, a giant black widow, grapples him. However, Honsou can reach his knife, and sticks it into the spider. Angelista throws her spear at the spider, but misses, and it flies into the web. Poklov charges the rear of the spider and plants a couple of axe blows into its head, taking it down. They get the spider off Honsou, kill it, and burn its web, which also burns the remains of the table and chairs to which the web was stuck.

They go back the way they came to look at a door they missed. Once Honsou opens it, and a cross between a norker and an earth elemental sticks its spear into him, though his armor stops it. The monster is about four feet tall, with its red skin making plates. Honsou pulls out his knife and chucks it at the another one in the room, but it gets out of the way. The little monster slams into Honsou, giving him a small bruise. Angelista misses as she tries to rush it with her spear. Poklov whacks its skull with his axe, knocking it down.

Out in the hall, another demon slams into Bill, but Bill whinnies as he steps away. Honsou whips out his bow and shoots an arrow into the other demon in the room. It takes the shot, and shoves its spear into Felcanis. Angelista sticks her spear into it, and realizes what it is. It's a hellshot, a little guy from some hell, and when it is hurt, it goes nuts.

Poklov moves inside, and Bill books it past the hellshot. Felcanis stays up, and Honsou nocks an arrow. A hellshot sticks its spear into Angelista. It isn't a deep wound, but it hits a nerve and she falls down. Poklov swings again for a hellshot, but can't get through its plate-like skin. Honsou takes a shot, but cannot get his arrow through its skin. It keeps wailing on Angelista, even though she's on the ground, and sticks its spear into her again.

Felcanis drops her helmet with Continual Light cast on it, and runs after Bill. Poklov again chops at the hellshot's thick skull, but it stays up. Honsou misses with his next shot, and the hellshot yet again sticks its spear into the downed Angelista.

Poklov keeps wailing on the hellshot as Felcanis runs after Bill. Honsou misses yet again with his shot, but Angelista gets her shield up as the hellshot tries to stab her again. Poklov gets off a last flurry of blows, and downs the hellshot. Felcanis gets Bill, and they start healing up.

Felcanis casts Major Healing on Angelista. They go into the room where they fought the little demons and rest on the cots. They lie down. Honsou sets up makeshift traps on the doors, Felcanis casts Watchdog, and they lie down to rest.

Near the end of their rest, Honsou is on watch. He hears someone trying to open the west door, and Felcanis wakes up, her spell alerting her. Angelista and Poklov wake up, though are rubbing their eyes as some pig-faced humanoids with twitchy ears kicking open the door. A big, bullnecked orc with a unibrow snarls and yells for the others to strike, but not before Honsou shoots and misses the foremost orc. Angelista and Poklov grab their weapons and sit up, and Felcanis fires up a Sunbolt. The orcs rush into the room.

Honsou gets out another arrow and aims for the leader. Angelista and Poklov stand up, and Poklov grabs his other axe. Felcanis throws her Sunbolt at the lead orc, but misses, while the orcs get nearer.  Honsou steps and shoots a bodkin arrow at the orc leader, but the orc leader shoves his shield in the way. The orc leader yells "Schmaggot!" He rushes forward and takes a couple of swings at Honsou. Honsou dodges the first one, but takes the second axe blow to his side.

Angelista runs at the leader and swings her sword at him, but misses. Poklov swings for the leg of the orc almost upon him, and cripples his leg when the orc does not block the swing. Felcanis tries to plant her mace in the body of the orc before her, but the orc gets his shield up. The orc swings his falchion, and hits Felcanis as she tries to step back. Another steps and swings at Angelista, hurting her but not dropping her when she doesn't parry.

Honsou steps back, whips out his sword, and holds it up to try to block any blow, but the leader again hits him with his axe. He stays up, but Angelista steps and tears into the leader's arm with her broadsword. He can't get out of the way of the blow, and falls from the pain that Angelista has given him. Poklov steps and tries to put his axe into the skull of another nearby orc, but the orc blocks his axe with his shield. Felcanis puts her shield up to stop any blow as she steps back.

One orc yells, "Gah! Darûk lûmpuzat!" This must mean something to the orcs, as they turn to run. Poklov bashes an orc from behind, felling him, and then does the same to the orc whose leg he has crippled. The leader rolls over, but Angelista stands over him and points her sword at his throat. He spits at her, calls her a bitch and a "schtupit" woman, and tries to push his shield into her but cannot hit. Poklov comes over and hits him with his axe, knocking him out.

The other orcs have armor that is too smelly to sell or even wear, but the leader is wearing mail. Upon taking off his hauberk, the gang finds that he's wearing a shirt that somehow has no tears in it. It find this odd, so keeps it as well as his armor.

After a little more rest, they get up. Poklov tries to tend to Felcanis's wounds, but cannot help. They pour a potion of Major Healing down Felcanis's throat, and she wakes up. Now that she's awake, she casts Major Healing on both Angelista and Honsou, then Honsou slugs a potion of Minor Healing. Felcanis, after some rest, also casts Minor Healing on both Poklov and Angelista, then drinks a potion of Minor Healing herself.

Now mostly healed, they try to set off, but Bill balks at something. As Felcanis is trying to get Bill to move, Angelista, after getting a Light spell on her sword from Felcanis, checks out the hallway. She finds orc tracks leading to the right along the dust; nothing she didn't expect. Honsou takes the sword and looks around, but finds nothing else. He gives the sword back to Angelista as Felcanis at last gets Bill to move.

They walk back to the hallway where they found the wiry man, and see that he is no longer there. Just past that nook is a stairs going down, which they take. They find themselves in what looks like it was a big hall, with rotten banners above. They go to the left of where the stairs opened and walk into a hallway. The hallway turns after a few feet, and there is a door to their left. It looks like it is locked, and Honsou picks it open.

They open the door, and they go into a room. Sets of torture equipment and tools of the trade lie scattered about. A whip in a glass box hangs on the far wall alongside a rack of tools, such as boards, pliers, thumbscrews, and tongs. After checking out the room, they leave it, finding nothing worth keeping or any other way out.

They go back down the hallway, and find a door. To the left of the door is a small table and chair here in the cranny, somehow still intact. Honsou finds the door locked, and cannot pick it. Poklov pulls out the orc leader's axe, and starts chopping the door. After a few swings, there's a big enough hole to reach through and open the door.

Inside the room, there are rusted cages. There is a painting on the wall next to the door. It shows a woman wearing a silver necklace and laughing at a party. Felcanis thinks there's something mystical about that painting. Honsou takes the painting.

Honsou thinks there's something weird about the cage by the east wall, how it's sitting. It's not flat on the floor like the others.

Angelista says, "Hey, Honsou, before you just take off with the painting why don't you inspect the wall?" Honsou checks to see if it's connected, and weirdly enough, it is propped funny with the wall, and there's a small indent in the wall where its corner sits. He doesn't see anything remarkable about the indent. It just seems to fit with the corner of the cage. Which is odd since the wall is stone.

Felcanis starts playing with the cage door. Angelista tells her not to touch it, but Felcanis says, "This is pretty neat, not sure what exactly what this does." Honsou checks again, and sees that the cage is sitting funny, at an awkward angle and not flat on the floor, with one of its corners sticking into the wall where it seems to fit. He pulls it along the wall, and the wall opens.

Felcanis smiles. "I knew something was up."

They walk through the hole in the wall, and into another room with rotten straw mats and rotten wooden dummies. The dummies have indents in them that are more recent than the rot. There is a door on the far side.

Angelista says, "These appear to have been used recently."

Poklov muses, "Someone training to fight here?"

Honsou checks the door on the other side, and finds it untrapped and unlocked. He opens it, and they go into a room with a bunch of desks with beakers and mortar and pestles on them. There is a door to the right and a hallway to the left.

Felcanis pokes around on the table in the middle. "What's these strange liquids in these bottles? What you think they are making?"

Poklov shrugs. "It ain't ale, so I dun care."

Felcanis sticks her finger on the edge to feel the residue left behind. The table here has just old alchemy tools on it, while the desks by the wall also have drawers. The bottles are mostly broken, and the chemicals therein are dried to the glass. It has been so long that the chemicals aren't even sticky.

Poklov says, "Any of y'all feel that this place use to be inhabited? Recently, by normal people, not creatures that go bump in the night. I mean, orcs aren't known for their alchemy, mainly fighting and smashing."

Angelista nods. "No, but other creatures might be."

Honsou opens a drawer in the middle desk. When he does so, a cloud wafts out of the drawer and Honsou falls down. The cloud dissipates before anyone can get to Honsou, and Felcanis puts her hands on him. She finds that he's asleep, not dead. The others bring him into the training room and rest for four hours.  Luckily, nothing comes in that time.

Once he wakes, they go back into the laboratory, then through the hallway to the left. Once there, they go into a room with a high vaulted ceiling and rotting pews in the half of the room near where they came inside. In the other half there is a dais raised about six inches off the floor, and on it, next to but not flush with the wall, sits a pipe organ. Three big beetles in the other half of the room spot their light and skitter towards them.

Honsou gets out an arrow, but his bow turns in his hand when he fires it wildly. Luckily, he misses everything in range. Poklov moves warily to fight, and Angelista steps and waits for the beetles to come to her. Felcanis casts Armor on Angelista just before one of the beetles moves to bite her. She sticks her spear into the beetle, but its hard shell takes most of the blow. It bites her and she can't get her shield in the way, and the magic armor likewise takes most of its blow. Another one turns its rear to Angelista and lets out a stream of hot oil that just misses her.

Honsou steps, trying to get his bow ready. Poklov rushes the beetle with his shield, but it steps away. Angelista chucks her spear at the innards of the beetle that shot its oil at her, but her spear bounces off its carapace. She gets out her sword right after the lob. Felcanis casts Flaming Weapon on Angelista's sword, while the spider who just ignored Angelista's spear moved to just outside the bright light of Felcanis's Continual Light, and the other two beetles turn their rears to fire.

Their steal-happy archer gets off his shot after nocking his arrow, but his arrow bounces off the carapace. Poklov tries to cleave the beetle nearest him, but drops his axe. Angelista bolts for the fore of the beetle and swings her sword, but it gets out of the way. Felcanis fires up a small Sunbolt. One beetle hits Poklov with a stream of hot oil, which doesn't hurt him, but numbs him with its blisters. Another one bites him and gets past his armor.

Honsou loads his bow and starts aiming at a beetle. Poklov gets out another axe and hits the beetle in its carapace. Angelista shifts to the left side of the beetle and swings at the beetle, but likewise cannot get through its carapace. Felcanis aims her Sunbolt at a beetle as it skitters and turns its rear to squirt. Another one already does so, and its oil hurts Poklov, further numbing him with blisters.

The archer again gets off a shot that, like his last shot, bounces off the beetle's exoskeleton. Poklov tries to hit a beetle nearby, but his axe instead twists in his hand. Angelista says she has Poklov covered, and dashes to hit the beetle near Poklov, but misses. Felcanis's Sunbolt flies at a beetle, but the light hits the shell and does nothing. The two beetles by Angelista and Poklov move away from them, while the one that Felcanis hit steps forward and turns to shoot.

Honsou gets out an arrow, steps, and aims. Poklov shakes out his hand and grips his haft anew. Angelista hustles to hit a beetle, but again cannot get through the beetle's carapace. Felcanis fires up a big Sunbolt as Poklov blocks a stream of bug juice coming towards him with his shield. Honsou keeps aiming, while Poklov rams his spiked shield into the rear of the beetle, knocking it down.

Yeah, it's that kind of fight.

Angelista turns and whacks a beetle with her sword, this time getting through its shell. Felcanis aims her spell at a beetle between two pews. One beetle turns its rear and the one on the ground starts to stand, while the third shoots its juice at Poklov, who again blocks the stream with his shield. Honsou shoots the beetle between the pews in the eye, this getting through.

Poklov goes for a chink in the neck of the beetle and gives it a good chop, while Felcanis burns the beetle in the pews from behind. It and another beetle turn to see what is behind them, while the one that Poklov knocked down gets up and move. Honsou pulls out an arrow and starts aiming, while Poklov rushes the beetle that just stood up with his spiked shield, knocking it down again.

Angelista tries to chop a beetle in the neck, but it shifts its neck away. Felcanis warily looks around. The beetle near Angelista moves away and turns around, the one by Poklov starts to stand, while the third turns to see what is behind it. Honsou keeps aiming, Poklov again plants his axe in the beetle's neck, but Angelista fails to do the same on that same beetle. Felcanis fires up another small Sunbolt.

The beetle from which Angelista has moved away shoots out a stream of bug juice, but as Angelista has moved, there's no one there for it to scald. The one she just struck bites her, but the magic takes the blow. The last one lunges to bite Felcanis, but she blocks it with her shield. Honsou shoots the beetle in the pews in its lone eye, taking out its eye, but somehow it still is fighting.

Poklov and Angelista chop at the neck of a beetle; both hit, though Poklov instead hits its back. Felcanis aims. Two of the beetles move away, while the third runs behind the pipe organ. Honsou gets out another arrow and aims, while Poklov moves. Angelista also moves and tries to hit the beetle's back, but misses.

Felcanis keeps aiming at a beetle. The beetle in the pews rears up, and the one nearest Angelista blindly shoots at her, mildly scalding her. The third beetle keeps running around the side of the room. Honsou keeps aiming, Poklov moves, and Angelista hits a beetle on the carapace just past its head.

Felcanis shoots her spell at the beetle, but it gets out of the way and runs between some pews. Another moves away from Angelista, while a third shoots juice at Honsou, scalding him. Honsou gets off a shot at the beetles as they skitter away.

Res aliae

The beetles had inadvertently-great tactics. They take a penalty in bright light, so they were taking care to move away from such light. This kept them out of the range of the PCs much of the time, especially Angelista, who had Flaming Weapon.

I have no idea why I thought the beetles should shoot their oil out of their rears, but I did that at the start and kept it up. That brought a few cringeworthy moments.

They'll start next session down quite a few Fatigue Points, as Angelista and Poklov were burning theirs on Mighty Blows to get through the thick (DR 9) plates of the beetles. Angelista was also using Heroic Charge as the beetles kept skittering away from her while she held her flaming sword.

I have one screenshot, but I can't get any links or pictures to work in Blogger at the moment. Maybe I'll edit it in later.