(written by Phil concerning Bartholomew's most recent adventure, and earning Bartholomew 100 xp per level)
From the Journals of Bartholomew Pettibone, of the House Pettibone
A Purveyor of Enchanting Sorcery
31 January 2021 – a continuation of capers and shenanigans in the harbor city of Cothon.
After our last delving into the Weirding Caves, we returned healthy and wealthy to Cothon Under-Star. Our 'archaeological' findings were equitably distributed among our party members, and tankards of ale were raised to our great success!
Within our pilfered wares was a small, metallic, spherical object. Very interesting. Our good friend and chum Hey-Jo attempted to identify the item through arcane means. Little progress was made, but we did determine that it was of similar make as Durham's 'detection device'. However, neither his detector or the 'eye' appeared to possess a magical aura. Hey-Jo packed the 'eye' away, and we discussed with Durham and Persephone how we might dispatch the foul 'evil-anemone-trees' down in the Weirding Caves.
And so we decided on an arsonists adventure! Hirelings were procured; Persephone and Durham each brought an erstwhile companion, and of course I HAD to bring my old chum Gan ad-Din in on our new escapade – such a fine and stalwart fellow! And Paku and Finbar, the brave and sneaky Renyu joined us. We loaded up on many new adventuring items, as well as three hand carts, loaded with more oil than any sane person would ever procure in a lifetime of cooking. Aside from several dozen flasks of oil, this included six large clay amphorae of oil – a total of 60 gallons – hahahaha! And off we went, back to the caves, for fire and fury! On our journey, Gan noted that all his life he aspired only to be the best water-bearer in all the great world – and now he will instead be known as 'chief of all treasure and oil bearers'! His grin was wide and white – a very fine and stalwart fellow, indeed!
Our travel to the caves was free of interruption. Into the caves we went – quick and quiet as a wink. We had prepared two carts of oil as giant molotov cocktails, and left the third alone – as a back-up. We crept through the caverns, squeakily, and with trepidation, until we were in the vicinity of the 'pit-room' – the lair of the evil anemone-trees (EATs). Finbar reported that the two EATs were still present.
As we began to set the carts up for conflagration, our preparations were disturbed by a group of 'creatures' passing through the caverns. Luckily our Renyu companions detected the approach of the intruders before they burst upon us. We hooded our lanterns and hid, hoping they would pass us by. Four did, but one remained. Augh! The best laid bonfires always have their carts upset!
With no other options available, I unhooded my lantern in order to illuminate the thing. It turned out that our interloper was naught but a weird, large spider – odd to behold, perhaps poisonous, but still, just a spider. Hey-Jo dispatched the single loiterer quickly with a well placed sling bullet!
That one well placed bullet should have been seen as an omen. Hey-Jo will make an even more spectacular splash in the games to come! But, I get ahead of myself. Back to the main task!
The party then split. Gan and I remained in the lower chamber with the two 'molotov carts' of oil. Each cart contained two oil amphorae, about twenty gallons of oil. We quietly wheeled one cart about one quarter of the way down the final, lower entrance passage. And then waited for our good friend Finbar to return with word from above.
Above, the larger portion of our party parked their cart of two oil amphorae on the ledge above, at the entrance to the 'pit-room'. Hey-Jo and Durham crept the ledge to the far, eastern, side and prepared a grapple and rope for later descent to the 'pit-room' floor. Finbar was then sent back down to alert me and Gan that everyone was prepared. Gan and I then quietly wheeled the final 'molotov cart' out to the end of the tunnel where the EATs dwell. Nothing disturbed us, it was eerily quiet, and in the EATs 'pit-room' we saw … nothing. The beasts were gone. Or hidden.
Gan and I quietly crept back to the first wagon and sent Finbar back to the party above – Finbar was our 'runner' for this part of the adventure. We waited below for word from the rest of our party. It came soon enough. We first noted faint light and muffled shouts coming from down the corridor, from the direction of the 'pit-room'. Presumably our upper party was starting the diversion. Suddenly Finbar returned and barked that Durham wished us to move into the 'pit-room' and make noise, to call the EATs out. Oh sure, yeah, right! We'll just rush on down into that pit of doom and let those giant, monstrous, man-eating trees clobber our brains out – sure! Why not?! And so we did. And so one did!
One of the massive, fifteen-foot-tall EATs lumbered toward Gan and I – much more quickly than we expected! We scampered back up the lower passage – bravely – screaming like frightened children all the way! A second creature had made it's appearance as well.
Gan and I reached the upper wagon, took a moment to light a second torch, and waited. At the first sight of one of the creatures lumbering up the lower passage, I pitched a lit flask of oil at the creature, and watched as the EAT easily deflected it. I have the worst luck with throwing oil flasks! Even as my throw missed, the flask still burst and sprayed the EAT with gobs of flaming oil. All was not lost! Gan and I then dumped our wagon of oil and lit it. And the blaze was on! And Gan stood affixed – staring with wide eyes at the spreading, blazing oil – exclaiming that he had never before seen so much oil – wasted! Hahahahahaha!! Old Gan, such a funny, funny guy! Always a font of comic relief when you need it the most! I had to physically pull him back around the corner, out of the lower passage, and out of harm's way.
In the meantime, after seeing the flaring of bright fires from within the lower passage (when Gan and I lit our oil), the main group of our party began an assault that they later called, 'death from above'. With his crossbow, good Durham shot at the amphorae in the 'molotov cart' down below, in the entrance of the lower passage (hoping to break them). At the same time, wild and dye-stained Hey-Jo tossed a lit flask of oil at that same 'molotov cart' (intending to break amphorae and help start another conflagration). Persephone attacked the second creature, while her hireling, Warda, tossed a rock at the 'molotov cart' in hopes to help break the amphorae of oil. The blaze was successfully started, but physical attacks upon the EATs appeared to be fruitless.
Gan and I retreated apace to watch over the blaze that now filled both ends of the lower passage. One EAT was trapped within the lower exit passage, with conflagrations in front of and behind it. Hopefully that EAT was being slow-roasted and suffocated. Above, and out of our earshot and sight, the rest of the party continued their assault on the secondary EAT, remaining in the pit. And the retelling of their exploits was epic!
During the fight above, Hey-Jo pitched a perfectly aimed flask of lit oil – a shot that hit squarely and firmly within the very top center of the creature. That anatomical location on the EAT was like a wide, shallow bowl. Instead of burning oil running down and off of the EAT, the oil pooled and lit-up it's crown of whipping fronds like a giant torch! It was bright. It was mesmerizing. It was a beautiful sight – but it smelled horrible!
And lo! While Gan and I maintained our watch on the lower passage, four of the spider-beasts came upon us! Again, lucky for us our good Renyu friend Finbar noted the spiders' approach and gave us slight initial warning of their presence. My fingers moved and I uttered the words that would bring the arcane forces into focus. It took but a moment, and as my words fell silent, and my fingers stopped moving, all of the spiders dropped into a deep slumber. Gan and I dispatched them, post-haste, and continued to wait. And watch. And tend our fires.
The EAT with its crown on fire (within the 'pit-room') finally burned to a crisp. Yay! There was much rejoicing. And so Durham and Paku went down the rope into the pit to glean the goodies! They were joined by Persephone and her hireling, Warda. Hey-Jo, and Durham's hireling remained on the ledge above to keep a watch.
While gathering loot, Durham tossed another torch down the main, lower pit. He related to us that as he watched the torch drop through one level, he briefly glimpsed several other EATs within a lower chamber, before the torch continued to drop further down the pit into the darkness of oblivion.
Wth their bags full, Durham, Paku, Persephone, and Warda returned to Hey-Jo. They all then gathered up Gan and myself. We left the final two oil amphorae on the ledge of the 'pit-room', and then made our way to the western 'pool-room' – where the strange salamander creatures and their rat-like friend had been dwelling during our previous adventures. Persephone had a hankering to chat with those interesting folks once more. But they were gone; only the faint trace of an old fire ring remained as evidence of their encampment. So we continued to explore the caves further east of the pit room.
Further on we entered another large open room, similar to the 'pit-room'. However this one was more natural, had no deep pit at it's center, and had a beautiful and quite large flow-stone formation in its northern section. The formation was spectacular, with interesting passages that wove between columns of melted rock. These columns reached floor to ceiling and could almost be described as looking like a giant spider web made from stone. I gave this room the appellation of 'flow-room'. Two passages exited the 'flow-room'. One was to the north (hidden behind the mass of beautiful flow-stone). The alternate exit angled away to the southeast. After a brief exploration we learned that the southeast passage connected to familiar, upper passages, and outside!
We retreated back to the 'flow-room', intent on investigating the more narrow, hidden, northern passage. Not far inside that passage, Finbar stopped us and noted that Chnelh (ape-men) were ahead – he could divine them from their aroma. We hooded our lanterns and shuffled slowly and quietly down through darkness, hand in hand, led by brave Finbar. Soon we noted faint torchlight ahead, and could hear the muffled and echoed hoots and grunts of what must be a sizable group of Chnelh. As we approached the entrance to a very large, natural room within the cavern system, Finbar stopped us again and noted that humans were also present with the Chnelh. Hmmm.
We crept along the western perimeter of the great, cavernous room, quietly and with care, remaining in the darker shadows and using the several natural stone formations (stalagmites) as cover. And then we laid eyes upon them. A lot of them. Many of them. At first glance, I was certain there were many hundreds – if not thousands! But then, my excitement waned, I calmed myself, and my senses returned – there were clearly not more than about twenty-five Chnelh. The ape-men were gathered around a large fire that had been set in the northeast bulge of this large cavern room (we will call it the 'cathedral'). And in the wall of that area of the room a rough-hewn dais had been carved into the stone. Or perhaps it was a natural alcove that had been roughly worked? Something within that alcove glittered with the firelight – perhaps a large crystal or crystalline formation? Or perhaps that alcove was akin to a massively giant crystalline geode!
We were then astounded to see that two humans were upon that dais, and the Chnelh appeared to be in the process of worshiping them – or the crystal(s)? Perhaps they were the 'masters' leading them in some form of religious ceremony? Clearly the 'masters' appeared to be leaders of some kind. This scene was a bit much for our timid crew, so we made the wise decision to slowly and quietly extricate ourselves from a potentially BAD situation. However, with this new knowledge, perhaps we can learn more about these interesting Chnelh, and their 'masters'. Food for thought!
On our return back to town, Durham became uncommonly groggy, and fell into a deep, deep slumber! Luckily we still had the remaining hand cart, used earlier for transporting oil amphorae, in our possession. We tenderly tucked our good and brave (but tired) friend, Durham, into the cart, wrapped him in blankets, and took turns trundling him back to Cothon Under-Star. Our return was uneventful, and after depositing good Durham safely to his rooms, I treated Gan and the rest of our wild bunch to a round of top-shelf spirits. And we let the stories commence!
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