Durham's Log 16: Sunforger

[written by Joel, player of Durham, about a recent expedition into the Necropolis of the Tel, and earning Durham 100 xp per level]

Durham's Hammer

It was many weeks ago when Pako told me he saw my weapon, "Sunforger" float up into my hand during my duel with Long-ear. At first I thought Pako was mistaken; that his eyes had been tricked--but he was most insistent that it happen. Upon further reflection I decided to visit Zaida the enchantress to see if such a connection between the weapon and myself existed.

The enchantress declared that indeed there was some magical connection and that she could strengthen and shape it for a price. So over the course of a month I met with Zaida the enchantress as she performed her magic on me and Sunforger. After our sessions were over an opportunity for adventure happened to come along. Sesel and Bart both wanted to return to the necropolis to compare maps and discover new treasures.

We gathered at the Cothan-under-star and set out through the gate of the mourners. We got to the necropolis with no trouble and we began our exploration. We found many chambers and tombs, one of which was of Itra the swift. Many of the tombs in this room were bordered with fungal imagery. After moving one out of the way we discovered a secret treasure room but it was guarded by mushent, an eight foot tall walking fungal tree. The passage was built low to the ground so we could only crawl in one at a time. I knew this was the moment to put Sunforger's new ability to work.

I took apart a torch, took its oiled cloth and wrapped it around the head of Sunforger, then lit it on fire. I rolled through the narrow passageway and threw Sunforger up in the air hoping for it to land at the top of the mushent. I hit my target but it responded by shaking its limbs deploying spores in the air, I avoided breathing in the spores and rolled out. We waited a few moments but a flaming Sunforger didn't seem to yield the desired effect. So I recalled my hammer back. Sunforger came flying back to my hand from the passage.

We were all aware that engaging mushent in such close quarters would be a taxing and deadly fight. Surely a better way could be found but I did have one more trick up my sleeve or should I say in my hammer. I tied a rope to the handle of Sunforger. My idea was to use the last of my magical control over my weapon to wrap the rope around the trunk of the monster and pull the mushent through the passage leaving it completely vulnerable to our party's attack. Unfortunately in order to get close enough I would have to brave the creature's spore cloud defenses once more.

I threw Sunforger once, bringing the rope around the trunk, holding my breath. Then I sent Sunforger once again securing the rope, but the weight and effort of throwing Sunforger was too much and I breathed in the spore filled air. My comrades pulled me back through the passage coughing and wheezing. My ever faithful servant Pako handed me a sakkra blood potion and I drank it down. It helped, by the time I had regained my breath the rest of the party had made short work of the mushent.

The rest of my memory is somewhat cloudy from inhaling the spores, so I’ll leave the details to my other comrades as their story to tell, while I drink my ale.