The EARTH story - June 14, 1372
Time flies when you are having fun.
But finally everyone is finished training. Brennon the mage is now a theurgist. Mikodin the monk is now a disciple. Farad is now a magician.
Kithus shows up at the Inn of the Drunken Dwarf with a nice new two-handed sword.
Sharone's pack is heavy with potions.
Ayazin the druid returns from the woods with a new pet: a mountain lion, who immediately jumps up on Farad's lap and demands to have his ears rubbed. Must be mites.
Two new people may have joined the party, if they are still present and if Farad has not scared them off.
Raz has announced that he has accepted a faculty position at the Sandas Mage's Guild teaching probability theory, and will not be be accompanying you back into the Underdark. In similar fashion, Lothar seems to have signed up with the Baron's armies and is going south.
More news comes in about the war in the meantime, as well.
Far to the south, the Kingdom of Samarind has fallen to the invading armies of Mestom. This actually happened in late March. News travels slowly from those latitudes. However, the best news for Nlad is that the slow advancement of Mestom's armies up the west side of the Bay of Hork has ceased. The armies of King Ormund of Nlad finally were able to stop the enemy, though they have been unable to force them into a retreat. Now, both sides have dug in, and a long war of attrition is in the offing.
People are worried in Sandas, though...as well as in other regions of the kingdom. With so many men and women off fighting the war, there are few left to plant the fields and harvest the crops. It is now almost summer and the planting time has passed. It could be a hungry year for Nlad. Some are already forecasting a famine this coming winter.
When you are ready, then, Farad takes you back into the astral plane.
You find yourselves floating in a brightly lit, grey-silver hued domain of apparently infinite dimensions. Nearby floats a pool of shining silver. Farad leads you over to this, and then he glares at it.
An image forms of a cave...the one that you were using as a home base while you were exploring Razamataz's dungeon. Sitting by the pool in the cave is Jo-owrn the ranger, polishing his sword.
You enter the colour pool and appear in the cave by Jo-owrn.
The ranger lord looks momentarily startled, then smiles.
"Glad you're back," he says, "I got back about four days ago. Ready to start exploring again?"
Jon says,"Well met again, everyone. Time to go invisible."
Jon vanishes out of sight.
"Good to see you again," Kithus says, patting his new sword. "Shall we get started?"
"Yes, lets do," Brennon says. I think I am much better prepared now that I have completed my training.
"Indeed I am," replies Mikodin. "I am newly saddled with debt, and feel a great need for experiences that will grow my skills."
Kellogg promptly explodes, showering you all with giblets.
Aldarin draws his sword and looks around cautiously. "What in the Abyss happened to him?!"
"I wish they wouldn't do that," mutters Jo-owrn, wiping the goo out of his eyes. he then continues, "Mikodin, Farad and Aldarin, I went to Demon's Neck to see if Stiff was actually there, like Razamataz said he was. "Ran into some old adventuring buddies of mine. Seems that Stiff was there until a few months ago, when he decided to retire to a warmer climate. So, it looks like Razamataz was telling the truth, even if his information was a little out of date. I feel a lot more comfortable about working with him, now."
The ranger turns to Sharone.
"Since the main reason we're here is to find loot, why don't you cast another locate object for us?"
Sharone bows deeply. "A greetings to you too, Jo-owrn. Yes, I'm pleased to see you, too. "
Aldarin, still seemingly unnerved by the internal combustion of the new fella, says, "Although wealth is a definite necessity in our line of work, that is NOT the ONLY reason we are here, my dear. I for one am interested in eradicating the drow as the evil beings they are and truly deserve. I'm sure Farad would agree also."
He looks Farad's way for some reassurance.
Jo-owrn rolls his eyes at being called 'dear'.
"Yes, but to better eradicate the drow you need money to pay for training, weapons, spells and such," he explains. "That is why we are here. I also thought we could use some extra warrior firepower, so I asked around Leslie's group, and one of her friends has agreed to join us."
As he says this, a man steps out from behind a stalagmite. He is of average height, with a handsome face, blue eyes and tousled brown hair. He wears plate mail and a broad leather girdle about his waist. He carries a shield and bastard sword, among other weapons.
His voice is a deep baritone.
"I am Devlin, called the True," he says, "For I always stay true to my word. I have spent the past three years adventuring with Leslie and her party across four worlds. Before that I travelled across Krynn, which is my home. I hate the drow, for they are chaotic and know nothing of the rule of the Law. That I intend to teach them, or, if they are unwilling to learn, kill them."
His words are deliberate and delivered with a measured cadence.
He regards each of you in turn, as if measuring you against some invisible standard.
Farad speaks up. "Actually, Ray Jay suggested our talents might be better put elsewhere than continuing to scout out the drow, as learning about the gateway between this world and Earth seemed to satisfy her.
"While I would like to put an end to all of that race, obviously we are not capable of attacking their city proper, and hounding their caravans serves no great purpose. So Ray Jay suggested we loot Razamataz' lair, and then report back to him for a more worthwhile assignment."
You set off for the dungeon.
Farad casts detect magic in order to avoid teleport traps, and then takes the lead position where we left off.
Mikodin asks, "Should I take a position near the front? Or let the more heavily armored take that position?"
You head into the northeast sector of the dungeon again, passing Razamataz's statue as you go. Into the room where you fought the snakes and found the jewelry in the chest; then through it and into the room where Farad killed the giant slug and you found the gold and the five necklaces, scroll and potion. The slug is still here, highly decayed and smelling rather unpleasant, so you hurry through the north door and into the next room, where you found the 500gp in a sack. Finally you open the east door, and pile into the 10' square room where you found the 1000ep, 4000gp and the gem in the trapped pottery jars.
This is as far as you had gotten previously, back on May 15th.
Sharone then takes up her holy symbol, calling on the power of Idun and casts a locate object, seeking more gold.
She starts facing north, and slowly turns counterclockwise.
Surprisingly enough, she picks up nothing except for a very weak signal to the south-southwest.
Before the spell ends, you hurry back out into the main north-south passage, and she does another 360 degree turn.
The weak signal is a bit stronger, coming from the south-southeast, now.
In addition, she picks up a weak signal to the northwest.
There are two signals almost overlapping each other dead west of you.
A stronger signal lies west-southwest, and another signal, not quite as strong, almost overlaps it.
A weaker signal is to the southwest.
As the spell enters its last moments you hurry north up the passage some 60'. After this point the passage turns west and runs off beyond the limit of your vision.
The weak signal that was from the northwest is now much stronger, and now comes just north of west.
She now only picks up one signal, dead southwest, and weak.
Mikodin turns back to where he assumes Jon is, or at least from where Jon's voice came from, and says, "No scouting this time. I'll stay behind the spell-caster, I assure you. I'll just be close at hand should help be needed, or a door unlocked. And as for which direction we might be headed, I'll leave that to those more experienced in these kind of things."
Jon asks, "Who's leading and who's mapping?"
Beth says, "I'll keep a map."
Devlin looks at each of you in turn, and when no one answers Jon's first question mutters something under his breath, and strides west down the hall in the direction that Sharone indicated that the northwest treasure lay.
You obediently follow.
The first door on the north side is some 90' from the corner. This he opens without ado, revealing a large (40' square: 30' east, 40' north; doors in the first and third 10' sections of the west wall as measured from the south; doors in the second and fourth 10' sections of the east wall). Otherwise, the room is bare and uninteresting.
Devlin pauses before entering.
"Which door?" he asks, pointing to the two in the west wall.
Jon looks to Sharone, "Sharone you should lead until the spell wears out! Which way is closer to the treasure the north or southern door on the west wall? Who's got the detect magic working in there any magic on the door? If there's not then bust it down as we don't have much time till the spell wears out!"
Aldarin nods. "That would seem like the most sensible conclusion."
Mikodin nods in agreement. "It would seem the wisest course of action. I shall remain just behind Sharone, ready to help."
Farad points to the door Devlin just opened. "That one was magical. Let's be prepared for some tricks."
Farad takes some chalk and marks the wall using a small inconspicuous sign above eye level.
Jon draws Geerzo. "Geerzo can you detect magic and slopes please? It appears we have hit the welcome button."
"Doorframe's magical!" the sword exclaims. "Can't detect slopes, though!"
"Do we have to go through the 'magical' door? I could be a trap, hiding thing is the most obvious place and people would not see it and go for the most dangerous one," asks Kithus.
Jon frowns while invisible. "Naaarh, Kithus, I think it was the door we had already gone through that was magical!"
"If I remember correctly, Razmataz said he had more than one teleport trap in this place. Do we have any way to figure out which they are?" says Kelar with a yawn. "I think we should head for the treasure through any non magical doors first and then come back."
Farad agrees. He will systematically go toward treasure, checking the strongest leads first.
"Once we finish all the normal doors, we'll try the magical ones. But let me go first, as I'm the only one who can get back if its a teleport trap."
Sharone informs you that her spell has ended. The last reading indicated that the treasure was though one of the west doors in the room before you.
Farad, looking past Devlin and into the room, notes that all of the doorways / door frames in this room radiate magic.
Looking up and down the passage to the east and west, you see no other doors within the 60' radius of your light sources in the north wall, where the treasure signal was radiating from.
Devlin takes out a copper piece and tosses it into the room to the north. As the coin sails though the doorway it promptly vanishes.
"I think we may have found the other teleport trap. I hope this is indeed the last one. But how can we continue if this door is trapped?" Mikodin looks to Farad for advice, since he seems to be the only one who could walk through a teleporter and return shortly.
Jon, pulls out his notebook and says to his weapon, "Well it says here you could...so I will cross that out..."
"Sliding, shifty stuff like you, Jon, invisible things and magic, Mister!"
Jon looks closely at the magical door frame. "Can we take the door frame out or off?"
It is not removable.
"Could we possible teleport pass the door, without getting in contact with it? So, hopefully that will not activate the trap," suggests Kithus.
"Can't we just dispel the trap? Its magic after all," Brennon says. "If not can anyone walk through he wall into the room? Therefore we do not have to go through the door."
Farad nods. "So the question is if the treasure lies beyond the actual door, or at a teleported location."
Aldarin comments, "The spell is probably tied only to a physical world of existence and thus would not detect across worlds, dimensions, etc. The treasure should be in the room beyond or through the room."
Mikodin listens carefully, then adds, "Can anyone cast a passwall or maybe a rock to mud? That way, we could enter the room via a different doorway other than this trapped one."
"Nothing much of that sort I can do," Beth admits.
Jon says, "Great idea, Mikodin, otherwise it's the non magical doors until we run out. Farad, can't you take us through the wall a couple at a time?"
Farad looks around.
"Let's check some of the other doors first and come back to this one last."
"I think we should not argue about this door. We should check the other doors first as someone else has already suggested. We should get back to this door last if there are no other magical traps," says Kithus, trying to be helpful.
"Sounds good," Beth says. "Let's go."
Jon asks, "So who's leading then...and which door?"
Kithus looks expectantly at everyone else. "If no one wants to lead, I will lead, then."
Jon answers, "Sounds good. After you then, Kithus...."
"Okay," says Kithus with a struggle, then looks around and heads toward the nearest non-magical door.
The nearest non-magical door is actually right across the hall from the magical one, in the south wall.
Opening this door, you find yourselves looking into a large, bare room (40' X 50': 30' east, 50' south; doors in east and west walls, 10' - 20' and 30' - 40' sections as measured from the north; doors in south wall, 10' - 20' and 30' - 40' sections as measured from the east.
After ascertaining that the room is indeed barren, you head for the closest door to the exit: in the west wall 10' - 20' section.
Devlin opens it easily. Revealed is a small room (10' X 20': 10' north, 10' west; door right across from you in the west wall).
In here are four horrible looking, robed creatures. Their mauve-coloured skin glistens with slime. Their eyes are a dead white in colour, with no visible pupils. Where their mouths would otherwise be is a mass of writhing tentacles.
"Darn!" exclaims Jo-owrn, "Mind flayers!"
"Ah," says one of them, looking at you disdainfully, "Room service has arrived with dinner."
Kithus and Devlin are in the front rank.
"Yipes," Beth mutters, as she visibly pales. Quickly deciding that the room is too small for a safe lightning bolt, Beth fires off two magic missiles quickly in succession, spreading the missiles evenly between two of the creatures.
After that, she'll pull out her wand of paralyzation.
Brennon lets fly magic missles against the closest of the creatures.
"Save your spells all; they are very magic resistant. They are good friends with the drow in that respect," says Kelar as he charges in with swords flashing at the nearest flayer
Aldarin fires his hand crossbow with one of the poisoned drow bolts at one of the beasts as he waits for an opportunity to enter the room. He then draws his flaming sword and rushes the nearest one.
Mikodin waits for the rush of drawn swords and magic sent downrange before he attempts his move: tumbling past the front rows of engaged mind-flayers and fighters past the second rank of mind-flayers, where he will end tumbling on his feet facing one of the creatures, whereupon Mikodin will commence kicking and striking the creature until it dies, then turn to see what else is standing.
Kithus pulls out his new sword and points it at the nearest mind flayer. He charges the creature, but instead of the normal expected slash from a two-handed weapon, he uses the point of the sword trying to surprise the mind flayer, while shouting a battle cry.
Devlin also moves quickly to attack, followed by Jo-owrn.
As all this is taking place, though, another battle is already engaged...
Ayazin throws up an Intellect Fortress around the party and lets loose with a Psionic Blast at the mind flayers.
Summoning his iron will to protect the party from the flayer's mental assaults, Farad replies in kind with a crushing psychic blow attempting to slay these vermin outright.
One of the mind flayer's heads explodes, showering you in mauve goop, and it drops dead.
Beth's first magic missile spells goes off, as does Brennon's. The missiles bounce off of the remaining monsters.
The mental battle continues.
Ayazin's intellect fortress crumbles, but Farad's iron will still holds. However, it does not protect as many of you as the druid's power did.
Kelar suddenly sits down, grinning like an idiot.
Jo-owrn also drops, curling up into a fetal position.
Aldarin screams, turns and runs away.
Devlin drops to the floor, stunned.
But Farad's luck continues to hold, as two more of the mind flayers explode.
Only one remains, and suddenly he does not look too confident. As Kithus reaches him he fades away, and his sword passes right through his body.
Aldarin has fled, the mind flayer has retreated to another plane, Devlin is sprawled on the floor, and nearby are Kelar and Jo-owrn.
Ayazin says, "These two appear to be feeble-minded. It can happen when attacked by psionic powers. Unfortunately, the only things which can return them to a normal state are a heal spell, restore spell, or wish."
"Well, nuts," Beth responds. "That sounds like an expensive trip back to Sandas."
Mikodin, who never got the chance to tumble, but whose monk-trained mind apparently saved him from the mind-flayers, shouts to those still in the area, "I'll bring Aldarin back; he can't outrun me. I'll follow him until his panic state subsides, then lead him back. Keep a careful watch on those down."
With that, Mikodin speeds off after Aldarin.
Jon says, "Good idea, Mikodin. We await your return. We will stay here in the room."
Jon searches the bodies of the dead but says, "Let's all get inside the room and attend to the wounded."
Kithus puts away his sword and helps the others who fell. He tries to help them to sit up by leaning them against the wall, all the while cursing the mind flayers.
Beth look at Kelar and says, "Well, you don't understand what I'm saying, but I'm sorry I didn't react faster to your tip about their magic resistance. I wasn't aware of it."
To Farad, she says, "Can you do anything to help our mentally wounded friends? Do you know if the effects will wear off? Or do we have to pull them out for healing somewhere?"
Flabbergasted, you find Farad's form fading. He figures the fleeing flayer's fight is not finished!
"Er, Farad, wanna bring some help along?" Beth asks quickly.
Farad is almost gone, so you doubt he hears you.
Sharone raises her hands in desperation.
"Sorry, Idun does not deem me worthy of such power. And I am unfamiliar with the effects of mind flayers on human minds. Perhaps time will heal their problem."
Jon says, "Well, let's search for treasure and try to make the place a bit defensible while we wait for Mikodin and Aldarin."
Perhaps five minutes after he departed, Farad returns. He is covered in blood and slime, and is still wracked by fits of coughing.
Soon after that, Mikodin returns with Aldarin, who appears shaken but rapidly recovering. He had run down the passage to the corner, where he was found cowering.
Next, Devlin groans and sits up, rubbing his head.
Kelar and Jo-owrn, however, remain feebleminded.
"So?" Beth asks.
"He's dead," whispers the elf between coughs. "I need to rest. I doubt I have the strength to take us home right now. Make the others comfortable, we'll leave tomorrow."
"We should return to Laurie," Devlin says with a grimace. "She can heal them...and hopefully cure my headache."
Jon looks for treasure and detects magic.
"Geerzo, any magic in the room?"
"Sorry!"
Jon then collects the brains or what's left of them from the mind flayers, some tentacles and one of the robes for investigation later.
"What do you need those things anyway? We kill them, and I think that is that," Kithus says to Jon, looking about to vomit at the sight of the brain.
"For some of us who dabble in the arcane arts," Brennon comments, watching everything going on, "Items like these are usable in the casting of spells, or the making of potions."
Brennon takes another of the robes and puts it away for later investigation. He will also collect some of the tentacles.
You slowly make your way back to the cave which you have been using as your home base.
Once you are there, you settle down to rest for the remainder of the day and evening.
Aldarin takes a seat placing his head in his hands and mumbles something to himself as he appears to continue recovering from the mental assault.