July 15th is again mild and wet.
Leaving Britan to tend camp again, the rest of you head back into Derextar West to continue your explorations. Picking up where you left off, you make for the magician's tower.
As you round the corner leading onto the Northern Road, though, you are greeted by the sight of a group of men on horseback, leading a number of pack horses, approaching you. The men are of somewhat shorter stature than the likes of Humphrey, Britan and Illyana, but are very strong-looking, with dark, tanned skin and dark hair. They are clad in leathers, and armed with spears, hammers, bows and axes.
There are eight of them.
Upon seeing you they reign up their mounts and regard you warily from a distance of some 40'.
"Greetings," says one cautiously, "We are from the north. And you..?"
"Heading east. How fares the north? We passed some others the day before and they mentioned war was brewing."
The man relaxes slightly, and shakes his head.
"The so-called civilised lands of Campney, Peter, Jill and Barry are always warring amongst themselves. We have no recent news of them. We are from the grasslands, near Ezella Monastery...we live off the land and shun those countries.
"How are matters in the South? We are bound for Amlad to trade for horses."
"Peaceful enough between here and Sandas. I don't know much about the horsetrade of Amlad."
"That is good," the man replies. "Fare you well."
They move forward and past you, turning west onto the Great Western Road.
You move north up the street.
The next few buildings you check out are deserted and barren. Soon you find yourselves in a somewhat more intact building...a tavern, once. However, it too seems to empty and unoccupied...until Kelar discovers a trap door in the floor of a back room. Opening it, you see some steps descending into a cellar below.
You head downstairs.
It is a small room...littered with barrels. Most of these are broken, but you search anyway...and at the back find an intact one.
Kelar pulls the bung...and a stream of gold coins pours out.
You open up the barrel...and count out 5000gp.
"Not bad," says McTavish, with a satisfied smile. "Now...let's get out of here with it before the owner comes back."
"Wouldn't the person be dead? How old are the coins?" asks Illyana.
McTavish shrugs.
"No need to take chances."
Looking at the coins, you see the figurehead of King Wilbor III on quite a few of them. Those of you from Nlad recall him to be the grandafther of the current king. There are also some coins from Amlad, Milkland and the Barony of Barry, as well.
You put the gold back in the barrel, reseal it, and carry it back to your camp.
After lunch, you resume your exploration.
After looking through an assortment of stables, restaurants, barracks and granery...all without finding anything, you find yourselves facing a graveyard.
The place looks overgrown and decrepid. Next door to it is a large old house, of stone and mortar but falling into decay nevertheless. Beyond them lies the woods.
"So..." says McTavish, eyeing the scene before you. "The graveyard or the old house..?"
"Graveyard? What are we going to do? Open tombs?" wonders Illyana.
"Got a problem with that?" asks the dwarf.
"How about the house." says Farad.
"I think that we should check the graveyard out while the sun is still high in the sky." says Humphrey.
"Well, I'm not digging up anything unless its obvious there is something to be found. But I guess we'll follow Humphrey's suggestion and try it out while the sun is still shining." says Farad.
You head into the graveyard.
The graveyard is quiet and seemingly deserted. You walk around for a time, checking out the tombs and gravestones. Most of them are hundreds of years old. Finally, you come to yet another tomb, its door open. You walk down the steps and look in.
A sudden movement at the back of the 20' X 30' chamber indicates that the place is occupied...
...as five horrible undead corpses, their bodies swathed in cloth wrappings, come charging at you!
"Oh-oh," says McTavish, drawing his flame tongue and backing up the stairs. "Mummies! Raz, a fireball would come in handy right about now! Letskill!"
His sword bursts into flames.
"Uh oh, don't they carry diseases or somesuch? Do we need magic to kill them?" asks Illyana.
Farad comments, "I believe I can cure their diseases, but I do think we need magic to hit them."
"Aye, dreaded rotting mummy disease," McTavish replies, still backing up. "Had it once. An' yes, ye need a magic weapon."
Illyana shakes her head. "No help here then, sorry. Raz, fireball? Anything with fire? I suppose I could light a torch and some oil.."
Illyana yanks some oil out and chucks it at the mummies.
Her oil strikes a mummy and sets it afire. Still it advances.
"Well I see I am not the only one without a magic weapon. Dang, I have no oil. Does anyone know if it is possible to trip a mummy, with a regular sword?" asks Humphrey.
"Well I give you less hope than a snowball in hell" looking very fierce and determined Pillar says "Hey Mummies, respect my god and go away"
The mummies do not respect Tuoni and keep advancing.
Failing his impressive turn dead Pillar resorts to flail and shield.
Kelar also releases a magic missile. Another mummy is blasted...but still it keeps on coming.
Then he backs off and hopes someone comes up with something.
Aldarin starts to cast a web spell...
As you retreat outside, the mummies advance. Coming into the faint light of the overcast day, you have a clear look at them...and the sight of them makes you gasp with disgust.
Illyana is paralysed with fright...as are Humphrey and Aldarin, his spell incomplete.
Farad points his fingers toward the closest mummy and releases a magic missile. He then waits for Raz to release his spell and then moves forward to clean up with his sword.
The missiles sear into the lead mummy...but do not halt its advance.
Raz, seemingly not himself these days, releases a fireball behind the mummies, in their tomb. The flames shoot up the stairs and engulf the monsters...along with Illyana, Humphrey and Aldarin as well...
Four of the mummies are badly torched...the fifth not quite so badly.
Illyana, Humphrey and Aldarin each take 19 hit points of damage.
Farad, McTavish, Kelar and Pillar find themselves being attacked...as the mummies suddenly lunge at you.
Farad dodges a swing but misses badly with his glowing sword.
McTavish groans as he is hit across the kisser by a mummy...but he gives as good as he gets...landing a solid blow on the monster with his flame tongue. Still, it does not seem to do the damage that it should have. This mummy is still burning from Illyana's oil, though.
Kelar ducks under a swinging arm and retreats. The mummy turns on McTavish.
Pillar takes a heavy hit in the chops as he misses with his flail.
The last mummy, on Farad, nails him for 7 hit points of damage.
Raz peppers the mummies with another magic missile spell...dropping one of the monsters on Farad and both of the mummies on McTavish.
Two remain.
Pillar is belted again for 3 hit points, as his flail swings wildly and misses. McTavish runs to help him and attacks from the rear...hitting but still not doing much damage.
Farad turns on the last mummy...as it misses him. He buries his sword deep into its belly...raising a cloud of musty dust...but it does not drop.
Raz unloads another missile spell, though, and kills the mummies for once and for all.
Aldarin, Illyana and Humphrey regain control of themselves.
Aldarin pleads, "Farad, Pillar, can someone heal me?"
"I am on the verge of collaspe. Could I get some healing. I suggest tha we go back to camp and recover," says Humphrey.
Farad, Pillar, and McTavish are not feeling too well...
"I hope someone can cast cure disease on us," says McTavish, "Or else we three are in trouble..."
Nevertheless, he heads back into the tomb to see what kind of loot the mummies had.
In a coffin you find 625gp, a potion and a small silver amulet.
"Ouch! Ouch! Pain! Wah! That hurt!" exclaims Illyana. "Oh boy, I seriously hope that was worth it. I think I would prefer killing more weasels than to go through that again."
"Aye, an' we wuz lucky," comments McTavish.
Farad uses cell adjustment on the wounded, including himself. They all feel better immediately...though Farad is exhausted and drained in doing so.
Kelar picks up the amulet and looks it over. "So anyone want to try and figure out what kind of potion that is. It would be great if it was cure disease."
"I'll taste it," says McTavish, having a sip. "Hmmm...I feel like I can see far off places. Must be clairvoyance."
You continue your exploration of the graveyard but find nothing else here.
You head for the old house next door.
Opening the front door of the place, you find yourselves looking into a foyer. The place is deserted, it seems, and so you enter.
The house appears to be unoccupied...that is until you open a hall closet and a smallish, furry creature launches itself at Farad with a growl!
Farad raises his sword and attempts to skewer the thing.
Aldarin steps forward to assist Farad...but a second small furry creature attacks him as well...while a third goes for Illyana and a fourth makes for Humphrey.
Farad easily cuts down the animal...and you see that they are badgers.
Aldarin is missed by the animal that is going for him...and he fans badly himself. The badger claws at him for 2 hit points of damage.
Illyana and the badger attacking her both miss...as do Humphrey and his partner.
Aldarin tries again...and this time kills a badger.
Illyana barely connects with her two-handed sword, but it is enough to dispatch badger number three.
Humphrey and his badger trade misses again. McTavish steps up and kills it...the animal that is.
You look into the closet...and see something glinting at you under a broken floorboard.
You rip up the floor, and find a badger nest.
Evidently the animals had a liking for shiny things...for here you find 30 gems that McTavish values at 100gp each, along with 19 various and sundry articles of gem encrusted jewelry worth about 6000gp each.
"Hehehe," smirks the dwarf, at the sight of this trove. "The nicest haul I've seen in a month of Sundays! Methinks anyone and everyone will be able to afford to train, now!"
It is late afternoon.
"Well, lets call it a day and see about starting training. Raz, can you teach me also? I'm ready to learn third order spells now." says Farad.
"Oh boy, we're a wandering bank now.. yet I don't need to train, maybe not for a while. Badger stew anyone? Or does someone want to try to hunt up something else?" says Illyana.
"Aye, I'll try a badger bake," says McTavish, and he sets to skinning the animals.
You return to camp...laden with loot.
Kelar speaks.
"Nothing personal here everyone. But if we want to stop and train could we do it somewhere besides in the middle of a ruin. It is going to take probably 2 weeks of nothing else. Not that I would mind I need to work on my carvings but...I would prefer being in a inn where I can have a nice cool glass of mead while doing it."
Kelar examines the amulet.
It is silver and engraved with the image of a dove.
Are you going to do anything with it..?
"No inns ahead of us for awhile," replies McTavish. "Unless ye want to return to Adford. I agree with Kelar, though, we're camped too close to these ruins an extended stay. If ye don't want to go back - and I don't - then we should continue east for a day or two an' camp out in the woods."
"Lets move on tomorrow morning." decides Illyana.
"McTavish. You don't happen to be specialized in the longsword do you? Illyana? Anyone able to train me in my fighter skills?" asks Farad.
"Not me," the dwarf replies.
"I can use one, not much else. Don't think anyone here could touch a two handed sword either." says the girl.
"Nice amulet" Pillar castes detect magic.
It radiates magic.
Grinning Pillar stands up looking better, his god having healed most of his wounds "I feel fine how does the rest of us feel. Lets go to the forest and camp out I feel the urge to advance in my discipline" humming a merry tune Pillar happily takes a swig from his ale barrel.
Aldarin nods, "Since there are several of us that need advancement and training, doesn't it make sense to go ahead and make camp for a while and increase our striking power for future tromps? I say we move a day or two away, into the forest and make camp until we have all trained, as for food, I should be able to provide for us along with Pillar's spells."
Kelar puts the amulet on and see what happens.
Nothing obvious takes place.
"Why don't you rub it?" asks McTavish with a laugh.
"Well it sounds like we need to find a nice place to camp then" says Kelar.
Humphrey: "Well I am at the point where gaining more experience will do me no good with out thinking studying about what I have learned so far. Therefore, I do not care where we train, only that I do so."