September 26th sees the rain continuing, and it is a little cooler.
You set out again after breakfast and continue your descent into the valley.
You have only gone a few miles before you come to a large river, flowing slowly down out of the north. It is about 6/10s of a mile wide, and is bridged by a span of multiple arches. Its water is grey and polluted...and you smelt it long before you saw it.
"The River Deadwater," says McTavish. "I remember it from when we crossed it 30 years ago. The town of Shruddup is on the other side...it's a pretty run down place."
You move out onto the bridge. McTavish seems to be nervous...looking about him uneasily. However, you reach the other side without incident...and find yourselves facing Shruddup.
It has declined further since the dwarf came through last. Now it is little more than a ruin...though it is not unnoccupied...
The bridge terminates at the west end of a small square, surrounded by buildings. The Great Western Road angles off to the southeast from here, while another road runs dead east, and a third road runs north - south. There is, as usual, a signpost -
The Great Western Road: SE: To Grorgant, Morgrath and Frawnaford.
W: To The Miracle Mood Fart, Fort of the Bloody Hand and Brach Prol.
N: To the Shrine of Incredible Evil.
S: To Deadwater.
McTavish wants you to go east...but blocking your way in the square are a large number of hobgoblins...namely the local garrison. There must be several hundred of them encamped here.
"ARRRRRR!" says one, as he and a gang of of his cronies come swaggering over. "What yer got fer toll?"
The umpleby, meanwhile, starts jumping around and pointing at a building on the northeast corner of the square.
The vultures circle slowly overhead.
"Toll? What do you want for a toll?" asks Illyana.
"ARRRR...you'd be a nice start, cutie-pie!" replies the hobgoblin.
Humphrey is smiling really big, "Is it time we Raz'ed these guys?"
Britan looks up into the sky at the circling vultures when Humphrey makes his comment.
"Gee I wonder if it is lunch time yet?"
Aldarin watches for a sign from the others, or Raz for that matter, and unleashes a fireball at a large group of hobgoblins if Raz or Farad begins to do so.
Sharone quietly prays to Idun for all the souls about to enter the after-life. Perhaps one of them will find favour with her.
Then she calls to mind the gestures needed to cast " spiritual hammer ". She wiil use it to attack any surviving hobgoblins.
As if on cue, Raz gives a brief smile, steps back, and unleashes a fireball at the group of hobgoblins.
Aldarin's fireball goes off immediately therafter.
Once again...a massive mushroom cloud rises up into the air...where it is quickly dispersed by the steady wind.
When the smoke and flames clear you see that several hundred hobgoblins have bit the dust...but that your actions have attracted the attention of others...
As, running at you to attack from the southeast come three ogres...while, from above, three strange looking monsters dive at you. The latter are winged, have the bodies of lions and the heads of hawks.
The vultures, you note, are scattering.
"Sphinxes!" exclaims the dwarf, drawing his sword and lighting it.
Banquo and Ayazin are still out of it.
Ayazin commands his companion wolf to guard him and Banquo from attack.
"GRRRR..." says the wolf.
Farad mindblasts the ogres, and then begins casting two magic missile spells toward the closest sphinx.
The ogres drop in their tracks...sound asleep.
His missiles injure a sphinx.
"Damn", mutters Raz as he backs out of the range of combat and releases another fireball..this time at the Sphinxes diving at them from above.
Another fireball blossoms overhead...immolating the monsters.
Out of the smoke and flames they fly...all burned to a greater or lesser degree...but all still alive.
Aldarin once again goes into spellcasting motions, hands weaving in the air. Two more magic missile spells pound into the sphinxes. Two of the monsters are the targets. Still they live.
Sharone casts her ' Spiritual Hammer ' and attacks one of the sphinxs. Trying to get in as many hits as possible before it lands.
She misses with her hammer.
Britan Lowers his lance and spurs his horse onward toward the Ogres to Impale them with his mighty lance.
" Now the Real Fun Begins boys and girls."
He skewers a sleeping ogre.
"Sphinxes? Do they need magic to hit?" wonders Illyana. She tries to get a bow shot off before they reach the party.
Her arrow nicks a sphinx.
Farad shrugs. "The only thing I know about sphinxes is that they occasionally ask you riddles. But I don't think these fellows have that in mind."
The sphinxes attack Farad, Raz and Humphrey respectively.
Farad is clawed and bitten for a total of 13 hit points...Raz takes 8 hit points and Humphrey takes 13 hit points.
You hear an ungodly screaming from down the road to the southeast...as you see 9 ghouls coming your way.
Farad curses. "Someone see if you can turn those things." he yells as he continues to slice up a sphinx. Farad misses with his first swing as he is clawed for 5 hit points. His next swing connects and beheads the sphinx, though.
Illyana draws her two handed sword and attacks the sphinxes. "One thing at a time, I suppose."
Illyana interposes herself between Raz and the sphinx as she misses with her old sword. The monster has no better luck at trying to pierce her steel hide, either.
Raz launches a magic missle spell at the sphinx...and then turns and casts sleep on the ghouls.
The sphinx now on Illyana is blown to bits. His sleep spell has no effect on the ghouls.
"They're undead, ye damned fool!" bellows McTavish from his vantage point atop the seat of his wagon, where he stands waving his flame tongue around like a conductor at a symphony.
Illyana shakes her head. "This is getting silly. Those ghouls can paralyze, right?"
Aldarin uses a web spell on the approaching ghouls...entwining all of them in a sticky mess. He tries to position himself so as to protect any spellcasters.
After running through a sleeping ogre Britan wheels around and charges the held ghouls and skewers one with his lance. "Hey how about one of you Priestly types getting rid of the ghouls."
Humphrey reduces the last criosphinx to a bloody paste.
The reprieve is only momentary, though, as out of the rain and mist to the southeast come running five more ghouls.
Britan is closest to them.
Britan continues to attack the ghouls by charging and skewering them with his lance.
"Yes they can paralyze you if they hit you."
However, the ghoul he was targeting sidesteps the mounted cavalier at the last moment and so Britan charges right past.
Perhaps this is just as well...for suddenly a second tangled mass of webbing springs into being...but this one - from Kelar - only snares one ghoul.
The rest keep on coming.
Illyana lobs a few darts at the ghouls. "Sharone, think you can turn them?"
"Begone!" she cries, brandishing her symbol.
The ghouls ignore her.
Farad smiles. "The hard part is done. I can handle ghouls all day long."
He heals himself and moves to finish off the last ogre before it awakens and then moves to start fighting ghouls.
"Yeah, right!" says the dwarf, as he spies about ten trolls running helter-skelter towards you. "If ye have any more killer spells this might be a good time to use them!"
McTavish jumps off the wagon to do battle. He and a ghoul trade misses. Then, he catches a whiff of a terrible charnal stench...and you realise that these are ghasts...not ghouls.
Britan is closest to the trolls, and faces them.
Humphrey moves up and attacks a ghast. He misses with both swords...and is clawed in turn for 3 hit points.
Farad faces a third undead...but only for a moment as he is scratched and paralysed.
The ghast settles down for a meal.
Illyana and the last ghast trade misses.
Kelar stands on the wagon to guard Ayazin and Banquo.
The vultures swoop down and begin to feast on the bodies of the sphinxes.
The umpleby continues to jump up and down excitedly.
"Somebody want to help Farad?" cries Illyana, "We have hit the realm of the insane here, I think."
Illyana misses again and so does her ghast.
Britan says, "Naw, we just opened Pandora's box of shit on ourselves."
Britan turns his steed around and heads over to Farad and the hungry ghast, dropping his lance and drawing his sword. He dismounts and attacks the ghast that wants to make a deal a meal out of Farad.
However, he misses as well.
"Hey Humphrey would you like to take your turn at turning some of these?"
Humphrey is clawed for 4 hit points and freezes up solid before he is able to reply.
McTavish chops his foe down in flames.
Aldarin continues to guard the spellcasters, attacking any creature that comes within range.
Raz sends three more magic missle spells into the enemies. He blows the three remaining ghasts away and dings a troll.
Kelar fires off his last web...snaring three trolls. He follows up with a colour spray, which to his surprise engulfs five more...sending them sprawling to the ground, stunned.
The last two trolls attack McTavish and Britan.
"HA-HA!" snarls the dwarf, and he chops and sears a large chunk of troll off with his flame tongue, as the troll misses him.
Britan, though, is clawed for 9 hit points as he misses with his sword.
Kelar rushes over and sticks the stunned trolls as quickly as he can, while Illyana and Aldarin move to attack the last two monsters.
The troll on McTavish claws at him for 6 hit points of damage. The dwarf, really having fun now, just laughs it off and proceeds to make mincemeat out of the monster...killing it in the process.
Britan is also scatched for 6 hit points as he lands a solid hit into the last troll. He gets scratched again for another 8 hit points as he fans with his second attack. Aldarin is there now, though, with his flame tongue, and he injures the monster badly. Illyana also helps out, and the troll falls.
It takes but a short time to dispatch with the rest of the held, stunned and sleeping monsters. By the time you are finished, Farad and Humphrey have thawed out.
The umpleby is still jumping around and the vultures are feasting.
Wiping his hands off on his robe, Raz says, "Well..that is that. Seems that we have definately made our mark here. I would suggest that we give everything here a quick search and then put some distance between us and this place....maybe even find a nice inn or someplace where we could hold up in and recover."
"P'raps," grunts McTavish. "I'm rememberin' what Banquo said once before about leavin' a trail of scorched bodies across the landscape. We're easy to follow."
Illyana does decisiveness...
"Burn the troll bodies. Someone get rid of the vultures, I don't like the idea of them following us. Lets see if there is anything of value here." Illyana starts searching the "camp".
None of the hobgoblins had anything of value that survived the firey onslaught.
On the ogres you find 210gp.
The trolls, undead and sphinxes were not carrying anything of value, either.
Farad goes about the party and begins healing those he can.
"So my shaggy friend, what do you smell? Shall we go and see?"
If everyone is ready, he will follow the thing toward wherever it wishes to go.
The umpleby goes bounding off across the corpse-filled square. The rest of you follow it.
It stops at a building on the north side and points at a 20' wide door, grinning.
You open it.
Inside is what was once a carpentry shop. It is still littered with tools and bits of wood. The umpleby rushes over to a large pile of scap wood and points.
You go over and search.
Under the wood pile you find a nice trove of goodies: 1300pp, 7 gem encrusted rings that you estimate as being worth 2000gp each, a scroll, a book, a longbow, an enormous mallet and a suit of leather armour (elf-sized).
"Woo-woo!" grunts the umpleby...jumping around and pointing at or through the east wall of the shop.
Aldarin moves over to examine the leather armor more closely, looking for symbols, runes, craftsmanship, etc.. Also, testing the weight and durability of it.
The leather seems to be of excellent quality. There are no runes or insignia on it. It seems to be very light.
Britan looks at the Rings and says "Hey Raz any Idea if these are magical or not?"
Then he looks around and and says, "Well maybe we should hurry up and move on before reinforcements come."
"A secret trove, eh?" Farad goes to see what the wall seems to hold.
"We should give our friend here a small share for his efforts."
The wall seems to be solid. You find no secret doors or hidden compartments.
After a few minutes of running back and forth along the length of it, the umpleby turns and dashes back outside.
You follow the fellow.
Dashing east along the south side of the block of buildings, he opens the next door, revealing a small sign shop. He dashes in and runs to the north wall...then dashes back out again.
Opening the last door at the east corner of the block, you follow the umpleby into a large enclosure with a hole in the roof. Once a stonemason's shop, more recently it was the home of the sphinxes.
The umpleby dashes over and starts tearing through a large nest of branches and twigs. Finally, he presents you with a collection of 2000ep, 500gp and a gem that you value at 110gp.
As you tote up this latest trove, the umpleby starts jumping around again and pointing north, this time.
"Jeez," says McTavish, marveling, "This guy's a regular treasure finding machine!"
Farad follows the shaggy fellow. "Lets go!"
"Are all umplebys this good at finding treasure? Seems to be a strange creature." comments Illyana as you follow him outside.
"I ain't lookin' a gift horse in the mouth," says McTavish.
The umpleby leads you back out into the square, around a corner to the north, and up a narrow street. After 80' there is a 4-way intersection. The monster leads you to the building on the northwest corner, and pushes open a 20' wide door there on the south side.
Revealed is a leatherworker's shop...once. Now it is deserted.
The umpleby goes sorting through a pile of rotting leather...and hands you seven gems that you value at 100gp each.
As you admire them, the umpleby starts jumping around yet again, pointing west this time.
It is midmorning.
Aldarin, smiling while stuffing his pouches/pockets/pack/sacks full of treasure, "I like this. I REALLY like this!...."
Sharone checks her flail and shield, " This is almost too easy.."
But she too stuffs her pack and pockets full.
Britan helps load up the treasure and says, "I wish I had a nose for treasure like this Umpleby but he is doing an outstanding job. I feel he should get something if he wants it." "Follow the Umpleby. Anybody keeping track of all this?" asks Illyana.
"Rich little town, wasn't it?" Farad gives the umpleby a bow and waves him onward. "After you!"
"Aye," mutters McTavish. "Them hobs and their friends had a nice little racket going on here."
"Boy for a run down little town they sure had a lot of treasure" Britan says as he follows the Umpleby westward. "Yeah Aldarin I like this too it almost seems to good to be true."
The monster goes shuffling and sniffling down to the next door to the west, bashes it open, rushes in...and then immediately rushes back out...for he has about a dozen giant toads right behind him.
They are attacking...
Britan jumps up and begins to attack the toads with his longsword.
"Well good treasure doesn't come with out a price I guess."
Sharone shudders " Yech ! I hate slimy wet things''...she swings her flail around, attempting to hit any of the toads that come in her direction.
Farad pulls out his sword and moves to attack the closest toad.
"I wonder if these things think humanoid legs are a delicacy."
Ayazin, staggering around at the rear with Banquo, grumbles a bit about the needless slaying of nature's creatures, but not too loudly. He's still annoyed that no one woke him up when they crossed the River Deadwater so he could try to purify it.
"Well, it's not like we actually go out and hunt the things. They have a tendancy to attack us first." Illyana draws her two handed sword and waits for the toads.
Raz tries his best to stay out of combat...defending himself with his staff only when necessary.
A good old-fashioned hack and slash session ensues, as the party and the monsters square off.
It takes four minutes of fast and furious fighting. When the mud and blood clears, all of the toads are dead, though Humphrey has been reduced to 3 hit points, Britan to 30 and Kelar to 5.
You head into their lair and snoop about. Another leather working shop, though somewhat larger than the place next door.
In here you find a grand total of 11,917sp, 45,833gp and 79 gems that you value at 50gp each.
"Nice haul," says McTavish, licking his lips. "Maybe we should load up and get out of this town before...oh, shit..."
The umpleby is jumping around again and pointing north, this time...
Farad again heals those who are wounded as best he is able.
All of the party is cured.
"Lets remember to give this fellow a nice share. He's worth every penny."
Farad grins. "Lets go. But this time why don't you let me go first. We don't want you being eaten by some monster guarding our treasure." the elf says to the Umpleby.
"By the way, do you have a name?"
"Dirck," the umpleby replies with a grunt.
" I can't believe this guy, how did we ever survive without someone with these kind of talents ? " Sharone turns to the north, waiting to follow the group.
Farad looks at the party. "Any of you folks have any means of flying? Might be nice to get a view of the surrounding area so we aren't surprised by anything wandering this way."
Looking tired...Raz says "Perhaps we should hold up a day so that us magic users can recover some of our more potent spells."
McTavish shakes his head.
"When we do hole up we should do it well away from this town," he says. "We've created a lot of carnage, here, and it's bound to be noted, bein' on a main road and all."
You follow the umpleby north.
Around the north end of this block is another door.
Dirck bashes it open...revealing what was once an undertaker's establishment...now occupied by six winged creatures with the bodies of horses but the heads and forelegs of enormous hawks.
"By the mages!" Farad says, as he rushes in with his sword to slay the things. "What are these? Griffons? Pegasus?"
"Hippogriffs!" says McTavish, moving up.
"Back to safety Dirck while we handle the brutes."
Humphrey seeing the Hawk-Horses charges forth swinging with both short swords.
"This is really getting irritating. I am tempted to call it a day and avoid all futher engangements soon." Illyana draws her two handed sword.
Raz stays outside of the doorway and casts monster summoning II. When the monsters arrive, he will direct them to go inside and fight the Griffons.
However, the sight of the mighty warriors charging in brandishing their weapons is enough to daunt even the most stout-hearted of foes...and the hippogriffs take flight through a large hole in the ceiling before you can put your blades to them.
Dirck goes galloping in...and soon presents you with 20 small gems that you judge to be worth 10gp each.
Then he rushes back out and goes running over to a small shack to the west, near the river.
You follow, and go charging in.
There is a humanity/demihumanity-challenged creature in here. It looks something similar to the criosphinxes you battled earlier...but this one is female...VERY female...
"Well hi there, boys," she says in a silky voice. "Are those guns in your pockets or are you glad to see me..?"
Dirck checks his pockets just to make sure.
Illyana laughs. "Have your eyes checked, dear."
"Oh...it's a girl inside that tin suit?" she says. "I never would have known."
Aldarin says, "No, not guns, but very large swords," smiling.
Illyana shrugs. "A tin suit is a tin suit. Doesn't matter who is inside, be it male or female. I am a fighter, and I would rather people acknowledge me for my abilities rather than my looks." She grins. "Outside of this armor, it is another story."
"Can you spare me a few of these of these men? Seems like you have enough to go around..." she says with a sly smile.
Illyana blinks. "Well, they aren't mine to decide over."
Humphrey, ignoring the feminine quality of the lady, says, "What's a gun? Oh, you are trying to confuse me. I'll get you."
"Try your charms on someone else, monster!" Farad yells as he charges the beast.
"Well we could spare that guy charging you but you might not like the type of gun he has" says Kelar.
Britan looks at the female thing and says, "Looks Like Farad wants to show you his - " He scratches his head for a second. " - what did you call it a-- gun I do believe. But if you die peacefully we will save you some embarrassment." he concludes as he draws his sword and strides in.
At this important moment two stirges fly up and land on Raz's shoulders.
"Polly want a cracker!" they chirp in his ears.
Farad leads the charge, with Humphrey, McTavish and Britan right behind him.
The gynosphinx blinks, and suddenly a shimmering symbol of glowing light appears in the air before her.
Kelar, Aldarin, Sharone, Illyana, Farad, Humphrey and Britan all throw down their weapons and surrender.
McTavish and Raz are unnaffected.
"ARRRGH!" says the dwarf...as he fans badly with his sword...missing her completely.
Banquo, still severely injured but able to walk, comes forward, trailing blood and shedding bandages, and says, "Madam, I apologize for my friends rude and highly unchivalric behavior. Twas your great beauty that frightened them and you know how most creatures react when they are frightened. We beg your forgiveness and will accept banishment from your august presence as our just punishment." With that Banquo trys to herd all those who have surrendered out the door and grab their weapons on the way by. At no point does he threaten Ms. west, the gynosphinx.
"Take a hike, small stuff," she replies, as she tries to fend off McTavish.
Raz stands his ground, looking a bit like Long John Silver with the two stirges perched on his shoulders.
Suddenly another symbol appears before the dwarf. He ignores it and swings again twice, missing both times.
"Confound it!" he says, "I can't hit the broad side of a barn, today!"
Daunted by his resistance to magic, the sphinx attacks with her claws instead.
The two trade misses...McTavish getting more and more angry at himself.
Finally McTavish lands a glancing blow as she bites him for 7 hit points. He strikes her again...and the sphinx is looking badly hurt now. She bites him for 6 more hit points...then again for 4 more. Finally McTavish polishes her off with a last swing of his flame tongue.
The rest of you snap out of it.
Searching her lair, you find 22 gems that you value at 500gp each, a vial and a cloak.
For once the umpleby is not jumping around.
Humphrey, "I'll get yo ... , what happen. Good job McTavish. Sorry I let you down."
"hhh well that sucked. Let us get out of here now. We are out of spells and obviously a little tired. Being all of us fell to that stupid spell."
Kelar turns and heads out the door.
Banquo groans through the burbling blood from his many wounds, "OK folks, let's get to somewhere where we can spend/deposit this stuff before we lose it. With the umplby around I have noticed not only is the cash flowing but so are the monsters."
Farad shakes his head. "Didn't know sphinx's possessed such powerful magics. But better a dead one than having her alive to breed more of the other types. No telling how many people she has eaten in the past either."
"Raz, get rid of those blood sucking birds before I do. And I suggest we get quite a ways down the road before making camp."
Seeing that the umpleby is no longer jumping up and down, Humphrey says, "I bet you are hungry. Can someone do some hunting?"
Humphrey grabs another Iron Ration and feeds it to the Umpleby. Here you go friend."
Dirck gobbles down the food and grins like an idiot.
You load up the wagon with loot and go trundling back to the square. It is lunchtime.
The vultures are still feasting...so gorged are they that appear to be incapable of flight.
McTavish steers the wagon down a street to the east, towards Dispairia, and soon you have left Shruddup behind. However, this lesser road is in much poorer condition than the Great Western Road, so you make much poorer time, and pass much of the afternoon pushing the heavily laden wagon out of muddy potholes.
By evening you are some 15 miles east of Shruddup, and make camp off in the scrubland to the side of the road.
Humphrey smiles.
"Well I am ready to do some more training, and I sure that the same can be said for others. I for one would be interested in the longbow and maybe the mallet, once they are identified. Shall we find a spot where we can train and get these magic items identified, including those that we have been carrying?"
Sharone nods in agreement.
"I am well overdue for some more religious instruction, and trying to master this new flail is proving to be harder than I thought."
She then walks to the 'new' treasure and casts Detect Magic "This should ensure we don't lose any special items."
The following radiate magic: scroll, book, longbow, mallet, leather armour E, potion, cloak.
Turning to Mctavish she smiles. " The time we spend together on this wagon could perhaps be used more gainfully. Would you be interested in teaching me the basics of the dwarven language ?"
"Aye," McTavish replies with a grin. "I'll teach ye some fine dwarven curses!"
"If we agree to take some time to train and study I could try to identify the magical properties of the items we have acquire", Aldarin states while holding part of the cloak he is wearing and using it to accent his statement. "It will take some time but I would be willing to do so."
McTavish says, "I want to get a good distance away from the scene of our latest crime before we stop for any length of time for ye all to train. We've left an easy trail to follow since we entered this forsaken land. Looks like Imrimil's lieutenants ain't too smart...or else he's distracted by whatever he's movin' all his troops south for. But if he ever twigs us, we'll be for it.
"Let's travel for another week or so an' then pull off into the wilderness," he concludes. "Then people can train...Farad, can ye still do the teleport trick, back to Sandas?"