This morning, March 26th, you awaken fairly rested...and each of you healed by a hit point.
Op Code asks Occa "do you want to find out what the other magical stuff does first, or shall we continue? I suggest we check out the 30x30 room to the north with 4 doors in it."
"Let's continue...we can break later and figure it out. We might also think about sending those two back to camp at some point to go through the community chest and get some items. They may be ready for training as well...I remember when I was as green as they were.... didn't take much to need to train again."
Occa says to Valdar, "Did you learn teleport without error today? If so, we could teleport them back to camp, let them rifle through the community chest and then get back here...could do it in about 15 to 20 minutes."
Valdar smiles.
"I'm just a mere necromancer," he replies. "Teleport without error is beyond my capabilities. I do have teleport *with* error, though..."
Lore, looking very concerned, asks, "What exactly does 'with error' mean?"
"Well...there's a small chance with a regular teleport spell that you may arrive above or below where you intended," explains Valdar. "So I always aim high if I can...teleporting into solid rock is no fun."
Lore smiles thinly, "Well, if you all don't mind, I'd like to stay here with you folks. I think I'll make out fine with this frost wand I was given, and really don't see a need for me to go back to your camp right at this moment."
Darian clears his throat looking uncomfortable. "Um... And if you happen to teleport us say fifty or so feet above the ground? Then we have a long, painful fall to the ground. I don't think I'm up for such a telportation. I'll just stay out of the way and try to guard the mages from any physical harm. Okay?"
"Naw," says Valdar, shaking his head. "The worst you can arrive high is 10'...not much of a fall for most. But, suit yourself...Occa just wanted you to grab a magic weapon, that's all."
"Ten feet? Oh, if that's the worst, then I'm willing to try it. And someone mentioned training. How would I train and wouldn't I be gone for a few weeks?"
At the mention of the magical weapon and 10' drop, Lore's ears perk up..."I'll give the teleporting thing a try I guess", he tries to say nonchalantly.
Valdar eyes the two elves.
"The problem is, I can only take one of you. Which one is it to be?"
Darian looks at Lore. "Well, I'd like to go to pick out a better weapon and maybe some better armor, but if you can bring it back for me, I don't have to go."
Valdar look at Lore.
"Did you want to do that?"
Op Code speaks up "Get the coin out. That person can bring back stuff for both of them."
Lore tilts his head slightly and says, "Ya....I can do that."
"Okay, then, elf-sized chain if you can find it. And a magical long sword and/or long bow, please. And I suppose any magical items that will be useful for either of us to have. I really don't know what's available, so it's hard to shop, but just remember to tailor anything for me to my fighter and magic-user abilities."
"Thanks, Lore and Valdar."
Lore winks at Darian and says, "Check!"
Op Code suggests "Hey Salaam. Do you have Word of Recall? If so, you could use it if necessary."
Pharian says to Salaam, "You might think about skipping on the blade barriers and asking Thoth for mostly healing spells. Our group has plenty of offensive weapons, but you are our only source of healing, and I expect we are going to need plenty of that."
First off, the spell casters and clerics pass several hours memorising and praying for spells.
"Oh great Thoth, please heal your servant." Salaam intones as he casts a heal spell on himself. He is healed for all save one hit point.
"Who else here is wounded ?" he asks as he walks through the group.
Darian clears his throat. "Sir? I was wounded. Could you spare some healing for me?"
Salaam looks at Darian and lay my hands on him. "Oh great Thoth, please heal this man." he intones as he casts a cure serious wounds.
Darian is completely cured.
"What treasure did we find ?" Salaam asks as he was asleep as the rest of the group was dividing it up.
Valdar tells him.
"I have ample room in my portable hole if there is need for it." he finishes.
Valdar and Lore bid adieu to the others...the elf lord speaks a few short words...and they disappear.
After awhile, Lore, Valdar, Darian and Occa (who ended up going as well) return...the newcomers with several new magical items.
You continue your exploration of the dwarven halls.
You head for the room that the giant toads and fire giants came from. Searching, you find nothing here.
You look through the south doorway, which is still open.
Beyond is another room (20' X 30': 10' east, 30' south: door in south wall west corner).
Once a staging area for troops, you surmise, this place is now dominated by a large idol in the form of a dragon...Tiamat. The idol is smaller than life-sized (only about 20' long), and is of brass. The eyes are jewels...and seem to be watching you.
Op Code enters the room, cautiously watching the statue for any movement. If the statue attacks, he will return the attack.
The statue makes no hostile moves...though you all still feel as if you are being watched.
Occa casts unseen servant and sends it to pry the eyes out of the statue. He says, "Let's see if this gets a reaction."
Indeed it does. As the servant touches an eye, a previously unnoticed portcullis drops down over the north doorway...sealing it and trapping Op Code inside. Pharian, who unfortunately was standing in the doorway when the portcullis came down atop him, takes 3 hit points of damage and is knocked and pinned on his back by the heavy iron portal. The rest of you are on the north side of the portcullis looking in.
Next, the door in the south wall of the temple room slowly opens of its own accord...
Occa says, "Time for the shit to hit the fan!"
He casts disintegrate on the porticullus.
The portcullis vanishes and Pharian is freed.
Meanwhile, the servant has removed a dragon eye and brought it over to you to inspect. You see now that it is of cheap glass and of no value.
Op Code goes and looks through the south door.
The room beyond is 20' square (10' east, 20' south: door in south wall east corner). Apparently the abode of the now deceased fire giants, in here the ranger sees several large piles of ratty furs and motheaten blankets. Even from where he stands in the doorway he can see that they are alive with fleas.
Gilstrock shudders a little. "Vermin," he says. "I hate it when I have fleas. But I wonder if they have anything valuable underneath them?"
Gilstrock advances on the piles of furs and blankets. He pokes through the piles with his spear, looking for anything interesting.
Occa says, "don't worry about the fleas...they will break their teeth if they try to bite you."
Occa walks over and has the unseen servant go through the furs looking for anything of value.
The rest of you enter the former lair of the former giants as well.
Poking through the furs and blankets, you discover some goodies...namely two scrolls, a suit of elfin chain mail (but sized for a human) and a sheathed longsword.
However, your joy is short-lived...for suddenly the north door that you came through slams shut. You feel a slight weight pressing down on you...accompanied by a clanking and rattling of rusty chains from somewhere.
After less than a minute the weight eases and the noise stops.
You look at each other nervously in the ensuing silence.
Occa says, "I don't like this...I think we just went up. A trap or a method of transport....I just hope we don't go down too quickly."
He smiles and says, "Okay, let's see if we can get out of here."
There are still two doors leading out of the room...one in the north wall and one in the south.
Op Code tells Occa, "From my previous travels in this world, I wouldn't be surprised if we are in an elevator of some type."
Op Code checks to see if the ceiling is lower.
It is not.
Drawing his sword just in case visitors show up, he asks Occa and Stiff, "Do either of you have knock, just in case we need it on that north door."
Occa says, "yep, I have it."
Stiff nods invisibly as well.
"Uhhhhh guys... I don't dink we're in Kansas anymore... dis dink just moved us somewhere's and I don' like da idears of whut dat may imply. Be'z on yer toes when dat door opens next time cause it won't be da same out der."
Gonzo begins searching around the room, less intent on the contents and more so on the construction. He finds nothing out of the ordinary.
Salaam glances about the room. Apart from the scrolls, chain mail and sheathed longsword, nothing in here radiates magic.
Occa commands his servant to reopen the north door. It does...but now, instead of the room with the idol of Tiamat, you see another chamber (30' X 30': 30' north, 20' west; two doors in west wall: one in the north corner and one in the south). This place is filled with junk...smashed barrels, broken armour and weapons and many scorched rags.
A pile of bones lies in the northeast corner.
The floor in the northwestern portion of the room has a large number of small holes drilled in it.
Gilstrock tries to take a look through one of the holes. It is black down there.
Shining a light, he sees that it extends down for maybe 20' and then opens up.
You realise that these are murder holes...used for pouring boiling oil on some unfortunates below.
Lore asks, "Should I check for traps ahead?"
Occa says to Lore, "Nah, Gilstrock is checking for traps for you."
He winks at Lore.
Lore smiles and nods.
Pharian investigates the bones. The bones are Dwarven...and very old. Some of them crumble to dust when the mage pokes at them.
The room is otherwise uninteresting.
Occa says, "Let's check out that other door...or maybe we should take the elevator back down...first the door, I guess."
He goes and has his unseen servant open it.
You return to the fire giant room and make for the south door.
When you are part way across the room the door behind you slams shut...and you feel slightly less heavy...as you hear the rattle of chains and gears again...
After a moment it stops and all is normal.
The servant opens the south door...revealing a 10' wide passage running south for 60', where it ends. There is a door in the last 10' section of the east wall.
Darian winces at the motion. "That's not a sensation I want to repeat, again. Anyone got something for an upset stomach?"
"Just eat something," Gilstrock says. "It will make you feel better."
"As long as it's not cookies. We don't want you losing them now," Op code chuckles with laughter. "Valdar, can you whip up some concoction for this poor lad here?" Op Code asks.
"Why? I think green suits him."
Darian glares at him. "Gee, thanks for the fashion advice."
Darian groans at the thought of food. "I don't think that's a good idea, but maybe some water will help." He opens his waterskin and takes a drink. "I think I'll be fine. Probably an after affect of all that prodding."
Occa continues up the corridor and says, "This is fun...we can explore more randomly this way." He laughs and has the unseen servant open the door down the corridor.
"Occa, I don't mean to ruin your chaotic fun. Heaven knows we need more of that in this world. But that door opens up onto a room that we have explored. In fact that's the room we crashed in last night," Op Code mentions.
"Well, then it won't hurt to check to make sure." He does so quickly.
Sure enough, upon opening the door at the south end of the passage, you see the lair of the two dragons where you stayed last night.
Op Code would like to go back to the 30x30 room to the north of here and check out the other doors, if the party is in agreement.
Pharian is not paying much attention to the chatter of Occa and Op Code-- he seems lost in thought. Then he looks up and says, "Gonzo, do you know how long ago it was that the dragons kicked your ancestors out of here? I had the impression that the dragons had only come fairly recently, but those dwarven bones seemed far, far older than that."
"Me dinks me ancestor's got kicked outta here beforn me grandpap...so long long ago...so long ago dey don't talk about it at home no more... me brothers di'na believe me pap when he died. Here I am and I can return to dem and let dem know he was right. Me only wish is dat he had told me more."
You all head back up the passage and reenter the fire giant lair.
As you cross the room the door slams shut behind you...and you feel heavier again...
After a moment your weight returns to normal...
Cat pouts, "Oh .. what a shame. I had some really cool ideas about things to do in a place like that ... maybe we should come back sometime when we have finished here." Cat says softly, grinning wickedly.
Darian picks the closest corner and puts his head against the cool wall. "I really don't feel well."
"Darian, I think I have some dried, salted pork that may just cure that green-around-the-collar look that you have," Op Code says chuckling.
"I'll try anything, sir. And I apologize to all of you for delaying the exploration of this cavern system. If you want to go on, I'll understand."
Cat walks over to Darian, putting her arm over his shoulder. "There, there ... you will feel better soon. You poor dear ... " She takes a hanky from the folds of her dress and wets it with some water from her waterskin.
She gently pats his face and wrists with it, still tsking like a mother hen.
"It will be fine ... there now ... doesn't that feel better .. you poor dear ... " Cat continues, still patting Darian's face and wrists.
Darian gives her a small, tentative smile. "Thank you, Cat, I do feel a little better. It's just all this up and down motion. I feel like I'm on a boat and I've never done very well with them. I always end up hanging over a rail..."
"Not to worry, I know exactly how you feel .. this mucking about in these caves makes me feel much the same." Cat replies, brushing away yet another patch of dust and dirt from her exquisite gown.
"Plus," says Pharian, "she knows exactly how you feel about all that up and down motion."
Lore frowns down at Darian. You hear him mutter.."wimp."
"Now Lore, that isn't very nice of you. Someday you may feel less than well ... wouldn't you like someone to tend to you in that case?" Cat asks sweetly.
Lore's eyes focus intently on Cat before he turns away saying, "Naa...I can take care of myself for the most part...always have and always will. Take more than a little floating to get ta me...besides...seems to me that Darian was twice the warrior before we landed here then he is now....I think he just needs a good knick in the ass to get back ta his old self."
Darian looks at Lore without turning his head. "Lore, I think you're giving me entirely too much credit. And have you ever been on a ship in the middle of a storm? If so, then you probably can understand why I feel the way I do. Now that it's stopped, I'm sure I'll recover quickly."
Cat's eyes gleam suddenly and she smiles. "Indeed? Well ... that is interesting." She says, giving Darian a most speculative look.
"Interesting indeed." She she says softly.
"Cat, I'm not sure what Lore means. Perhaps he means that I made more of a contribution in the previous parties. That was in part due to the fact that the monsters we were facing were a lot less tough. And the rest of the group was as unexperienced as Lore and I."
Lore turns and faces Darian saying, "Darian, your a warrior. Sure we may be a little out of our league here, but that's no reason to curl up in to a ball and cry in the corner. These people seem nice enough and are willing to help us gain the tools we need to fight on their level. That's being the case, stand up and be the proud warrior that I know you are. Doesn't that foolish guild you belong to have a credo that says, "fight with valar and honor in the face of any danger!" Well, this is the time to put all of those flowery words to the test...and always remember that with great danger comes great opportunity." Lore says the last sentence with a grin on his face.
"Come on, now, Lore. Being a warrior doesn't mean you don't get sick or hurt or that you pretend you don't. That behavior is reserved for paladins. Pretending I'm not nauseous doesn't making the feeling go away. Especially when we keep going up and down like that. When the battle is joined, I'll be there no matter how I feel. But, right now, I'm going to feel ill. And I'm sure my stomach will settle shortly. Maybe, someday, when I'm more powerful, I'll be able to control my body's responses, but I'm not there yet."
Jesse, who has been most silent for a bard, begins to play his flute, it is a low mournful sea dirge.
Darian glares at Jesse but says nothing.
Occa says, "If this sweet business keeps up I am going to be ill myself." He looks over at Darian and says, "Straighten up man."
Lore nods in agreement.
"Sorry, sir. I can't seem to control this nausea and I'm really trying to." says Darian.
Occa then has his unseen servant open the south door.
Beyond is a 10' square room.
Three copulating criosphinx have made a home in this little room. They are most unhappy about being disturbed.
"Hey!" says one of them to you in heavily accented common. "Bugger off, eh?"
"Aye," says another, "Or we'll bugger you!"
"Heh, heh, Cat, my love, you might get some tips.." Salaam says in an unusually humorous tone.
"We're most sorry to interrupt you. Have a good day," Op Code replies.
Jesse speaks, "We're here to senenade you. Didn't the order get through? THis is the singing telegram!"
He then begins to play a popular, but crude song on his lute.
The criosphinx listen quietly.
"Can you place 'greensleeves'?" one asks.
Occa says, "Op code, Gilstrock, Gonzo...looks like fun for you guys." He sits down and pulls out the latest issue of 'PentDungeon stories'.
Op Code relies "Are we supposed to kill eveerything in sight Occa? These guys are minding their own business and, on top of that, this room looks like a dead end. Obviously we have taken a wrong turn."
Occa looks up surprised and says, "That is standard operating proceedures, bud. Don't tell me you are getting a case of morality, are you? What if they go out later and kill some peasants...isn't that the usual train of thought you ranger types have? Oh, wait...here is a better one...what if they go out and harm the woods or something?"
Lore snickers at Occa's remark, but refrains from saying anything.
Op Code stands firm. "My nature is not to kill just for the sake of it. If I did, then wouldn't that make me evil by nature?" I must have just cause to commit the act.
"Really? Well, those stone giants weren't bothering us...one was crying and they were listening to music. So don't give me that load, buddy. Not that there is any reason to argue about it...if you want to delude yourself, that is fine, I don't mind...everyone has the right to their own personal view of the world. I would never argue that. Oh, I guess I am." he smiles.
The three monsters look on as you discuss whether to kill them or not.
"Besides," Op Code adds "Where would this world be without a bit of chaos? You yourself must be able to understand that point."
Gilstrock listens to the philosophical discussion between Op Code and Occa, and decides that what the discussion needs is an interjection of Gilstrock's personal philsophy. So he provides it.
"When's dinner?" Gilstrock asks.
Occa says, "Well, kill something and I will cook it. I expect the dragon is still fairly fresh...only dead a day. We could cook some of it up or we could wait a bit until we kill something else."
Then he smacks himself on the forehead and says, "Of course, it is morning, so I guess you mean breakfast." He winks at Robert, err..I mean Gilstrock.
"All meals are dinner," Gilstrock says. "Happens at least five times a day." He grins.
Pharian says, "Lets just close the door and leave them to their... pursuits. No real point to killing them." He steps aside, though, to let the fighters move to the front of the group.
Occa smiles and says, "This is the oddest and most inconsistent group I have been with...okay, that is fine, let's leave them. Hopefully, they won't go tell the dragons later."
Occa puts up the magazine.
Pharian says, "Before I'd gotten to know your chaotic nature, Occa, I might have been offended by that. But now I realize that you mean 'odd' and 'inconsistent' as compliments. So, thank you." He bows deeply, smirking.
Occa smiles and says, "That is exactly what I meant them as...oh no, I must be getting predictable!" He chuckles at his own consistency. "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." He chuckles again.
Pharian continues, "As far as them warning the dragons-- it seems to me that the monsters in this part of the dungeon don't have much to do with the dragons we've come to kill-- they don't have holy symbols of Tiamat or dragon emblems tattooed on their butts."
Occa laughs, "I am glad you are checking their butts. Let us go then! I must say, it is good to be in the company of a mage again."
"One moment," Gilstrock says to Op Code, Pharian, and Occa. "Let' just take a quick look."
Gilstrock sticks his head into the room and says to the sphinxes. "Excuse us. Wrong door. Could you tell us where the human restrooms are?"
"Boy humans 'er girl humans? You all look th' same t'us," replies a monster.
He takes a look around the room. There are no exits to be seen. Apart from a large heap of straw that the criosphinx are currently sitting on, the place is barren.
Gilstrock says , "Sorry to trouble you. Have a nice day," and closes the door.
When he does, the elevator room descends again.
Darian looks more ill than ever...
At the bottom, you return to your original plan and open the north door. Passing through the room with the idol of Tiamat, you return to the room with the four doors in it. You now know where two of them lead to. However, two remain unopened: one to the north and one to the west.
Occa says, "I always liked the north." He has his servant open the door.
To the north is a 20' X 30' room (10' east, 30' north; door in middle of west wall, door in north wall west corner). This room was once a staging area for dwarf-troops. You see benches, some pallets and numerous racks for armour and weapons along the walls.
Otherwise, the place is deserted.
It is early afternoon.
Occa has the servant open the other door...to the west.
Beyond is a very large chamber (40' X 60': 20' north, 30' south, 40' west; set of double doors in the west wall, 20' - 40' section as measured from the south...or north for that matter...).
This grand chamber has a vaulted ceiling arching some 30' overhead. The walls and ceiling are carved with bas reliefs of dwarves working. The doors to the west are 20' wide and 20' high, of steel, and carved with runes of power and images of Moradin working his forge. Though ancient, the doors are not rusty.
Flanking the doors to either side are two white dragons...who immediately breathe on you...engulfing the first four members of your party (namely Op Code, Gilstrock, Jesse and Valdar) in a pair of icy blasts.
From the first blast, Op Code and Valdar take 12 hit points of damage. Gilstrock and Jesse though, take 24 apiece.
The second blast hits them simultaneously.
This time, Op Code, Gilstrock and Valdar take 15 hit points of damage. Jesse takes the full brunt of the blast, though: 30 hit points.
The bard drops unconscious to the floor.
Darian casts magic missle at the dragon on the left and gets out of the way figuring he wouldn't be able to survive any blasts. His missile hits it on the snout and bruises it.
Cat rushes over to the fallen bard and drags him out of range of another attack.
Lore dives and hits the deck. He then aims his wand of frost at the dragons and says the magical word that activates it.
The dragons are engulfed in an ice storm which does absolutely no damage to them whatsoever.
"Hey, what kind of a dumb shit are you?" asks one of them of Lore, as he laughs at the elf.
Occa sighs and says, "I hate it when that happens." He tosses a fireball into the room, placing it so as to get the dragons, but not expand to get the group.
The far end of the chamber is engulfed...catching one of the dragons...the laughing one. You hear an ear-splitting shriek...and when the flames subside you see that the dragon is dead.
Pharian uses his wand of fire to lay a Wall of Fire across the back of the remaining white dragon. She too shrieks and leaps out of the flames, her back scorched. Then Pharian helps Cat with Jesse.
After the salvo of magic missiles and fireballs and such is finished, Gilstrock will shout "Chaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrge!"
Gilstrock then charges forward with his spear and attacks the dragon.
She breathes on him point blank...he dodges it partly and only takes 15 hit points. Then, he buries his spear into her side...elicting another shriek.
Meanwhile, Op Code and Occa were caught in the same blast of her icy breath. Both take 15 hit points of damage.
Gilstrock is in melee and is badly wounded. Jesse, though, seems to be recovering slowly.
"Shove off!" shouts Lore at the now-dead dragon, as he puts away the wand and casts a magic missle spell at the remaining dragon.
"Become shish kebob, you frigid worm!" Gilstrock cries as he presses his attack upon the dragon with his spear. "Gonzo, Op Code, come press the attack!"
Op Code charges the dragon with his long sword.
"Damn dragon!" Occa lightning bolts the dragon...high enough that he doesn't get Gilstrock.
His bolt strikes the dragon in the tail...and the electricity charges up through her body. When it reaches her head the whole dragon explodes with a crack like thunder...knocking Gilstrock and Op Code to the ground...and showering all with bits of fresh cooked dragon flesh.
"Dinner is served, Gilstrock," says Valdar, brushing himself off.
At this opportune time Jesse regains consciousness.
Jesse looks around and blinks. "What... what happened?" The bard asks still trying to recover his wits. He reaches up to touch Cat's face, while rubbing his neck.
"Shhhh. Wait a bit while you come back to yourself, dear. You've taken quite a hit." Cat says softly, gently smoothing her fingers over Jesse's face and leaning down to whisper something in his ear. After a moment, she rises, helping Jesse to stand.
"Feeling better, my pet?" She asks softly.
The bard nods.
"Well, gag me with a spoon," says Valdar, watching this display. "And don't you start up next, Pharian!"
Gilstrock picks a bit of cooked dragon flesh off of himself and tastes it -- how is it?
It tastes like chicken...
"Allright, folks, rest break! I'm not just hungry anymore, I'm chilled to the bone! I need some healing in a big way. Jesse looks like he's in worse shape. I propose we hunger down here and regain our strength before we press on."
Op Code asks "I don't know about the rest of you, but I was damagaed quite a bit by that dragon. Salaam, do you have enough healing spells to cure us? If not, then how about we head back to base camp where we can get healed quicker with the help of more clerics? Anyways, Jesse looks like he's pretty beat up and will be out of it for a while. We might as well get him back to base camp. What do the rest of you think?"
Occa will examine the dragons room....
There are two enormous piles of treasure flanking the large doors in the centre of the west wall.
In addition, a previously unnoticed secret door now opens in the north wall, 10' - 20' section...and you now find yourselves facing a large, round monster that floats several feet off the floor. It has a big, toothy mouth...an enormous central eye...and 10 smaller eyes at the ends of 10 eye-stalks...
"Holy crap!" exclaims Valdar, "A beholder!!"
"Cancel rest break!" Gilstrock calls. He stands up and throws his spear javellin-like at the Beholder.
"Let's deal with this thing first," cries Op Code as he catches his breath, then charges the beholder, wishing to attack the main body.
"What is this creature, I have never seen one before." The bard says as he prepares to cast spells at it. However, being so recently injured, the bard is too weak to cast spells and instead nods off again.
Two of the smaller eyes emit beams of some sort sort of magical energy...as does the large central eye...
Pharian hits the floor as one beam sweeps by where he was a second earlier. Another ray strikes Gonzo but seems to have no effect.
Occa says, "For Datura's Sake!!!!" he dives for cover and then points his finger at the monster pelting it with magic missles.
As he does so he his hit by the ray from the central eye...his missiles sputter like dying sparks.
Gilstrock's spear finds a chink in the beholder's chitinous armour and imbeds itself.
Cat pulls out her wand of missiles, shouting "PowieZowie" over and over ... Two missiles spit out and hit the monster.
"Thoth, guide my hand," Salaam intones as he hurls his hammer at the beholder, aiming at the main eye.
His aim is wide...the hammer circles back through the air and returns to his hand.
Darian pulls his long bow off his shoulder and fires arrows at the thing as rapidly as he can without endangering any of his charging companions. The elf gets off two arrows...both bounce off of the beholder without doing any damage.
Sitting up, Pharian casts a magic missile. The attacks burns and cracks the beholder's exoskeleton. Then he turns invisible.
Lore does the usual....dive for cover!
The beholder rotates slightly and brings two different smaller eyes to bear.
Darian jumps aside as a ray just misses him.
Caterina, however, is struck full across her amply endowed chest by the second one. She screams and drops dead on the spot.
Jesse screams, "No!" and rushes to her side, trying to see if he can help her.
The large eye keeps Occa fixed in its baleful glare.
"CAT !!" Salaam screams as he closes on the beholder as it is busy with Occa.
Op Code catches his breath, then charges the beholder.
Occa sprints to the beholders left (away from the party)....
The beholder keeps his central eye on Occa...
From behind you, you hear a voice reciting arcane words...
Gilstrock draws his Frost Band longsword and charges at the beast. "Shoot for the Eye!" he calls to any of his companions who are firing arrows.
"Get a body, you levitating monstrosity!" Gilstrock cries as he attacks the Beholder.
Pharian circles to his right (away from Occa), and then casts polymorph other, hoping to turn the beholder into a potted plant.
Amazingly enough, the beholder suddenly becomes a potted palm. A mighty nasty-looking potted palm...but a potted palm all the same.
Then Pharian turns invisible again.
At almost the same moment Stiff appears, encircled in a shimmering glow of light, holding a stange looking weapon which he points at the plant. He pulls the trigger and the palm is engulfed in white-hot flames which destroy it utterly...as well as melting a good portion of the wall and floor around it and scorching Op Code and Salaam.
"Stiff! I know you love to show off your power, but next time, try to direct to solely on the enemy? It's hot enough in here already," Op Code mentions.
Occa's mouth flies open..."My god, I can't believe that worked. Great work Pharian!"
Lore stands up and shakes stares in wonderment..."Wow, now I've seen everything", he says.
Gilstrock laughs hugely. "A potted plant! Fitting!" He approaches Pharian and claps him mightily on the back. "Whoops, sorry," he says, "forgot about the strength spell. Masterfully done, however."
Gilstrock sheathes his sword. "OK, we really need a rest break now. I'm still chilled from those damn dragons, and I need some healing."
Occa smiles and says, "Not bad work...two dragons and a beholder." he frowns and says, "Although Cat is dead....the gods must frown upon women in this group. Oh well. Salaam, can you raise her? If not, I bet Orlon could...maybe even resurrect her."
To Salaam, Gilstrock says, "Are you going to be able to help Cat? Maybe we should pull out to our camp at this point so we can have some time to rest where we're in a safer and more defensible position."
"Plus, we should eat."
Salaam kneels by Cat's prone form and intones, "Oh great thoth, please allow this mortal woman, taken before her time, to return to continue one of your humble servants in his action to spread your great word." he finishes as he casts raise dead on her.
Caterina's chest heaves and she starts to breathe again.
After a moment she opens her eyes.
At about the same time Jesse groans and regains consciousness as well.
"Thank you, Thoth," Salaam intones as he sees Cat has returned back to the mortal plane.
He leans over and whispers something in her ear.
Cat mumbles a reply...still looking confused.
Jesse crawls over to where Cat is... still weak from the previous encounter. Softly to her he speaks, "My lady, are you ok?"
Gilstrock kicks about the area where the Beholder/potted plant just was...then beats a hasty retreat when the soles of his boots start to smoulder.
"Damn lost my spear. Looks like Stiff vaporized it."
He looks over at Occa. "You guys have any random spears sitting about in the community chest? If not, I'm gonna have to remember to pick one up next time I find a dealer."
"I'm sure we do," says Valdar.
"So, we gonna rest here or head back to camp?" Gilstrock asks the group.
Occa says to Gilstrock, "Let's check out the dragon treasure and the secret room first, then we can camp...even though we just camped an hour ago...we should at least heal up."
Occa looks in the secret area that the beholder came out of.
Through the hole in the wall where the secret door was is a short passage. It is 10' wide and runs west for about 20'...before ending at a blank wall. Immediately to your right is another wall with a door in it.
A pile of loot attracts Occa's roving eye. Going over, he finds three necklaces, worth 2000gp each...as well as four vials.
Then, you finally check out the dragon treasure. In total, you find there 500cp, four more vials, 1250gp, a scroll; a suit of leather armour sized for a human; another vial; a sheathed longsword; a sheathed two-handed sword; and another 500cp.
Detecting magic, Occa ascertains that all of the vials (or their contents) radiate magic...as do the scroll, armour and swords.
It is afternoon.
"Uhhh... OK," Gilstrock says skeptically. "It's just that every time we check out 'just one more room' something jumps us and the rest break ends up being postponed indefinitely."
Pharian says, "We do need to get Gilstrock and the others healed before we go any further. But I am very curious about these doors. They seem important, and it seemed as though the dragons--and perhaps even the beholder-- were guarding it."
Pharian approaches the doors and and examines them closely, looking to see if there is any gap between the doors, or at the floor level. Assuming that Occa's spell did not reveal anything magical about the doors, presses his ear to one, and gestures impatiently for the group to be quiet.
Pharian's face looks particularly ugly scrunched up against the door.
Gilstrock whispers to the others "He always wants everyone to be silent when he does this. Shhh!" Gilstrock then shuts up and awaits to see if his friend hears anything.
There are no gaps around the doors...and he hears nothing.
Gilstrock resumes his chatter.
"I gotta get me some healing before too long, though. I'm not fit to charge too many dragons just now. And, if I'm not fit to charge dragons, I'm not much use."
As Occa goes in to check out the treasure, Gilstrock sees the piles and forgets his objections, at least momentarily. "Hey, nice stack. Man, I've never seen so many piles of treasure in one dungeon before. Pharian! We should have gone after multiple dragon lairs before! Though I guess it would have been rather hard without the rest of you."
"Any spears in that stack of treasure?" Gilstrock asks, poking through it.
"Hey, toys!" Gilstrock says. "We should check these things out. What's the procuedure? Somebody makes sure they aren't cursed? Then us fighters types should play around with them to figure out how good they are."
Leary of curses, Gilstrock inspects the swords as closely as he can without touching them; what do they look like?
It is hard to tell without taking them out of their sheathes...
Occa says, "Gilstrock, do not pull any swords from the scabbards until we divine if they are cursed or not. Okay?"
"Gotya," he says.
Occa says, "Well, let's camp out and rest, heal and so forth. What say the rest of you? We could go back to the room we slept in last night...heal up, do some divining and identifying and maybe split this stuff up."
You head back to the other dragon lair, then.
All is quiet, and the room is as you left it less than two hours ago.
"Wow... That hurt." comments the bard. He then finds a quiet corner to sit and rest. Taking his lute, he begins to sing to pass the time.
"Occa," Op Code asks "Why do you always insist on checking just one more room? I, along with many others I assume, are quite injured. Let's just collect the stuff and get back to base camp to fully heal and divvy up this stuff."
"But I am fine. Except for that last dragon's breath." He smiles and says, "Curious as a Cat I guess."
"What about the rest of us though?" Op Code asks.
Occa says, "Well, you know better how you are than I do!"
Op Code mentions "Before we go any further, let's take a vote. Who wants to go back to base camp to rest and heal, and who wants to stay here to rest and heal, before we tackle more of the dungeon? Let's do this democratically and have the majority rule. My vote is for the base camp. What about everyone else?"
Occa says, "The only problem with heading to Base camp is that it is a good long haul. I suppose we could get back before dark, but we endanger everyone with chance encounters or roving patrols trying to figure out who is slaughtering the members of this keep. Here we have a stronghold...of course, we wouldn't last a concentrated effort, but at least we would have a defensible position." He pauses and says, "I vote we stay...we could always just stay here a few days...the entrance to this room is secret after all."
"I have travelled for a long time in this world and so has Stiff and others. We have had to do 'good long hauls' with much stuff in the past. We have come out of it with our heads intact. Besides, if a few of us happen to get killed from roving patrols or the likes, Orlon, back at base camp, can ressurect the unfortunate ones back. Besides, who's to say that holding up here, we won't encounter patrols or roaming monsters while we try to recuperate?"
He then says to Salaam, "Do you have an divination spells that might tell us if these items are cursed or not?"
"Occa, if you wish to stay, I have ample healing spells left from my daily prayers, I will stay and we can secure the area, while the rest go back and heal. With your magic and my divinely granted powers, I think we should do just fine for a while."
Occa says, "We probably could...hell, if we could Gonzo or Gilstrock to stay we would have no worries." He smiles.
Stiff offers to wish the party back to base camp if you want. You could be there in a moment.
"Wish? Wow..okay, let's go then. Wish away. Hey, why don't you wish to know all the details about these items and the ones in the community chest?"
Pharian has pulled something that may be a piece of cheese from his pocket. He pauses for a moment from trying to rub dirt off it to say, "I think we might as well stay here and let Stiff can save his wish spell for if we get in real trouble. But if he wants to use it now, I'm not going to argue with an arch-mage."
Pharian rubs his forehead in deep thought, apparently forgetting that he still has the piece of cheese in his hand. He throws it away in disgust, wipes his brow, and adds, "We are going to have to think about our procedures for opening doors. We can't all be standing in a row like we were back there. If those had been reds instead of whites, we might all have died, not just Jessie. Maybe we should do more scouting or something. Anyone have any ideas? This dungeon is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better."
Occa says, "I agree totally...let's go back to camp and come up with some ideas. Maybe we should also think about complimenting each others spells, come up with a watch order, marching order and the like."
"Yeah," Gilstrock says. "Perhaps somebody should be scouting in the form of a fly or something. (Just don't get eaten by all the vicious potted plants.) When we have to open a door, let somebody like me do it, with somebody like Op Code ready to look through, while everybody else stands back in a protected position."
"Oh, and, I agree that it seems spendthrift to just use a wish to wisk us back to camp," Gilstrock continues. "But, then, I've never been in a party with somebody who could actually make wishes (and have them come true), so I'm easy either way. I just need some rest, food, and healing, along with the rest of us!"
"Well, we'll be a lot safer at base camp," says Valdar. "And there are lots of clerics loitering about there to cure us."
Stiff then mutters some of his arcane words of power...and suddenly the lot of you are back at base camp.
"Welcome back," says Robert, coming over.
It is midafternoon. It is chilly, partly cloudy, and there are several inches of snow on the ground.
Gilstrock looks about at the sundry faces he sees at base camp. "Oh dear," he says. "We've been gone too long, and I've forgotten who is who. Who here can heal folks? Jesse and Cat are seriously injured and need some help. Well, at least, Jesse is. Op Code and myself have taken some hits as well, and could use some serious healing."
Jesse holds his hand up and says, "I will be ok do not waste your spells if there are others who need them."
Gilstrock picks up a wad of snow in one of his large hands. With his two hands, he makes a good sized snowball. "Pharian, duck!" he says. He then wings the snowball in the general direction of Pharian.
Pharian doesn't duck, and takes a snowball in the kisser.
Darian looks confused, as usual.
"I know we are back at camp, but where is here?"
You are in a forested hollow in a forest of pines and deciduous trees. A range of mountains looms to the south. It looks pretty wild, though, as described earlier, the camp itself seems to be quite civilized.
"You are near the west coast of the continent of Amrica, on Earth," replies Valdar.
"Are we near a town or city?"
"Inner Sanctum is a town perhaps a day or so away from here," replies the elf. "But we were not really welcomed there..."
"Oh... Why? Do they not like outsiders?"
Valdar glances at Occa and Pharian for an explanation.
Darian looks at Occa hoping he'll explain.
Occa obliges.
"Because Cat made a pass at the ruler there and Salaam tried casting a spell in his chambers and so forth. Plus they are in with the dragons somehow. We aren't sure how except that we know Roget is in with them good....we may meet him, unless he was the guy in the orc lair."
Darian looks at Occa and rolls his eyes. "You know, Occa, I'd like to thank you for that information, but I don't think I understood any of it..."
"Why is making a pass at the ruler bad? Why did Salaam try to cast a spell in his chambers? What is with all these dragons? I thought you folks were simply exploring a dungeon that happened to be inhabited by Gondo's kin. Who is Roget? And what is really going on here?"
"Valdar, you said there were clerics about. Who are they and why are they here?"
"It is I that Valdar speaks of, Darian. My name is Orlon of Sandas. I am a High Priest. I am here to help the greater cause of our party. How may I help you?"
Darian bows. "Hello, sir. I don't need any help, just explanations. You see, Lore and myself were brought to these fine folks a few days ago after being tortured by some monsters in some sort of vehicle. I'm afraid we're over our head and we don't exactly know where 'here' is. Nor do we understand what you folks are doing. I'm curious, though. Why aren't you adventuring with the rest of the party. It seems with your power, you could wipe up most of the dungeon by yourself."
Orlon answers, "That is a very good question you asks. However, first, I can't spend all my time exploring dungeons. I must spend time meditating with my deity. Second. Thank you for the compliment about being powerful, but I could not do it without the valuable help of the other members of our party. When it is time, I will venture back into the dungeon."
"Oh, I see, sir. I hadn't considered that someone of your power would need to spend a lot of time with your deity. There's always a price for power..."
"Don't forget that you get raised every time you get killed!" says Occa with a smile.
Lore looks puzzled and asks, "Can you even raise an elf?"
"No, but we have resurrections...and if that doesn't work, reincarnate...and if that doesn't work, I have disintegrate to do away with the remains."
Gilstrock blinks twice. "Charming," he says. "But couldn't Stiff wish elves back to life?"
Lore looks very uncomfortable upon hearing Occa's response. The excitment that he had at the prospect of being trained has vanished.
Occa smiles and says, "Ah, my work here is done."
Darian shudders. "I hope never to have to experience that particular bonus. But, I'm glad it's there to back me up."
At some point (Gilstrock will not interrupt Orlon, for he has too much respect to do that), Gil will clap his hand on Darian's back and say, "My elven friend, I was just as confused as you when I first got here. I haven't been here long myself; Pharian and I were running from hoardes of orcs in Sunigar when we found ourselves transported to ... was it Frisco? When I reailzed how powerful some of these people were -- Occa, Stiff -- I thought I would just be useless. But I've come to see the reason we seem to be making our way through this dungeon with such success is indeed our numbers. So, though you are inexperienced, you are a valued member of the party, and we will come to depend on you."
"I appreciate all the support you, and others, have given to us. You are a rather unique bunch of people and I'm honored to accompany all of you. I'll try to live up to the faith you put in me."
"A second reason for our success is that we know we have a very solid support structure back here at base camp. With Orlon backing us up, we can really go for broke in the dungeon." Gilstrock cracks a smile. "Of course, I like to go for broke anyway, but Pharian is always telling me to be cautious."
Pharian rolls his eyes. "Gilstrock," he says to Darian, "is the kind of warrior who would climb inside a dragon's mouth to take a stab at its tounge."
"That's an interesting approach, but not one I'd take myself. I'll keep that in mind when I stand far away from him." Darian grins.
"Ah, my friend," Gilstrock replies, "but if you are to cut out its tongue, where else can you go?"
To Darian, Gilstrock says, "Will you be needed training in the finer arts of fighting with weapons?"
Darian looks at Gilstrock's forehead. "Yes, but only if your stamp matches mine."
"Oh, I'm first edition allright," Gilstrock says. "But I'm third printing."
"But, you did indicate that it was possible to be attacked here. Is that from the city or from the dungeon?"\
Occa sighs and says, "You are one of those question asker types, aren't you? Gotta know why your wiping out a dungeon and so forth. Well, most likely, if we are attacked it will be from the dungeon...and it will be dragons. We have tried to hide the camp, but it is hard to tell if that will help against dragon sight. If they come, we will face them..don't worry....just don't cluster up into groups."
Darian grins at Occa. "I'm afraid so, sir. I hope it doesn't annoy you too much, but I like to understand what's going on around me. And I'll try to ask my questions only when we've got time to talk."
"You can ask questions," says Pharian sarcastically, "but you only get yes or no answers."
Occa falls over laughing! He rolls around in the snow and then starts to make an a snow angel by moving his legs and hands.
"Well, I suppose that'll make phrasing the questions much more interesting. Will you be answering them as well, Pharian?" Darian smiles.
"No," says Pharian.
Occa starts laughing again.
"You know... you seem way too serious. You need to lighten up a little. After all, we're only talking about tackling the queen of dragons. No big deal, according to Occa and Gilstrock. In fact, they're looking forward to it!"
Pharian laughs. "Gilstrock, in fact, is probably planning on climbing into her mouths to cut out her tongues."
"One by one," Gilstrock says, thumping his chest and smiling. "Seriously, though, don't fault Pharian for being paranoid. It's the only reason I'm still alive."
"I'm not paranoid," retorts Pharian.
"Yes," Gilstrock says, "but everybody always says that you are. Especially when you aren't listening."
"I wasn't faulting him for being paranoid. In fact, I wasn't faulting him at all. It's just he seems far more serious than most of you here and I thought it was a bit out of place."
"Actually, he's not as serious as he sounds," Gilstrock says. "Just ask Occa the Chuckler."
Occa says, "Nothing in this group is out of place...that is the beauty of it...and Pharian has a very sharp wit....he is just a bit dry for your tastes, it would seem."
"No, I like his wit. It's very refreshing. But, he's less whimsical about things then the rest of you. Please, I'm not faulting him for anything. Honest."
Pharian looks on bemusedly as he is discussed.
"I guess I understand that hiding the camp from dragons would be difficult. How many do you think are in the dungeon? I was always under the impression that dragons didn't work together. Does this have anything to do with that multi-headed dragon statue we saw?"
Occa says, "Well, just from our initial foray...I would guess many, many dragons...this isn't about the dragons anymore. I expect we will see that multi-headed dragon before it is over...we are going to kill her." he seems delighted at the thought.
Pharian looks at Occa as though he had seven heads. "If you had told me that at the start," he says, "I never would have joined this group. I hate to think what else you aren't telling me. But then, how much worse could it get?"
Occa says, "I am not in the 'know' as they say....this is all speculation. I am hoping that is the case, but it may not be. It just seems like it could happen because of all the dragons working together, the shrines and the priest of tia....the other one."
"Oh, you know that it's a her? Do you know her name? Wait! Don't say it. Knowing my luck, it'll probably bring her flying. Tell me, though. What is the name of the dungeon that we were just in?"
Occa says, "I think it is a her...if memory serves. I met her arch-enemy once...very nice fellow. As for the name of the dungeon...how about 'The future stronghold of the main group'?"
Gilstrock goggles. "You _met_ him? Can I touch you? I don't know anybody who's met him!"
His brow furrows. "Of course, we aren't from the same world. You are referring to Bahamut, the platinum dragon, aren't you?"
"Yes, the one and only...he was an old man when I first met him with seven birds. It wasn't until later that I learned his true nature...we went on an adventure together."
"Oh, then the multi-headed dragon is... Oh!"
Darian goes white as a sheet. "You mean you're looking forward to meeting her? I think I'd better go train now. I'm going to need to be very powerful just to survive the encounter."
"Indeed."
"We're all going to need to be very powerful, if that is indeed what we are to face. But perhaps Occa is wrong. Or maybe he's not. Either way, it is a good idea to train," Gilstrock says.
"No argument here, Gilstrock. Hopefully, I can split my training between you and Pharian and find some free time to work on my own disciplines."
"But look on the bright side: if we do defeat her, think of the glory! And, we might get to meet Bahamut!" Gilstrock says.
"But, she's a goddess! Or nearly so. How could we defeat something so powerful? Stiff, Orlon and the rest of you are very powerful, but you're not gods..."
"That depends," Valdar says. "This is the party that killed Lolth on her home plane, 20-odd years ago. Granted, the party make-up has changed a bit since then...I think of those present at the time, only Stiff is here with us, at the moment."
Gilstrock goggles at Valdar. "You....! Holy bleeding cow." To Darian, Gilstrock says, "I'm a peon too, when you consider the scale of these people."
"From what I have been told," Valdar says with a smile, "Stiff cowered at the back of the party during the entire thing. A ranger lord named Randy actually slew her. He retired not long after to Strabath, I believe.
"I hope he's dead before Lolth comes back to wreak her revenge..." He glances at Stiff, "And you too, my friend."
"Comes back...?" Gilstrock says. "I thought you said you killed her. Is somebody going to raise her?"
"The only way you can permanently destroy a god," explains Valdar, "Is to destroy all who worship him or her...for it is the power of the worshipper's faith that gives a god an existance. Lolth will be back, for many dark elves still worship her, and her memory.
"The most that we could probably have hoped to achieve during the 60 - odd years that she will be dead, is to wipe out our enemy the drow," he continues sombrely, "For without any followers on Earth, Lolth's powers here would be severely diluted. But 20 years have passed, and we - the Elves of the light - have done nothing."
Darian looks at Stiff and sighs. "This is all too much for me. I can't conceive of killing a goddess, especially in her home. I think I'll start thinking a little less grandiose and concentrate on dragons and such. At least I can understand the concept of killing them..."
"Oh, and Valdar, now that you're up and about, could I have a private word with you at some point?"
"Of course."
Valdar leads Darian off into the bushes...
A few moments later they return, and the elf lord tells the latest newcomers about the scenario...
"The Halls of Galahad," Valdar replies with a glance at Gonzo. "The ancestral home of our short friend with the funny nose, here. I originally asked Stiff and Orlon to take out some dragons and humanoids that had been raiding the elf-caravans that travel along the Elven Coast Road. That's the major north-south route along the coast. Stiff had matters to attend to, so Orlon and a bunch of others set off themselves, with me tagging along. We stopped to poke around in another ruin to the south of here, Castle Koozle, and found Occa, Jesse, Salaam and a hot lady named Dani imprisoned in some sort of suspended animation. Orlon freed them and they agreed to join us.
"We continued north, destroyed a lair of vampires along the way, and ended up exploring a tomb of some sort. That took a day. When we got back, we met Gonzo, who agreed to join us. We continued travelling, and soon came to Frisco...that's a big ruined city west of here. There, we got in a fight with a powerful party. Dani was killed, but the rest of us survived. We found their lair, and imprisoned there were Pharian, Gilstrock, and the halfling Scryte. They also agreed to join us.
"Well...we left Frisco and turned towards Inner Sanctum," Valdar continues. "Near where we are now we were ambushed on the road by a bunch of orcs led by a human magic user. We trashed them and made it to town. Once there, Cat and Stiff - not together - joined us. We decided to come back here and track the tracks left by the orcs to their lair. In the lair we found a secret door that took us into the dungeon where you found us."
Valdar pauses for breath.
"That's by far the most I've heard him say this whole adventure," says Pharian to no one in particular. "I didn't think he had it in him to be so loquacious."
"I do," replies the mighty elf lord. "But usually I can't get a word in edgewise in this group."
Darian bows deeply to Valdar. "Thank you, lord. Now, I understand a bit better why you are doing what you are doing. I've no more questions at this time." Darian smiles.
"Well, after we've delt with the dragons, we're heading on up the coast for a ways to deal with a bunch of pirates who have been raiding our merchant ships," says Valdar. "You have a busy career ahead if you stick around."
"Well, I must say that joining with this group has been quite positive for me. I'm decked out in magical chain with a magical sword and I have just gotten a lot of experience in a short time. And with the promise of free training, I can't say that there's much to complain about."
"Perhaps from the dungeon," says Valdar, getting back to the subject of raiding dragons. "Dragons, you know. This hollow is quite well hidden from the air, though. But...would any of you high-falutin' mages or clerics have some sort of means to hide the camp better...?"
Occa says, "In the morning, I will cast hallucinatory terrain on the area."
"They are party members, henchmen and followers, Darian. They just did not come with us into the dungeon, that's all."
"You have folks like this and you let Lore and I come with you? You are all very generous and I thank you. I hope one day that I can be of more use than I am now."
"I'm sure you will."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Valdar."
"Perhaps I should take some time and study my spells so that I have another magic missle to throw the next time we meet something."
"That is an excellent idea. I'm sure that someone around here could train you."
"Oh, I meant that I should study my own spell book and recover the magic missle spell that I used against the dragons. I don't think I'm ready for training, yet. But, if someone wants to teach me new spells, I shan't complain."
At the mention of training, Lore looks up with a smile saying, "Yes...it would be extremely helpful if Darian and I could be trained....at least then we could be more involved in the party." Lore looks extremely excited.
"Actually, Valdar, you are right. I could use some training from a willing mage and a willing fighter specialized in the long sword and long bow. Anyone willing to teach me?"
Cat immediately retires to her pavilion, asking Jesse to accompany her.
"Here we go again," says Valdar with a smirk, as he takes out his ear plugs from his pocket.
"What do you mean, Valdar? Oh... Oh!" Darian smiles.
Jesse will follow Cat to her pavilion. "I'll be fine in a few hours, just need some rest." He says as he goes.
"You won't get any in there," says Valdar.
"Well, Darian," Gilstrock says, "I don't know how advanced you are, but I would be willing to work with you on the longsword end of things. I could use the practise myself, and there's no better way to practise something than to teach it to somebody else. Can't really help you with the longbow, though, as that's not one of my forte's."
Darian looks at his feet before looking at Gilstrock. "Well, sir, as you know, I'm not terribly advanced at anything. That's why I want to learn. So, I can make a larger contribution to this party."
"But do we really want to take the time to do all this training right now? If we delay a couple of weeks before going back in, the denizens of the dungeon will hae time to refortify. And, who knows, they may find us here and attack us."
Darian looks around furtively. "You mean, they know where we're camping? What's going on? I got the impression with all of you, your henchmen and your followers that you could hold off an army. What are we facing that makes you say such things?"
Valdar shrugs.
"Right now we've only made one foray into the complex," he says. "Through the back door, so to speak. Hopefully the powers that be - supposing they even hear about our visit - assume that we have left for good, now...especially if we don't reappear again for several weeks. Besides, I think this will be a very challenging task for us to accomplish. Sure...we've had an easy time of it up until this point...but we can expect more resistance as we get deeper into it. To face that, we must be all in top form, training-wise...especially the newcomers."
Gilstrock starts nagging mages and clerics and such to determine of the swords are cursed, so he can play with them if they aren't...
"All of you are each in one piece. That's nice to see," comments Orlon. "I will help cure any of you who need fixing up." He will then proceed to restore everyone's full hit points.
Op Code asks "shall we check out this last haul of goodies now?"
"Good idea. Orlon, can you divine whether any of these items are cursed?"
Valdar checks his calendar and then casts commune.
"Are any of the items which we just brought out of the Halls of Galahad cursed?" he asks.
"YES," booms a deep masculine voice out of nowhere in particular.
"There you have it," says the mighty elf to the rest of you. "Any other questions you want me to ask while he's on the line?"
"Which ones?" Gilstrock says.
"It has to be a question that can be answered 'yes' or 'no'," says Valdar.
Occa laughs and says, "Right...that won't help us. How about this...'Are any of the weapons in this pile cursed?"
Valdar passes on the question.
"YES."
Regarding the treasure list, Pharian points out that that damned halfling had just been given the wand of illumination when he was whisked away.
"Curse his hairy feet the little runt!" Occa says.
"Are any of the non sheathed weapons cursed?"
"NO."
Gilstrock is still quite a ways from gaining a level. He will offer his services, free of charge, to any lower level fighter who wants training. "I could use the practise," Gilstrock says. "But if you can't find the equipment you need in the community chest, you gotta pay for it yourself," he adds.
Occa says, "I can train someone...maybe Phil still needs some assistance. Phil, do you? If not, I can train any other mages, except Stiff."
Phil replies to Occa, "The more help the better. I will be indiposed of due to my training for a few more days, until April 1st that is. After that the two of us can train the rest."
Phil tells Occa "That's OK. Stiff and I are both mages of the earlier type. We should still have all bases covered."
Lore smiles at Occa. "I need some training.", he says, obviously excited.
"I suppose I could also train someone in magic," says Pharian grudgingly.
Darian looks at Pharian's forehead. "Well, sir, if you would train me, I would be a very willing student."
Grinning like a school boy, Lore turns to Pharian..."Oh..that would be great", he says.
Pharian says, "I doubt that. You will find I am not a very patient teacher. Now, which one of you is Dorian and which is Lore?"
The elf dressed in dark robes and soft leather boots turns to Pharian and says, "I'm Lore."
"I'm Darian, not Dorian. You know... the one with a lot of questions?"
"Ah, yes," says Pharian. "And Lore is the whiner and the thief."
Lore, looking a bit ruffled, replies.."I may be a thief...but I don't whine."
Occa says, "Any 2nd edition mages out there?"
"Are any of the items in the pile I have denoted Miscellaneous cursed?"
"YES."
"Are any of the items in the pile I have denoted Reading materials cursed?"
"NO."
"Are any of the items in the pile I have denoted armor cursed?"
"NO."
"Are any of the items in the pile I have denoted potions cursed or poisonous?"
"NO."
Occa says to Valdar, "How many questions left?"
"Two."
Occa makes 2 piles of the miscellaneous items and says, "Are any items in pile B cursed?"
"NO."
If yes, then he will ask, "Are any items in pile A cursed?"
"YES."
"That's it for me," says Valdar.
Occa slaps his forehead and says, "Valdar, I said IF YES, then ask about pile A...the answer was NO, so you didn't need to ask. Oh well, I guess I wasn't clear."
"Oops. Sorry about that," says Valdar, and falls asleep.
He says, "Okay, well, we have narrowed down the items to 5 that could be cursed.....anyone have Augury?"
Op Code asks Valdar "Can you ask if this Rod that I have in my possession is useable by my class? Thanks."
"Not now. Ask Orlon." says the sleeping Valdar.
Occa chuckles and says, "Elves!" He smiles and says, "Okay, well, Orlon, do you have commune? Or you Salaam? We just need five more questions...and then one more for Op Codes rod."
Orlon will cast augury. "Oh Thor please help out our party." Looking at pile A:
pile A
ring ring
"Will wearing the first ring in this list be baneful to the wearer?"
"NO."
Op Code says "It looks like we have our winner. Tag that second ring and put it with the cursed items."
Occa says, "Ah, good." He takes the first ring out of the pile.
"Now the swords." He puts the two handed sword in a seperate pile and says, "Ask about the two handed sword...and then the other two swords."
Orlon tells Occa "But Valdar's commune told us that none of the swords are cursed."
Occa says, "Uh, maybe I misunderstood...are you sure about that? Let me re-examine my notes, if I still have them."
"Ahh...humm...I hate to bring this up, but since we've been talking about training, I really would love to find someone in the arts of lockpicking and secrecy to train with as well.", Lore says humbly.
Evening comes on.
Orlon does dinner for you...though by now you may be getting tired of his pizzas with the half-cooked crusts...
Night falls. It is a cold one, and as the hours pass the clouds start to break up and the moon - a day past full - illuminates the hollow with a silvery light.
Eventually you all turn in...