You make your way through the city gate and into the barren wastes of the Blasted Lands following the Ochre River. You know from your previous treks that if you don't run into trouble or deviate from the direct path to the ruins, you should arrive on the morning of your third day of travel.

Nearing the end of your first day of travel, as the sun begins to get lower in the sky you once again catch sight of a pack of some kind of dog-like animal in the distance, gathered on a low ridge. The last time you saw them they ran off; this time they continue to follow you at a distance and the pack seems larger.

 Fetcher spotted the  pack of wolves, or some  such. He made ready his sling.

During the day's walk, Thea will attempt some small talk with Jax and Regan, trying to get a sense of their temperament and capabilities.

When the animals are spotted, Thea readies herself for potential battle, the mental matrixes necessary for the casting of certain spells at the forefront of her mind, even as she hopes an altercation can be avoided.

“Run off big dogs?” inquires the halfling with a reassuring hand on Saviour’s furry shoulder.

Not a care in the world.

Biror feels nervous and makes sure he can quickly bring out his weapon, should the need arise.

Slattery sighs and prepares his weapons. "Most wolves won't attack any prey that looks like it could fight back too hard, but we're on the road to a wizard's fortress so these might not be normal or sane wolves."

In reply to Slattery (msg # 6):

“Oh - OH! Wait for Crazy Ones *there* and jump outs-scream?” Kade proposes.


OOC: He’s (hopefully) pointing to the far side of a clearing (so they have a few rounds of ranged attacks), ideally with something in there to slow down the dogs in front of them? (a hilly slope/ravine, a splashing stream, or rocky terrain maybe?)

" Aye, why don't ye go over there and scare em of, Hobbit."

Hearing Slattery, Biror brings out his ax.

In reply to Fetcher (msg # 8):

So of course Kade does, whooping all the way.

OOC: Trotting off to the proposed ambush-site with Saviour gallivanting around her new alpha
This message was last edited by the player at 00:17, Tue 12 Sept 2023.

You’ve been walking in mostly open terrain with some ridges and low mesas capped by resistant rocks here and there. There are some boulders and rock piles that could be used for cover, but not much else. The pack of wolf-like creatures is currently positioned on a low ridge about 200 yards away. You can make out about a dozen of them. There isn’t much between you and them. You are near the river, but would need to ford it to put it between you and the pack.

Kade moves off toward a mass of rock halfway between your group and the pack. You notice the pack becomes more agitated and a few move down the ridge in your direction.

Biror, becoming more nervous, addresses the magic users: "Isn't there a way to repel them in some way?"

Once at the back of the place, the colourful Halfling starts jump-climbing up the huge slabs of tumbled rocks, helping Saviour up in the rougher part.

"Come-Come!" he calls to those that hesitate, slightly out of breath but still smiling. "BIG rock BEST place around. Trust Kade! Oh, and dark coming too!" Sun starting to bloat over the western hills.

He himself turns back towards the newly-named Wolf Ridge, blustery wind in his face as he stands on the leading edge of the pile and looks across at the coming foe...

Saviour begins to growl.


OOC: Make it so the wolves have to go through/climb up the max distance to get to them. That's the plan (The original idea was to move *ahead* to an ambush site, but ah well: you take what you can get :) )

What can he tell about the dog-things now that he's closer? Any obvious leader (leaders?)? Anything unusual about this pack that he can see, hear or smell?

"One of them, perhaps, and it would be no sure thing, especially if these are not normal wolves, or are being compelled by some outside force," Thea responds.  "And failure would only enrage the target wolf even further."

As the animals draw closer you can see that, while they appear wolf-like, they are more reptilian in nature and bear long, saber-like teeth. There is one larger individual that is leading the group that has come down the ridge, six in total now. They are now about 50 yards from Kade's position (he is 100 yards from the rest of the party).

 Fetcher deployed his sling. A lead bullet was placed in the sling's cup. He twirled the sling and let fly at one of the dog creatures.

18:30, Today: Fetcher rolled 29 using 2d6+25 with rolls of 1,3.  Sling bullet at dog like creature.



18:30, Today: Fetcher rolled 29 using 2d6+25 with rolls of 1,3.  Sling bullet at crdog like creature.

At which point Kade looks back, puzzled: the others are all still a hundred yards away, seemingly frozen on the spot where they first noticed the reptile-beasts... He's beginning to have a bad feeling about this.

"What we do, Saviour?"

Eyes fixed, Saviour begins to slow-bark at the approaching wolves, low and growly.

And where is Insect Girl? She would know what to do!

As the beasts are not yet within range of her destructive magicks, Thea begins moving toward the area of rocks where Kade has made his way to, hoping that the others will follow so that they can work together more effectively, and not have any of their number in the open when the dreatures do attack.

Biror follows Thea and Kade, without making much fuss.

Slattery slowly moves towards the rocks, moving as casually as possible so as to not attract attention.

Kade smiles *very* wide at that first group, not able to hide a bit of relief...

Then the little halfling joins his own holler to Saviour's barking with a vengeance -- a distinctive, tribal yoddle-shout meant to attract beastly attention away from the others!

"Come - Come and get Kade if BIG enough!"


OOC: Distract the pack's attention while the others get there, firing-in a sling bullet at any beast that starts taking an interest in the group's backfield. Doesn't matter if it hits so long as it distracts :)

08:20, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 4 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  ToHit Distraction carnifex (Dex 24).

Fetcher hurled a sling bullet at the advancing predators, but the shot just missed the one in the lead. He did manage to catch it's attention, however.

As the rest of the group advanced across the open ground toward Kade's position in the rocks, the animals began to trot forward.

Kade's shot went high and wide and the reptile-dogs did not seem to take notice.

OOC: At the end of this turn you are within 50 yards of the creatures.

20:57, Today: GM, on behalf of Fetcher, rolled 7 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  sling shot.

Thea unleashes a small portion of her mystical reserve at one of the beasts - not the leader, but the one nearest it - in a destructive blast, now that the creatures are in range.  She doesn't expect her actions to slay the animal, whatever it may be, but she does hope to get a sense for just how durable and tough these creatures may be.

Level 1 TTYF, 1 WIZ expended, 16 pt damage

Kade tries again, moving on to mild-insults of their general ancestry. (Besides him Saviour’s barking has gone up too, although she doesn’t seem at all inclined to charge off after them for some reason.)

And, “Where is Insect Girl?”

19:01, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 10 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Slinging away at the same wolf (Dex 24).
19:03, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 51 using 2d6+41.  Sling Damage.

OOC: Is there any vegetation clinging to these rocks (stunted shrubs, dry grass and/or moss)? Anything to light a small fire?

"Well, she didn't see fit to stay with this Motley Crew" answers Biror without looking at the halfling, looking in every direction with anxious looks, expecting the worse from the incoming wolves.

Melissa did indeed decide to stay in Dunnold when you left for the ruins, as did Odhran.

As the rest of the party (Thea, Biror, Slattery, Fetcher) advanced on the approaching pack, Thea unleashed a bolt of energy at the creature to the left of the apparent leader. The blast seared a deep wound along the creatures flank and it quickly turned and ran back up the ridge. The rest the pack visibly flinched in response to the blast and stopped in their tracks.

Atop the ridge, Kade released another sling bullet, now at much closer range. The bullet hit the creature to the right of leader in the head. The rest of the party could hear the crack of the impact and the creature dropped to the ground, dead or unconscious.

The leader of the pack held it's ground, but the remaining three followers began to mill about fall back a few yards.

Quickly looking around, Kade saw no sign of vegetation on his rock outcrop or anywhere nearby.

”That right! We STRONG! Hide-shake, nose in tail!” mocks Kade.

To help them in their decision, a fat clay container rolls down his arm and goes sailing through the air, tumbling head-over-heels -- acompanied by another yoddle-shout!

OOC: Tossing one of the solvent containers at the lead beast, not so much for damage, but to literally try to skunk the heck out of the leader and those around him with the strong fumes. :)

19:54, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 11 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Skunk is as a skunk does (Dex 24).
19:55, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 50 using 2d6+41.  Damage if needed.


“Who Ma-teleh Karu? Be name of our family?” Kade Ma-Teleh Karu...
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Thu 28 Sept 2023.

Comforted a little by the flight of most of the pack, Biror goes from behind his comrades in the open and shows his weapons in an attempt to impress its leader. He hopes to make him back off, after seeing that he is now outnumbered.

Pleased (and admittedly somewhat surprised) that the beasts did not seem as tough or as fearless as they had first appeared, Thea targets another one of the creatures with a blast of magical energy similar to the one she had struck its packmate with seconds earlier.

Again, Level 1 TTYF, 1 WIZ expended, 16 pt damage

Kade's jar of solvent sailed down onto the head of the pack leader and shattered covering it in the noxious fluid. At the same time Thea's magical blast hit it square in the chest.

As if sensing that the party was not the easy meal it had intended the leader and its remaining followers retreated back up the ridge.

Most of the pack vanishes from sight, but one remains on top of the ridge, watching you.

OOC: Combat is effectively over. You can continue on your way to the ruins or chase after the reptilian wolves.

"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been," Thea acknowledges.  "We'll definitely want to have people on guard while we get some sleep, perhaps on overlapping watches."

Thea then tries to remember if she has ever read or head of creatures matching the ones they saw.

17:25, Today: Thea Schreiber rolled 11 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Trying to identify reptilian creatures, IQ SR.

Kade charges down the pile of rocks with a suddenly self-assured Saviour, shouting and whooping to drive the last wolf-thing away!

22:12, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 9 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Scare/annoy tactics (Cha 11).

Whether successful or not, the wild halfling will stop abruptly at the downed wolf-thing with a laugh and finishes it off with a swat if his obsidian club-sword-thing.

Then he starts preparing it, tossing choice bits of meat and gristle to an excited Saviour now and then.

“Strange fur for Kade’s family!” he calls back to the other, hands bloody up to his elbow. Then he spots the saber toothes... and starts looting that as well!


OOC: Kade will take as much of the meat as possible, plus the scaly “fur” (for resale to the tannery maybe? Or for a special item?) and the two large ivory tooth as well of course!

Always surprised by the halfling's reactions, Biror jumps when he sees him charge. Grumbling, he still acknowledges that collecting the available fur is a good idea.

Should the party camp later when the night comes, the dwarf will volunteer to take first watch.

Kade cheerfully volunteers Regan and Jax for watch duty. “Training for stone house!”

Thea seems to recall hearing about such creatures in Dunnold; the locals called them gorgonopsians, or gorgos. They stalks the wastelands in packs and hunt whatever they can find. Given the general lack of like in the wastes, there are not that many of them.

Kade's antics do not drive off the last of the gorgos. It remains watchful up on the ridge. It remains even as Kade begins to butcher the fallen beast.

Kade quickly finds the meat to be tough, sinewy, and generally unpleasant smelling. Savior sniffs at the offered piece and leaves it on the ground. The hide is difficult to remove, but Kade manages it after a while along with the two large canine teeth.

”We go? To stone house! To save Kade’s family!” He ties the two front paws around his slim neck, scaly pelt flapping behind him.

That should help it to dry some.


OOC: Push on until we find a spot where we can make a fire and camp safely? Near the water maybe?

For once Biror nods at Kade's words. "Let's move. We dwelled in these parts long enough!" says the dwarf, always intimidated when he doesn't have a ceiling above him.

"Once more unto the wizard's fortress!" says Slattery, and he starts walking with the others.

"Unto!" agrees Kade, trying to match the other one's tone.

You trudge on through the rest of the day, as does the last of the gorgos. It keeps its distance from you, but is always in sight.

You find a secure place to camp and keep a steady watch. During the night you hear sounds of struggle in the distance, but nothing approaches.

In the morning the gorgos are nowhere to be seen. Moving on along the trail you stumble across the remains of a large gorgo, bones stripped clean. The patches of hide that remain on the ground smell strongly of Kade's solvent.

The rest of your journey to the ruins is uneventful and you find yourselves once more at the entrance to the dungeon. Descending the stairs you come to a familiar crossroads with passages leading north, west, and south (the stair lead back up to the east).

OOC: I did not roll up any more wilderness encounters so I simply pushed you along. Each character has used up two days worth of provisions. You are currently at the base of the stairs marked "Entrance" on the level 1 dungeon map.

"Died from not-spider juice?" frowns the halfling, not really understanding... "Strong-STRONG!"

Then he loots *its* saber tooth too!



Kade smiles excitedly as he takes out a crude clay toy – probably/possibly a dog? – and presents it before Saviour's nose: "Sniff-sniff, Lakulmia, find Kade's family..."

Will all the Fetch and Find games along the way have been enough? It's been only three days after all...

OOC: Follow the Leader if Saviour goes anywhere
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Fri 13 Oct 2023.

Biror looks at the entrance with a mixed feeling of relief and apprehension. Ready to step in, he still casts a curious eye at Kade and his pet, interested by the outcome of their interaction.

"From family," explains that worthy -- maybe to Biror, maybe to Saviour, probably both? He waves the once-colourful toy enticingly, eyes bright: "Full of smell! Fall from bag. Terrible-Horrible monster bag. Kade pick up." Definitively to Biror on that last bit.

Savior sniffs the offered toy and then sniffs around the floor, waling in a circle. He then sits and stares at Kade. Perhaps it has been too long to preserve a scent trail in this place?

Others in the party recall a deal with Grynn-Lar the demon to recover a key from a certain rock troll.

OOC: The game map has been updated. The southeastern corner remains unexplored and several rooms were examined but bypassed or not fully cleared (Pentacle, Glowing Green Orb, Goblins, Magic Diamond, Coffin Room, Fountain Room, Junk Room, Pit Room, Rock Troll).
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:18, Sat 21 Oct 2023.

Sadness; hopes broken...

"Let's go left" proposes Biror. "There is much of these tunnels that we didn't explore yet in that area."

"Who Grin-Lor?" questions a still-downcast halfling.

When it's explained to him, he starts brightening back up: "Strong-strong atama? Like one in Kade's Wa-King stick?" He shows off the demon--god carvings on his staff. "Gives big-BIG gifts?"

And what does our halfling want right now?


OOC: Kade will follow-lead Biror down the left corridor (and then left again down the stairs?)

You head south to the intersection and then turn east descending a shallow set of steps that turns back to the south. After 30' you come to the base of the steps and see a door set in the east wall. Another 30' south you see the corridor ends at a door.

Biror checks if the door is closed, and if anything can be heard from what is behind it.

"No worry, Lakulmia," Kade reassures, face close and with a comforting scratch at the back of her head. "We try and try until find them! Find them all!"

Now that they've gotten farther away from the light of the entrance, he pauses at the corner to quickly light the brand new storm lantern dangling on a ring at the end of the Wa-King stick. Dusky amber light floods a small sphere around him as he swings back into the lead: "Big-BIG looting ahead!" he enthoused.

OOC: Kade will observe Biror doing his thing with bright-eyed interest, then open the east door once he's given the all-clear

Biror's careful inspection of the door reveals nothing and he hears no sounds coming from the other side.

Opening the door, you see a 30' x 20' chamber. Hanging on the far east wall is a bronze mask depicting a smiling face. Thea senses magic emanating from the mask. Otherwise the chamber is empty.

Biror tries to remember if the mask reminds him of something or someone. He looks up if there are other doors in the room.

Meanwhile a smiling Kade is pocking at the floor with the end of his Wa-King stick, like a boatman testing the depth of a lake, see if he can make the face not-smile. "Kade would put hole here <jab>... Or <jab> here?"

OOC: Test the floor before entering, and then in front of him to the east wall, left of the mask.
         Can he tell how the mask is suspended without removing it?

 Fetcher stood ready, weapon posed.

Biror does not recognize the face depicted by the mask. Looking around he sees not other doors. The only feature in the room is the mask.

Kade moves into the room, prodding the floor in front of him. Moving to the far end of the chamber he sees that the mask is simply hanging from a hook set in the wall.


11:14, Today: GM, on behalf of Biror, rolled 6 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  SR on IQ13.

Thea studies the mask intently, trying to discern the nature of the magick of the mask.

Casting Omnipotent eye, expending 1 pt of WIZ)

"No hole? No green? No slashy-slash knives?" Like at the Angry One's statue... Throwing up a hand, "Room not finished!"



Hm...? Kade looks between a staring Thea and the masks; the mask and a staring Thea...

"Pretty One know him?" He reaches up on his tipy-toes to nudge the mask off its hook <Unless someone suddenly stops him, of course :)>

If not, anything on the back of the mask now that they can see it?

Thea's magical probing of the mask only reveals that it possesses some type of transformational enchantment. She can't tell exactly what it does, but the magic is strong.

Kade reaches up and knocks the mask off of the hook. The mask has a leather strap on the back so it can be secured to the face.

"Oh, I gotta see which idiot wants to try that on" Slattery mutters. He keeps an eye out to make sure no traps suddenly go off.

Kade smiles at that, strange eyes brightening: "Strong?" Without further ado, the little Halfling presses the mask to his face, looking through the eyeholes with unbounded interest.

OOC: The strap is just hanging down for now though (i.e. he hasn't put it at the back of his head just yet)

Biror is tempted to roll his eyes, but he is too curious to see what's happening next with Kade.

"Hoo boy," Thea mutters under her breath.

As Kade lifts the mask to his face a sudden charge fills the air and a small bolt of lightening shoots from the mask to Kade. The bolt sears a deep scar across Kade's left cheek (2 CON damage) and the hobbit drops the mask in surprise.

Biror jumps at the lightning bolt noise, then goes over to Kade to check on him. "Are you OK lad?" he asks.

"Ayol, ayol!" Kade exclaims while furiously rubbing at his cheek, although frankly more surprised than truly hurt. "Pinches! Mask no like Kade? What wrong with Kade, Mask?"

Saviour, in full accord, barks a few times at the offending piece of accoutrement.


OOC: He'll stand still long enough if Biror wants to examine the damage on his cheek (?)

If there's nothing special about the scar, visually or otherwise:

"Kade look like strong fighter now," laughs the halfling without a care in the world before thanking Biror with a friendly grip-and-shake. He picks up the sometimes-electrical item: "Who want to try Mask now? Maybe get lucky and Mask like you!"


OOC: If there's no takers, Kade will stash the bronze mask in his loot pile and then move on. Down the south corridor to the next door?

A sudden thought: Is the mask still magical? Can Thea tell?

Biror is not particularly interested by the mask for now, and is ready to move on.

The mask still emits the same level of magical energy and Kade's wound does not appear to be out of the ordinary; simply a deep and intense burn along his cheek.

With no other takers, Kade loads the mask into his pack and you move on to the south.

Arriving at the door you do a quick check and find nothing out of sorts. The door opens to reveal a large 50' x 30' chamber with additional doors in west and east walls. The chamber is completely empty as far as you can tell.

"Not finished again?" questions Kade, eyes bright.

No sight, no smell, no sound of anything untoward?

If not:

Our mighty halfling wanders in, testing the ground before with just his feet this time before signaling the others to follow.

OOC: Heading towards the right door (West).

Kade looks, sniffs, and listens while standing in the doorway, but notices nothing off putting.

The hobbit steps into the chamber and does not fall through any pitfalls. Once at the west door he opens it to reveal another corridor leading west. About 40' down the corridor there is a door in the northern wall and another corridor that leads south. The western corridor continues on into darkness.

OOC: See the updated game map.

Reaching the intersection, our little adventurer pulls out the toy dog again: "Sniff-sniff, find-find?" he tries again.

OOC: Trying to find signs of his family/the monster's passing with the help of Saviour.
         Can he see anything new from the intersection?
         He'll follow the other's lead for the rest

Kade and Savior advance west toward the intersection. Savior does his best sniffing the toy and the floor, but does not indicate that he has found a trail.

The door in the northern wall is rather large and bound with iron.

The passage south leads down a shallow set of stairs for 30' and ends at another door.

The passage west continues for another 40' where there is another intersection with a passage south and a door to the north (an area that has been explored, if not cleared).

Biror seems to somehow recognize the corridor, but from another direction. He checks the north door and, if he finds nothing threatening, he attempts to open it.

Ruffling of dog fur. "Good dog, Lakulmia. Us try again, until we find!"

It would take more than a few set-backs to dampen his mood. It was his family after all!

OOC: Ready with weapons for the door opening, although he's fully expecting another empty room at this point :)

Slattery gets his bearings, and thinks he knows where they are. He has his usual level of paranoia every time someone opens a door.

Biror checks the door, but notices no sign of danger.

Upon opening the door, Savior's begins to growl. Inside the chamber, seated around a large table and facing the door is a massive ogre and two orcs. Several crates are scattered around the room along with a rug covered mound in the far northeastern corner, and a fountain in the southeastern corner. Hanging from the ceiling are various cuts of meat.

"Heard you all outside," the ogre says in rough common. "Don't try to run. We'll hunt you. Hand over your treasure and you can go."

18:08, Today: GM, on behalf of Biror, rolled 7 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  L1SR LK 11.

Hoping that the others recognize what she is doing and take proper advantage of it, Thea casts a spell at the large humanoid to slow him, seeking to make their leader vulnerable during the opening fray of the battle before them.

OOC: casting Glue You on the ogre, 4.WIZ expended.

Biror immediately brings out his weapons and gets ready to fight the orcs, keeping an eye on the ogre.

Kade thumps his small chest: "WE kill Angry One dead god. YOU handover treasu- uh." But by then the two orcs are already charging <I'm going to assume?> so he quickly whips off a sling stone at the head of the muscle-bound brutes instead. "Listen to Kade!"

OOC: 12:01, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 9 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Opening argument with sling stone (Dex 24).
12:01, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 49 using 2d6+41.  Sling Damage.

Charging the larger of his two blades with eldritch energy, Slattery delivers a lethal strike.

OOC: 00:48, Today: Slattery rolled 41 using 11d6+2 with rolls of 6,5,3,5,1,6,5,1,1,1,5.  Slattery attack with Whammy on shortsword.

Biror elects to use his magic dagger, and jumps into melee.


10:43, Today: Biror rolled 33 using 5d6+21 with rolls of 2,2,1,1,6.  Dagger and Ax attack.

As Thea's spell takes effect, the ogre's evil grin vanishes.

"Wizards not fair!" he yells as he struggles to gain his feet. "Scragg, Mortice, kill them!"

The two orcs leap out of their chairs with axes in hand and charge.

Kade's sling bullet hits one of the orcs in the skull, sending it reeling as Biror, Slattery, Fetcher, Jax, and Regen pile in with blades and axes.

The orcs are outnumbered but tough. As you slash at them you realize that they wear scale armor beneath their rags. Both remain standing after the onslaught, although one appears critically injured the other only received minor wounds.

Biror, Slattery, Fetcher, and Jax all receive minor wounds (1 spite damage each).

The ogre finally gets to his feet and raises a pair of maces.

"My turn!"

OOC: Round 2. This turn the ogre is able to attack.



20:37, Today: GM, on behalf of Fetcher, rolled 39 using 5d6+22 with rolls of 2,6,6,2,1.  attack.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:00, Tue 28 Nov 2023.

Biror figures that the team needs to take down the orcs as fast as possible to have a better chance with the ogre. He uses Vorpal Balde on his weapons before striking again.

15:39, Today: Biror rolled 50 using 10d6+21 with rolls of 3,1,5,5,1,1,2,2,5,4.  Ax and dagger attack with Vorpal Blade.

While keeping her eye on the ogre (and her distance, if possible), Thea tries to finish off the more seriously injured orc with a blast of eldritch energy, so that the boys can more effectively deal with the other orc and the ogre.

OOC: Level 1 TTYF against the badly injured orc, 1 WIZ expended, 16 points of damage.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:45, Wed 29 Nov 2023.

Meanwhile the halfling is trying to get in but can't, considering the number of combatants in the room. "Too much tall!"

Not pausing for too much thought, he drops down to all fours and starts push-crawling and roll-prying his way through the sea of stomping legs and clashing weapons - "Ayo. Coming through. Get feet off Kade's hand!" - until he's come round the side of the room and there's enough space for him to slide-hop on top of the the large wooden table, scattering whatever had been piled there.

"A-ha!" Breaking the wax seal on his father's tooth, our mighty halfling ran off and jump-attacked the nearest expanse of dirty green skin!

OOC: Attacking with poisoned dagger. If we manage to cause damage this round, our opponents (or just the ogre maybe?) will be poisoned with Spider Venom.
19:30, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 35 using 2d6+2+29 with rolls of 2,2.  Dagger of fatherly love.

Slattery mutters arcane words of power as he fights, continuing to enchant his blade. While he is glad he has practised his spellcasting, he is worried how quickly the feat exhausts him.

OOC: 23:59, Today: Slattery rolled 45 using 11d6+10 with rolls of 4,5,2,3,3,5,3,2,3,1,4.  Slattery attack with Whammy on shortsword, correct adds this time.
4 WIZ spent this turn, 4 last turn - he's down to 4 out of 12!

OOC: A couple of corrections before continuing...

Biror, you rolled one die to many. You should have 9d6 between your two weapons and one Vorpal Blade spell. I'll remove the last "4".

Slattery, Whammy costs 10 WIZ so you were down to 2 WIZ after the first casting and you only get 5D6 in combat at this point. I'll count the fist five dice you rolled.

As the melee continues, the Ogre, while slowed, makes it's presence known. The pair of maces smash into shields and drive you back a few paces and delivering a few minor wounds (1 spite to Fetcher, Jax, and Regen). But then Thea blasts the severely injured orc with magical power and it crumples to the floor. Kade manages to slip and slide his way through the chaos to drive his poisoned dagger into the back of the other orc (L1SR on LK, 19 AP). It stops mid-strike, paralyzed by the envenomed blade. The ogre takes a few good wounds as well, but not enough to take it down.

OOC: One orc is dead, the other is paralyzed and cannot act. The ogre cannot act this next round due to the Glue You spell. If you wish to kill the ogre and orc you may easily do so.

OOC2: I had Kade deliver the poisoned dagger to the orc, as the venom only affects human sized creatures of smaller.

12:58, Today: GM, on behalf of Kade SpiritShaker, rolled 19 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  L1 SR LK 27.

12:56, Today: GM rolled 38 using 6d6+10 with rolls of 5,3,6,6,4,4.  Jax and Regen attack.

12:55, Today: GM, on behalf of Fetcher, rolled 43 using 5d6+22 with rolls of 6,6,2,2,5.  attack.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:14, Sat 02 Dec 2023.

Thea moves forward to slit the throat of the orc, leaving the others to finish off the ogre.

16:44, Today: Thea Schreiber rolled 16 using 2d6+7 with rolls of 3,6.  Dagger vs paralyzed orc.

"Why we not kill you?" asks Kade of the surrounded ogre, eyes bright with the thought of *even greater* treasure.

Biror was about to slay the ogre, not liking the size and ugliness of him, but he stops his move at the last minute, waiting for his answer to Kade's question. Maybe he knows something of interest?

The ogre's eyes narrow as Thea cut the throat of the remaining orc and it perishes.

"You not softees after all," the ogre says with a growl. "You take my chest. You let me go, I tell you about the trap. And I tell you about secret place with the best loot."

Biror grumbles, but otherwise is ready to let the ogre go.

"Speak first, fiend!"

"Best loot?" echoes the halfling excitedly before looking at the others: "Us do, us do!"

He ruffles Saviour's fur as she comes.to rub against him.

"Chest there," the ogre says pointing toward the large mound covered by a rug. "You turn head on front of chest two times and no trap."

"Let me go to door and I tell you about other big treasure. Then I go."

Biror grumbles again but won't forbid the ogre to move towards the door.

Kade is already at the chest, turning the copper-bearded head twice.

The ogre moves his way to the doorway, flanked by your party.

"Go south from here to big room. Door to east only open to magic. That's the way to the big treasure."

With that the ogre backs out of the door and runs to the west.

Kade makes his way to the mound in the corner without hesitation. With the help of Jax and Regen he pulls the heavy rug away to reveal a massive chest. Set in the front of the chest is an iron image of bulls head. Kade turns it and then opens the chest.

Inside is a mass of treasure. In coins there are 800 gp and 500 sp. There are also two swords, a hand axe, a mace, a warhammer, a suit of mail, and a suit of scale armor. There is also a suit of scale armor and a short sword that Thea senses are magical.

The Halfling jerks away from the sight of the chest with a start: "Eh BIG Green One see others like KaDE DOWN HERE?!" His voice rising to a shout as it tries to catch-up with the fleeing ogre, hand on the side-jamb of the door.


After he's gotten his answer, or not, he dives both hands into the loot and lets it drip down, laughing. In the next few moments he tries out the magical suit of scale armor – *much* too big and HEAVY for him (I'm going to assume) – and swishes the various weapons through the air, including the magic short sword.

OOC: Does that react in any way? Any markings/engravings/decorations on them that might give a hint as to what they do? He'll also examine the rug, just for fun.

Reminder: There's also some crates, some meat hanging from the ceiling and a fountain in here, plus a table and some chairs :)

Biror's eyes glint when he sees the coins and magic items. He checks the short sword, to see how powerful and easy to use it is for him. He also takes a look at the warhammer and hand ax, to see if they could be good replacements for his current weapons.

Kade runs to the doorway and shouts to the ogre, but it is already out of sight. Where did it go?

The normal weapons and armor are all of good quality. Biror judges that the warhammer would be a significant improvement to his hand axe (5D6+1 vs 3D6+2). The hand axe is no better than the one he owns.

Kade and Biror take turns swinging the magic short sword and both find they have no issues using the blade. It does appear to add some extra power to their swings and the blade seems extraordinarily sharp.

The magic scale armor is indeed too heavy for Kade. While enchanted in some way, it has not made it lighter than normal.

The rug is old, heavy, and musty and bears a faded geometric design.

Jax and Regen stare in wonder and the pile of gold and silver.

Biror takes the warhammer if nobody reclaims it. He leaves the magic short sword, figuring he can make his blades sharp by himself. "Do we split the coins now, or does someone want to carry it all for now?" he asks around.

Thea takes a moment to clean the blood off of her dagger.

If she feels any embarrassment or shame over the immediate slaying of a helpless foe when the opportunity presented herself, while her compatriots actually negotiated an end to the fight without any further bloodshed on their part... the stern look on her face does not betray it.  Fortunately for her, none of her companions know any magicks that would allow them to read her thoughts at the moment.

OOC: of the non-magical weapons and armor that none of the PC's don't want or can use, is there anything Jax and Regan can use to upgrade their combat gear?,
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Sat 16 Dec 2023.

Slattery will try on the scale armour, see if it is better than the nonenchanted scale he is currently wearing.

"Looks pretty stylish, right?"

Jax and Regen are currently equipped with scale armor, a small shield, sword, and a dagger. Their preference is to fight with a weapon and a shield. Unfortunately, they don't have the strength necessary to be equipped with mail and use a shield. None of the remaining weapons are any better than their sword, each of them takes a hand axe just in case.

Thea uses her magic to assess the nature of the short sword and shield. Both are enhanced beyond their normal capabilities (Costs Thea only 2 WIZ for two castings of Omnipotent Eye - just a little hint/push on this one :)).

OOC: The scale armor can take 12 hits. The short sword gets 5D6.

Slattery had purchased a suit of mail in Dunnold before they left on this delve. The enchanted scale armor is equivalent to the mail, but does weigh much less and better suited for his roguish talents.

The coins are split up among your party and loaded into your packs.

A check of the crates reveals that they contain old provisions which look unappealing, four bottles of wine, and several more empty bottles of wine.

The meat hanging from the ceiling looks unsettlingly humanoid in nature.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:33, Sun 17 Dec 2023.

Kade straps the magical short sword next to his obsidian-toothed one, making him look like a small armory walking around.

"Sneaky One is Pretty One now," he agrees with a grin.


But meanwhile the Pretty One was frowning.

To Thea, a bit tentative: "Smile Pretty One: family won?"

Biror frowns at the food and shrugs at the exchange between Kade and Thea. "Let's move on" he proposes.

Thea was annoyed with herself.  That there had been a bit of a delay when the young mage had realized that the others had been politely waiting for her to discern the magicks of the treasure they had acquired.  This is no place for woolgathering, she thought somewhat ruefully to herself.


Thea allowed herself a somewhat wan smile.  "You make it work, Slattery."


"Yes," she says, after a moment's contemplation.  "Yes, Kade, we did."  And that's certainly better than the alternative.


"Yes, let's."

You finish gathering up the coins and any of the other items you wish to take and head back into the corridor.

There is the way south where the ogre indicated there was a "big treasure", the way west (toward Dypfri's chamber and the vampire room), and back to the east (toward the rock troll).

OOC: Indicate any of the remaining mundane equipment you want. There is still as suit of mail, a suit of scale, and two swords.

Kade and Saviour have remained behind though, having spotted the missed fountain as they went to exit.

"Water drip-flowing, Lakulmia." Rare treasure in the Blasted Lands up above. Here forgotten.

Almost inevitably, Kade approaches and boldly dips a finger in before having a taste.


OOC: Does it look/taste special?  Anything at the bottom of the fountain or up the mouth? Something else?

Biror is already exploring the south corridor, scouting ahead cautiously.

The water in the fountain is fresh and clean. Other than satisfying Kade’s thirst it has no effect; but it is a useful resource.

Biror scouts ahead down the corridor leading south. After 30 feet he comes to a door.

Kade and Saviour catch up about then. They join the bearded dwarf in pressing their ears to the door for a listen.

Hm...
OOC: Both of them have drunk their fill of fresh fountain-water :)

Biror examines the door as well, checking for any trap or information about what is behind.

Biror finds no traps and Kade hears no sounds. Opening the door reveals a square 30’ x 30’ chamber with a door set in the western wall. Set in the center of the eastern wall is a slab of dark stone.

"Hmm...I wonder if the dark slab is magical, or it's just a covered over entrance." Slattery ponders.

Taking that as her cue, Thea peers into the slab with her mystical senses.
OOC: casting Detect Magic, and if it is, Omnipotent Eye.

Thea does indeed detect magic coming from the stone slab. When she directs Omnipotent Eye upon the slab it suddenly starts to glow and then slides to the right to reveal a long dark passage leading to the east. You can feel a strange dry warmth coming from the passageway.

"We already know, I think, where the western door leads. But who is willing to lead into the east passage?" asks Biror, while peering at Kade.

The hafling laughs when the slab slid to the side, delighted. He then raises an enthusiastic arm at the dwarf's question -- Wa-king stick, lantern and all: "Kade!" Of course.

And off he goes in his brand new boots, bright eyes drinking-in everything they can.

OOC: Sneak his way to the east, please. Any strange smell or sound to go with the heat?.

"Good work Thea! That was slick. Now to...." Slattery stops what he is saying as Kade gets into the tunnel before Slattery can start moving. Slattery shakes his head, and prepares to follow in case Kade gets into trouble.

Biror follows the halfling, his eyes wide open and ready to react to anything odd or hostile.

"Umm, I didn't actually do anything to open that passage," Thea notes, albeit perhaps a bit too late.

She follows along, wary of a trap, sticking close to Jax and Regan as she does so.

Kade scouts ahead, listening intently and sniffing the air but noting nothing unusual other than the warmth coming.

After traveling 70’ the corridor opens into a rectangular, 30’ x 60’ chamber. On either side of the entryway, there is a carving of a humanoid figure with a dog’s head. The chamber is intensely hot and dry, and you begin to sweat profusely as soon as you enter.

The center of the chamber is dominated by a large stone sarcophagus. At the foot of the sarcophagus is a pot with a burning flame. The pot is flanked by a pair of stone cats. On either side of the sarcophagus is a large urn. Thea can sense magical energy coming from all of these items.

On the far side of the room you can see words carved into the eastern wall.

Biror leaves the magical items to Thea for now, looking first at the humanoid shaped carvings to see if he can find interesting details, then approaching the far side to have a look at what is written there.

Slattery gets into a defensive stance in case any of the statues come to life. He is not going forward to read the writing on the wall, just in case there's a trap located at optimum viewing distance.

After noting to the others the magical nature of the sarcophagus, pot, stone cats  and the urn, Thea cautiously moves forward to see if she can read the writings on the eastern wall.

OOC: languages include Common, Wizard's Cant, Elvish, and Draconic

In reply to Slattery (msg # 126):

Others are not so careful.

"Room finished!" Kade enthuses, patting the two dog-human statues affectionately as he and Savior walked through. Animated statues are apparently not part of his cultural background.

Then he slows down abruptly as the heat increases so very quickly...

"Hot?" puzzles the Halfling as he and Saviour begin to pant. "Like home? Sand-family home."

OOC: Curious, Kade will try to find the source of the heat by moving towards where it's hottest, and then examine whatever it is (the burning pot?)

Any markings, gems or carvings on the sarcophagus? Is the top a plain lid or the image of somebody?

The dog-headed humaniods are simply two-dimensional relief carvings in the wall on either side of the entrance, not three-dimensional statues. There is no response when Kade touches them, but he is unable to reach their heads as they are six feet tall. Biror notes that each of the humanoids holds a staff and a cross-shaped symbol with a oval on top.

Moving to the far side of the room, Biror and Thea can see the writing. It is written in Wizard's speech, so Thea is able to understand it's meaning. It appears to be a riddle:

My first is in Ghost, but not in Ghoul.
My second's in Spirit, but isn't in Stool.
My third is in Death, but not in Good Deal.
My fourth is in Lich, but isn't in Heal.
My fifth is in Haunt, but isn't in Tooth.
My sixth is in Onyx, but isn't in Youth.
What am I?

Kade feels the heat coming from all around; there is no definite source that he can pick out.

The top of the sarcophagus is indeed decorated with a carving of an old human male in robes and holding a staff. Kade also sees that the lid is sealed tp the lower part of the tomb with a thick layer of wax.

Thea reads the words aloud, for the benefits of the others, uncertain at first of her own ability  to deduce the particular riddle.

And then she smiles, as the nature of this particular test is in and of itself a clue to the answer.

"Ah, of course," she says, with a certain amount of pleased satisfaction.  "A sphinx."

Biror listens to Thea's reading, then to the answer to the riddle, which made him at the same time enlightened and look at the wizard with renewed admiration. His attention quickly turns to the sarcophagus though, as he wonders if spelling out the solution will have any effect on it.

"What 'Sufinxu'?" questions Kade, presently busy hoisting himself on top of said sarcophagus to get a better view. (I'm imagining it being roughly as big as he is tall or thereabout?) Magic word?

OOC: Anything else visible from standing atop the sarcophagus, including sarcophagus, ceiling above and back towards the way they came?

As Thea says the word "Sphinx" a section of the east wall glows and then vanishes, revealing a dark and dusty corridor. The sarcophagus is unaffected.

Kade manages to scramble atop the sarcophagus without harm and scans the room. Looking over his head, Kade can make out various spot of twinkling light in hte ceiling almost like stars.

Biror starts to investigate the first meters of the newly revealed corridor.

Slattery offers to help Kade up to the ceiling if he wants to investigate the starry effect on the ceiling.

Kade oooes appreciatively. Impressive!

And he certainly does want a boost to the ceiling.

A laugh: "Push high, Sneaky One! High-high! Push Kade to night sky!"


OOC: if they're crystal/gems he'll try to pry one out. If they're holes he'll try to see through first and then plug one with his finger, see what that does. If they're light reflexions he'll try to see off what by tracing it back with his hand.

  Do they maybe form some sort of pattern/constellation when looked at as a whole?

This message was last edited by the player at 00:36, Mon 15 Jan.

With a boost from Slattery, Kade is just able to reach the ceiling. He can see that the twinkling stars are small gems. Using a dagger he manages to pry the closest one loose and comes away with a small diamond. There are about 50 spread out around the ceiling of the chamber, although from on top of the sarcophagus and Slattery, Kade can only reach 10 of them.

Biror advances a short way into the newly revealed corridor and sees a door at the end about 20' away.

"Loot!" he enthuses with a big halfling grin, prying and prying until he can pry no more. Ten little diamonds for the party chest, which he drops down to Jax one-by-one as he works. But then he frowns at the rest of the constellation, desperately reaching out his hand... to no avail: "How we get rest?"

"We can always try to work out something later to retrieve more of the gems," Thea responds to the halfling, herself hardly immune to the lure that the wealth of the gems provides, "but we should probably first determine what lies beyond that door, before we devote too much of our attention here, to avoid getting surprised if anything shows up."

Kade gestures to Slattery that he want back down.

"Door," - going through motions - "BIGGER loot?" he questions as his feet hit the top of the big sarcophagus. He hadn't even considered that.

The little warrior excitedly hops off the large stone box, rolls the landing and takes a grand total of three steps before skidding to a halt again: "Oh. OH! Table! Big Green One table!" Pointing triumphantly at the remaining diamonds.

OOC: If nothing attacks when Biror opens the door, Kade will recruit Jax and Regen to go with him and retrieve the table from the Ogre room

Biror starts to investigate the door. He is about to open, provided nothing suspicious is detected, when he realizes people are busy looting the ceiling of the previous room. He comes back: "Are we exploring or what? There will be plenty of time to get gems from here when we have made sure these tunnels are safe!"

Kade seems to literally wilt, eyes big, mouth open in despair: "No loot until all tunnels safe?"

Even Saviour whines in sympathy.

Biror notes nothing out of the ordinary about the door at the end of the short corridor. He does feel relief from the intense heat of the chamber with the sarcophagus while he is investigating the door.

Kade's quick assessment of the height of the ceiling does suggest that table from the ogre's chamber would allow him to reach the rest of the diamonds. Although it may be a bit less stable than the sarcophagus.

Eager to get back to the best part of dungeoneering (the looting), Kade will rush to open the eastern door -- if Biror isn't quick enough to make it first :)

Biror adopts a defensive stance, wary of what might lurk behind.

Kade opens the door to reveal a 40' x 30' chamber. The doorway is in the southern end of the chamber. In the center northern wall is another door.

The walls of the chamber are decorated in brightly colored paintings of human figures engaged in all manner of activities. Farming, building, eating, fighting, sleeping, and drinking.

In the center of the chamber, standing on a pedestal of black stone is a large gold object that looks like a T with an oval on top.

Slattery spies a large gold object, starts to move forward, then stops himself.

"That looks so tempting, it's got to be trapped or cursed!" he exlaims. He looks at Kade.

"I know nothing will stop you from climbing on the big shiny thing, but be careful OK?"

Thea will try to ascertain if the object of gold is magical, and if so what the nature of that magic might be.  She will try to let the others what, if anything, she learns... hopefully before Kade touches the object or gets too close.

OOC: Detect Magic, and if necessary Omnipotent eye.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:39, Mon 05 Feb.

Biror disregards the golden object for now, and inspects the wall decorations in search of traps and secret doors.

Thea does indeed sense magic coming from the gold object. Her Omnipotent Eye reveals that it is enchanted with a limited summoning spell.

Biror engages in an inspection of the walls of the chamber, but finds no evidence of traps or of secret doors.

In reply to Slattery (msg # 147):

"Climb? Why climb?" puzzles back the Halfling. "Loot!"

"Oh!" Then he gets it and tilts his head way back to scan the ceiling, getting excited: "Diamond sky here too?"

OOC: Anything on the ceiling/high on the walls?

And: "Kade and Saviour always careful!" Of course. Unless somebody stops him, he closes-in on the base of the T and reverently reached out to touch the golden surface, peering up at it in wonder.

Kade will examine the object + pedestal, please
Just how large is the golden object? Is it fixed to the pedestal in some way? Does the pedestal look like it can move (up and down or across the floor)?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:47, Tue 06 Feb.

Biror will stop Kade to touch the golden object, waiting for Thea to tell what she knows about it.

"It's definitely enchanted," the young mage informs the others.  "There's some sort of summoning magick bound into it.  Perhaps not especially powerful, but still...". Her voice trails off for a moment, before she continues.  "I don't know if merely touching it would activate the summoning, or if other conditions would need to be met for that to occur."

While she lets the others digest the information she had related to them, she tries to remember from her training what particular magical and/or religious significance the golden object might indicate.

Pondering the orb ankh (IQ roll) - 13:22, Today: Thea Schreiber rolled 7 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system ((6 & 1)).
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Wed 07 Feb.

"Better not touch it yet before we know more..." suggests the dwarf, looking particularly intently at Kade. He then turns his attention to the north door, opening it if he does not find anything awkward about it.

Thea contemplate the strange symbol, trying to remember is she has seen it somewhere before (SR on IQ, success). She suddenly recalls from some ancient text that the symbol, referred to as an ankh, represents death and reincarnation.

Just then, Kade approaches the symobol and reaches out to touch it's surface. Biror quickly moves forward (SR on DEX, failure), but is not fast enough to catch the hobbit in time. As soon as Kade touches the golden ankh there is a rumble and a dark portal appears in each of the four corners of the chamber. Stepping out of each portal is a mummified human, wrapped in brown cloth, but seeming very much alive. They advance on you with grasping claws and gnashing teeth.


17:52, Today: GM, on behalf of Biror, rolled 4 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  L1SR DEX14

After loudly and very forcefully yelling some very unladylike expletives - and mentally berating Kade for his rashness - Thea channels no small amount of her magical energies into trying to destroy the mummified human coming from the northwest corner; she dislikes expending so much energy at once, knowing it may make her more vulnerable in the minutes to come, but she has little doubt that these... guardians?... will not be easy foes to defeat.

OOC: casting a Level 2 TTYF against the NW mummy, 8 WIZ expended (not certain of current total), 32 points of damage.

Kade tries stashing the whole of the golden ankh in his colourful belt, but it’s *much* too big and heavy.

"Back to there?" the halfling suggests instead with a point even as he whips out a container of glue and sends it crashing into the legs and feet of the mummy in the opposite corner (NE corner), hoping to slow it down.

OOC: Kade suggests moving back into the western corridor so only one or two mummies can attack them at a time?  He moves that way himself after tossing his first glue pot.

19:46, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 5 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Glue pot to the locomotion (NE mummy, DEX 24).
This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Thu 15 Feb.

Biror changes his plans and brings out his ax and dagger, casting Vorpal Blade on the ax. He strikes the closest mummy, aiming at taking it down as fast as possible.

11:02, Today: Biror rolled 50 using 10d6+21 with rolls of 2,2,2,5,1,1,3,5,3,5.  Ax and dagger attack with Vorpal Blade.

Slattery sighs, as the inevitable trap triggered by curiosity struck again. As he backs off towards the western corridor, he utters the magic words that activate the amulet that turns his skin to stone. With a greatly increased mass, he rains down blows on the mummies.

OOC: 17:32, Today: Slattery rolled 37 using 11d6+2 ((5,3,5,1,1,2,5,4,2,5, 2)). The amulet gives the extra 6d6, and lasts 2d6 rounds.

17:35, Today: Slattery rolled 8 using 2d6 ((2,6)). Amulet lasts for 8 rounds, but Slattery may not be aware how long it works for.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:35, Fri 09 Feb.

Thea blasts one of the mummies with an arcane blast; it staggers but does not fall.

Kade finds that the golden ankh is too large for him to pick up and stash; it is 3' tall and quite heavy. Failing this, Kade tosses one of his glue pots at the mummy to the northeast as he retreats to the corridor leading west, but his aim is off and it goes too wide to bind the mummies feet.

Biror enchants his axe once more and attacks the nearest mummy. Slattery activates his amulet for the first time. He feels a sudden flash of pain as his skin hardens followed by a surge of strength, which uses to start hacking at the mummies.

Jax and Regen join the line formed by Biror and Slattery.

The mummies prove to be strong and push the line back, slashing at your fighters with long claw-like nails. Your armor manages to save you, but each is injured nontheless. Biror's leather armor is unable to hold up to the punishment and is damaged (Each in the line takes 6 hits before armor + 1 Spite. Biror: -2 CON, -1 armor point; Slattery, Fetcher, Jax, Regen: -1 CON).

One of the mummies is badly injured by Thea's spell, but two others received only very minor wounds (1 spite each).

OOC: Character sheets have up-to-date CON and WIZ values.

Seeing his magic dwindle down after the first round, and the fierce resistance of the undead fiends the party is fighting gives pause to Biror. He keeps on fighting, but at the same time suggests: "Maybe a strategic retreat would be in order if we cannot conduct an orderly fight?"

11:13, Today: Biror rolled 40 using 5d6+21 with rolls of 4,1,3,5,6.  Ax and dagger attack.

"Yes, retreat good!" Thea yells, already attempting to go back through the small passageway they came in through.  She hopes that if the mummies follow them, that they can at the very least bottleneck them in the relatively narrow passageway, and she can perhaps use a Glue You spell to further restrict the movements of the undead guardians.

Until then, she unleashes another burst of magical energy at the mummy she injured earlier, albeit a less powerful one, in the hope that it at least finishes off one of them and reduces their numbers.

OOC: Level one TTYF, 1 WIZ expended (down to 5), 16 points of damage.

Slattery tries to get in front of the mummies and fend them off as he slowly backs towards the corridor, furiously trying to buy time for his colleagues while he is magically protected.

"Get into the corridor! I'll slow them down!" he cries.


OOC: 19:45, Today: Slattery rolled 49 using 11d6+2

Kade’s eyes go wide when he sees all the blood seeping from the wounds of his companions -- even the Old One’s armor is ripped! Reversing course, he weaves through retreating allies and around the side of the closing Cloth Men, the blade on his brand new sword slashing down at the back of the foes’ legs even as Saviour growlingly worries at the ends of their bandages, trying to unravel them!

“Kade and Saviour help too!”

OOC: Modified post #157 to reflect the size of the Ankh :)

Attacking Mummies with new short sword of sharpness:
12:27, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 45 using 5d6+29 with rolls of 1,3,5,3,4.  Back slash & dog.

You begin your fighting retreat back to the corridor that led you into this deathtrap. The mummies do not relent in their attack as you fall back. Kade, with Savior at his heels, darts back to help attack the mummies. Thea releases another bolt of magical energy from the rear of the group. You finally manage to get into the corridor, but it is a hard won position and the mummies overcome you once more.

The mummy that Thea has blasted twice looks severely injured. The others had taken very minor damage (spite damage).

Everyone engaged in fighting is injured. Slattery, Fetcher, Kade, Jax, and Regen each receive minor wounds (1 point spite each). Biror's damaged armor is damaged further (-1 armor) and he receives a slightly deeper cut (-2 CON). Poor Saviour also receives some of the mummies attention and is batted against one of the walls (-5 CON).

The party is now in the corridor. You can hold it with two human characters along with Kade or Biror (let me know who is in front) and only two mummies can get to you at a time.

Slattery insists on being at the front, yelling "Let me handle them while the amulet's still working!"
He tries to keep beating down the mummies.

OOC: 17:56, Today: Slattery rolled 44 using 11d6+10 ((4,2,6,3,1,2,4,3,5,3, 1)).
This message was last edited by the player at 17:57, Sat 17 Feb.

Gritting her teeth, Thea expends what is the last of her magical energy into slowing down the mummy that is at the forefront of entering the corridor, hoping that will aid in reducing at least one of their number, and as a result hopefully change the tide of the battle.

OOC: casting Glue You [4 WIZ expended, 1 pt of WIZ remaining] on one of the mummies that we're trying to bottleneck at the front of the corridor, preferably not the one she has already damaged with her TTYFs

“Lakulmia, noo!” cries Kade when his dog is injured.

Bent on fiery revenge, the little halfling seizes up the Wa-King stick he’d dropped by the side and swings it, the lit lantern at the end flinging off its hook and arching through the air towards the enemy.

"Take This from Kade Soul Mover!!"

OOC: Second row for Kade this round, please, freeing up a spot in front. Target all of the mummy’s if he can, closest one if not

12:28, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 11 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  A light in the sky (dex 24).

Nice!

This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Sun 18 Feb.

Biror stands next to Slattery and, inspired by Thea, makes use of his newly acquired spell to stop the mummy next to the one target by the wizard, hopefully grinding the whole group to a halt. He then strikes the closest foe, while his companions devise a plan to take advantage of the situation...

OOC: casts Glue You on the other front mummy.
11:02, Today: Biror rolled 35 using 5d6+21 with rolls of 5,2,4,2,1.  Ax and dagger attack.

With the mummies successfully funneled into the corridor, you get to work on the two in the lead. Thea and Biror use up their magical energy to slow down the first two mummies with their Glue You spells.

Meanwhile, from the rear, Kade hurls his lantern into the mummy mob. The lantern shatters and spread flaming oil over the mummies in the rear, setting their dry rags alight. While clearing taking damage, they seem not to notice.

In the front, Slattery, Biror, and Fetcher set to work on the slowed mummies. With the advantage of numbers and magic you overcome the mummies and deliver serious damage while receiving none yourself.

Jax and Regen stand guard with Thea at the rear of the battle.

With Kade's lantern smashed your only source of light are the flaming mummies.


21:24, Today: GM, on behalf of Fetcher, rolled 41 using 5d6+22 with rolls of 6,4,3,2,4.  attack. – 41

Sensing the party might have a strategic advantage from its strategic position, Biror continues the fight against the front mummies.

15:34, Today: Biror rolled 36 using 5d6+21 with rolls of 1,4,4,2,4.  Ax and dagger attack.

As there is little she can do at the moment, her magical energies spent, Thea gets out her own lantern and fills it with oil before lighting it, so that if they have to flee they won't have to do so blindly.

Slattery feels greatly encouraged by this, and decides to lay into the mummies with full fury while the magic amulet is still working. He is eager to finish the fight before the amulet ends.

OOC: 22:35, Today: Slattery rolled 61 using 11d6+10 ((6,2,6,5,6,4,6,4,5,5, 2))

"Cloth Ones burn!" Kade grimly celebrates.

Dropping staff and pulling out sling, he shifts left, he shifts right, but can't get a clear line through the tight melee!

Looking back at Regen and Jax with begging in his strange eyes,  he extends both his hands: "Up! Lift Kade UP so he can help!"


OOC: Asking for Jax and Regency to hoist him up so he can sit or stand on their shoulders and fire over the party's front line as they hold his legs steady. He might go and start climbing one of them if they are slow to catch on, IHHO, of course :)

If that works, target the closest free mummy if possible

08:33, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 5 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Pyramid of Kade (24 Dex).
08:34, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 48 using 2d6+41.  Sling damage.

Thea lights her lantern, providing new light to the battlefield beyond that of the burning dead.

Kade tries to climb up onto the shoulders of Jax and Regen, but given the close space of the corridor he is unable to get a clear shot at the mummies with his sling.

Slattery, Biror, and Fetcher continue to trade blows with the two lead mummies. Between their slowed state, the flames, and their combined effort the three warriors the two mummies are finally brought down. Fetcher manages to get hit in the exchange as well (1 point spite damage).

However, the two mummies in the rear quickly move up to continue their attack. Lucky for you both are on fire and the one on the left has been heavily damaged by Thea's magic.

OOC: Sorry Kade. I would have allowed that if you were in the open (outside or in a large chamber), but not in a corridor.

Thea keeps one eye on the corridor behind them, just in case something tries to sneak up on them while the boys hopefully dispatch the last two mummies.

"Sky is stupid!" he pouts with a thump at the offending piece of masonry.

The ceiling remains un-impressed <I'm going to assume ;) > so he slides back down, off his human steeds, disappointed. It had been such a good plan too!


Kade bounces eagerly at the back of the front line, rattling his weapons: "Switch? Swap? Let Kade in?"

OOC: If nobody wants to swap, he'll try to take advantage of the back-mummies moving up to tumble out into the room and attack them from the rear, maybe with the help of Dex save?

08:44, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 8 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Tumble dry halfling (Dex 24).
If needed, attack with short sword: 08:46, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 44 using 5d6+29 with rolls of 3,4,3,2,3.  Tailoring mummies
This message was last edited by the player at 13:57, Sat 24 Feb.

"Just die again you filthy, moth-eaten, desiccated bastards" screams Slattery, laying into the mummies.

OOC: 22:37, Today: Slattery rolled 47 using 11d6+10 ((4,1,1,6,1,6,4,3,6,3, 2))

Kade switches in for Biror on the front line as you battle the last two mummies. These, having not been magically slowed, prove a little tougher to beat but you eventually wear them down and stand victorious over their smoldering remains. You take a few more minor wounds for your efforts (2 points spite damage each to Slattery, Kade, and Fetcher).

In the wake of the battle silence returns to the tomb and the golden ankh remains. Although Thea notices that it no longer radiates magical energy.

OOC: Fast forwarded through a couple rounds of combat to speed up the inevitable.

Biror takes some time to rest, gather his energies and search the mummies' corpses before anything else. "This one was tough. It could have been a little easier if we were a little more prepared..." he says, while casting murderous eyes at Kade.

The little halfling doesn't notice though, rushing instead to Saviour's side as soon as the last mummies are dealt with!

OOC: How is she doing? Is she still alive?

Slattery groans, as the magic stone skin from the amulet didn't protect him from being bruised by the mummies. "Oww....magic protection doesn't work any better than plate armour, but it certainly made me hit harder. Shame that only works once a day. Can we rest up? I need some rest if I'm to heal up all these pesky bruises with magic."

"Yes.  Rest.". Thea's voice sounds a bit haggard as she speaks.  "My magic is completely spent at the moment."

Saviour raises her head and whimpers as Kade examines her. The dog is badly injured but is likely to survive.

Slattery groans as the magic of the amulet ends and his skin reverts to it's normal state. It's not a pleasant sensation, but it fades after a few moments leaving only the pain of his many injuries.

The party elects to take a rest. But where?

Biror proposes to stay put where the party is for a few minutes or a couple of hours, then move on towards the north door.

"Great dog, Lakulmia," praises the little guy as he pets her and gives her the best treat, wide halfling smile shining through tears of relief. Saviour starts getting the best patch-up job in the world, meaning it's highly enthousiastic and more than a little haphazard.


His doggy patchwork done for now, Kade's eager eyes start travelling over the newly-conquered room. He is most interested by the 4 portals, sticking his head into each to see where they lead, before switching to the four sprawled mummies, gaily unwrapping them with long pulls on tattered bandages and sharp knife cuts where needed.

He keeps it (theatrically) quiet all the while so the others can rest.


OOC: Are the portals still there? Were they magical or actual, physical portals? (Wasn't clear from the description)

If nothing on the mummies, he'll try to scratch the base of the anhk, see if it's solid gold or just plated? Can he lift the thing at all? Could Jax or Regen?

The portals were magical and temporary. There is no sign of where the mummies came from.

By stripping off the bandages from the mummies, Kade finds only desiccated corpses beneath.

The ankh is indeed made of real gold; Kade's blade bites into the metal revealing more beneath. It does appear to be quite heavy. While Kade cannot lift it, it is likely that a couple of the human warriors could do so.

Big-BIG grin goes with a whispered: "Big-BIG loot..."

It's a happy Halfling that goes to recruit Jax and Regen for a mini-expedition to the Big Green Room for that table to the diamonds in the sky.

OOC: Kade will re-venom his father's tooth and re-seal it in its sheath before plucking the rest of the diamonds from the ceiling of the sarcophagus room next door please.

Biror smiles at the halfling, figuring it's best to let him carry the heavy burden. He himself attempts to rest to recover health and magic energy before continuing the exploration.

Biror, Slattery, and Thea find places in the room with the golden ankh to sit and rest. Fetcher stands guard while the three focus on regaining their magical strength.

Meanwhile, Kade enlists Jax and Regen to return to the ogre's room. The trio passes through the tomb, sweating heavily once more in the stifling heat as they do so, and back out through the opened magic portal.

Moving north they arrive at the ogre's room but discover that it is not empty.

Standing in the middle of the room is a heavily armed and armored dwarf.

OOC: Welcome to Kerbouchard!

OOC2: For those resting, remember that you regain 2 WIZ per 10 minutes of active rest.

"Other Old One!" enthuses the little halfling upon seeing him, mimicking a long beard he doesn't have.

He himself is all of three feet tall,  dressed in colourful dog-wool clothes and rough leather plates. Wild blonde hair on top, strange yellow eyes beneath. He wears a sling at his belt, two short swords at his back (one composed of obsidian blades, very primitive), and holds a carved golden staff that must be worth a small fortune like it's a common walking stick. "Old One seen Kade's family? Many-many, dogs and carts?"

Important questions first!

He searches for words now and then, and gestures enthousiastic explanations when he can't find one.

OOC: How long should we consider the rest period to last?

OOC: That depends on how much you want to recover. I make wandering encounter rolls every 30 minutes of game time. 1 in 6 chance of something happening.

If Kerbouchard remains mute:

“Silent One?”

Kade shrugs and then gets back to the important bisiness of pointing both his servants towards the prize they came to get: “Steal table for Kade! Shiny sky ours!”

He’ll enthousiastically help as he can, of course, as they make their way back towards the ‘room with the big box with man on top’.

OOC: Quiet down as they near the other's resting place, stage-whispering. Then start plucking diamonds from the ceiling with the help of Jax and Regen, please
This message was last edited by the player at 23:46, Sat 09 Mar.

Biror proposes to rest for half an hour approximately, to be able to at least cast one spell in a future combat.

Slattery begs for an hour, but will be OK with half an hour as that's just long enough to take the edge off.

Biror grumbles but will reluctantly accept a one hour rest.

Thea would also prefer an hour's rest, if at all possible.

OOC: has Kerbouchard entered the room where we're resting yet?

The dwarf warrior warily, but silently, watches as Kade, Jax, and Regen wrestle the table out of the ogre's room and haul it down the corridor to the south. Never has furniture been rearranged in a more hazardous space. As they leave, the dwarf does not follow.

Luckily the trio manage to make it back to the tomb without arousing the attention of any of the dungeons inhabitants. Kade sets about the task of extracting the remaining diamonds from the ceiling as Jax and Regen alternate between standing guard and shifting the table.

At the end of the hour, Kade has collected the remaining 40 small diamonds.

The spell casters have recovered a good amount of their magical energy (12 WIZ restored) and everyone feels refreshed, if still wounded.

Refreshed after resting a while, and provided everybody is back in the golden Ankh room, Biror decides to investigate the north door.

"Strange One," comments Kade. "Maybe lost?"

When he gets back, he'll tell the others - Thea in particular - about his thrilling adventures with the silent dwarf.


Kade kneels, ruffling the fur on Saviour's head: "How Lakulmia? Good? Hurt in heart?" The dog whines in return. "No helping Kade before good." Kade decides, pointing finger putting extra weight behind the command. "ALL good."

Then he notices the north door opening and focuses that way, preparing a lead bullet for his sling just in case...

OOC: Just to confirm, has Kade re-poisoned his dagger yet? If not, he'll do so now

"A dwarf?" Thea responds.  She looks quickly toward Jax and Regan, to confirm that they also saw what Kade described.

When they do acknowledge the presence of another dwarf, she turns towards the party's own dwarf and says, "Biror, wait.  If there's someone behind us, we don't need to potentially be facing threats on two fronts."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:44, Thu 21 Mar.

"Silent One cultist too?" questions Kade, eyes suddenly wide. He had *not* considered that!

Then he frowns, confused: "But Silent One not here!" With a lively, double-handed gesture to the empty room and corridor to the west.

The north door is free of traps and is unlocked as far as Biror can tell.

Saviour seems to be in rather bad shape. She certainly could not take another hit like she did and survive.

There is no sign of the dwarf that Kade encountered.

OOC: Yes, Kade's dagger has been re-envenomed.

Slattery busily stands casting spells over his wounds, unleashing nearly all the magical energy he had regained.
"Sorry, can't spare any for the dog" he says in Saviour's direction.

OOC: Slattery spends 10 WIZ on casting Poor Baby on his wounds to get all 5 CON back.

Kade closes his mouth, expression sad. "Lakulmia good soon." He looks back up to Slattery, hope and determination rekindling: "Find family together!"

Biror turns around, looking at Thea and the rest of the party, sees nothing new or unusual, then shrugs. "Staying here longer will probably be more dangerous than moving on in the long run. We probably should proceed..." he suggests.

"Then loot big box with man on top?" asks the halfling hopefully.

He means the sarcophagus room :)

Slattery uses most of his magical energy to heal his wounds, leaving him fully recovered.

Jax and Regen have a seat while the party discusses their next move. They tend to their wounds as best as they can.

As you debate the best course of action, a dwarf enters the room through the north door. He is dressed in leather armor and carries magic staff. He seems as surprised to see you as you are to see him.

OOC: Welcome Korg!

Biror looks at the newcomer with a mix of surprise and interest. "What is your name, adventurer? And what might a fellow dwarf be doing in these tunnels?" he asks, genuinely curious.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:29, Fri 29 Mar.

"Not same as before," stage-whispers Kade to Slattery and Thea at the back. Lots of long beard old ones in stone place today! "He silent too?"

Biror looks at Kade, a little surprised by his words, then goes back to looking at the newcomer.

While waiting for his fellow dwarf to respond, Biror turns to his companions. "Better not dwell too long in one place. Do you want to go back to the tomb room to search it more? It seems that the door ahead does not present an immediate danger..."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:16, Mon 01 Apr.

This dwarf is taller and slimmer than most, but is in most other ways a classic dwarf: broad-shouldered, red-haired with a braided beard. He is notably unarmored, and wields only a staff as a weapon, curiously enough. His dark eyes betray a keen intelligence.

"Oi! What's this, now?" he says.





The newcomer blinks and then bows. "Korg, son of Korg. Of the Onyx Hills. I'm here to explore this place, as I'd imagine you are. Any use for a wizard among your number?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:43, Sat 30 Mar.

As Korg introduces himself to the party, a second dwarf enters through the northern door. This one is dressed in mail and carries a large shield and a warhammer.

OOC: Welcome to Thurek Ironmonger!

"Or more importantly, someone that can go toe to toe with your foes." another voice could be heard. Standing only 4 foot even, his armor helped make him look of average weight. Lifting his shield to use the warhammer to scratch his armpit, a sigh of relief was heard. "Ah! Much better. Hi, Thurek Ironmonger, sellsword. By chance, has any of you seen another dwarf, by the name of Kerbouchard?" he asked.

”He asks, because we have not. We entered this place with him,” adds Korg.

"Kerbouchard?". The appearance of the two dwarves had been something of a surprise to Thea, but not as much as hearing that name.  "There was a dwarf who called himself Kerbouchard Axe who accompanied Slattery, myself, and a few others in our initial delving into this dungeon, not too long ago.  We hadn't seen him since, as he left our number shortly after we finished that particular foray here," the young human mage says.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:08, Mon 01 Apr.

Meanwhile the halfling's bright yellow eyes flicked from one to the other as they spoke in turn, clearly loving this new development: "Old Ones all over!"

Holding up three fingers triumphantly.

He has an accent as he speaks -- and his grasp of Common is obviously not the best (although he has been improving by leaps and bounds over the past few weeks).

Biror almost jumps on his feet when seeing the third dwarf enter the room. "My, my, we almost have a whole dwarf company around here! How long have you been dwelling around these tunnels?" he asks, almost instinctively.

Korg looks at Thurek, and then back at Biror. He cracks a half-grin.  "Not more than a couple hours. You?"

"Well, it is my second foray in this dungeon already... at least with this party. Plenty of things to share. But what lies ahead of this door, really?" answers Biror, inquisitive.

"Well, hopefully some goblins to crush and money for a good week of drinking!" Thurek said. "Just no spellcasters. no weapons worth selling on them." he added.

Biror looks at Thurek for a second while scratching his head, not sure if he really understood his question. "Well, I guess nothing really dangerous then. We came from a room with a room with a tomb that we didn't completely investigate. Would you care to join us?"

He is willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the newcomers, since they are dwarves as well.

"Wait, wait!  Before!" Kade holds up a hand way high for attention: "Old Ones-ses see Kade family in rock place?" He thumps his own chest with an open palm as he excitedly gestures his explanation: "Many. Young, old, dogs and dogs and carts and -" His flexible expresion plunged right into sadness: "- and all taken by BIG horrible-terrible monster in big-big bag, down into black..."

Then he realizes he's forgotten *another* important thing. The diminutive fellow puffed out his chest and thumped it mightily, with his little fist this time: "Kade greatest warrior in all Dog Families!" he introduced himself, feet wide and proud.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:59, Wed 03 Apr.

Korg's eyes widen at Kade's performance. He looks over at Biror. "To answer your question...yes, I think we could help."

he looks back at Kade. "You mean...more like you? No. I've never seen more like you," he says sadly.

Kade's hopeful eyes travel to the smaller of the two long-beards -- the one with the scratchy armpit...

"What's Kur-boo-shar?" he can't help adding, since one question is obviously never enough!

OOC: He means "What is he to you" :)

"Hum, well he was with us at the start of this adventure. We got separated and have not seen him since." Thurek said. "As to joining you, there is safety in numbers!" he said giving a dwaeven salute.

"Now that this is cleared up, can we proceed to the tomb room?" asks Biror.

"Let's head out then, I think we've rested enough to face whatever terrors are there" Slattery says in a cheery mood. His bruises have faded where he had cast Poor Baby on himself.

"We seek!" Kade confirms, already dashing for the room to the west, disappointment forgotten.

Then he skids to a halt just before exiting and backs up a little so he can start introducing the other members of the party just as enthousiastically: "Old One, Pretty One, Sneaky One, Tall One, New Ones-ses, Saviour Lakulmia.  Big  BIG  loot already." With a grinning gesture at the 3 feet of solid gold sitting in the middle od the room. "You get piece if fight well... *And* tell Kade stories."

And then, on that improvised bit, he rushes through the door, back into the dry hotness of the sacophagus room. "Like sand-rock home!"

OOC: Kade will begin by examining and then shifting the two jars on each side of the sarcophagus. He'll use the end of his Wa-king stick for the latter,  weary of trigger traps like those in the cultist room. :)

Edit: Name correspondance: Biror, Thea, Slaterry, Fetcher, Regen + Dax, Saviour
This message was last edited by the player at 22:37, Sat 06 Apr.

Thurek's eyes bulged out as he saw the cubic yard of gold in front of him. A block of pure gold that large would weigh many tons he thought as he started to calculate. "Something not right. If that really is a block of gold, it would weigh about 15-16 tons, depending on the purity...and if it is real" he said, sniffing the air to double check things.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 16:56, Sat 06 Apr.

Biror examines the jars as well, keeping an eye on Kade.

Korg steps toward the big hunk of gold, his eyes narrowing. "I've got theories..."

Intellect saving throw of 24.
13:31, Today: Korg rolled 5 using 1d6+1d6 with rolls of 4,1.  Doubles dice explosion. – 5
13:31, Today: Korg rolled 19 using 1d6+1d6+13 with rolls of 3,3.  IQ Saving Throw regarding the Big Gold Hunk. – 19

Thea turns her gaze toward the gold, to see if it is magical, and if so what is the nature of the enchantment.

OOC: sorry, had lost track and forgot it was the ankh that was being discussed
This message was last edited by the player at 01:13, Wed 10 Apr.

"Come-come, Pretty One," calls Kade from the other room. "See what we find!"

Korg confirms that the ankh is indeed made of real gold. The ankh is about 3' tall, but is slender and delicate in parts. It is a work of fine craftsmanship, not merely a block. Thea does not sense any remaining magic on the ankh.

OOC: The effective weight is 600 weight units, but given the size it needs to be carried by two people with sufficient strength. Unless you tie it to someones back which would reduce that person's combat effectiveness.

Kade, Biror, and Slattery make their way back to the tomb.

Once there Kade and Biror begin to examine the clay jars. Each is about a foot tall and capped by a wax-sealed lid. On each jar is a painted image of an armored warrior. Kade shifts the jars with his stick, sliding them a little along the floor. This has no effect.

"A-ha!" Undettered, the little warrior picks one up with both hands, looks at the bottom - see if anything hides there -, then shakes it next to his ear to see if anything hides inside.

OOC: Can he tell what it is by the way it sounds/moves around?

Reminder: There's also a stone sarcophagus, as well as a bowl of burning flames flanked by two stone cats in the room here

Korg shares what he has deduced about the ankh. He then moves to the next room and examines the burning bowl from a distance of about three feet away.

Looking around for something flat, Thurke addressed the others. "Any chance we have something to use as a sled? That way I can drag it behind me and if we run into a problem, I can let loose the rope and join you in battle. he said.

Biror turns his attention to the sarcophagus, checking how it is sealed and if there is any decoration hinting on what is inside. He keeps an eye on Kade though.

Kade picks up one of the jars and checks underneath, but notices nothing hidden there. He gives the jar a shake and hears something rattling around inside.

Korg inspects the pot containing the fire, keeping his distance. Looking at it, Korg cannot see any kind of fuel. It's as if the flame simply exists on its own.

Thurek sees that there is a table in the tomb, as well as many scuff marks on the floor as if it had been dragged about the room.

Biror inspects the sarcophagus and sees that the lid is sealed with a thick layer of wax. The lid itself is stone and quite large, and likely very heavy. The top of the lid is decorated with a carving of an old human male in robes and holding a staff.

Biror approaches Thea. "Do you recognize the character, or the staff?" he asks, considering the possibility of opening the lid. The content of the jars worries him a little though. "We should check what is inside the jars before we open this sarcophagus I guess. Let's be prepared for anything, though!"

To Thurek he suggests: "We could use a large shield to improvise a sled, but I don't think we can spare one. Let's be on the lookout for something workable."

Korg nods. ”Aye. I have some ideas about opening the sarcophagus when that time comes. In the mean time, do we have anyone good at finding traps among us? I’d think that person would look into the jars.”
This message was last edited by the player at 11:14, Thu 11 Apr.

Speaking of:

Still looking forward to a devilish trap of some sort, Kade unexpectedly takes a short run-up and chucks the jar out the western door, as far as he can, expecting it to shatter on the floor there!

"Have two," he brightly points out.

OOC: If something nasty comes out or it explodes, close the door in its face :)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:28, Thu 11 Apr.

Slattery winces, bracing for the inevitable triggering of a trap. If the jars don't trigger one, he waits to see what people do with the sarcophagus.

Spotting the table, Thurek flipped it over and secured the ankh to the table legs so that it would keep from sliding out. Taking some rope, he made a loop to go over his shoulder with a quick release knot in case he has to start fighting.

Seeing the jar go flying out into the hallway, he shook his head and waited before picking up the rope.

Biror braces himself...

The jar sails into the western corridor and crashes on the floor, shattering. A small object flies out as well. As the pieces of pottery settle a mist rises from them and coalesces into the shadowy form of an armored warrior wielding a sword and shield, it's eyes glowing with a red light. It sets it's gaze upon you and charges, floating just above the floor of the corridor!

OOC: Actions?

"Well, looks like ya found something...and it ain't too happy!" Thurek said as he went forward to do battle.

Attack Spirit with Warhammer (5d6+1). Personal adds +25.
10:04, Today: Thurek Ironmonger rolled 41 using 5d6+26 ((3,6,1,2,3)).
This message was last edited by the player at 16:55, Sat 13 Apr.

"I hope it can be damaged by magic!" says Biror, half to give a hint to his companions, half out of spite. Then he casts Vorpal Blade on his weapons and joins Thurek in his attack.

17:02, Today: Biror rolled 55 using 10d6+21 ((4,3,3,4,6,1,4,2,4,3)). Ax and dagger attack with Vorpal Blade.

Her magical strength still not fully replenished, Thea unleashes a blast of eldritch energy at the shadowy foe, hoping to get a sense of how formidable this entity is, and that it is one that her friends can defeat without too much cost to them.

OOC: Level 1 TTYF, 1 WIZ expended

If Slattery can get into the doorway to back his companions up, he will see if his blades can damage the warrior.

OOC: 21:20, Today: Slattery rolled 30 using 5d6+10 ((3,4,4,5,4))

"No leg," boggles the halfling, a bit scared. He has just enough presence of mind to jump back into the room so the foe is surrounded when it enters, letting loose a mighty stone from his braided sling as he does so.

OOC: 20:23, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 15 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Through and through sling stone (+24 dex).
20:24, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 49 using 2d6+41.  Sling damage

Korg raises his hand and utters some words in Dwarven. Magic surges from his hand straight into the fiend!

Cast Take That You Fiend, deals 16 hits to the thing! Spend 6 Wizardry points.

Thea and Korg blast the apparation with magic, tearing holes in it's form. As it closes to attack, Kade launches a sling shot, but it sails right through. As the rest close, all but Biror find their their weapons pass harmlessly through the spirit. Biror's enchanted axe and dagger do find purchase.

The exchange appears to be a draw, with the wizard's magic saving the group. The ghostly warrior is able to do some damage, however. Fetcher, Slattery, and Thurek all feel the cold touch of the creature (1 point of spite to each).

The ghost turns it's gaze to the wizards as it prepares it's next attack.

OOC: Minor grammatical edits.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:37, Wed 17 Apr.

"Leave Pretty One – Pretty One-zes? – Pretty Onezes alone!" Kade exclaims, stepping between them and the floating Atama. His short sword is in the tiny warrior's hand again, slashing wildly and then stabbing mightily towards the ghost's lower parts (by necessity :) ).

OOC: Magical short sword for the win :
08:11, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 42 using 5d6+29 with rolls of 6,2,2,1,2.  Low blow.

Can he maybe see what the tiny thing that fell from the jar is from here? (Through the ghost, so to speak? :) )

Biror understands that he has no other choice than to enchant his weapons again if he wants the party to have a chance at defeating the spirit.

17:29, Today: Biror rolled 64 using 10d6+21 with rolls of 5,5,4,3,3,6,3,6,3,5.  Ax and dagger attack with Vorpal Blade.

Seeing that the others who can are beginning to enchant their weapons, Thea hopes that, along with the continued efforts of herself and Kord, that the tide of battle with this entity will quickly turn in their favor.

For her own part, she unleashes another eldritch blast, keeping herself from expending most or all of her magical energies in a panic as the spectral creature approaches.

OOC: another Level 1 TTYF, one more point of WIZ expended

Thurek looked surprised as he weapon did not seem to do anything to the floating creature. Letting loose a few choice words in dwarvish, he kept up his attacks.

OOC:Not rolling for damage as I know that it will not harm it.

Slattery wonders if the amulet of stone would have helped him fight the creature, but as the item has had its power spent for the day, he rapidly realises this is a futile effort. He tries to dodge the creature and block with his sword, and takes his bruises for the team.

"Anybody able to hurt it? I'm too tired from healing to cast anything!" he complains.

Kade throws his sling on the ground and draws his enchanted short sword, joining the melee, while Thea unleashes another bolt of magical energy at the spirit. The other warriors continue to try to distract the ghost, knowing their weapons will not cause it any harm.

The spirit attempts to run Thea through with it's sword, but it is obliterated before it gets the chance.

Lying on the floor of the corridor leading west among the shards of pottery is a large green gem.

Korg walks over to Thea and nods. "Expertly done," he says with respect. "Any idea what that thing was?"

Thea nods in return to the dwarf, grateful to have another full-fledged wizard at her side once again, even as she tries to remember from her training if she had ever read of something like what they had just faced.

22:20, Today: Thea Schreiber rolled 13 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system ((2 & 2, 5 & 4)).

OOC: IQ (16) Saving Roll to try to identify what we just faced.

"Don't touch another one!" yells Biror at Kade, before approaching the gem to investigate it.

"Aww," exclaims Kade, the other jar *already* in his greedy hands. He shakes this one next to his ear as well and if he hears the same sound: "Loot here too!" he informs with a large, enticing smile.

And : "Hot," he pants, despite his earlier boasting.

He takes the time to drink from his water skin, feeding some to Saviour as well while he's at it.

His eyes are already roaming all over the other potential treasures still in the room though... "Fire cat cat?" he suggests, pointing dramatically.

OOC: Kade will examine the stone cats, please? How big are they? Do they have jewelry or precious metals or symbols on them? Something else of note?

Biror sees that the gems is a large, well cut serpentine. Definitely valuable.

When Kade shakes the second jar he notices that it too has something inside.

The cat statues are beautifully made out of onyx and are about the size of a large cat; but a slender, regal cat rather than a large mouser you might find in a barn. Each cat is carved so that it sits upright. Kade sees no gems or other items decorating the cats, nor are there any markings.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:57, Sat 20 Apr.

"A wraith," Thea says, suddenly, a memory from her training finally unmoored from the recesses of her mind.   "We were fortunate," she adds, "as they can only be harmed by magic, and their mere touch can drain the very life from their victims."

"Maybe save the jar and chuck it at somebody else." Thurek said with a smile that turned into a frown at the comment from Thea. "What happens to those that get killed by them, do they become one?"

Kade laughs at Thurek's idea, delighted, and holds out the remaining jar to him as a reward.


Not impressed with the cats' lack of bling, he then picks up the fire pot resting between the two instead.

"Maybe make light for Kade?" Now that his brand new lantern has been shattered...

OOC: Anything on the bottom of the pot, or at the place it rested? If it's about the right size to take the lantern's place at the end of the Wa-King stick, he'll suspend it there with some rope for now.

Does the fire burn/shed heat by the way? Try it with a quick pass of his finger and see :)

Kade tries to pick up the pot with the fire (???), but finds that it will not move. He also discovers, mostly by not burning himself, that the flame burns without heat.

Thurek takes the offered jar and carefully puts it away in case it is needed.

Where does Thurek place the jar?

In his back pack towards the top, wrapped in some of his spare clothing.

If the gem does not seem to be magical, Biror pockets it and turns around to talk to his party mates, pointing at the sarcophagus. "So now, shall we try to lift the lid of this coffin, or do we need some rest?" Looking at Thurek, he adds: "Careful, the creature sealed in this jar might be called by whoever is lying in there."

Kade has discovered that the fire in the pot at the end of the sarcophagus burns without heat and it cannot be moved.

Following the suggestion of Kade, Thurek has placed the wax-sealed clay jar, possibly containing a wraith, into his backpack.

Biror has collected the large serpentine from remains of the other pot.

Next?

In reply to Biror (msg # 275):

Kade looks up from his right hand, fully engulfed in non-burning flammes by this point. "Big box? Biggest loot in big box," he confidently predicts with a grin.

He does take the time to ram his entire arm down the fire pot, see if he can feel anything down and around there by any chance... before breaking out one of his borrowed cultist daggers and starting to enthousiastically clear out some of that wax sealing the edge of the sarcophagus' lid.

"Jax and Regen help too!" he invites.

OOC: Anything discernable within the pot?

Korg simply stands back and watches, curious to see what comes of Kade's explorations.

Thurek waited with his warhammer ready for battle, hoping that the next foe was one he could hit.

Biror shrugs and brings out his smaller dagger to help Kade, since opening the tomb seems to be what the party decides to do.

"I really hope whatever is in there is long dead, and not going to come back and haunt us. We can't deal with much more of these supernatural opponents" Slattery observes.

He readjusts his armour after the last fight, and prepares to see what happens when the sarcophagus lid comes off.

"Atama in rocky place afraid of fire. Half times," Kade recalls as he works on the wax. "Atama in.terible place no llke no head or no leg." Chopping motions at his limbs and then at his throat with a funny choking sound. "Maybe same in stone place?"

OOC: Lift it all together afterwards?

Kade finds nothing within the magic fire.

Together, Kade and Biror are easily able to cut away the wax seal around the lid of the sarcophugus. The lid itself looks very heavy and will require some coordinated effort.

OOC: If you wish to try to remove the lid, let me know who is helping and how it is being done.

Korg notes the need for assistance and steps in, being not as useless as some wizards in the more physical things.

Biror welcomes the help of Korg, and tries to coordinate the effort to push the lid between the two dwarfs and Kade.

Speaking of, the tanned little halfling warrior punches the air, his hand triumphantly gripping a just-extracted iron prybar: "Kade help!"

He rams-in the flat end on the side they're about to push and prepares to jump on it from above with both feet! "Ready?"

OOC: Plus two more on the ends maybe? Or somebody could grip the prybar and use it fulltime
This message was last edited by the player at 13:02, Sun 28 Apr.

Thurek held a finger up to stop Kade from hurting himself. "You might get it to budge but when it opens, the prybar will not be able to support your weight and the lid at the same time when it moves. May I?" he asked.

If so.
Putting his warhammer next to the sarcophagus in case there is a problem, Thurek looked around to make sure everyone was ready. "On three. One. Two. Three." he said.

Korg stands ready to lift and/or catch as the lid opens!

Kade puzzles at the longbeard, not quite understanding all the words, then shrugs it off, hops off the sarcophagus and prepares to suspend all his mighty weight from the very end of the pry bar instead, while Thurek works it in tandem.

"Kade ready!"

With the combined effort of the three dwarves plus the hobbit and his crowbar, you are able to shift the lid of the sarcophagus and slide it open.

As the lid comes off, the two doors to the west and east suddenly close and you hear a loud hissing sound coming from the floor. You all begin to find it hard to breathe.

OOC: I need everyone to make a Saving Roll on their CON (total, not current).

Thurek got a solid whiff of the gas as it started to pour in.

Immitating Thurek, Biror takes a deep breath as soon as he hears the hiss.

10:14, Today: Biror rolled 11 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  CON (18) saving throw.

Upon realizing what is happening, Thea tries to hold her breath... but perhaps not quickly enough.

11:50, Today: Thea Schreiber rolled 8 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system - CON 11 SR((2 & 6))
This message was last edited by the player at 16:33, Tue 30 Apr.

"Get in big box!" Kade shouts as he lifts up his colorful neck scarf to cover his mouth. "Go back down!" Meanwhile he scrambles to find the source of the snaky hissing!

OOC: He intents to seal it with as many glue-pots a needed once he finds it? :)
11:58, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 9 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Silent but deadly (Con 18).

Slattery holds his breath like the trap-springing professional he is.

[OOC: 14:55, Today: Slattery rolled 16 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system ((4 & 4, 2 & 6)).
Slattery's CON is 13, so that should pass even a level 3 CON save]

Korg tries to hold his breath...

11:45, Yesterday: Korg rolled 11 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,5.  Saving Roll (CON). – 11
This message was last edited by the player at 13:44, Fri 03 May.

As the tomb fills with gas, most of you manage to hold your breath in time, others not so much...

Jax and Regen are caught completely off guard as gas pours directly over where they are standing. Jax hacks and gags, but Regen falls to floor with a sickening thud.

Thurek accidentally breathes in before holding his breath, but his almost supernatural constitution keeps the gas from having too much effect (-1 CON). Thea, on the other hand, breathes in the gas and staggers about trying to breath (-6 CON).

Kade scrambles around the floor trying to find the source of the escaping gas, but it seems to be coming from everywhere!

Suddenly the hissing sound stops, but the air around you remains hazy.

OOC: Actions? Remember that both magic doors closed when the trap was activated.

Slattery moves straight to the nearest door and tries to lever it open even a crack for fresh air and a chance to dissipate the gas.

Slattery can hear scratching and whining on the other side of the door as Saviour tries to scratch-dig-bite-bark her way through to them! Points for enthousiasm, but rescue still seems highly unlikely that way!

Meanwhile, Kade scrambles up into the sarcophagus, holding air down in his small lungs as best he can, and starts quickly running his hands along the edges of the big box. “Owe onn wetee onne: ee aave!”

OOC: Looking for a button/plate or trigger that closed the doors when the lid was removed? If he finds one, try to trigger/hold it down again.
What’s inside the sarcophagus by the way?

Biror peeps into the tomb, looking for something which could help escape the room somehow.

Korg quickly calculates to see if he thinks a "Knock, Knock" spell will open the door...

09:49, Today: Korg rolled 19 using 1d6+1d6+13 with rolls of 2,4.  INT saving roll to see if he thinks Knock Knock will open the locked doors open. – 19

Korg thinks about it and, yes, that is what Knock Knock spells were designed to do.

Slattery sees no lever or seam for the door; he recalls that Thea previously opened it with magic.

Kade scrambles into the sarcophagus while Biror walks over to look inside. Neither sees any sort of lever or similar device to operate the door. They do see a staff made from highly polished, very dark wood, and a gold bracelet lying inside.

"Biror reaches for the staff, wondering if it can be of any use right now, and shows it to Thea for examination. "Do you think it is magical?" he asks the wizard.

Kade’s bright yellow eyes go wide at Biror’s wild courage, completely ignoring the remaining gas! His own lungs are obviously starting to strain, cheeks ballooning out like an angry frog. “Ood ood?” waving at the still-hazy air wonderingly.

OOC: If Biror doesn’t show any ill effect, Kade will stand on the corner of the sarcophagus (i.e. farthest away from the pooling gas) and try taking a huge lungful of blessed air!

Korg, meanwhile, after assessing the situation, raises his staff and utters a word of command at one of the doors!

Cast Knock, Knock on the door further in, if he can ascertain which one that is.

Thurek headed to the door to try opening it the old fashioned way, with brute force as he slammed the warhammer into it.

20:08, Today: Thurek Ironmonger rolled 51 using 5d6+26 ((3,6,5,5,6)).

As Korg casts his spell, both doors open and the gas begins to thin.

Biror holds up the staff from the sarcophagus and both Thea and Korg can sense great power emanating from the item; they immediately recognize it as a deluxe magic staff!

As a wave of relief passes over everyone, there is a suddenly as strange feeling in the air.

OOC: Everyone that helped open the sarcophugus - Kade, Thurek, Korg, Biror - needs to make a Saving Roll on Luck.

Thurek, in the middle of trying to bash the door open was thrown off balance as it swung open. Wondering what happened, he looked at the others as a feeling flowed over him but then shrugged his shoulders.   "Where to next?" he asked.

19:15, Today: Thurek Ironmonger rolled 19 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Luck save.

Handing over the wand to the nearest wizard, Biror looks around to identify what this strange feeling is about.

10:20, Today: Biror rolled 10 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  SR on LK (11).

Kade takes a huge lungful of blessed air even as Saviour bursts in through the just-opened door, to his enthousiastic greeting: “We saved!” he declares to one and all.

... And then he spots Regen lying on the floor and rushes to help prop him up with a worried Jax... “Bad?”

OOC: How is Regen? Is he still alive?
08:05, Today: Kade SpiritShaker rolled 20 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system (2 & 2, 5 & 5, 2 & 4).  Curse of the pharaohs (LK 27). – Wow

Korg staggers a bit...

Luck of 7....roll of 5...

21:41, Today: Korg rolled 5 with the Tunnels & Trolls, Saving Throws system.  Luck Save. – 5

Biror and Korg cry out in pain; both feel as though their bodies are on fire and are driven to their knees in agony. The staff falls from Biror's grip and it lands on the floor at Thea's feet. The sensation passes as quickly as it came, but the damage is done (Biror -4 CON, Korg -8 CON).

Kade rushes over to where Regen has fallen, where Jax has kneeled over him and rolled him over. Checking him carefully, Kade realizes that he is dead.

"You okay there Jax?" Thurek asked, moving him off the corpse. "Well now, not a good omen. Did he have any kin in the area?" the dwarf asked concerning Regen.