In Rock We Trust (Session 250)

SESSION 250: In Rock We Trust (June 2023)

After a conversation with a fisher-giant the hobos began running the gauntlet towards the relic known as Arid.

 

Day 182 Continued (12.20/0605 Underground Sea): Rooting through the pay-pile the sound of grinding stone is heard coming from the seaside alcove. Steve and Dolec went to check it. 

Sitting on the ledge edge was a king of stone giants holding an appropriately sized fishing rod and flanked by a bowl of water(?) and an appropriately sized basket overflowing with fish only a giant could reel in. Steve – "Wooooo, nice catch". In common,“Keep it smooth knucklehead, the big ones scare easily”. Steve complied and felt a pang of sadness that his fishing pal Rhags could not see this. Steve watched the giant’s smooth cast out into the Zoltani Sea – plop. 

“I guess you all are curious as to what you have stumbled upon… or maybe you searched it out. Doesn’t really matter to me one way or the other… 

This is a Vault that holds Arid, a titan sword. Many wish to obtain it, most die by my grandson Vorag, but he has lost his way and he annoys me. Or annoyed me, seems you have slain him? 

Good. I do not care about it anymore. I’m old...and I find that I enjoy fishing”. Steve agreed with the ancient stone giant and was just a little envious. 

Ding-We interrupted his pleasant musings. 

Whisper whisper whisper. ..

Steve, after direction probed further regarding this place and the sword. 

“Deeper down there are a variety of guardians. You are probably going to die and no I’m not going to spoil the surprise. But, they feed on kobolds—they breed like rats, those little bastages. I remember Vorog and I clubbing them out to sea as a competition. I won, hah! Anyways, all those mongrels below me are brutes for eating those kobolds—hardly any meat on them! But whatever, it leaves way more fish for me, which are far superior in taste. Tell me, what will you do with the sword? Hah...actually, how are you even going to carry it? Fools....but hey, I’ll trade a few fish if you have any ale or wine? Alcohol would make this day just about perfect.” 

(Italicized stuff once more attributed to Malrex, Merciless Merchants)

Carla just happened to have a trio of wine bottles in her little stow away. They were passed forward. “Hmm not much but something. A fine day indeed. Best of luck in your deaths. I will just keep on fishing until my day comes”. 

They fell back to the gladiatorial chamber to finish the loot collection and packing statue Rhagnar away. 

Getting back into the arena proper it was confirmed that the other cells were empty. Steve then got down to work to extract the basilisk’s gizzard. It was intact and the Duke of Gormandia did a yeoman’s job of removing it. This was right around when Ding-We realized that they had no proper container for the huge damn thing he had forgotten to bring a metamorpha or even a simple canopic jar. It might not survive the trip. They packed it away as best they could. Charles discovered that there were levers on one of the pillars beside the platform and the runes above the fire giant skeleton read ‘Mahrduun the Dehydrator, destroyer of seas and oceans, he has paid for his crimes...’. They piled onto the platform. Once Steve figured out the levers the platform began to descend. 

The rumble of chains echoed in the cave below as the platform descends a short shaft before opening into a huge sandy cavern. A half-eaten kobold corpse was noted near the northern wall, thirsty sand absorbing the blood. 

This was the lair of Vorag’s cave bears. 

This was not realized until things went wrong. 

The Clan of Cave Bears had pretty good ventilation in their home. That defeated what would normally have been a party for anyone’s olfactory sense - giving away the ursus presence. 

No such luck here.

Shining their lights about a portion of the chamber was defined. A wider passage to the south was the selected path of exploration. This resulted in running headlong into the first two bears that slammed into Steve and Dolec – OOF! 

Not seeing any giants the bears saw only dinner. 

      (Pantry Panic, 1941)

 

The hobos found themselves in a choke point and only able to provide limited support to the frontline. Four more bears attacked from behind. Now our hobos were feeling a bit like an accordion, those in the middle might be claw and fang free but they had a good squish going on. Battle raged. It seemed like the two sides were almost at a stalemate. Steve and Alamend were underneath bears but still successfully fending themselves. Some jerk’s wand of polymorph turned one of the bears into a giant fish and they thought the tide was a turning. Then more bears arrived. Fortunately one of them elected to drag away the giant fish. It would have a shock in store but not right away. The other slammed into Carla. Saff was able to charm this one as the other began to fall. An anguished howl could be heard. The last bear just realized it was eating a fellow clan member and raced back for vengeance. Saff’s bear, Lulu a mighty sow, intercepted the remaining male, Jeremy, and gave him a stern reprimand. Jeremy was not happy about this but Lulu was momma to many and carried deference. Before they wandered away into the deeper darkness Saff was able to learn that there was a stairwell going deeper into the rock in the western extent of the larger chamber and that stupid kobolds made it impassable. The gang went that way. The Steep stairs lead downward along the west wall. Wooden palisades with sharpened stakes were near the bottom. The gang remembered Froguria’s words, they would be running a gauntlet to secure the spoils. We better get smart.

Bunny once more quaffed some invisible and then Saff cast a phantasmal image of her bestest gummy head friend Sloth. Bunny snuck down the steps as the image of Sloth followed slightly behind. They did a number of things to attract attention but nothing happened immediately. To the east of the landing chamber were a number of torturously twisted passageways cut into the rock. If the next challenge was here they were not immediately lured to action. Saff moved fake Sloth deeper into the chamber and Bunny tossed a light stone down a passage. This elicited a response. Twang! A crossbow bolt caused Sloth to dissolve into motes of magical energy. Whatever made the shot did not immediately reveal itself. The horde began to make their way down and press the matter. Worming into the labyrinth the opponents were revealed – minotaurs! It was a trio of bull-men that used the twisting passages to their advantage as best they could, shooting from the darkness until bloodlust overtook them. The Minotaurs charged from the darkness halberds in hand and sharpened horns lowered. Once more the sands drank the rain of blood. The trio of man-eating bovines could not hold against the hobo horde. Sloshing and wave-lapping sea water echoes loudly within this cave from outside, as if reverberating from the natural pillars of various sizes. Passages twist and turn around the natural pillars quickly becoming a natural maze. 

The maze did what it does, confuse and disorientate. They found themselves in a tight passage. It opened into a larger chamber with a greeting party. Continual light shines from the 20’ tall ceiling in this huge sandy floored chamber. Several natural pillars made of pumice hold up the ceiling, casting darkened shadows along the walls. Atop a broken pillar lies a humongous silver horn, with crackling yellowish runes. Three minotaurs stepped forward in an inverse arrow formation with the apex before and behind the broken pillar. The largest of the beasts blew the horn. The very rumbling of the abyss came from it. The smoky form of a giant bull began to form. One of the others carried a black and gold crossbow. When the bolt was fired it turned to a swarm of angry hornets that encompassed the gang. Stinging and biting making concentration new impossible. Ding-We saw things going down hill quick. He activated his ring of spell-storing, putting a wall of fire between forces. At the same time Lester blew on his horn petitioning the Valkyrie to release the berserkers. Four appeared and they rushed the wall without fear as they knew enemy were on the other side. This allowed the party to fall back. Their tactical withdrawal was intercepted. The ironclad bull-beast, a gorgon,  appeared from a side passage and released its ghastly breath. Lester, Alamend and Mason were petrified. There would be no avoidance this day. Steve and Charles engaged the gorgon. Further up the side passage the berserkers had circled one of the minotaur, the other two pressed forward to provide missile support for the gorgon. The creature let loose with its breath once more and Steve thanked the God’s for his pig-faced basinet that provided him with an atmospheric bubble. Without it he too would have been packed into a storage facility. All hands attacked the gorgon and this was what was required to prevent it from ever breathing again. They them finished up with the guardians of the labyrinth. 

Returning to the chamber with the horn they rested, healed and then looked for their pay.

Around the pillar bearing the massive horn (250 lbs.) was strewn the treasure. Both coin and items. Beyond the horn there was the crossbow and an ornate gold shuttered lantern. They quickly tallied things and then packed the treasure and the three newest hobo statues into the now very crowded portable hole. Finally getting around to giving the chamber an actual investigation a descending stairwell was found behind a stone curtain wall. 

“Let’s get this done’, was the wizard’s encouragement. Steve, Charles and Dolec marched towards the unknown.

 

ROLECALL 

Carla the Green High Priestess of TMB (C10) 336823 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d12/III

            Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm

Bimbles the High Priest of GSS (C9) 299345 xp +5% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

            +2 save to poison and internal body things; Double eat (gotta feed my baybay)

Hobo Steve the Lord (F9) 312298 xp +5% <360,001> CRT 1d24/V

            Brain Damaged: reduced mental capacity (tough night on the town)

Rahgnar the Dwarven Superhero (D8) 233287 xp <280001> CRT 1d20/IV

            Serious wound: permanent loss of an eye (-1 to missile fire)

            Critical Wound: disembowelled less able to process poison (-1 penalty)

            Missing thirteen teeth  

Raul the Voyager (MD9) 254664 xp +10% <360000> CRT 1d12/III

            Fezzi-Gig (Neut: XXXX) Sword

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4, 

Removed one of his own nostrils.

Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 356589 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d20/IV

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -3, carved up face

            Wound: Bad leg (-5’ MV)

            Multiple Injuries: lost 25 teeth (7 remaining), drools a lot CHA -1

            Serious Injury: Brain Drain -2 INT

            Serious wound: permanent loss of an eye (-1 to missile fire)                         

Ding-We the Peg-Legged Wizard (W10) 501546 xp +10% <620001> CRT 1d10/I

            Critical Wound: Left leg obliterated, runs at ½ rate (peg required)

Bunny the Thief! (T9) 280330 xp <280001> +10% CRT 1d20/II

            Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand

Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T8) 157770 xp +5% <160001> CRT 1d20/II

             Serious wound: Bad Back (-1 stone CC)

            Scars: Neurological damage to hip, noticeable limp (-5’ mve)

            Missing eight teeth talks with a lisp

 

            The Henchmen

Saffron the Mad Fairy Queen of Ribbits (FY7) 188188 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III

            Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts

Sloth the Bopper (L7) 173249 xp +10% <178800> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)

            Missing ten teeth

Nara the Nearly Naked Purple Swami Girl (PS7) 109599 xp +5% <125000> CRT 1d16/II

Wraith Drained: -1 CON

Biff Bartley the Half-Orc Blackguard (HO7) 101166 <120000> +5% CRT 1d12/II

Sasha Plasha the Warden (R8) 119078 xp +10% <200000> CRT 1d10/III

‘BOB’ the Deadly Shade (N7) 64817 <90000> +5% CRT 1d16/II

Felix Ignatius Hemlock the once skeletal Sleuth (I7) 47017 <80001> +5% CRT 1d16/II

Mason the Lama of Yrrrg. (C7) 72353 <100001> CRT 1d10/III

Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 76484 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV

            Franz the Grave Return (Lawful; XXXX) Sword

Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON) 

            Mostly DEAD. (-1 CON)

Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swashbuckler (D4) 23766 <36000> +5% CRT 1d12/III

Wendul the Magician (W6) 45514 <80000> 5% CRT 1d8/I

Dolec Da the Hero (F5) 5530421 xp +10% <64000> CRT 1d20/IV

            Missing five teeth

Camillus the Myrmidon (F7)  83695 <120001> +5% CRT 1d20/IV

Willy the Reformed Burglar (T6)  23902<40000>10% CRT 1d14/II

            Agolloch the Eye of Purity (Lawful; XXXX) Sword

Chung-Li the Myrmidon Warlock (E6) 103411 xp <120000> +10% CRT 1d8/II

Captain Alamend Strender the Swashbuckler (F5) 25020 <32000> +5% CRT 1d16/IV

Lester Flanders the Warder of Oceana (P5)  37504 xp <45000> +5% CRT XXXX

Ike the Duck (DF6) – AVATAR form.

Brett & Jermaine Kobold Cooks & Eavesdroppers Extraordinaire

 

RESERVES

BoB is the lone lawn ornament for the Basilisk Knights.

Chung Li needs 12 weeks (74 days) and a stack of coin to rewrite his lost spell book.  

            Elapsed: 41 days (from A-Team calendar)

Elapsed Campaign Time

623 (630) days at beginning of session (also applies to recuperation) 

Join us for session Two-Hundred-and-Fifty-One when we ask the questions:

Another stairwell going down, what challenge awaits?

Arid…a ticket to trouble?

Tale of the Tape

Rhags is still a rock

Lester, Mason and Alamend joined the stone brigade

Exploration Below the Blighted Sub-Hex

Location hex: 12.20

 

KILLS

Cave Bears (8: 6 defeated 2 retreated)

Minotaurs (6) 

Gorgon 

LOOT

560 sp

3100 gp 

217 pp

Zircon (2) 50 gp each

Scroll 

Hooded Lantern (magical)

Hornet - crossbow